Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to punch the air and shout “YESSSSHHHHHHH!!!” because it’s…
What’s it called?
Vision of Triumph.
What’s it from?
‘Miniatures’, my 2023 album of classical piano compositions.
What’s it all about?
A celebratory piece which takes influence from such compositions as Mussorgsky’s ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ and the final movement of Brahms’ ‘Symphony No. 1’, I can’t help feeling that there is a certain shallowness underlying the bombast of ‘Vision of Triumph’. It feels a bit like an idealised form of victory that comes without a cost, hence the word ‘vision’ – maybe this piece represents what you think triumph is going to be like, even though when it actually arrives it may not be so simplistic.
Listen out for…
The more orchestral style of writing in this piece – you can surely imagine the big block chords being blasted out by a brass section, the lyrical melodies floating over from the strings, and of course the bass tremolos booming out from the timpani. It would definitely be an interesting exercise to fully orchestrate this piece one day, to see what it would sound like in full technicolor.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/miniatures
New Music Monday, #46: ‘Empty Walls’
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to bemoan the feeling you get when you’ve just run out of ice cream because it’s…
What’s it called?
Empty Walls.
What’s it from?
‘Miniatures’, my 2023 album of classical piano compositions.
What’s it all about?
This is a piece that didn’t have any real-world meaning when I originally wrote it, however I am quite pleased with my choice of title which does anchor it to something more concrete. I chose to name it ‘Empty Walls’ because it has a certain wistful melancholic quality to it, which reminds me of a particular feeling you get when moving house and take down all the pictures from the walls. Suddenly a room that for so long felt like home now feels cold and barren – just another set of unsentimental blank surfaces and nothing more.
Listen out for…
The twisty-turny left-hand pattern that drives the entire piece – very difficult to play (unless you happen to have 6 fingers per hand), but I’m told it’s highly satisfying once mastered!
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/miniatures
Me, My Eb Clarionet, and Shostakovich
This week, I have been mostly practising… The teeny tiny squeaky squawky Eb clarionet!
Why have I been doing that, you may wonder? Why put myself and my local community through such torment? Surely any instrument that requires earplugs merely to practise should not be permitted at all in civilised society!
Well I’ll tell you why, dear reader: It’s because this Saturday 11th November I’ll be lending my abilities to the music-making behemoth that is Stockport Symphony Orchestra, and contributing the sopranino clari part to Shostakovich’s rip-roaring Symphony No. 5. Do come along if you can, and you’ll also be rewarded with some Chopin and Panufnik.
I thought you may enjoy getting an insight into what it’s like to be my next-door neighbours, as it’ll make you feel so much better about your own life – so to conclude, here are some examples of the glorious high frequencies you can expect to hear on Saturday night!
Why have I been doing that, you may wonder? Why put myself and my local community through such torment? Surely any instrument that requires earplugs merely to practise should not be permitted at all in civilised society!
Well I’ll tell you why, dear reader: It’s because this Saturday 11th November I’ll be lending my abilities to the music-making behemoth that is Stockport Symphony Orchestra, and contributing the sopranino clari part to Shostakovich’s rip-roaring Symphony No. 5. Do come along if you can, and you’ll also be rewarded with some Chopin and Panufnik.
I thought you may enjoy getting an insight into what it’s like to be my next-door neighbours, as it’ll make you feel so much better about your own life – so to conclude, here are some examples of the glorious high frequencies you can expect to hear on Saturday night!
New Music Monday, #45: ‘Main Theme (from The Attack of the Dancing Demon Lollipop Man from Hell)’
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to be scared out of your wits (slightly too late for Hallowe’en – I’m now kicking myself that I didn’t think to do this one last week) because it’s…
What’s it called?
Main Theme (from The Attack of the Dancing Demon Lollipop Man from Hell).
What’s it from?
According to the apocryphal tales, ‘The Attack of the Dancing Demon Lollipop Man from Hell’ was to be the crowning glory in the career of esteemed filmmaker Armando Allegro, telling the story of an ordinary man who becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil road safety officer (with horrific consequences). Sadly the film itself has been lost forever, however parts of the soundtrack did survive to be later reconstructed by myself and the enigmatic Mister James Ure. This EP, released in 2022, is the result of those reconstructions.
What’s it all about?
As the title suggests, this is the main theme from the film, and so you can imagine in your mind’s ear hearing it played over the opening titles, or perhaps the end credits. Or maybe even during the film itself, when that evil lollipop man is about to do something nasty and things start to turn very spooky – very spooky indeed!
Listen out for…
The various traffic-related noises that crop up in the middle section – you may be able to pick up the sound of a car indicator, a pedestrian crossing, and car tyres screeching on the road. Also, I do like the chilling effect given by three flutes flutter tonguing in dissonant harmony (0:51-1:53). Note that, for extra discomfort and creepiness, one flute is tuned sharp, one is in tune, and one is tuned flat.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/lollipop
New Music Monday, #44: ‘Shibil’
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to go on a long soul-searching journey on the back of a horse or something because it’s…
What’s it called?
Shibil.
What’s it from?
‘Music for the Moving Image’, my ever-expanding album showcasing pieces that I’ve written for various film projects, with all the pesky sound effects and dialogue removed.
What’s it all about?
This is another one I wrote for a competition, where you’re given a clip from a film and have to come up with some muzick to go with it. In this case it was Four For Music’s scoring competition last year, and the film is about a Bulgarian guy who looks moody for a bit then gets up on his horse and goes for a walk while a disembodied voice talks about him behind his back. But then another moody guy appears who seems to have more nefarious intentions – he too gets on a horse to go for a walk, before we see a really sneaky-looking character observing from afar, who gives a super secret special signal to send his sneaky-looking pals off to do no good.
As you can maybe tell, I didn’t go to a lot of effort to research the ins and outs of the plot of the film from which this clip is taken. But in this situation it probably doesn’t matter that much, as long as the music adds something to it!
Listen out for…
I don’t habitually use piano in an orchestral context, however I sneaked it into this piece and am quite pleased with the extra flavours it adds to the arrangement. In particular, at several points I’ve included some dissonant thundering clusters right in the extreme bass of the instrument, to add an additional sense of depth and menace to particular accents (e.g. 0:00, 0:35, 1:12). There’s also a little figure at 1:40 which was (unintentionally) inspired by Ravel’s G major Piano Concerto – a descending quintuplet of parallel 5ths of which I’m rather fond.
Find out more at…
https://youtu.be/C8srYRuygEQ , where you can watch the clip in its entirety to the accompaniment of my enthralling music.
New Music Monday, #43: ‘Please Don’t Die’
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to put a brave face on things because it’s…
What’s it called?
Please Don’t Die.
What’s it from?
My 2019 ragtime musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, which tells the story of four old friends who wake up one morning to discover they are the only people remaining on planet Earth.
What’s it all about?
The first act of the musical ended with everything going rapidly downhill – Gary abandoned the group, everyone had a big falling-out, and Helen was suddenly taken ill. Several days later Helen is showing little in the way of improvement, and with no medical professionals around to consult there’s not much that the others can do to help. Needless to say, this is a cause of concern for her boyfriend Joe, who bravely tries to make light of the circumstances through gritted teeth with this unconventional love song.
Listen out for…
The little musical jokes I’ve worked into the arrangement. Specifically, note how at 1:45 the pianos give a very literal reflection of Joe’s line “It always makes my heart skip a beat.” Also, at the very end he sings “Don’t leave me on my own”, which is followed by a single concluding note in the accompaniment to represent his feelings of isolation.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta
‘Miniatures’ Debut Performance: A Retrospective
It may have escaped your notice if you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past couple of months and didn’t see any of my posts about it on this blog or Facebook or Instagram or Linkedin, or any of the 100 posters I distributed round South Manchester, or the feature I got in the local paper, or the events websites I listed it on, or the endless promo videos I posted on YouTube, or my posts about it in a myriad of relevant Facebook groups, but last week I put on a concert! It was the debut performance of my suite of twelve ‘Miniatures’, and now, a full seven days on from the event, I thought it would be nice to write a few words about how it went for anybody who wasn’t able to attend on the night.
Here’s Jack playing da piano, and if you look carefully you can see my image spookily imprinted on the side of the instrument.
The performance took place in the magnificent Emmanuel Church in Didsbury, and it was a real treat not only to hear these pieces played live on a real piano (which believe it or not was a new experience for me), but especially to hear them on a grand piano in such a sumptuous acoustic. Tinkling the ivories with aplomb as ever was Mister Jack Mitchell Smith, who put in a real shift giving beautiful renditions of a full 50 minutes worth of music. I almost felt guilty for just sitting there and watching him do all the work!
Well, not quite all the work… On the posters I had boldly promised ‘commentary from the composer’, and therefore before each piece I prattled on a bit about any relevant inspirations behind it and any notable features people may want to listen out for (aided by Jack for the occasional musical demonstration). It’s always hard to tell in these situations whether anyone’s actually invested in what you’re telling them or whether they’re bored stiff, but I rambled on regardless and from what I gather it was in fact appreciated by the audience. I think it does help especially when people are listening to such a large quantity of brand new instrumental music in one go, to give them a bit of context and some pointers to help them get a foothold in what they’re listening to.
Speaking of audience, I’m pleased to say that there was one – not huge in numbers I’ll admit, but of excellent quality and very appreciative. I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces who had been drawn in by my posters and online promotion, and to whom I am grateful for choosing to take a gamble on music they didn’t know and may not have liked! Judging by the extremely positive comments I received at the end (and by the fact almost everyone left their email addresses to be contacted about future concerts) it was a gamble that paid off, and I’m pleased to say that as far as I can tell everybody was fully satisfied with their evening. Hooray!
This is by no means the last you’ll hear from the intrepid duo of Smith and Grant, as we are already casting our minds to the future and dreaming up new innovative ways to build on the success of this performance. But for now, I hope y’all enjoy this little video I’ve put together featuring some clips and photos from the evening, to give you an impression of how it all went:
New Music Monday, #42: ‘Obfuscation’
Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to crack open the dictionary because it’s…
What’s it called?
Obfuscation.
What’s it from?
‘Miniatures’, my 2023 album of classical piano compositions.
What’s it all about?
Another abstract piece, this one isn’t meant to represent anything specific. However, the title does give some clues as to the general character of the music. An ‘obfuscation’ is sort of the opposite to an illumination – rather than make everything bright and clear, it is something muddies the waters and confuses matters. Or, to take a dictionary definition, it is “the action of making something obscure, unclear, or unintelligible”.
Listen out for…
The swirling pattern of semiquavers, consistent yet constantly changing, that provides the foundation for the piece and over which sits the simple haunting melody.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/miniatures
Concert Teaser: ‘Empty Walls’
The programmes are printed, the venue keys are collected and the banter is well and truly planned – all is set for the concert premiere of ‘Miniatures’ tomorrow night!
But at this late stage, have I lost my drive for relentless self-promotion? Not on your nelly! See below for one more teaser video featuring a clip from ‘Empty Walls’. Incidentally, I came up with a hilarious joke about this piece today, but if you want to hear it you’ll have to come along to the concert!
But at this late stage, have I lost my drive for relentless self-promotion? Not on your nelly! See below for one more teaser video featuring a clip from ‘Empty Walls’. Incidentally, I came up with a hilarious joke about this piece today, but if you want to hear it you’ll have to come along to the concert!
Concert Teaser: I Promise It Won’t Sound Like This!
I know what you’re thinking.
You’re thinking, “What if I go along to Michael’s concert on Friday and find that the whole thing’s a big joke and that all the music will actually be performed by an AWFUL trio of trad. jazz clarionet, broken sousaphone and £30 violin!?! What then?”
Well don’t worry! I promise you that every single note on Friday will be performed on a nice big grand piano by a nice normal-sized human, and it will all sound beautiful. Not at all like this rendition of Miniature no. 12, ‘Parting Waves’, which I have put together specially using The Jelly Roll Soundfont…
You’re thinking, “What if I go along to Michael’s concert on Friday and find that the whole thing’s a big joke and that all the music will actually be performed by an AWFUL trio of trad. jazz clarionet, broken sousaphone and £30 violin!?! What then?”
Well don’t worry! I promise you that every single note on Friday will be performed on a nice big grand piano by a nice normal-sized human, and it will all sound beautiful. Not at all like this rendition of Miniature no. 12, ‘Parting Waves’, which I have put together specially using The Jelly Roll Soundfont…
