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 bounce up and down with a regular motion because it’s…
What’s it called?
Springs.
What’s it from?
‘Miniatures’, my 2023 album of classical piano compositions.
What’s it all about?
I’d say this is a particularly joyful piece, full of optimism and hope, with a real bounce in its step that comes from the repeated offbeat accompanying figure in the left hand. When trying to come up with a title, I wanted something that reflected this positivity, and one phrase that came to mind was the Alexander Pope quote “Hope springs eternal from the human breast.” I soon realised that simply taking the one word from that sentence (‘springs’) would also open up a couple of additional relevant meanings:
And that’s where that came from.
Listen out for…
The middle section shifts into a more lyrical and poignant mood, culminating in what I consider a rather beautiful cadence at 1:50. Note that this part also makes use of the piano’s ‘soft’ pedal, which causes only one string to sound for each note played (when normally every note would be played on three strings at once). This gives a more muted and gentle effect.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/miniatures
*Not actually guaranteed to soothe either the stomach or the spirit.
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 dwell on the relative appropriateness of various fruit-based drinks because it’s…
What’s it called?
Banana Juice?
What’s it from?
This is the second – and arguably least pleasant – single from the most absurd band you’ve never heard of, ‘The Atwood Project’. This ‘band’ is essentially an excuse for me and my regular collaborator Mister James Ure to let our hair down and be as relentlessly peculiar as we want, by taking a title suggestion from an innocent member of the public and using it as inspiration for a surreal comedic musical dreamscape.
What’s it all about?
Um, well, it’s difficult to say with any certainty. Let’s just agree that we took the title and came up with a series of different ridiculous vignettes based on the common theme. Particularly worthy of note, however, is the way that we deliberately structured the song like an episode of a sitcom (for some reason). So it consists of:
Listen out for…
There are quite a lot of weird details to pick up on, but here are a few:
And so much more! Seriously, the more you listen the more absurd detail you hear.
Find out more at…
Watch the music video! This is actually based on the video for ‘Vibraslap Song’ (youtu.be/QtmCOATWDXI) and took significantly more effort to produce than you might think. Still not a lot of effort, but it’s surprisingly difficult to make something look that bad!
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 move on to new and better things because it’s…
What’s it called?
Breaking Outwards.
What’s it from?
‘Miniatures’, my 2023 album of classical piano compositions.
What’s it all about?
This is actually the last of the 12 ‘Miniatures’ that I wrote, and even though it isn’t meant to represent anything specific I think it does somehow have a sense of looking forwards into the future. The harmony, for instance, starts off very simple but becomes increasingly dissonant and angst-y, as if the music is trying to break free from its shackles and go somewhere entirely new (especially in the middle section from 3:00 to 4:25). This is coupled, however, with a prounounced reflective character in the main theme – as though it is wistfully looking back on what has gone before while simultaneously trying to push onwards.
Listen out for…
I am especially fond of the secondary melody that plays from 2:07-3:10. I would quite like to try orchestrating this piece at some point, and can imagine this tune sounding really beautiful and haunting on violins and violas.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/miniatures
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 patch up old relationships because it’s…
What’s it called?
Side by Side and Hand in Hand.
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?
Lizzie and Gary may have had their differences in the past, but things have gotten out of hand now that Gary has abandoned the rest of the group and gone to live his isolated life in the wilderness. So in a bid at reconciliation, Lizzie goes out to find him and sing him this delightful song as she attempts to bring him back into the fold.
Listen out for…
Lizzie’s repeated use of the word ‘metaphorically’. It doesn’t come across in the audio recording of course, but this is meant to be a response to Gary trying to take her hand at various points when he misinterprets her words as amorous advances.
Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta
