Walking The Sky

This piece was written in response to Naviarhaiku305 – Walking the sky

     Walking the sky
     a clear moon
     all alone

The haiku is by Ogiwara Seisensui, a Japanese haiku poet active during the Taishō and Showa periods of Japan. He started the school of free haiku which made Ozaki Hōsai and Taneda Santoka popular. In 1911 Seisensui, with the support of Kawahigashi Hekigodo (1873-1937), founded the literary magazine Soun.

Walking The Sky was written for Horn, Trombone, Violin, Viola, Cello and String Bass.

Walking The Sky
Walking The Sky – Score

Reflections

This piece was written in response to Naviarhaiku304 – reflection

     reflection
     in the water
     a traveler

The haiku is by wandering poet and ascetic Zen priest, Santōka, who was a disciple of Ogiwara Seisensui, one of the first poets to discard the traditional use of the 5-7-5 structure in haiku. Santōka’s poetry emphasizes the necessity of sabi (solitude) in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment and serenity.

Reflections was written for Flute, Oboe, Vibraphone, two Solo Violins, Solo Viola and Solo Cello.

Reflections
Reflections – Score
Reflections – Score on YouTube

Autumn Wind

This piece was written in response to Naviarhaiku303 – Whenever I speak

     Whenever I speak
     My lips are
     chilled— Autumn wind.

The haiku is by Basho. This poem has become a well-known Japanese proverb, meaning “It is better to leave many things unsaid”.

Autumn Wind was written for Violin, Viola, Cello and String Bass

Autumn Wind
Autumn Wind – Score
Autumn Wind – Score on YouTube

Particles

Particles associates itself with a haiku I wrote.

Subway trains rush by,
passing people, particles,
only breath remains

Find 49 minutes, sit back, and allow your mind to wander.

Cheers –

george

Town On The Horizon – for Elijah

This piece was written in response to Naviarhaiku302 – bursts from our guns

     bursts from our guns
     the town on the horizon
     a brief vision of light

The haiku was by Julien Vocance published “Cent visions de guerre” (A Hundred Visions of War) in 1916. From the battlefield of World War I, this French soldier decided to express his emotions of life in the trenches in the form of haiku.

To accompany this piece I wrote my own haiku:

     The world’s other side,
     Old man, an uncaring shrug,
     Lives changed forever.

The abandonment of an ally that fought and died for us is a dark time for our country.

This piece is dedicated to Elijah Cummings, son of sharecroppers, civil rights leader, statesman, man of the people, whose last act in life was to subpoena the administration for the targeting of immigrant children with life-threatening illnesses for deportation. My representative will be missed by all.

(The image is a photograph I took of him in 1998 at an anti-KKK rally in Annapolis, MD.)

Town On The Horizon was written for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trombone, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Gong, Snare Drum, Triangle, Tubular Bells, Vibraphone, Piano, and Chorus

Town On The Horizon – for Elijah
Town On The Horizon – for Elijah – Score
Town On The Horizon – for Elijah – Score on YouTube

No Food In The House

No Food In The House piece was based on a haiku I wrote:

     No food in the house
     Someone please go to the store
     Finally, dinner!

The piece is in three parts, each part relating to a line in the poem. Included within is an homage to Talking Heads’ Burning Down The House.

No Food In The House was written for Clarinet, Horn, Trombone, Tubular Bells, Cymbals, Vibraphone, Violin, Viola, Cello and String Bass.

No Food In The House
No Food In The House – Score

On The Sidewalk – Temporary Existence

On The Sidewalk – Temporary Existence

This is my first electronic album in what is planned to be a trilogy.

On The Sidewalk, was inspired by a haiku by Jack Kerouac.

     On the sidewalk
     A dead baby bird
     For the ants

Temporary Existence was inspired by a haiku I wrote.

     Imprint of my foot
     temporary existence
     I leave, sand remains

Nearly an hour of music – listen and enjoy.

Cheers –

george