A 4-1/2 minute Irish-inspired flute solo I wrote for the passing of my grandfather. It starts sad and slow, but then builds up to an uplifting section in memory of a life well-lived.
I recorded it on my folk album in Dm, but I brought it up to Em to make it playable on keyless Irish flute and tinwhistle.
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An intermediate/advanced level work for folk (or pedal) harp, flute, and cello. The harp part contains no lever/pedal changes and there are no extended techniques, but there are high and fast passages for the flute and cello. Harp range is 4-1/2 octaves (D2 below bass cleff to G6 an octave above treble). The cello part could be played on a 7-string or down-tuned guitar.
Inspired by the first chapter of Kenneth Graham's "Wind in the Willows," the opening represents a lazy row down the river, over harp arpeggios inspired by early 70s folky progressive rock. The music livens up and harp arpeggios illustrate the boat tipping over as Rat and Mole sink down into the water and float back up. An exciting section starting at 3:45 represents getting caught in the rapids, with wild runs in flute and cello over driving harp figures.
About 6 minutes long. 12-page score plus individual parts.
https://youtu.be/m7pcr9PPYUg?si=8tzCu_shxhTT79X2 https://mattschwarz.bandcamp.com/track/by-the-riverbank-for-flute-harp-and-cello
The second-composed part in my series inspired by Kenneth Graham's "Wind in the Willows," this one paints the haunting, mystical portrait of Rat and Mole's foray onto an island dominated by the pagan god Pan. At the end, the music emerges from the dreamworld into a more folky/diatonic "real world".
This one has some challenging passages (quick runs, meter changes and syncopations, a high fast flute passage crescendoing into a high D7), and has not been debuted yet. D2 to G6 range on the harp - it's notated for pedal and lever harp, but there's a lot of pedal/lever changes!
This flute solo (which also works on violin) is inspired by the three B's: Bach, Boogie, and Balkan Folk! It's a fun piece that will win crowds over at recitals and performances. 3 pages, 4 minutes long.
I pictured it as a story of a mermaid. After a haunting intro ("The siren on the rocks"), it goes into a lively Bach-like section ("A joyful swim"), which then syncopates into a rock/boogie groove ("Playfully leaping out of the water"). The slow section reappears ("Catching her breath") and gives way back to the syncopated part ("The frolics resume"). Inspired by the Raif Hyseni and Marita Halili's Balkan ensemble at Montclair university, the final large section is "A wild dance among the waves" inspired by the uneven meters of Albanian folk music. The piece ends as it began ("Returning to the rocks for a rest").
The main challenges are rhythmic - syncopated rock rhythms and mixed-meter rhythms inspired by Albanian folk music (measures with beat groupings like 2+3+2+2. It's a great piece for working on your rhythm skills!
Otherwise I've avoided the constant leaps, piercing high notes, and extended techniques of much "modern classical" - it's meant to be fun to play and accessible to listeners.
You can hear a performance here: https://youtu.be/pWUsZGTfVcY?si=Hku4sWmW9emNwaPX or https://mattschwarz.bandcamp.com/track/mermaid-song
A 3-1/2 minute piece written to showcase a 5-piece guitar ensemble. This was written for classical guitars, but playable on steel-string or electric with pick. A fun piece that evokes the ominous atmosphere of a fantasy dungeon adventure, influenced by Spanish classical guitar and maybe a touch of heavy metal. Melodies and ideas are traded between the guitarists for stereo/antiphonal fun.
There are some challenging fast runs, but having five guitars means each part plays a melody or chord, so there's little multi-part playing for any individual. Due to fitting in five voices, there are some passsages up to the 12th fret. Parts include suggested fret positions and chord names for full chords.
A 4:30-minute trio for flute, guitar, and cello, The Quest mixes folk, rock, and classical influences in a tonal/popular-rooted style. The melodic, folky introduction leads to a mysterious interlude, and the piece ends with a wild section in 10/8. The overall feel is of a fantasy quest - a peaceful ride through the countryside, sinister danger, and an exciting escape with the treasure.
The guitar has some wild arpeggios in the final 10/8 section and some challenging chromatic passages in the mysterious middle section, the flute and cello are mostly melodic and not too hard (although the fast 10/8 section will require a little skill or practice).
Light amplification on the guitar will help it stand out against the louder cello!
16p Score plus parts
https://mattschwarz.bandcamp.com/track/the-quest-for-flute-classical-guitar-and-cello-live https://youtu.be/slKZtA2J4I8?si=IWJ5psWtl_skL_7F
An arrangement of my trio replacing the cello with viola. This will be a better balance in a live setting (the cello tends to overpower the guitar).
A 4:30-minute trio for flute, guitar, and viola (rearranged from cello), The Quest mixes folk, rock, and classical influences in a tonal/popular-rooted style. The melodic, folky introduction leads to a mysterious interlude, and the piece ends with a wild section in 10/8. The overall feel is of a fantasy quest - a peaceful ride through the countryside, sinister danger, and an exciting escape with the treasure.
The guitar has some wild arpeggios in the final 10/8 section and some challenging chromatic passages in the mysterious middle section, the flute and viola are mostly melodic and not too hard (although the fast 10/8 section will require a little skill or practice).
16p Score plus parts
Here's a recording of the original cello-version of the trio: https://mattschwarz.bandcamp.com/track/the-quest-for-flute-classical-guitar-and-cello-live https://youtu.be/slKZtA2J4I8?si=IWJ5psWtl_skL_7F
A four-minute haunting duet for flute and harp. Generally modal/melodic accessible music. There are some more advanced rhtyhms and high passages in the flute, and Bach-like runs in the harp that will require practice for intermediate musicians.
The flute goes from low C to the B an octave above the treble cleff (but, only one 3-measure passage goes above the D above the treble cleff).
The harp part can be played on a pedal harp or, with a little effort, on a lever harp. It starts in two flats, there's a middle section with F#s (with time to switch levers - the sheet music indicates some bass notes that can be skipped to flip levers), and the end adds Ab (which will require two levers flipped by reaching over with the right hand - unusual, but not too awkward with practice). The lowest note in the harp is the G below the bass cleff (however, all notes below the bass cleff are octave doublings and could be ignored on a smaller harp), and the highest is the D above the treble cleff.
7p Score plus Parts
https://mattschwarz.bandcamp.com/track/the-naiad https://youtu.be/2PB1VUmPhw0?si=nu7iqCjSkBmaHvW3
A progressive-rock and Debussy-inspired piece I wrote for the ensemble of Villa-Lobos's "Mystic Sextet."
There's quite a bit of pedal changes for the harp part!
About 6 minutes long. Score and parts.
This trio portrays the scenes of the "Wild Woods" chapter of Kenneth Graham's "Wind in the Willows:" a trudge through a stark winter day, the mysterious woods, Mole being frightened by Weasels in the wood, Rat marching in to find his friend, and the two friends getting lost seeking their way out. The music contains lively marching rhythms and syncopations, soaring melodies, and haunting harmonies to tell a story that will enchant general audiences. It is rooted in a tonal/melodic style, with some gentle dissonance and chromaticism.
The harp part is challenging, but playable on a lever harp (low note is B1, the first B below the bass staff, and the high note is B5, the first B above the treble staff) - it was tried out on a lever harp to ensure the lever changes are manageable. The flute and cello parts are of moderate difficulty - the main challenges being rhythmic (syncopations, a 5/4 section, etc.), some quick trills in the flute, and some quick alternations between pizz and arco in the cello. Both flute and cello stay in the lower 2 1/2 octaves of their range. There are no modernist extended techniques.
Sound demo: https://matthewhschwarz.com/track/4662833/the-wild-wood-op-17-for-flute-harp-and-cello-demo