My 16th string quartet consists of arrangements of some of the piano music I’ve written over the years. Here’s “Radio Valentine,” written for a radio show in San Francisco long ago.
Entries Tagged as '*Music'
String Quartet 16: Piano Pieces
September 1st, 2020 · 1 Comment
String Quartet 15: On Melody in Speech
August 25th, 2020 · Comments Off on String Quartet 15: On Melody in Speech
In the course of my miscellaneous musical reading, I found an article by the organist and composer Friedrich (or, in England, Frederic) Weber, “On Melody in Speech,” in the Feb. 1887 issue of Longman’s Magazine (pp. 399-410). Weber notated the pitches and rhythms of the cries of several animals (dogs, birds, donkeys), and added some […]
An Afternoon in the Arboretum
August 18th, 2020 · 1 Comment
The world is none too rosy at the moment. I might as well write some piano music.
Black Scat Review 20
August 9th, 2020 · 4 Comments
The 2oth issue of “Black Scat Review” is now available from Black Scat Books! This one is devoted to black humor, 106 pages of it. I contributed a squalid fairy tale, “The Fisherman’s Wish,” a misanthropic song, “We Are Not a Pretty People,” and a translation of Alphonse Allais’s classically tasteless story “The Rajah Is […]
Ulterior Misgivings
July 28th, 2020 · 2 Comments
Some piano music, rumbling in the bass, using a C minor scale with an F-sharp in it.
Domicile Adoré
July 19th, 2020 · Comments Off on Domicile Adoré
The notes do-mi-si-la-do-ré spell domicile adoré, a phrase often cited in real estate ads and framed in happy homes. This is a little canon on the theme.
I Just Don’t Understand
July 14th, 2020 · Comments Off on I Just Don’t Understand
There are many things I don’t understand. In fact, I don’t understand anything at all. This song can be found in The Doug Skinner Songbook and on That Regrettable Weekend.
Let’s Ridicule the Nightingale
June 3rd, 2020 · 1 Comment
The nightingale is obviously a loser, since it makes no money from its song. Let’s all join in and ridicule it. The complete song can be found in The Doug Skinner Songbook.
Good Night
May 8th, 2020 · Comments Off on Good Night
A song on the drawbacks of having to sleep. I often performed this with a viola obbligato, played by either Carol Benner or David Gold.
Make a Wish
April 26th, 2020 · Comments Off on Make a Wish
We have here a song about urban life. When confronted with something unpleasant, simply close your eyes and make a wish. I don’t know if it works, but you might as well. It can be found on That Regrettable Weekend and in The Doug Skinner Songbook.