I'm Patrick Brown, a musician from Marion, Indiana. I play classical guitar seriously, play double bass in my high school Symphony Orchestra, and I dabble on various keyboard instruments like the organ. I am also a guitar teacher in Marion at the Community School of the Arts (CSA) . Although I am only teaching private lessons this semester, I will begin teaching group lessons for elementary level students next semester. My rates for private lessons are $10 for a half hour and $18 for an hour. If you are interested in taking lessons, please contact the CSA at 1(765)662-6263.
I discovered I had a knack for composing after my first high school music theory course in which our final project was to compose three short songs. Although I have developed my skill past the level of those first three songs, they are what inspired me to compose.
I originally began writing Restless Christmas as a fundamental orchestration project. I had just received a packet from my composition instructor that showed orchestral instrument usage and ranges, so I decided that I was going to try and get some experience with writing for orchestra by doing a simple arrangement. But this idea of a simple arrangement eventually turned into a full fledged aspiration of mine. This work, being my first completed orchestral work, has caused a great deal of excitement within me. The piece begins with a short, but effectively eerie introduction. The basses start an instrumental build up that ends with the whole orchestra landing on an augmented chord. The transition following this introduction leads the orchestra into my rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. As this portion ends, distorted electric guitars lead a rock group into the arrangement. The orchestra becomes an accompanying body to the guitar driven group as they finish the piece by playing We Three Kings. I chose the title Restless Christmas because of the persistent tension that is portrayed throughout the song. It seems to illustrate the life of an insomniac as he tries to sleep during the Christmas season. He feels taunted as he listens to the song God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen for he feels as though God is giving him no rest. He tries getting sleep as We Three Kings begins to decrescendo, but is abruptly awakened as the instruments erupt into an amalgam of tonality. It seems as though the insomniac will not rest until the Christmas season ends.
The Harpsichord Prelude in D-minor was originally written to convey the essence of "dragon slaying music". Here are the first 9 measures of the song.
The Theme and Variations on an Irish Drinking Song: Men of the West is, as the name says, a theme and variations composition on the melody to Men of the West.
Heitor Villa-Lobos's Prelude No. 1 for Guitar is the first of a set of 5 preludes for guitar known as the Cinq Preludes. Each prelude was written to portray a subject that was highly relevant in the great Brazilian composers life. This particular prelude, also known as Homage to the Brazilian Country Dweller, "is one of the most greeted pieces by general audience. The paradoxes of the melody line are the picture of Brazil and its music. Being melancholic, pungent, almost sad it is, at the same time optimist, always crescendo, devilish, as Villa-Lobos used to say." (Taken from Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Survey of His Guitar Music )
The following is a list of my current Classical Guitar repertoire/set list:
Jose Luis Merlin: Evocacion from Suite Del Recuerdo
Anonymous Composer: Romance
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Prelude No. 1
J.S. Bach: First Cello Suite (Stanley Yates Edition)
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Minuet I
Minuet II
Gigue
Leo Brouwer: Cancion De Cuna
J.S. Bach: Lute Prelude in C-minor (D-minor for Guitar)
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Adagio to Piano Sonata No. 8
Leo Brouwer: Una Dia De Noviembre
Andrew York: Sunburst
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