Aaron Gervais profile picture

Aaron Gervais

Why do composers have to write music like this?

About Me

I am a composer of new concert music (classical contemporary). I'm from Canada. You can hear some of my music here. There's also more on my website.

Here are some things about me which may or may not be true:

I like a lot of kinds of music. I don't believe in masterpieces. I'm a hardcore subjectivist. I am insatiably curious about a lot of things. I work too hard.

I was a contemporary of Mozart living in Prussia. I worked for the royal court of Frederick William II, both as a composer of mainly keyboard works and as a locksmith. Although my works were often dismissed during my lifetime as superficial and unimaginative, musicologists have recently shown that many of my sketches formed the basis for Mozart's works (cool!), and that the two of us maintained a prolific correspondence throughout our lifetimes.

I like to cook. I don't like cars or driving.

My music may help you lose weight.

Live Action Composing Video:

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/16/2006
Band Website: aarongervais.com
Influences: Iannis Xenakis, Claude Vivier, Alexina Louie, Salvatore Sciarrino, Wolfgang Rihm, Steve Reich, Jacob ter Veldhuis, Guillaume de Machaut, Jonathan Harvey, Uros Rojko, Toru Takemitsu, Beastie Boys, Aphex Twin, Claudio Monteverdi, et cetera ad infinitum...
Sounds Like: Aaron Gervais
Record Label: in the works
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Faust and Sub-Prime Mortgages

Recently I read both Goethe's and Marlowe's Faust plays--the Faust legend has been a major influence on many generations of composers and authors. I found them exceedingly dull, except that the Marlow...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:53:00 PST

Master's Portfolio Papers Posted

I've posted the three papers from my Master's portfolio at UC San Diego on my website for those who are interested. There are abstracts and PDF versions of the papers there.If you want to leave commen...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:04:00 PST

Is sleeping through a concert bad?

Recently I had a discussion with someone at a concert, about whether or not it was good to fall asleep during a performance. She said that, although she enjoyed the piece that had just been played, sh...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Mon, 28 May 2007 11:21:00 PST

Love, Free Will, and the Uselessness of Art

So today I read in the Globe and Mail that scientists are increasingly finding biological and genetic support for the age-old adages of love (Siri Agrell, "Sluts and Vermin", The Globe and Mail, 26 Ap...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:31:00 PST

Ecomusicology, the Energy Crisis, and Changing Music

I've thought a lot lately about the effect that sound, and particularly music, has on our environment. This is what people frequently call Ecomusicology, though I'm not crazy about that term.Basically...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Sun, 22 Apr 2007 10:55:00 PST

Music Has No Value

This is an issue I've been thinking about for a long time. Can we actually justify saying one kind of music is better than any other, or that one piece is better than another? I wrote a paper related ...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:03:00 PST

Track info for my pieces

Flüsse-EinflüsseComposed: Winter 2005 Premièred: 21 April 2005, Weiss Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York Premièred by: Ina Henning, accordion Recorded: 5 May 2005 in studio, TorontoPerformed by: In...
Posted by Aaron Gervais on Sun, 04 Mar 2007 09:47:00 PST