Emma’s Dance was written during the summer of 1994 for Scott Mendoker to celebrate the birth of Scott and Annie Mendoker’s child, Emma Rose. The work is a little unusual in that it concentrates not on the birth itself, with its sense of joy and relief, but on the struggle, fear and doubts leading up to the birth. One can hear the emotions moving back and forth between complete exhilaration and deep concern. The work ends with the birth and settles into a spiritual calm.
Three Portraits for tuba and chamber orchestra was written during the late winter and early spring of 1989-90 as a result of a commission from Scott Mendoker. It is a three-movement work approximately eighteen minutes long and, as the title suggests, the movements are each a musical “portrait”. Although portraying three different individuals would have been the normal fare, I chose to profile the same person in each movement. The result is a deeper, multi-leveled image. First impressions are the subject of Portrait One. The individual is funny, friendly, outgoing and the center of attention. The music is light, engaging, even “pop-like”. Portrait Two begins to show a deeper side, more intimate and sensitive. The music is quieter, richer and more delicate compared to Portrait One. Portrait Three, at the outset, shows the individual in crisis: angry, hurt, and confused. The music is angular and complex. As this movement progresses and the initial burst of emotion is spent, the music becomes introverted and a peaceful stillness gradually replaces the pain. Introspection concludes the movement and work.
These Three Portraits, besides profiling Mr. Mendoker, are an exhibition of the range of possibilities for the tuba. Although there are no extra-musical sound effects in the work, the emotional and technical requirements are formidable.
Points for brass octet (three trumpets, French horn, three trombones and tuba) and percussion was written in 1983 for Solid Brass and first performed by them that year. It was subsequently substantially re-written in 1987. The work, in three unusually titled movements: “Ontario: 4:30 P.M.; South Carolina: Saturday; Kansas: 3 A.M.”, refers back to various points in my life that have particular significance. As an example, “South Carolina: Saturday” evokes my childhood, which was spent in a small town in South Carolina called Camden. Saturday, a day in which school was mercifully closed, meant a time to be an uncontrollable, mischievous, ball-of-fire brat. This was an age of great innocence where one of the best and most daring pranks one could pull was to sneak up on some unsuspecting girl and cut the bottom out of her Halloween candy bag without her noticing. “South Carolina: Saturday” is my nod to that freest of times. “Kansas: 3 A.M.” is dedicated to all of you who have ever driven non-stop across that most gargantuan of states. Actually, it is something I have done several times leaving strong indelible impressions: boundless sky, billions of stars, a ceaseless wind, breathtaking vastness. “Ontario; 4:30 P.M.” refers to a camping trip in Canada with my wife, Christine, with all of its unexpected experiences.