Martin Gaskell – Musical Compositions

(Updated 2007 December 13 – this web page is still under construction – please let me know if a link doesn’t work)

INTRODUCTION

Since I have spent my life in academia as an astronomer rather than as a professional composer, my list of musical compositions is small compared with the lists of works of well-known composers of the last few centuries. Here are some PDF files of the sheet music (scores and parts) for many of my musical compositions and some audio files (either MP3 or WMA format). I have grouped the compositions below under the headings of orchestral music (my favorite), chamber music, choral music, piano music, etc. If you are interested in possibly performing music of any particular genre send me an e-mail (gaskell [at] astro.as.utexas.edu – you need to replace the “[at]” with an “@” sign). Putting PDF and audio files on this site for downloading is a long, ongoing process; so if you are interested in something for which the music is not yet posted, just send me an e-mail.

I’d like to express my appreciation to the many people who play or sing in the excerpts. Although at least I know what my music sounds like (or I think I know!), performers always play a role in adding something to it. It’s always nice that my music sounds better in performance than I imagine it will. There are too many performers to thank individually here, but many names can be found in the on-line program notes.

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

Music with and without a soloist, for full orchestra, or just strings. Includes music suitable for high-school ensembles and orchestras.

Title	Score	Parts	Audio Files	Performances	More Information
Fantasia for Viola and Orchestra	PDF			UNL Symph Orch - start (1.1 Mb) UNL symp orch - excerpt 2 (813 kb) UNL symph orch - excerpt 3 (1.1 Mb)	[1]
Symphony in B minor (4 movements)			MP3 (5.5 Mb)		[2]
Romance for Strings	PDF			Chamber orchestra (416 kb)	[3]
Song of the Night (Strings)	PDF			Chamber Orchestra (826 kb)	[4]
Pi Acres- a Nebraska Suite (for youth string orch.) (5 movements)	PDF	complete set of parts	WMA-1, WMA-2, WMA-3, WMA-4, WMA-5 ,	Lincoln Homeschool String Orchestra (6 Mb)	[5]
Fantasia for Harp and Strings	PDF	Harp, V1, V2, Va, Vc, CB,	WMA	Heidi Huenfeld and Lincoln Homeschool Senior String Orchestra	[6]
Windy Hill Suite- a Second Nebraska Suite (for youth string orch.) (5 movements)	PDF	string parts for three movements	WMA-2, WMA-4, WMA-5	Lincoln Homeschool String Orchestra (2.2 Mb)	[7]

[1] Clark Potter, viola solo, University of Nebraska Symphony Orchestra conducted by Prof. Tyler White. The Fantasia for Viola and Orchestra was given a recital premiere on March 5, 2000 in Kimball Recital Hall at the University of Nebraska Lincoln as part of a concert by Prof. Potter of the works of living Nebraska composers. Click here for details of the recital.

[2] Garritan Orchestra

[3] Written as an engagement present for Tom and Jo Anne Pennello. Recorded in concert in Mueller Planetarium. Chamber orchestra conducted by Ben Carlisle.

[4] Recorded in concert in Mueller Planetarium. Chamber orchestra conducted by Ben Carlisle

[5] Lincoln Homeschool Senior String Orchestra, July 2006. Conducted by composer. Click here for orchestra web site (with photos). Click here for photos and a short movie clip of a rehearsal for the premiere a year earlier.

[6] Lincoln Homeschool Senior String Orchestra, May 2007. Heidi Huenfeld, harp soloist. Conducted by composer. Click here for orchestra web site (with photos).

[7] Lincoln Homeschool Senior String Orchestra, July 2006. Conducted by composer. First and third movements not yet available. Click here for orchestra web site (with photos).

BRASS ENSEMBLE

Title	Score	Parts	Audio File	Performance	More Information
Ceremonial Music for Organ and Brass.	PDF	Tpt1, Tpt2, Tpt3, Tpt4, Tbn1, Tbn2, Tbn3, BTbn, percussion, organ		Southern Baptist Seminary	[1]

[1] Written for the wedding of Esther and Robert Crookshank in the chapel at Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. A shortened version was used for the bridal entry.

WOODWIND – see below under “Chamber Music”

CHORAL MUSIC

Sacred music with and without accompaniment. Some audio help files for singers can be found under “more information”

Title	Voices	Sheet Music	Audio File	Performance	More Information
Sanctus	ATBrBB	PDF	MP3 (684 kb)	DWS Chorale [1]
Genitum, non factum	SSATB + org.	PDF	MP3	Grace Community Evangelical Church (824 kb) [2]
Deus, Creator Omnium	SATB + organ	PDF	MP3 (6.9 Mb)	St. Paul’s United Methodist Church [3]	here

[1] An intimate performance by the DWS Chorale. Listen to that exquisite alto singing! For more information about David Solomons, and more recordings by the DWS Chorale, click here.

[2] First performance at Grace Community Evangelical Church, Lincoln, Nebraska with Carlene Schrag, organist.

[3] Recorded at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska, with John Friesen, organist. Click here for more details and photos.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Sonatas and other compositions for solo instrument with piano accompaniment, and chamber ensembles.

Title	Score	Parts	Audio Files	Performances	More Information
Sonata for Violin and Piano (3 movements)	PDF				[1]
Woodwind Quartet (Fl, Ob, Cl, Fg) (4 movements)	PDF	complete set of parts		Quasar Quartet (566 kb) [2]	here

[1] First performance by David Solomons (violin) and the composer. Second performance, Jon Berger (violin) and the composer.

[2] Part of the scherzo premiered by the “Quasar Quartet”, Tuesday November 28, 2000 in the Westbrook Concert Hall at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Click here for concert details and program notes.

PIANO SOLO MUSIC

Title	Sheet Music	Audio File	Performance	More Information
Prelude in B major
Prelude in D-flat minor	PDF
Sonata for Piano (3 movements)			Excerpt of 1st movement (526 kb) [1] Excerpt of 2nd movement (762 kb)	[2]

[1] Performance by composer at Stevenson College, University of California at Santa Cruz. Poor sound quality – from small portable tape recorder. Recording courtesy of Harriet Dinerstein.

[2] Dedicated to Kenneth C. Burgess

What I am working on right now?

Because of my responsibilities as an astrophysicist, I only compose in my spare time and composing goes slowly. My current big project is a three-movement piano concerto for Texas pianist Charlotte Mueller. We’re hoping for a performance date in the 2008-2009 season (if I get the concerto finished in time!). Other large on-going compositional projects include a three-movement Concerto for Organ and Orchestra, completing Aurora, a fairly long symphonic poem for large orchestra that I began a long time ago (the score is currently about two-thirds complete), and revising my first symphony (you can hear the first movement of the symphony above – see under “Orchestral music”).

In my spare time I have also been writing a full length text book called Composing Music. If you are curious about what is in it, here are PDF files of the Preface and Table of Contents of the latest draft of the book.

For other Nebraska composers visit the Nebraska Composers Alliance web site.

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