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Composer-Pianist Robert Cunningham

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Life and Career of Robert CunninghamNocturne No. 2 for Piano
June 22, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Passionate Melody of Life (Part II)

In my last post (Part I), I explained how my Nocturne No. 2 (subtitled “Passionate Melody of Life”) had been

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Life and Career of Robert CunninghamNocturne No. 2 for Piano
June 20, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Passionate Melody of Life (Part I)

On May 2, 2017, I received an email that would significantly affect my life in the years that followed.  The

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CounterpointHarmonyLament for Flute and Piano
May 17, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Telescoping

My Lament for Flute and Piano was inspired by the stylistic innovations of early Baroque opera.  The composers in this

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Horn TrioLife and Career of Robert Cunningham
April 13, 2020 Robert Cunningham

The Hapless History of the Horn Trio

Probably most composers have experienced major setbacks and disappointments in their careers, and I am certainly no exception.  Recovering from

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Life and Career of Robert Cunningham
March 29, 2020 Robert Cunningham

The 1990 Atlanta Recital

The image is from the program to a recital I gave in November 1990 in Atlanta, where I lived then. 

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Meter
March 16, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Fluctuating Meters

My Lament for Flute and Piano was inspired by early Baroque opera and by the ideas of the Florentine Camerata

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The Composer's CraftWorks by Robert Cunningham
March 9, 2020 Robert Cunningham

About My Scores

The cycle of musical creation is not complete without the performer, and the ideal performer is typically someone other than

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Vocal/Choral Works
February 11, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Hymn to the Night (Part I)

In 1984, I was directing a small amateur mixed chorus in Atlanta, Georgia.  Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity

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Life and Career of Robert Cunningham
February 5, 2020 Robert Cunningham

The Ciompi-Withers Duo

As an undergraduate at Duke University (1966-1970), I had the good fortune of studying with two outstanding performers, pianist Loren

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Life and Career of Robert Cunningham
January 21, 2020 Robert Cunningham

An Evening in Minnesota

On two occasions during my musical career I have journeyed to the snowy hinterlands of Minnesota to give recitals.  My

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Life and Career of Robert CunninghamThe Composer's Craft
January 3, 2020 Robert Cunningham

Curiosity of the Composer

In a previous blog post, I shared some advice I have offered in response to queries from young composers.  As

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Uncategorized
December 10, 2019 Robert Cunningham

The Keyboard Calendar

Our Western tonal system is based on 12 pitch classes, in which seven of the pitch classes are given more

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CounterpointSonata for Oboe and Piano
November 20, 2019 Robert Cunningham

A Fugue for Oboe and Piano

The finale of my Sonata for Oboe and Piano is a playful, energetic rondo in D minor, where the predominantly

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Adagio for Violin and PianoLife and Career of Robert Cunningham
November 11, 2019 Robert Cunningham

The Story of the Adagio

March 21, 1985 was the tricentennial of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach.  On that day I completed my Adagio

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Life and Career of Robert Cunningham
October 22, 2019 Robert Cunningham

Piano Gallery of Atlanta

In the fall of 1992, having recently completed my Piano Sonata No. 4, I played a series of three recitals,

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Music Blog

  • Life and Career of Robert Cunningham
  • Music Theory
    • Counterpoint
    • Foundations of Music
    • Harmony
    • Melody
      • Melodic Transformation
    • Meter
    • Modes
    • Octatonic
    • Rhythm
    • Schenkerian Analysis
  • Romanticism
  • Technology and Music
  • The Composer's Craft
  • The Performer's Craft
  • Uncategorized
  • Works by Robert Cunningham
    • Adagio for Violin and Piano
    • Horn Trio
    • Lament for Flute and Piano
    • Meditation
    • Nocturne for Woodwinds and Piano
    • Nocturne No. 1 for Piano
    • Nocturne No. 2 for Piano
    • Piano Quartet
    • Poems
    • Preludes
    • Rhapsody for Woodwinds and Piano
    • Romance for Clarinet and Piano
    • Romance for Oboe and Piano
    • Sonatas
      • Piano Sonata No. 1
      • Piano Sonata No. 2
      • Piano Sonata No. 3
      • Piano Sonata No. 4
      • Sonata for Oboe and Piano
    • Sonnet XVIII
    • Variations for Flute and Piano
    • Vocal/Choral Works

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Recent Posts

  • Themes of Sonata No. 2 (Part III)
  • Themes of Sonata No. 2 (Part II)
  • Themes of Sonata No. 2 (Part I)
  • Hymn to the Night (Part II)
  • A Contrapuntal Finale
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