The Composer’s Craft

My Aesthetic Goals in the Piano Quartet

My Piano Quartet was composed in the fall of 1993, as part of my work toward an M.M. degree in

Modern technology is a blessing for modern composers. It enables us to create and disseminate professional-quality scores with little or

In all my large-scale compositions, one of my primary aesthetic goals has been to create a unified art-work. That applies

“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” –Johannes Brahms A young acquaintance of mine informed me

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

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

In recent years I have received several inquiries from young composers or would-be composers, asking me: “How do you compose?”

The violin was the first instrument I studied formally, and I took my first lessons around the time of my

In my file cabinet there is a thick folder labeled simply “Sketches.” It contains musical sketches, ranging from early compositional

Sergei Rachmaninoff is widely recognized as one of the finest of all pianists, with technical and interpretative powers of the

The popular film Amadeus, based on a stage play of the same name, depicts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from the vantage