The Octatonic Collection in the Piano Quartet
As with many of my compositions, much of my Piano Quartet is lushly Romantic. The second theme of this sonata-form
Read More
Works by Robert Cunningham
Thematic Transformation in the Piano Quartet
My Piano Quartet was composed in 1993 and revised in 2018-2019. The piece encompasses a wide variety of moods and
Read More
Tonal Structure of the Piano Quartet
My Piano Quartet, composed in 1993 but revised in 2018-2019, was recorded in February 2020 by violinist Cari Sue Jackson,
Read More
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
Read More
Word Painting in Sonnet XVIII (Part II)
Part I of this series discussed word painting in my musical setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII — that is, how the
Read More
Word Painting in Sonnet XVIII (Part I)
Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”) is one of the most famous poems in the English
Read More
Piano Sonata No. 3: A Remarkable Combination
The first movement of my Piano Sonata No. 3 resembles the exposition of a classical sonata, except that in this
Read More
The Story of the Piano Quartet
In 1993 I was already a seasoned composer, having completed a wide variety of compositions and obtained performances of many
Read More
The Triptych Sonata
A triptych is a set of three panels presented side-by-side, each of which may or may not constitute a complete
Read More
Sonata Form in Five Sonatas
The sonata as we have known it since the Classical period involves two separate but intertwined ideas, and my five
Read More
Compositional Process: The Melody of Life (Part 4)
Over the last three posts to this blog (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), I have been describing the
Read More
Compositional Process: The Melody of Life (Part 3)
My last two blog posts (Part 1 and Part 2 of this series) have been describing the process by which I
Read More
Compositional Process: The Melody of Life (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this series, I began to describe the process by which I composed my Nocturne No. 2
Read More
Compositional Process: The Melody of Life (Part 1)
My composing involves a blend of musical intuition and analytical judgment. Melody is central to my music, and typically I
Read More
Klangfarbenmelodie: Variations for Flute and Piano
The term Klangfarbenmelodie — “sound color melody” — was coined by Arnold Schoenberg, although one can find examples of it
Read More