Trompe l’oreille: Variations for Flute and Piano
My Variations for Flute and Piano are one of my most dynamic and successful compositions. One of the techniques behind
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Works by Robert Cunningham
A Grazioso Development
The second movement of my Sonata for Oboe and Piano, marked Andante grazioso, is in ABA form. The middle
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Connected Movements
In all my large-scale compositions, one of my primary aesthetic goals has been to create a unified art-work. That applies
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Proust, Shakespeare, and Sonnet XVIII
Marcel Proust (1871-1922) wrote just one masterpiece, an epic novel titled À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of
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From Words to Music (“I Have a Star,” Part 3)
My last two posts (Part 1 and Part 2) have been analyzing the relationship between the text and music in
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From Words to Music (“I Have a Star,” Part 2)
I wrote the poem that became the text for my vocal work “I Have a Star” around 1983-1984, later setting
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From Words to Music (“I Have a Star,” Part 1)
The text for my vocal composition “I Have a Star” originated as a poem I had written around 1983-1984, while
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Hemiola (Part II)
In my last blog post (Part I), I explained about the musical device known as hemiola, which is often used
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Hemiola (Part I)
The healthy human mind loves being active, recognizing patterns and especially solving puzzles. That applies even to math puzzles. Perhaps
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A Romance for Clarinet and Piano
My Romance for Clarinet and Piano was one of my early compositions (1983, revised 2017). It abounds in lyrical melodies
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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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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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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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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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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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