alexmarthaler

About “The Geography of Illusion” & Score Video 2

This entry was posted in "About" a Piece Score Video on September 14, 2015 by alexmarthaler

This piece, “The Geography of Illusion,” was completed over the summer, but began as a reading sponsored by CMU with the Del Sol Quartet. (This is who is playing on the recording.) The first two movements were completed in the early spring, and the final two over the summer. The […]

Intriguing Tunes, Vol. 3

This entry was posted in Intriguing Tunes on August 24, 2015 by alexmarthaler

With August comes another set of Intriguing Tunes– here is Volume 3! “Mountain Songs: No 1. Barbara Allen” – Robert Beaser This simple duo for flute and guitar comes from Robert Beaser, a contemporary American composer who has used many folk influences in his music and is very reminiscent of composer Lukas […]

“What do paintings sound like?”

This entry was posted in Article and tagged Contemporary Classical Egon Schiele Music and Art on August 10, 2015 by alexmarthaler

In July, The Telegraph published this article about a special installation at The National Gallery in London. Titled “Soundscapes,” the project has invited six composers to choose paintings from the collection and provide a musical accompaniment or response. There is a diverse range of composers, from New-York-based composer Nico Muhly […]

Intriguing Tunes, Vol. 2

This entry was posted in Intriguing Tunes on July 27, 2015 by alexmarthaler

I started this project in June, where I post what new, interesting, or inspiring music discoveries I found during the last month. The second set, here is Intriguing Tunes, Vol. 2! “Cuban Landscape With Rhumba” – Leo Brouwer The first one comes from Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, performed by the Dublin Guitar Quartet. It […]

About “Turning in Air”

This entry was posted in "About" a Piece Projects on July 20, 2015 by alexmarthaler

Last winter, I composed “Turning in Air” for a reading session put on by the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble. Working with a large number of players gives you new opportunities, but also new challenges, particularly on the back end. Once the composing is finished, the process of preparing and proofreading […]

Intriguing Tunes, Vol. 1 125

This entry was posted in Intriguing Tunes on June 29, 2015 by alexmarthaler

I spend a lot of time searching for and listening to music, and I wanted to find a way to share the ones that I’ve found particularly interesting. I’m going to post once a month about the three or four tunes that I’m listening to on repeat. Here’s the inaugural batch of […]

About “Playground Songs”

This entry was posted in "About" a Piece Collaborations Projects and tagged Song Cycle on June 22, 2015 by alexmarthaler

Playground Songs has been in creation for over a year, and has been one of the longest projects (from conception to performance) that I’ve ever worked on. It began in early 2014, and was finally premiered in May 2015. Playground Songs I. My Monday Guy II. Brown-Bag Lunch III. A Friend IV. […]

“(Un)organized Lightning” – Score Video

This entry was posted in Score Video on June 15, 2015 by alexmarthaler

I wrote this piece last September, (Un)organized Lightning. In fact, it was written pretty quickly, in about a month. Here’s the score with audio from a reading session with the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble (Daniel Curtis, cond.) last October. Enjoy!

John Luther Adams and Arvo Pärt: Music and Mysticism

This entry was posted in Article and tagged Arvo Part Become Ocean John Luther Adams Minimalism on June 8, 2015 by alexmarthaler

Music can also be a form of contemplation: the sensual reaching for the spiritual. –John Luther Adams, “Winter Music,” 140 Earlier this year, I was researching Arvo Pärt, the contemporary Estonian composer (often considered a holy minimalist, and known for his “tintinnabular music” including Tabula Rasa and Fratres), and […]

“Imprints & Abstractions, V. Filaments” – Score Video

This entry was posted in Score Video on June 1, 2015 by alexmarthaler

This is an older piece (written late 2013) that I still enjoy performing, most recently at the PMTA Conference and the CMU Composer’s Concert last fall. It’s a lot of fun to play, and I recently arranged this movement for wind ensemble, look for that soon!