The Phoenix

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Andy

Austin

The phoenix, presumably originally of Greek origins, was the fire bird that has come to symbolize rebirth. It is hope. It's actually a beautiful image when one stops to really think of it, forgetting for a moment the bombardment of pop-culture references to it. A soul transcending the ashes. Today's transcendence comes courtesy of bassoonist and composer Damion Montano.

2 Farewells - # 2

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Austin

The second farewell is of the more poignant, almost biting variety. Here is a goodbye which actually hurts, but in that way soulful way. Not in some wretched way like a severe tragedy. It's the bittersweet which draws a bit too heavily from bitter. Again written as a multitrack solo cello etude, is also again performed beautifully by Andrew Schulman.


Andy

Infamy

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Andy

Austin

FDR spoke truly immortal words about this day. Despite a few recent declarations to the contrary, no real equivalent has ever occurred. It would seem very easy to tastelessly address this through music. Hopefully I have not done so. This piece is a chaconne of sorts, pitting a growing wall of angst against the pleading violin of the wondrous and legendary Bruce Dukov.

2 Farewells - # 1

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Austin

Farewells come in many forms, and with widely varying emotional intensities. For this series I'm contemplating two of the most common (in my life, at least). The first is the farewell tinged, but far from overwhelmed with sadness. However, there is just enough sadness that we can't help but cling on as long as we can (for example, by refusing to finally end the conversation and actually say 'good bye,' something I've been guilty of myself on many occasions). This solo cello etude is performed by the magnificent Andrew Schulman.


Andy

Give Thanks

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Andy

One thing that will never be cliché is being thankful. It's good for the soul. So thank you everyone. Thank you family. Pictured here is one of my amazing nieces.

Austin

The aim here is very simple; giving thanks in its true spirit is a profound and primal act. True recognition of our fortune. Today I am thankful for so much... my family, friends, but perhaps most of all for having been put on his path of discovery and eternal curiosity.

Halo

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Austin

Seemingly every religious doctrine, faith and mythology has halos or circles a prime symbol for the divine. Presumably a hand-me-down from prehistoric sun worshipping, nonetheless halos are a fascinating and timelessly simple image. In that spirit, today's musical halo is a recreation and elaboration of what happens when I draw halos at this nifty website (thank you to my dear friend Susan Hill for emailing me the link).

Andy

A

The Hero's Journey - Rebirth

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Austin

The final stage of the hero's journey. Return; rebirth. Death is transcended. For this last leg, viola wonderfully performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

A

The Hero's Journey - Abyss

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Austin

At the culmination of the trials and suffering, there comes an abyss. The hero faces death. Destruction. A revelation. Here again, viola performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

A

The Hero's Journey - Threshold

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Austin

Along his path, the hero reaches the threshold. It is here the transformation begins, paving the way for trials. Struggles. Once more, viola solo by Kaila Potts.

Andy

A

The Hero's Journey - The Call

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Austin

The hero's journey must begin with a call to adventure. A purpose, a summoning. That first step down the path. Viola solos performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

A

Faith

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321/365

Austin

In the simplest, most distilled sense faith is a reliance in the unknown. It is a conviction in the unseen, the unprovable. It is, in its true form, unwavering; for many, mechanical.

Andy

Waiting on interviews is tough. Especially given my history here. And yet, I am confident, confident enough anyway.

Tango

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Andy

Just a little too tired to be inspired.

Austin

Arguably the best way to experience the divine is in other people. In their company, in their shared spirit. A tango, of all the dances, is the most electric expression of that. I have a long-running love (indeed obsession) for tangos. Here is a somewhat quirky tango, a revisiting of one I wrote for Michael Gunn's wonderful film "Workshop," earlier this year (executed in a way that would have made no sense for the film).

Mantra

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Andy

As a note, I'm not making fun of the mantra, just the absurdity of the sign.

Austin

Similarly, this music is simultaneously directly inspired by Andy's photo, as by the broad notion of a mantra. At once holy, deeply and personally spiritual, and yet also irreverent for ... well, bizarre.

Bokononism

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Andy

Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.

Austin

Accordingly, here is a calypso in honor of my chosen foma.

Sell your Soul

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Austin

As a composer in the abstract sense, music to me is like a form of divine communication. George Crumb once said that "music surpasses even language in its power to mirror the innermost recesses of the human soul." It is the art to which all the arts aspire.

However, I am also a working composer. With that comes the periodic scenario wherein I must write music I otherwise abhor. I do everything I can to imbed it with deeply felt artistry .... but sometimes it's nonetheless just plain awful.

Andy

A

Helios

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Andy

A ritualistic offering to the Sun King, every morning.

Austin

I wish I could offer an intellectualized explanation for this music; instead, only that it communicated to me precisely what a morning dedication to the Sun King must sound like. Barbaric, yet not particularly evil or twisted.

Risen From the Dead

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Austin

Today, Dia De Los Muertos, the dead shall rise. So too shall Allogamy ... (with a nod to Camille Saint-Saens, and featuring the glorious cello warrior Tina Guo).

Andy
There isn't a whole lot of 2010 left. It's time to take these last 60 days by the horns.

Halloween (observed)

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Andy
One word: Vuvuzela.

Austin

The Finale (from the previous Zombie Apocalypse series) has spilled into this post. Tomorrow will bring us some vuvuzela action. The long-awaited (by me, at least) zombie scherzo rounds of the series but with a decidedly Halloween flair. Special thanks to Camille Saint-Saens, to whom we are indebted for this delightful danse.

Zombie Apocalypse - Run Like Hell

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Andy
Cardio is definitely important. With zombies, it's life or death.

Austin

The Postlude for string orchestra (as a sort of passacaglia). Running will only last so long. Can the infection be overcome? Are we lost forever?

Zombie Apocalypse - Incognito

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Andy
For the living, a good zombie disguise might come in handy. Maybe the infected are too dumb to know the difference?

Austin

The Intermezzo for string orchestra. Stealth and creepiness amid a bed of aleatoric pizzicati.

Zombie Apocalypse - He Seems Nice Enough

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Andy
Luckily, Mormon zombies seem to be pleasant folk.

Austin

A misnamed Gigue for string orchestra gives us the zombified Americana appropriate to the Mormon zombie.

Zombie Apocalypse - The Resistance

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Andy
It's kill or be eaten, and not just for the already heavily armed. Resist the scourge.

Austin

The March for string orchestra. Stand and fight ...

Zombie Apocalypse - Medical Staff

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Andy
Let's be honest, one of the first places the initial crop of zombies will be brought is the hospital. Medical staff will constitute the second wave of infected.

Austin

6 movements for string orchestra guide us through the Zombie Apocalypse, beginning with this ominous Prelude.

Longitudinal Waves

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Andy

Sweet, sweet sound waves.

Austin

The Vuvuzela.... not the most versatile of instruments, but compelling in its own way. A sort of pure sound wave.

The World According to Einstein - 4

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Austin

The final part in the tribute to Albert Einstein, featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan:

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank in file has already earned my contempt; he has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."

And my personal favorite (and Einstein's most poignant) quote: "A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem."

Andy

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. ”

The World According to Einstein - 3

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Austin

Today two interleaved Einstein quotes, again performed by the wonderful violinist/soprano duet Yelena Yegoryan and Angie Solomon:

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

"Anyone who can drive safely and kiss a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

Andy

The World According to Einstein - 2

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Austin

Returning to the mind of Albert Einstein, today with: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... it takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction." Once again featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan.

Andy

A World Out of Sight

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Austin

T

Andy

Yog-hurt has been enjoyed since antiquity. All thanks to the science of fermentation wherein microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, break down sugars typically into lactic acid or alcohol. In the case of yogurt, bacteria converts lactose from milk into lactic acid, which acts on the high protein content of milk to make yogurt.

The World According to Einstein - 1

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Austin

There are few people who have contributed to mankind on the level of Albert Einstein. Plain and simple. It is useless to try and enumerate his accomplishments, both here or through music. Instead I have chosen to set a few of my favorite Einstein quotes:

"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler;"

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school;"

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

Violin performed by Yelena Yegoryan, and vocals performed by soprano Angie Solomon.

Andy
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Area 51

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Andy

We’re hiding aliens in Nevada and we filmed the moon landing in a Hollywood studio. Obviously.

Austin
I

Copernican Revolution

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Austin
The etymology for "revolution" is bound up in the history of Copernicus, a figure who unites both meanings for the word (a political / social upheaval, and also the literal 'to revolve'). In my estimation, Copernicus' "De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium" is one of the most liberating documents ever loosed upon mankind; a sense of reality is far more warming to the soul than a false sense of centricity.

Andy
And what a nice star to revolve around.

H

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Austin
H, Hydrogen. The simplest of all atoms and one of the most fundamental building blocks of the universe. One of the most amazing feats of a scientist is his ability to see and hear through all the noise, all the racket, and gain that little morsel of fact. That one small bit of truth, on which everything must be based.

Andy
We are all made of water and water is made so incredible in large part due to hydrogen. Hydrogen's small size allows for a special type of bond, the aptly named hydrogen bond. Due to the bond angle in water and the high electronegativity of oxygen, water is polar. These two facts allow an amazing intermolecular attraction to exist in water in which the hydrogens from one molecule loosely bind (as in something like 10% of a covalent bond) to the oxygen of other water molecules. Each individual hydrogen bond may be relatively weak, but when compounded they create a substantial bond energy barrier. This unique bonding in water also contributes to the crystal shape solid water takes. We know that solid water is less dense than liquid. Think for a minute what would happen if ice was instead more dense than liquid water. Ice would sink. Icebergs would sink to the bottom of the ocean. The ocean would freeze over. The global climate would cool considerably and we would have a permanent ice age. So thank you hydrogen, thank you.

Rooftop Ambushes

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Austin

As children, Andy had a pretty faithful habit of walking to school together each morning. On more than one occasion I would be waiting for his arrival at my house from a rooftop vantage armed with some variation on a dart gun / squirt gun / paintball gun, etc.... (shenanigans today courtesy of Andrew Leonard on clarinet)

Andy

The Creator, part 1

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Austin
Today is my birthday, so for it I salute my musical father: Derry O'Leary. Derry was my childhood piano teacher, and single-handedly responsible for my love of music which eventually led to my career. He wrote a piece called "Thunderwood," a fun Spanish fantasia, which was sort of my compositional 'gateway drug.' It was the first time I played a piece composed by someone I knew. It literally changed my life. Today's post is a series of variations on his wonderful tune, drawing partially from a recording of me playing it in concert in November, 2006 in Florida.

Andy
I present to you: Austin.

Never Forget a Face

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Andy
I'm terrible with names, but I never forget a face.

Austin
When I was 11 years old I recorded an album of piano music, which included the brilliantly titled "Piano Piece 1," my first real stab at composition. Inspired by Andy's self-portrait, here too is mine, using that original recording.

Austin: Air Guitar

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Andy
h

Austin

Perhaps it's the obvious approach, but it seemed the best way to musically capture the 'Air Guitar' is through an exploration of all the OTHER sounds a guitar makes. This piece is essentially a solo percussion work, using recordings made by hitting, scratching and otherwise abusing a guitar. Call the ending cliche, but the catharsis it renders seemed mandatory.

Austin: On a Bike, part 2

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Andy
Up the hill.

Austin

Part 2 of the fictional bike ride, this time trudging up a steep hill ... near loss of control ... finally the view breaks before you (the question remains unanswered whether the romantic interest of part 1 has taken the lead, or is in pursuit, or perhaps didn't make it this far up the hill altogether)

Austin: On a Bike, part 1

 

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Andy

On a bike ride.

Austin

As has happened numerous times throughout Allogamy, for this piece a sort of fictional narrative formed in my mind. For this particular one Andy had charged me with creating a bike ride. I suppose it could have been the musical equivalent, instead of a literal musical description. Nonetheless, a charming and romantic bike ride. Flirtatious, and periodically wobbly.

Andy: B&W

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Andy
Just waiting for the end of the world.

Austin

Quiet contemplation of the apocalypse, per Andy's photo.

Austin: Digital

 

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Andy

The digital counterpart to my analog, in all it's contrasted glory.

Austin

In direct contrast to "Analog," this piece is based entirely around the MIDI-based concept of digital sampling. This concept has become so commonplace that we modern composers have basically taken it utterly for granted. As with "Analog," the source material is 100% derived from me scratching a few notes out on an irish penny whistle. Unlike the previous piece, though, my exploitation of sampling allows for a creation beyond the scope of true analog electronic music (of course, in reality both are technically digital...)

Austin: Analog

 

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Andy

Eaaaasing back into this after a bit of a hiatus. Here we go again. Analog.

Austin

In the very earliest days of electronic music, "digital" music did not exist. This music was created using very labor-intensive techniques involving tape loops and effects which were borderline mechanical in nature. Many amazing pioneers like Varese, Ussachevsky, Leuning and Stockhausen, among many others. While the glories of digital technology has allowed 21st century composers to do things vastly beyond the wildest imaginings of these humble origins, there is something to that aesthetic we can't quite reproduce. Today's piece is at least an effort to, using only analog procedures on a source recording of me (poorly) playing an Irish penny whistle.

The Soul - version 4

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Austin

As a final visit to my little tune, we're reminded again the extent to which jazz lives and dies by its performers and interpreters. In stark contrast to the ultra-rich smoothness of the vibraphone, today we hear my melody on an unaccompanied, lonesome alto sax (performed by Alexis Marsh).

Andy

July has been an incredible month. A health amount of time in the mountains and lots of fun. I also crashed my bike at the beginning of the month and the resulting minor leg injury kept me from too much leg-involved exercise. That being said I haven't been swimming at all. I think it's time to get back to it. Good for the soul.

Star Spangled Variations - part 1

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Austin

The 'Star Spangled Banner,' our notoriously difficult national anthem, is ironically based on a British drinking tune and was only officially named our anthem in 1931 (though it had been in use by the US Navy since the late 19th century). Here begins a set of 50 variations on this tune...

Andy

Yes, I took a cat photo.

The Soul - version 3

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Austin

At the core of the essence of jazz lays the idea of rebirth. Improvisation truly is the soul. Each musician turns a simple tune into a creation all their own. Here we hear my tune completely reborn by the ever-talented composer and vibes player Sean Malone.

Andy

Rode the Urban Assault Ride today. Needless to say, it was awesome.

The Day We Lost Jerry

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Austin

On this day 6 years ago the world lost one of its all-time great composers. Jerry Goldsmith's career in Hollywood spanned over 50 years and in that time he created some of the most beautiful, terrifying, innovative, exhilarating, meditative and all around brilliant scores by anyone of any time. The fact that he's still gone still seems somehow dreamlike. A world without Jerry is almost unfathomable.

Andy