For Chamber Ensemble.Commissioned by the Hebrides Ensemble and first performed on their Scottish tour in March 2010.In Seven Pierrot Miniatures I took the Commedia dell’arte character Pierrot as my primary sourceof inspiration. Other more tenuous links to Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire also served as a starting point in forming the general shape of the work. The piece is cast in seven short movements whereas the Schoenberg comprises threesets of seven movements. Although there is no part for voice I have taken seven poems by Albert Giraud (none of them set in Pierrot Lunaire) as points of departure:1. The Clouds2. Decor3. Absinthe4.Suicide5. The Church6. Sunset7. The HarpEach movement takes its impetus from the corresponding poem but in the piece as a whole I wanted to explore the extreme contrasts of the multi-faceted character ofPierrot in a musical setting. There is an almost mirror-like quality to the form of the piece and a sense of ending where it has begun: movements 1 3 5 and 7 are closely linked both in terms of their musical material and asense of melancholy dream-like quality and longing. Movements 2 and 6 are also strongly connected with allusions to the more mischievous violent side of Pierrot. Movement 4 serves as a sort-of pivotal point within the work juxtaposing a surreal shimmering calm with brutal outbursts. There is never any direct repetition yet there is a strong sense of material returning and mutating as the workunfolds.InstrumentationFlute doubling piccoloClarinet in Bb doubling Bass Clarinet in BbViolin doubling ViolaCelloPiano

The sheet music for Nico Muhly's Doublespeak arranged for Chamber Ensemble and composed for the orchestral sextet 'eighth blackbird'. The piece is arranged for Flute (Soprano Recorder) Clarinet in B flat Percussion (Castanets Tenor Drum Pedal Bass Drum) Glockenspiel Piano Violin and Cello. It works for 2-6 players and this item includes the full score as well as the parts. Doublespeak had its debut at the Edlis Neeson Theatre in Chicago performed by the new musical six-piece 'eighth blackbird'. The piece is a slow and repetitive one punctuated bymoments of stark beauty. It is according to Muhly something of a tribute to the great Philip Glass the forefather of minimalist classical music. It takes implicit inspiration from his entire oeuvre but also explicitly incorporates portions of his most famous and valued works interweaving them inside a new composition that captures what 'eighth blackbird' do best.  The Doublespeak sheet music would be ideal for Chamber Ensembles looking to perform or practise minimalist music drawn from the 1960s and 1970s. If you love Philip Glass or Nico Muhly or both this composition is a real treat.

Taken from Once Around The Sun this is the month of October. Written for Vibraphone Marimba Cabaça and Piano.