CROCKER MUSIC

Instrumental music by Dean Crocker

Click on a title to audition the music.

2011

Coruscating Ephemerons: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, 2 Horns, Trumpet, Trombone 11′; Flashes in the pan? (Oh, look: something shiny!) Four movements, none quite as flashy or as short as the title might imply

2010

Quartets vignettes: Saxophone quartet (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone) 19′; Subtitled “Daughters of Mnemosyne,” this is a “reimagining” of my 2003 string quartet with one movement for each of the Muses

2008

Whispering Hope: Solo voice (or unison chorus) with string quartet, oboe and piano—English 3¼′; A fresh look at the popular 1868 hit by Alice Hawthorne, who was actually a man named Septimus Winner

2005

Walrus and the Carpenter, The: Mixed Chorus (SATB) with woodwind quintet and piano—English 9½′; A jolly (yet dramatic!) setting of Lewis Carroll’s famous poem

from Hamlet: Mixed chorus (SATB) with flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano—English 4′; Originally written in 1976; greatly revised in 2005 to provide an interesting counterpart to The Walrus and the Carpenter. Rhythmically challenging. Performable by a high school-aged choir (if they are very, very good).

2003

Quartet vignettes: String quartet 18¾′; Subtitled “Daughters of Mnemosyne,” this is a suite with one movement for each of the Muses

2001

Symphony no. 1 by Gustav Mahler: Arrangement for small concert band or wind ensemble. Four movements: 15½′, 7′, 10¼′, & 18′; (Well, I guess someone had to do it.) Probably just as difficult as the original: should be playable by a very good, if underpopulated, college band.

1993

Triode: Trio for B-flat clarinet, violoncello, and piano 4½′; Traditional, middle-of-the-road 20th century lyricism

1989

Harvest Home: Men’s Chorus (TTBB) and strings—English 2½′; Based on Henry Purcell’s Your Hay It Is Mow’d, this piece is well suited for Thanksgiving or harvest-time. Very traditional, rousing male glee club number.

1988

“Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives: Orchestration for 10-piece ensemble [Fl, Cl, Ob, Bsn, Hn, Tpt, string quartet] 6′; Useful for festive church performances on a budget, this arrangement is to be used with the normal chorus editions: no choral scores are included.

1976

Theme for 4 Clarinets: Quartet for clarinets 4′; Quite lovely. I personally think it should be played on four alto clarinets (or better still, four basset horns) but sometimes I’m not as practical as some.

1974

The Way Lies Before Us: Trio for flute/piccolo, acoustic guitar, and prepared piano 8½′; A very quiet piece for a very resonant room

1973

Thus spake Arjuna…: Solo organ 5–6′; Very spacious piece which makes use of the pipe organ’s ability to hold notes forever, its tendency to be slightly out of tune with itself and its affinity for large, reverberant halls

1972

Dance for Cathy: Flute, alto sax, trumpet in C, horn, trombone, vibraphone, piano 4¼′; Very slow and serene with almost no implied movement

1970

Dichtung und Wahrheit: Tenor voice and flute—German 6¼′; Setting of four short poems by Goethe. Difficult.

Ornamenta Rationalia: Duet for oboe and piano 3′; Basic mid-20th century, lyrical, student serialism, originally titled Apple Pie, Motherhood, and the American Flag for reasons long forgotten.

1969

Prepostronomics: French horn, percussion, piano 6½′; Just a little bit Hindemith, just a little bit rock’n’roll. Difficult, showy horn part. Percussionist plays everything in the band room. Pianist tries to hold everything together.

Copyright © 2011 Dean Crocker d/b/a CROCKER MUSIC
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Last modified: Thu Jun 9, 17:28 CDT 2011