And now, my personal favorite track from the score of Emerald, Texas. The scene is a moment of relaxation in a windy field of golden flowers.
En route to a fabled pastor, the protagonists from Emerald, Texas stumble upon a quasi-hippie enclave in a forest.
I wish the film scene had been longer, because I had so much fun writing this oddball cue. The central rhythmic element is my plucking on an electric guitar run through (warning: audio tech babble follows) a convolution reverb based on a drum ostinato.
Add hand percussion, recorder, and low-end piano to the mix and you have your instant magic realism/quasi-rural/vaguely-spiritual traveling underscore!
A self-styled miracle man resides across a shady forest. The ragtag companions of Emerald, Texas set out through the woods towards what they hope will be their quest’s end.
The scene provides the occasion for the film’s main theme, which had been previously hinted at in fragments. The melody emerges from a mysterious rural introduction and subsequent agitated string passage. The intro, by the bye, was given to the viola rather than violin, for a more more raw and haunting sound.
There were only a few string players on the recording, which we tracked multiple times to give the music a bigger sound. The resulting chamber orchestra feel worked well for the film’s intimate contemporary-fantasy sensibility.
I’m happy to re-launch my Cue of the Week blog! By re-launch I mean resume, after a long period of neglect. Other than a few cosmetic details, nothing has changed; you’ll still hear a weekly selection of my music for film, games, concert music and other media.
Music for media by nature is bundled with its host project, and to be honest I’ve been lax about publishing soundtrack albums. This blog allows me to share work I’m proud of which you might not otherwise easily be able to hear.
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Enough preamble! As I’m currently scoring a new feature film by my longtime collaborator George Adams, I thought I’d share the opening music from our previous film, Emerald, Texas. As this opener suggests, the score is a mix of Americana, chamber orchestra, and oddball sound design.
Guitars (as throughout the score) courtesy of the multitalented Kyle Johnson.
I’m excited to announce my next concert music commission, a new piece for guzheng and string quartet, written for the Ames Town and Gown Chamber Music Association. The piece will be premiered next May as part of the Association’s 70th season.
I’m delighted to collaborate with this dedicated musical organization, as well as honored to have another chance to compose for the guzheng, or Chinese dulcimer. More details about this piece and its performers will be revealed in the coming weeks.
