works
That I overlooked before
Filmmaker Luciano Zubillaga has been working with Amber Priestley to create this day-long interactive installation. Priestley has created a space in which the human voice is mediated through tape recorders and manipulated by the visitor, slowly entwining with the sounds of the ambient world. Zubillaga releases the visual reference of the voice by playing with time and space. This installation was commissioned by the Soundwaves Festival.
for as many cassette players as possible; duration variablecaRd
This is the music Amber wrote for the back of her business card.
instrumentation and duration variable"…And Go Ahead! Dare To Be irrational!"
This piece was commissioned by Michael Hooper. I have used the idea of children's flipbooks (i.e. where there are four pictures, and the child can decide which head goes with which torso, etc.) as a way of introducing a chance element into the music.
for solo mandolin; duration variableIf The Sun And Moon Should Doubt, They'd Immediately Go Out
The text for this piece is by William Blake; the work was to be performed as part of a concert to end a literary conference about Blake. Premièred 31/7/07 at Bootham School, York, by Tom Appleton, Hilary Campbell, Michelle O'Rourke, Chris O'Gorman, Penelope Walcott (voices), Alan Hacker (clarinet).
for 5 speaking voices and 1 instrument that can sustain pitch; 5 minutes' durationThe Spider Woman's Magic Formula
This work was commissioned by spnm. The entire event was titled "Jai Hind", which means "Long Live India". We spent nine months working together with the ensemble to produce new compositions that explored the traditions of the East and the West. I asked the sarangi and cello players to improvise around a written English text, while the other members of the ensemble provided a stable rhythmic foundation. Premièred 22/5/07 at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton by Aruna Narayan (sarangi), Hanif Khan (tabla), and Endymion.
for harp, piano, vibraphone, tabla, sarangi, cello; 3 minutes' durationSuch Nights I Get All The Free Margins
I was commissioned by spnm to compose a work for Damien Harron. The subject matter is a sensitive individual enduring the tedium of the office. It is my most directly autobiographical piece; I had just finished a boring job working as a civil servant. The title is from a section of prose by Walt Whitman. Premièred 27/3/07 at Wapping Power Station, London, by Damien Harron.
for percussionist playing office equipment; 8 minutes 15 seconds' durationAnd Then We Are In Clover
This was a piece commissioned by Queens' College, Cambridge (http://www.viganicabinet.co.uk/). It was the first time I was given complete freedom in instrumentation and style. The entire work is based (in harmony, pitch, theatrical movement) upon the song from the turn of last century called In The Good Old Summertime. Premièred 18/3/06 at three different locations at Queens' College, Cambridge by David Barnett, John Billings, Aniella Bodnar, Julius Bruch, Diana Burrell, Chris Clarke, Henry Cook, Matt Edmonds, Chris Fenwick, Christopher Fox, Harry Gibson, Jamie Hall, Dan Jalapour, David Johnson, Helen Macaulay, Claudia Molitor, Cherry Muckle, Joe Philp, Hok-Him Poon, Ellie Smith, Tom Smith, Tom Stace, Mair Thomas, Paul Tognorelli, Mary Vander Steen, Jo Willmott.
for variable music theatre ensemble; duration variableI Do Remember One Thing
This was commissioned by klangsieben for their first performance as an ensemble. Every element of my piece is to do with time; the piano, for instance, is like a madly ticking clock. Premièred 21/5/05 at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton, by klangsieben.
for variable music theatre ensemble; 24 minutes' durationThe Only See I Saw Was The Sea-Saw Sea
I was commissioned by Kirklees International Women's Festival to compose a work for brass, to be performed in Huddersfield. This is the second work whose theme I took from my work on Under Milk Wood; the title comes from Captain Cat's song. 10/3/05 at St Paul's Hall, Huddersfield, by Octobrassy.
for brass octet; 4 minutes 15 seconds' durationFloors Are Flowers—Take A Few
The title of this piece came from a Shel Silverstein poem about an abandoned house. Premièred 14/2/05 at the Meeting House, Brighton, by klangsieben.
instrumentation variable; duration variableThe One I Loved Best Awake Or Asleep
This work is dedicated to the memory of M.I. Priestley. Its title comes from Polly Garter's song in Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood. I had just finished writing the score for the play to be performed by the University of York Drama Society when I wrote this string work.
for 12 solo strings; 7 minutes 30 seconds' durationBut In The End, Back She Comes
I was commissioned by Gamayun, an Oxford-based ensemble, to write a piece. At the time, I was reading Margaret Atwood's novel The Blind Assassin, and was drawn in by the structure and unravelling of the plot. The title of the piece, taken from a section of the novel, held great significance for me. Premièred 29/5/04 at the Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building, Oxford, by Gamayun.
for soprano and piano trio; 7 minutes 15 seconds' durationLittle Foxes
This is a simple, sweet lullaby with text by poet and lyricist Robert Hunter.
for soprano, clarinet, marimba, piano, violin, cello; 5 minutes' durationAnd Yet Something Shines, Something Sings In That Silence
I was influenced by my playing with the University of York Sekar Petak Gamelan group, and the tune in this piece exhibits this. It is only two pages of music—but as in my other open-form pieces, it can be performed in a variety of ways. 25/7/06 at Cargo Club, London, by klangsieben (http://www.claudiamolitor.org/performances/2006_perf.htm).
for 4 instruments playing in at least 2 clefs; duration variableFeel thinGs wAy aBout, Certainly Don't admirE
This is my shortlisted spnm piece. It is another way of my looking at open-form scores. The piece can be played reading either way up, and each performer can choose which line to play in what clef.
for any 5 instruments or voices using at least 2 different clefs; duration variable: 5'/12'Situation Of Leaving
I was influenced by a Mono-Ha exhibition I had seen at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge. One piece in particular, called Situation Of Leaving, was made up of a single object that could be walked around and viewed from different perspectives. I wanted to do the same thing with music; thus, each of the movements can be played in any order. Depending on where the conductor decides they will be in the piece, different text will be sung accordingly.
for SATB (min 12 voices, max 24 voices); duration variable: 5'30/12'30"La, Not Atonal
I use a palindrome here both structurally and harmonically.
for orchestra; 11 minutes 20 seconds' durationWarning: Ages 8 & Up
This piece was commissioned by Juice, and I used an instruction sheet for a mobile phone gadget as a text. It was a fascinating piece of prose, as it had been translated badly into English from Chinese. In addition to this, members of the audience were instructed to keep their mobile phones on (and audible) at the performance. The singers then improvised upon the ringtone when one of the phones rang. Premièred 6/5/04 at the Sir Jack Lyons' Concert Hall, York, by Juice.
for two sopranos; 12 minutes' durationWhy You Layin' In The Dirt?
This piece was an exploration of the similarities and differences in timbres between the two instruments, which are sometimes used as a duo and sometimes as two solo instruments. Premièred 7/5/02 at Sir Jack Lyons' Concert Hall, York, by Evis Sammoutis (guitar), Neil Valentine (viola).
for guitar and viola; 10 minutes' duration'Twosie Beats Onesie But Nothing Beats Three
Here, I was playing with the differences and similarities between the three timbres available to me. Harmonic sections alternate with the trio playing with different timbral variations on the same pitch. Premièred 7/12/01 at the Sir Jack Lyons' Concert Hall, York, by the New Music Group (University of York).
for clarinet, trumpet, viola; 7 minutes 20 seconds' durationRain Rain Rainy Rain Rain
The texts used here are five haikus about the rain written by Jack Kerouac. In the year I wrote this, there was an unprecedented rainfall in York where the river rose at least 20 feet over its average. It was commissioned by the Hilliard Ensemble. Premièred 8/12/00 at Kuoroespoo, Finland, by the Hilliard Ensemble.
for countertenor, two tenors, baritone; 4 minutes 12 seconds' durationHead Space
I attended a summer school on Movement and Music taught by Sir Harrison Birtwistle (music) and Lea Anderson (choreography). As a composer, I was paired with choreographer Gabrielle McNaughton to create a work which reflected our collaborative interests. We decided immediately on the idea of simultaneous activities chosen (with no forward planning) by the dancers and musicians from a list of options. Premièred 11/8/00 at Dartington Hall, by Dartington Summer School Ensemble.
for three dancers, flute, piano, two violins, two cellos; 6 minutes' durationA Note Sits Playing Four Slides
I derived the harmonic structure for this simple rhythmic piece from a work by Michael Finnissy. It was intended for a concert that would highlight his piece, but unfortunately, that concert did not take place. Premièred 8/12/00 at Sir Jack Lyons' Concert Hall, York, by the New Music Group (University of York).
for vibraphone, violin, cello; duration variable: 19'35"/11'20/8'15"To Raise Hell As We Roll Along
This piece is a complex elaboration of an old popular song entitled "St. James' Infirmary". By the end, the performer begins to slowly sing the tune of the original while playing the variation.
for solo viola; 7 minutes' durationThe Psychological Thumb
For this work, I had tiny ball bearings placed into the jugglers' clubs to make a rhythmic sound as they were thrown. The jugglers passed the clubs over the head of the sitting singer, who elaborated (with extended vocal techniques) upon several old Buddhist texts. Premièred 2/12/99 at The Cambridge Drama Centre, Cambridge, by Emma Coonan (singer) and members of the Cambridge Community Circus.
for singer and three jugglers; 9 minutes' duration