Chamber Ensemble
Please contact me at gregwatsonmusic@gmail.com for scores and commissions!
disorder and early sorrow
bass clarinet, bassoon, cello
4' 15"
This piece was composed as a part of a Music in 24 Hours project, in which composers would write a piece of music for assigned performers, and then the piece would be rehearsed and recorded all within 24 hours. This piece utilizes dense microtonal clusters, bisbigliandi, and space to create a sound world that is both spacious and dense at the same time.
follows from
violin and mezzo-soprano
4'
follows from was written for Duo Cortona during their residency at the Frost School of Music. the text slowly develops a quote from Mark Twain, "the fear of death follows from the fear of life".
they can see inside, so we must draw the curtains
tuba/euphonium quartet
11'
they can see inside, so we must draw the curtains is a drone piece for tuba/euphonium quartet. Drone music is rarely explored through this medium, though these instruments can perform it quite well. The pitch material is very limited, and timbral variety is created through mouth shape, mutes, and extended technique.
hum
solo alto saxophone, saxophone quartet SATB
8'
Composed for Dougan Smith in 2018, hum attempts to draw life out of mechanical ostinati and repeated patterns. The soloist moves in and out of the accompaniment freely, and uses free improvisation of harmonics and overtones.
"even though it's all been unplugged, a constant hum"
how to disappear completely
SSAATTBB, piano, electric guitar, vibraphone, bass drum
25'
how to disappear completely explores the necessary methods of completely removing oneself from their current life. These methods revolve around the larger ideas of thinking through the process of disappearing, making it so that you cannot be traced, and adapting to your new life. The individual movements within these sections discuss the specific steps required to do this. Spoken text is interspersed with sung text throughout the piece.
This piece also discusses the various reasons a person may want to disappear, whether it be running from the law or an abusive relationship, or as an alternative to suicide. These different reasons warrant different approaches. Overall this piece attempts to reflect the moods and emotions a person who is considering disappearing may be feeling.
the following is based on true events
trombone, piano, percussion
9'
the following is based on true events was written in the fall of 2017 for occasionalNoise Trio. This piece focuses on blending transients and color to play with texture. Many of the color variations come from the trombone, which makes use of different mutes and vowel shapes to blend differently with the other two instruments. The bowed piano is done with fishing line that has had a generous amount of rosin applied to it. While the trombone occasionally serves as a solo voice, the three parts generally work together with no voice dominating the others. the following is based on true events is meant to be spacious, intimate, and colorful.
everything (i have ever)
baritone voice, trumpet, trombone, bass clarinet
everything (i have ever) was composed for loadbang and premiered in June 2017 at the first Divergent Studio workshop at the Longy School of Music. The text follows a single sentence, "you are everything I have ever missed" and watches it develop slowly over the course of the piece.
seven years, counting
tuba/euphonium ensemble
3'30"
seven years, counting was written for the Illinois State University Tuba/Euhponium Ensemble in the Fall of 2017. I have found that much music written for the ensemble stays well within the realm of conservatism. While this is far from avant-garde, I wanted to write something that was musically interesting and still approachable from the ensembles perspective.