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Askland Nocturne #6

Music Only – No Lyrics

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The Piano Nocturnes album was one of my favorites to record. All the pieces are improvisations on an old Chickering grand piano. The recording was done late at night in a church sanctuary. I did about 25 or so improvisations and then picked my favorites for the album.

Deb Carole was the “assistant producer”. She sat in the sanctuary and listened while I played. Then she would say “Oh I like that” and help give me feedback.

Like a nocturnal animal, a nocturne in music is a piece to be played at night. And I think this album is perfect to listen to late at night when the listener is alone. It captures a mood that I am very satisfied with. This is one of the few releases I have recorded where I never get tired of listening to it. And I listen to it each time like I’m hearing it for the first time.

Recording was done in Hesperia, California. I don’t remember the year. Sometime around 2002 I think. Maybe someone can post the year if they remember.

The Nocturne also ties in to a great historical legacy from Chopin and other great composers. To me the improvisations are a mix of melodic elements Chopin might use, but with more of a Baroque feel to the execution. And of course not as complex as Chopin in my opinion. But the goal for this recording was not to be complex – but to be beautiful and simple. In that regard I feel the recordings hit the mark.

I am very happy that I recorded these on a real piano. If I had done the recording on a digital piano I would not like to listen to it as much. A real piano has such a great texture of overtones.

I chose the #6 nocturne from the album at random. There are other nocturnes that I also like very much from this project.

One final thought – one of the reasons I treasure this recording so much is that it was just something I did because I wanted to. There was no marketing or sales drive behind it like with my other studio projects. In fact I never did any marketing or sales on it. It is like my secret. I treasure it. It’s pure…

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Dracula Overture – Sample

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Dracula Overture – Full Version

LYRICS – DRACULA OVERTURE

Drako de so le kriva
Iste reava Christo
Seya measto akra prietua

Lokra priaso lape teah
Se pregulate via
Creato fia Drako selah

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Scary! The language is my own making, a sort of bastard latin with words and syllables chosen for their sound and feel.

In early 2007 I was asked to do sound effects for a production of “Dracula” at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon, WA. The composer for the project didn’t finish the music in time so I composed this Dracula Overture 3 days before opening so they would have something to set the mood.

The backstage techs would sing along after several performances and they had a name for this song. What was that name…mmm….the Lochrian Chant? Something like that.

I still remember how excited I was the first time they played it before the show. Because this piece is so very dark. Even though the show was Dracula, I knew people weren’t expecting something so very dark. At a couple of the shows I saw parents take their little children out of the theater even before the show started because the children were scared and crying. I actually enjoyed that because my goal was to have a piece that would truly frighten people.

Ironically, the female vocals were done by members of a “High School Musical” cast because I was in also in rehearsals for that show at the time and had to record very quickly to get this piece ready for Dracula. So we recorded after an HSM rehearsal and I went home and mixed it.

This piece has been circulated somewhat around the internet – I even saw a website that offered part of it as a ringtone.

I have the “sample” available above because I actually prefer the shorter version. Apologies for the theft prevention overdubs. You can download the full version below that one.

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The Tragic Spaniard – New Faces Vol. 4

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This was an improvisation by the guitarist that was the opening to another song. I like the piece by itself and tongue ‘n cheek call it “The Tragic Spaniard”.

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Agnus Dei – New Faces Vol. 4

LATIN LYRICS – AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.

ENGLISH LYRICS – AGNUS DEI
Lamb of God, who take away sins of world,

have mercy on us.
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I have always wanted to write a Mass, which is several different parts. One of those is the Agnus Dei. An alto and mezzo-soprano/soprano duet for strings and piano. Later I wrote another part of the mass, the “Gloria” which you may find on this website. (The Gloria is with full chorus as it is traditionally performed).

I actually do have a specific visualization of this piece. I have always wanted to write for movies, but as of yet have not done much of that. This piece to me is what Hannibal Lecter would listen to while drinking a glass of wine, pondering his next macabre move. Lecter in Silence of the Lambs would often listen to classical music and opera. I think this piece would be perfect for that type of scene.

The piece is classical and retro, but it is actually meant as an underscore to a contrasting mood.

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Gethsemane – New Faces ’95

Nat Wyner – Violin

LATIN LYRICS – GETHSEMANE

Una hora non potuistis vigilare mecum,
qui exhortabamini mori pro me?
Vel Judam non videtis, quomodo non dormit,
sed festinat tradere me Judaeis?
Quid dormitis?
Surgite, et orate, ne intretis in tentationem.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION – GETHSEMANE
Could ye not watch one hour with me,
After exhorting one another to die for Me?
Or see ye not Judas,
how he maketh haste to betray me to the Jews?
Why sleep ye? Arise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

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1994 – this was one of my first MIDI orchestrations of an original piece that incorporated live players and vocalists. The text is from the original old Latin text used in the Catholic church.

My original vision for the piece was the drama of Masada when the town was under siege. But when I found the latin lyrics I changed the title to “Gethsemane” to describe the turmoil of Jesus’ last moments with the disciples.

Nat Wyner at the time was primarily a country fiddle player – so it was very nice of him to take the time to record this piece back then. Thanks Nat!

I had a lot of fun recording the male vocals which I pitched down a little bit by speeding up the reel to reel during recording. (Yes, back in 1994 we used reel to reels!)

If I were to redo this orchestration today it would have much more movement to it and not be so clunky. But for the time I was happy with it and I still enjoy to listen to it every once in a while.

To me, it faithfully represents my visualization of the events at Gethsemane. And for 1994 using a reel to reel and a midi sync – yeah, I’m happy with it.