What have you composed for? Or what medium do you work around?
Choir, Orchestra, Small Ensemble, Big Ensemble, Songs, Contemporary Ensembles, Other
What is your favorite genre or style of music?
All types and genres
Is music your main income source?
Sort Of - Music Related
About Me (Must include at least one paragraph of biographical information about you as a composer) - blank or minimal answers on this line will cause your request to be rejected. Include a link to your website if you have one.
Tyler Hughes holds a bachelors from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Masters Degree from Texas Tech University. He studied under Dr. Stephen Lias during his undergrad and continues his education at Texas Tech University under the tutelage of Dr. Peter Fischer in pursuit of a Doctorate degree of Musical Arts. He has amassed an extensive body of work as well as improved his compositional skills. While studying, he is also a working composer, having commissions to write music. He is an active member of the National Association of Composer, USA (NACUSA) and of Society of Composers (SCI), and has had music performed at three Texas chapter NACUSA conferences. The most recent of these performances garnered him the prize for Best Undergraduate Composition.
Tyler’s plans include obtaining a doctoral degree in music. After that, Tyler plans to teach music composition and theory at the college level while continuing to compose.
Website:
www.tylerjustinhughes.com
Comments
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=381168
Thanks for the welcome into the community!
Can I assume Joseph had a “complete” score in front of him? His voice is very good. (I can’t “judge” It always comes through clearly. (Were you recording the premier’s sound through a mixer board? While sometimes it clipped and got distorted (perhaps that was only on my end), it was really much cleaner than I’d expect from a straight video camera recording.)
I don’t know cummings’ poems, but you really seem to have a knack for setting words/voice to music/atmospheric effects. I like this piece. I find myself coming back to is several times during the day – and I mean the whole thing not just bits and pieces; I’ve heard it 5-6 times through already.
One of my favorite spots is at 6:22 – with the rush of sound and swelling of voice.
I did find it hard to *watch* the piece because it was so “private” (only between Joseph and the recording -- and so I, as an audience, was not *involved* and, in fact, found watching it hard because I always look for the visual clues I expect to see from an orchestra/performers/conductor. Not that body language is present in such a piece as yours (though it might be).
Several times (twice only?) I find the sounds on the recording intrusive. Maybe it’s just the first time I hear the mouth sounds or one other of the sounds.
Overall, the piece (the three poems set) is very engaging. So much music of this “type” is too distancing for me. I’ve tried listening to Glass, Reich, etc., but while I may like some of the pieces, the overall style and content does not draw me in. Yours has a different effect on me (finally!).
And I LOVE the ending (#62: “each luckiest of lucky days”). It’s captivating – and then it’s over. That kind of ending makes me long for more because it’s both un-final and puts a period on it nonetheless. The in-finality of the ending makes me re-think over all I’ve heard up to then, and THAT keeps me wanting more.
--John Elliott
Albany, Oregon
P.S.: Thank you.