Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (Avanna + EWQLSC)
Perhaps no performance has moved me more than Bessie Griffin's earth shattering rendition of the old African American Spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Moth...
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August Champlin's Discussions
A Dawn Never Ending
Started this discussion. Last reply by August Champlin Dec 6, 2015. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Tinges of Indigo
Started this discussion. Last reply by August Champlin Oct 23, 2015. 6 Replies 0 Likes
The Dance of the Yao People (Arranged by August Champlin)
Started this discussion. Last reply by August Champlin Nov 6, 2013. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Welcome, August Champlin!
Music
August Champlin's Videos
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Tinges of Indigo
Added by August Champlin 0 Comments 2 Likes
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Taste of Desire
Added by August Champlin 0 Comments 0 Likes
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Aves Orientalis
Added by August Champlin 1 Comment 0 Likes
Profile Information
- What have you composed for? Or what medium do you work around?
- Choir, Orchestra, Small Ensemble, Songs, film
- What is your favorite genre or style of music?
- Classical & Jazz
- Is music your main income source?
- No - Not at all.
- Where do you live?
- California
- 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.
- My goal:
To harmonize with God's creation song.
How It All Started
Probably unbeknownst to him, my brother is responsible for awakening in me the desire to compose music. While attending college, he took an elective course in music history. Afterwards, he left his textbook on the floor to ceiling bookcase that covered one wall of my childhood bedroom.
The third edition of Donald J. Grout's History of Western Music came adorned with a handsomely illustrated jacket featuring artfully lit photographs of a French horn and violin. Intrigued by the beautiful images adorning its jacket, I removed the book from the shelf and began reading about the luminaries of Western music: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms...
My readings led me to subscribe to classical CD clubs through BMG and other providers. Through them I began to amass a collection of critically acclaimed recordings. Soon I found myself taking piano lessons, singing in my school choir, and eventually majoring in music in college. Although my talents were modest, my passion was ardent. My ambition, however, was singular. I wanted to compose music and have it performed by professionals before an appreciative audience.
Unfortunately, my dream seemed larger than my musical endowment. My earliest compositions, written in high school, qualify as amusing juvenilia. The work I did in college rose to the level of sophomoric.
Nothing much improved until I volunteered as the pianist at a small local church. By using my admittedly modest talents to glorify God and edify others, I found that God multiplied these talents before my eyes. I began to play better than I had when studying under classically-trained concert pianists. My ear seemed to open, and I could hear chord progressions in my head and play them on the piano. In appreciation, I began to write music for God’s glory. Suddenly, people began to say good things about the music I wrote. But that wasn’t the only change.
The process of composition I had followed up till then was one of calculated contrivance. With my newfound spiritual focus in music making, composition became a natural outpouring of a heart open to the beauty and love of knowing God and being called into an intimate relationship of sonship with Him. Music for me became the natural expression of a heart in love, overflowing with praise and worship to God.
August Champlin's Blog
The Angst of Selecting a Virtual String Orchestra: DVZ vs. VSL?
Posted on May 30, 2011 at 2:15am 6 Comments 0 Likes
From my first attempt to compose music in the early 90's using my 486, Finale, and my computer's internal sound card (mistake!), it has been my dream to have at my disposal a realistic virtual orchestra.
When the Garritan Personal Orchestra came out, I thought my dreams had come true. And for a while, it seemed that Gary Garritan had solved the world's most pressing problems and ushered in a new era of world peace, sending beauty pageant contestants on a desperate scramble to…
ContinueAbout Each Composition
Posted on June 19, 2009 at 4:00am 0 Comments 0 Likes
The Rose of Sharon
Each day I worked on this piece, I sat at the keyboard, prayed that my thoughts would be in synchronicity with the movings of the Spirit, and worshipped while composing. I often felt distinctly impressed, while working on it, to proceed in a certain direction, when my natural inclination was to go in another direction. The resulting work is probably my strongest, but I'm not sure I can take full credit for it. Perhaps it is better to say that it was… Continue
Each day I worked on this piece, I sat at the keyboard, prayed that my thoughts would be in synchronicity with the movings of the Spirit, and worshipped while composing. I often felt distinctly impressed, while working on it, to proceed in a certain direction, when my natural inclination was to go in another direction. The resulting work is probably my strongest, but I'm not sure I can take full credit for it. Perhaps it is better to say that it was… Continue
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Greetings August,
Your music has some very nice qualities. Thanks for sharing.
Very best,
Larry Elliott
Glad you found time to listen to that!
☺
Thanks August for the feedback on Skating. I've been trying to "humanize" it. Much of the feedback I've gotten on this and other forums, is that it sounds too computerized. Being rather complex, this is proving to be quite a process. I'm torn between spending time doing that, and working on other things to post. I'm leaning toward the latter, as I can always go back later and try to perfect the earlier posts. So hopefully you will see something else relatively soon!
On June 16, you wrote, " I was just listening to your music. I especially enjoyed listening to Quantum Concatenations. It is unified and coherent, yet it occupies a musical territory of its own."
I wanted to reply to you earlier, but I was out of town for a while, and then very busy until recently.
Thank you very much for your generous assessment of Quantum Concatenations.
Given your musical sophistication and overall experience, I take it as a very high compliment.
I liked what you said to Bruce Baldwin in one of your replies to comments:
"Thanks for the comment, Bruch! Yeah, I was worried about one of the motives sounding too similar Bartok. I even asked my composition instructor if I was getting a little too close to Bartok, especially in the anguished descending motive; however, he generously framed it as an allusion. :)"
I am not sure anyone can get "too close to Bartok" today, in overall style. Some musicologists say that there is something almost "syntactically Hungarian," is his idiom, so unless you speak fluent Hungarian, and think in Hungarian, you are unlikely to fall into an imitation trap.
I was re-reading a section from McHard's book on the Philosophy of Modern Music, and he admonishes modern composers, citing Iannis Xenakis and Julio Estrada as exemplars; and tells us, we should always do something new, different and original in each work.
That will keep us from imitating Bartok or anyone else, if it is a special worry.
Here is a "spectral view" of Xenakis' "Metastasis," if you haven't heard it yet, or are looking for inspiration.
Iannis Xenakis - Metastasis (Spectral View)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2O8bMlEijg
Thanks again, for your encouragement.
O.
Thanks for your comment about Sunshiny Day! More to come!
Aves is thoroughly enjoyable! Thanx 4 sharing.
Beautiful music August. Love your choral work.
Cheers,
Charles Mazarakes
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