​It has been quite a long time since I last set pen to paper and finished a piece.  This has mainly been the result of being swamped with other musical activities such as teaching and composing.  This time has been very productive though as I have finished a number of choral arrangements for various groups and published a few of my early choir arrangements.

Composing wise, I have been sketching ideas for a new orchestral work 'Pharaoh Shuffle' that brings together my interests in card magic and ciphers.  The harmony is derived from a process akin to the enciphering technique used by the German Enigma machines of World War II.  I also have a new Christmas Carol and Christmas piano piece to finish before December and am looking to start a flute concerto in early 2019.

A simple Christmas improvisation for my friends and family.

After a break from composing I have started two pieces: a quartet and a piece for chamber orchestra. Both use a new system of harmony I've developed based on the workings on the German Enigma machine. After selecting an intervalic pattern for the piece, these are entered on to the three wheels of the Enigma app I had developed for me. A note is entered and the three wheels produce a triad based in their current interval selection. When the next note is entered the first wheel moves to its second position/interval. As with the German Enigma machine the second wheel moves on one position when the first wheel had completed a revolution, the third wheel is attached to the second in the same way. A trial yesterday revealed that the resultant harmony generated sounds homogenous.

On 18th of July 2013 I had my viva and I'm thrilled to announce that I was awarded a PhD!

I managed to find a video (albeit very poor quality) of Tamesis. Here is a link



http://youtu.be/mMGlLnP7sf0

It has been a while since I last posted and even longer since I did any composition in contemporary mode. Currently I am furthering my media music work with commissions from www.deskjockeysltd.com and researching for a project bringing together my interest in borrowed material with 1920s jazz recordings. That said, I have found time to experiment with a new harmonic system based on the working of a German Enigma machine. More details to follow.

After playing through Monday's work I realised that I was happy with the piece as it stood. After a bit of editing today (checking harmonics, adding more performance details) the movement is now complete in draft form. The next job is to create an audio mockup.

Spend today working on the slow movement of the violin sonatina and I believe I have the whole movement sketched. By sketched I mean that all the notes are now down and have written the ending and now need to check it through. Will probably require a bit of fleshing out in places before it's in first draft form. Wrote an extensive addition to the opening material employing the ciphers and morse code which seems to float and drift as intended. Lots of free time rhythm and ambiguous 'jazzy' harmony as intended. The fog clears by the end and I managed to use some material if previously scrapped which is always amusing.

After four years' work I submitted my PhD today. Now at last I can return to composing. Continuing work on the violin sonatina (mvII), a piano piece, and a new quartet.

I've had to take a break from the sonatina to work on my other musical endeavours. This last week has been spent arranging choral pieces, making changes to my phd, and fulfilling media commissions. I hope to pick up work next week on the sonatina.