Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called composers. Composers of primarily songs are usually called songwriters; with songs, the person who writes lyrics for a song is the lyricist. In many cultures, including Western classical music, the act of composing typically includes the creation of music notation, such as a sheet music "score," which is then performed by the composer or by other musicians. In popular music and traditional music, songwriting may involve the creation of a basic outline of the song, called the lead sheet, which sets out the melody, lyrics and chord progression. In classical music, orchestration is typically done by the composer, but in musical theatre and in pop music, songwriters may hire an arranger to do the orchestration. In some cases, a pop or traditional songwriter may not use written notation at all and instead compose the song in their mind and then play, sing or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable sound recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written or printed scores play in classical music.
Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. A form of instrumental music, it may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound which can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.
Found objects are sometimes used in music, often to add unusual percussive elements to a work. Their use in such contexts is as old as music itself, as the original invention of musical instruments almost certainly developed from the sounds of natural objects rather than from any specifically designed instruments.
Annie Gosfield is a composer based in New York who works on the boundaries between notated and improvised music, electronic and acoustic sounds, refined timbres and noise. She composes for others and performs with her own group, taking her music on a path through festivals, factories, clubs, art spaces, and concert halls. Much of her work combines acoustic instruments with electronic sounds, incorporating unusual sources such as satellite sounds, machine sounds, detuned or out of tune samples and industrial noises. Her work often contains improvisation and frequently uses extended techniques and/or altered musical instruments. She won a 2012 Berlin Prize.
Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, also translated as Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, is a musical composition for 52 string instruments composed in 1961 by Krzysztof Penderecki. Dedicated to the residents of Hiroshima killed and injured by the first-ever wartime usage of an atomic weapon, the composition won the Tribune Internationale des Compositeurs UNESCO prize that same year.
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge is a toll suspension bridge which carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie and Highland in the state of New York.
Julie Feeney is an Irish singer, composer, actor, songwriter and record producer who self-produces and self-orchestrates her own work. She makes both instrumental and electronic music, and all of her songs with full orchestrations. Feeney is a three-time nominee for the Meteor Choice Music Prize for 'Irish Album of the Year', winning in 2006 for debut album 13 songs. She has released three studio albums on her own label 'mittens': 13 songs (2005), pages (2009), and Clocks (2012). Clocks entered at No.1 on the Irish Independent Albums Chart and No. 7 on the Main Irish albums charts making it her highest charting album to date. She is from Galway, Ireland. Previously she worked as a professional choral singer and educator.
Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the Financial Times and as "a triumph of ensemble playing" by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times said that Alarm Will Sound is "one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene."
Bora Yoon is a Korean-American experimental electroacoustic composer/performer known for her use of unconventional instruments and musical technology in her music. An interdisciplinary sound artist, vocalist and TED2014 Fellow, she gathers and uses instruments and timbres from various centuries and cultures, to create immersive audiovisual experiences, with architecture, and acoustics.
Biomusic is a form of experimental music which deals with sounds created or performed by non-humans. The definition is also sometimes extended to include sounds made by humans in a directly biological way. For instance, music that is created by the brain waves of the composer can also be called biomusic as can music created by the human body without the use of tools or instruments that are not part of the body.
Joseph Bertolozzi is an American composer and musician with works ranging from full symphony orchestra and solo songs to immense sound-art installations. With increasingly numerous performances across Europe and the United States to his credit, his music is performed by groups ranging from the Grammy-winning Chestnut Brass Company to the Eastman School of Music, and he himself has played at such diverse venues as the Vatican and The US Tennis Open.
Bridge Music is a public sound art installation. Additionally, there is an album of the same name featuring music from this installation.
Gustavo Matamoros is a Venezuelan composer, interdisciplinary artist, community organizer and educator who has established his residence in Miami, Florida, US, since 1979.
Anna Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir is an Icelandic composer and 2012 winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize. In 2015, she was chosen as the New York Philharmonic's Kravis Emerging Composer, an honor that includes a $50,000 cash prize and a commission to write a composition for the orchestra; she is the second recipient. The orchestra later performed the premiere of her symphonic poem Metacosmos under the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen in April 2018.
Nick Brooke is an American composer, musician, arranger, thereminist, instrument builder, and researcher of early musical automata. He was born in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Mars Lasar is a German-born keyboardist and composer, raised in Australia. Predominantly new-age, his music also contains elements of electronica, jazz, pop, world, and rock. Lasar's music has appeared on television and in films; one notable example is music from his first album, Olympus, being used for CBS's coverage of the Olympic Games in Albertville, France in 1992. He has worked with other artists including Seal, Herbie Hancock, Jon Stevens, John Sykes, and t.A.T.u.. Many of his album covers feature his own artwork.
Joseph Hallman is an American composer. A functional orphan, Hallman was born and raised in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Girard College from first to twelfth grades. Based in Philadelphia, Hallman's works have been performed internationally. His music has been described as eclectic, merging classical, Renaissance, and contemporary popular styles. Hallman also teaches composition at Drexel University.
L'arrivée de la terne mort triomphante is the fifth full-length studio album by Gnaw Their Tongues, released on September 7, 2010 by Burning World, Crucial Blast and Candlelight Records. The album showcased a change in musical direction, with more emphasis on orchestration and lighter moods. The album also marked the last time Maurice de Jong recorded a Gnaw Their Tongues album using his old studio and computer setup. It received high marks from music critics, with PopMatters ranking it as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of the year.
Justice League: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed by Danny Elfman. It was released on November 10, 2017 by WaterTower Music. The physical edition was released on December 8, 2017 by WaterTower. Most of the material used in Elfman's soundtrack was disregarded by Tom Holkenborg when he returned to score the 2021 director's cut of the film.
Jonathan Russell is an American composer of classical music, clarinetist, and bass clarinetist. Russell was the founder of the Switchboard Music Festival, which will hold its 10th anniversary in the summer of 2018. His primary teachers have included Paul Lansky, Barbara White, Steve Mackey, Elinor Armer, and Eric Ewazen.
