MUSIC
I have been composing music since I was twelve years old. At young ages I would pick out tunes on the family piano by ear, but when I got interested in the Beatles in 1981-82, I got interested in writing my own songs. My earliest music dates back probably to 1985 as I got a bit better at the music theory and my piano technique improved under the direction of my teacher Roger Bushell. In 1993 I started gaining some experience in what it took to record my songs. Unfortunately I am not as talented a vocalist or instrumentalist as I am a composer and lyricist, but out of necessity I played and sang on my songs. Periodically I will share some of my works here for your review.
HBAI started this project in 2000 a year prior to the events of September 11, 2001. It's music composed around a melodically delivered speech from November, 1937 by my great-grandfather Hartley Burr Alexander. Considering the time frame of the speech coincidental to Europe being dragged into war by Hitler's Germany and my own use of the recording just before 9/11/01, it became clear to me that his message was timeless. The music themes I used were common to a number of works I had written which were to pay tribute to the great american philosopher and iconographer in the context of the generations following him.
- Dr. Quack (My Dentist) - preview
Written in 1986 after having my wisdom teeth pulled. Not a fun experience. I'm starting to record some of my earliest instrumental compositions through digital studio technology. I collected these writings in a single book titled "New Instrumental Works" but I feel like they should be released in three seperate collections: Jazz, New Age and Art Music. I'll throw a few of these on here from time to time.
- Jazz Menuet in G Major (a Bach Theme)
A jazz arrangement of a classic theme from April of 1986.
