Presence (2024)
Piano. 7.5′
A generally quiet work that is essentially an essay on being present. A recording will be coming soon.
Perusal Score
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Pieces of Time (2022)
Viola solo. 18′
I. Where Was I?
II. If Only For a Moment
III. Soaring
IV. Do Flies Have Wings?
V. Dorian Flow
The title of this work came from an acquaintance who used the phrase while discussing the importance of fully living the moments we are given. We seem to miss so much because of our distractions, our busy-ness, our emotions. Pieces of Time was composed for, and is dedicated to, violist Anne Black. She gave the first performance in August, 2022 in Eastport, Maine.
Of Time and Place (2020)
Clarinet in Bb solo. 9.5′
I. Reflective and quiet
II. With grace
III. With clarity and passion
I composed this three-movement work in June and July of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time of strange solitude, often filled with a sensation of emptiness as many accustomed activities ceased. During that time I also came across the poem To What Listens, by Wendell Berry. The final lines spoke powerfully to me: “…like the wren I sing – to what listens – again.” – from New Collected Poems (Counterpoint, 2012)
Trails (2019)
Piano 4-hands. 7′
This work was composed in honor of my son Spencer, who is a runner and biker. From an early age he has found happiness in navigating trails and making his own. The trails we choose are not always predictable; they may take us to places we never imagined, over difficult ground, through darkness as well as light. He has come through, and keeps running. This work attempts to celebrate the sensations of a joyful training run: maintaining pace, staying in tune with the body and responding to the changing terrain.
Companions II (2012 – 2015)
Piano. 12’
I. Winter Winds
II. Two Crows in Tree Watching Sea Smoke
III. Stopping By the Piano on a Sunny Morning
IV. Yes, Really
A set of four somewhat neo-impressionistic works are, in a way, snippets from a diary that doesn’t exist, inspired by images from our daily life in downeast Maine. I performed them for the first time as part of a solo recital I presented in April, 2015 at University of Maine in Presque Isle.
In Autumn (2013)
Violin, piano. 12’
I. Recitative
II. Arabesque in Blue
III. Play
An improvisatory recitative is followed by a plaintive arabesque and a final movement inspired by several of my piano students, featuring a continual interplay between brusque and lyrical gestures… a play? child’s play, just play? The work’s first performance was in March, 2016, with Alice St. Clair (violin) and myself (piano).
Three Preludes (2011)
Flute solo. 9’
I. Song of the Air
II. Such blue sky! Such blue waters!
III. Quoddy Jig
In Song of the Air the basic musical idea, a quick sixteenth note pattern, came to me as I was having dinner alone. The title came later. It’s pretty descriptive, so your imagination can take it from there.
Nature can be heartbreakingly beautiful; that is often the case in downeast Maine, where I was living. Envision the intensity of a clear fall day, with the waters of the bay reflecting and deepening the unclouded blue of the sky. The musical utterances of the second movement are inspired by the Japanese style of composition for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute).
Traditional music is popular in downeast Maine, so it seemed natural for me to compose a pretty straightforward jig. The word “quoddy” is adapted from the Passamaquoddy word meaning “fertile or beautiful place,” and most aptly describes the region.
Praise to the Lord (2010)
Organ. 5′
A set of variations on the great German tune Lobe Den Herren, which first appeared in the Stralsund Gesangbuch in 1665. The work proceeds from a simple statement of the tune using traditional harmonies to three variations that incorporate more contemporary harmonies and what may be called neo-Baroque counterpoint. Suitable as a powerful, exultant prelude or postlude or as a concert piece.
Peace (2006)
Piano. 7’
A quiet and reflective work composed following a family tragedy. Hopefully it evokes the idea that peace is always close to us if we can empty ourselves and open ourselves to its grace.
Variations on Amazing Grace (1998)
Piano. 13’
In this set of variations the iconic hymn tune (actually New Britain) is presented very simply at first, but soon you will recognize that we have broken free of the melody. A journey is taking place – from the tune itself through the musical ideas it has evoked for me. You may hear flights of ecstasy, the ringing of bells, a playful dance, a Chopin-like etude, floating clouds, and a passionate argument. The final variation is a peaceful return to the original tune. The first performance was given by Rorianne Schrade in 2001.
“… a powerful and moving work. Starting with the hymn in it’s simplest form, it takes the listener through a wide range of styles and sonorities: from gospel textures and bell-like clusters, to the Chopinesque, yet retaining all the while an organic cohesion…. it gently bridges readily accessible musical language with new tonal landscapes. ”
– Rorianne Schrade
Offering (1993)
Organ. 6’
A reflective work for organ that works well as a service prelude. First performance in 1993, given by me at First Congregational Church, Worthington, Massachusetts.
Rhapsody (1989)
Horn, piano. 18’
I. From “The Sanctuary of Dreams”
II. Dance of the Spirits
III. Soliloquy
IV. …worlds passing.
The title of the first movement, From the Sanctuary of Dreams, came to me as I was on a walk, at the same time as the initial tune in the horn. Let’s just say that it was inspired by an imaginary poem. The second movement is a calm waltz-like dance, a contrast to the extremes and tensions of the first movement.
Soliloquy is of course for horn alone. Think of an actor alone on stage, reciting a reflective but passionate monologue, the action of the play having come to a halt. And now imagine a poem that ends with the words “…worlds passing.” The final movement lightens the mood, with somewhat jazzy syncopated chords in the piano and cool, playful riffs from the horn. Perhaps all will be well.
This work was composed for Martin Hackleman, who gave its first performance with myself at the piano in 1989 at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Companions I (1984 rev. 2017)
Piano. 8’
I. Aardvark Dream
II. Procession of Days
III. Totentanz: To Man’s Inhumanity
IV. A Pleasant Fugue
These four short works were composed over a period from 1979 to 1983. The first two movements were originally composed for harp. I played a series of solo piano concerts and these pieces came together as a set in 1984 simply because I needed another work of mine to perform. They are something of a motley crew but complement each other well, I believe, as good companions do. The first performance was given by me in 1984 at Spirit Square, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Knossos (1981)
Piano. 12’
This one-movement work evokes the ancient world of Knossos, Crete, and the myth of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. The first performance was given by me at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
“Of the newest music given, Newell’s piece Knossos was distinguished by very strong rhythms and a quite haunting mood; its characterization both of place and idea was impressive.” – Spectator (Raleigh, NC)
Audio
Perusal Score
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Aardvark Processions (1980)
Harp. 8’
I. March
II. Aardvark Dreams
III. Apotheosis
This quirky set was composed for the wonderful harpist Susan Allen; she gave the first performances at Clemens Kalischer Gallery in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City.
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Prosody (1977)
Percussion solo (timbales, almglocken, small gong). 10’
This one movement work was composed for John Boudler. He gave the first performance at Baird Music Hall, SUNY at Buffalo, New York.
Perusal Score
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Horizons (1975)
Piano. 9’
I composed this somewhat minimalist work in the spring of 1975 while living in North Hollywood, California. It was a time of transition for me, as I was soon to move to Buffalo, New York to continue my studies in composition. The work was inspired by sights that are common in the western states: vistas of distant mountains, the contours of hills overlooking valleys in a meeting of earth and sky.
The work moves through various harmonic combinations of consonance and dissonance, changing densities (three to eight voices) and spacing, through different registers of the keyboard. I composed the work at the piano over the course of a few days, guided by my ear, listening to each sonority carefully to determine the next move. The first performance of this some minimalist one-movement work was given by me at Baird Hall, SUNY at Buffalo, New York.