| Colin Eatock |
| Compositions |
| I began composing at the age of 16, and have
been writing music ever since. Over the years, I have been
fortunate enough to have some of my works performed by fine musicians. Excerpts
from my compositions are presented below, with the kind permission of the
performing artists.
In the context of the ongoing Style Wars of our era, I would describe myself as a postmodernist. My music is essentially tonal – although I do not use major and minor chords, and tend to avoid direct tonic-dominant motion. However, modernist tendencies are also present in my music: the influence of Dmitri Shostakovich, Olivier Messiaen and George Crumb, among others, can, I think, be heard in my scores. While I am interested in musics of "other cultures," my works are firmly rooted in Western traditions, and are sometimes based on historical models. My music is rarely virtuosic, although it often demands a high level of precision from performers. (So they tell me.) My compositions have been performed and broadcast in Canada, the United States and Great Britain. A few my works have been commercially recorded, for the Furiant, Echiquier and Toreador labels. I am a member of the Canadian Music Centre, and most of my scores are available there. Click on any of the bulleted titles below to hear movements from my compositions. All works are Copyright Colin Eatock and may not be reproduced without permission. |
| Suite for Piano (1995) |
| Timothy Minthorn, piano |
| This Suite is my only work for piano solo. Written in
three movements, it makes use of extended pedal effects, and is also a
"signature piece," beginning and ending with my initials (the notes C and E).
It was written at the request of Toronto pianist Roland Starr, to whom it is
dedicated.
This performance was recorded for the Tidal Storm compact disc (Furiant FMDC 4622-2). |
|
| © Colin Eatock 1995 |
| Three Canzonas for Brass Quartet (1991) |
| The Niagara Brass Ensemble |
| My inspiration for these three short canzonas
was music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, well suited to brass
instruments, by such composers as Giovanni Gabrieli and Samuel Scheidt. I have
imitated the textures and motivic gestures of this noble music, in the context
of my own harmonic language.
This performance was recorded for the Brass Feast compact disc (Echiquier ECD 007). |
|
| © Colin Eatock 1991 |
| Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano "The Lotos-Eaters" (2000) |
| The Timothy Minthorn Trio |
| I have subtitled this single-movement piano trio "The
Lotos-Eaters" because it is a programmatic work, based on Alfred Lord
Tennyson’s 1842 poem of the same title. Tennyson’s image of a land
where all cares are forgotten seemed to me an apt subject for a lyrical and
tranquil composition, and many images from the poem are "translated" quite
literally into musical ideas. Tonally static, the trio is constructed in an
extended arc form. Tempo, volume and intensity gradually increase, and the
piano part becomes increasingly active, until the climax of the piece – at
which point these processes are reversed.
This performance was recorded by violinist Laurel Mascarenhas, cellist Karl Konrad Toews and pianist Timothy Minthorn for the Pagan Sculptures compact disc (Toreador TRCD023-2). |
|
| © Colin Eatock 2000 |
| Three Songs from Blake's "America" (1987) |
| Brian McIntosh, bass-baritone; and John Hess, piano |
| The texts for these three songs are excerpted from William
Blake's poem of 1793, America: a Prophesy. This epic work is a
commentary on the American Revolution – although not in any literal or
conventional sense. Here, Blake creates a visionary world in which allegorical
forces representing liberty and tyranny battle for supremacy in the New World.
This performance was recorded live at the Wolf Performance Hall, in London, Ontario, on December 10, 2006. |
|
| © Colin Eatock 1987 |
| Tears of Gold (2000) |
| Norine Burgess, mezzo-soprano; Laura Jones, cello; Peter Longworth, harpsichord |
| William Blake's Songs of Innocence of 1789 have been
set to music by many composers, including Ralph Vaughan Williams and William
Bolcom. Here, I have selected five of these poems for a "Baroque" setting,
suitable for either mezzo-soprano or countertenor.
This performance was recorded live at a concert of the Talisker Players, at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre in Toronto, on May 30, 2007. |
|
| © Colin Eatock 1987 |