Robert McCauley (1958- )
From his
sophomore year in 1979 at New England Conservatory of Music to
his middle fifties today, the trends and techniques in art in
the 20th/21st century inspire Robert McCauley’s music more than
the pieces created by other living composers, be they peers,
professors, or professionals. Atonal, angular melodies
from universities (however you label them), Minimalism from
either U.S. coast, and the New Spiritualism from Eastern Europe
have never centered his compositional vocabulary. Robert
always wants to create music never heard before. That
could mean appropriating the historical styles of other earlier
composers and fusing them with wild juxtapositions,
transformations, and jump cuts into one surreal sound world (as
a surreal content dictates a surreal form.) That could
mean stretching 38 seconds of speech into a 4-minute segment
(still at the same pitch), pairing both parts as a theme and
variant, and then layering the altered source with a string
orchestra to enrich and harmonize the inherent music from the
dark spoken word. These procedures imitate the early floor
to ceiling, black and white portraits of Chuck Close. That could
mean taking a Mozart a cappella chorus, doubling the melody at
the half step, stripping all other original voices away,
supplying contemporary day-glo triads, clusters,accompaniment
patterns, and scoring it for chamber orchestra, duplicating the
processes of Andy Warhol or Keith Haring. That could even
mean composing be a highly personal and intense expose of the
child abuse suffered at the hands his distant unfeeling father
for full orchestra, narrator, and MP3s with the confessional
voice of a singer/songwriter. Yet, in all his works previously
created and yet to come, melody is key! Robert writes for
the traditional classical musician who wants to surprise and
delight the audience, not impress them with the composer’s audio
gyrations. There is no greater joy than writing a good tune with
great harmony, and in his world that can range from the popular
(he has a country song published by Lighthouse Music Company in
Austin, TX) to the much longer, lyrical symphonic theme for the
modern canon of serious music. He has the meticulous eye and ear
of a connoisseur, the skills of a craftsman, and he is looking
for the next great trends in art or literature to inspire and
lead him to even better music.COMPOSITIONS Robert McCauley Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Dances After Andy Warhol, piano (1978)
Portfolio for Wind Quintet (7 mvts) (1979; rev. 1994)
Salon Music for Violin-Piano Duo (1982; fp. 1984)
After Beethoven, string quartet (1986)
The Sonorous Object, built from the skin of three dead love songs, does not exist …, orchestra, w/2 soprano soloists (1989)
The Tausig Series, piano (1989; rev. 1995) [in 3 books, 3 short pieces each]
Keening 4/19/95 (Oklahoma City Mix), electroacoutic work (1996) [written in response to victims of bombing in Oklahoma City]
Passacaglia for Mixed Brass Ensemble and Synthesizer (1997) [4 hns, 4 tpts, 3 trom, euphonium, tuba & off stage synthesizer]
Three Disquieting Cabaret Songs, mezzo-soprano and piano (1999)
Popular Forms for 2 Pianos and Percussion (1999) [original version of "Popular Forms for Orchestra"]
- Popular Forms for Orchestra (1999)
SilkScream, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, synthesizer, electric guitar, electric bass and drumset (2000)
My American Childhood, narrator, orchestra and compact disc (2002)
The Big Louise, cycle of poems & cabaret songs, soprano & pf (2002) [text: R.McCauley] [deals w/sexual issues in America today]
Six Koechel Numbers, chamber orchestra (2003)
A Poet's Life (10 songs), tenor and piano (2004) - withdrawn due to copyright issues
Symphony of Simple Forms, orchestra (2005)
Three French Tangos for Piano Solo (2006) [arr. 2007 for violin and piano]
Fugue Metamorphosis, piano (2007)
Two Passionate Sonnets, voice and piano (2008)
For Clara's Eye's and Hands, a speculative fiction, violin, cello and piano (2009)
Kamrick Variations for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (2010)
Concerto for Piccolo, 2 Pianos and Percussion (2010)
AMERICAN MONOCHROME — Paintings in Black and White, orchestra and mp3 files (2011)
Three Pieces – Four Brass for Trumpet, Horn in F, Trombone and Tuba (2011)
...of its own accord... (String Quartet No. 2) (2013-14)
- ...of its own accord…, string orchestra [arrangement of String Quartet No. 2] (2014)
...sadness, menace, mischief, madness…, string orchestra (2014)
Licks, guitar quartet (2015)
Seven Sonnets of Mike Alexander, tenor and piano (2015)
WORKS BY GENRE Robert McCauley Links ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
The Sonorous Object, built from the skin of three dead love songs, does not exist …, orchestra, w/2 soprano soloists (1989)
Popular Forms for Orchestra (1999) [from original version for 2 pianos and percussion]
- Academix
- Sao Paulo In Day-Glo
- Stark Raving
My American Childhood, narrator, orchestra and compact disc (2002)
- In The Playroom
- Songs My TV Taught Me
- Cries From The Past
Six Koechel Numbers, chamber orchestra (2003)
- K.439 #6
- K.Anh.25
- K.492
- K.414a
- K.618
- K.567 #5
Symphony of Simple Forms, orchestra (2005)
- Almost Symphonic
- Intermezzo
- Rondo with Round
AMERICAN MONOCHROME — Paintings in Black and White, orchestra and mp3 files (2011)
- Obsessive Loops (Cy Twombly)
- Transfigured Portrait Parts 1 & 2 (Chuck Close)
- Dance Graffiti (Keith Haring)
...of its own accord…, string orchestra (2014) [arrangement of String Quartet No. 2]
...sadness, menace, mischief, madness…, string orchestra (2014)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra or Ensemble
Concerto for Piccolo, 2 Pianos and Percussion (completed 10/9/2010)
- Initial Pages (Daydreams & Cadences)
- Central Pages (Pipeaux Variations)
- Final Pages (Mosquito Dance)
Chamber
Portfolio for Wind Quintet (7 mvts) (1979; rev. 1994)
After Beethoven, string quartet (1986)
Passacaglia for Mixed Brass Ensemble and Synthesizer (1997) [4 hns, 4 tpts, 3 trom, euphonium, tuba & off stage synthesizer]
Popular Forms for 2 Pianos and Percussion (1999) [original version of "Popular Forms for Orchestra"]
- Academix
- Sao Paulo In Day-Glo
- Stark Raving
SilkScream, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, synthesizer, electric guitar, electric bass and drumset (2000)
For Clara's Eye's and Hands, a speculative fiction, violin, cello and piano (2009)
- Alt-Brahms
- Yet Another Intermezzo
- Cadenza
- Czech/Liszt
Kamrick Variations for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (2010)
Concerto for Piccolo, 2 Pianos, and Percussion (2010)
Three Pieces – Four Brass for Trumpet, Horn in F, Trombone and Tuba (2011)
- Fanfare Toccata
- Shades and Spectres
- Chaconne on an Augmented Fourth
...of its own accord... (String Quartet No. 2) (2013-14)
Licks, guitar quartet (2015)
Instrument and Piano
Salon Music for Violin-Piano Duo (1982; fp. 1984)
Three French Tangos, violin and piano (2006) [arr. 2007 from original work for piano]
- ...musculaire,viril
- ...misterious,changeante
- ...scintillar,brillant
Piano
Dances After Andy Warhol, piano (1978)
The Tausig Series, piano (1989; rev. 1995) [in 3 books, 3 short pieces each]
- Book I
- Prelude
- Ballade
- Mazurka
- Book II
- Vogelied
- Phantasiestücke
- Waldszene
- Book III
- Üngarische Tanz
- Ballade
- Intermezzo
Popular Forms for 2 Pianos and Percussion (1999) [original version of "Popular Forms for Orchestra"]
Three French Tangos for Piano Solo (2006)
- ...musculaire,viril
- ...misterious,changeante
- ...scintillar,brillant
Fugue Metamorphosis, piano (2007)
Vocal
Three Disquieting Cabaret Songs, mezzo-soprano and piano (1999)
- Crimefighter’s Lullabye
- The Professor
- Cows
The Big Louise, a cycle of poems & cabaret songs, soprano & pf (2002) [text: R.McCauley] [deals w/sexual issues in Amer. today]
- Places For Sex
- Homemaker
- The Big Louise
- A Shadow On The Wall
- A Lesson In Foreplay
- Kissing and Screaming
- Bi-Curious
- The Blue Brush
- Dangerous Liason
- A Final Poem
A Poet's Life (10 songs), tenor and piano (2004) - withdrawn due to copyright issues
Two Passionate Sonnets, voice and piano (2008)
- Cartography
- Les Vieux Amants
Seven Sonnets of Mike Alexander, tenor and piano (2015)
Electronic
Keening 4/19/95 (Oklahoma City Mix), electroacoutic work (1996) [written in response to victims of bombing in Oklahoma City]
ROBERT MCCAULEY LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Composer's website [none at the moment] . . . contact Robert McCauley: m_a_e_s_t_r_o(at)yahoo(dot)com
Robert McCauley @ American Music Center
Robert McCauley @ Facebook
Robert McCauley @ Houston Heights Orchestra
Robert McCauley @ OrchestraList
Publisher
[contact the composer]
Streaming Audio
Robert McCauley @ SoundCloud
Recordings
[none at the moment]
Video
Robert McCauley @ YouTube
The Kamrick Variations - Part 1 & Part 2
Robert McCauley @ Google Video
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