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GUITAR Caught in the Headlights, for guitar duo, ca. 19' (2002)
PDF: Score Guitar I Guitar II The title alludes to the ensemble's pairing of identical instruments that, like a pair of car headlights, work in concert to create something larger but can also function on their own. The titles of the movements continue the car metaphor: 'I. High Beams' is energetic and emphatic, 'II. Battery's Dead' is moody and slow, 'III. Turn Signals' is short and angular, and 'IV. Big Fuzzy Circles' features the two guitars really working together, just as car headlights do on a dark road at night. As I was writing the piece, one of my main objectives was to simply enjoy the process of writing, and I hope this comes through in the music. Four Tales, for guitar, clarinet, cello, percussion, ca. 15' (1994)
PDF: Coming soon. Frets Vs. Fretless, for two guitars and string quartet, ca. 9' (1995)
PDF: Score contact me for parts. The Guitarist's Guide to the Orchestra, for solo guitar, ca. 6' (2010)
PDF: Complete Score This was a chance for me to write for guitar, but pretend that I'm writing for a collection of other instruments. The best of both worlds! (The movements are: I. Violin, II. Celesta, III. Marimba, IV. Cello, V. Flute.) I originally intended to write a piece called "One Liners," which would literally be a collection of one-line pieces that sound like various monophonic instruments. But I quickly abandoned this idea in favor of more idiomatic guitar music that evokes other instruments. This was a really fun piece to write, and one that came easily, and I hope this shows in the music. Rain, for solo guitar, ca. 10' (2009)
PDF: Available after the premiere. James Day and I both have children about the same age, and we liked the idea of music that could appeal to young audiences. I wasn't interested in composing an outright children's piece, but instead tried to write a concert piece that is as clear, direct, and engaging as possible. So I kept the form fairly simple, emphasized the presentation of musical material rather than its development, and tried to give each movement its own unique flavor. The concept of evoking rain in different seasons came fairly late in the process, while I was working on "Fall," which was originally slated to be the third movement. But with a few adjustments to existing music everything fell into place. Roominating, for guitar and flute, ca. 10' (2003)
PDF: Score Guitar Flute One of my goals while writing "Roominating" was to reflect that guitarist Denis Azabagic and flutist Eugenia Moliner, who commissioned the piece, are a married couple. (This seems like such an intimate and special bond for chamber musicians to share.) I wanted to the music to be comfortable and natural, and for the instruments to seem like they're just being themselves and, above all, not worried about impressing each other. Taking this notion a bit further, I decided to base the movements on the feel of different rooms in a house. The music in "I. The Living Room" is elegant and organized, just as this room tends to be the most presentable and public. "II. The Attic" is the exact opposite, and contains junk of various size and degrees of use. Finally, in "III. The Bedroom" the music is the most free and intimate and a touch nocturnal. Sessions, for guitar and violin, ca. 13' (2007)
PDF: Score Guitar Violin Two players improvising on musical ideas they've worked with many times before was the image at the beginning of Sessions. They're not really coming up with new music at this point, but they're exploring ways of interacting withe one another. The goal is to create something expressive, varied, and cohesive. Each movement is a "transcription" of a particularly good improvising session, and the titles suggest the moods: easy going ('I. Saturday Morning',) tired but not ready to sleep ('II. Saturday Night, Late',) edgy ('III. Monday Morning',) and filled with excitement and possibility ('IV. Friday Night'.) Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other, for solo guitar (2006)
PDF: Complete Score Play as many of the 12 movements as you like, and in any order. Each pair of movements has something in common. I started writing shortly after my twin sons were born, in a new world with many more responsibilities and much less free time. By the time I finished the piece, nearly two years later, I could barely remember my life before the boys. The nature of the piece is inspired by Martha Master's playing, which to my ear is always impeccably musical. The structure is inspired by my sons, who are very different in appearance and personality yet obviously similar in some ways. And so, in the music pairs or movements share some basic element like a common melody or motive, but each movement remains unique and individual and can stand on its own. Sonatina California, for solo guitar, ca. 11' (2009)
PDF: Score This was a difficult piece to write, and it went through the most major revision I've ever done. (Not many bars were left unchanged, and many were cut out entirely.) I tried to write music that evokes the varied topography of California: from the majestic and intimidating mountains, to the vast and ominous ocean, and finally to the brutal but beautiful desert. When The Sheep Won't Come: A Sleepless Nocturne for Guitar, ca. 15' (1998)
PDF: Complete Score My original idea was to write a serene and moody nocturne in several movements. However, as I began researching and listening to recent guitar pieces, I came across Toru Takemitsu's "All in Twilight," and it immediately made a profound impression. At the time, I found it beautiful, moving, and inspiring, but I also felt I didn't have anything to add to what Takemitsu already did. I needed a new concept for my piece, and I decided to view night as potentially restless rather than serene, and portray states of mind one might go through during a sleepless night. The names of the movements -- I. 11:47 p.m., II. 2:21 p.m., III. 3:49 a.m., IV. 4:33 a.m., V. 5:46 a.m. -- evoke, at least in my mind, the moods I aim to depict, and the piece becomes progressively more convoluted as it goes along. By the end, the music is a surreal and weary shadow of the opening. Yovano, Yovanke, for flute and guitar, ca. 5' (2006)
PDF: Score Guitar Flute This is an arrangement of a melancholy Balkan folk tune in 7/8 time. It is one of several Balkan folk tune arrangements commissioned by the Cavatina Duo from several composers.
Reflections: Three Hebrew Songs for SATB Chorus, ca. 12' (1994)
Texts: 'Levadi' by Chaim Nachman Bialik, 'Psalm 100,' and 'Sim Shalom' Each of the texts in "Reflections" concerns itself with a different aspect of religion. 'Levadi' (Alone,) written in turn-of-the-century Europe, expresses the notion that religion can be isolating, and the music features intertwining lines and muted, shifting harmonies. 'Psalm 100' deals with the great joy and solidarity religious belief can bring and its music is joyful and contrapuntal. 'Sim Shalom' (Grant Peace,) from the morning prayer, touches on our hope for a better future and its music is simple and direct. "Reflections" has been successfully performed by community and church choirs, but the piece is most suitable for college, auditioned, semi-pro, or pro choruses. 'Sim Shalom' is sometimes performed independently, often as an encore. Sim Shalom and Shalom Rav, for SATB chorus, ca. 3' each
MP3: Sim Shalom, Shalom Rav Both Hebrew texts are prayers asking for peace, from the morning and evening services respectively. The pieces are meant to be companions, are are similar in length, tempo, and overall feel. In the future I plan to write a third, and larger, piece on the subject of peace to go along with these two. Voices of Heritage, for soprano, tenor, clarinet, string orchestra or string quartet, ca. 30' (1998)
Score: contact me "Voices of Heritage" is a setting of eight Holocaust-related poems that were written by different authors over a span of about fifty years. The poems express a variety of reactions to the Holocaust and are grouped in four movements: 'I. Of Darkness' features poems written in the camps themselves and speaks of madness, revolt, and resignation. 'II. Of Anger' directs the blame both at God and humanity, while the poems in 'III. Of Loss' address the impact on society as a whole as well as on the individual in particular. 'IV. Remember' warns us of the consequences of forgetting. Despite the dark subject matter "Voices of Heritage" is not a violent piece. It's aim is to explore human reactions rather than depict any specific event. And The Rhythm Is Just A Little Bit Off, ca. 10' (1997)
MP3: Complete Piece "And The Rhythm Is Just A Little Bit Off" is an energetic concert opener that's based on the following "poem:"
I wrote this song I tried to capture the energy and humor of the text by infusing the music with rhythmic vitality, and by building musical expectations that are ultimately negated. The piece is divided into three main parts, with active and rhythmic music in the outer sections and calmer music, featuring lyrical string solos, in the middle. reviews: "An engaging and well-crafted work, it is tonal and rhythmic and often recalls Leonard Bernstein's jazzy exuberance. The first section was a perpetual motion of running figures, with frequent meter changes and synchopations. A languid middle section was highlighted by poignant orchestral solos in violin, viola and cello. The composer is gifted in his ability to create varied textures and attractive melodies, and it will be interesting o watch his career." --The Cincinnati Enquirer "Karmon's brief, tasty work echoes the asymmetry of its verse in delightfully clever and colorful ways. Lines spin out with notes "left over." A held note in the trumpet sounds like it's going to turn into a melody, then doesn't, then blooms into a bluesy tune in the violins. The whole has a kind of Bernsteinian sass, ending with skittering fragments handed off among the instruments and a peppy stinger."--The Cincinnati Post "Karmon's jaunty work unfolds in a series of surprising episodes that keep the listener off balance right up to the unexpected ending. After a series of explosive eruptions from the orchestra, the score proceeds in short segments filled with sudden tonal, dynamic and rhythmic shifts before it settles down into a lush expansion of the opening theme." --Camden Courier-Post
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