*Dedicated to John C. Leavitt, a fellow composer, co-worker, and friend*
*In the hope that he may find amusement, encouragement, and inspiration in this collection*
When
I wrote my first music composition in 2005, I had already been participating in
public school orchestras for several years. I signed up for orchestra with my
parents’ encouragement, and I stuck with it because I was drawn to the emotion
and the energy that music could convey. I was especially drawn to brilliant
film music.
I remember the first time I made the connection between the music I recognized from “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Harry Potter,” and the person who wrote the music: John Williams. I loved to listen to his music and learn to play his famous themes. I wanted to write inspiring music like that.
So I started to compose, and I began to learn more about how music worked so I could create good music. What started out as a mere interest became a major field of study and a rewarding hobby.
I have organized my compositions by “T” numbers and “Ta” numbers. I was going to use opus numbers, but I decided to use the initial of my surname because I am the one organizing these pieces. Just as there are “K” numbers for Köchel’s organization of Mozart’s music and “S” numbers for Peter Schickele’s work on P.D.Q. Bach, I use “T” numbers for works by Nick Totten. The “Ta” stands for “Totten arrangement.” Because arrangements are not completely original (I take someone else’s melody and work around it), I categorize them separately from my original works.
Though I provide statements about my compositions and reveal what I had in mind when I composed each piece, I don’t wish for these statements to serve as the only possible interpretation. Very often, after I compose a piece, I notice new meanings and possible interpretations that I never thought of before but that serve the piece well. With the ideas I had, I wrote what I liked and what I thought would communicate the ideas in my mind.
When modern composer Steve Reich was asked about the role of emotion in his music, he said this: “I think any music which doesn't have the ability to be reinterpreted and to show different facets of itself that the composer may never have thought of, there's something wrong with that music. So, yes, if my music doesn’t move people, I am crushed, I am miserable, I am a very unhappy composer. I want people to love it, I mean, simple as that. But you know ultimately I have no control over that. All I can do is to write something that I love, and then hope you will too.” (Interview by Andrew Ford on The Music Show, ABC Radio International, posted on youtube.com on May 6, 2012)
In conclusion, my purpose in explaining my original intentions for each piece is to provide the background of what, why, and how I composed music from 2005 to 2015.
List of Musical Works
High School: 2005-2009
T. 1—The Arret Bros. (May 15, 2005)
T. 2—Chess Masterpieces
T. 3—Botoran 101 (Apr. 7, 2006)
T. 4—The Importance of Background Music (Apr. 29, 2006)
T. 5—Tale of Bot Island (May 6, 2006)
T. 7—Byrg (Jul. 24, 2006)
T. 8—Bell Chimes Overture (Aug. 16, 2006)
T. 9—Morning Bloom (Oct. 10, 2006)
T. 10—Zephyr-4 Theme (Dec. 11, 2006)
T. 11—Nick Totten in C Major (A Minor) (Fall2006)
T. 12—O Mistress Mine (Winter 2007)
T. 13—The Rain Raineth (Winter 2007)
T. 14—Mistress Misty (Sep. 2, 2007)
T. 15—A Castaway’s Prayer (Sep. 22, 2007)
T. 16—Converse (Reflections on Time) (2007)
T. 17—Moonlight Mist (Feb. 12, 2008)
Arrangements
Ta. 1—Praise to the Lord (Jul. 6, 2008)
Ta. 2—Coventry Carol (Dec. 2008)
Ta. 3—Nearer, My God, To Thee (Oct. 1, 2009)
Ta. 4— A Brief Tribute to John Williams on Cello (Nov. 2009)Ta. 1—Praise to the Lord (Jul. 6, 2008)
Ta. 2—Coventry Carol (Dec. 2008)
Ta. 3—Nearer, My God, To Thee (Oct. 1, 2009)
Ta.
6—Hurrah for Israel!
Ta.
7—Crocodile Gena’s Birthday Present (Nov. 11, 2012)
Ta.
8—What Makes You Beautiful (Feb. 2013)
Ta.
9—Owl City Mash-Up (Both versions) Long: Jul. 25, 2013; Short: Sep. 25, 2013
Ta.
10—This Is Music & Dance! (Oct. 20, 2013)
Ta.
11—Savior, Redeemer of My Soul (Mar. 9, 2014)
Ta. 12—Circle
of Life (Aug. 21, 2014)
Ta.
13—Everything Is Awesome! (Sep. 13, 2014)
Ta.
14—On Top of the World (Sep. 24, 2014)
Ta.
15—Best Thing (Apr. 20, 2015)
Ta.
16—Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Sep. 1, 2015)
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