Download “Songbook” Score

Written in 2011 for Mark Clifton-Gaultier, five movements, fairly difficult, ca. 12 minutes.

I’ve always been interested in vocal music, and “Songbook” is a song cycle where the guitar plays both the vocal and accompaniment parts. This was a very pleasant piece to write, and it felt natural and easy to come up with lyrical, mood-specific music.

Download “Backpack Pieces” Score

Ten brief movements, fairly easy, ca. 11 minutes, written in 2011.

Members of the Delcamp Guitar Forum banded together and commissioned this piece. It was great fun to write, and I felt like I could have kept going on with it forever.

Soon to be featured in GFA’s Soundboard magazine.

“We have to be grateful for talents like Michael who continue to provide us with great new sounds for the guitar. This is the kind of material our students are waiting for, refreshing, beautiful and inspired!”–Jan Depreter

Download “Next Year” Score

Written in 2011 for Daniel Bolshoy, five movements, fairly difficult, ca. 9 minutes.

Daniel grew up in Israel, as did I, and I wanted to write music that reflects this connection. So I took the Old City as inspiration and tried to capture its elemental, strange, and unsettled essence. I enjoyed writing this piece, but I remember feeling strangely compelled to really strip things to the bone. Any kind of decorative flourish that didn’t serve a specific purpose ended up on the cutting room floor.

“The piece is rich with tasty contrasts of rhythm and harmony, making for a set that will likely become popular program fare in a short time.”–Classical Guitar Canada

Download “Campfire Songs” Score, “Campfire” Guitar, “Campfire” Cello

Written in 2010 for the Arpeggione Duo, three movements, moderate difficulty, ca. 10 minutes.

Mvt. II Embers

Download “The Guitarist’s Guide to the Orchestra” Score

Five movements, moderate difficulty, ca. 6 minutes, written in 2010.

I sometimes miss writing for orchestra and this was a chance to pretend I’m doing it.  (The movement titles are violin, celesta, marimba, cello, and flute.) This was a really fun piece to write and one that came easily, and I hope this shows in the music.

Download “Rain” Score

Written in 2010 for James Day, four movements, moderate difficulty, ca. 10 minutes.

“Rain” was where I decided to start focusing on music that’s there for me to write, rather than on music that’s slightly out of reach. This small shift in attitude has made composing easier and more enjoyable for me. I tried to write direct and evocative music here, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out. It’s my most often performed solo piece.

Download “Sonatina California” Score

Written in 2009 for Michael Partington, three movements, fairly difficult, ca. 11 minutes.

Mvt. II. Sea

Download “Yovano, Yovanke” Score, “Yovano” Guitar, “Yovano” Flute

Written in 2006 for the Cavatina Duo, single movement, moderate difficulty, ca. 5 minutes.

Recorded by the Cavatina Duo on The Balkan Project.

Download “Sessions” Score, “Sessions” Guitar, “Sessions” Violin

Written in 2007 for Duo 46, four movements, moderate difficulty, ca. 13 minutes.

Mvt. I. Saturday Morning

Download “Six of One” Score

Written in 2006 for Martha Masters, up to twelve movements, quite difficult, up to 35 minutes.

I started writing “Six of One” shortly after my twin sons were born, a unique and magical time. (The structure of pairs of related movements was inspired by the twins.) I wanted to immerse myself in a specific mood, explore it on a big canvass, and then let the player decide how long to sustain it. (You can play any number of movements in any order.) When asked, I cite this as my most personal piece, a kind of mission statement for what I hope to do as a guitar composer.

“It is beautiful and sensitive music, very well written for the instrument, very communicative and with lots of personality. I specifically enjoyed the harmonic sensitivity and the rich textures that sound so well and natural on the guitar.”–Nadav Lev