Natural Melodies: Creating a Noteworthy Arrangement

CIM and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History are collaborating on a unique project bringing new music to the Museum experience. Over the course of the last few months, seven students in the CIM composition department were commissioned to write short works for each of the Museum's seven galleries. Under the direction of Margaret Brouwer, the students were immersed in the creation of new music based on a specific theme – inspired by the collections and exhibits at the Museum.

These original compositions were premiered in a performance at the Museum in December and the music will become part of the Museum's Audio Tours in January 2008.

A recording of the compositions, complete with an artists statement of their inspiration, will also be available in the Museum Store and the CIM Music Store.

This is a wonderful experience for CIM students as their music will find a much broader audience. They have had the chance to explore the Museum of Natural History from top to bottom. The project began with an extensive behind-the-scenes tour led by Museum Executive Director Bruce Latimer, who helped the students understand how the galleries reveal the secrets of the natural world and help instill in visitors a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature. These two world-class institution joined forces to find a creative way to enliven both new music and the exhibits and artifacts found in the museum.

Natural Melodies Composers Appear On WCPN's Around Noon

On Jan. 17th, 2008 several of the Natural Melodies composers appeared on WCPN's Around Noon program. You can listen to this broadcast by clicking here. (The Natural Melodies segment begins at the 32:30 mark.)

Listening & Downloading

You can listen to each of the works by using the small audio player below, or you can download a copy of each track by using the Download MP3 link next to each track.

You can also download a .zip file containing all of the Natural Melodies tracks by clicking here.

Reinberger Hall of Astronomy

Composer: Michael Bratt

"Cosmos" is a musical description of a celestial body that shuttles toward the listener and passes by – intense and detailed when close, prolonged and stretched as it moves away. This electro-acoustic piece mixes computer sounds with live instrumentals – the end result a combination of sounds unlike anything the two would be on their own.

Performers:

Elizabeth Phelps, violin
Erik Peterson, viola
Cheryl Losey, harp
Jeremy Collins, guitar
+ Electronics

Sears Hall of Human Ecology

Composer: David Kim

"Adaptation," composed for the piano, looks at the concept of evolution – how things change over time. Taking notes from measures two to five, recycling them throughout the piece with variations on the theme, represents how the Earth and its organisms have changed over time. Pitch and rhythms seem similar to previous measures, but are transformed as they become new ideas revolving around motifs.

Performer:

David Kim, piano

Ohio Burial Mounds Exhibit

Composer: John Thompson

"Candles of Corpses" explores the concept of death and how ancient cultures interpreted death – was it a deeply saddening experience or a joyful celebration? The piece reflects neither, but rather sound that is simply sonorous, thoughtful and contemplative. The piece is a dense, gurgling chorale whose title is taken from one of Tolkien's books.

Performers:

Matthew Castillo, horn
Ian Petruzzi, horn
Clara Conrad, trombone
James Wright, trombone
Jeffrey Meyer, tuba

Kirtland Hall of Prehistoric Life

Composer: Mark Nowakowski

"A Song for Lucy" takes its inspiration from the famous cast of Lucy – the Museum's iconic hominid display. The piece reflects awe at the immensity of creation, joyful yet bewildered by God's timeless brush strokes. It also explores humans' role and how we must be joyful and optimistic stewards of the world entrusted to us.

Performers:

Madeline Lucas, flute
Erik Peterson, viola
Derek Tywoniuk, marimba
Jung Eun Oh, soprano

Wade Gallery of Gems & Jewels

Composer: Alexandra T. Bryant

"Iridescence," written for string quartet, is quite simplistic, yet also reflective of the atmosphere of this exhibit. Stagnant in its harmonic structure, the piece is driven primarily by its textural and timbrel changes. By using harmonics, trills and arpeggios, it captures the brilliant, glistening characteristics that these miniature natural wonders possess.

Performers:

Nicholas Tavani, violin
Alexandra T. Bryant, violin
Rebekah Newman, viola
Josue Gonzales, cello

Reinberger Hall of Earth and Planetary Exploration

Composer: Matthew Smith

"Origins," for trombone quartet, catalogs the birth of the universe to the formation of planets. The concept behind the piece is not the Big Bang, as one might expect. Instead, it focuses on the idea of something being created out of nothing. The "nothing" at the beginning of the piece, long notes played very close together, expands to a marginally tonal ending: the "something."

Performers:

Alan Keller, trombone
James Wright, trombone
Clara Conrad, trombone
James Trichilo, bass trombone

Perkins Wildlife Center (performed in Murch Auditorium)

Composer: Jeremy Allen

"Cuyahoga Creatures" was composed to reflect the wild, playful and majestic native Ohio animals in this exhibit who offered endless possibilities for the use of color, movement, excitement and beauty. With the use of a quasi-American style, using varied layers of texture throughout the piece to ultimately communicate life, the composer invites you to become a kid again and imagine the animals in their native setting.

Performers:

Andrée-Anne Perras-Fortin, piano
Madeline Lucas, flute
Jared Hawkins, clarinet
Matthew Smith, trombone
Elizabeth Phelps, violin
Benjamin Grabell, bass