MUSIC SAMPLES

Samples of music compositions by Malcolm Dedman

Samples of some of my live music tracks with descriptions are shown below.

Details of where you can find further samples are shown at the bottom of this page.

Note: For information about my most significant work to date, go to the 'Oratorio' page of this website.

Written in 2009, Elegy for the Casualties of War is for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

The work is in three sections played without a break, Andante, Presto and Adagio. With so many conflict zones in different parts of the world, I felt inspired to write an elegy for those people who die unjustly in these circumstances and to remember their families who are left behind.

It is not appropriate to give an analysis of what each section means as I believe that listeners can interpret this for themselves. Just to say that the thoughts I had in mind for the closing bars are that those who have passed on in these circumstances are no longer suffering and, even though they part this world earlier than expected, their souls are being looked after and they are at peace.

I originally wrote Universal Love for piano solo as the third movement of Four Kinds of Love and arranged for violin and piano in 2011. The piece is a very simple expression of Love which I see as being Divine in origin. There is one theme which is varied in various ways throughout the five minute duration.

This sound file is a recording of Cathy Irons, violin, given in New Zealand during December 2011.

Transmutations was written in 2012 and is for flute, clarinet, saxophone and piano. The wind instruments each double up on another instrument: the flautist also plays alto flute, the clarinettist also plays bass clarinet and the saxophonist plays both soprano and alto. In one continuous movement, this piece lasts around 8 ½ minutes.

The title suggests change, or transmutating, such as the changes that occur in nature, for example, one chemical element to another, etc. The changes in this piece are purely musical, there being four main sections framed by bridge passages, an introduction and a coda.

This sound file is a recording of Ensemble Contempora during a concert given in Skopje, Macedonia on 14 November 2015.

The Trio Sonata was written in 2010 and is for flute, cello and piano. It has three movements: Introduction and Allegretto, Scherzo and Adagio. This sound file is of the first movement only. It is a recording of the ensemble Sempre Viva Trio with Liesl Stoltz (flute), Polina Burdukova (cello) and Kerryn Wisniewski (piano) during a concert given in the University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, on 12 June, 2011.

The form ‘Trio Sonata’ stems from the Baroque period, where the ensemble consisted of two ‘melody’ instruments, for example, two violins or viols, and a bass continue consisting usually of cello or bass viol and keyboard or a member of the lute family. I wanted to bring the form into the 21st Century by writing for the three instruments as equals, rather than two melody instruments with accompaniment. This first movement is essentially in sonata form with a slow introduction. The development section includes solo cadenzas for the flute and cello.

My YouTube channel

This channel includes video recordings of live performances of the following:

Dance of Africa for violin and piano

Elegy for the Casualties of War for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano

Impromptu for cello solo

Reformation for piano solo

Remember for mixed choir

Two videos of Two Tangos for clarinet, string quartet and accordion

The Passing of an Icon for soprano, piano, string quartet and percussion

Variants for flute solo

In Honour of Madiba for flute, viola and piano

Pas de Deux for violin and clarinet

Just added:

Corrievrechan for two pianos

The following two webpages include audio recordings of much of my music:

My ReverbNation page

My Soundcloud page