On 2 May 2024—the day that is exactly twenty-six weeks, or halfway, to Halloween—I’ll be releasing Four Mages, a color-coded collection of fantasy-inspired instrumental music.  I’m really excited for this release (which consists of ten tracks, not just the four mages of the title), and I hope it will capture imaginations with its whimsical, mysterious, fantastical feel.

The first piece I composed for the album is today’s feature, “Blue Mage.”  I then immediately composed “Red Mage,” its companion piece, which I will feature next week.  Honestly, I like “Red Mage” better, but “Blue Mage” captures the more mystical, esoteric side of this album.  “Red Mage,” on the other hand, is more lively and whimsical.

“Blue Mage” is a duet for oboe and bassoon, built upon a mysterious whole tone scale.  The piece is written in 5/8 time, further lending to the mystical feel of this magical journey.

Here is the original, handwritten manuscript, scribed three months prior to the album’s release:

Happy Listening!

—TPP

Other Editions of Open Mic Adventures:

• “Open Mic Adventures I: Oingo Boingo’s ‘Just Another Day’“
• “Open Mic Adventures II: Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’“
• “Open Mic Adventures III: Joanie Sommers’s ‘Johnny Get Angry’“
• “Open Mic Adventures IV: KISS’s ‘I Still Love You’“
• “Open Mic Adventures V: ‘There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)’“
• “Open Mic Adventures VI: Journey’s ‘Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’“
• “Open Mic Adventures VII: ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’“
• “Open Mic Adventures VIII: Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’“
• “Open Mic Adventures IX: Journey’s ‘Faithfully’“
• “Open Mic Adventures X: ‘Time Warp’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XI: Spooktacular Supergroup Covers ‘Monster Mash’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XII: ‘Ghostly’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XIII: The Penguins’ ‘Earth Angel’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XIV: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XV: ‘O Holy Night’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XVI: ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XVII: ‘L’il Divertimento in C major’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XVIII: ‘Satiean Motion’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XIX: ‘Two-Day Minuet for Left Hand’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XX: ‘Sleepy Student’s Serenade’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXI: Styx’s ‘Come Sail Away’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXII: ‘Blessed Assurance’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXIII: ‘Gabbi’s Gavotte’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXIV: ‘Softly and Tenderly’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXV: ‘Venite, exultemus Domino’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXVI: ‘Sonatina’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXVII: ‘Heavenly Sunlight’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXVIII: ‘Song of the Bigfoot’”
• “Open Mic Adventures XXIX: ‘Lavender’s Blue’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXX: ‘Chorale for a Sleepy Wednesday’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXI: ‘Carousel’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXII: Hymn Medley“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXIII: ‘Spore Song (Mushroom Dance)’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXIV: ‘Chase’s Dilemma’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXV: ‘The Rings of Saturn’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXVI: ‘The Rings of Saturn’ LIVE!“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXVII: ‘Private Lessons (Goth Chick)’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXVIII: ‘Quasi-Date’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XXXIX: ‘(I’m in the) Business of Love)’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XL: ‘Parada’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLI: ‘Serenade for a Sleepy Student No. 2’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLII: ‘1001 Arabian Nights’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLIII: ‘Greek Fair’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLIV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’ – BASS“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLVI: ‘Canon Event’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLVIII: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 2’“
• “Open Mic Adventures XLIX: Sloppy ‘Hipster Girl Next Door’ Medley“
• “Open Mic Adventures L: ‘Lament of the Lizardman’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LI: ‘Bigfoot Boogie’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LII: ‘Minuet for a New Moon’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LIII: ‘Andante in D major’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LIV: ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LV: ‘”Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LVI: ‘Orange Roll’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LVII: ‘Firefly Dance’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LVIII: ‘Kartofelsalat’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LIX: ‘Listless Chorale’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LX: ‘Silent Night’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXI: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXII: ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXIII: ‘FRANTIC!!’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXIV: ‘Snowfall’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXV: ‘Uninspired Étude in E major’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXVI: ‘Scribblings I: Post-Christmas Concert Scribbling’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXVII: ‘Ode Napoléon’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXVIII: ‘Cook’s Brief Bourrée in E minor’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXIX: ‘Triumphant Processional’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXX: ‘Moody Noodling’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXXI: ‘Epistemology’“
• “Open Mic Adventures LXXII: ‘Three Chorales in Diminishing Length’“