Yours portly has been uploading some more of his original compositions to YouTube. This week, I’m featuring three pieces that are part of (so far) a koi pond triptych of compositions. I’ll be adding to this trio of pieces, so it won’t remain a triptych for long, but that’s a good way of conceptualizing it for now.
I’ve really enjoyed these three pieces, which are all for small, unorthodox chamber groups.
Other than a quick piece I dashed off earlier this week, I haven’t had much time for composing. However, my koi pond adventures have inspired me—just in time to reblog this post about one of my favorite pieces of Romantic music.
That the piece is about a river is appropriate—while my koi are swirling about in a murky pond, the watery imagery is a source of inspiration for the piece that is slowly taking shape in mind.
I actually have an idea for the cover art for the album that will feature this imagined piece. I took a picture of these cool little koi tea cups that Dr. Wife got me for my birthday on one of the pianos at school:
Regardless, I’ve always loved this piece, ever since I read about it in Roger Kamien’s Music: An Appreciation, Brief 8th Edition (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no additional cost to you) and listened to it with my students.
With that, here is 9 January 2025’s “TBT^4: The Joy of Romantic Music II: Bedřich Smetana’s ‘The Moldau’“:
It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas! And it’s a Thursday, so yours portly is TBT’ing to a classic of yesterchristmas.
Back in 2019, I wrote this piece about Napoleon. It took off because it gained some traction on WhatFinger News, which came along after Matthew Drudge inexplicably went woke. The name of this alternative news aggregator always strikes me as vaguely inappropriate, but they ran my link and it got tons of views at a time when I was getting discouraged with the blog (a perennial issue, it seems—perseverance is a virtue for a reason).
Napoleon is a complex and intriguing figure. Whatever his personal and professional attributes, he indelibly changed Europe and the world. It’s hard for us to understand today, fixated as we are on the failed Austrian painter with the Charlie Chaplin mustache, but Napoleon’s impact was still being discussed actively in the early twentieth century. He totally upended the gameboard of Europe—for good or for ill—and the fear and/or hope of another Napoleon endured for quite awhile.
YouTube philosopher Agora made a great video linking the two figures—and warning about why those links miss some key differences:
The important thing to remember, however, is that humanity’s conception of “greatness” is false. Remember, Christ Was Born today as a simple baby in the most humble of circumstances—literally bedding down in a feeding trough for barnyard animals. He Died a humiliating Death on the Cross. He Rose from the dead and Conquered Death, and Will Return again!
No Napoleon could ever achieve what He Did.
With that, here is 26 December 2024’s “TBT^2: Napoleonic Christmas“:
Yours portly has three separate releases that I plan to now release in early September, as my distributor, CD Baby, usually takes about three weeks to approve releases for distribution. Two of the releases feature older works, but one will feature tons of new pieces.
This week, I’m featuring one of those new pieces, “Vibin'”:
Yours portly has three separate releases that I plan to now release in early September, as my distributor, CD Baby, usually takes about three weeks to approve releases for distribution. Two of the releases feature older works, but one will feature tons of new pieces.
This week, I’m featuring one of those new pieces, “Triple Deluxe”:
I’ve been catching up on composing and arranging some pieces that have been sitting in my music journal for a month or two. This week’s composition is one such piece, with a distinctly medieval feel.
It was a more musical week than usual here at The Portly Politico, so I thought I’d take today’s installment of Lazy Sunday to feature recent music-related pieces:
Enjoy this brief trip into the very recent past—and enjoy listening!
Happy Sunday!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
I’m finally gearing back up the composing, and have a new-ish piece for y’all this week. It’s a crunchy groove based on a crunchy roll:
Back in April I heard and/or read the word “xeriscaping” and found the concept and the word fascinating. Xeriscaping is gardening that does not require irrigation, so it consists of plants like cacti and succulents, as well as lots of rocks and gravel.
Also, it just sounds cool. Sometimes, that’s enough, and yours portly wrote an odd piece inspired by the concept.
Well, here it is: the last piece from Leftovers IV that needs to be featured on this humble blog. I’m going to have to start writing new music again—or actually go back to open mic night!
After a massive output last year and earlier this year, I’ve been relaxing a bit. Part of it is that the inspirado hasn’t been hitting as frequently, but I also tend to slow down when summertime hits. My workflow is such that, when I have a ton of stuff to do, I actually get more creative work done, because I’m pretty revved up and running all the time. I work like a diesel engine: I can run a long time if I just keep running, but once I shut off, it takes me awhile to get back to peak efficiency.
I do have a couple of collections of older work waiting in the wings, I’m just tinkering with when and how I want to release them. When I say “older,” I mean really old—stuff that dates back to 2004 and earlier. Some of the pieces probably go back to the last century, even if they were only recorded years later. I also have several new pieces that need videos, a release, etc. Again, I’m contemplating how and when I want to compile those pieces.
But I digress. Here is the last track from that short EP, Leftovers IV. It’s weird piece and, quite honestly, I’m not entirely pleased with the results.
The Portly Politico 