The Music of Jeff Harrington

Chamber Music

L'Ecume des Temps for Guitar and Violin

An African/Arabic-inspired piece for guitar and violin, revised 2004. I'm particularly pleased by the violin writing in this piece, which is particularly free and melodic. The guitar part soars and provides funky rhythmic incongruities.

L'Ecume des Temps for Guitar and Violin - Study Score
L'Ecume des Temps for Guitar and Violin - Guitar Part
L'Ecume des Temps for Guitar and Violin - Violin Part

L'Ecume des Temps for Guitar and Violin - New Realization - MP3

The title was inspired by the Greek myth of the origins of the goddess, Venus, and how the foam of the seas in particular, gave her birth.

Complete String Trios - Available for Download Again

My series of string trios, the Tetra-Mnemosyne series is once again available for download. This 7 pieces all explore intense dramas produced by their exploration of folksong and counterpoint. Mnemosyne is the Greek Muse of memory. The title implies four muse-memories, the past, present, future and a memory beyond time.

TetraMnemosyne I for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne II for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne III for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne IV for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne V for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne VI for String Trio
TetraMnemosyne VII for String Trio

The Hammered Wind Dances for Flute and Piano (2001-2004)

Two pieces for flute and piano, revised and with score in preparation, 2004. The Hammered Wind Dances I, originally composed June 2001, is a sonata for flute and piano of ecstatically rhythmic dimensions, funky and driven by rock-influenced chords and rhythms. This piece also has one of my best slowly building climaxes.
The Hammered Wind Dances I for Flute and Piano - Download MP3

The Hammered Wind Dances II was originally composed August 2001, and is a sonata for flute and piano similar to the first one in this series, but even more bluesy, even more New Orleans-influenced and with gigantic pounding rhythms inspired by recent electronic music; similar in ways to the piano piece DeltaBandResonator.
The Hammered Wind Dances II for Flute and Piano - Download MP3

Pyrogen for Piano Trio

I've rearranged and re-composed Pyrogen, the piece I had originally wrote for a trio of piano, guitar and violin, for piano trio, substituting the cello for the guitar part. The new instrumental configuration allowed for a much greater dynamic range and therefore a composition that is much more dramatic.

Pyrogen for Piano Trio - MP3
Pyrogen for Piano Trio - Study Score
Pyrogen for Piano Trio - Violin Part
Pyrogen for Piano Trio - Cello Part
Pyrogen for Piano Trio - Piano Part

Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass (2001)

A dark composition with arabic overtones, a piece written in reaction to my experience as a witness on a rooftop in NYC to the events of that year. Commissioned and premiered by the Australian new music group, Topology.
Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass - Superconductor Realization - MP3
Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass PDF Score
Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass PDF Contrabass Part
Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass PDF Viola Part
Irae for Violin, Viola and Contrabass PDF Violin Part

  • World Premiere March 15, 2003, Topology, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane, Australia

  • Erg for Mandolin and Guitar (2001)

    Premiered by Duo Ahlert and Schwab Friday, June 7th, 2002, in Remscheid, Germany, who commissioned the work.

    Reviews from the Premiere:
    - "It was a composition by Jeffrey Harrington: "Erg", inspired by a nature experience in Morocco. It gave an sonic view of the coming and going of a shifting sand dune in the desert, using musical means." -- Ulrich Mutz
    - "With 'Erg' by the American composer Jeffrey Harrington there was also a world premiere. Only written some months ago it musically narrates the story of a town being swallowed by a shifting sand dune. The Arabic associations, underlined the transformational capacity and technical competence of the duo."
    A mixture of arabic and blues textures propelled by a rhythmic sensibility of great passion.

    Erg for Mandolin and Guitar - Live Studio Recording by Duo Ahlert und Schwab - MP3
    Erg for Mandolin and Guitar Acrobat Full Score
    Erg for Mandolin and Guitar Acrobat Mandolin Part
    Erg for Mandolin and Guitar Acrobat Guitar Part

    Duo Ahlert & Schwab have almost completed recording work for their new CD. The CD will contain a fantastic new recording of Erg; very spiritual and subtle.

    Performances:

  • Duo Ahlert & Schwab, September 8, 2002, Ruhr Germany
  • Duo Ahlert & Schwab, November 4, 2002, Wuppertal Germany
  • Duo Ahlert & Schwab, August 11, 2002, Freren Germany
  • Duo Ahlert & Schwab, November 2, 2003, Wuppertal Germany
  • Duo Ahlert & Schwab, November 9, 2003, Ruhr Germany

  • Tetra-Mnemosyne VII for String Trio (2000)

    Driving and intense with dramatic climaxes, this is the seventh string trio in the series. It features simpler more emotional material with an Arabic bent. Tetra-Mnemosyne VII ends with one of my most exciting climaxes to date. The slow sections abound with a halting gesture inspired by middle period Beethoven string quartets.
    Tetra-Mnemosyne VII for String Trio - Acrobat Study Score
    Tetra-Mnemosyne VII for String Trio - Superconductor Realization

    Tetra-Mnemosyne VI for String Trio (2000)

    Eccentric and full of blues-inspired riffs and climaxes... Score in preparation.

    Tetra-Mnemosyne VI for String Trio (2000) - Superconductor Realization

    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - SQ #4 (2000)

    A luminescent string quartet inspired by middle period Beethoven simplicity. Strange echoing passages and resonating fifths give it a modern quality, but the tunes are pure and ecstatic. This piece soars!
    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Download MP3
    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Study Score

    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Violin 1 Part
    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Violin 2 Part
    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Viola Part
    Spirale d'Arco for String Quartet - Cello Part

    MumboGumbo for Flute, Alto Sax, Violin, Cello and Piano (1999)

    A 15 minute crazed exploration of Salsa, Funk, New Age and Nina Rota SoundTrack ambience. Premiered February 12 2000 in St. Louis, MO by Synchronia.
    MumboGumbo PDF File
    Acrobat PDF Score for MumboGumbo - Flute part
    Acrobat PDF Score for MumboGumbo - Cello Part
    Acrobat PDF Score for MumboGumbo - Piano Part
    Acrobat PDF Score for MumboGumbo - Sax Part
    Acrobat PDF Score for MumboGumbo - Violin Part

    Tetra-Mnemosyne V for String Trio (1999)

    A bold, eccentrically dramatic string trio more in the vein of my SQ #3, Anamorphosis, than the other trios.

    Tetra-Mnemosyne V Score
    Tetra-Mnemosyne V Violin Part
    Tetra-Mnemosyne V Viola Part
    Tetra-Mnemosyne V Cello Part

    Tetra-Mnemosyne V for String Trio - Superconductor Realization

    Tetra-Mnemosyne III for String Trio (1999)

    Even more drama and movement. Big climaxes and a touch of Ravelian ecstasy.

    Tetra-Mnemosyne III for String Trio - Superconductor Realization

    Tetra-Mnemosyne II for String Trio (1999)

    A second string trio in the Tetra-Mnemosyne series. More active, more improvisational, more dramatic...

    Tetra-Mnemosyne II for String Trio - Superconductor Realization

    Tetra-Mnemosyne I for String Trio (1998)

    A 10 minute piece for Violin, Viola and Cello. Melancholic, and mercurial, this piece explores realms where counterpoint breaks down into pure string melodic textures. My most romantic piece yet; inspired by recent paintings by my spouse, Elsie Russell (new paintings, not at Net in Arcadia currently). This piece changes gears more times than a semi going down a mountain but not in my usual cataclysmic way. In this piece the shift is continuously tuneful. Mnemosyne is the Greek Muse of memory. The title implies four muse-memories, the past, present, future and a memory beyond time.

    Tetra-Mnemosyne I for String Trio - Superconductor Realization

    Capriccio Barbaro for Flute and Piano (1997)

    My first flute and piano composition, Capriccio Barbaro explores propulsively rhythmic textures and counterpoint within a variety of dramatic textures and contexts.
    Capriccio Barbaro for Flute and Piano - MP3 Realization
    Capriccio Barbaro for Flute and Piano - Acrobat Study Score
    Capriccio Barbaro for Flute and Piano - Acrobat Flute Part
    Capriccio Barbaro for Flute and Piano - Acrobat Piano Part

    Gygr for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1996)

    Gygr for Harp, Flute, and ViolaDebussy on safari! (A Gygr is a spinning malignant spirit). Fifteen minutes long. One of my more popular and melodic pieces.
    Gygr for Flute, Viola and Harp - Superconductor Realization - MP3
    Acrobat score of Gygr for Flute, Harp and Viola
    Acrobat score of Gygr for Flute, Harp and Viola - Flute Part
    Acrobat score of Gygr for Flute, Harp and Viola - Viola Part
    MIDI File - (102k)

  • Premiered by the Gaudae Trio February 24, 2001, in Amsterdam.

  • Anamorphosis for String Quartet - SQ #3 (1996)

    One of my most ecstatic and complex pieces yet. Romantic, like Tetra-Mnemosyne, but with textures reminiscent of Ravel's Mallarme Songs. Quiet, but murmuring textures supporting blues/arabic/folk melodies that climax in barbaric passages of ostinati-laden mayhem.

    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Superconductor Realization - MP3
    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Acrobat Study Score
    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Violin 1 Part
    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Violin 2 Part
    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Viola Part
    Anamorphosis for String Quartet - Cello Part

    KaleidoPsychoTropos for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano (1995)

    Intense syncopations, fiery interruptions, mind-bending climaxes... a gumbo of funk and counterpoint.

    "(Harrington) utilized the entire ensemble in an alternately dark and rhythmic collage of styles, textures and bits and pieces from all over the world." - R.L. Ragsdale, Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Mo. (after the November 19, 1995 premiere by Synchronia, Timothy Vincent Clark, Music Director).

    "Composer Jeffrey Harrington's 'KaleidoPsychoTropos' set the tone for the evening. The composition, chosen from among 1,060 submitted as a result of a Synchronia call for new scores, was described by the program as a 'boiling pot of gumbo' containing rap-song bass lines, Hungarian and Arabic melodies, ragtime and a little rock 'n roll. Certainly, it is kaleidoscopic, with lots going on all the time, but its development is less like a smooth stew and more like abrupt chunks of sound expertly plastered into place with a little counterpoint." - John Huxhold, Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Mo. (after the May 17, 1996 Synchronia performance).

    KaleidoPsychoTropos for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano
    Corrected KaleidoPsychoTropos Acrobat Score
    KaleidoPsychoTropos Flute Part
    KaleidoPsychoTropos Clarinet Part
    KaleidoPsychoTropos Violin Part
    KaleidoPsychoTropos Cello Part
    KaleidoPsychoTropos Piano Part
    KaleidoPsychoTropos MIDI File

    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola, and Cello (1995)

    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello (1995) A flute trio with hints of the classical Stravinsky; tons of counterpoint. Premiered July 1996 by the Carolina Chamber Players, Dr. Rhea Jacobus, Music Director. Mercurealities won the National Flute Association Newly Published Music Competition in 1997.

    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola, and Cello Premiere by Carolina Chamber Players MP3
    MIDI File for Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello
    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello - Study Score
    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello - Flute Part
    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello - Viola Part
    Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello - Cello Part

    Performances of Mercurealities for Flute, Viola and Cello:

  • Carolina Chamber Players, National Flute Association Convention, Chicago, IL - August 16, 1997
    10:30, Chicago Hilton, International Ball Room
  • Onyx Ensemble, Mexico City, October 5, 1997

  • Tchoupitoulas Byrd Song for Clarinet and Piano (1993)

    Commissioned and premiered by Mark Simon, February 1994, Messiaen under the influence - of New Orleans Jazz. Tchoupitoulas Byrd Song MP3 Realization by Steve Layton
    Tchoupitoulas Byrd Song for Clarinet and Piano - Download MP3
    Tchoupitoulas Byrd Song - HiFi Stream
    Tcoupitoulas Byrd Song Acrobat Score
    MIDI File for Tchoupitoulas Byrd Song for Clarinet and Piano

    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet (1992)

    The adagio from my first string quartet, this canon was written in memory of the victims of the invasion of Kuwait. One of my darker and more reflective pieces and available now as a separate score. It is approximately 6 minutes long.

    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - MP3 - Recorded by The Rémy/Janaillac/Keay/Lagorce String Quartet
    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - Study Score
    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - Violin 1 Part
    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - Violin 2 Part
    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - Viola Part
    Adagio Tenebroso for String Quartet - Cello Part

    String Quartet #1 (1992)

    An intensely contrapuntal piece, inspired by the later Bartok quartets.

    Piano Trio #1 (1992)

    One of my first pieces using my contrapuntal expert system.