Symphony No. 5 "Autumn": IV. Grave, allegro

This music was written over an approximate twenty-year period from 1980 to 2000.  As a dedicated reviser I have reworked these pieces many times.  

Each of the three symphonies has four parts or movements.  The tempo of the first movement is fast, the second slow, the third is in three quarter time, and the last faster and more conclusive. In these recordings are the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms I grew up with.  The hymn tunes and popular songs I heard as a youngster left an indelible impression and now hold a lifetime place in my musical memory.  I rarely quote them verbatim but instead let them filter through, sometimes as obvious, but more often lying somewhere beneath the surface.  These reminiscences provide a unique way of looking back in time.  They enable music to reenact what went before and listeners to see the past with their ears. 

 Added to the impressions of my childhood is the influence of the classical music I learned in school.  The aim is to bring these two musics together—the maturity and finish of classical forms mixed with the budding and often rough adolescence of a youthful American West.  The former is distinguished by symmetry and grace, the latter by agitation and unrest.

A Note from the Producer:
Orchestral music has traditionally been recorded by assembling all the musicians into a large hall or recording studio. Microphones to capture the entire ensemble are appropriately placed. The conductor raises the baton, the recording engineer presses the “record button,” and the music begins. This process, though used for decades, is oftentimes inefficient, costly, and cumbersome.

For this recording, the old way has been replaced by a one-at-a-time method. In a small recording studio each individual player is recorded separately while listening with headphones to computer generated sounds provided by the composer. Then each instrument is combined or “mixed” together to form the music you hear. The benefits of this method include more control over each individual player’s sound, more time for each player to “get it right,” the instruments more carefully mixed together, and considerably reduced costs. The end result is classical music that is much closer to what the composer intended and that would be too expensive to produce otherwise.

Thor Call - Producer


So, there you have it, Three Symphonies and a Concerto, western style, with some classical techniques of Mozart, hints of George Gershwin, and hymns, ballads, and dance tunes all mixed together. The performing musicians are among the best the Mountain West has to offer. These recordings were, except for the chorus and timpani parts, recorded one player at a time in a basement studio no larger than an average bedroom. Oh, the wonders of modern technology!

William Call - Composer