VOCAL MUSIC The Snow Begins (Williams)
1975 sopr-pn 3 min Earth and Sea (Eskimo text)
1975 sopr-pn 3 min Preludes (Eliot) 1978
sopr-vn-vc 10 min 6 Songs (Yeats) 1983
sopr-pn 15 min To a Child (Yeats) 1987
sopr-string quartet 20 min Crazy Jane Sings (Yeats) 1999
sopr-fl-vn-va-vc-pn 25 min Flowers (Williams) 2002
SATB-cello 18 min Love Poems (Williams) 2003
SSAA 10 min Trees (Williams) 2004
2 voices-2 cellos 15 min Thinking of You (MacKenzie)
2005 sopr-vc-harp 7 min Ariettas without words 2005
sopr-vc-harp 9 min Scetate(Russo) 2005
SSATTBB 6 min In Their Flight (Doty) 2006
sopr-mezzo-vn-vc 6 min
MUSIC FOR STRINGS ALONE 6 Contrapuntal Pieces 1986
string quartet 20 min For Laura 1987
string quartet 25 min As Easy as 1,2,3 1987
string trio 10 min The Beckoning Stars 2001
string quartet 13 min Imaginary Dances 2001
violin solo 18 min Short Stories 2003
vn-va-vc-db 18 min Duo 2003
va-vc 9 min Pavanne 2005
string orchestra 8 min 4 Reflections 2006
string orchestra 8 min American Landscapes 2006
string quartet 24 min The Four Elements 2009
viola solo-string orchestra 22 min
CHAMBER MUSIC Three for Three 1992
vn-vc-pn 16 min Civil War Songs 1992
va-pn 18 min Take Five 1993
2 vns-va-vc-pn 25 min Serenade 1999
fl-vn-va-vc 11 min Distant Music 2000
cl-vn-vc-pn 20 min Driven by the Wind 2001
fl-vc-pn 25 min Nonet (for New York) 2002
winds/strings 35 min Duet 2003
fl-vc 10 min On the edge of sleep & dreaming 2003
hn-vc-harp 31 min 5 Pastoral Pieces 2004
ob-bn-vn-va-vc 30 min dreaming of the sea 2004
vn (or fl)-vc-pn 7 min Little Tales of Mirth & Woe
2004 vn (or fl)-vc-pn 6 min Ode to Peace 2005
cl-vn-vc 15 min Elements 2006
fl-ob-cl-hn-bn 11 min Motet for Brass 2006
2 tp-hn-tb-tu 6 min
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC Appalachian Songs 1988
chamber orch 25 min Morning Music 2001
cl-string orch 35 min Two Sad Songs (Yeats)
2002 sopr-string orch 15 min Invisible Ballet 2003
chamber orch 33 min Pluto 2005
orchestra 15 min Ophelia Songs (Shakespeare) 2005
sopr-hp-string orch 12 min Love Also Has It's Little Pleasures 2008
sopr-string orch 15 min Mystical Songs (Fernando Rielo) 2009
sopr-viola solo-string orch 18 min Poems Against War in progress
solo voices, chorus, orch
COMMISSIONS
Ophelia Songs (by One World Symphony) Thinking of You (by One World Symphony) Pluto (by One World Symphony) The Four Elements (by violist Brett Deubner) Mystical Songs (by Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja)
All of the music samples on this page are from Momentum Towards Peace: the music of Stan Grill in concert. The music is performed by the Duo + Ensemble, a string orchestra led by bassist Hiromi Sudo and violinist Takako Yoshii. The conductor for this performance was Maestro Kyosuke Matsushita with soloists Masayoshi Ubukata, clarinet and Kimiko Hata, soprano. The concert was produced by H&K Arts Management, Tokyo.
A few words about (and by) the composer
Stanley Grill studied at the Manhattan School of Music a long time ago. Working for most of his career outside of the music field, he spends every moment of his spare time composing. Major works include music for string orchestra, a nonet for winds and strings, an imaginary ballet (without dancers) for orchestra, and numerous chamber works and song cycles for voices and various instruments. Performances have been produced by the composer, as well as presented by the Composers Guild of New Jersey, the St. Pauls Church Festival of the Arts, the Leonia Chamber Players, the New York Composers Circle, the Northern New Jersey Camerata, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, One World Symphony and H&K Arts Management. He currently works in New York City, and lives happily in New Jersey with his wife, cats and piano.
As I see it, as much as we strive to find reason and purpose in our having been born into this amazing, mysterious and awe-inspiring universe, that attempt is largely futile. It is however, the best part of our nature that obliges us to make the attempt, though the most we can hope for is to gain some small degree of understanding of the world around us, and, more importantly, of ourselves. To achieve this, we each approach the problem in our own way, uniquely shaped by our cultural background, innate talents and abilities, education and so on. For some, science may be the window through which they best perceive and interpret the world, for others, religion. For those to whom the world seems to express itself most clearly and beautifully through sound, music is the voice that speaks to us and through which we, in turn, best express ourselves. Now, I can write notes that will make pretty music because Ive been trained to do so, but the best of my music has arrived, rather inexplicably, as part of a personal effort to understand the world and myself. It is, in a way, an act of translation. The world says something, I try to understand it, and then translate it into musical language. The particular musical language which I speak, is, of course, a product of my conservatory training and personal musical tastes, but hopefully, the outcome, imperfect a translation as it may be, will convey to others something of its original intent.
Stan's music is melodic, modal, contrapuntal, characterized by extended, interweaving lines. His musical influences span the centuries, and include Machaut, Josquin, Palestrina, Monteverdi, Lassus, Britten, Ives, Vaughn Williams and Shostakovich. Two main themes permeate many of the pieces - music intended to influence the minds and hearts of those who hear it in such a way as to encourage thoughts about the possibility of world peace - and music composed in an attempt to translate something about the nature of the physical world.
Complete scores are available in the American Music Center's on-line library. Please go to Stan's web page at American Music Center
Thank you very much! We play very long together, so the sound of our instruments is much better now, as for three or four years. We have also instrument-kopies from the same violinmaker. Of cours, we could play modern music with period instruments, too, but composers should know very well the specific of period instruments... Not every modern music sounds nice with these strings... all the best greetings, Pandolfis Consort Wien
Greetings from Seattle! Thanks for your kind words. I am presently working on a new piece by Kernis for Seattle Symphony. I do lots of new music, so keep me in mind! All best, RG
Tanks for your request, its my pleasure. Your music is very nice, with very interesting and profound sounds. Congratulations and all the best for you!! Greetings from Argentina. Mónica
