By David Martin
As a composer, I have had the privilege of working with
many different kinds of instruments, the Piano, all types of stringed instruments, Flute, Clarinet, Harp, Marimba and a few others. But of all the instruments I have written for the instrument that has occupied most of my time and interest has been the voice. I find myself very drawn to and inspired by choral music. Maybe it’s the idea that the sound comes from within and requires such an emotional commitment from the musician.
Because of my background, much of the music I write is stylistically classical with a lot of harmonic texture and some dissonance. As a boy I was immersed in classical music. I listened to it constantly and it became a source of comfort and peace for me. My father was a Music History Professor and has always been a huge inspiration in my life. It was from his influence that I started taking piano lessons. I was ten years old when I started formal lessons but I was playing by ear, coming up with my own melodies even earlier. Composition was always something I enjoyed as a student mainly because I always wanted to be better than just the notes on the page. I looked at music as an exploration of expression, a journey of musical discovery. I was privileged to have teachers that encouraged me in improvisation and ultimately composition.
In the Spring of 2011, I endeavored to record a CD with a small choral ensemble that I had
assembled and worked with for a few years prior. We called ourselves the Martin Harmonic
Choir. It was a fun group for me because the primary purpose of the group was to practice and
perform music that I had written. We gave performances all around Portland throughout the
ensuing years. The CD, Out of the Depths, was a conglomerate of songs that I had written
spanning over a decade. Each one was uniquely selected for the theme of the album.
Below are short descriptions of some of the songs included on the CD:
Sweet. Probably the most popular song on this CD, this is one of three songs that are not
sung by the whole choir. Kristen Kirkland, a long time friend, sings this song with an incredible
tenderness that gives this piece the essence of its name, Sweet. The idea for this came from a
poem by Christopher Smart called, A Song to David. Wonderfully descriptive poetry which on
the surface is hard to understand, but carries deep spiritual meaning.
The Lord is my Shepherd. Taken from the famous passage in the Bible from the book of
Psalms, chapter 23. This was written for 6-part a cappella choir. I wanted this song to be rich in harmony and full of sound clusters, that if you close your eyes would take you to another world
full of color and sound that’s rich for the senses. It ends on the word forever... which is repeated
over and over as if never-ending. I came up with the concept when I was introduced to Eric
Whitacre’s music. I was impressed with how sound could be so dissonant and yet so beautifully
effective. This song was an exploration of new sound.
Jonah. Taken from the famous story in the Bible from the book of Jonah chapter 2. It is written
for 6-part choir with piano accompaniment. Jonah is an allegorical story set to music, laying out
the story of Jonah’s amazing journey through the belly of a whale and pointing to a future Savior.
I came up with the idea for this song when I was in collage (about 12 years before it was actually
finished, which for me is pretty common). I’ve always enjoyed the idea of setting music to a story.
Martin Harmonic Choir: Out of the Depths was recorded at Nettleingham Audio www.nettleinghamaudio.com, located in Vancouver, WA. It is available for sale on www.iTunes.com and www.Amazon.com.
As a composer, I have had the privilege of working with
many different kinds of instruments, the Piano, all types of stringed instruments, Flute, Clarinet, Harp, Marimba and a few others. But of all the instruments I have written for the instrument that has occupied most of my time and interest has been the voice. I find myself very drawn to and inspired by choral music. Maybe it’s the idea that the sound comes from within and requires such an emotional commitment from the musician.
Because of my background, much of the music I write is stylistically classical with a lot of harmonic texture and some dissonance. As a boy I was immersed in classical music. I listened to it constantly and it became a source of comfort and peace for me. My father was a Music History Professor and has always been a huge inspiration in my life. It was from his influence that I started taking piano lessons. I was ten years old when I started formal lessons but I was playing by ear, coming up with my own melodies even earlier. Composition was always something I enjoyed as a student mainly because I always wanted to be better than just the notes on the page. I looked at music as an exploration of expression, a journey of musical discovery. I was privileged to have teachers that encouraged me in improvisation and ultimately composition.
In the Spring of 2011, I endeavored to record a CD with a small choral ensemble that I had
assembled and worked with for a few years prior. We called ourselves the Martin Harmonic
Choir. It was a fun group for me because the primary purpose of the group was to practice and
perform music that I had written. We gave performances all around Portland throughout the
ensuing years. The CD, Out of the Depths, was a conglomerate of songs that I had written
spanning over a decade. Each one was uniquely selected for the theme of the album.
Below are short descriptions of some of the songs included on the CD:
Sweet. Probably the most popular song on this CD, this is one of three songs that are not
sung by the whole choir. Kristen Kirkland, a long time friend, sings this song with an incredible
tenderness that gives this piece the essence of its name, Sweet. The idea for this came from a
poem by Christopher Smart called, A Song to David. Wonderfully descriptive poetry which on
the surface is hard to understand, but carries deep spiritual meaning.
The Lord is my Shepherd. Taken from the famous passage in the Bible from the book of
Psalms, chapter 23. This was written for 6-part a cappella choir. I wanted this song to be rich in harmony and full of sound clusters, that if you close your eyes would take you to another world
full of color and sound that’s rich for the senses. It ends on the word forever... which is repeated
over and over as if never-ending. I came up with the concept when I was introduced to Eric
Whitacre’s music. I was impressed with how sound could be so dissonant and yet so beautifully
effective. This song was an exploration of new sound.
Jonah. Taken from the famous story in the Bible from the book of Jonah chapter 2. It is written
for 6-part choir with piano accompaniment. Jonah is an allegorical story set to music, laying out
the story of Jonah’s amazing journey through the belly of a whale and pointing to a future Savior.
I came up with the idea for this song when I was in collage (about 12 years before it was actually
finished, which for me is pretty common). I’ve always enjoyed the idea of setting music to a story.
Martin Harmonic Choir: Out of the Depths was recorded at Nettleingham Audio www.nettleinghamaudio.com, located in Vancouver, WA. It is available for sale on www.iTunes.com and www.Amazon.com.
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