the official website of robert summers potterton III
Media Samples
Deserted (2005)- A demo of what will eventually become an orchestral suite, scored for choir and orchestra. The potential client was seeking something that would portray survivors of a catastrophe seeking food and shelter in a desolate wasteland.
- Winter Shadows (2005)
- An experimental piece using elements of pointillism and minimalism, scored for percussion ensemble and digital audio. Inspired by nightly walks back to the dorm during the long western New York winters.
- The Night Sky (1999)
- A very early piece composed at the piano, then recorded as a synth and orchestra piece in 2003. Scored for keyboard, strings, and timpani. Active employment of syncopation and leading tones. Prime example of early tonal music (pre-college training).
- Voices in my Head (2008)
- Originally sketched for orchestra alone in 2007 for Advanced Orchestration under Sun Mi Ro, this expanded choir and orchestra adaption features primitivism, serialism, and Latinized text. Performed by members of the Houghton College Choir, Symphonic Winds, and Philharmonia. Conducted by Heather Worden.
- Opening Titles from "Just Like Him" (2007)
- The main title for a short film about a little boy who has to learn "what a man would do." Recorded at the Greatbatch School of Music, Houghton College, by members of the school's Orchestra and Concert Band. Conducted by Robert Potterton III.
- Amazing Grace (2003)
- Written shortly after returning from a long trip to Ireland that year. Earliest experimentation with sampled hammer dulcimer, also featuring strings and live recorder, the latter of which plays a descant on the melody.
- String Quartet in One Movement (2008)
- A single-movement exploration of twelve tone compositional techniques, broken into three distinct sections (these eventually will become individual movements). Several techniques, including sliding, pizzicato, martellato, and harmonics. Performed by Clara Giebel, Elizabeth Zook, Chelsea Keane, and Thomas Keane.
- Song of the Nikko (2005)
- A free form meditation on the Nikko River in Japan. Scored for flute, shamisen, strings, and digital audio. Performed by Robert Potterton III.
