Tyler Harrison Music

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This, my first symphony, is dedicated to my beloved teacher, David Maslanka. This was the last piece I showed David before he passed, which I score read for him at his home in Missoula in December 2016. I am thrilled to say he liked it. The work is an early precursor of the canonic textures and maximalist counterpoint seen in my later symphonies. Below are the original program notes to the work:

I began the composition of my first symphony at a very low point in my life. As a result, I set out to compose a work about the things and people that bring the utmost joy to me. The first movement, "The Mountains of Montana," is a musical portrait of my adopted home, Western Montana. The themes represent a sunrise, a winter storm, the sound of birds, a river stream, and the closing sunset over the mountains.

The second movement is composed using a lullaby I wrote for my niece, Caroline. The movement is dark and tumultuous, and portrays the struggle I was experiencing at the conception of my symphony. In the midst of this darkness is the lullaby. It reminds me of Caroline, how much joy she brings to my family, and how she is always there to brighten my days.

The third and final movement is a tribute to my friends and family. The movement is composed with the recurring "Friendship Theme," which is first stated in the low brass chorale in the introduction of the movement. It develops and recurs with the themes from the previous movements. The theme is present throughout, much like my friends. It makes me remember that no matter where I am and where I go, my friends and family are always with me. I am fortunate to have these people in my life, and I thank them.

Symphony for Wind Ensemble

Concert Band Score & Parts

PROGRAM NOTES

My Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble is a collage of piano concertos from the repertoire. Some moments are homages to works I admire, while others are a farce on works I do not. A polystylist work, the movements are modeled after compositions by Prokofiev, Gershwin, Messiaen, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Ginastera.

Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble (2012)

Nomine was my first multi-movement concerto written over four years from 2006-2010. The theme from this work occurs in many of my compositions, including my piano trio, string quartet, and piano concerto. While the theme maintains its original meaning in the concerto, it later came to signify my recurring battles with manic depression. The final movement, completed in November 2009, is a celebration of life.

Nomine

Chamber Orchestra Score & Parts

The opening movement of my Symphony No. 2, Big Sky, is a reflection on the expanse of the sky in Montana. The movement is composed of the Song of the Sky, which is a loose inversion of the Song of the Mountain in the third and final movements. The opening phrase is a reflection of the night sky. On a clear night, the sky is full of stars, and the Milky Way is often visible. The chromatic modulations in the second part move up and down in a giant arc to mimic the expanse of the sky during the day.

Big Sky

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This early work of mine was started in New York City in 2008 and finished in Montana in 2010. Each of the composition's three movements are a tribute to a favorite composer of mine. The first movement is an homage to Olivier Messiaen. The second movement is a comical, but loving tribute to Elliott Carter. Finally, the third movement is largely composed of a Shostakovich-styled waltz.

Trio

Piano Trio- Violin, Cello, Piano Trio

My string quartet is in two short movements. The first movement is a fugue at the tritone that later transforms by stating the opening idea in a major key. The second movement uses the subject of the fugue and reworks it into a lively scherzo. A sharp contrast of darkness and light is created from the juxtaposition of the tritone and a fifth. The abrupt changes in meter and tempo also contribute to sudden and unpredictable changes in temperament.

String Quartet

2 Violins, Viola, Cello Quartet

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2016-2020, I was always amazed by the sheer beauty of the place I once called home. My daily drive over the Bay Bridge was a special part of my routine. No matter how I was feeling that day, looking over the bay into the skyline of the city cleared my head and filled me with joy. 

One day while crossing Bay Bridge, I accidentally left the window down just slightly. I heard a whistling in the wind. There are often high winds on the bridge, and this particular sound was very musical. It is the inspiration for the opening trumpet and horn lines, which form the foundation of this work.

Bay Bridge Breeze

Commissioned by Nick May (www.nickmaysax.com) for the I Exist Project, www.iexistproject.org

The title of Through Every Closet Door is in reference to a quote by Harvey Milk:

'If I'm killed, let that bullet destroy every closet door.'

This work is a series of memorial pieces to people that fought in the gay rights movement and victims of hate crimes and suicide. What is more, it serves as a historical survey of where we began, the turmoil we went through in our community, and how far we have come in the pursuit of LGBTQIA+ rights. 

The first movement commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969. The work is a hybrid between jazz, Motown, and the sound of sirens. The jazz sections paint the sound of New York City, while the patrons of the Stonewall dance to Motown. The ending sirens sound the alarm of the police’s arrival at the Stonewall, instigating the historic riots. 

The second movement, An Aria for Harvey, is an aria in memory of activist and politician, Harvey Milk. Milk loved Classical music and opera. When he lived on Long Island, he was a regular at the old Met. According to his biography, The Mayor of Castro Street, “Harvey already had his favorite composers by then–Mahler, Strauss, and Wagner–and declared one day, with considerable pomposity, that he considered himself too sophisticated for Verdi.” 

The third movement, Terror at the Nightclub, is a memorial piece to the victims of the tragic 2016 Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, Florida and the 2022 Club Q Shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The work is a blend of Latin jazz, techno, and popular styles. The use of Latin jazz is in reference to the Pulse Nightclub shooting, since it occurred on Latin night. The techno passages represent scenes of a dance floor. The work ends with intermittent sounds of gunshots heard in the distance, getting ever closer. 

The final movement, Rest in Peace, is a memorial work to those who have died by suicide. Suicidal thoughts and attempts are very common in our community. I attempted suicide as a gay teenager growing up in the south, and I was haunted by suicidal ideation for over 20 years. I feel many of the souls we lost would rest peacefully knowing the progress we have made. This is a movement remembering them. 

Through Every Closet Door is a statement that what happened in the past does not have to be in our future. Much still needs to be done in pursuit of equal rights here and around the world, but we must continue to forge our own path together. After all, the rainbow only appears after it rains.

Through Every Closet Door

Soprano Sax Solo with Piano

Symphony No. 3 was written for the second half of the world premiere concert on overcoming mental illness with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. The work is in four movements.

I. Repression and Depression

The first movement is about experiencing repression and the depression that often accompanies mental illness. Passages throughout the work appear in major to signify hope. No matter where one is with their struggle, there is always hope.

II. Mania

The second movement is a musical depiction of the tension and euphoria experienced in mania. I used sharp changes in major and minor to portray this, along with "cloud" canons to convey the feeling of racing thoughts. The movement ends with what always follows a mania, an inevitable and crippling crash.

III. The Teacher

The third movement is about teaching. My path in overcoming my struggles came about through my career as a teacher. The secret to happiness has everything to do with teaching. You must teach yourself to experience love, joy, and inner peace. Then you must teach others to do the same. Since I often teach piano, this movement features two pianos playing to each other in a canon, where the student learns by imitating the teacher.

IV. The Garden of Tears

The fourth and final movement considers life after escaping the darkness and finding purpose  turning one's tears into joy and laughter. This part features multi-voice canons and fugues, including a "laughing fugue", where the orchestra "laughs" using the fugal subjects.

My Symphony No. 3 invites the listener to consider a new narrative where struggle can be overcome by hope and triumph. Mental illness is an ongoing battle, but it is not cause to give up hope. In fact, it can be a path to a glorious new beginning. 

The Garden of Tears is a metaphor embodying both the struggle of mental illness and the hope required to survive it. The Garden thrives on the tears that water it, but it is the laughter and joy that ultimately defines its beauty.

Symphony No. 3

Score & Parts

In March 2020, I walked outside to the overwhelming sound of birds. They were coming from every direction. You could even hear them indoors. For an entire year, I wondered how I could convey such a beautiful sound in music. 

In March 2021, I walked outside on the first day of spring after a long, cloudy winter. Suddenly, I remembered the sound of birds from a year earlier, and it hit me: "CANONS!" The sound of canons was so loud in my mind that it made falling asleep difficult until I finished the final movement of this symphony. 

Como Canons, the finale, is the foundation for this entire symphony, which was written backwards. The first, second, and fourth movements are constructed entirely of rhythmic, prolation, double, and "cloud" canons. 

The opening movement, Big Sky, is a reflection on the expanse of the sky in Montana. The movement is composed of the Song of the Sky, which is a loose inversion of the Song of the Mountain in the third and final movements. The opening phrase is a reflection of the night sky. On a clear night, the sky is full of stars, and the Milky Way is often visible. The chromatic modulations in the second part move up and down in a giant arc to mimic the expanse of the sky during the day. 

The second movement, Predators and Prey, is about watching wildlife. I often see hawks hunting during the day, and the howls of coyotes are frequently heard at night. This movement takes the ending sequence in the first movement and turns it into a fast, chasing octotonic canon. It also features the first appearance of "cloud" canons in the saxophones and clarinets. The ending signals the death of prey with a hammer blow from Mahler's Symphony No. 6. 

The third movement, The Old Man's Song, opens with an extended melody, which is the minor version of the Song of the Mountain from Como Canons. While on a drive through Wyoming, I saw a large, lonely mountain towering over a small town. I asked myself what the mountain would sing if it came to life. Suddenly, I had a vision of the mountain singing this melody. 

A month later, I was driving toward the mountain range outside of Glacier National Park. I asked the same question of the range, and the choir of mountains sang their song, an extended double canonic fugue. The first fugue is on the Song of the Mountain joined by a fugue on the Song of the Sky, its mirror image. It is a fitting reflection of a spectacular Montana sunset that always happens where the mountains meet the sky.

Como Canons is named after Lake Como, a beautiful lake in the middle of the mountains in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. The Como peaks are recognizable from a distance as the "three sisters, " three adjacent mountain peaks forming a sort of crown.

Symphony No. 2: The Song of the Mountains

Commissioned by Khari Joyner

www.kharijoyner.com

Ta Olympia is a reflection on the ancient Greek competitions, and how they relate to the modern games. It also covers sporting events from the ancient games, modern games, and modern professional sports. 

The first movement, The Tennis Match, is about the sport as it occurs both in and outside of the modern games. For this, I used an altered blues scale, passed back and forth between the cello and piano. The cellist and pianist must speak syllables to represent the sounds of the players during a match. 

The second movement, The Ode to Champions, is a variation on the end of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, including the famous Ode to Joy. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is often played at award ceremonies at sporting events to commemorate the winners of matches and competitions. It is a musical manifestation of a champion, hence the movement’s title. 

The third movement, The Pommel Horse, is a difficult etude for solo cello inspired by the gymnastics feat of the same name. The gymnast uses the pommel horse apparatus to perform dramatic swinging and balancing feats, suspended on their arms alone. The gymnast finishes the routine by hoisting themselves in the air and landing. For this, I employed musical scales going up and down in expanding intervals. These extend high into the cello’s register, landing on a pizzicato on the instrument’s open strings.

The final movement relates to the numerous forms of racing that occurred in both ancient and modern games, including running and chariot racing. The music depicts the athletes aggressively competing against one another, the turns in a stadium, hurdles, and relays.

Ta Olympia

Cello Solo with Piano

From 2008 to 2009, I visited numerous domestic and international destinations, including Paris, Hawaii, Seattle, Venice, and New Orleans. During my time in New York, I also made it a habit of taking the train on weekends up to various towns and cities, including New Haven, CT and Peekskill, NY. In my travels, I learned so much about life, and the people we share it with. This work is not only a reflection on the sounds and sights of a particular mode of transportation, the train, but also a reflection on the joys of traveling.

Train of Thought

I am fortunate to have lived in so many places in my life. I lived in several of the largest cities in the United States, including New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. I always had difficulty writing in cities, and Montana is where I came to find solace and rest amidst my busy life. As time has passed, I realize the more I travel away from Montana, the further I am from the place that has inspired so many of my compositions. The majority of my music has either been written in Montana or about Montana. It is also where I met David Maslanka, who had such a profound influence on my life both musically and personally.

This work is named after Lake Como, a lake in the middle of the mountains in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. The Como peaks are recognizable from a distance as the "three sisters," three adjacent mountain peaks forming a sort of crown. The canons in the piece were inspired by the overwhelming sound of birds in the spring of 2020.

Montana is where I come to commune with the gods of music. They are in the birds of the air, the open sky, the snow-covered mountains, and the amazing sunsets over the canyons. It was the place I came to get away, and now it goes by another name: home.

Como Canons

Fantastique is a comic piece making fun of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz. For the record, I actually like the parts of Symphonie Fantastique to a point. The 2nd and 4th movements work very well, and the "March of the Scaffold" has its place in the repertoire for good reason.

Once I hear the Dies Irae in a composition, I must admit I'm done listening. Granted, the quote was used with greater ingenuity by Rachmaninoff in the Symphonic Dances and lesser ingenuity by Daugherty in the Metropolis Symphony. That being said, the way it is used in Symphonie Fantastique as the accompaniment to a demon orgy is worthy of derision. In the words of Rossini after hearing the Berlioz, "It's good this isn't considered actual music." 

Fantastique is lovingly dedicated to my friend and mentor, Carter Pann, whose legendary wit and charm inspired its creation.

Fantastique

My Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble is a collage of references to piano concertos from the repertoire. Some moments are homages to works I admire, while others are a farce on works I do not. A polystylist work, the movements are modeled after compositions by Prokofiev, Gershwin, Messiaen, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Ginastera.

Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble (2012) Two-Piano Reduction

Piano Duet-2 Pianos, 4 Hands

Global Sections - CORE [DO NOT TOUCH]*

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