from Hungry (aka Hypnotic) ©2005 Charles Gran
Catalog of Main Works
Dance and Multimedia
John of England (2010, 35 minutes of underscore) webpage
underscore
Music for the rarely-produced Shakespeare play.
Cancellation Hearts (2009, 70 minutes) webpage imdb
filmscore
This score is mostly made up of sung music, much of it
processed electronically.
Neitzche's Circus (2006, 15 minutes) webpage
piano score for dance-theater
Genesis (2005, 20 minutes) webpage
electronic score for modern dance
This is a mostly abstract work that mines the concepts of evolution
(Darwinism) for the wealth of images and sound they suggest.
Almost all of the music is vocal, though some of the singing
has been altered by distortion.
Echoes of Rom (2003, 10 minutes) video
choral score for modern dance
This was composed as a staged work for 6-10 singers.
It has been performed as accompaniment to a dance solo.
Jeffrey Dahmer Drinks a Cup of Coffee (2002, 4 minutes)
a scene for 2 actors
tenor, baitone, 2 pianos (also 1 piano version)
Text by Bridget Carpenter
This song was my first piece to have a warning label
attached to it for the performance. Another one was 2002's
Words and Deeds.
Words and Deeds (2002, 20 minutes) webpage
theater-dance, cello and pre-recorded
A mediation on the tragic events of 1993 involving the Branch
Davidians and Federal agents in Waco, Texas.
Words and Deeds, actor version (2007, 20 minutes)
theater, cello, 2 actors, sound designer
This version has a greatly updated spoken component, and the
pre-recoded material is now controlled through samples, and
is much more flexible.
Information, Knowlege, Wisdom, Truth, Beauty, Love, Music
(2001, 16 minutes) webpage
singers, dancers, piano, pre-recorded music
Co-composed with Szu-Hsien Lee
This is a multi-media piece, heavy on dance. The singing
isn't songs, but it is attractive. It blends live performace
using unconventional instruments played by the dancers--
horns out of pvc pipe, etc--with pre-recorded sound.
Hungry (2000)
opera in one act
Candice's aggressive diet alters her perception of reality--
and now she's really hungry.
Body by Gran (Baby) (1997, 5 minutes)
SAT soloists, 2 percussionists
This is a wacky theater kind of piece that uses the word
"baby" as (almost) it's sole text source. It came out of a
conversation about how none of my friends at the time used
the word baby with their girls. With all the white hip
hoppers maybe that has changed. The piece is funny and cool.
Music Theater
Jack vs. Giants (2010, 1 hour)
A children's musical.
Book and lyrics by Christina Biggs.
5 actors.
The great-great-great grandson of Jack returns up the bean-tree
and unleashes the giants on an unsuspecting metropolis. But,
Penelope, a bookworm with an ear for history helps him heed his
grandmother's advice and save the city.
The Perfect Feet (2007, 35 minutes)
A one-act musical.
Book by Eric H. F. Law, lyrics by Christina Biggs.
4 Actors.
The world's most famous foot model is guided through a homeric
quest up an elevator to her most important gig by
her assistant Cindy who's life will be changed forever.
True Believers (2006, 2 hours)
A rock musical
Book and Music, Charles Gran. Lyrics, Nikos Tsakalakos
Bridget gets a job at SuperQuick, gains ultimate power over the
universe, then uses it to reunite her favorite rock-band. The four
musicians find themselves playing for the fate of the world.
The Pitch (2005, 15 minutes)
A mini-musical.
Book by Neville Johnson, Lyrics by Nikos Tsakalakos
Includes: "This is It", "The Final Audit", "A Simple Home"
Electronic
Introducing (a remix of expectations) (2008, 6 minutes) webpage
electroacoustic pre-recorded
Musique concrete meets top-40 mash-up. So 2008... and 1608.
Breathing India (2000)
electroacoustic pre-recorded
Solo Vocal
War is Kind (2007, 20 minutes)
high baritone/tenor (to A)
A setting of poems by Stephen Crane
Three little birds, In the desert, I have a thousand tongues,
Comrade! Brother!, In the night, Ranged in Rows, War is Kind
The Longing (2005, 6 minutes)
soprano/high-mezzo (to g), piano
Text by Nikos Tsakalakos
The Dream of the Rood (2001, 4 minutes)
high voice
A setting of a famous anglo-saxon poem.
Of Mountains (1992, 15 minutes)
medium voice
A setting of five poems by Peter Viereck
Choral
Ichiban (2002, 8 minutes)
choral: SSAATTBB, 3 movements
This piece presents an outsider's vision of Japan.
i. Shinknsen, ii. Dekai, iii. Shinjiunrui
I Love (1993, 20 minutes)
Mixed chorus (SSATBB), soloists (ST), four percussionists, electric organ
text by Anakreon, Archilochos, Sappho
Instrumental
Tick-Tock (2011, 11 minutes)
oboe with pre-recorded drum track
1. The Party., 2. The Morning.
Boy meets girl, oboe meets drum machine.
Sensing Angels (2009, 18 minutes) webpage
clarinet with computer manipulation
This piece uses the free csound software with midi control
to create an engaging solo work for the clarinet.
She begins (2007, 8 minutes)
2 flutes, and sound design
This is a a short suite of three dances.
Spin Cycle (2007, 7 minutes)
flute, cello, piano
A piece built on various pop music styles (and a waltz).
Heart's Express (2005, 11 minutes)
orchestra: fl.3, cl.2, bass cl, cbbsn, sax.4 (s, 2a, t),
4 horn, 3 c tpt, 2 tbn, tuba, synth, sequencer, e guitar, 2 perc,
hrp, pno, strings (1/2 cb w/ c extension)
Hidden Places
sonata for pianoforte in three movements
the_chill room (2001, 7 minutes)
chamber: clarinet, flute, piano, vibraphone
Rough Riders (2001, 10 minutes)
piano
1 - "Tango de las navajitas" A biting little tango in a
dissonant, Stravinskian style. 2 - "Stride Machine" Based on
saloon piano styles.
Fantastic Symmetry (2000)
3 percussionists, drum machine
One of my works that uses pop gestures and textures through
the filters of my compositional processes.
West of Center (1996, 6 minutes)
violin and piano
Meant to be a breezy little number that is still challenging.
Brahms is Dead (1994, 12 minutes)
harpsichord sonata in three movements
i. Fast, ii. Walking or less, iii. Quickly, Dancing