Uriel’s Anvil

Can there be melody in contemporary classical music?

Well, there should be.

You might think it strange for a ‘serious’ composer to talk about melody, but from my point of view melody is an essential part of music. 

That might not seem like such a big statement to you, but coming from an academic background, it took me a while to be able to say these three words...

I love melody.

That is why I constantly look for ways to build on the traditional elements of melody in my own, non-traditional style.

I don’t usually spend two weeks writing a melody, however. But that’s what how long it took to write the melody for Uriel’s Anvil.

That melody was actually begun a year ago when I wrote a little idea down. It was an angular idea with a stop-and-go rhythm that was simple yet inspired. Yet I had no idea what to do with it, so it took me about a year to build up the guts to finally use it.

And when I finally did decide to use it, it took me two solid weeks of hard, nose to the grindstone work to make something of it. 

And not only was the idea hard for me to work with, but I had big goals for it on top of that!

I wanted to write a melody that was modern and in my style, that did not simply use any traditional melodic forms but built on them while still sounding 100% natural.

I must have tried a thousand ideas, variations and permutations to finally reach a point where I had reached those goals. Through those two weeks I despaired many times that I might not be able to make the idea work. But I kept the faith, kept working and now I’m glad I did.

(It’s kind of ironic to work so hard to make the music sound effortless. I guess that is why I am writing a little bit about that process now.)

After that long two weeks I had my melody. It was a real pleasure to play around with the tune and putting that piece come together.

Now that the piece is done (I am listening to the music as I write this) I am still thrilled to hear all the ways the saxophone and piano present that melody; melody and accompaniment, call and answer, big climactic octaves and even a canon.

Listening to the piece now makes all the hard work worth it.

"Uriel's Anvil is an exciting musical ride; playful yet thrilling.  Your composition style is so much fun to play! Thank you for writing it for us - we are fortunate to have you!"

- Sandra Joy, piano

So why is it called Uriel’s Anvil?

Uriel is the archangel of artistic inspiration.

If you have read my story above, then you’ll understand why I say this.

Many people imagine inspiration is this thing that just happens, without any effort from the artist. As if Uriel just gently whispers the idea into your ear and all you have to do is write it down.

But me, I see it slightly differently. I have this image of Uriel in my mind, with blonde hair, white gown, wings and a halo, banging inspiration into me with a hammer.

Uriel's Anvil

Alto sax: Julia Nolan
Piano: Sandra Joy

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