Musicatlas
Music
- Elusive Eerie Moon, Op. 15, for Clarinet trio.
- String Quartet No 1 in G minor, Op. 6.
- Scherzo in G minor for String Quartet, Op. 5.
- Piano sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 3, for Piano.
- Lullaby for Daniel, Op. 11, for Piano.
- Ballad for Saxophone and Piano, Op. 12.
- Farewell fantasia for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 13.
- Little Hymn Tune for String Orchestra, Op. 4.
- Piece for Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 14.
- Sonata Op. 14 (work in progress), for Piano.
Life
My name is Jordi Vives i Batlle. I was born in Barcelona in 1964, and music has been present in my life from an early age. Although none of my parents are musicians, my father taught me from very young the love for classical music. In those years, however, music at school was not a priority and I was taught that Music was a pastime rather than a career. In the end, I never started a professional music life. By training I am a physicist, currently working as an Environmental Consultant. Although coming from a scientific background and loving my job, I maintained, however, my early passion for music, mainly as a listener. My favourite composers have always been Schubert, Beethoven, Bruckner and Elgar. More recently, I developed an interest in contemporary music (specifically Webern, though also Schönberg, Berg and Boulez). As a result of attending concerts and revisiting my large record collection, I often felt the urge for a greater musical involvement. Four or five years ago I started reading basic texts on musical theory and history. I became fascinated by the formal aspects of music including harmony, form, composition and analysis. Simultaneously, I joined the Whitehaven town band and now I am a regular cornet and baritone player in my free time. Stimulated by the contact with other musicians, I started to think in terms of writing my own compositions and I made a few attempts, some more successful than others. Although by then acquainted with some degree of practical musicianship, it was clear to me that I had reached a point in which I needed to formalise my training. First, it seemed clear that this would provide me with a greater appreciation and enjoyment of the music I regularly listened to. Second, I wanted to write better music in the years to come. What I needed is to advance beyond the self-taught stage and acquire a formal degree. Initial training in that direction has now advanced toward the completion of a two-year Diploma in Music by the Open university. Encouraged by the good results obtained, I intend to pursue courses in musical analysis next year, and to complete a full named degree in music with the OU in due course. At the moment, my biggest challenge is to combine work, study, composition and being a parent. I want to compose music using a combination of serial and tonal techniques. However, in preparation for this, I believe I should master classical forms and for this reason (as well as for pure enjoyment) I am producing pieces in the Classical style as well. In addition to my existing works in Scorchmusic I have substantial manuscripts in various stages of revision including a sonata for clarinet and piano, string quartet in G minor, pieces for brass band and sketches for a symphony in Bb major, among others. Right now my efforts are concentrated on the twelve-tone sonata No. 4.