Lyric Images
Alan Schmitz composer
Todd Seelye guitar
LYRIC IMAGES is a collection of guitar pieces written by composer Alan Schmitz over a period of 25 years (1977 to 2002). The works (presented here in reverse chronological order) display a variety of styles and include tonal variations, atonal-intervallic writing, and 12-tone techniques. The use of such different approaches, sometimes in the same piece, is indicative of what has developed in the works of many artists (musical, visual, poetic, dance) during the second half of the 20th century. Schmitz's guitar music is emblematic of this development, with the earlier pieces containing strict constructs using intervallic and dissonant approaches, which over the years further develops through dissonant and harmonious 12-tone pieces, ending with the 12-tone/folk-melody mash-up of the concerto. The driving force behind this album is the feeling that art, no matter which techniques are used or combined in its creation, should be accessible to both the layperson and the connoisseur.
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Artist Information
Alan Schmitz
Alan Schmitz (b. 1950) is Emeritus Professor of Theory and Composition at the University of Northern Iowa’s School of Music. He earned bachelor and master of music degrees from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. in music theory/composition from Rutgers University. Schmitz has received awards, commissions, and grants for composition from several agencies including the Alaska Council of the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, the University of Northern Iowa, and the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest Foundation. His music appears on numerous Ravello Records releases, including NINETIES TIMEFLOW (chamber pieces), LYRIC IMAGES (guitar works performed by Todd Seelye), and ACE COMPOSERS, 21st Century Music by Alan, Christopher, and Eric Schmitz. Schmitz retired from the University of Northern Iowa in June, 2017, after 23 years as Associate Director of the School of Music and now resides in the Houston TX area.