John Mackey

[Chante™]

John Mackey is an American composer born in New Philadelphia, Ohio on October 1st, 1973, and raised Westerville, Ohio. He is well renowned as one of the best contemporary composers of instrumental music anywhere in the world today. His pieces have been adapted numerous times for some of the worlds top marching bands in Drum Corps International (DCI). His works are extremely challenging pieces, as the lowest grade that any of his wind pieces was given was a 2.5, which roughly translates to about 3 years of prior experience and semi-difficult keys. The specifics of a grade two are: "Time Signature of 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, c, C, 6/8 (easy compound), Key with None to four flats, Tempo of Andante-Allegro (72-132), Tempo changes with ritardandos & accelerandos, Rythm of the same as in Grade 1 plus simple 16th note patterns and triplets Add simple syncopation & wellprepared dotted rhythms. More use of non-unison rhythms.
dynamics of piano, mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte, short crescendos, decrescendos., notal fronts of Attack, release, slurs, staccato, accent, legato, Inclusion of Simple trills and single grace notes., parts that are Independent contrapuntal lines, limited exposed parts, 1 (possibly 2) horn parts., length of 2 to 5 minutes, Frequent key changes, frequent meter changes, wide range for 3rd parts., Percussion Add: Pitched: chimes, xylophone. Non-pitched: timpani., Special effects on cymbals." (Bandworld.org). The majority of the music which he is known for is over six minutes in length, and known for being some of the most difficult band pieces, despite just how simple the scores look (trust me on this one. I'd show you all, but that is highly illegal). Mackey has admitted that the names of most of his pieces are highly thanks to his wife naming them. Mackey also has admitted that he doesn't play an instrument, and he is thankful to the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Juliard School, both part of the "ivy-league" of music to not require instrumental playing as a requirement. Most of his pieces are on YouTube if any of you want to listen to his stuff, which I highly recommend



Works (Italicized are ones that are his most famous)

Orchestral
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (1993)
Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra (2000)
Redline Tango (2003)
Antiphonal Dances (2003)
Under the Rug (2004)
Wind Ensemble
Redline Tango (2005) – won the ABA Ostwald Award
Sasparilla (2005)
Turbine (2006)
Strange Humors (2006)
Turning (2006)
Kingfishers Catch Fire (2007)
Concerto for Soprano Sax & Wind Ensemble (2007) – a piano reduction is available as of 2013.
Clocking (2008)
Undertow (2008)
Asphalt Cocktail (2009)
Aurora Awakes (2009) – won the ABA Ostwald Award and NBA William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest
Harvest: Concerto for Trombone (2009)
Xerxes (2010)
Hymn to a Blue Hour (2010)
Foundry (2011)
Drum Music: Concerto for Percussion & Wind Ensemble (2011)
Sheltering Sky (2012)
High Wire (2012)
The Frozen Cathedral (2013)
The Soul has Many Motions (2013)
Night on Fire (2013), movement II of "The Soul Has Many Motions"
Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band (2014)
Lightning Field (2015)
Liminal (2016)
This Cruel Moon (2017)
Antique Violences: Concerto for Trumpet (2017)
The Night Garden (2017)
Snarl (2018)
The Rumor of a Secret King (2018) – For Concert Band
Until the Scars (2019)
Places We Can No Longer Go (2019) – For Wind Ensemble and Soprano
Sacred Spaces (2019)
Chamber Ensemble
Elegy and Fantasie (1989, 1991), for violin and piano
Mood Indigo (1996), for piano and drum set
Strange Humors (1998), for string quartet and djembe
Damn (1998), for amplified clarinet and four percussionists
Voices and Echoes (1999), for string quartet
Rush Hour (1999, revised 2000), for clarinet, electric string quartet, and drum set
Breakdown Tango (2000), for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
Juba (2003), for electric string quartet and percussion
Wrong-Mountain Stomp (2004), for violin, viola, and cello
Mass (2004), for percussion ensemble
Strange Humors (2008), for saxophone quartet and djembe
Sultana (2009), for saxophone and piano
Strange Humors (2012), for clarinet quartet and djembe
Unquiet Spirits (2012), for saxophone quartet
Hymn to a Blue Hour (2012), transcription of concert band work for trombone ensemble
Theatre
Theatre
Score and songs for Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Dallas Theater Center (2001)
Vocal
Songs from the End of the World (2015), for Soprano and mixed chamber ensemble; text by A. E. Jaques
The Rumor of a Secret King (2017), for SATB choir; text by A. E. Jaques