Dennis Murphy

Show archive soon

Dennis Murphy

Click here for RealAudio 3 Interview with the composer about Afternoon Song, Idiocy, and Koo-Koo, 1:52. (RA2 / 14.4 version)
Click here for RealAudio 2 Musical Example, Koo-Koo, 1:14.
Click here for RealAudio 3 Musical Example, Prepared Piano Piece, 5:22.
Click here for TrueSpeech version of Koo-Koo, 778K.
Click here for MPEG-2 version of Koo-Koo. 292K
Click here for Full-size publicity photo of the composer (right-click and save as... to download).

Dennis Murphy lives in Plainfield, Vermont. He was born 1934 in Plainfield, New Jersey.

• B.Mus, M.Mus, University of Wisconsin
• PhD., Wesleyan University (ethnomusicology)

Occupations (for money in the real world) have included, at various times: college music teacher, refrigerator-crater, livestock photographer, artist (watercolor and pastel), musical performance and composition.

Presently member of Fyre & Lightning Consort ("early" music and "traditional" music -- bassoon, viol, recorders, vocals, etc.,) and Nicht Geferlach Klezmer Band (string bass, tuba, and whatever). Sometimes play Irish music (oboe and flute) and brass. Build a Javanese Gamelan (Venerable Sir Voice of Thoom -- first one ever made outside of Indonesia; Hey, Hey!) and direct the Plainfield Village Gamelan (which plays it).

Music interests: Writing word stuff, instrument-making, artificial languages and writing systems, cats and goats (and various other critters), motorcycling (on a Honda C.T.90 yet).

Assorted musical compositions:

• Woodwind Quintet (Master's thesis -- a fairly "modernistic" thing)
• Pieces for prepared piano, ca. 1965. 3 movements, 8 minutes.
• Christian Tune on a Spanish Text in a South Indian Style by an Atheist for chorus. 1964. 5 minutes.
• Brass Quintet (lost) (pity!)
• Faux Gagaku for imposter Gagaku Court Orchestra. 1979. 10 minutes.
• Some Cherokee-Style Pieces for Amerind "flute" (recorder).
• Koo-Koo for recorders. 2 minutes.
• Big Green Tree for voice and ensemble. 3 minutes.
• Afternoon Song for voice and ensemble. 3 minutes.
• Idiocy for recorders. 3 minutes or more.
• Thumese Medley for gamelan. 1991. Text in a language game invented by the composer. 20 minutes.
• Pieces for Gamelan, for concert and shadow play uses.
• A Perfect Day, a "neo-Victorian" oratorio for SATB chorus and instruments. 1994. 60 minutes.
  
• Lots of Dance Music and Incidental Music for dance and theatre productions at Goddard College and University of Wisconsin.
• Experimental Pieces in odd intonation systems, most of it unlistenable.
• Stuff for solo lute ... and so on, whatever we need.
• Songs for various choral combinations:
  • I Like Pizza
  • Olives
  • An Auld Scots Blessing
  • Give One to a Friend
  • Hathaway
  • Meow

To reach the composer: telephone 802-454-7113
By physical mail: Box 47, Plainfield, Vermont 05667