Peter Billam's Compositions

Peter Billam's Compositions

Peter Billam's compositions and arrangements are offered Free in PDF format, under generous conditions.

This page is also available at peterbillam.gitlab.io/pjb_compositions/ where it should survive even when pjb.com.au disappears.

The source files for these compositions are on gitlab and can be downloaded by:
git clone https://gitlab.com/peterbillam/pjb_compositions.git

New ! Pieces for Guitar, 2017

This is a set of ten pieces for guitar, intended for either steel or nylon strings.
They grew out of what I learned while transcribing the Fingerstyle Guitar Solos.
Included are: Twinkled, WaveRide, TwoWheel, Glooming, DawnPipe, TalkSoft, BlueMoon, Pluckier, Riddle-de-Dee, New !
, and Slipaway.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Album for Choir, 2015

This is an album of seven pieces for choir : Sometimes for three voices, Konkerado for four, Web for four, Only the glories of the night for three (of which the last bass-note divides), Well I Never for five, Remember for four, and The Spell for five (of which the top voice divides).
Konkerado could last anywhere between 60 sec and 150 sec, according to breath and acoustic; the esperanto jx sounds like the french soft j as in je.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Two Encores for Strings, 2015

These are two short pieces, lasting about 2min 20sec and 2min, written for two violins, two violas, and two cellos.

They share the 2+2+2 sextet instrumentation of Music for Strings, and of my transcription of Bach's Ricercare a 6, and of Brahms' Sextets Op.18 and Op.36, Rimsky-Korsakov's sextet in A, Dvorjak's Op.48, Schoenberg's chamber version of Verklaerte Nacht, Strauss' Op.85 sextet from Capriccio, Korngold's Op.10 sextet, and are not far from the chamber-septet version of John Adams' Shaker Loops. So in the event of a concert involving those pieces, it is hoped these Two Encores for Strings might be useful.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.
Likewise, the parts are freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Music for Strings, 2015

This piece is in three movements, and lasts about 15 minutes. It is written for six players, two violins, two violas, two cellos, but performances with twelve or more players are also intended.

It shares the 2+2+2 sextet instrumentation of Two Encores for Strings, and of my transcription of Bach's Ricercare a 6, and of Brahms' Sextets Op.18 and Op.36, Rimsky-Korsakov's sextet in A, Dvorjak's Op.48, Schoenberg's chamber version of Verklaerte Nacht, Strauss' Op.85 sextet from Capriccio, and Korngold's Op.10 sextet. It's also not too far from the chamber-septet version of John Adams' Shaker Loops (which adds a bass, and uses three violins and one viola rather than two and two).

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.
Likewise, the parts are freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Twenty Studies, 2013-14

This is a set of studies, in keyboard harmony perhaps as much as in keyboard technique.
Included are: 1. Finger exercise, 2. Scales at Three Semitones, 3. Scales at Four Semitones, 4. The 2+3+3 Chord, 5. Scales at Two Semitones, 6. Contrary Motion, 7. Three against One, 8. Shimmer, 9. Chords including a Pedal, 10. Passing Notes, 11. Crossrhythms, 12. 12=2x6=3x4=4x3=6x2, 13. The 1+n-1 Line, 14. The Rabbit Sequence, 15. Three Hands, 16. Voice-Leading, 17. Toccata, 18. Lines, 19. Variations and 20. Two Pianos.

Check out No. 19 on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s9235oNqVg

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Because some browsers make it difficult to print individual pages from a PDF document, the individual studies are also available:
For A4 printers: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen and Twenty
For US-Letter printers: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen and Twenty

Flute Trio, 2012

This trio for three flutes is full of aural illusions. At full speed it should run for about 3 min 35 sec.

Various practice tracks are available in MP3 form.
With metronome clicks (and apologies for a strange metronome artefact right at the beginning),
with the first flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed,
with the second flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed,
and with the third flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed.
Then without metronome clicks,
with the first flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed,
with the second flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed,
and with the third flute missing there are slow, medium and full speed.

Check it out on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfxqMxiY9pI

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Twelve Canons, 2010

These are a set of strict canons: the first at one semitone distance, the second at two semitones, the third at three, and so on until the last at twelve semitones. All are now completed !
All may be played on piano, Three also on string trio, Four needs four hands, Five needs three or four hands, and Nine is most practical with three. Ten is good with three hands, or with piano and string quartet or quintet, or with string orchestra (separate parts are not included, so if you're contemplating a performance and would like string parts, let me know), Eleven is good with four hands, or with violin, viola and two celli, or with flute, clarinet and two basoons, or with flute, clarinet and piano, and Twelve needs four hands.

Synthesiser-performances in MP3 form are available of the Canons at One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve semitones.

Check out number Four on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBLOgRjtEho
and number Eleven at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd8pFTK0edg

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Trio With Guitar, 2008

This is a trio, available in three versions; either for guitar and two Bb clarinets, or guitar and tenor and bass recorders, or guitar and two violas. The piece is in one movement, and lasts about 5m 30s.

Check it out on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFXQxAQE8Cw

The scores are freely available:
for guitar and two Bb clarinets for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers,
for guitar and tenor and bass recorders, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers,
for guitar and two violas, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

We Who Mourn, 2007

This choral piece has three movements; the first for six voices, the second for nine, and the third for six.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Guitar Duet, 2006-2007

This duet for two guitars has now grown to three movements.
Check it out on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvMK_z2VMUo

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Second Solo Suite , 2003

This suite is in three movements, marked Prelude, Air and Dance. The original version for flute can also (just) be played on an alto recorder, and there are also versions for violin, viola and cello. The scores are freely available:
for flute, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers,
for violin, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers,
for viola, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.
for cello, for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Preludes for piano, 2003 and newly revised in 2016.

This composition is in three movements, marked Free, clear (2m 30s), Smooth, veiled (1m) and Singing, expressive (3m 20s).

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Duets for flutes or violins, or recorders or other melody instruments, 2001.

The first duet, marked Flowing, is a canon at one crochet distance. The second is marked Sustained and the third is marked Lively. They can also (just) be played on recorders.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Die Gestundete Zeit, for four-part chorus, SATB, 2000.

This chorus on the poem by Ingeborg Bachmann is the second in a series of three choral pieces called Die Zeiten.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Wechsel der Zeiten, for three-part chorus, SAT or SAA or TTB, 2000.

This chorus on the poem by Friedrich Georg Jünger, is the third in a series of three choral pieces called Die Zeiten.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 1) For the Solo Line, for flute, violin or other melody instrument, 2000.

In three movements, Running, Singing and Dancing, a total of five pages. Can also be played on recorders.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 1) For Viola, 2000.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 1) For Cello, also for piano left hand or other bass instrument, 2000.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 1) For Guitar, transposed to fit the guitar, 2014.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 2) For Piano, 2000.

In three movements, Turbulent, Calm and Luminous, a total of ten pages.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Suites 3) For Piano and a Solo Line, 2000.

In three movements, Fluent, Broad and Wild, a total of 25 pages. The solo part is ideal for violin, flute, or other melody instrument. You may be interested in the program note.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Tres Casidas del Diván del Tamarit, on poems by Federico García Lorca, for voice and piano; 1997, 2005 and newly revised in 2016.

From García Lorca's great last collection of poems : Casida del llanto, Casida de la rosa and Casida de las palomas oscuras.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

The Poet in the Clouds, on a poem by S. T. Coleridge, for SATB choir, 1995, 2005.

The poem is titled Fancy in Nubibus, and subtitled The Poet in the Clouds. The setting offered here is a 2005 revision of the original 1995 composition. Duration about 4 min.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Four Dances for String Quartet, 1995.

A Reel in 8/8, a Slip Jig in 9/8, a Hornpipe in 10/8 and a Jig in 12/8. Duration just over 9 minutes.

The score and parts are freely available in PDF format.

Four Dances for Recorder Quartet, 1995.

A Reel in 8/8, a Slip Jig in 9/8, a Hornpipe in 10/8 and a Jig in 12/8. Duration just over 9 minutes.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers
and, separately, the parts for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Trombone Quintet, for trombone, flute, piano, bass, and percussion (marimba, tympani, crotales or triangle), 1994.

As twice brodcast by ABC Classic FM. Duration about 7 min.
You may be interested in the program note or a radio interview.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers
and, separately, the parts for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Songs, for voice and piano, 1994, 2005, 2013.

For copyright reasons, only the first and third are available: From the 228th Chorus of Mexico City Blues on a poem by Jack Kerouac, and In my craft or sullen art on a poem by Dylan Thomas. The setting offered here is a 2013 revision of the original 1994 composition.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Piano Study, for piano, 1994.

Three pages long, not too athletic, flowing, exercises the hands as they expand and contract between the octave and the smaller intervals.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Two Recorder Duets, for alto and tenor recorders, or other melody instruments, 1991.

An Allegro of 74 bars and an Andante of 48 bars. Duration about 4 min 30 sec.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

A Suite of Curves, for trombone (or horn) and piano, 1990.

The piano part (16 pages) comes with two solo parts; one in tenor clef for the trombone, and one in treble clef for the Horn in F. You may be interested in the program note.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Three Violin Duets, 1987.

Not difficult. Two pages each, total duration about 6 min.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Fable for piano, 1987

This earlier composition is in one movement.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Five Rounds, 1986

The first two of these five rounds were written for singing in school, the next two for an amateur choir, and the last for a more advanced choir. The titles are A.B.C. (2 voices), By Doze is All Blog Dub (4 to 8 voices), The Carbon Cycle (4 voices), The Energy Cycle (7 voices) and In Girum Imus Nocte (4 voices).

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Go Forth and Multiply and Cover the Face of the Earth and Subdue It, 1986

This piece was written for an amateur SATB choir. The title contrasts with the text: Woe unto them that multiply house upon house and field upon field until there is no more room.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Fünf Bagatellen for piano, is one of Peter Billam's early compositions, written in October 1980.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

New ! Concert Study for Piano (4 hands), August 1980

There is a 1980 recording of Urs-Peter Schneider and Erika Rademacher performing the Concert Study.

The original score can be seen here, but is not yet available in pdf form.

New ! Sadhana, February 1980

This piece is for flute, oboe doubling cor anglais, basoon, bass clarinet, two trumpets, two horns, trombone, bass trombone, piano and two percussionists.
There is a recording of the premiere performed by the Edward Tarr Brass Quintet and the Dorian Wind Quintet in a Studio de Musique Contemporaine concert at the Salle ERA in Geneva in March 1980, conducted by Jacques Guyonnet.

The original manuscript score and parts are available, and should be considered authoritative;
the score is now available in pdf form for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers and
the parts are now also typeset in pdf form for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers

De Profundis and Nacht, on poems by Lama Anagarika Govinda, for voice and piano, were written in 1980 when Peter Billam was living in Biel, Switzerland.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Divisions on an Italian Ground, for flute and guitar, is one of Peter Billam's early compositions. It was written in 1980 when he was living in Biel, Switzerland, and actively playing both guitar and flute. It is a set of variations on the theme from Robert Carr's piece of the same name.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Five Short Pieces for Guitar, 1979

These five short pieces for guitar (Prelude, Serenade, Mazurka, Jig, and Air) are Peter Billam's first compositions, written when studying classical guitar in Biel, Switzerland, in the late 1970s.

The score is freely available for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

The opera November at the Carousel has been abandoned; all that remains is the libretto, which is, however, good: for A4 printers, or for US-Letter printers.

Peter Billam's output of compositions also includes the following pieces which are not yet in print. Let us know if you are keen to see one of these become available:

Die Frage, on a poem by Lama Anagarika Govinda, for soprano, flute, bass clarinet, violin, viola, piano and inside piano, 1981. New ! The score can be seen here.

Drei Sätze für Klavier, 1981.

Choral Works, Wheels Within Wheels, SAB, 1986, Decision, SSAATTBB, 1990.

To Erich Jantsch, for SAATTB recorders, 1988.

Handwriting, for ten brass instruments in two groups of five: 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba; flugelhorn, 4 horns, 1993.

Trombone Quintet, arranged for two pianos, 1994.