GOODHART's Music

11/09/2023

A new video setting one of history's greats, the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem: https://youtu.be/ozLY7ngiLpY?si=ziCBKp1MlNbrnv6X

Composer: W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Music: Requiem in D Minor, Sequentia 6: Lacrimosa
Imagery generated with Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and RunwayML

I felt a great deal of tears from the world at the time I made this video. Whether from afar or in the uprooted reality of life's devastations, that pain reverberates with us all. For that reason I included some real world footage, which may be highly upsetting.

Lacrimosa dies illa / Full of tears will be that day
Qua resurget ex favilla / When from the ashes shall arise
Judicandus homo reus. / The guilty man for Judgment's eyes.

For whose days are now full of tears, and for whom will there ever be judgment, or justice?

Huic ergo parce, Deus: / Therefore spare him, God:
Pie Jesu Domine, / Merciful Lord Jesus,
Dona eis requiem. Amen. / Grant them eternal rest. Amen.

---

In Mozart's final days of life, according to his wife Constanze, he believed he was writing the immensely beautiful Requiem in D Minor for himself.

It is stunning that this brutally haunting movement was only 8 bars completed before his death. The capable composer Süssmayr stepped in to quietly finish the piece.

Why do none of Süssmayr's other works not equal the beauty of this movement? Was it that what Mozart laid out was so enriched with compelling musical material that finishing it logically would produce a masterwork? Perhaps, instead, Süssmayr rose to the occasion like no other, in appreciation of the gravity of the writing opportunity. Or perhaps, it is just retrospective embellishing the piece's greatness, egged on by the tragedy of a great genius' death and the rumors and fictions that lived on in its wake that makes us appreciate the Requiem so dearly.

Composer: W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)Music: Requiem in D Minor, Sequentia 6: LacrimosaImagery generated with Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and RunwayMLI felt a grea...

10/15/2023

New Music Video: Six Decemories, a suite for solo piano.

Composed some years ago, these easy miniatures comprise a suite of evoking the icy wind and quiet solemnity of winter. The project is part of my ongoing efforts to bring classical composition to a wider audience with the use of and video. This time, the video is sort of like a "virtual fireplace," not going anywhere or doing any storytelling but more simply exploring a six landscapes as a visual backdrop.

I only have 3 days left in my Final Cut Pro trial :'( But it's been a fun learning experience and I still plan to continue to put out music with images. Please, let me know what you think and share with your friends who might enjoy!

Six Decemories: Miniature Suite for Solo Piano (2015)I. Qanique, Allegro non troppo (00:07–01:10) II. Elderstad, Andante cantabile (01:10–02:15)III. Virveldr...

07/29/2023

Classical Music Videos are an underexplored genre, I think? Do you have any favorites? Here is my first attempt at using art and animation to create a music video, for one of my orchestral works "Magnet Sky"– runner-up winner of the 2019 Highsmith Competition.

Alex Goodhart is a composer, pianist, and teacher currently located in Philadelphia | alexgoodhart.com/lessonsMagnet Sky was written in 2017 and received r...

07/17/2023

🎉Today is the birthday of an extraordinary woman: Hannah Szenes, a hero of the holocaust and composer of powerful poetry.✨

Born July 17, 1921, in Budapest, Szenes joined resistance movements in WW2 and bravely volunteered to save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. Despite being captured and enduring torture by the N***s, she did not waver in her determination and protected crucial information to the end.

Before the war, she was an enthusiastic student of drama and literature. Through her poetry, she illustrates hope, love, and resilience in the face of adversity.

Although tragically executed at just 23 years old, Hannah Szenes remains a symbol and reminder to stand up for what is right. Here is my composition "Blessed is the Match," setting her eponymous poem for violin, timpani, and men's chorus. Premiered by the incomparable Empire City Men's Chorus 🕯🌟

This piece of choral music was commissioned by the Empire City Men's Choir for a concert theme of "darkness into light." I was lucky enough to find a perfect...

06/08/2023

Hey everyone, Happy Pride Month! Thinking about the importance of folks being able to choose the life and love they were born for, and to pursue these in freedom from harassment from their neighbors and governments, I hope that everybody's June is a pocketful of rainbows. ❤️❤️❤️

05/30/2023

My KYRIE for Double Choir can make a beautiful, show-stopping moment in your fine arts ensemble's performance— or provide a powerful and moving introduction for your liturgical congregation.

The piece is written for audiences of all backgrounds and beliefs and uses the famous prayer in a magnificently new setting.

Click to hear a wonderful performance by the Choral Chameleon Institute's singers! Works for chorus and more are available by reaching out to this page directly or [email protected]

Alex Goodhart is a composer, pianist, and teacher currently located in Philadelphia. alexgoodhart.com/lessonsKyrie Eleison is a richly storied prayer, taking...

05/20/2023

Hi, all! I wanted to start sharing my music online more. Here's my most recently performed work, DIVIDED, for orchestra.

I was fortunate to connect with Emily Ray, conductor of the Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose, CA. It was a great experience working with Emily and the players in rehearsal, and I was so grateful that they gave this piece its first breath.

Program notes:
DIVIDED is a multi-movement work of concert music for medium to large orchestra.

The music is inspired by the increasing sociopolitical tension of the 21st century. It is subtitled "An American Symphony" as the composer’s perspective is rooted in his home country, where the cultural disparity between ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ persons has grown to increasing economic and geographic disparity, acts of gun violence and political terrorism, and several of the country’s historically largest political demonstrations such as the George Floyd Protests and the Women’s March on Washington.

The composer finds the spirit of this contemporary political era especially dangerous for the safety and prosperity of like-minded individuals as well as various cultures and creeds.

The music seeks, however, to illustrate societal divide without partisanship. Thematics are not drawn from or prescribed to individuals or specific ideologies. Instead, the music portrays division via a musical language marked by tension, aggression, and ever- shifting focus.

The Overture is marked by constant undulation in dynamics and texture. Ideas quickly transition and the thematic through-line is often interrupted in favor of a dramatic arc that grows towards calamity.

Alex is a composer, pianist, and teacher currently located in Philadelphia. alexgoodhart.com/lessonsDIVIDED is a multi-movement work of concert music for med...