Music
My Compositions
Here are some selections from my 22+ years of compositional output. I hope you enjoy them. This list will be updated periodically as I get more of my work recorded. Sheet music is also available for some of my pieces.
Electronic & Pop
Fast Taxi (2010)
download | recording: created as a demo for Acoustica Mixcraft 5
Fool Me Once (2008)
download | recording: created as a demo for Acoustica Mixcraft 4
Music for “Armed and Dangerous” (2006)
download | recording: the background music for a spoof on an Autotrader commercial
Solo & Chamber Music
Baby's Bottom Rag (2001)
download | sheet music | recording: 2001 UWSP Composer's Concert
Orchestra and Band
Thumbelina (2006)
download | recording: Dance of the Flower Fairies, Grand Dance and Transformation
download | recording: Frigid Dance of the Snowflakes
download | recording: Dance of the Locusts
download | recording: Dance of the Autumn Leaves
download | recording: Thumbelina's Dance
download | recording: The Tadpoles and the Goldfish
A ballet commissioned by the Monroe-Jackson Dance Theatre of Central Wisconsin. It was performed in the spring of 2007. These excerpts are from the dance rehearsal CD I made with Cakewalk Home Studio 4 and various collected orchestral SoundFont banks.
Piano
Face to the Sun (2009)
Face to the Sun posted by Grant Billings on Vimeo.
This is the first of my experiments in techno-pop piano technique. More to come :)
Strict on Black (1995, rev. 2008)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
In the style of a folk dance, this song uses only the black keys on the piano. The original 1995 version was very basic, so I took my original themes and structure and re-composed the piece in 2008.
When He Speaks (1999)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
I wrote this song as inspiration for my sister when she was going through a difficult decision in her life. The melody, with it's echoes at different octaves, represents walking with God as He guides a person through life's twists and turns.
The Ponies Are Loose (1988)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
I wrote this rag at age nine, a time when I was obsessed with Scott Joplin. I submitted it to the WMTA composition contest but was degraded by the judge because the piece was “not in ragtime form.” If it's not ragtime form, then neither are The Maple Leaf Rag, The Entertainer and many other Joplin favorites.
Desert Dawn (2007)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
This song makes me feel nostalgic, and I'm not sure why. I can't think of anything in particular that it reminds me of, but there must be something deep in my past that I'm probably ripping off (besides the title).
Prelude #1 in D major (2008)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
An improvisation inspired by the famous C major Prelude by J. S. Bach, with its repeating, almost hypnotic patterns.
Dream (1997)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
Another improvisation.
Sonata K. 556 (2001)
A tongue-in-cheek attempt to compose a sonata in the style of Domenico Scarlatti.
Sonatina #1 in C minor (2005)
A short, easy Sonatina I composed for some of my students.
The Gift (2000)
download | sheet music | recording: created using Pianissimo
When I wrote this song, I didn't really think much of it. My composition professor really liked it, though, so I'm putting it on this page for that reason alone.
