Julian Leeks Music for Clarinet and Piano duration: 8 minutes Music for Clarinet and Piano The base material for this piece is provided by two very short and simple melodic motifs. The first, G-F#-A, is found in the opening two bars, the second is its answer F-E-G#. All subsequent melodic material is derived from these motifs. They also provide the middle six notes of a palindromic 10-note mode from which the piece's harmonies originate. The rhythmic writing is similarly developmental with a few short, pithy rhythmic cells providing the material for subsequent use. The essence of the piece is, however, of a dramatic narrative charting the growth and development of the two fundamental motifs. Julian Leeks was born in 1968 and attended Whitefriars School, Cheltenham. He studied music at Cardiff University, with Michael Robinson and Anthony Powers, before being awarded an RVW Trust scholarship to take an MA in composition at Bristol University studying with Wyndham Thomas and Robert Saxton. Julian's music is essentially dramatic in nature. Short motifs are treated much like characters in a play - constantly interacting and shaping each other's development. Consequently his compositional style is rigorously developmental and material resources are kept to a minimum. In recent pieces rhythm has assumed a more dominant structural role. Compositions include Symphonic Impromptu; Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano; Barcelona for electronic media; The Escape of Mr. Punch for chamber orchestra; Bronze by Gold for soprano and piano; She Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven for soprano and guitar. He is currently working on a string quartet and a piece for percussion ensemble. Back to shortlist.