Mark Thomas

I was born on July 1, 1954 and raised in Dundas, Ontario, Canada.   As a teenager, I taught myself to play guitar, lute and various other instruments.   At age 28, I started taking piano lessons, but I was more interested in composition.   I was fortunate enough to have a number of pieces for string quartet aired on CBC Radio   Around 1999, I started taking piano lessons from Francine McIsaac, who encouraged me to spend more time on composition.   I entered three composition competitions sponsored by the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA) and placed 2nd in each one.   My success at composition inspired me to enter McMaster University as a part-time music student.   It was there I wrote the "McMaster Suite" and "Tales of Another Time."   I came to the attention of the Dundas Valley Orchestra and agreed to become their resident composer.   I wrote a number of compositions for the orchestra and I am grateful that the DVO has performed in concert all the pieces I wrote for them.   The DVO has also performed my first symphony in January 2010.  "Meditations By The Sea" from the symphony was performed by the McMaster Chamber Orchestra in March 2010

I decided to teach myself html language to make my own website and this is the fruits of my labour.   (This year I have noticed the some of the commands, like "align" in the version of html I used, do not work with the newer browser, "Chrome." I will have to update the website.)   Deciding which songs to include was difficult.   I have written at least a thousand songs and arrangements over the years (and only one lyric) and they are all my children.   I don't want to play favourites, so I may change the songs in the future.

I have joined the 21st century and uploaded movies to youtube. Many of the songs here will play with the video of the score on the screen.   My name on youtube is MrThomamd. If you are interested in purchasing a hardcopy or pdf version, write to me.

There are many people who affected my life as a composer.   Some of these people include Dr. Gillian Howarth, Vivian Paide, Paul Benton, Jordan Abraham, Francine McIsaac, Dr. Keith Kinder and Dr. Glenn Mallory.   To these people (and there are many more), I express my gratitude.

Thank You from Mark Thomas, January 20th, 2012

I can be reached at mark[at]markthomas[dot]ca   I will try to respond back

Songs for Chamber Orchestra

While an undergraduate at McMaster University, I used to give Dr. Keith Kinder, conductor of the student orchestra, homemade CDs of songs I had written.   On one specific day, Dr. Kinder said, "I like these. Can you arrange them for chamber orchestra?"   Ergo, the "McMaster Suite" was born.   Here is the audio of the McMaster University Chamber Orchestra performing the work on November 14, 2004. The score can be seen by clicking on the Youtube link.

	Overture	A modal movement begins the suite.
	Hommage To Satie	A movement featuring the string section of the orchestra in the style of Satie.
	Linda's Waltz	A woodwind ensemble waltz based on one of my piano compositions for a friend.
	Variations In Green	A movement dreaming of open spaces.
	Finale	The finale of the suite in which serval melodies from the suite re-appear.

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Songs for Flute Ensemble

Following the success of the McMaster Suite, Dr. Kinder asked it I could write something for the flute ensemble. Here I present, "Tales of Another Time Suite", a work detailing a fictionalized account of the life of Queen Elizabeth I. Due To technical problems with the tape of the concert, here is my electronic rendition. To see the score, click on the Youtube link.

	A Lute plays	This piece sets the mood and time period. We are presented with the time of the Tudor rule and Princess Elizabeth.
	Musing	The male heir of Henry VIII dies and Elizabeth I ponders her fate as the ruler of all England.
	Procession of Royals	Around her, advisors tried to arrange a marriage partner for her. This piece depicts a parade of hopeful suitors. Elizabeth never did marry.
	Orianna's Lament	Whenever poets or composers of the time wanted to write about the queen, they used her pet name, "Orianna." The piece, "Orianna's Lament" depicts an older queen wondering about her life and wondering what happened.
	In Another Time	This piece closes the story and the time period.

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Songs for String Quartet

A song written in memory of a sister, Shari-Ann Margaret Thomas, whose life was cut short by breast cancer.   The performers were Carol King, Julie Kim, Alexander Caudarella and Eli Graybiel. This was recorded at McMaster University by Jordan Abraham of Studio J, Hamilton.

In Memory of a Sister

In 1996, I was trying to teach myself how to write for string quartet.   Here are some of the pieces from a demo collection I called, "Just Thinking."   The quartet performers are Mike Schulte, Brian West, Terry Ball and Mark Russom. Recording by Jordan Abraham.

The Gathering  On A Wonderful Day Like Today  There Will Never Be Another You  Sandra's Song
Renaissance Song  Remembrance  Minor Lassie

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Songs for Piano

The following pieces are part of a collection I call, "Songs Without Words."   They were performed by Francine McIsaac, an excellent piano teacher, educator and Royal Conservatory Examiner in Hamilton, Ontario.   Jordan Abraham did the recording. Anyone that is interested in purchasing a music book of the songs listed below can write to me. I have hardcopy books which I can sell to you for $24.95 (CDN) a copy. (Teacher discounts available.)  This includes shipping, handling and taxes for Canadian and U.S. orders. For orders from other countries, write to me. The book is about 40 beautifully printed pages, coil bound with a clear front and a black back.

	For A Dancer	This piece was inspired by seeing a dancer that obviously had studied ballet.		Love Lost	A piece about unrequited love.
	Hymn	A piece requesting world peace.		Nightride	A piece about just driving around at night looking at the sites.
	Meditations By The Sea	A piece about sailors and the sea. My first attempt at using extended chords.		Toreador's Serenade	If you ever need to psych yourself up...
	Hommage To Satie	A beautiful melody in the style of Satie.		Linda's Waltz	A gift piece for a friend when I heard that she was taking piano lessons.
	Oriental Fantasy	An early piece. It is interesting in that not one white piano key is used as only the black keys are used.		The Last Train	An amusing piece. The last train is leaving...
	Song Without Words	Inspired by the music of Mendelsohnn.		Loneliness	Not a good day while at the piano....
	Farewell, My Friend	A song of farewell.

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Songs for Guitar

The following pieces were composed and/or arranged to help my hand recover after a stroke.

A Lute Plays  Musing  Procession of Royals  Orianna's Lament  In Another Time
Song for nephew Aidan  Song For nephew Dylan

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Drafts for the Dundas Valley Orchestra

The piece, "Journey To Jerusalem" has a story that goes along with it. It is a story of a old Jewish man who wishes to travel to Jerusalem to relive is youth and dance with his relatives. Whether or not he actually goes or just imagines it is unimportant. A flute/harp duet is the sound of city calling out to him. The city is a long way off, but he starts out walking. As he gets nearer and nearer to the city, he walks faster and faster as his excitement grows. Once at the city, he begins to dance. The dance is joined by his loved ones until everyone is dancing. After the dance, the old man is tired, but euphoric. He begins the walk home refreshed with the sound of the city saying, "Farewell."

The piece, "Into The Light", chronicals my transition in mood from a depression to joy. When I started it, I was in a deep depression. The piece begins with a big D minor chord which is followed by other instruments in the key of D minor. As the piece progresses, it becomes lighter and lighter. There is a rule in composition that a good melody in a minor key will produce a good melody in a major key and vise versa. As my depression was ending, I switched to the major key and repeated the music. It ends with 3 big F major chords.

Into The Light

Celebration Suite draft written for the Dundas Valley Orchestra's 30th Aniversary in 2008.

"In The Valley Town" is a piece which I think captures the spirit of the town. The "Fugue in D minor" was written to showcase the brass section of the orchestra. Angel's Waltz" is a piece I wrote for string quartet and later arranged for string orchestra. Many members of the orchestra have come and gone over its 30 year history. With "Farewell My Friends", the orchestra says goodbye to all its past members... some who are still with us and some who have passed on. Over its history, the orchestra has encountered many setbacks, but overcame them all. "Celebration" is the actual celebratory piece. Here the orchestra says "Look We Made it 30 Years!"

In The Valley Town  Fugue In D Minor  Angel's Waltz  Farewell My Friends  Celebration

After my first symphony was performed, I wanted to get back to the way I used to write before I had to worry about classical form. On this site under "Songs for Piano" there is my piece called the "Oriental Fantasy" which I orchestrated and added a middle section. The end result, I called, "Little Butterfly." An interesting feature of the piece is that it only uses the notes of a C pentatonic scale (that is, all the piano white keys except "B" and "F".) The harmony is not tertian (based on thirds), but quartal (based on fourths) which adds to its oriental flavour.

Duncan Worthington was a long-term member of the Dundas Valley Orchestra.  He played violin, cello, and later, the tympani that he helped the orchestra obtain.  Unfortunately, he passed on last year. The DVO was asked to play two short pieces at a celebration service of his life.   I decided to write something for the orchestra to play.  As Duncan was always smiling, the first piece starts out as a dance.  The "Duncan Theme" intro music seems to say "Duncan Worthington" over and over.  After a while the music gets slower, more solemn and nostalgic.  It hits a low point where the Duncan theme is played in a minor key.  But this is supposed to be a celebration...the Duncan theme returns in the major key at full speed to remind us to be happy.  The second piece is an arrangement of "Variations In Green" from my "McMaster Suite." Duncan was in the orchestra when they played it in 2006 and liked the work.   I arranged it for string orchestra, added a harp and a cello (an instrument Duncan played).  The mp3 files below are basically what we played.  The DVO will always remember you, Duncan.

For Duncan    Variations In Green

"Linda's Waltz" is a piece I originally wrote for piano.  It was written as a present to a friend when I heard that she was taking lessons. It has appeared as part of my "McMaster Suite" and as a duet which Linda requested.  Laura Thomas (no relation), the DVO's new Musical Director, heard the woodwind version of the composition and wanted to include it in the upcoming concert.  "Can you add some strings?", she asked.  So here is the composition for woodwinds and strings, plus a lever harp.

Linda's Waltz

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Symphonies

My symphonies are just collections of songs that go together in my mind. I obviously listen to modern music as much as I listen to classical music. You will not find any profound truths in my movements...just a few tunes. There are those that will say that I broke this or that rule. Quite frankly, I do not care! Learning how music was written in the 18th Century in Europe can be interesting, but this is the 21st Century in Canada. It is a mistake to believe that some music is better because it is new; it is also a mistake to believe some music is better because it is old. I write to please myself. If others like it, it is a bonus. I get visitors from around the world. I must be doing something right!

The "Symphony No. 1" is my first attempt at a symphony which I did during the summer of 2009. The symphony starts out with a standard "Allegro" where I play with ascending and descending motifs and a dotted rhythm. For the "slow" movement, I arranged my composition, "Meditations By The Sea", which evokes the imagines of the ocean and sailors. In early symphonies, one of the movements was expected to be a "Minuet." A minuet was a complex dance which was danced by the royalty and reportedly took months to learn. I cannot dance, so I wrote, "Elephant's Minuet." It depicts an elephant trying the dance and is meant for the amusement of the younger audience. The "Finale" is written in a neo-Baroque style and is a happy way to end the symphony. This symphony is dedicated to the memory of my brother, Austin James Thomas, father, avid sailor and highschool principal.

Allegro
Meditations By The Sea
Elephant's Minuet
Finale

I thought that the Symphony No. 2 was a work in progress. I started it last year and put it aside for close to a year. I logged on tonight and listened to it. Perhaps it is a "keeper" as is and time I moved on. It starts out with a standard "Allegro." For those concerned about form, it is closer to a "sonata form" than I have been lately. The second movement is called "Rondeau Dolente" and translates to a sad movement in rondo form. I know that I stretched the form a bit, but in it I use melodies that wrote in the 1980's and wanted to to hear them again. "Shari's Waltz" is a simple waltz for my late sister. "Chamber Ditti" is just a happy ending to the symphony.

Allegro
Rondeau Dolente
Shari's Waltz
Chamber Ditti

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Some assorted duets I composed and still like

Linda's Waltz Duet
Angel's Waltz Duet
Flute-Bassoon Duet
Flute Aire

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Other Songs for Guitar

As some of you know, my studies at McMaster University were plagued by my having three strokes and a heart attack. So the question some are wondering is what I am doing now? I have been taking guitar lessons by correspondence, so it is only natural that some of the songs I write include a guitar part. Here I present some of the things I have been working on.

The "Guitar Concertino" sort of came out of the blue as a result of the inspiring environment created by my interactions with other guitar students. The first movement was written after hearing the DVO rehearse a piece based on the traditional "Lord of the Dance" melody. The second movement is a lament and is based on a piece I originally wrote upon the death of my father. The third movement is an adaption of the Finale from the "McMaster Suite."

Opening
Lament
Finale

The "Fugue" is a piece I originally wrote for brass. I changed the key and recorded it with over-driven guitars. The "Aeolian Dream" is just a simple song featuring classical and electric guitar leads.

Fugue for 3 Distorted Guitars and Bass Guitar
Aeolian Dream

Some assorted songs I composed and still like

Just some random songs in random order. The oldest is "Sunrise" which I did around 1980 and based on a my classical guitar piece from back in the 60's. The rest are taken from cassette tapes and homemade CDs I have made over the years. Please do not attempt to make out my life story from these songs. It cannot be done. I deliberately put them in random order to prevent that. Beside, I have tapes dating back to the early 1970s and I redo songs a lot. So the song and the instruments cannot be used to date songs. By the way, am I only one that can sing the words to "Away In A Manger" to the song for my nephew?