Choral, Instrumental and Chamber Music Compositions and Arrangements

Welcome to this portfolio of musical compositions and arrangements, and thank you for your interest!
In the right-hand column beneath here you should see an alphabetical list of works. You can also choose a list of works with a particular label. Alternatively, you can search for a keyword. (Transcriptions and unpublishable works are listed in a page linked at the bottom, if you are interested.) The files here are all freely available. They do carry copyright, but feel free to adapt and/or perform them as you wish, as long as you print/acknowledge the originator (me!) It is always nice to hear from you if you use any of these compositions and arrangements (my email: philiplebas@gmail.com), but this is not a requirement. My main hope, as for many composers, is simply that the works are performed and appreciated. Happy music-making!
Philip

Key to linked files:
pdf = printed score or parts
mp3 = sound file
midi = midi sound file
mxl = compressed MusicXML source file
sib = Sibelius source file, mostly in Sibelius 8 or Sibelius Ultimate format
sib 6 = Sibelius version 6 source file

For access to many of these works via a commercial publisher, go to SheetMusicPlus/published-by-Philip-Le Bas.

The Pond

Scoring: Piano solo

Date: 2023

A three-minute piano solo inspired by the classic Japanese haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694):

Furu ike ya
kawasu tobikomu
mizu no oto
("Old pond;
frog jumps in;
sound of water.")

The world is here experienced through the senses of the frog! In the extended initial section of the piece the ancient pond's ripples and shimmering reflections in the water are heard, creating an atmosphere of deep calm and quiet meditation. After a while the frog begins its preparation for jumping: barely detectable vibrations become more and more apparent within the pond's ongoing ripples. Suddenly the frog tenses its muscles and leaps into the air. After a moment of expectant silence the frog hits the water with an enormous splash. The displaced water then also rises up and crashes down in a cascade of colour and noise. It takes some time for the sound of the upheaval to dissipate, but eventually the familiar ripples become apparent once again and the pond returns to its original serenity and timelessness.

This composition is intended to be relatively easy to perform. It was written in response to a challenge set by Haruko Seki at Morley College, London, to write a piece based on a haiku for her piano students in Japan. My thanks go to her for suggesting it!

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi mxl sib sib 6

N.B. This computer-generated video and the mp3 sound file are only approximate!

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