Biography
Website: www.davidheuser.com
Critics have praised David Heuser's music, calling it "thoughtful, beautiful and wonderfully made", "all-American music at its most dynamic and visceral" and "just the sort of music classical music needs more of."
David Heuser began composing almost immediately after his first piano lessons at the age of seven, writing short tunes in imitation of the exercises he was studying. He continued to write music throughout his childhood, some for piano, chorus, and wind ensemble, and some for the rock bands he was in. After high school, he attended the Eastman School of Music and then the Indiana University School of Music, where he received his doctorate degree in music composition in 1995. A native of New Jersey, Heuser is the Associate Dean at The Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. Prior to this, he resided in San Antonio, Texas for fourteen years teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio .
Heuser is a storyteller, crafting emotional journeys for listeners, but his stories go beyond words to things only music can speak to. His over 70 compositions range from exuberant orchestral works to intimate chamber pieces. His most characteristic works are rhythmically active, strongly melodic, and often deal with extremes of tempo, dynamics and register. Just as a painter fills space, a composer fills time, and it is Heuser s goal to lead the listener through the time his music occupies in a way that is compelling and moving.
Heuser's music has been performed by various groups and individuals and on festivals and conferences throughout the United States and abroad. He has received commissions from such ensembles as the San Antonio Symphony, the New York Youth Symphony, the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, the SOLI Chamber Ensemble, the AURA Contemporary Ensemble, and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, and grants from ASCAP, the American Music Center, and the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. Heuser has won a variety of awards including the Columbia Orchestra American Composer Competition, the Fauxharmonic Orchestra Composition Contest, and the New England String Quartet International Composition Competition.
Heuser's music is published by Non Sequitur Music, and works of his can be found on recordings on the Albany , Capstone , and Equilibrium labels. Heuser is a founding member of the Composers Alliance of San Antoino (CASA) , and his work O The White Towns can be found on that group's first CD "Works by San Antonio Composers Performed by San Antonio Performers"
CDs containing works by David Heuser:
Radiance with What passes for discourse
Musica, Por Un Tiempo with Catching Updrafts
Klassics4Kids with The Golden Ax
Tango Magnetism with Deep Blue Spiral
not here, but there
Twilight Remembered with Still Life with Fruit
The Voice of the Composer: New Music from Bowling Green, Vol. 2 with Cauldron
Juggernaut with Deep Blue Spiral
Composers' Alliance of San Antonio: Works by San Antonio Composers Performed by San Antonio Performers with O The White Towns
Works by Genre
Orchestra and String Orchestra
Large Mixed Ensemble
Band
Chamber Ensemble
Piano
Strings
Winds
Percussion
Vocal
Opera
Works with Tape and/or Electonics
Click on the title of any work for detailed information.
Orchestral Music
Moments
Rental: $90.00/$75.00; Purchase: $200.00/$150.00
2019, 21 minuntes/17 minutes (6 or 5 Movements)
String Orchestra
Six Songs by Charles Ives
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $250.00
2014, 12 minutes
arranged for solo voice and orchestra: 3222 4331, hrp, timp, 2 perc, strings
audio available
Three Lopsided Dances
Rental: $150.00; Purchase: $350.00
2008, 18 minutes (3 Movements)
Orchestra: 3333 4331, hrp, pno, timp, 4 perc, strings or 2222 4331, hrp (optional), timp, 2 perc, strings
audio available
Something Miraculous Burns
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $250.00
2007, 10 minutes
Orchestra: 3333 4331, pno, timp, 3 perc, strings
audio available
Elegy, September 11
Rental: $40.00; Purchase: $75.00
2001, 7 minutes
String Orchestra
audio available
Cauldron
Rental: $80.00; Purchase: $200.00
1995, 7 minutes
Orchestra: 3232 4231, pno, harp, timp, 3 perc, strings
audio available
Moon Cycles
Rental: $150.00; Purchase: $350.00
1995 (revised 1998), 18 minutes (3 movements)
Orchestra: 3233 4231, pno, harp, timp, 3 perc, strings
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Music for Large Mixed Ensembles
Absolutely and Forever
Rental: $100.00 ; Purchase: $225.00
2017, 16 minutes
for 17 players: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, 2 percussion, piano, harp, 2 violin, viola, cello,
double bass
audio available
Chaoborus
Rental: $50.00 ; Purchase: $100.00
1993, 8 minutes
flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, 2 violin, viola, cello,
double bass
audio available
Band and Wind Ensemble Music
THA-RAAKK!!
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $250.00
2020, 8 minutes
Concert Band
Equus Rex
Purchase: $50.00
1986/2014, 5 minutes
Jazz Band
audio available
Fever Tokens
Rental: $75.00; Purchase: $150.00
1992, 9 minutes
Wind Ensemble: 4 fl, 3 ob, 4 cl, 5 sax (2, 2, 1), 2 bsn, 4 hn, 3 tpt, 3 trb, 2 bari hn, tb, 4 perc
audio available
Dragons
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $200.00
1987, 16 minutes (3 movements)
Wind Ensemble: picc, 3 fl (3rd dbl picc), 3 ob (3rd dbl Eh), Eb cl, 3 Bb cl, bass cl, 5 sax (2, 2, 1), 3 bsn (3rd dbl cbsn), 4 hn, 3 tpt, 3 trb, tb, piano, timp, 4 perc
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Music for Mixed Chamber Ensembles
Taxi of Midnight
Purchase: $50.00
2015, 15 minutes
flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, & percussion
audio available
Catching Updrafts
Purchase: $30.00
2000, 13 minutes
Bb clarinet, violin, cello, piano
audio available
Ocean
Rental: $30.00; Purchase: $50.00
1993, 17 minutes (3 movements)
flute/piccolo/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Piano Music
Skallagrimsson
Purchase: $20.00
1993, 6 minutes, 30 seconds
piano and tape
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
String Music
November
Purchase: $45.00
2019, 11 minutes
violin, cello, piano
Flyby
Purchase: $15.00
2016, 7 minutes
guitar duet
audio available
Thin Green Traces
Purchase: $20.00
2006, 25 minutes (5 movements)
violin, piano
audio available
Wheel
Purchase: $15.00
1993, 8 minutes
violin, piano
audio available
Te Po-teki
Purchase: $7.00
1992, 7 minutes
violin
audio available
Regicide
Purchase: $5.00
1990, 10 minutes
cello
Piano Trio
Purchase: $20.00
1997, 7 minutes
violin, cello, piano
audio available
String Quartet No. 1
Purchase: $25.00
1988, 20 minutes (3 movements)
2 violins, viola, cello
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Music for Winds
Insomnia
Purchase: $45.00
2023, 23 minutes
woodwind quintet
Rope
Purchase: $45.00
2019, 5 minutes, 45 seconds
trombone ensemble
audio available
...recalculating...
Purchase: $20.00
2013, 7 minutes, 30 seconds
oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon
audio available
To Light
Purchase: $20.00
2008, 2 minutes
double brass quintet
audio available
Still Life with Fruit
Purchase: $10.00
1996, 6 minutes
flute, percussion (bell tree, 3 sus. cym., cowbell, wood blk., small gong, 3 tomtoms, bass dr., vibes)
audio available
Cutting the Circle
Purchase: $10.00
1997, 9 minutes, 30 seconds
oboe, piano
audio available
Sanddef
Purchase: $3.00
1989, 3 minutes, 30 seconds
bass clarinet
Morfran
Purchase: $3.00
1987, 4 minutes
bass clarinet
audio available
Deep Blue Spiral
Purchase: $20.00
1998, 7 minutes, 30 seconds
alto saxophone and tape
audio available
Octet
Purchase: $45.00
1997, 20 minutes (4 movements)
flute, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Percussion Music
Not here, but there
Purchase: $40.00
2006, 10 minutes
percussion ensemble (12 players)
audio available
Going to Vermont
Purchase: $20.00
2003, 9 minutes, 30 seconds
amplified marimba, computer music (tape)
audio available
Still Life with Fruit
Purchase: $10.00
1996, 6 minutes
flute, percussion (bell tree, 3 sus. cym., cowbell, wood blk., small gong, 3
tomtoms,
bass dr., vibes)
audio available
Secrets
Purchase: $15.00
1990, 6 minutes
Percussion Sextet (crotales, vibraphone, chimes, three triangles, three gongs, four
cymbals, and four brake drums)
audio available
Totem
Purchase: $15.00
1989, 4 minutes
Percussion Sextet (two xylophones, two marimbas, two log drums, five timple
blocks, and two wood blocks)
audio available
The Way of the Animal Powers
Purchase: $15.00
1989, 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Percussion Sextet (4 bongoes, 4 timbales, two sets of 4 tomtoms, and two sets of
3 timpani)
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Vocal Music
Six Songs by Charles Ives
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $250.00
2014, 12 minutes
arranged for solo voice and orchestra: 3222 4331, hrp, timp, 2 perc, strings
audio available
Joy's Aria ("I used to love coming here")
Purchase: $3.00
2011, 5 minutes
soprano, piano
audio available
Faye's Aria ("I knew coming back here was a mistake")
Purchase: $3.00
2011, 5 minutes
soprano, piano
audio available
"Mine" Trio
Purchase: $3.00
2011, 4 minutes
two sopranos, baritone, piano
audio available
Since I Was Young (Pemmie's Aria)
Purchase: $3.00
2011, 4 minutes, 30 seconds
tenor, piano
audio available
Oh, To Speak (Claudio's Song)
Purchase: $3.00
2011, 5 minutes
baritone, piano
Arrows
Purchase: $15.00 / $30.00
2006, 23 minutes
baritone, piano or baritone, clarinet, cello, piano
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Opera
A Brief History of Root Vegetables
2010, three act comic opera, roughly 2 1/2 hours
13 named parts + chorus
14 player ensemble (1111 1110 pno perc strings)
audio available
The Golden Ax
Rental: $100.00; Purchase: $200.00
2006, 25 minute one act opera
baritone, soprano, woodwind quintet
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Works with Tape and/or Electronics
Going to Vermont
Purchase: $20.00
2003, 9 minutes, 30 seconds
amplified marimba, computer music (tape)
audio available
Deep Blue Spiral
Purchase: $20.00
1998, 7 minutes, 30 seconds
alto saxophone and tape
audio available
Skallagrimsson
Purchase: $20.00
1993, 6 minutes, 30 seconds
piano and tape
audio available
Back to the top of the page.
Non Sequitur Music Publishing
2112 Ontario Street
Bellingham, WA 98229
USA
Email: nsm@nonsequiturmusic.com
Copyright © 1998; 2008, Non Sequitur Music Publishing
These pages are continually revised and updated.
Email any questions about this page to webmaster@nonsequiturmusic.com