NMR Artist Spotlight: EXCLUSIVE Interview with Classical Composer David Warin Solomons David Warin Solomons is a lyrical neo-classical composer who uses various styles, including European (in various modes), Jewish, Chinese and Japanese. He has written chamber, solo, choral, vocal and orchestral music. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR MUSIC?  My music is inspired partly by the rhythms and feelings of poetry and religious texts and partly by my own improvisations. DOWNLOAD PSALM 23 TODAY AT CD BABY WHAT IS YOUR STORY?  I was born in 1953 to two poetic and artistic parents and soon found myself writing music, initially for classical guitar and then for various chamber music and choral ensembles, while singing with choirs in churches and cathedrals in England, Ireland and France. WHAT MAKES YOUR MUSIC EXTRAORDINARY/DIFFERENT?  I am self-taught as a composer, guitarist and singer, so, although I follow many of the dictates of tonal classical mu...

Graduale Aboense, hymn book of Turku, Finland. 14th-15th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The church used to be the home to phenomenal classical music like Bach's cantatas, Gregorian Chant , and Handel 's oratorios. What happened? What changed church music from being great to being a set list of repetitive 7/11 songs? What have we lost?  As a musician of over two decades, I have performed numerous Easter cantatas, Christmas programs, and music specials both as a professional and as a church patron. In 2008 I wrote a prize-winning sacred oratorio, Creation. Though I would hate to say it, I have to admit that the overall quality of the contemporary church musical repertoire seems low, with songs and cantatas riding the line between unimaginative and silly. I am not questioning their effectiveness in their overall purpose, but musically these works pale in comparison with the incredible masterpieces of Bach, Handel, or even contemporary composers John Rutter and Eric...