Online Library

John Craton

AboutCompositions

Contact Info

http://www.craton.net

Born in Anniston, Alabama, John Craton hails from an extended family of musicians, including both professionals and amateurs. His own career began on the violin at the age of ten, and he began studying piano at fourteen. He made his first feeble attempts at composing at age eleven. Craton demonstrated rapid advancement on both violin and piano and was playing in the Jacksonville State University String Orchestra while still in high school. He studied violin under Robert Louis Barron and John Maltese; piano under Louis Culver and Ouida Susie Francis; and music theory and composition under Gerald Moore and Henry Fusner. He began accepting private students in 1971 and has taught both violin and piano in Alabama, Tennessee, and Indiana. He received his B.A. from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and his M.A. from Indiana University, Bloomington. Craton has played violin in the Jacksonville State University String Orchestra and the JSU String Trio, and piano with the JSU Woodwind Quintet. He also played violin, rebec, viola da gamba, and recorder with the Lipscomb University Early Music Consort and maintains an active interest in early music to this day. In 1973 he appeared in the Henry Fusner production of The Play of Daniel on rebec. He played briefly as second violin in the now-defunct Helen Fowler String Quartet of Indianapolis. Craton has appeared in numerous other recitals in Alabama, Tennessee, and Indiana, both as soloist and as accompanist. Due to a hand injury suffered in the fall of 2002, he was forced to abandon any hope of further public performance. Since that time he has dedicated himself to teaching and composing. He currently resides in Indiana with his wife and three sons. Craton’s music has been performed by such artists and ensembles as Sebastiaan de Grebber, Lester Turner, John Tabler, Ferdinand Binnendijk, Het CONSORT, Het Orkest van het Oosten, and the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. His works include a number of compositions for chamber ensembles ranging from violin to marimba and piano; two operas (Inanna: An Opera of Ancient Sumer, based on ancient Sumerian texts, and The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto, a comic chamber opera); orchestral works such as Pagan Festivals for string orchestra, Beowulf (two versions, one a suite for ancient instruments and the other an orchestral suite), three mandolin concertos and a double concerto for two mandolins and orchestra, a concerto for tuba and orchestra, and a setting of Mongolian folk songs for viola and orchestra; and vocal compositions including The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock for tenor and strings and several song cycles. A number of his works are currently available in print from Wolfhead Music. When not involved in music, Craton enjoys watching the Mets play baseball in the summer, the Saints football in the fall, and sumo wrestling whenever it is available in the U.S. He is an avid reader and has a special interest in history, particularly ancient history and the history of the First World War era. Mr. Craton is a member of ASCAP, AMC, the American String Teachers Association, Opera America, the Classical Mandolin Society of America, and the Indiana Music Teachers Association.

Title	Ensemble Type	Composed	Duration	Media
Four Whimsies	Unspecified Instrument(s)		00:09:00
Variations on a Traditional Theme	Solo instrument, non-keyboard		00:08:00
Petite Suite for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice		00:11:00
Dance of the Fey	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice		00:05:00
Gilgamesh Overture	Orchestra	2007	00:05:00	Gilgamesh Overture
Apologetic Waltz	Orchestra	2007	00:04:00	Apologetic Waltz Apologetic Waltz
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Major	Keyboard	2007	00:17:00
The Parliament of Fowls	Opera/Theater	2007	45:00:00	The Parliament of Fowls
Romanza for Clarinet & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2007	00:07:00
The Reconciliation	Opera/Theater	2007	01:15:00	The Reconciliation The Reconciliation
The Fashionable Lady	Opera/Theater	2007	03:15:00	The Fashionable Lady The Fashionable Lady
12 Variations on "La Follia"	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2007	00:09:00
L’ombre de la tour d’horloge	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2007	00:05:00
Trois soeurs assyriennes	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2007	00:11:00
Sonata for Solo Violin	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2007	00:11:00
Bloemen van Spanje (Flowers of Spain)	Orchestra	2007	00:20:04	Bloemen van Spanje (Flowers of Spain)
Mandolin Concerto No. 4 in G Major	Orchestra	2007	00:16:00	Mandolin Concerto No. 4 in G Major
Gorillas	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2007	00:03:30
La boîte à musique (The Music Box)	Orchestra	2007	00:19:00	La boîte à musique (The Music Box)
Triptych for String Orchestra	Orchestra	2007	00:09:20	Triptych for String Orchestra Triptych for String Orchestra Triptych for String Orchestra Triptych for String Orchestra
Vasya Whitefeet	Opera/Theater	2006	00:45:00
Quatuor pour les jeunes	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:13:00
Elementals	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:13:00
Five Apothegms For Violin, Horn, And Trombone	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:08:00
Sonatina in F for Recorder and Harpsichord	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:09:00	Sonatina in F for Recorder and Harpsichord Sonatina in F for Recorder and Harpsichord Sonatina in F for Recorder and Harpsichord
Sonata Colloquia for Marimba & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:13:00
Concerto for 2 Mandolins & Orchestra	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2006	00:17:00	Concerto for 2 Mandolins & Orchestra Concerto for 2 Mandolins & Orchestra Concerto for 2 Mandolins & Orchestra Concerto for 2 Mandolins & Orchestra
The Gray Wolf	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2006	00:07:00
Dioses aztecas	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2006	00:25:00
Tango	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:04:00
Variations from Der Fluyten Lust-hof of Jakob Van Eyck	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2006	00:28:00
String Quartet	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2006	00:22:00
The Legend of Princess Noccalula	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2005	00:10:00	The Legend of Princess Noccalula The Legend of Princess Noccalula
Sonatina No. 3 for Violin & Mandolin	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2005	00:09:00
Mandolin Concerto No. 1 in D Minor	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2005	00:17:00	Mandolin Concerto No. 1 in D Minor
Mandolin Concerto No. 2 in D Major	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2005	00:20:00	Mandolin Concerto No. 2 in D Major
Sonatina No. 2 for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2005	00:12:00
Songs for Children, Book 2	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2005	00:20:00
Beowulf Orchestral Suite	Orchestra	2005	00:50:00	Beowulf Orchestral Suite
Mandolin Concerto No. 3 in E Minor	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2005	00:20:00	Mandolin Concerto No. 3 in E Minor
Tuba Concerto	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	2005	00:19:00	Tuba Concerto
Six Pantomimes for Two Mandolins	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2005	00:15:00
Songs for Children, Book 1	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2004	00:17:00
Ann Putnam Overture	Orchestra	2004	00:05:00	Ann Putnam Overture Ann Putnam Overture
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2004	00:30:00
Pagan Festivals	Orchestra	2004	00:24:00	Pagan Festivals
Jardin sentimental : Cinq poèmes d’Émile Nelligan	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2004	00:16:00
The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto	Opera/Theater	2004	02:30:00	The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto
Voyageur de temps : un ballet électronique	Electronic Instruments and Sound Sources	2003	00:08:30	Voyageur de temps : un ballet électronique
Six Japanese Songs	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2003	00:09:00
Inanna Orchestral Suite	Orchestra	2003	00:30:00	Inanna Orchestral Suite
Mongolian Folk Songs for Viola & Orchestra	Orchestra	2003	00:22:00	Mongolian Folk Songs for Viola & Orchestra
Inanna: An Opera of Ancient Sumer	Opera/Theater	2003	02:50:00
Sonata for Violin, Clarinet & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2003	00:13:00
Three Paintings by Nikolai Blokhin	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2003	00:14:00	Three Paintings by Nikolai Blokhin
Sonatina No. 1 for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:11:00
Antebellum Suite for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:18:00
Divertissements médiévaux	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:28:00
Scherzo for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:04:30
Four Cornish Sketches for Violin & Piano	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2002	00:15:30
Beowulf: A Suite for Ancient Instruments	Unspecified Instrument(s)	2002	00:50:00
Bag o’ Tails	Keyboard	2001	00:29:00
Piano Sonata in Free Form	Keyboard	1998	00:21:00
Five Observations	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1974	00:12:00
An Aestuary (A Calm Evening)	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1974	00:01:45

New Music USA Online Library

Explore

John Craton

New Music USA Online Library

Explore

Login

John Craton