Maurice Saylor

Praised by The Washington Post for his “evocative, powerful, communicative music,” Maurice Saylor is a composer and lyricist with special affinities for vocal, chamber, and silent film music. His tuneful and quirky scores often showcase an interest in unusual combinations of instruments and blur the boundaries of style and genre. He has written film scores for the Snark Ensemble which he co-founded with Andrew Earle Simpson in 2005 to present live performances of the composer/performers’ new scores for vintage silent comedies. 

Saylor has written numerous works for the distinctive talent of clarinetist Ben Redwine. Two notable examples are the Comic Symphony for Clarinet and Piano (2011) (also available for clarinet and orchestra), and Adventures on a Saturday Afternoon, a fantasy for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble (2009). 

For the Cantate Chamber Singers he has created three major works: The Concerto in A for Cello and Vocal Orchestra (2008), The Habit of Creation (2019), and his magnum opus The Hunting of the Snark: an Agony in Eight Fits (2004), which was lauded at its second performance (2008) by The Washington Post thus: “It was irresistible from start to finish – clever, deeply engaging, and performed with enthusiasm and evident delight by everyone involved.” A recording of The Hunting of the Snark and three Snark Ensemble silent film scores is available on Naxos Records. 

Besides writing music, Maurice Saylor also arranges, orchestrates, edits, engraves, and prints music by other composers: facebook.com/ComposerSaylor 

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