Composer Tyler Mazone (b. 1998) grew up in the capital region of New York state before studying composition and bass clarinet at the Crane School of Music and Michigan State University, where he is now pursuing his doctorate in composition. He is deaf and neurodivergent, and his music often speaks to that experience. He has written music for ensembles of all sizes, much of which has been performed by outstanding professional and school ensembles. According to his website bio, “his main goal with these musical endeavors is to advocate for accessibility and to reach a wider range of audiences and performers by improving upon the framework of inclusive practices in music.” He maintains his own pages on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and is featured on the Wind Repertory Project, J. W. Pepper, the Millennium Composers Initiative, and Michigan State University.
Mazone wrote A Morning Hike “for Mom, on her birthday” in 2022. According to his program notes:
Every Sunday morning at around 7:30 AM, my parents and dog go on a hike. A location is usually selected ahead of time, and settings have varied from different town parks around the Albany, NY area to actual hiking trails. We began doing this during my undergraduate years and I go with them whenever I visit my hometown, and I will admit that I am not a morning person at all, but something about being able to take in nature with my family is truly special.
This piece begins with a clarinet soli that gets transformed into a little expression of morning beauty. The rest of the piece is in 6/8 and showcases the light-hearted adventure of these hikes which do get a bit physical with some of the trails that we’ve chosen in the past. I wrote this piece as a token of these memories and as a birthday gift for my loving mother!
Here is a MIDI rendition. You can hear a live reading of the piece at J. W. Pepper, and see the score and more at Mazone’s website: