Wadley Publications

Temporal Physics is a single-movement sonatina for alto saxophone and piano. Featuring a cornucopia  of meter changes, the piece explores various stylistic treatments of two brief melodic motifs. Temporal  Physics drops hints of different musical eras while remaining a truly contemporary display of soloistic  virtuosity.

A beautiful lyric essay for piccolo (or flute) and piano utilizing nontraditional harmonies and modalities. While the technical requirements of the piece are of only intermediate difficulty, the demand for musical expression is high for both the soloist and accompanist.  Trust  is written as a musical meditation on Psalm 143, verses 1-11.  These verses from the Bible underscore one of the basic (yet sometimes uncomfortable) truths of human existence:  we need help.  People often find it difficult to trust in anyone or anything other than  themselves, but no matter how much we may desire complete independence and  autonomy, human beings are simply not equipped to weather the storms life  brings on our own.  The difficulties of  life can in fact make us feel isolated and deserted. Our culture’s celebration  of strength and independence silently imply that we are "weak" if we are unable  to stand alone, yet it is during troubling...

Bombadil is a musical portrait of one of the lesser-known characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of  the Rings. While he never made it into the LOTR movies of the early 21st century, Tom Bombadil is  nonetheless a pivotal character in Tolkien’s epic novel, saving the hobbits from certain doom on more  than one occasion. The character is a wild juxtaposition of contradictions: at once fanciful and  fearsome; silly and sagacious; terrible and tender; whimsical and wise. While he seems childishly  ridiculous at times, Tom is undoubtedly one of the most ancient and powerful living beings in the  Tolkien mythology.  This composition attempts to capture the mystery and mischievousness of Tom Bombadil through rich, thick harmonies, angular melodic motion, and highly syncopated rhythms. The piano is treated as a full member of the duo, rather than mere accompaniment for the soloist, in this challenging sonatina. LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicP...

“All those who wander” is a reference to a poem written by J.R.R. Tolkien as part of The Lord of the Rings.  That poem speaks of the character Aragorn, originally introduced to the reader as a ranger known only as “Strider.”  This piece is a musical re-telling of Aragorn’s wilderness travels through the White Mountains and the haunted Paths of the Dead, a journey which will ultimately reveal him to all as the “lost” (and returning) King of Gondor. This piece premiered on April 8, 1996 as part of Craig Wadley's Graduate Composition Recital under the title Aragorn: The King's Return.  It was revised and republished in the current version as All Those Who Wander in March of 2016. LISTEN on YouTube PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus