SparkyWorld.com

THE PORTAL TO END ALL PORTALS

COMPOSER DEMOS

BIOGRAPHY

Rick Sparks is an ASCAP member composer

"THE BIRDS"
I enjoy the work of Alfred Hitchcock and thought it might be fun to practice composing using scenes from one of his films as a guide. "The Birds" is his only movie which was released without a score. The links below load pages containing videos with original cues which were written with the director's sensibilities of the early 60s in mind and were done with love - so please don't sue me Universal Pictures!

001 - OPENING CREDITS AND MELANIE'S INTRO

003 - COUNTRY DRIVE (INCORPORATES MELANIE'S THEME)

All demos are stereo MP3 files and are free for use in private/student works in exchange for credit except where noted otherwise. Tracks are also available for commercial use upon approval.

SECRETS
Mandolin, strings, trumpet, and electric guitar

THE PRESENT
This piece could be used as a romantic or memorial theme and features piano, violins, flutes, clarinets, and cellos

THE CRYPT
A moody experimental track featuring mandolin, ethereal pads, string basses, taiko drum, cymbal, wood chimes, and trumpet

DARK RIDERS
A strong orchestral cue with choir, driven by snare & timpani

UNFATHOMABLE
A short orchestal piece featuring harp work which builds to a powerful interlude supported by pipe organ, boy's choir, and horns

THE DESERT
Strings, electric guitar, horns, anvil, and bass drum

JUMPING BEAN
My girlfriend challenged me to write a mambo over Labor Day weekend. This is the result.

DECEPTION
Harpsichord, croatales, horns, cellos, and bassoon

ASSASSIN
A sinister cue utilizing kanun, udu, piano, concert bass drum, flute, and synthesizers

TEXAS FUNERAL
This track features electric guitar, bass, drums, tabla, cellos, an organ, voice pads, horns, and tympani

MOUNTAIN CHASE
A speedy waltz inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" - Strings, horns, and percussion

SINISTER PLANS
Timpani, trombones, finger cymbals, synthesizers, and piano

THE DREAM ALWAYS CHANGES
An ethereal piece featuring ambient electronics, choir, wood chimes, udu, and strings

ADRENALINE
Action-style theme, full orchestra

TRAGIC MOMENT
French horns, strings, timpani, clarinets, and choir

BREAKING IN
Full orchestra with acoustic guitar and box drum

BRILLIANT MORNING
A simple piece featuring piano and cello

MYSTERY TRAIN
A thriller-styled cue featuring piano, strings, horns, cymbals

LULU THE CLOWN
** NOT AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL OR PERSONAL USE **
This cue was inspired by Yiddish musical styles and features piano, accordion, plucked bass, violin, clarinet, trumpet, and Middle Eastern percussion
VIDEO VERSION

HAPPY CLOWN
This circus-inspired track was the first demo I produced to match client specs for a commercial featuring a clown in full makeup/wardrobe getting a bank account. It includes a flute organ, trombones, glockenspiel, cymbals, French horns, and percussive accents

LAMENT
Guitar, string basses, and trumpet

ANTI-HERO
A dark theme for a misunderstood protagonist - French horns, all strings, trumpets, harp, flutes, cymbals, and framedrum

DIFFICULT DECISION
French horns, staccato cellos, string basses, violins, plucked strings, and triangle

HERO'S THEME
Trumpets, French horns, trombones, tuba, all strings, clarinets, flutes, cymbals, bass drum, and snare - (incomplete version)

PURE RHYTHM
A rhythmic experiment using tabla, gong, timpani, bamboo, udu, triangle, tambourine, and various percussion instruments of Middle Eastern origin

PERFORMANCE
Inspired by and dedicated to my fantastic level two improv instructor and classmates at the Westside Eclectic Theater, Spring 2008 - Piano, plucked bass, and trumpet

PROUD WARRIORS
This track features a prominent framedrum, piano, cymbals, various metals, strings, clarinets, trombones, French horns, harp, male choir, and alto flute

REUNION
A simple, moving piece featuring piano, plucked strings, horns, and solo violin

SANCTUARY
A gothic/thriller styled theme featuring chimes, flutes, string basses, violins, cellos, trombones, timpani, organ, and gong

EMPTY ROOM (INTERLUDE)
Piano, acoustic guitar, cellos, and cajon

THE MYSTIC
Synthesized voices, choir, piano, wood chimes, tabla, and gong

MARCH TOWARD DESTINY
Horns, strings, chimes, bassoon, piano, flutes, timpani, gong, and anvil

MIDNIGHT MEMORIAL
Jazz piece featuring standard upright bass, eclectic piano work, and solo trumpet

SERIOUS RIDE
This fast-paced theme features croateles, timpani, string bass, violins, cello, horns, and snare drum

FIND THE GERMAN
Sequenced percussion, snare, acoustic guitar, string basses, harp, violins, nay, and synthesized ambience

Rick Sparks began composing music while in high school. He had received very little formal training, but his choral teacher took note of his talents and collaborated with the school's band instructor to create an independent music study class during Sparks' senior year. The grade for the class was determined solely upon Rick's ability to compose an original instrumental song. At the end of the school quarter he received an "A" grade for the class - however, keep in mind that this occurred during the mid 80s so try not to hurt yourself while estimating how many MIDI instruments built by Casio and Yamaha were involved.

Some disastrous experiments with synth-driven pop/rock music during the late 80s led Sparks to found the experimental industrial music project SUTURE in 1994 with fellow lover of electronic noise, Tyson Townsend. The duo's first release, a forty-five minute cassette distributed in 1995 and simply titled "suture," received favorable reviews from trades such as Industrial Nation, Sonic Boom, and more. The collaborating relationship was limited by distance as Sparks lived in Alaska and Tyson in California. The total output of SUTURE's recorded material was the cassette and 1998's "Symboljism" CD. In December 1996 the duo performed their only live performance, joined onstage by their mutual friend and electronic music DJ Matt Lund in order to increase the number of live elements and to create a more organic, albeit primarily electronic, stage sound.

In 2001 Sparks contributed a darkwave-influenced version of the XTC song "Dear God" in SUTURE's name to a tribute collection dedicated to Andy Partridge's seminal band. The package featured a hundred and thirty-four XTC covers and was released through Chalkhills.org. Since then SUTURE has been on an indefinite hiatus, with only minimal time spent creating new cuts. In 2007 some of the unfinished works were released on the website music.download.com/suture.

In 2004 Sparks produced a jazz CD under the moniker "Rick Sparks Trio." The music stemmed from an experiment he designed in order to create pieces limited to no more than three instruments and inspired by Thelonious Monk's concept that all the feeling and passion in a song only truly exist in the initial moments of creation. He recorded individual instrument tracks at the very moments of conception and produced only minimal edits to remove mistakes such as misplaced or out of tune notes. Many of the songs were previewed through the download.com web site and over the years Sparks has sporadically added more tracks in the same vein to his catalog. He has also expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the instruments used to record the pseudo-trio's seven track "Electric" CD and heartily encourages anyone with the impetus to listen to the album to resist that urge entirely.

In 2005 Rick amassed a series of electronic and acoustic instruments for use in an imaginary soundtrack for a non-existent movie. The thematic melody scattered throughout the album was inspired by Middle Eastern influences and some of the tracks have received praise by representatives of Los Angeles area publishing companies for creative use of instrumentation. "Music for a Dark Film (That Hasn't Been Filmed Yet)" is available on CD for only $9.49 plus shipping at CafePress.com - some of the tracks are also scattered throughout this page.

In early 2008, after building a collection of professional quality orchestral sample sets, various acoustic instruments, percussion, and other eclectic devices, Sparks began to seriously focus on producing original scores for music/film/etc. While working as freelance voice talent and attending weekly stage/improv classes, he found the time to compose, produce, and perform over sixty cues between February and August 2008 from his home studio in Los Angeles. He has worked professionally providing adapted and original scores for commercials and public service announcements, is available to compose for film and television projects, and is constantly inspired to create new works.

OUTNUMBERED
Military-style track with timpani, snare, horns, flutes, and piano

THE STRONGEST ENDURE
String basses, Middle Eastern percussion, and bagpipes

SNEAKING UP
Timpani, snare, horns, flutes, cellos, and strings

THE FIGHT BEGINS
Cellos, spiccato violins, violas, French horns, oboes, timpani, and choir

NOTHING INSIDE
Moody electronics with metallic accents

LIAR'S POKER
Simple jazz piece, plucked bass and piano

THE HOUSE BREATHES
Moody piano work, dark ambient pads, and timpani/percussion

THE EXPLANATION
String bass and flute duet atop ambient percussion

ANTIPATHY
Ambient electronics

PERU
Box drum, guitar, bass, and trumpet

LOVING THE CITY
Flutes, basses, harp, trumpets, bass clarinet, and spiccato violins

THE SEARCH
Dark electronics, staccato basses, percussive horns, and drums

THE MOLE WAITS
Electric and acoustic guitars, tabla, electronics, and expressive alto flute

THE DARKEST TUNNEL
Choir, percussion, French horn, and string bass

ROMANTIC RESTAURANT
Strings, flutes, trumpet, expressive violin

BIG SCARY THING
Strings, percussion, and horns

INSIDIOUS DANCE
Solo violin, tuba, harp, strings, and staccato cellos

THE GOLD IS GONE
A morose theme featuring gong/timpani, basses, flutes, violas, harp, and trombones

SHORT LOVE THEME
Cello and accordion perform in a large hall

COURTING
A peppy romantic piece - Strings, flute, and harp

UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE
Pizzicato strings, solo violin, cello, bass, horns, and chimes

BIG THEME (WESTERN)
Horns, strings, and percussion

70s CHINESE WESTERN COMEDY STANDOFF
Drums, horns, acoustic guitar, and an Asian flute/synth hybrid

THAT'S NOT GOOD
Tabla, strings, dark synthesizer, and eclectic piano work

THE RISING
Moody synth piece inspired by the works of John Carpenter and Brad Fiedel

BUILDING TENSION
Timpani, bass trombones, dark electronics, taiko drum, flutes, and strings

SEMBLANCE
Chinese bell, wind chimes, toy percussion, electronic strings, and taiko drum

ANALYSIS
Dark electronics/rhythm, metallic accents, string bass, and other percussion

THE STREET
Short cue featuring oud and tabla