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Pasquale J. Spino (AKA Patrick Spino, Pat Spino, P.J. Spino) was born in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. He began studying piano at age 7 and continued keyboard studies throughout undergraduate college. At age 8 he composed his very first composition; “WIND SONG” for solo piano which has, unfortunately, been lost. In 1956 Pasquale was accepted as a music major into Arts High School located in Newark, NJ which, at the time, was one of the few such arts based high schools in the country. During his high school years he studied piano and arranging privately with Anthony Sages, Eddie Barry and George Stalter, and trombone with Michael Criscola.
Pasquale received a BA teaching degree in Music Education from Glassboro State College (now Rowen University) in 1964. While attending Glassboro he studied Piano with Gloria Planchin, Larry Wicks and Bennie Kemp, Theory and Composition with Ed Avril and Hoyle Carpenter and worked privately developing his arranging and composition skills. During the 4 years at Glassboro State he played trombone and bass trombone in the concert band of which he was elected president in his senior year, and played piano in the jazz band, serving as president for 2 years. He even hosted a live call-in jazz show for the college radio station. As a Sophomore, Pasquale (Pat) was instrumental in the all student production of the Sophomore Class Show featuring an on stage student band which was rehearsed and conducted by Pat and featured arrangements and originals by himself and fellow students. Pat was also the co-founder of the all student produced Contemporary Music Festival in which original compositions for band and orchestra of three 3rd year students were premiered. The event was of such success that the concert became an annual music department sponsored event. As a result of the concert’s recording, Spino’s “American Snapshots” was selected by Vincent Perchetti for publication by Elkan-Vogel of Philadelphia. Pat was 19 years old at the time Elkan-Vogel accepted the composition for publication.
Upon graduation from Glassboro in 1964 Pat began his long, sometimes interrupted, tenure as a New Jersey public school music teacher at the Jr. and Sr. High School levels. Coincidental with the start of his teaching career Pat met and studied composition privately with Vaclav Nelhybel in New York City. The experience with the dynamic Nelhybel solidified Pasquale’s commitment to further serious study of composition for the concert stage.
In 1965 Pat, being awarded a teaching assistantship, entered the University of Minnesota as a Composition Major with a Music Education minor. At the University he studied Theory, Orchestration and Composition with renowned composers Dr. Paul Fetler and Dr. Dominick Argento. While in attendance his THEME AND VARIATIONS for Wind Ensemble was premiered by the university band under the direction of John Zededlick. This period of time saw Pat producing works for the concert stage such as SONATA FOR CELLO AND PIANO, a set of FOUR SHORT PIECES FOR PIANO, and various SATB Pieces. Following the receipt of his MA in Composition Pat taught public school in Philadelphia for a period of 5 years after which he relocated back to his native N. J. where he taught public school music until his retirement in 2000. During this period Pat acquired additional production experience as the music director and conductor of a small theater in Northeast Philadelphia.
Throughout the years in N. J. Pat worked as a professional musician, composer and arranger for a wide variety of venues which included arranging for various bands, club acts and string quartet, and composing for concert band, small ensemble, orchestra, disco orchestra and even string band. Although Pat was instrumental in the writing of a number of commercially recorded arrangements under a pseudonym, his original composition JOURNEY TO PHOEBUS was commercially released on The SalSoul Orchestra’s Magic Journey Album by SalSoul Records (1977). Pat continued to develop his writing skill by accepting any work that happened along – no matter the vehicle, as can be verified by several arrangements he produced for string band which resulted in prize winning music performances during the New Year’s Day Mummers parades in Philadelphia. Pat also arranged music and performed on keyboards in club acts in various Atlantic City Casinos.
For several years, during the 1980’s, Pat, along with a fellow musician Bill Jones, formed the Sight and Sound Production Company. Sight and Sound produced many radio and TV spots and numerous original music industrial video soundtracks for such notable companies as IBM, Sony, Hercules Chemical Corporation, and Bell of PA. The majority of these projects were recorded, produced and mixed by Pat at a local Southern N. J. recording studio. The Hercules Corporate logo, music written, recorded and produced by Pat, won the Clio advertising award. Pat also wrote, produced and conducted an extended arrangement of AMERICA for orchestra, chorus, children’s chorus, jazz combo, and male vocalist for a Bell of PA project “A Day in The Life of Pennsylvania” which aired on public television stations throughout Pennsylvania as part of the U. S. Bicentennial celebration of the Constitution.
Pat’s love of writing for the concert stage was always of primary importance. His Symphony in Three Movements won the 1973 Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival along with 4 other composers selected from an international list of contestants. The premier performance was presented on the University campus by the Indianapolis (now Indiana) Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Oleg Kovalenko. A number of performances and commissions followed including a performance of A PROPHECY by Georgia State University’s 10th Annual Symposium of Contemporary Music for Brass. LAMENT was commissioned and premiered by the Illinois Wesleyan University Choir and also presented in concert by Rowan University Concert Choir with Clancy Miller Conducting.
Pat and his lovely wife Carol continue to maintain residence in Southern New Jersey near his two surviving children and 4 grandchildren, where he continues to write, but also takes time to pursue his other passion; sailing on Barnegat and Chesapeake Bays.
List of Published Compositions
A. Vocal
FIVE POETIC SONGS for Four Part Chorus of Mixed Voices Joseph Boonin, Inc. Hackensack, New Jersey1977
1. The Pear Tree (text: Edna St. Vincent Millay) SATB a cappella
2. The Rhinoceros (text: Ogden Nash) SATB a cappella.
3. The End of the World (text: Archibald MacLeish) SATB, Perc.
4. I Saw A Man (text: Stephen Crane) SATB a cappella.
5. When I Heard The Learned Astronomer (text: Walt Whitman) SATB a cappella.
B. Small Ensemble
FIRST DUETS FOR TWO Bb CLARINETS Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972 PRELUDE FOR WOODWINDS Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972
SLOW WALTZ FOR TEN BRASSES
Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972 SONG FOR INDEFINITE PITCHED PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972 SQUARE DANCE FOR SEVEN BRASSES Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972 STATEMENT FOR HORN AND WOODWINDS Standard Music Publishing, Inc. PO Box 1043 Whitman Square Turnersville, New Jersey 08012 1972
C. Band
AMERICAN SNAPSHOTS Elkan – Vogel Co., Inc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1965 CHORALE DRAMATIQUE for Symphonic Band E.C. Kerby, Ltd. Toronto 1981 JOURNEY TO PHOEBUS for Disco Orchestra Salsoul Record Corporation NY, NY 1977 Recorded by The Salsoul Orchestra on Salsoul record S/S 5515 SOUND DRAMAS for Band Joseph Boonin, Inc. Hackensack, New Jersey 1975
List of Unpublished Compositions
A. Vocal Compositions
A PATCH OF OLD SNOW – SATB a cap. (Text: Robert Frost) A PROPHECY from the Lamentations of Jeremiah A Cantata in three parts for SATB Chorus, Tenor Solo, Baritone Solo, Harp Piano, Brasses and Three Percussion LAMENT A Cantata Commissioned by David Ferreira and the Illinois Wesleyan Choir. SATB, Tenor Solo, Violin, Piano Texts: i. Excerpts from the Holy Bible - Book of Job ii. Psalm 9 iii. O Rose Thou Art Sick – William Blake iv. A Memorable Fancy – William Blake
v. A Poem by Peter Davis for Arthur Krauss who’s
daughter was slain at Kent State university by the
Ohio State National Guard
PSALM 117 – SSAATTBB a cappella
B. Ensemble
MUSIC FOR FOUR TROMBONES I. Adagio II. Allegro BRASS QUINTET I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Andante & Allegro PIANO SUITE I. Waltz II. Scherzo III. Adagio IV. Allegro SAXOPHONE QUARTET I. Adagio and Allegro II. Andante III. Moderato WOODWIND QUARTET for developing players I. Allegro II. Largo III. Scherzo
C. Orchestra and Strings
FILM MUSIC
An edited version of a video project for AT&T HYMN FOR STRINGS DIALOGUE FOR SOLO VIOLIN AND STRING ORCHESTRA SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS
I. Adagio and Allegro
II. Waltz and Adagio III. Presto MEXICAN HAT DANCE (Arrangement)
AMERICA Arranged for Children’s Choir, SATB, Male Vocalist,
Orchestra, Jazz Combo with Tenor Sax Solo
D. Band
SQUARE DANCE for Concert Band THEME AND VARIATIONS for Concert Band THREE MILITARY PIECES for Band (Previously THREE MVTS FOR BAND) TOCCATA FOR WINDS AND PERCUSSION SPIRITUAL MEXICAN HAT DANCE – arrangement for Concert Band SKETCHES FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND CONCERT BAND SUITE FOR BAND i. Moderato
ii. Scherzo
iii. Adagio Grave
iv. Allegro
E. Jazz Band Originals
BLUES 226 FOURS AND FIVES HIGH RHODES JUS’ PASSIN’ THROUGH NIGHT FEVER THE OPENER UP
F. “Pop” Originals
A HAPPY SONG – Spino & Loy
CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I’M FALLING IN LOVE – Spino & Devon
CAROL MY LADY HOLIDAY – Spino & Loy LET’S DANCE MY OBSESSION – Spino & Loy SUNSHINE IS COMMIN’ MY WAY – Spino & Loy TOUCH DANCIN’ WHEN LOVE IS OVER
G. Film & Video
ICE PRODUCTIONS – Video background projects for: AT&T AMERICAN BABY COLECO CONTEMPORARY FUR SALON IBM Sony DIALOGUE FOR KEYBOARDS AND PERCUSSION Video background for a Sony, Corp.
AMERICA
Arranged for Orchestra, Jazz Combo, Male Vocalist, Tenor Saxophone, Children’s Choir, SATB Choir This piece is a Bell of PA Project produced by Sight and Sound. It is a 5 minuet arrangement which was synced to amateur still photos solicited by Bell of PA from Pennsylvania residents for a video presentation representing “A Day in the Life of Pennsylvania”
LOGO for Hercules Chemicals
Untitled Video Backgrounds for Hercules Chemical
H. Arrangements
A variety of “pop” and “Classical” arrangements for a ensembles and soloists far too numerous to annotate here.