New Music Friday: Over the Misty Moor

For years, the composer worked in an elementary school, which necessitated driving to work early in the morning, often just as the sun rose. Working in a very rural district, that drive took him past countless farm fields, the sort that lay fallow and empty in the late fall and winter. On many a morning, thick fog would lay across those fields, casting them and anything that lay in or beyond them in a ghostly shroud of mist. Such a scene was the inspiration for this piece.

Over the Misty Moor is meant to evoke an image of a fog-shrouded field in the hazy light of dawn. Eerie and ethereal sounds abound throughout, while long, lugubrious melodies paint a melancholy, haunting picture. Never does the piece disclose what actually lies on the misty moor, leaving it a mystery for the listener to ponder as they listen.

Jason W. Krug is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jason is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Since his first publication in 2006, he’s had over 400 compositions and arrangements accepted for handbells, piano, strings, organ, and choir. His works have been featured at numerous festivals and workshops in the United States and beyond.

In his spare time, Jason enjoys writing. He has spent several years working on a young adult fantasy series, The Sadonian Chronicles, and recently released his first non-fiction book, The General Theory of Creativity. He frequently participates in the National Novel Writing Month event in November.

Jason continues to live in Indianapolis with his wife Ellen and his sons Daniel and Malcolm. You can find him on the web at jasonwkrug.com.