- Big band
- Brass quartet/quintet
- Choir (with or without keyboard)
- Clarinet choir
- Double reed ensemble
- Duet (of the same instrument)
- Guitar (incl. tab) & vocal
- Jazz quartet
- Jazz trio
- Marching band
- Mixed ensemble
- No specific instruments (e.g. worksheet)
- Orchestra
- Orff ensemble
- Percussion ensemble
- Piano & vocal
- Piano four hands
- Piano trio
- Quartet (of the same instrument)
- Quintet (of the same instrument)
- Sextet (of the same instrument)
- Solo instrument
- Solo instrument & piano
- String orchestra
- String quartet/quintet
- Trio (of the same instrument)
- Wind quartet/quintet
- Wind/brass band
You are here: Home > Profiles > Mr Robert James Thoms
Mr Robert James Thoms
I always felt that rather than being a spectator when it came to music, I should be a participator.
I was 26 years old before I struck middle C on the piano seriously. At that time, I gave myself wholly over to the study of music for about 4 years and then gave it up. During that period, I wanted to pursue "musical composition" at the university level but was denied entrance because of not being able to play an instrument at a grade 8 level . . . Whatever! Nevertheless, that did not stop me from generating my own music program, so to speak. I took Piano lessons, Violin lessons and with the aid of a private tutor finished the Royal Conservatory's basic music theory, harmony and counterpoint programs – not to mention held down a 9 to 5 job in the process. My passion was never to perform music, but only to write it. I wrote down tons of themes, most of which were a single line in the treble clef. Notating music was always for me a wearisome task, but I always saw myself as a good tune-smith. What once was hard has now become easy thanks to computer software. I probably wouldn't have written music had it not been for the evolution of said software . . . that's just me!
In Aug. of 2001, approximately 10 years after giving up music, and a few days short of 40 yrs. old, I started writing seriously for the first time in my life. I don't play an instrument as such (I can play the radio rather good if that counts!), but I can bluff my way on the piano enough to compose but not to perform. Approximately half the themes used in my compositions to date were scribbled down years ago. The element of interest now is to "develop" and "orchestrate" the one-finger melodies of days gone by. I guess I'm presently making good a part of my past. Most of my music is either a waltz or a march. If you don't like waltzes and marches, chances are you will not like my music. If you do like waltzes and marches, you just might.
Update:
Since May of 2004, I have put music on the back burner to give myself wholly over to the writing of a book entitled "The Faith." This book is being written to fully restore "The Faith" once delivered to the saints. A massive undertaking to say the least, but God is with me. After this project is finished, if the Lord graciously wills, I may revisit some of my unfinished pieces to complete them. Composition will undoubtedly come to an end, then.
Latest News
In September of 2011, very conveniently a ten year anniversary of uplaoding music to the Sibelius site, I uploaded eight new pieces to this site: Dance for String Orchestra No. 2, Theme and Variations, Gondola Song, The Lord of Glory, Romance for Violin and Orchestra, Lento Waltz for String Orchestra, Lento Waltz For Strings in D minor and Lento Waltz in G minor. Aside from a little tidying up of the scores, these pieces were completely finished seven years ago and were simply sitting on my hard drive doing nothing. So, why not upload them?
