Biography – Don Rath Jr

Composer, Arranger & Guitarist

Biography – On January 14th 1956, in a small suburb of Cincinnati Ohio, a healthy lad was born to this world, Don Rath Jr who would later become a contemporary chamber music composer, arranger and guitarist. The road had indeed been long and contained many twists, turns and detours. Thankfully, for all of us, there had been a few rest stops along the way! Time to recuperate, heal, think, plan and to begin anew.

Don Rath Jr was raised on a dairy farm in northern Illinois. As a toddler, he would sit in awe listening intently while his Mother played amazing music on a small Hammond organ. It was from this early impression that he began to pursue his interest in music.

During his fourth year of grade school, Don began to play an instrument known as the flute-o-phone and later the cornet. During his freshman year in high school he was introduced to the guitar by one of his close friends. After a few guitar lessons, he began to pick out some basic musical ideas that were later to become his first musical compositions. It was from these beginnings that music became his prime passion and interest for personal expression.

He continued to play guitar for many years until life’s influences caused him to put his musical aspirations on hold. Then in 1990, he began to play again, this time with much more passion and interest. He taught himself to read and notate music and he began the study of music composition.

A left hand crush injury in 1993 caused him to realize the importance of formalizing his hand written original music. Fearing the inability of being able to play the guitar, he used playing it to his advantage, as physical therapy. Not permitting multiple surgeries to keep him from his musical pursuits, Don continued to practice the guitar, study music, compose and he taught himself how to notate his original music.

Also, in the midst of the 1993 great flood in St. Louis, again he was interrupted in his efforts to complete his first goal of recording his original debut album. Then in 1997 he was able to complete his first demo CD titled Night Wind. It was a collection of 19 original short pieces for solo guitar. This album was never formally released to the general public. For the next nine years he continued learning music composition and to practice the classical guitar in his home studio. He had purchased his first computer primarily to enable him to notate his music using a computer based program called “Rhapsody“. This started his “digital” music quest that continues to this day.

The loss of his mother in late 2005 was another turning point in his life. This had a profound influence on Don, as one would guess, where he completely changed his overall musical focus. His new goal, to establish himself as a composer of classically based chamber music for the stringed instruments. The emotional impact over the loss of his mother resulted in the completion of over 40 titles in 2006 alone. Additionally, one of the primary resulting effects of this event was that he had moved from writing on and for the guitar to  composing and arranging his music for the string quartet and string orchestra. Additionally, as his musical studies were applied he began writing for small group ensembles, intermixing instruments from the Woodwind family to “dress up the string sound“. His music fits nicely in the chamer music genre.

Additionally, he is currently working on completing his first major work for full orchestra titled “Old Ironsides” along with several additional pieces for the string quartet and a few others for small group ensembles. This collection of work continues to evolve putting a bit of a delay in his next CD release.

Don said, “I’m still learning. When inspiration is present, regardless of its nature or its source, one must act on it now for it can be fleeting. Whatever is possible to do today should be done today, so do it now, for tomorrow may never come!”

Modern computer technologies have continued to play an important role in creating, notating, producing, publishing and distributing his music. Late in 2006 he met Allen “Big Al” Wagner of BigToeStudio on the Internet. Allen expressed an interest in providing CD mastering services enabling Don to complete the final production stages of his first three albums.

As Allen puts it, “This is a very interesting project that involved the emulation of an entire orchestra using only technology. Therefore, it features, even more, of the talent and skill of the writer and arranger, Don Rath Jr.” Further, “I used some of the very latest recording technology (called “convolution reverb”) to place these virtual instruments into a “real” space from an actual physical location. This served to enhance their realism and the overall listening experience.”

Thanks, “Big Al” for all you have helped me with through these past few years. I know, I know! Lava lamps RULE

The Tools

Most of the music that Don writes originates on the classical guitar using a pencil and a blank piece of manuscript paper. As a guitarist, he finds it easiest for him to begin new compositions using the guitar as his instrument of choice.

Usually and after that, he uses Sibelius notation software, East West computer virtual instruments and sound samples, as the source for the instruments, Steinberg’s CuBase software and Native Instrument’s Kontakt to finalize the composition and to produce a midi mock-up of his music. This is where “Big Al” comes in. Collectively, with the Internet and high-end computers they have enabled Don to fully realize one of his long term goals, that of professionally producing his music for public display.

The pieces still missing in the totally complete music production cycle are live performers, “real” Instruments and recording the performances of his original creations as a Composer. Don longs for the day when this goal will be met and yet, for now, he still prefers to compose.

About the Music

“I believe my music attempts to bridge the gap between true classical music and the modern forms of music used in commercial genres such as; rock, country, blues and jazz. My music really doesn’t quite fit into any of these specific genres and it is not truly classical music per se. Chamber music, new age, digital orchestra and ambient music are more fitting.”

I attempt to create using the shorter modern music forms that are melodically driven, a “tune” if you will, while using the acoustic symphonic orchestral instruments rather than those that are electrified or plugged in. One day there may not be general use of electricity, forgive my transgression and what could be considered negativity, but, forever is a long time. I hope that there will always be real instruments and real performers to play the music and this hope supports my choice of using acoustic instruments and the reason why I notate all of my music.”

Further, I have always enjoyed listening to music that interweaves the incredible sounds of various instruments together into a unique whole. I am learning more and more about how to do this and so hopefully my music will progress in this way. Also, I think mood or ambiance plays a large part in my writing. I tend to enjoy a more quiet sound, a soothing sound, sounds that are playful, sometimes dark, sometimes light and almost always romantic sounds. I’d like to think that is what I write or at least attempt to express while composing.”

There are many comments on the StringTunes Website that read similar to this, “Awesome. Beautifully orchestrated! What you have created here is what music is all about.”

and this

“How nice to hear music that is well thought out and not the same piece rewritten in different ways. The melodies are light and memorable and range from string quartets to fully realized orchestral works. Bravo!” Randy Akins – Ft. Wayne, Indiana

It is from comments like these that Don Rath Jr remains motivated and it is what made it possible to complete his debut album, “Heart Strings” which was released through his website StringTunes and simultaneously at CDBaby in January 3rd of 2007.

 

Album Cover Art

His second album “Dawn of a New Day” was released on the first day of spring – March 21st 2007. Similarly, “Colors of Cello“, album number three, was released on the first day of spring but in 2008. He is in the studio writing and producing his next album as he continues to compose new works regularly.

His longer range plans include a remix and possibly a newly recorded version of his solo guitar pieces from his Night Wind CD, the production of three additional original chamber music or instrumental music albums, music notation books for each of them.

Don has said, “The music is for you. A gift from the spheres. I just happened to catch it and write it down.”