The Music of Composer Robert Bruce
"His music is very visual and lends itself to conjuring up images and scenerios. It speak of a very internal, personal soundscape with barely an influence from any other contemporary composer." - Award-Winner Music Critic Hugh Fraser, The Hamilton Spectator
By contemporary standards, the music of composer Robert Bruce would almost certainly be considered very conservative in terms of its melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements. In what he considers his best work there is little or nothing in this regard that one couldn't find in much of the music from a hundred years ago. He hears and writes music in terms of musical ideas, or "musical icons", as he calls them, that seem to resonate on many planes of consciousness simultaneously, and he seeks to present those ideas in their purest form. Often sharply against the tide of the musical trends of recent decades, he continues to favour clean and simple elements in his music and use colouring notes and embellishments very sparingly.
Where his music is truly ultra-modern and quite distinctive is in its overall tone, atmosphere and musical effect, in its highly "visual" nature, and in its multidimensional purpose. There is seldom, if ever, anything deliberately showy or flashy in his work but he rather strives for a depth, purity and honesty that resonates more beneath the surface. He claims to have discovered an inherent creative power in fundamental tones and their harmonic overtones that serves as the basis for his entire musical vocabulary and approach to composition. He feels that, with inspired ideas and musical elements that "sound well", "very little packaging is usually needed". His approach to writing music will be detailed in his second book "In Between the Lines - Book Two" which will be published in the near future.
The lyrics he writes for his artsongs often touch upon the themes of romance and spirituality and sometimes explore what they have in common. His performing group, The Classical Nouveau Ensemble, is designed to express, complement and broaden both his music and his approach to creative expression in general.