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The Music of Ellsworth Hall

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Ells at Steinway D grand piano

New videos - Ellsworth performing original classical works on a Steinway D grand piano - See them on the Ellsounds YouTube channel
The videos include a live version of "Tema di Victor" which will appear on a new studio album.



Ellsworth is a versatile award-winning composer creating soundtracks in a variety of styles for features, corporate videos, and computer games. He has an extensive background in music theory, music performance, and recording.


Ellsworth also produces videos, is involved in feature production, and is a songwriter/keyboardist/vocalist with his progressive rock band Aethellis which has had a number of chart topping tracks on Number One Music.

Click here to read complete bio.

Conversations with George Edgar Selby music CD  - REVIEWS

(includes the soundtrack to Beside the Manor Selby)

On the Composer's Oeuvre
By Boulevard Denim

His is music in which the emotion conveyed is the emotion of remembered rapture, the beauty, "the surviving beauty of gathered dreams;" seldom the emotion and beauty of that which is actual and present. Mr. Hall is most urgently aroused by such moods of longing and remote enchantment as find jeweled expression in the production of Beside the Manor Selby for which he has written unforgetable music (not to mention directing and writing the epic).

At times his habit of artistic  speech tempt him to such outbursts of passionate lament as fill the movements of his Piano Concerto No.1 with so insupportable a poignancy. There is the driving rhythmic asymmetry of the opening movement; the decorative flourishes surrounding the resurfacing primary theme in the second;  the modal and jazzy harmonies of the third; and the adroit use of fortspinnung (along with recapitulations of a leitmotif from the second movement) in the fourth.

Review by Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)

Ellsworth Hall - to me, a very important name in the prog genre. In 2017, he released a 15-minute song, which I regard as one of the best epic tracks in prog history ("A Home In Your Thoughts / Second Home In Your Thoughts"). I'm extemely picky with tracks above 8 minutes running time, so this kind of appreciation really occurs rarely. The piano concerto on this album is another exquisite epic work, much better than similar attempts done by others. The soundtrack completes the great impression. Favorite track: Allegro Moderato.

Piano Concerto review by Russell Hammond

Lento e Allegro – my favourite instrumental track from the album and a worthy opener. I love its length, the way it ebbs and flows, the
different instrumentation, the drive behind the track and how you
simply stopped it. Not a wasted note and it didn’t overstay its
welcome.

Andante e Presto – This one seems to have the kitchen sink thrown in it. Quiet start and then deviates all over the place following little
themes here and there and some interesting percussion thrown in. You definitely won’t be dancing to this track.

Allegro Moderato – Just great to sit down and let the track wash over
you. I liked the stripped back nature with enough ‘Selby’ thrown in.

Andante – Love the piano section in the middle (a breather) and then it builds on itself a number of times to its climax and final release – I love the clapping at the end too.


John Mason Evans Hasslinger IN MEMORIAM: Ellsworth's piano teacher of 12 years, John Mason Evans Hasslinger passed away on December 30, 2015. Ellsworth dedicated his first piano concerto to him. Hasslinger comes from a long line of teachers dating back to Beethoven and Czerny.

The John M.E. Hasslinger Memorial Page

UPDATED 1/9/2024 -

"Checkers' Rhapsody" is #1 for Classical in Maryland, U.S. at Number One Music

From Ellsworth's newly remastered album Conversations With George Edgar Selby, the track has peaked (so far) at #35 nationally.

Ellsworth's music tracks available for licensing in media productions at the Pond 5 music library:

Ellsounds ~ Artist Portfolio ~ Art for Sale | Pond5



Stanion Studios' TIDE TURN Computer Game Soundtrack


Ellsworth has composed and recorded the main themes and a myriad of sound effects for the game in the past 3 years or so. Ellsworth has also provided some character voices and done a lot of audio enhancements. The game's theme is Atlanteans at war with humans over the ecological damage done to the oceans. The game is a "non-violent shooter" type in that the weapons are water-based resulting in a lot of splashing and wetness. The game will be premiered at the upcoming PAX convention in Boston in March 2024.



Golden Era Games' GRIMOIRE: HERALDS OF THE WINGED EXEMPLAR Soundtrack

Ellsworth Hall completed the overhaul of the music from the role playing game Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar. Taking the original MIDI files and reorchestrating them to audio files using conventional orchestral instruments late in 2017. Now that V.2 of Grimoire is coming out the music will be offered in in the near future as the Grimoire soundtrack. The soundtrack is scheduled to be released after the Grimoire manual. Samples can be heard below.

Ellsworth composed the MIDI music soundtrack for the RPG Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar back in the late 1990s. There were some format tweaks done in the early 2000s. The game was released August 4th, 2017 for the Steam game platform. Grimoire is going mass market shortly and is planned to be up on 17 different digital distribution sites in the coming months.





Poetry of the Air

A new book on the inspiration for influential musicians has been released.

Poetry of the Air: A Collection of Love Letters to Music from Musicians
by Gary Hill

The book features interviews with composer Ellsworth Hall along with Jon Anderson, Steve Hackett, Rick Wakeman, Jeff Berlin, Larry Fast, Jordan Rudess and many more!




Melodic Revolution Records artist Ellsworth Hall received the 2014 Outstanding Music Award from ZED FEST

Ellsworth received the award for his music for the short film, Love and Other Devices (written and directed by Elle Stanion). He also created sound effects for the production which is winning many other awards at various festivals including:

Best International Film - Canberra Film Festival
Best Short - Brigand Shorts Denver Film Festival
Outstanding Sci-Fi Short - Zed Film Festival

The film has also currently received 5 nominations from the London International Film Festival




Melodic Revolution Records artist Ellsworth Hall received Semi-Finalist placement in VH1 2014 Song of the Year Contest

Ellsworth composed the song "In Grief Unbound" (from his solo CD Conversations with George Edgar Selby and the soundtrack to the movie
Beside the Manor Selby). The song was awarded Semi-Finalist placement in the Song of the Year Contest. The 'Semi-Finalist' placement is the highest placement next only to the one winner and four finalists from each category.

Also, Ellsworth and Mark Van Natta received Runner Up Award from the 2014 Song of the Year Contest for "Believe In Somebody," originally written and recorded in 1987. The new version appears on the new Aethellis EP
.






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