Nathaniel Musso, Composer

Here's a song I've been enjoying lately. Gentle Giant was an excellent progressive rock band from the '70s (who I've been listening to during my commute recently). They were a group of highly skilled, creative multi-instrumentalists who made intricate, interesting music for almost a decade. Unfortunately, the lure of mainstream commercial success proved too strong toward the end, and their last couple of albums were less adventurous. Still, the bulk of their output is very inspiring to me as a composer and in my opinion is absolutely worth listening to. I really like this statement of artistic intent from their second album, "Acquiring the Taste":
"It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular. We have recorded each composition with the one thought – that it should be unique, adventurous and fascinating. It has taken every shred of our combined musical and technical knowledge to achieve this. From the outset we have abandoned all preconceived thoughts of blatant commercialism. Instead we hope to give you something far more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste."

Here are my resolutions, in no particular order:
1. I will create music that is authentic to myself. I will never write music that I don't believe in and love.
2. As a lyricist, I will seek a higher truth and a deeper understanding of the universe and of the human experience, and will attempt to give voice to the difficult existential and ethical questions that many don't know how to articulate. I will affirm the values of compassion, justice, truth, solidarity, et cetera, while simultaneously questioning social norms, institutions, assumptions, et cetera. I will add my voice to the movement toward a brighter future for all. If my lyrics ever have political content, I will always take the side of the oppressed, the excluded, the vulnerable. I will seek the best in others for the good of all.
4. As a composer, I will challenge myself and my listener with new, fascinating sound worlds. I will seek to connect my listener to the strange, the mysterious, the unknown, the world of the subconscious, the half-remembered. I will constantly explore new creative avenues in structure, harmony, rhythm, et cetera. I will be a lifelong learner and continually seek more and more knowledge in the field of music composition through reading, listening, and score-study. I will always remain humble and be receptive to learning from the experience of other musicians and musical traditions from around the world
5. I will not allow the fear of popular and critical rejection to lead me to create safe, obvious music. I will reject cliche and convention.
6. In my relationships with other artists, I will reject competitiveness and self-interest and will instead embrace the spirit of mutual support and community.
7. I will hold myself to these resolutions for the rest of my life, even if it becomes clear that these principles will not lead me to commercial success.

Gentle Giant: Playing The Game (lyrics) As I hold the key to the back door of the world I feel my Hand touching bounds never had before. I can view the power of my position and my eyes can...

Hi friends! First update on the album. Here's what I'm working on this week:

Hi friends! This week I'll be focusing on orchestrating and demoing the first track on the album, "This stream". Here's a (low-quality) taste. This song is one of two lyrics on the album that I've been sitting on since my undergrad. #newmusic #debutalbum #nathanieldiezmusic #progressivemusic #composer #wip

Hi, friends! Follow me here or on instagram .diez.music for updates about my upcoming album and other projects! I'll also occasionally share other interesting music things to help you e x p a n d y o u r m i n d