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Thad Fiscella

Composer

United States- USA

Author

  • 1

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About

Thad Fiscella's music is inspired by his life, family, and relationship with the Lord. His songs are simple, heartfelt expressions of personal convictions, raw emotions, and experiences throughout his life. Many people describe Fiscella's award winning music as inspiring instrumental music from the heart that is both peaceful and passionate, music that fits your life. Music styled around classical implementation, but very much juxtaposed with contemporary sounds and hints of jazz. Fiscella's music is created for peaceful relaxing, but to also draw listeners in by painting musical portraits and telling stories through beautiful and uplifting music. Fiscella's mission is to serve the Lord and to be His vessel, to see the gospel shared, and to see people's lives changed through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. His passion is to use his gifts and talents to glorify the Lord, draw others to God, and help create an atmosphere that provides the listener with relaxing meditative music to unwind and relax from the stress of everyday life. Other than writing music, Fiscella's current focus in ministry is with Youth/College students and leading worship.

Musically, Fiscella is often compared to musical greats George Winston, Jim Brickman, Yiruma, and David Nevue. His songs often combine a unique rhythmic sense (particularly his use of rubato) with melodic simplicity and counterpoint. The fusion often produces a particularly delicate sound in the balance between melody and harmony, and rhythmically creates a soft and interesting harmonic feel, especially in his use of 12/8 time signature.

Originally from Ottumwa, Iowa, Fiscella currently resides in Missouri, and is married with three beautiful children. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in music. He has been writing and composing music from an early age, beginning with whistling and singing, and eventually writing music for piano and orchestra by age 12. Fiscella grew up listening and studying classical music, which typically resounds some way in his music. He studied piano, violin, guitar, and percussion throughout his school years, and is currently focused on the piano and digital instruments. Fiscella has been involved in ministry and ministry projects for 15+ years, including teaching, leading worship, and youth ministry. His passion is to serve the Lord in whatever capacity needed. Fiscella's original intention for composing and creating music was for background music, or for times of meditation or relaxation, especially for his three young children. His music is designed for a time of calm easy listening or events where background music is needed. Fiscella’s music has been played all over the world, in day cares, spa’s, retail stores, and business offices, for art shows, dinner parties, banquets, and weddings.

http://www.thadfiscella.com/

Sheets

Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Music has always been so important to me. From the earliest memories as a child whistling or singing, learning instruments or writing music, it has always been apart of who I am. Personally for me it is a way to connect with God, to worship Him, and bring Him praise and honor, whether through the playing of music, or the offering of writing music for Him, it all flows out of a passion for God. The ministry of music also comes from sharing the music with others to be a blessing. For me, music is a painting of musical notes, placed together to create a musical portrait or story. Music is a language all its own, a language that can communicate emotions and pictures, imaginations and words with out the limitations of verbal languages.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

I believe that music at its roots tells stories, some of those are real, some of those are imaginative and creative, whimsical and fun. Music should always propel people to a new place of imagination and wonder, whether through inspiration, emotion, or make-believe. My song Once upon a Lullaby from the album Love Without Words comes to mind. It feels like a song that would feel right at home within a children’s audio story book, but for me personally, the music was inspired from the times I spent telling bed time stories to my young children and rocking or singing them to sleep.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

If I hadn’t become a professional musician, I would most likely have chosen to become a Family/Marriage Counselor or go into Church Ministry full time.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

I think there are always reasons to worry some about the future of any music style fading away. I believe as musicians today, we must create music with purpose, and write in such a way that touches people of all ages, music that is essentially timeless, much like the great classical composers before us. However, I don’t believe classical music will fade away, because I believe it has and will continue to have the power to reach and touch the young and the old alike, as well the many generations of young people to come.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

I think music will continue to be used for entertainment and enjoyment, as it always has, but I believe people will continue to find more and more purpose for it. This could be finding a song to help relax to after a long stressful day, or help motivate someone during a long workday, or the discovery of the perfect music for a local business, wedding, or art show. With music being so much more accessible than in was in the past, I see that accessibility continuing to grow even more in the future due to technology. Music can easily become a part of your life, wherever you are, or whatever you are doing, and that is huge and important. This is why I came up with the slogan, “Music that fits your life.” I want my music to meet you where you are and speak to you no matter what you are going through, or the journey you are on.

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

I think creativity abounds, and will continue to grow, not only due to the talent out there, but also due to musicians collaborating, gleaning from one another, and spurring each another on. I also strongly believe that creativity will grow leaps and bounds due to the extensive and continued growth in technology. I know for me, more times than not, new technology and the use of computers in instrument sampling and software spur on creativity more than anything. Through these tools, musicians can create music and ideas only dreamed about years ago. It is such an exciting time to be a composer. Creativity for me often just starts with setting at the keys, practicing and recording everything, until a new musical idea shines through.

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

I think it is possible to attract the younger generations. Both Millennials and Generation Z seek for quality and authentic experiences and transparency from others. I believe you provide this by combining music with the stories behind the music, being completely real, vulnerable and transparent with them. I believe concerts can provide a way for young people to see their favorite performer, and an opportunity for the performer to share about their personal experiences writing the music, and the meaning behind the music. I believe combining real heartfelt stories and ideas behind the music will help young people experience a more meaningful and authentic concert.

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

Typically, my creative process either begins with hearing a song in my head, and working through it, or just taking the time every day to sit down at the keys, practice, record and listen for musical ideas that stand out. As soon as I find something I like, I begin to work through it more thoroughly and continue to record new ideas to build on a potential song. I will typically write multiple ideas in a day, and more times than not, after recording those ideas, I will come back to it after a day or two and listen with fresh ears. If a song idea still stands out to me, I will then begin to put more time writing and crafting the song until it is complete, which can sometime take days, weeks, or even years. I would say my favorite piece is Beauty of Grace from the album The Road Home. It was written for a family going through a difficult season. It was written over a few hours, and it flowed through raw emotion and inspiration from the Lord.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

Do you think about the audience when composing? Something I did years ago with the advent of internet radio was to challenge myself to listen to new music every day, or as often as possible. I spent time listening to styles I typically hadn’t listen to as much, such as jazz, bluegrass, big band etc.… and to not only find new music, but to discover new artists, which I have found easy to do through Pandora, Spotify or the many internet radio services out there. I think young people should do the same, and spend time listening to classical music, discovering new music and the artists performing and writing. I don’t often think about my audience when I am composing, but I do want to write music that is both timeless and accessible to all generations of listeners.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

I have a few projects I am currently working on, including some work on hymns for piano and guitar. I have also been working on a project for piano and strings, something very emotional and cinematic. I’m planning on moving away from just piano based projects to work more on collaboration projects with other musicians, as well as focus on releasing singles and smaller projects rather than full length albums.