Sounds by Diren Darbaz

The film opens with a quiet moment: a young woman closing up a dimly lit diner while the end of a podcast about cults and their secrets plays softly in the background. For this opening, I wanted the music to feel atmospheric and understated rather than immediately frightening. My aim was to create a sense of solitude with gentle piano textures, allowing only a slight hint of unease to emerge. I hoped this would let the audience settle into the scene without giving away the suspense that was about to follow. To suggest the hidden tension beneath the ordinary setting, I introduced soft, ghostly choral layers, faint bell-like tones, and a distant, uneasy violin. These sounds often mirrored the small movements on screen—tidying glasses, sweeping her hand over the counter, locking the door—so that the music quietly followed the action. As the story escalates into jump scares and fleeting, menacing figures, I aimed to build the energy with pulsing rhythms, ascending pitches, and sharper textures to reflect the rising fear without overwhelming the visuals. During the car sequence, as the frightening figure chases the vehicle, I added a small musical nod to horror tradition: a sharp violin motive referencing Scream’s “Ring Ring” theme. From the first appearance of the figure, I incorporated metallic elements—scratching, dragging, and other resonant tones—layered with tense string figures and low, sustained motives. In the chase sequence, I used driving pulses and rolling rhythmic textures in the background to evoke the sense of chase, while gradually ascending pitches heightened the feeling that the threat was closing in. The music reaches its peak in the chase before suddenly dropping away for the end credits, where I return to the choral idea from the opening. My intention was to close the film with the same lingering, unsettled mood that quietly haunted its first moments. Thank you so much for the opportunity to score this amazing film—I truly hope you enjoy it!

(eng) When I first received the email saying I had been nominated by my faculty at the University of Surrey to deliver the student address at my Master’s graduation ceremony, I was completely stunned. After the initial shock—and of course, the deep sense of honour—my very next thought was: “There’s no way I can do this.” Speaking in front of 800 people, in a huge cathedral, at such an important event… and in English? It felt quite overwhelming! But deep down, I knew I had to say yes. Even though I was nervous, I also knew how proud I’d be of myself for facing something that scared me. Now that it’s done, I’m truly glad I did. This will always be one of those moments I carry with me—one that reminds me of how far I’ve come. To my beautiful family—thank you for being my biggest support system. I love you so much, and I’m endlessly grateful for your encouragement and belief in me. And to my fellow graduates—congratulations! It was such a joy to share this day with you all. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for each of us. Here’s to doing the things that challenge us, and to always celebrating how far we’ve come! 💛🎓 (tr) Yüksek lisans mezuniyet törenimde öğrenci konuşmasını yapmam için University of Surrey'deki fakültem tarafından aday gösterildiğime dair e-postayı ilk aldığımda, gerçekten şaşkına dönmüştüm. İlk şokun ve elbette hissettiğim büyük onurun ardından aklımdan geçen ilk şey şuydu: “Bunu yapmam imkânsız.” 800 kişinin önünde, dev bir katedralde, bu kadar önemli bir törende… hem de İngilizce konuşmak? Oldukça göz korkutucuydu! Ama içten içe, bu fırsatı kabul etmem gerektiğini, her ne kadar korkmuş olsam da, böyle bir şeyi göğüslemenin beni ne kadar gururlandıracağını biliyordum. Ve şimdi her şey bittiğinde, iyi ki kabul etmişim diyorum. Bu an, her zaman içimde taşıyacağım; bana ne kadar yol kat ettiğimi hatırlatacak çok özel bir anı olarak kalacak. Canım ailem—en büyük destekçim olduğunuz için teşekkür ederim. Sizi çok seviyorum ve bana olan inancınız ve desteğiniz için sonsuz minnettarım. Ve sevgili mezun arkadaşlarım—hepinizin mezuniyetini gönülden kutluyorum! Bu günü sizlerle paylaşmak gerçekten büyük bir mutluluktu. Birlikte başardıklarımızla gurur duyuyorum ve hepimizin gelecekte daha neler başaracaġını görmek için sabırsızlanıyorum. Bizi zorlayan şeylerin üzerine gitmeye ve geldiğimiz yolu gururla kutlamaya devam edelim! 💛🎓

✨ My first lo-fi track — I hope you enjoy it! / İlk lo-fi denemem — umarım beğenirsiniz! Lyrics / Sözleri: Ben ve sen, aynı rüyada kaybolduk Bir hayal kurduk, sonra unuttuk Sen ve ben, durduk ve de sustuk Kalbimizi bile unuttuk Ben ve sen Sen ve ben

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/23771056?from=youtube_share This is my transcription of Radio Car 1, a short but beautiful piano piece from the 2023 film One Life, composed by Volker Bertelmann. The piece is played by Nicholas Winton (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) in a touching scene. Since I couldn’t find any sheet music for this piece online, I decided to transcribe it myself so that others who also want to play it can have access to the notes. I’ve done my best to make it as accurate as possible, but there might be some small mistakes. I hope this transcription is helpful and enjoyable to play!

This 8-bit inspired track reimagines Dillirga with a nostalgic arcade twist! Created for the fun word game sections of Cylingo, a Cypriot dialect dictionary, this tune blends the traditional melody with retro gaming vibes. 🔹 Cylingo is a modern and interactive way to explore the Cypriot dialect, preserving and celebrating the island’s unique linguistic heritage. Don’t forget to check out Cylingo! 🇨🇾✨

As the director says, "This film is about a nurse who, during a pandemic, is caught between her duty as a frontline worker and her duty to her son (who is extra vulnerable to COVID). I think there are two main roles the music plays – one is to facilitate the passage of time; the unexpectedly long length of the mother-son separation and the way the months pass so quickly. The second role is to underscore the main character’s loneliness and slowly deteriorating mental state as she attempts to bury her emotions." I, on the other hand, worked on conveying this emotional roller coaster in my music. My goal was to evoke empathy and immerse the audience in the characters' experiences, making the story's emotional highs and lows more palpable. I hope you enjoy it!

Here's a performance of my composition, adapted from the Palestinian lullaby "Khet el Sobeh," took place at the University of Surrey for the Joyce Dixey Composition Competition 2024. I want to dedicate this piece of music to all the children tragically forced into eternal sleep. May we strive for a peaceful world where no child ever has to endure such a fate... For the score of the music: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/17934049

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/18379030?from=youtube_share

I am thrilled and deeply honoured to share this video of the @deltasaxophonequartet performing my composition, ‘Saxophone Conversation’, inspired by the 12-tone approach! Witnessing my piece come to life for the first time, especially by such talented musicians during a concert that also showcased works by my incredibly talented friends, was truly a memorable experience. I am grateful for this opportunity and hope you enjoy the performance as much as I cherished the process of creating it! 🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷🎶🎷 Delta Saksafon Dörtlüsü'nün, 12 tonlu yaklaşımdan ilham alan 'Saksofon Konuşması' adlı bestemi seslendirdiği bu videoyu paylaşmaktan büyük heyecan ve onur duyuyorum! İnanılmaz yetenekli arkadaşlarımın eserlerinin de sergilendiği bu konserde, özellikle bu kadar yetenekli müzisyenler tarafından, eserimin ilk kez hayata geçtiğine tanık olmak gerçekten unutulmaz bir deneyimdi. Bu fırsat için minnettarım ve umarım siz de dinlerken benim yaratma sürecinden keyif aldığım kadar beğenirsiniz!

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/16712908?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/14630992?from=youtube_share Down the Valley begins with a captivating allure, characterized by the enchanting tones of the D Dorian scale. Gradually, it transitions into the evocative essence of D Phrygian, before ultimately resolving into the luminous beauty of D Lydian. This piece is actually an exercise piece I composed when working on modes. I hope you like it!

As Hyltén-Cavallius put it "Right from the start, the theremin was seen as an instrument of the future" (Hyltén-Cavallius, 2013). Due to its otherworldly sound and distinctive structure, the theremin quickly captivated the attention of sci-fi filmmakers. One of the earliest movies to incorporate the theremin in its soundtrack is the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still"11, which I decided to centre this project of mine around. First, I did a simple breakdown of the major events in the film as: +Klaatu Arrives: Alien Klaatu and robot Gort land a spaceship on Earth. +Gort's Power Display: Gort demonstrates destructive power to onlookers. +Klaatu in Human Form: Klaatu assumes human form, and goes by the name Mr. Carpenter. +Learning Human Ways: Klaatu learns about Earth and human behaviour. +Message to World Leaders: Klaatu wants world leaders to gather, and deliver a message. +Worldly Message: Klaatu stresses the need for peace and warns of consequences. +Escape from Custody: Klaatu escapes custody to understand Earth better. +Final Warning: Klaatu gives a final warning to Earth through a powerful demonstration. +Departure: Klaatu and Gort leave Earth, leaving a message of hope for humanity. I then realized that even this abbreviated storyline was still too lengthy for my project, prompting me to further condense it. Ultimately, I crafted a concise and amusing storyline, utilizing MIDI notes to notate/draw for the Analog which I tried to create a convincing theremin sound with!

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/12863884?from=youtube_share Hey there, fabulous folks! So, I composed this carol for my university's Christmas Carol Competition, but alas, it didn't make the cut. No biggie (I might have cried a little bit). Still, I couldn't resist sharing it here, with you guys who somehow listening to it and reading this right now! I had an absolute blast putting it together, and I hope it brings a grin to your face. 🎄 I have to admit, MuseScore isn't exactly nailing the lyrical performance but please feel free to put your imagination to good use and let's have some holiday fun! 🎶😄

Hi everyone! I am finally done composing for the Indie Film Music Contest, and this is my final work for the short animation film called "Outdrawn" by Eric Ciuzio. I hope you like it!!

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/11407453?from=youtube_share

Some other old stuff :))

A cover I recorded 2 years ago with my phone at home :)

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/9512815?from=youtube_share Cyprus' music tradition dates back centuries and is found in almost every aspect of Cypriot life, from weddings to small gatherings at home. One of the unique aspects of Cypriot music is that it has a touch of each of the different ethnic groups on the island; Turkish Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Maronite Cypriots, and Armenian Cypriots. In this orchestration/ arrangement potpourri work, I worked on three Cypriot folk songs that are especially well-known in Northern Cyprus; 'Al Yemeni Mor Yemeni', 'Köprüden Geçemedim' and 'Kıbrısım'.

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8572538?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8297513?from=youtube_share I have always considered myself someone who tries not to break connections with nature. Even in my most cheerless moment, I always find myself on the roof of my grandmother's house, lying down, looking at the sky and listening to the sound of wind and the birds cheeping, and imagining; almost like a meditation hour for me to cleanse my mind from all the negative thoughts by reminding myself of the beauty of nature and so the world we live in. Therefore, in my composition Howling Winds, I mainly intended to take the audience on a mystic adventure by embracing concepts such as storytelling, meditation, and reflection on nature. Howling Winds, as its title hints, begins with an emulation of the wind howling accompanied by the wind chimes [where I used a slide whistle and Bb tin whistle for the imitation of the wind sound and glockenspiel for the wind chimes]. The howling wind keeps underscoring the work until the finale, almost like a ground bass, by playing a significant structural role in conveying the composition's essence. The scene that I aim to portray in the audience's minds during the first 16 bars, where the wind howls and the wind chimes collide alone, is a travel to a small Japanese village abandoned decades ago. Takemitsu Tōru: "The Japanese live within an essentially temporal worldview. For the Japanese, nature, as well as man, are entities that live and die within a world of time. Whereas the modern Western concept of time is linear in nature, that is, its continuance always maintains the same state, in Japan time is perceived as a circulating and repeating entity" (Tōru, 1987). While composing Howling Winds, well-known Japanese Takemitsu Tōru and his works such as "Rain Coming" was one of my main inspirations; therefore, I decided to form my work entirely around the Iwato scale which is often encountered in traditio

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8297495?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8297360?from=youtube_share As its title suggests, Three Variations on O Ma Tendre Musette is a musical variation work on a French Folk Song called O Ma Tendre Musette, translated to English as "Oh My Sweet Musette" and sometimes "Sing to me, sweet Musette". Initially, the melody of this folk song was attributed to French composer Pierre- Alexandre Monsigny (1729-1817), who was a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts; Therefore, it can be assumed that this folk song was composed sometime between the middle of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. While 'musette' in French can mean a few different things, I believe it means ‘accordion’ in this folk song, given the nature of the original instrumentation and the accordion's presence in France brought in by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s. Although my variation work is purely instrumental and does not contain any lyrics, the original lyrics helped me understand the song's essence in my thinking process before I started composing. By meanings of the essence, what caught my attention about this folk song was what made me feel about it. From the first listening, which was the 1919 Sigrid Onegin version for me (Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMyf0JqxUGk ), it felt more than a song but a frantic call to me, and when I searched for the meanings of the lyrics, I understood that it was a declaration of love; passionate but restless. By looking at the song's original lyrics, it can be observed that even though the narrator admits that it is love that he feels, he still accuses Lisette of being inconsistent and complains about her. Therefore, in each of all three variations, which function as a puzzle more than separate pieces, my primary intention was to portray the narrator's dilemma by sharp and sometimes sudden pauses come after not one but several climaxes. Just as the na

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8297123?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/8173620?from=youtube_share I specially composed this piece for my brother's wedding. I wish you a lifetime full of love and happiness, Ibrahim and Laden. (3/6/2022)

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/7737209?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/7570448?from=youtube_share

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/7538792?from=youtube_share "Who needs a prince to be a princess?" is a medley, introducing a feminist perspective to some classical Disney songs (Unfortunate Souls, Someday My Prince Will Come, Honor To Us All). I decided to compose such medley to support the effort of female musicians who lead the way for female musicians to make music publicly today but still have been underestimated for centuries! As a female musician, I wanted to give the Disney princesses an independent and strong voice, who had for years had the mentality that their prince would come and save them and give meaning to their lives! One of the most peculiar parts of the songs I chose to use as starting points for my medley was that they were all created by male composers. They were making music for the female characters to sing, but the songs had a male-centred mindset. Therefore, I wanted these princesses to react to society by breaking the stereotypes toward women! I wanted to be the voice of women ready to fight for their voices, just like all the female composers who had been discouraged through history but still worked hard for their dreams! While I was writing the lyrics to my medley, Tori Amos's song Me and a Gun has dramatically influenced my composing process. Therefore, I decided to write the new lyrics from the heroines' perspectives in a heartfelt form. I also used a jazz-influenced bossa nova part in my medley full of feminine power to break the masculine considered effects of jazz. LYRICS Poor Unfortunate Souls/ I’m More Than My Body Yes, I’ve got the looks, But I’m more than my pretty face. Don’t make me think, My body is the only thing I have. I don’t bother what men would think, If my words are meaningless to them. ‘Cause I know I’m valuable, I’m powerful, I’m capable Someday My Prince Will Come/ Someday I’ll Find Myself Someday I’ll find myself, Someday I’ll chase my dreams. I’m gonna be happy and I know I don’t need a prince for that Someday when my voice is heard, Someday I’ll make my way in life, When I am not afraid Of walking on my own. Bring Honor To Us All/ I Am A Human They have said I should be Polished like a barbie doll in box, Pretty like a magic rose in glass. They have said I should be obedient. BUT… Why can’t they see I’m a human? Trapped in this torment Set me free! I’m not a porcelain doll. I’m not a lotus blossom. I am a woman, Living in this world. Father, stand tall. Believe me! I will bring you honor Calm but fast-paced, Pale but not dead. Tiny waist and Smile on my face Make them like you. Strike a good match. Bring us honor. It’s the only way! NO! NO! NO! This is my life, My life!

Try the interactive tutorial, or download the Sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/25085291/scores/7121261?from=youtube_share

Piano by Sing2Piano https://www.youtube.com/sing2piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8jOMhuDfNo SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-807691328-787298990/heather-conan-gray-cover