Daniël Tomàs: The Search for Inspiration
Each month, we invite our Artist of the Month to share the creative forces that drive their work. This time, it’s pianist and composer Daniël Tomàs. His work moves fluidly between intuitive improvisation, abstract sound design, and carefully constructed musical narratives. In this interview, he walks us through three sources of inspiration that give direction to his musical world.
1. Thinking in narratives
“Daniël, where does inspiration begin for you?”
“Always with the story. That might sound vague, but for me, a composition needs to carry a feeling or a narrative — something that gives it meaning. Without that, it feels empty. The story determines everything: the structure, the motif, even the sound design.”
Daniël often starts his process with a fixed set of questions before writing a single note. “What do I want the listener to feel? What image does the piece evoke? How does it evolve?” These questions create a clear framework, not as a limitation but as a creative engine. “What’s beautiful is that I always give myself the freedom to deviate from it. But that framework gives me direction — and direction brings calm.”
“Here’s a step-by-step outline of how I think. Of course, I don’t have to follow this strictly, but it does help me stay focused.”
Conceptual Foundation
- What emotion or narrative is this piece expressing?
- Is there a specific image, scene, or story I want to evoke?
- What is the overall arc or journey of this piece?
- What should the listener feel by the end?
- What sound design would fit the theme? How much room should I leave for it?
Motivic Analysis & Development
- What is my primary motive? (Notate it precisely)
- What is the essential character of this motive? (Intervallic, rhythmic, or both?). Outline it’s contour.
- How can I transform this motive through:
◦ Inversion?
◦ Retrograde?
◦ Augmentation/diminution?
◦ Fragmentation?
◦ Change in harmonic context?
◦ Textural transformation? (like register)
- Which 3-4 variations feel most compelling and contrasting?
Structural Planning
- What is the conflict of this piece?
- What form best serves this material? (Sonata, ternary, through-composed, etc.)
- Where should the climax(es) occur?
- What harmonic trajectory will support this journey?
- How will the opening material return or transform by the end?
- What secondary thematic material would complement the primary motive?
- How will I create contrast between sections?
- What element could I add that would surprise even myself?
2. Nature and the Wadden islands
In addition to being a composer, Daniël is an avid birdwatcher. “Every week I’m out with my binoculars. Especially on the Wadden Islands, I find a kind of stillness that I can’t find anywhere else.”
That love of nature seeps into his music. On his latest album Ecopathy I – Forgetting, the natural soundscape is an integral part of the composition. “Sometimes you hear it as a subtle background texture, sometimes it’s a more deliberate musical element — like in Cascade Noise. In some pieces, I’ve even shaped natural sounds into rhythmic elements.”
It’s not just the sound itself that matters to him, but the mental space nature provides. “When I’m outside, I enter a different state of being. That stillness is something I try to bring into my music.”
3. The piano and improvisation
And then there’s the piano — his constant anchor. “The moment I touch the keys, I suddenly realize how I’ve been feeling that day. That intuitive playing is my most direct line to inspiration.”
Improvisation plays a central role in this. “Sometimes I give myself small assignments: start a piece based on how your hands just happen to fall on the keys. Or deliberately choose an odd hand position, just to see what happens. I always want to keep surprising myself.”
For Daniël, the piano is more than an instrument — it’s an orchestra at his fingertips. “Every day I discover something new. That’s what makes it so rich and inexhaustible.”
Whether it’s an internal story, the sound of a distant bird, or the first key he strikes — Daniël Tomàs seeks meaning in everything. His music is not only a reflection of who he is, but also of what he sees, feels, and hears.
