Goulash 2nd Movement finished

While writing the Flamenco, I have struggled more than normal. I think it is because of the free nature of the form that really taxed my brain. I could only compose in short spurts as I didn't have a clear picture of where I was going with the music and just let it suggest what should come next. After I completed the middle section, I then had a clearer idea of how I wanted to end the piece as I found the haunting section from m. 22-32 worth repeating.

The middle section begins at m. 35 and is more strict in rhythm. However, after I finished the piece and reviewed it this morning, I felt the section was too strict. Some of the changes I made to remedy this concern are:

m. 40 - changed rhythm of last beat of pans to include 32nd note and rest instead of a 16th note.
M. 42 - did the same thing to the sax line
m. 43 - changed the rhythm in the last beat of the sax part to 16th rest and note instead of 8th note.
M. 45 - in the pans I changed beat 2 to dotted 8th and 16th from two 8th notes and inserted an 8th rest on beat 4 instead of and 8th note.

Because of these changes, the evenness of m. 46 stands out as building to the climax in m. 47.

Another problem I had was with the transition from 58 to 59. I ended up changing 58 to a 5/4 measure and having a rest on beat 4. Previously it was a 4/4 measure that went directly into 59. Never underestimate the power of a rest. Another place I changed a 4/4 to a 5/4 was in 48. This extended the ritard another beat and made the transition to 49 better.

Another concern in the middle section was the lack of chromatic notes. For a while, this was a nice contrast from the first section, but by the time I got to m. 44, I knew I had to get more chromatic. Once I did this, the rest of this section flowed easier and took on a direction.

This movement is a very stylized Flamenco, which means it has characteristics of a Flamenco, but I doubt if anyone could dance a Flamenco to it. The stricter rhythm section in the middle is not characteristic of a Flamenco, but I felt it needed that contrast. The ranges are not as narrow as a sung Flamenco, but this is a Flamenco for instruments. Flamencos often begin with a ornamented singing of "ay". I use this (not sung) at the end. My hope is that I have captured the intense emotional quality of a Flamenco and have created a movement both interesting to hear and play. The sax part does use some altissimo register (higher notes than the normal range produced by altering the embouchure and using fingerings that allow the saxophonist to use overtones present the notes they are fingering instead of getting the normal note.)

To see and hear what I've composed thus far, go to http://www.cooppress.net/goulashblog.html
The score is transposed.

Dr. B