Welcome to my blog

I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 6

Yesterday I finished Adages with the completion of movement 6 "A rolling stone gathers no moss." When I first read this adage, the musical treatment I envisioned was a perpetual motion to represent the rolling stone. I selected the 6/8 meter because of its rolling rhythmic feel and began the piece with a chromatic eighth note idea in the violin. In the fifth measure, I bring the tuba in with a more diatonic, lilting melody for four measures which becomes the A theme of this rondo style movement. The violin continues its chromatic rolling against the tuba theme.

One of the challenges I faced during this movement was finding a way to allow each instrument some break from the continuous eighth note rhythm that creates the perpetual motion. This is more necessary for the tuba and the player needs time to breath, but I was also concerned with breaking up the pattern for the violinist as well. The section from measures 9-12 illustrates my solution. I alternate the chromatic pattern between the two instruments every beat (section B of the rondo).

Measures 13-16 is a return of the A idea but with a different tonal center followed by a return of section B also with a new tonal center. Towards the end of this B section, the idea gets extended to two, three and four beats, creating overlap between the instruments. This section, which I call C, concludes with four beats of chromatic scale for each instrument.

Measures 27-50 is ABABC but with the violin and tuba switching roles. Measures 51-54 is a harmonized version of the A theme. It is followed by a variation of B as the two instruments are are playing the one beat chromatic idea at the same time and silence is inserted followed by a syncopated low tuba note as if the rolling stone is now hitting some bumps along the way. With the meaning of the adage being if we keep active we won't wither, it is possible that we might hit some bumps in the road of life that will try to interfere, as the music does at this point.

Measures 62-69 is both a variation of A and B as the ideas are treated canonically. Measures 70 to the end use the original A and B with the tuba and violin exchanging roles followed by C with a little more overlapping and a strong ending that represents the stone arriving at its final destination.

After completing the movement, I felt good about it, but still felt something was missing, so I let it rest a bit and planned to come back to it later. The solution occurred to me in the afternoon as I was reading a book. The piece needed more dynamics. I added lots of crescendo and diminuendo to the phrases and all of a sudden, the movement gelled.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 5

Adage five is "He who hesitates is lost." Did you ever wonder how certain phrases would be set to music so that the music would represent the meaning of the phrase? How would you set this adage to music? Since instrumental music is by its very nature abstract, how can instruments represent specific meanings? If you weren't reading my blog or even knew the title of this movement, would you get the meaning I'm trying to convey? And is it necessary for one to be aware of the extra musical associations to enjoy the music?

I believe that these pieces would stand on their own without the titles and program notes. But for me, it is an integral part of the composition process. It makes composing easier when I am aiming to represent something specific. I have composed pieces with more abstract titles like "Sonata" where I get a musical idea and see where it leads me, but even then, I have an idea of the emotions that I am trying to represent. It was Stravinsky who said "I believe that music is incapable of representing anything at all." This statement was to foster his argument for Neoclassicism as a reaction to Romanticism. He later retracted this statement. I believe music does represent our humanity. If it didn't, it wouldn't be music, it would be just noise.

When I described movement three, I went into detail about a game of tag. This idea occurred after I completed the movement. I wanted to create a fun movement, but the specific story happened to make sense after I wrote the movement and added it to the description. The listener may come up with their own story line and that is fine.

I hope I have provided you with some food for thought. You may want to listen to movement 5 before reading any further and compare your feelings with my discussion below.

My general goal in this movement was to create a rhythmic complex movement that would involve the two instruments answering each other in the manner of a call and response. I had taken a class on free music improvisation a few months ago and we did a lot of call and response and I think this influenced me in this movement. The tuba is mainly the leader in the call and response, but in good improvisation and in this movement, each person listens to each other and either imitates the other or initiates a variation of the idea or a new idea. The message I am trying to convey is simple; you can't hesitate in this movement or it will fall apart (get lost). The complexity of the rhythms need to gel for it to work. The are little pauses throughout, but those are built in.


To add variety to the straight call and response, measures 9-15 have both instruments playing together. I liked this section so much, that I used again with slight variation towards the end. The tonality is fairly static, mainly built around G and D, but there is so much rhythmic interest, that tonality serves as a stabilizing force.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Friday, July 23, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 4

"Every cloud has a silver lining" is the basis for movement 4. The adage is very easy to understand as it simply tells us to look for the good within our trials and tribulations. But sometimes we need help in order to find the good, so the idea of a prayer setting came to mind.

The movement is mostly in 3/4 with a few meter changes to 2/4 and 4/4 to add a little variety. It begins with a two measure introduction for tuba alone that hints of the varied meter that will be used again later in the movement. In measure 3, both instruments begin the prayer in harmony with only minimal counterpoint during the sustained notes. The harmony alternates between minor and major portraying both sadness and hope. Measures 12-16 contain wandering chromaticism and the ties over the bar lines that disguise the 3/4 meter. This section represents the person being lost and trying to find his way. By measure 18, things settle down again as a variant of the opening ten measures occurs. The ending also reinforces the minor and major modalities once again showing hope within the sadness.

As I am writing, I find myself being influenced by some ideas about book writing that I heard and read about, as I am also trying my hand again as an author, this time a story about camping with our two cats. The ideas are by Tom Bird. Tom emphasis getting more into the right brain and allowing the ideas to flow without allowing the left brain to be too judgmental. While I already compose that way, I found that I am relying more on my ear to tell me what comes next and I really listened to it and wrote down what it was desiring without questioning it. To my surprise, what my ear was telling me had even more unity and variety than what my left brain would have created. Of course, I still needed to refine a few spots using both my left and right brain after the movement was complete, but what resulted seemed to have a higher level of perfection than some of my other works. All this fits in well with the "Inner Game" concepts of Tim Gallwey and Barry Green, with whom I had taken workshops. It was nice to experience the joy of free-flowing creativity that one does not always have when composing. If you are a composer or performer who struggles with being freely creative, I encourage you to pursue the offerings of the above mentioned names.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 3

For my third adage to represent with music, I selected "Time flies when you are having fun" or as Kermit the Frog might say, "Time's fun when you are having flies." The first thing that came to mind when reading this adage was the similarity between it and a musical scherzo. The scherzo is at a fast tempo and is usually light and humorous, or in other words, fun. After composing the movement, I envisioned children playing a game of tag with their relentless energy, teasing and taunting, and twists and turns.

I chose the 6/8 meter because of its division of three parts to each beat, which gives a feeling of rolling forward. A playful violin melody with the tuba harmonizing with a short note on each beat is used to begin the movement. In measures 5-8, there is a sudden shift of tonality as if the children are trying to avoid being tagged. In measures 9-14, the violin and tuba alternate phrases suggesting that the person who is "it" cannot catch up with the one he wants to tag. The music becomes louder and more accented in measures 15-22, as the teasing and taunting begins. The violin plays double stops that contain dissonance and the tuba responds with short notes as if sticking his tongue out. Measures 23-37 is a repeat of the opening material but with the violin and tuba parts exchanged as we have a new person as "it." The violin also plays pizzicato for additional variety. The taunting and teasing returns in measures 38-45 with a slightly different harmony in the violin double stops. The closing measures have the violin and tuba chasing each other again but with a little more silence between the phrases towards the end as the children's energy is fading. The last note is the children collapsing on the grass from shear enjoyment.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 2

The second adage that I gave a musical treatment is "absence makes the heart grow fonder." This adage suggests both longing and love. After selecting a slow tempo with five beats to a measure, I began with the violin playing double stops of perfect fifths. This open sound, along with its inversion of the perfect fourth create a hollow quality that was perfect for representing longing. The tuba enters at the end of the second measure with a lyrical melody, that also expresses longing because of the descending intervals at the end of the phrases. In measures 9-12, the violin and the tuba share a love duet before returning to a variation of the longing section. The last four measures is an exchange of endearments as the lovers sign off until the next communication.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Monday, July 19, 2010

Adages for Violin and Tuba Movement 1

I have received a commission from Marcy and Kenyon Wilson to compose a duet for violin and tuba for a premiere at the Southeast Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference being held in Chattanooga, TN March 10-12, 2011. One evening, as I was trying to fall asleep, the idea of using adages for the movement titles popped into my head. The next day, I googled "adages" and printed a list of 70 to choose from. I then narrowed the list down to six that seemed to suggest musical treatments. I'll keep you in suspense as to what the six are and will reveal them as I write about them here.

The first one I chose was "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Since the theme of this adage in envy, I decided to have the tuba imitate the violin as if copying the movements and actions of someone who is admired. Yet the message of the adage is that we should be happy with who we are and find our own special uniqueness.

The imitation during the first nine measures is two measures apart as if the tuba is wary to follow the violin too closely. Beginning in measure 10, the imitation becomes a measure apart as the tuba gains confidence. In measure 19, the violin begins a new idea with pizzicato, as if sensing that it is being followed and wants to distinguish itself as being different. The tuba is now only two beats behind and its staccatos don't exactly match the violin pizzicato. At the measures 26-30, the tuba finds its own voice, first by repeating three notes that violin did not do, and then taking off with a boisterous melody of its own. The violin is at first dismayed that it is no longer the leader and inserts pizzicato exclamations. In measure 31, the violin returns to the opening melody expecting the tuba to follow, but it does not. The violin keeps interrupting itself as if looking back over its shoulder to see where the tuba is until it completes its melody. The tuba then comes in on the last measure with its own idea that illustrates its new-found independence.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/adages_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Joplin rags arranged for Reed Quintet

The last of my projects for the Hartt School Reed Quintet is an arrangement of three Scott Joplin Rags. Because these are so short, I was not as concerned about resting each of the musicians as I was in the Bach Orchestral Suite arrangement. My major focus was to achieve a variety of instrumental colors.   It is very easy to transcribe a piano composition by giving the melody to the top instrument and so on down through the score. What is more challenging is spreading the melody among all the instruments and then adjusting the voicing to accommodate the displacement of the melody. The result is more fun to play and to listen to. When you listen to the arrangement, notice all the different colors I was able to achieve with the five instruments.

As with the Bach arrangement, I also adjusted articulation and dynamics to fit the wind ensemble. These are fun pieces that will definitely have great audience appeal.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/joplin_rags_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B