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, May 28, 2013

Elements Movement III

I have completed the third movement of "Elements," a piece designed to musically portray the essential nature of the Classical Greek elements, fire, water, air and earth and their astrological implications.

If there is one word that describes the chief characteristic of the air element it is changeable, therefore this movement is filled with contrast. Some of the contrasts I use are, texture, dynamics, articulation, meter, tonality, and orchestration.

The movement begins quietly with primarily a monophonic texture with some instrumentation changes as a way of adding variety. At measure 10, the texture changes to homophonic and there is a lot of contrast of dynamics and metrical feel with the use of the 6/8 3/4 hemiola.

Measure 11 introduces an interesting harmonic technique that I use frequently in this movement. I call it common tone harmony where one note remains constant as the chords change around it. In this measure, the Bb concert remains constant. Sometimes it is the root of the chord and other times the 3rd, 5th or 7th. The chords themselves could be major, minor, augmented or diminished, depending upon my choice of harmonic direction. I even use the common tone as a member of a chord built in 4ths. This gives the harmony a lot of flexibility and works well in a movement where changeability is a characteristic as the chords don't fall into any one key.

The basic melodic ideas go through a series of transformations as the piece progresses and contrasting elements are incorporated throughout. The biggest rhythmic change is from triple to duple meter at measure 52 where there is a contrast in articulation as well. Measure 87 brings the listener back to triple meter and the movement ends with hemiola contrast and dynamic contrast.

I am now using flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/elements_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Elements Movement II

I have completed the second movement of "Elements," a piece designed to musically portray the essential nature of the Classical Greek elements, fire, water, air and earth and their astrological implications.

The water element's chief characteristic is sensitivity, therefore I chose a slow tempo and wrote a movement that is lyrical and harmonically rich. This movement is in an ABA' form. The B section uses some tone painting where the undulating 16th notes are designed to represent the flow of water.

From a compositional viewpoint, I feel that the things that make this movement work well are the subtleties. Phrases are interchanged between instruments so in order to create continuity, I often overlap the phrases. When the A section returns, try to note the differences from the first A section. Since this section comes at the end, it needed some slight variation from its opening statement. The meter changes throughout add an element of subtle irregularity so that the lines are not predictable. The ending has a delayed cadence that once again adds a subtlety that hopefully delights the ear.

I am now using flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/elements_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Elements for Saxophone Quartet Movement I

I am back writing about my compositions after a hiatus of almost a year. I have been commissioned by the h2 Saxophone Quartet and we decided to have me write a quartet that would be playable by good high school, college, and weekend warrior quartets. The piece I am creating is called "Elements" and is designed to musically portray the essential nature of the Classical Greek elements,
fire, water, air and earth and their astrological implications.

The first movement is Fire whose essential nature is strong and controlling. The music contains a lot of forceful sections, primarily in a homophonic style. In order to contrast these sections, quieter polyphonic sections are used that build into the more forceful sections. The technique of counterpoint in music is one that demands great control, thus fitting subject matter.

The harmonic style is a mixture of quartal harmony and triadic harmony. The music wanders freely between keys therefore creating harmonic interest. There is much rhythmic interest through the use of syncopation and hemiola.

I am now using flip pdf technology for the musical examples that go along with my posts. It uses Flash Player that most browsers come with. You will be hearing an mp3 of sampled sounds playing the music and you will see the score at the same time. You will need to turn the pages by clicking on the arrows at the appropriate time. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/elements_blog.html.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B