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.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Neverland for Woodwind Quintet Movement 4

The 4th movement is "The Mermaid Lagoon and the Rescue of Tiger Lily". As the title suggests, there are two parts to this movement. 

The first section depicts the beauty and mystique of the Mermaid Lagoon. On can think of the clarinet and flute noodling as ripples on the lagoon. The more sustained melody that appears in the Horn and then the oboe and then the Horn and oboe together might be thought of as representing mermaids gracefully swimming.

All this gentleness is interrupted by the arrival of Smee and his crew with Tiger Lily in captivity. The pentatonic melody in the clarinet and the ostinato in the bassoon represent Tiger Lily. The bassoon part that begins at m. 24 is the theme I use for the pirates and Hook. At m. 29, the oboe and clarinet play a theme that I develop later in the composition in the Children's March movement. The music speeds up and becomes more contrapuntal as the children rescue Tiger Lily from the pirates grasp.

I export my Sibelius Music Notation file as a movie (new to version 7.5). I also use Noteperformer software for the sounds. These are sample sounds, but the software also includes an algorithm that reads ahead in the music and phrases the music according to context, therefore making the realization closer to live performance. I  upload these videos to youtube and embed the video after the poetry for each movement. I hope that this technology allows the reader to have an easier experience and a more realistic performance. To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Neverland_WW5_blog.html

As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B

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