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.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Alabama Songbook Suite Movement 8

This is the eighth and last movement of a multi-movement composition that I am writing for Jeremy Crawford. It is based on selections from The Alabama Songbook compiled by Byron Arnold. This movement is called "If You Don't Want To Get In Trouble".

"If You Don't Want To Get In Trouble" comes from the Spiritual Section of the book and is perfect for the Gospel-swing style that I had in mind for the last movement.

To begin the movement, the chorus is heard in the tuba while the left hand of the piano plays a bass line. This is followed by the verse in the tuba with piano chordal punctuation. At measure 17, the chorus is heard again, this time with a little flare inserted in the right hand of the piano. At measure 25, the piano plays a harmonized version of the chorus. This sections ends with chromaticism in both the tuba and piano that leads the listener into a louder, more intense section at measure 34. The material of this section is taken from motifs of the tune. A modulation up a half step at 42 adds to the excitement.

At 51, the chorus of the tune returns with tuba solo and piano accompaniment. This leads to a long tuba cadenza whose material is freely derived from motifs of the tune. After the cadenza settles down on a low tuba note, the piano returns with the harmonized version of the chorus and the tuba plays the ascending flares. The two measure chromatic section heard earlier returns before the tempo slows down to an "Amen" type cadence.

Below is a video of the score that uses sampled sounds. Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Alabama Songbook Suite Movement 7

This is the seventh movement of a multi-movement composition that I am writing for Jeremy Crawford. It is based on selections from The Alabama Songbook compiled by Byron Arnold. This movement is called "Jesus Goin' to Make Up My Dyin' Bed".

The 5/4 meter is one of the things that attracted me to this song. The song first appears with the melody in the tuba. The piano plays a simple accompaniment during the chorus and a chromatic bass line is added during the verse. Measures 9-16 has the tuba playing the melody up an octave and the piano doing an arpeggiated accompaniment during the chorus and a similar accompaniment to measures 5-8 during the verse. The difference is the piano right hand being up an octave.

Measures 18-26 uses the motive from measure 3 of the chorus to build a development-like section that modulates frequently and uses chromaticism. This wild section tapers down in measure 26 and the verse returns in the piano at measure 27. A quiet statement of the chorus completes the movement.

Below is a video of the score that uses sampled sounds. Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Alabama Songbook Suite Movement 6

This is the sixth movement of a multi-movement composition that I am writing for Jeremy Crawford. It is based on selections from The Alabama Songbook compiled by Byron Arnold. This movement is called "Niggljy Naggljy".

I was attracted to this song because of the title and also that I thought it would make a great scherzo movement.

In all the movements, I tried to have the song appear at the beginning, sometimes with accompaniment and other times without, since these pieces may be brought to schools and used as a demonstration of the songs and also the settings. I decided to begin this movement with the tuba alone. At measure 11, the piano plays a two-measure vamp before it accompanies the tuba on the melody. At 23 and 32, the piano plays the tune in a one-measure canon, first in G then in Ab. At 41, the tuba plays a variation of the tune with piano accompaniment in Eb. At 51, the accompaniment becomes more active.

Measure 63 begins a development section. The characteristic long-short rhythm becomes a two-measure vamp that occurs between fragments of the tune. Sometimes the vamp stays on the same pitch and other times it alternates octaves. It is varied in register and instrumentation. This section constantly changes tonality and has measures of chromaticism. Measure 87 serves as a recapitulation, but the variation of the tune returns rather than the tune itself. A 4-measure coda ends the movement.

Below is a video of the score that uses sampled sounds. Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B

Monday, October 3, 2016

Alabama Songbook Suite Movement 5

This is the fifth movement of a multi-movement composition that I am writing for Jeremy Crawford. It is based on selections from The Alabama Songbook compiled by Byron Arnold. This movement is called "Drunkard's Song".

My goal in writing this movement is to make the tuba sound drunk. I do a number of things in both the tuba and piano to create this illusion of inconsistencies common in an inebriated person.

While the song itself in in 6/8, I begin the movement with two measures of piano in 9/8, therefore disguising the meter. When the tuba comes in with the song in 6/8, the piano continues its 9/8 pattern. The pattern disguises the tonality by using the lowered 7th scale degree in the triplet. The tuba player is asked to play the tune in a drunkard manner. I am envisioning scooped notes and bending of pitch.

Measures 17-34 is a free section loosely based on motives from the song. Accidentals and tonality shifts obscure the sense of key and hemiola is used to disguise the rhythm.

Measures 35- 45 is a section of all out drunkenness. The tuba uses flutter tongue, high register squeals, and grace notes. the piano imitates the tuba and sometimes mocks the tuba with laughing sounds.

Measures 47-62 brings back a slightly elaborated version of the tune and tuba is muted. The ending incorporates the laughing sounds and the flutter tongue. The tuba is so drunk, that he can't even find the correct pitch to end on until the last moment.

Below is a video of the score that uses sampled sounds. Your comments are always appreciated.

Dr. B