As you can see, I'm rolling along on the transcription. I approached the Gavottes in a similar manner as the Courante. I needed to adjust the appearance of the repeat signs because I wanted a different instrumentation on the first repeat and repeating to the first full measure and the use of first and second endings made the notation clearer. I went back to the repeats in the middle of the measure for the other repeated sections. The D.S. has the pick-ups to Gavotte I written out before the D.S. By the way, the D.S. does not occur in the playback of the file.
Another thing that I had to deal with was interpreting Bach's articulation markings, or maybe I should say this edition's articulation markings as I have no way of knowing for sure whether they were actually Bach's. It is during Gavotte II where the markings are unclear. Most of the time, two eighth notes are slurred. Sometimes, there is no slurring and other times four eighth notes are slurred. Was this a mistake or is there a reason for it? When the four eighth notes are followed by a half note, I perceived this as the main motive which I hear as being more separated, therefore no slurs looked and sounded correct. The four eighth note slurs are the ones I question the most as I cannot find a reason for the articulation change from two slurred. I decided to leave the notation as it appeared in the score and let the musicians decide if they feel all the articulations should match. The last articulation concern was the two same pitch quarter notes that are slurred in the bassoon part. This did not make any sense at all, so I changed it to two staccato quarter notes which seems to fit with what is going on around it.
I adjusted the dynamics in the first repeated section of Gavotte I to create an loud-soft echo phrase. The Gavotte II is marked piano and is essentially a trio of oboe, soprano sax, and bassoon with occasional insertions by the strings or in this case, the clarinet and bass clarinet.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Transcription of Bach Orchestra Suite No. 1 - Courante
The Courante was much easier to transcribe than the Overture because it was shorter and less technical. I was able to do what I originally intended for the Overture in the Courante, i.e. using the soprano saxophone to enable the oboist to rest. The Courante was four voices throughout as the two oboes were in unison and doubled the 1st violin. I gave the bass line to the bassoon, the viola part to the bass clarinet, the 2nd violin to the clarinet, and divided the 1st violin part between the oboe and soprano saxophone.
My biggest challenge was to find the most appropriate places to switch between oboe and soprano saxophone. In the first section, I just made the switch at the repeat. I also added a dynamic change on the repeat, from f to p. In the second section, I made the switch on the 2nd beat of M. 17. I felt this is where the phrasing felt natural and also worked as another dynamic change for variety. I had everyone play from the eighth note pick up to M 22 to the end at a forte dynamic to end the movement with strength.
Bach's score has very little in terms of articulation. There are a few slurs that I preserved. I added a few slurs of my own on some rapid notes and trills. I also added the style description of Stately as all the remaining notes should be performed with a slight separation.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
My biggest challenge was to find the most appropriate places to switch between oboe and soprano saxophone. In the first section, I just made the switch at the repeat. I also added a dynamic change on the repeat, from f to p. In the second section, I made the switch on the 2nd beat of M. 17. I felt this is where the phrasing felt natural and also worked as another dynamic change for variety. I had everyone play from the eighth note pick up to M 22 to the end at a forte dynamic to end the movement with strength.
Bach's score has very little in terms of articulation. There are a few slurs that I preserved. I added a few slurs of my own on some rapid notes and trills. I also added the style description of Stately as all the remaining notes should be performed with a slight separation.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Friday, June 18, 2010
Transcription of Bach Orchestra Suite No. 1 - Overture completed
I have completed the Overture and made one major change from what I posted last time. I found that I really needed another alto voice instead of the soprano voice so I changed the soprano saxophone to alto saxophone. In doing so, I had to re-score the first thirty five measures, but the change was worth it as it enabled me to keep everything within range and to rest each of the instruments more often.
I toyed with the idea of bringing the piece down a step to Bb major as the alto saxophone enters the altissimo register at one point and the bass clarinet gets into its upper register frequently. If I brought
the movement down to Bb, the bassoon would be at the bottom of its range a few times. I decided to hold off making this decision until I do the other movements as I would like to preserve key relationships between movements if at all possible. I also want to see how the quintet members feel about this transcription.
I did not change my thinking regarding articulation, dynamics and resting the musicians and hopefully the reader can see my consistent approach regarding these elements.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
I toyed with the idea of bringing the piece down a step to Bb major as the alto saxophone enters the altissimo register at one point and the bass clarinet gets into its upper register frequently. If I brought
the movement down to Bb, the bassoon would be at the bottom of its range a few times. I decided to hold off making this decision until I do the other movements as I would like to preserve key relationships between movements if at all possible. I also want to see how the quintet members feel about this transcription.
I did not change my thinking regarding articulation, dynamics and resting the musicians and hopefully the reader can see my consistent approach regarding these elements.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Transcription of Bach Orchestra Suite No. 1 - Overture
Hello readers,
I have been busy of late doing several arrangements. Some have been fairly simple in that I have been taking some of my brass trio arrangements and converting them to a woodwind trio of flute, clarinet and bassoon. I did this at the request of Susan Maxwell, Instructor of Bassoon at Kansas State University. She plays in a trio of violin, clarinet and bassoon and the woodwind trio instrumentation adapts well for her group and is more common for potential sales of the transcriptions.
My latest project is doing several arrangements for the Hartt School Reed Quintet. This an excellent group of graduate students consisting of oboe, saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, and bassoon. The first piece I am working on is the Bach Orchestra Suite No. 1.
Since the instrumentation of the original is two oboes, bassoon and strings, I decided to use a soprano saxophone for one of the oboe parts as it will blend well with the oboe. Once I decided on the exact instrumentation, I had two other major problems to consider. The first is adapting the articulation for the instruments. I decided to leave the slow sections unmarked and just used Maestoso as a tempo indicator to suggest a detached, slightly accented style. I used two slurred and two tongued for the sixteenth note patterns in the fast section and slurred the two sixteenths into the next eight for that pattern. At this tempo, this simplifies the articulation for the wind players and is very idiomatic.
The second problem was to allow the musicians time to breathe and rest. Most of the Overture is in four parts even though there are seven different instrumental parts. The five instruments in the quintet enables me to rest someone every once in a while. My challenge was to keep everyone in a good sounding range if I rested someone. The instrumentation I chose has basically three soprano register instruments and two bass register instruments. Both the clarinet and the bass clarinet could be used for the viola line which is mainly an alto register instrument. For the slow section of the Overture, I used the clarinet for the viola line and doubled the bass line in the bass clarinet and bassoon. In measures 10 & 11, I was able to rest the oboe for a few beats by giving the bass clarinet the viola line. An oboist will have the most endurance problems in this instrumental combination as he/she needs to time to exhale the stale air in his/her body since so little air goes through the reed while performing.
At measure 18, the Allegro section, I have the soprano sax playing the first entrance, the clarinet playing the second entrance, the bassoon playing the third entrance (viola) and the bass clarinet playing the fourth entrance (bass line). This works well until measure 24 where the viola line became too high for bassoon. Here I brought the oboe back in and shifted everyone up a part and it gave the bassoonist a chance to rest.
When the piece becomes a trio at measure 29, I use the soprano saxophone for the 1st oboe part, the oboe for the second oboe part and the bassoon for the bassoon part. I marked the trio sections mp as opposed to the tutti sections as mf to help create the needed contrast. Both the clarinet and bass clarinet gets a little rest here. The only one who hasn't rested much is the soprano saxophone and I'll keep that in mind as I move forward.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into making and effective arrangement. For now, I left the key as it was in Bach as it seems to work well regarding range and transposed key. If needed, I can change it to another key later.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
I have been busy of late doing several arrangements. Some have been fairly simple in that I have been taking some of my brass trio arrangements and converting them to a woodwind trio of flute, clarinet and bassoon. I did this at the request of Susan Maxwell, Instructor of Bassoon at Kansas State University. She plays in a trio of violin, clarinet and bassoon and the woodwind trio instrumentation adapts well for her group and is more common for potential sales of the transcriptions.
My latest project is doing several arrangements for the Hartt School Reed Quintet. This an excellent group of graduate students consisting of oboe, saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, and bassoon. The first piece I am working on is the Bach Orchestra Suite No. 1.
Since the instrumentation of the original is two oboes, bassoon and strings, I decided to use a soprano saxophone for one of the oboe parts as it will blend well with the oboe. Once I decided on the exact instrumentation, I had two other major problems to consider. The first is adapting the articulation for the instruments. I decided to leave the slow sections unmarked and just used Maestoso as a tempo indicator to suggest a detached, slightly accented style. I used two slurred and two tongued for the sixteenth note patterns in the fast section and slurred the two sixteenths into the next eight for that pattern. At this tempo, this simplifies the articulation for the wind players and is very idiomatic.
The second problem was to allow the musicians time to breathe and rest. Most of the Overture is in four parts even though there are seven different instrumental parts. The five instruments in the quintet enables me to rest someone every once in a while. My challenge was to keep everyone in a good sounding range if I rested someone. The instrumentation I chose has basically three soprano register instruments and two bass register instruments. Both the clarinet and the bass clarinet could be used for the viola line which is mainly an alto register instrument. For the slow section of the Overture, I used the clarinet for the viola line and doubled the bass line in the bass clarinet and bassoon. In measures 10 & 11, I was able to rest the oboe for a few beats by giving the bass clarinet the viola line. An oboist will have the most endurance problems in this instrumental combination as he/she needs to time to exhale the stale air in his/her body since so little air goes through the reed while performing.
At measure 18, the Allegro section, I have the soprano sax playing the first entrance, the clarinet playing the second entrance, the bassoon playing the third entrance (viola) and the bass clarinet playing the fourth entrance (bass line). This works well until measure 24 where the viola line became too high for bassoon. Here I brought the oboe back in and shifted everyone up a part and it gave the bassoonist a chance to rest.
When the piece becomes a trio at measure 29, I use the soprano saxophone for the 1st oboe part, the oboe for the second oboe part and the bassoon for the bassoon part. I marked the trio sections mp as opposed to the tutti sections as mf to help create the needed contrast. Both the clarinet and bass clarinet gets a little rest here. The only one who hasn't rested much is the soprano saxophone and I'll keep that in mind as I move forward.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into making and effective arrangement. For now, I left the key as it was in Bach as it seems to work well regarding range and transposed key. If needed, I can change it to another key later.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/bach_orchestra_suite_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Partnering with Performers
As artists, most of us are aware of the delicate balance that exists between being true to one’s art and meeting the desires of our audiences. However, these two philosophies need not be in opposition to each other. I feel that is important for all of us to create ways to unite these goals as the perpetuation of quality music depends upon it.
Being a composer, I often envision myself being in the middle of the traditional composer-performer-audience paradigm, instead of at the beginning. I am always looking for ways of how I can meet the needs of performers to help them communicate with and excite their audiences. As a result, I choose to invest all my profits from the sale and performance of my music and recordings into various programs I have designed to help the performer reach out to their audience with both new music and custom arrangements.
I invite all performers to visit my website at http://www.cooppress.net to look at our grant programs and free offerings as an example of some of these possibilities. Our programs assist performers with commissioning, recording, custom arrangements, and fundraising for non-profit organizations and schools. We would love to hear your ideas for anything else you think we could do.
I also encourage other composers to consider partnering with performers to help them reach their audiences and I hope that all performers will examine how working closely with a composer can benefit both their own musical development and that of their audiences. There is nothing more stimulating to an audience than hearing a piece of music for the first time and having the composer present to share insights into the creative process. In my opinion, it should a part of every program presented.
Being a composer, I often envision myself being in the middle of the traditional composer-performer-audience paradigm, instead of at the beginning. I am always looking for ways of how I can meet the needs of performers to help them communicate with and excite their audiences. As a result, I choose to invest all my profits from the sale and performance of my music and recordings into various programs I have designed to help the performer reach out to their audience with both new music and custom arrangements.
I invite all performers to visit my website at http://www.cooppress.net to look at our grant programs and free offerings as an example of some of these possibilities. Our programs assist performers with commissioning, recording, custom arrangements, and fundraising for non-profit organizations and schools. We would love to hear your ideas for anything else you think we could do.
I also encourage other composers to consider partnering with performers to help them reach their audiences and I hope that all performers will examine how working closely with a composer can benefit both their own musical development and that of their audiences. There is nothing more stimulating to an audience than hearing a piece of music for the first time and having the composer present to share insights into the creative process. In my opinion, it should a part of every program presented.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Art of Composition
I wrote this article for my Co-op Press Newsletter and thought I'd reproduce it here for those of you who do not receive the newsletter.
Dr. B
I have recently finished taking a course on North American Native American Art through the Yavapai College Osher Life-long Learning Institute where our teacher, John Acker, shared a definition of art as “combining what has come before into something new”. Immediately, I started to apply this definition to music and recalled a discussion that occurred on the Orchestra List News Group where it was pointed out that at many colleges and universities, potential composition students are not accepted because they believe in melody and tonality. It seems as though, beginning with the mid-twentieth century and continuing in our academic environments, newness is revered over sound artistic practices. As a result, anything that is rooted in music of the past is often rejected.
To illustrate this, I’d like to summarize two articles that appeared in the Music Educators Journal during the 1980s. In his article, “From Sound To Silence: The Classical Tradition and the Avant-Garde”, Robert Ehle states that there are two underlying basis of Western classical tradition; symbolic nature (program music, nationalism, etc.) and conscious craftsmanship. He later states that the downfall of the Western classical tradition is that the quest for new ideas without old associations has led to the abandonment of music as sound and the emphasis on music as pure idea. Roland Nadeau, in his article “The Crisis of Tonality: What is the Avant-Garde?”, illustrates Ehle’s points by pointing out that Schoenberg eliminated tonality, Bruitism (composition with noise) eliminated pitch, melody & harmony, electronic music eliminated traditional instruments and their players, Aleotoric music eliminated traditional form, and Cage eliminated composed sounds with 4’33”. Is the next step the elimination of the audience itself and is that already happening?
The discussion on the Orchestra List News Group illustrated that there are many composers writing music today who have not abandoned the traditions of music in order to create new and vibrant compositions. I highly recommend that every musician and music appreciator read Jon Winsor’s book “Breaking The Sound Barrier: An Argument for Mainstream Literary Music”. He gives credence to the definition of art that I heard in my art class and points the way towards a future of music composition that can create refreshing music without abandoning what has come before us. If you have a bias against all new music, please seek out these composers and give them a try. You will be glad you did.
Dr. B
I have recently finished taking a course on North American Native American Art through the Yavapai College Osher Life-long Learning Institute where our teacher, John Acker, shared a definition of art as “combining what has come before into something new”. Immediately, I started to apply this definition to music and recalled a discussion that occurred on the Orchestra List News Group where it was pointed out that at many colleges and universities, potential composition students are not accepted because they believe in melody and tonality. It seems as though, beginning with the mid-twentieth century and continuing in our academic environments, newness is revered over sound artistic practices. As a result, anything that is rooted in music of the past is often rejected.
To illustrate this, I’d like to summarize two articles that appeared in the Music Educators Journal during the 1980s. In his article, “From Sound To Silence: The Classical Tradition and the Avant-Garde”, Robert Ehle states that there are two underlying basis of Western classical tradition; symbolic nature (program music, nationalism, etc.) and conscious craftsmanship. He later states that the downfall of the Western classical tradition is that the quest for new ideas without old associations has led to the abandonment of music as sound and the emphasis on music as pure idea. Roland Nadeau, in his article “The Crisis of Tonality: What is the Avant-Garde?”, illustrates Ehle’s points by pointing out that Schoenberg eliminated tonality, Bruitism (composition with noise) eliminated pitch, melody & harmony, electronic music eliminated traditional instruments and their players, Aleotoric music eliminated traditional form, and Cage eliminated composed sounds with 4’33”. Is the next step the elimination of the audience itself and is that already happening?
The discussion on the Orchestra List News Group illustrated that there are many composers writing music today who have not abandoned the traditions of music in order to create new and vibrant compositions. I highly recommend that every musician and music appreciator read Jon Winsor’s book “Breaking The Sound Barrier: An Argument for Mainstream Literary Music”. He gives credence to the definition of art that I heard in my art class and points the way towards a future of music composition that can create refreshing music without abandoning what has come before us. If you have a bias against all new music, please seek out these composers and give them a try. You will be glad you did.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Odds and Ends
There are times when a composer does a lot of other things other than compose and this is one of those times. Since completing "Arizona Centennial Overture", one of the things I have been doing is transcribing some of my brass quintet and trio arrangements for woodwind quintet and trio. I feel there is a call for this repertoire and for the most part, these works adapt fairly easily. I also have been taking a transcription I made of Dvorak's five-movement Serenade for Strings for tuba/euphonium ensemble and converting it for brass quintet and then eventually woodwind quintet. This project is more difficult because I originally condensed the ranges to fit the tuba/euphonium ensemble and now I need to expand them.
Another project I am working on is adapting some of the duet compositions and arrangements I made for oboe and tuba, so that my wife and I have something to play together, so they can be played by any instrument. This has been a challenge because it is difficult to fit all the various ranges with one version. I am still working on how to do this without changing the sound of what I originally conceived. It is a work in progress and I'll let you know how I solve the problem if and when I do.
I find that my arrangements sell better than my compositions and it is through those sales that I am able to support the other projects my publishing and recording companies are involved in. I enjoy arranging and it is often a mental break from composing because I need to hold less in my head during the process.
I am still tidying up and adding things to my revised website. About two months ago, I moved by site to hostbaby which is connected to cdbaby and is designed with musicians in mind. Through this site, I am able to send html emails to my mailing list which contains over 500 names an easily target the subscribers by their areas of interest. I also get to list my CDs at cdbaby for free so it has turned out to be a real bargain as well as a convenience. If you haven't visited my website to see my creative marketing ideas, go to http://www.cooppress.net
As you can see, a composer often spends much time doing things other than composing. One must be creative in finding ways to distinguish themselves and must also be aggressive in marketing. I strongly urge all musicians to purchase and read David Cutler's book "The Savvy Musician". This book has been the driving force behind my recent efforts in marketing my compositions and arrangements.
Please let me know if any of these ideas are useful to you.
Dr. B
Another project I am working on is adapting some of the duet compositions and arrangements I made for oboe and tuba, so that my wife and I have something to play together, so they can be played by any instrument. This has been a challenge because it is difficult to fit all the various ranges with one version. I am still working on how to do this without changing the sound of what I originally conceived. It is a work in progress and I'll let you know how I solve the problem if and when I do.
I find that my arrangements sell better than my compositions and it is through those sales that I am able to support the other projects my publishing and recording companies are involved in. I enjoy arranging and it is often a mental break from composing because I need to hold less in my head during the process.
I am still tidying up and adding things to my revised website. About two months ago, I moved by site to hostbaby which is connected to cdbaby and is designed with musicians in mind. Through this site, I am able to send html emails to my mailing list which contains over 500 names an easily target the subscribers by their areas of interest. I also get to list my CDs at cdbaby for free so it has turned out to be a real bargain as well as a convenience. If you haven't visited my website to see my creative marketing ideas, go to http://www.cooppress.net
As you can see, a composer often spends much time doing things other than composing. One must be creative in finding ways to distinguish themselves and must also be aggressive in marketing. I strongly urge all musicians to purchase and read David Cutler's book "The Savvy Musician". This book has been the driving force behind my recent efforts in marketing my compositions and arrangements.
Please let me know if any of these ideas are useful to you.
Dr. B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)