Hello Readers,
I am in the process of composing a composition for the Maxwell Trio to take to the International Double Reed Society Conference in 2012. The Maxwell Trio consists of Susan Maxwell, bassoon, Steve Maxwell, tuba and Amanda Arrington, piano. All are professors at Kansas State University.
This instrumental combination has inherent challenges stemming from the abundance of overtones present in the bassoon and tuba sound. I know from my experience in writing for tuba ensemble that dissonances sound muddy on instruments with a lot of overtones, so my harmonic style for this piece is quite conservative. So my challenge was to create an interesting piece within that restriction.
As I was composing the piece, the title "Interplay" came to me as there is a lot of counterpoint between all three instruments. I usually try to post sections of a piece while I am composing it, but with this composition I was very unsure of where things were going, and even if it was of value. I struggled because I could not find any direction or form out of what I was composing. I felt that the ideas were good and some sections were better than others, but it just did not make any sense. After stepping back for a while, I realized that I needed to add more to the opening section and after doing that, it became clearer that I was writing a sonata form of sorts.
I say "of sorts" because all the thematic material seems somewhat related so I feel that it is more monothematic than having two themes. The contrast between the themes is created more by treatment, with the first theme being staccato and the second theme being lyrical, rather than by new thematic material. Here is my analysis of the form:
1-4 - Introduction
5-27 - 1st theme
28-34 - transition
35-48 - 2nd theme
49-57 - closing theme
58-113 - development
114-168 - recapitulation
169-end coda
I think that gives you enough to go on without my analyzing the treatment of the various motifs. There is a lot of interplay that you will be able to hear and that, and the form is enough to concentrate on.
I think you will see what I mean by overtone rich instruments causing problems if you listen to the scorch version. You can see the score, but the sounds of the bassoon and tuba are horrible. I remember about 10 years ago purchasing Smart Music for my wife and myself. Smart Music is suppose to follow the soloist adjusting the speed of the accompaniment when the soloist plays into a microphone. But it never did. When I called the company, they said that oboe (my wife's instrument) and tuba (my instrument) are the most difficult for the microphone to recognize because there are so many overtones, the mic doesn't know what note you are playing. So I gather that the MIDI instruments playing the scorch file are inadequate because of the amount of memory needed to accurately contain all the overtones of a bassoon or tuba. The mp3 is a more realistic audio experience since it uses sampled instruments.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/interplay_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Peace and Joy for cello and piano
My best friend for over 55 years is Bob Feinberg, a chiropractor who lives in Columbus, GA. He was a professional trumpet player for many years and has been teaching himself piano and now cello. A few weeks ago, he asked me if I had written anything for cello and I told him that cello is one of the few instruments I haven't composed a solo for and that I may get inspired to write him something. Peace and Joy is a result of that inspiration and is dedicated to Bob Feinberg.
When I think of my friend Bob, the first two words that come to mind are "peace" and "joy". Bob has devoted his adult years to healing the mind, body and soul. He is a caring and loving person and through his work and his personal life, he shares his love unconditionally. I believe that unconditional love is the key to peace and that is the feeling I get whenever I am around him. Bob also exudes joy. All one needs to do is to listen to him play piano and joy comes through immediately. Being a professional musician most of my life, joy is often lacking in a lot of things I do. Whenever I start feeling that way, I think of Bob playing piano and it immediately changes my outlook.
Because Bob is a beginner regarding cello technique, I limited myself to notes only playable in first position and kept most of the cello part diatonic in either the key of G (e minor) and C. My challenge was to make the piece interesting within the limitations.
I chose a triple meter of 6/8 for the first part of "Peace" and the harmony has some 7th chords, non-chord tones, and borrowed chords. At M. 11, the piano takes over the melody and the cello plays an obbligato line. At M. 19, the meter changes to 2/4 with the eighth note remaining constant. This section becomes more intense through chromaticism. M 27 contains a four measure canon between the piano left hand and the cello. The ending returns to the 6/8 with the insertion of one 4/4 measure near the end.
The second movement begins in e minor and moves to G major at M 17. The dance-like theme goes through several transformations with the most interesting being the use of syncopated stop-time to break up the steady rhythm. At M 45, a lyrical theme is introduced while the piano continues the syncopation and staccato dance style. The lyrical theme is interrupted by the syncopated stop-time section once more before bringing the movement and the piece to a rousing close.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Peace_and_Joy_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
When I think of my friend Bob, the first two words that come to mind are "peace" and "joy". Bob has devoted his adult years to healing the mind, body and soul. He is a caring and loving person and through his work and his personal life, he shares his love unconditionally. I believe that unconditional love is the key to peace and that is the feeling I get whenever I am around him. Bob also exudes joy. All one needs to do is to listen to him play piano and joy comes through immediately. Being a professional musician most of my life, joy is often lacking in a lot of things I do. Whenever I start feeling that way, I think of Bob playing piano and it immediately changes my outlook.
Because Bob is a beginner regarding cello technique, I limited myself to notes only playable in first position and kept most of the cello part diatonic in either the key of G (e minor) and C. My challenge was to make the piece interesting within the limitations.
I chose a triple meter of 6/8 for the first part of "Peace" and the harmony has some 7th chords, non-chord tones, and borrowed chords. At M. 11, the piano takes over the melody and the cello plays an obbligato line. At M. 19, the meter changes to 2/4 with the eighth note remaining constant. This section becomes more intense through chromaticism. M 27 contains a four measure canon between the piano left hand and the cello. The ending returns to the 6/8 with the insertion of one 4/4 measure near the end.
The second movement begins in e minor and moves to G major at M 17. The dance-like theme goes through several transformations with the most interesting being the use of syncopated stop-time to break up the steady rhythm. At M 45, a lyrical theme is introduced while the piano continues the syncopation and staccato dance style. The lyrical theme is interrupted by the syncopated stop-time section once more before bringing the movement and the piece to a rousing close.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Peace_and_Joy_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Monday, September 12, 2011
Songs of Youth for Baritone Voice and Guitar
I was commissioned to compose a composition for Baritone Voice and Guitar by David Asbury, guitar and Bruce Cain, baritone voice, both of Southwestern University. When this opportunity came along, I immediately thought of one of my favorite compositions that was composed in 2000 for baritone voice and piano and has yet to be performed. I asked David and Bruce whether they would be okay with my rewriting the piano part for guitar and taking the baritone piano version out of circulation so that they could premiere the composition and they responded enthusiastically.
The poems for Songs of Youth were written by my best friend for over 55 years. Bob Feinberg is a chiropractor who lives in Columbus, GA. He was a professional trumpet player for many years and has many other talents including poetry.
The first poem, Loneliness, deals with going away to college and being unhappy. The setting of this poem includes blues-like sections alternating with more happy sections reflecting his thoughts when returning home. The song plays out like a mini-opera with its dramatic imagery.
The second poem, Jazz Heaven, is quite short. It reflects the joys of spending weekend evenings listening to the jazz greats on recordings. A bluesy triple meter is used for this movement.
The last poem, Carmine, reflects the excitement and joy of taking a trumpet lesson with Carmine Caruso. As the text reflects, Carmine was an extraordinary teacher who could draw the best out of everyone. In many ways, the poem honors all the great teachers who have influenced our lives.
In addition to writing the piano part for guitar, I changed the tempo of the last movement to make it less frantic. I will make that change in the piano version as well.
I found writing for guitar quite challenging. I have written for guitar before, but I do not play it and have never studied it. I have learned a few things by hearing my other guitar compositions rehearsed and performed and I hopefully carried that over into this composition. For instance, in voicing chords, I had a fingering chart in front of me and I tried to replicate the finger positions. I used a lot of wide spacing of chords as this seemed to make the fingering easier. I also have some concern regarding some of the contrapuntal lines regarding playability. I hope that David will make suggestions as he works on the piece.
Regarding the voice part, that remained the same as when I composed the piece in 2000. It is quite tonal so finding pitches should not be a challenge. There are some long phrases so deciding where to breathe will be important. There are also spots where the notes go by rapidly so diction will become a challenge. The voice will sound almost percussive in sections instead of sustaining lots of vowel sounds. I an anxious to hear Bruce's comments and performance to see if what I was hearing works.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Songs_of_Youth_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
The poems for Songs of Youth were written by my best friend for over 55 years. Bob Feinberg is a chiropractor who lives in Columbus, GA. He was a professional trumpet player for many years and has many other talents including poetry.
The first poem, Loneliness, deals with going away to college and being unhappy. The setting of this poem includes blues-like sections alternating with more happy sections reflecting his thoughts when returning home. The song plays out like a mini-opera with its dramatic imagery.
The second poem, Jazz Heaven, is quite short. It reflects the joys of spending weekend evenings listening to the jazz greats on recordings. A bluesy triple meter is used for this movement.
The last poem, Carmine, reflects the excitement and joy of taking a trumpet lesson with Carmine Caruso. As the text reflects, Carmine was an extraordinary teacher who could draw the best out of everyone. In many ways, the poem honors all the great teachers who have influenced our lives.
In addition to writing the piano part for guitar, I changed the tempo of the last movement to make it less frantic. I will make that change in the piano version as well.
I found writing for guitar quite challenging. I have written for guitar before, but I do not play it and have never studied it. I have learned a few things by hearing my other guitar compositions rehearsed and performed and I hopefully carried that over into this composition. For instance, in voicing chords, I had a fingering chart in front of me and I tried to replicate the finger positions. I used a lot of wide spacing of chords as this seemed to make the fingering easier. I also have some concern regarding some of the contrapuntal lines regarding playability. I hope that David will make suggestions as he works on the piece.
Regarding the voice part, that remained the same as when I composed the piece in 2000. It is quite tonal so finding pitches should not be a challenge. There are some long phrases so deciding where to breathe will be important. There are also spots where the notes go by rapidly so diction will become a challenge. The voice will sound almost percussive in sections instead of sustaining lots of vowel sounds. I an anxious to hear Bruce's comments and performance to see if what I was hearing works.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Songs_of_Youth_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Phantasie on Singaporean Folk Songs Mvt. 3 now Mvt. 1
Last week I received some brief comments from May Phang regarding the first two movements and I found them useful in formulating a style and treatment for this last movement. Upon completion of this movement, I realized that this would be a better first movement and my previous first movement, a better ending movement. The only thing I felt I needed to change was the ending, as it wasn't strong enough for a final movement.
After inquiring how many movements would there be, May's comments were as follows : "Would it be possible for some movements to be less angular in style, and more fantasie-like? (e.g. fluidity of line, blend of harmonies and colors)." I felt that the second movement accomplishes a lot of this and I believe that she was mainly referring to the fast movement that was the former first movement.
My original intent for the last movement was to not reveal the folksong "Munnaeru Vaalibaa" in its entirety until the end of the movement, using motives from the song in a developmental fashion leading up to it. But that intent changed after reading May's comments and I created my own extended melodies out of parts of the folksong. By the way, you can hear what these folksongs sound like by searching for them on youtube. I did use the fragments for the introduction (m. 1-12) that has sustained arpeggios with different motives occurring as an answer to the arpeggios.
M. 13 begins my original melody based upon the first two measures of the chorus of the song. It is accompanied by triplet arpeggios and modulates from G major to the mediant key of B major after 8 measures. At M. 30-45, some of the motives of the verse of the song are used as the basis of my second theme. This theme is accompanied by 16th note scales and arpeggios. This section modulates to remote keys almost every four measures. It winds down to an interlude beginning at M. 46 than is thinner in texture and uses 4/4 alternating with 3/8.
M. 61 begins an intense development section that uses a motive from the introduction to the song. At first the motive is accompanied by triplet arpeggios, then two-part and three-part imitation of the motive occurs. The modulations to remote keys occur almost every two measures at times.
At M. 86, the 4/4 3/8 interlude returns but incorporates the three note motive from the previous section and expands it at M. 93. M. 100 brings back the material from M. 13-60 in a slightly varied form. M. 134-155 serves as a second development section, once again using similar material as the first development. M. 156 begins a presto coda using the syncopated figure from the verse section interspersed with swooping arpeggios.
Indicating pedaling became very important in this movement and I reviewed the other two movements for pedaling as well. Any changes I made now appear in the scores that are posted. There were times where pedaling wouldn't work because of needing clarity of line in one of the hands. In those instances, I used ties to indicate sustaining. My only concern is that all the ties make reading the notation more difficult, but I couldn't see any way around it.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
After inquiring how many movements would there be, May's comments were as follows : "Would it be possible for some movements to be less angular in style, and more fantasie-like? (e.g. fluidity of line, blend of harmonies and colors)." I felt that the second movement accomplishes a lot of this and I believe that she was mainly referring to the fast movement that was the former first movement.
My original intent for the last movement was to not reveal the folksong "Munnaeru Vaalibaa" in its entirety until the end of the movement, using motives from the song in a developmental fashion leading up to it. But that intent changed after reading May's comments and I created my own extended melodies out of parts of the folksong. By the way, you can hear what these folksongs sound like by searching for them on youtube. I did use the fragments for the introduction (m. 1-12) that has sustained arpeggios with different motives occurring as an answer to the arpeggios.
M. 13 begins my original melody based upon the first two measures of the chorus of the song. It is accompanied by triplet arpeggios and modulates from G major to the mediant key of B major after 8 measures. At M. 30-45, some of the motives of the verse of the song are used as the basis of my second theme. This theme is accompanied by 16th note scales and arpeggios. This section modulates to remote keys almost every four measures. It winds down to an interlude beginning at M. 46 than is thinner in texture and uses 4/4 alternating with 3/8.
M. 61 begins an intense development section that uses a motive from the introduction to the song. At first the motive is accompanied by triplet arpeggios, then two-part and three-part imitation of the motive occurs. The modulations to remote keys occur almost every two measures at times.
At M. 86, the 4/4 3/8 interlude returns but incorporates the three note motive from the previous section and expands it at M. 93. M. 100 brings back the material from M. 13-60 in a slightly varied form. M. 134-155 serves as a second development section, once again using similar material as the first development. M. 156 begins a presto coda using the syncopated figure from the verse section interspersed with swooping arpeggios.
Indicating pedaling became very important in this movement and I reviewed the other two movements for pedaling as well. Any changes I made now appear in the scores that are posted. There were times where pedaling wouldn't work because of needing clarity of line in one of the hands. In those instances, I used ties to indicate sustaining. My only concern is that all the ties make reading the notation more difficult, but I couldn't see any way around it.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Phantasie on Singaporean Folk Songs Mvt. 2
For movement 2, I chose Di Tanjung Katong for the basis of this movement. I heard two different versions on youtube, one was slow and the other fast and I preferred the slower performance as it was hauntingly beautiful. Once again, the beauty of the music lies in its simplicity of melody and harmony and I wanted to preserve that quality, yet put my own individual stamp on it.
The first thing I did was to change the meter from 4/4 to 7/8 to give it a slight "lilt" quality. In addition, the opening is rubato, which further disguises the strictness of tempo. This becomes the opening A (m. 1-17) of an ABA form.
The B section is a passacaglia (m. 18- 49). I created passacaglia theme from the melody of the first eight measures by taking only the most essential notes (creating an outline of the melody) and changing the meter to 6/8. I then build a set of four variations on top of the passacaglia theme. A concern arose after I completed this section regarding the regularity of the rhythm. I went back and put more dotted notes in and that help solve the problem. The climax of this section and the movement is the minor/chromatic passacaglia variation at m. 42-49.
The final A section elaborates the 7/8 treatment of the theme with flourishes and triplets before ending with a slower version in a lower register.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
The first thing I did was to change the meter from 4/4 to 7/8 to give it a slight "lilt" quality. In addition, the opening is rubato, which further disguises the strictness of tempo. This becomes the opening A (m. 1-17) of an ABA form.
The B section is a passacaglia (m. 18- 49). I created passacaglia theme from the melody of the first eight measures by taking only the most essential notes (creating an outline of the melody) and changing the meter to 6/8. I then build a set of four variations on top of the passacaglia theme. A concern arose after I completed this section regarding the regularity of the rhythm. I went back and put more dotted notes in and that help solve the problem. The climax of this section and the movement is the minor/chromatic passacaglia variation at m. 42-49.
The final A section elaborates the 7/8 treatment of the theme with flourishes and triplets before ending with a slower version in a lower register.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Phantasie on Singaporean Folk Songs Mvt. 1 now Mvt. 3
Hello readers,
It has been two months since I have posted and during that time I was taking a break and also working on several arrangements. I am excited to be back composing again and especially excited about composing a piece for the wonderful pianist, May Phang. Dr. Phang was born in Singapore so the idea of using Singaporean folk songs as the basis of this composition appealed to both of us.
The first movement uses the Malay children's song "Chan Mali Chan" that has become a Singaporean national song. This song is quite simple in structure and harmony, yet there has plenty of material for me to create with. The song's structure is simply AB. The first part has two phrases, each beginning with repeated notes followed by step-wise motion. The first phrase ends on the dominant and the second phrase on the tonic. The B section begins on the subdominant and has three measures of repeated notes followed by step-wise motion. This phrase then repeats.
I begin the composition with a chromatic flourish and then proceed into a rhythmic ostinato. Both are used throughout the movement. The first statement of Chan Mali Chan maintains the formal integrity but interrupts the phrases with both the chromatic flourish and the ostiniato. The harmony is very nontraditional. I once had my "Dance Etudes" for euphonium reviewed in a journal and the reviewer said the etudes are quite traditional tonally but every once in a while there are things that sound like wrong notes. I would not have used the word "wrong" if I was writing the review. The notes were mainly unexpected by the ear as they were often borrowed from other tonalities and modalities. I mention this because I used a similar technique in the first appearances of Chan Mali Chan (m. 4-36). I'd be interested to see whether you feel the notes sound "wrong." What follows is a set of transformations of the material as described below:
m. 36 - 63 - Canonic treatment of both A and B with ostinato interruptions. The canon moves from two beats apart to one beat apart on the last phrase.
m. 63 - 93 - Scherzando treatment of repeated motif and change to triple meter for the step-wise motif. Chromaticism is introduced as the transformation progresses, taking over in the B section of the song.
m. 93-115 - The scherzando continues but departs even more from the song by changing the repeated motif into a trill-like figure and alternating 5/8 and 6/8 meter. In this transformation, only the A section is used.
m. 115 - 131 - This section is a minor variant and is marked appassionata with an arpeggiated accompaniment. It is quite traditional in terms of chord progression.
m. 132 - 147 - I mark this transformation giocoso as it is quite playful. It uses a lot of octave and rhythmic displacement of the A part of the theme.
m. 148 - 163 - This sections varies the B section of the theme and uses mainly 6/8 meter. The two 16th note two 8th note figure becomes a second ostinato and will play an important role in the next section as well.
m. 164 - 190 - Canonic treatment similar to m. 36 - 63 but the new ostinato interrupts the phrases. Once we arrive at the B part of the theme, the tempo starts to gradually increase.
m. 191 - 207 - This transformation begins with a syncopated figure that will grow in importance until the end. The folk song is stated in octaves accompanied by technical flourishes and the syncopated figure.
m. 208 - end - This transformation serves as a coda. It is in a faster tempo, uses the syncopated idea, and lots of chromaticism.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
It has been two months since I have posted and during that time I was taking a break and also working on several arrangements. I am excited to be back composing again and especially excited about composing a piece for the wonderful pianist, May Phang. Dr. Phang was born in Singapore so the idea of using Singaporean folk songs as the basis of this composition appealed to both of us.
The first movement uses the Malay children's song "Chan Mali Chan" that has become a Singaporean national song. This song is quite simple in structure and harmony, yet there has plenty of material for me to create with. The song's structure is simply AB. The first part has two phrases, each beginning with repeated notes followed by step-wise motion. The first phrase ends on the dominant and the second phrase on the tonic. The B section begins on the subdominant and has three measures of repeated notes followed by step-wise motion. This phrase then repeats.
I begin the composition with a chromatic flourish and then proceed into a rhythmic ostinato. Both are used throughout the movement. The first statement of Chan Mali Chan maintains the formal integrity but interrupts the phrases with both the chromatic flourish and the ostiniato. The harmony is very nontraditional. I once had my "Dance Etudes" for euphonium reviewed in a journal and the reviewer said the etudes are quite traditional tonally but every once in a while there are things that sound like wrong notes. I would not have used the word "wrong" if I was writing the review. The notes were mainly unexpected by the ear as they were often borrowed from other tonalities and modalities. I mention this because I used a similar technique in the first appearances of Chan Mali Chan (m. 4-36). I'd be interested to see whether you feel the notes sound "wrong." What follows is a set of transformations of the material as described below:
m. 36 - 63 - Canonic treatment of both A and B with ostinato interruptions. The canon moves from two beats apart to one beat apart on the last phrase.
m. 63 - 93 - Scherzando treatment of repeated motif and change to triple meter for the step-wise motif. Chromaticism is introduced as the transformation progresses, taking over in the B section of the song.
m. 93-115 - The scherzando continues but departs even more from the song by changing the repeated motif into a trill-like figure and alternating 5/8 and 6/8 meter. In this transformation, only the A section is used.
m. 115 - 131 - This section is a minor variant and is marked appassionata with an arpeggiated accompaniment. It is quite traditional in terms of chord progression.
m. 132 - 147 - I mark this transformation giocoso as it is quite playful. It uses a lot of octave and rhythmic displacement of the A part of the theme.
m. 148 - 163 - This sections varies the B section of the theme and uses mainly 6/8 meter. The two 16th note two 8th note figure becomes a second ostinato and will play an important role in the next section as well.
m. 164 - 190 - Canonic treatment similar to m. 36 - 63 but the new ostinato interrupts the phrases. Once we arrive at the B part of the theme, the tempo starts to gradually increase.
m. 191 - 207 - This transformation begins with a syncopated figure that will grow in importance until the end. The folk song is stated in octaves accompanied by technical flourishes and the syncopated figure.
m. 208 - end - This transformation serves as a coda. It is in a faster tempo, uses the syncopated idea, and lots of chromaticism.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/Phantasie_on_Singaporean_Folksongs_blog.html. You can view and hear the score if Scorch is downloaded on your computer and/or listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Cycle of the Spheres Movement 3
The third movement came together very easily. In order to prepare myself for writing this movement, I listened to some youtube performances of taiko drumming and read about its history. In many cultures including Japan, drumming seems to have a spiritual connection and since this movement is called "Resiliency of the Spirit", I decided to build the movement around the characteristics of taiko drumming.
I used tom-toms with heavy sticks in order to come close to the taiko drum sound and if the percussionist has access to a taiko drum, that would be even better.
The movement is divided into three sections. The first is an introduction for drums alone where the "leader" sets the mood for the fast drumming to follow by starting slowly and accelerating. The accelerando is written out by increasing the number of notes per measure until the tremolo in measure 9.
The Vivace begins the second section. This section is an interplay between the three instruments and the saxophone and piano are treated percussively by their notes being repetitive and staccato while still suggesting a primitive melodic line. This section is canonic for the most part, but every time it comes back, there is a slight variation by either varying the lead voice or the distance between entrances. To break up the countrapuntal sections, I use a short call and response idea at measure 29 and later at Measure 76. The saxophone does the call and the piano and percussion the response.
The third section begins at measure 50 and is a lyrical, hymn/folk-like melody over the contrapuntal "drumming". This section builds in intensity by changing tonal centers but still uses the pentatonic scale.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/cycle_of_the_spheres_blog.html. You will be viewing the playback file which is a transposed score, but has notation inaccuracies to accomplish a more realistic playback.The playback also uses MIDI instruments on your computer that has a different balance and playback than the sampled sounds of the software. For the most accurate playback, listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
I used tom-toms with heavy sticks in order to come close to the taiko drum sound and if the percussionist has access to a taiko drum, that would be even better.
The movement is divided into three sections. The first is an introduction for drums alone where the "leader" sets the mood for the fast drumming to follow by starting slowly and accelerating. The accelerando is written out by increasing the number of notes per measure until the tremolo in measure 9.
The Vivace begins the second section. This section is an interplay between the three instruments and the saxophone and piano are treated percussively by their notes being repetitive and staccato while still suggesting a primitive melodic line. This section is canonic for the most part, but every time it comes back, there is a slight variation by either varying the lead voice or the distance between entrances. To break up the countrapuntal sections, I use a short call and response idea at measure 29 and later at Measure 76. The saxophone does the call and the piano and percussion the response.
The third section begins at measure 50 and is a lyrical, hymn/folk-like melody over the contrapuntal "drumming". This section builds in intensity by changing tonal centers but still uses the pentatonic scale.
To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/cycle_of_the_spheres_blog.html. You will be viewing the playback file which is a transposed score, but has notation inaccuracies to accomplish a more realistic playback.The playback also uses MIDI instruments on your computer that has a different balance and playback than the sampled sounds of the software. For the most accurate playback, listen to the mp3 file.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
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