The second movement is based on the Shadorma poetic form. Shadormas have 6 line stanzas where the lines have a syllable count of 3,5,3,3,7,5 respectively. I translated the syllable count into meter therefore creating 3/8, 5/8, two measures of 3/8, 7/8, and 5/8 resulting in 6 measure phrases.
This movement is also programmatic representing another poem I wrote, but this is done in reflecting the general spirit of the poem rather than each line, like I did in the first movement. Here is the poem:
Disparity Shadorma by Sy Brandon ©2011 Sy Brandon
Millionaires
Are on the increase
People starve
In the Streets
While fat cats count their dollars
In oblivion.
We protest
In the parks and streets
Occupy
Wall Street grows
Sending a message to all
About Disparity.
Various key ideas of the poem are represented by musical elements. The double bass opens the movement with a melodic idea that represents the rich. The viola takes over the melody at m. 7 accompanied by sparse double bass staccato representing the poor. M. 13 has both parts in imitation as if the trailing voice is trying to catch up to the leading voice, but never can. M. 19 begins the protest leading to the anger being expressed from M. 25-36. M. 37-72 repeats the opening ideas with slight variation. At M. 73, the ideas begin to fragment as the protests are being shut down and the movement ends quietly leaving the listener wondering if we have made any inroads towards erasing disparity.
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/poetics_blog.html.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Poetics Movement 1
It has been about two months since I have posted. During December, I was very busy with playing jobs and then my wife and I went on a four-week camping vacation ending up in the Phoenix area for rehearsals and a performance of my Arizona Centennial Overture by the Arizona Wind Symphony.
During my vacation, I got started on composing "Poetics" for the Dark Strings Duo consisting of Heidi von Bernewitz, viola and Rob Nairn, double bass. I took a class on short form poems during the fall through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College and had fun learning the forms and writing some poetry. This inspired me to try to translate some of these forms into music.
I started with a poem form known as a pleiades which has seven lines with six syllables per line. Each line starts with the same letter. I translated this into a music form by having seven phrases, each with six notes and all starting on the note "A". In addition, I used one of my poems as a interpretive inspiration so that the phrases represent the ideas of the poem. Here is the poem:
Acceptance Pleiades by Sy Brandon ©2011 Sy Brandon
Starting with this blog post, I am using flip pdf technology. 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/poetics_blog.html.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
During my vacation, I got started on composing "Poetics" for the Dark Strings Duo consisting of Heidi von Bernewitz, viola and Rob Nairn, double bass. I took a class on short form poems during the fall through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College and had fun learning the forms and writing some poetry. This inspired me to try to translate some of these forms into music.
I started with a poem form known as a pleiades which has seven lines with six syllables per line. Each line starts with the same letter. I translated this into a music form by having seven phrases, each with six notes and all starting on the note "A". In addition, I used one of my poems as a interpretive inspiration so that the phrases represent the ideas of the poem. Here is the poem:
Acceptance Pleiades by Sy Brandon ©2011 Sy Brandon
Aching hearts long for peace
Among troubled chaos
Answers seem elusive
Always a step ahead
Avoiding outreached hands
Away I turn from them
And then they come with ease.
Like most composers, I took liberties with the musical form. The viola's first six notes reflect the first line and the pizzicato notes in the double bass in measure 2 add punctuation. The second line begins immediately afterwards in the viola and is imitated in the double bass resulting in four versions of the idea (end of m. 2 to the end of m. 4) with only the first two starting on "A". In m. 5-6, the viola reflects the 3rd line of the poem. It does not start on "A", but the accompaniment in the double bass does. The line "Always a step ahead" is represented through pizzicato displacements between the two instruments starting at m. 7, each six notes long. This occurs three times, each one starting on "A" but the lead is alternated between the two instruments and the rhythm varied. M. 13-17 contains lines 5 and 6 of the poem, both in the viola and both starting on "A". The double bass plays free material that compliments the viola line. The last line of the poem is reflected from m. 18 to the end. It starts and ends on "A". I tried to let the form and the poem guide me but not restrict me.
Starting with this blog post, I am using flip pdf technology. 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/poetics_blog.html.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
Dr. B
Friday, November 25, 2011
Interplay Movement 3
I was recently sent a link to a story about a music prodigy, Jay Greenburg, who has the ability to hear an entire composition in his head completely scored and all he needs to do is to notate it. That process can take him around two hours. I compare this to how I compose, especially during the composition of Interplay, and we are not even in the same league. My process involves getting an idea, seeing where it wants to go, wondering where it is going to lead me, writing a measure or two at a time, filling in other parts, reviewing what I have written often, and making changes to what I have written earlier based upon what has come after it. When the composition is completed, I'm amazed at its balance, direction, craftmanship, cohesiveness, and variety, because it certainly doesn't feel that way during the composing process.
I mention all this because while I am pleased with the results of Interplay, it felt like a struggle almost the entire time. In fact, once the third movement was completed, I made a few minor changes to the other two movements.
The third movement actually came a little easier than the previous two because of my approach to the interplay. Instead of relying heavily on counterpoint between the instruments, this movement is more of an interplay between sections of the piece and its instrumental color. I set out to write a Rondo and wanted the movement to be lighter in nature to contrast the more serious nature of the first two movements. The movement is sort of a Rondo, but took on a life of its own.
The movement begins with a two-measure bassoon introduction that establishes the meter changes and uneven meter feel that will be used as the basis of humor in the movement. It is answered by a four-measure tuba and piano section that changes between 2/4 and 3/8. These measures continue to alternate with the bassoon melody establishing the A section (measures 7-34). At measure 21, the piano and bassoon play the idea in imitation.
The B section goes from measure 35 - 54 and also has an uneven meter feel but in a different pattern. The tuba has the B theme first and then it goes to the bassoon.
The A section returns in measures 55 - 83 with a different scoring; piano first then bassoon.
Measure 84 ushers in the C section mostly in 3/8 but with occasional different meters inserted. It is more lyrical than the other two previous sections and the melody is a three-phrase group. The melody and harmony contain both 4ths and 3rds. The three-phrase group repeats two more times, each time with instrumentation changes, increasing counterpoint, and more intensity of dynamics. It climaxes at measure 147 before transitioning back to the B section instead of the expected A section of the Rondo. It is followed by A, therefore creating almost an arch form (ABACBA). At measure 200, the C section returns with even more counterpoint than its original statement. The Coda gives us a hint of the A section before fading away into silence that is broken by a loud final chord.
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
I mention all this because while I am pleased with the results of Interplay, it felt like a struggle almost the entire time. In fact, once the third movement was completed, I made a few minor changes to the other two movements.
The third movement actually came a little easier than the previous two because of my approach to the interplay. Instead of relying heavily on counterpoint between the instruments, this movement is more of an interplay between sections of the piece and its instrumental color. I set out to write a Rondo and wanted the movement to be lighter in nature to contrast the more serious nature of the first two movements. The movement is sort of a Rondo, but took on a life of its own.
The movement begins with a two-measure bassoon introduction that establishes the meter changes and uneven meter feel that will be used as the basis of humor in the movement. It is answered by a four-measure tuba and piano section that changes between 2/4 and 3/8. These measures continue to alternate with the bassoon melody establishing the A section (measures 7-34). At measure 21, the piano and bassoon play the idea in imitation.
The B section goes from measure 35 - 54 and also has an uneven meter feel but in a different pattern. The tuba has the B theme first and then it goes to the bassoon.
The A section returns in measures 55 - 83 with a different scoring; piano first then bassoon.
Measure 84 ushers in the C section mostly in 3/8 but with occasional different meters inserted. It is more lyrical than the other two previous sections and the melody is a three-phrase group. The melody and harmony contain both 4ths and 3rds. The three-phrase group repeats two more times, each time with instrumentation changes, increasing counterpoint, and more intensity of dynamics. It climaxes at measure 147 before transitioning back to the B section instead of the expected A section of the Rondo. It is followed by A, therefore creating almost an arch form (ABACBA). At measure 200, the C section returns with even more counterpoint than its original statement. The Coda gives us a hint of the A section before fading away into silence that is broken by a loud final chord.
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
Monday, November 14, 2011
Interplay Movement 2
While I am please with the second movement, it was once again a piece that did not flow easily from beginning to end. While the ideas came easily enough, the needed a lot of editing to help the movement flow.
This movement is in three sections creating an ABA' form. The B section is divided into an A A' A'' A.
The opening A begins slowly and expansively, utilizing melodic intervals of mainly 4ths and harmonic intervals of 4ths and 5ths. The interweaving or interplay of the tuba and bassoon begins at measure 9, while the piano continues the open harmony. A three-measure chromatic adventure contrasts the openness of the earlier material and leads to a new tonality at measure 19 where some of the earlier material is repeated in this new tonality. The piano takes over the interweaving before going to the chromatic wandering, slightly extended.
A plaintive bassoon ostinato begins the B section. The tuba states the main melodic idea that will be transformed in this section. It is interrupted by a staccato arpeggio figure that will continue that role throughout this section. The bassoon takes over the next statement of the thematic idea and then the bassoon and tuba play it in harmony. This statement transforms the 6/8 meter to 7/8. A climax is reached at the end of this section before returning to a quieter, rhythmically altered version with the ostinato in the piano left hand and the melody in the bassoon.
A recapitulation of the opening A occurs with subtle transformations. The movement ends quietly with some lush chords that move to a more open sound in the piano.
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
This movement is in three sections creating an ABA' form. The B section is divided into an A A' A'' A.
The opening A begins slowly and expansively, utilizing melodic intervals of mainly 4ths and harmonic intervals of 4ths and 5ths. The interweaving or interplay of the tuba and bassoon begins at measure 9, while the piano continues the open harmony. A three-measure chromatic adventure contrasts the openness of the earlier material and leads to a new tonality at measure 19 where some of the earlier material is repeated in this new tonality. The piano takes over the interweaving before going to the chromatic wandering, slightly extended.
A plaintive bassoon ostinato begins the B section. The tuba states the main melodic idea that will be transformed in this section. It is interrupted by a staccato arpeggio figure that will continue that role throughout this section. The bassoon takes over the next statement of the thematic idea and then the bassoon and tuba play it in harmony. This statement transforms the 6/8 meter to 7/8. A climax is reached at the end of this section before returning to a quieter, rhythmically altered version with the ostinato in the piano left hand and the melody in the bassoon.
A recapitulation of the opening A occurs with subtle transformations. The movement ends quietly with some lush chords that move to a more open sound in the piano.
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
Interplay Movement 1
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
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)