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I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Divertissement - III. Valse for bassoon and piano revised

Please be sure to read Bret's comment regarding my last post as he had some excellent suggestions regarding improving this movement that I have incorporated into this revision. I have posted his comment and this blog as an illustration of how a composer and performer can collaborate to make a stronger composition. If you are a composer, I encourage you to take lessons on all the instruments as it really helps to learn to write for them. I had the good fortune to have both my B.S. and M.S. in Music Education so have studied all the instruments in either a class situation or privately. But even then, I cannot have the knowledge that a skilled performer has, so I relish the opportunity to learn from them.

I have reposted the audio files of the Valse with the revisions. Here is a summary of the changes:

I was very careful to avoid the crossed lines between the left hand of the piano and the bassoon. When Sibelius played the piece back, I did not hear any problems with crossed lines as the timbres were so different, but I can imagine that in live performance, there would be more reverb and therefore blurring of the lines. Most of the time, I took sections of the left hand of the piano down an octave. Sometimes I took it up an octave and put it in treble clef. Another time, I took the bassoon up an octave (measures 60-76) which helped with the lines and also explored the higher register of the bassoon. I choose this spot as it was a recapitulation of the opening material and the new timbre gave it variety.

I made the last note optional 8va basso as inserting a tube into the bassoon can make this note possible.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/divertissement_mixed_woodwinds_blog.html. You will be viewing a transposed score.


As always, your comments are appreciated.

Dr. B

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