Before talking about movement 6, I thought I'd talk about my title for movement 5. This whole experience with titles is unusual for me as I often have titles before I compose the music. Since I am using a previous composition that did not have movement titles as the basis of this composition, I have the challenge of coming up with titles after the music is written. When listening to the 5th movement again this morning, the use of imitation triggered an image of a mime mirroring a person's actions in a humorous manner. Then the image of Charlie Chaplin came to mind and I decided to name the movement after him. I think that Charlie Chaplin represents our need to laugh and therefore he is a microcosm of the playful side of human nature. Sometimes he is witty and other times he is pure slapstick and I think there are elements of both in this movement.
I originally thought that movement 6 would be playful, but after adding the piano part, I felt that this movement reminds me of a storm that is constant in its relentlessness and that has peaks of activity. After the storm leaves, all seems peaceful and quiet again. I have called this movement Tempest, being a microcosm of the fickleness of nature. Syncopation plays an important role in the saxophone part so I built on that idea for the piano. The first three measures introduce the hemiola rhythm in the right hand of the piano while the left hand mirrors the saxophone part. The roles are reversed in measures 4 & 5 and then reversed back again in measures 6 & 7. The accompaniment becomes more sparse in measures 9-13 as it just fills in during rests. I use the interval of the 4th a lot for the harmony although once again, it is not chord progressions that I am after, rather just coloristic sounds. Measure 14 is one of the climaxes of the movement and arpeggiated 16th notes are used at this point. The accompaniment is like the beginning in measures 16-22. Measure 23 begins a 4 measure imitation of the saxophone line but a contrary motion bass line is added in the piano part. Measures 26-30 are added measures where I use material from 16-20 but the hands of the piano and the saxophone have different roles than the previous statement. The last two measures represent the fickleness of the calm after the storm.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
5th Movement
This morning's work went quite easily. I decided to have the saxophone play the 1st four measures by itself and then I repeated those four measures in the piano. I first added a mostly staccato scale-wise bass line but changed to a slurred line in contrary motion in two spots (measures 6 and 8). I also filled in the harmony in measure six as well. These are not any particular chord progressions but just sounds I thought worked well both vertically and horizontally. In measure 7 on the last beat, I have the left hand imitate what the right hand did one beat before. In measures 9-13, the left hand of the piano follows the saxophone part canonically down an octave and a beat later. In order to keep the clarity of this imitation, I did not bring the right hand of the piano in until measure 13 where it imitates the saxophone part up an octave and one beat later. After all the chromaticism, the movement ends quietly and ironically in Bb minor.
I am really at a loss as to the title for this movement. It sounds, witty, sarcastic, and ironic, but I haven't found an appropriate microcosm for this mood. Once again, I ask my readers for their assistance.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
I am really at a loss as to the title for this movement. It sounds, witty, sarcastic, and ironic, but I haven't found an appropriate microcosm for this mood. Once again, I ask my readers for their assistance.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Saturday, October 27, 2007
4th Movement
I have not been getting any help from my readers regarding titles, so I am coming up with some ideas on my own. I titled the fourth movement Hiroshima as a microcosm of man's inhumanity to man. I think that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima illustrates the kind of destruction of lives and property that we are able to inflict. I know that by dropping the bomb we were suppose to save many more lives than were lost, but the magnitude of this event and what we are capable of ( Post WWII Cold War and now terrorism) is what I feel is portrayed in this movement.
The angular saxophone line with its frequent use of altissimo register is what suggested the type of piano part I wrote. The piano uses the register extremes as well. In the beginning, the register extremes suggest the devastation. The piano lines move chromatically for the most part, but I break that pattern as needed for variety and to support the other lines with the appropriate harmony. At measure 5, the saxophone trill from the end was incorporated as a an accompaniment feature in the piano right hand while the left hand remains chromatic. At measure 7, I changed the 3/4 to 4/4 to add silence before leading into this quieter section with the piano right hand at the top of the keyboard. Dynamic contrast is also at the extreme in this movement as if one is screaming in the loud sections and staring in disbelief in the soft sections. Also beginning at measure 7, I introduce some ties and later syncopation to disguise the regular beat pattern. I made the tempo slightly slower in this section as well in order to create a quiet intensity. At measure 8, the piano begins to mirror the saxophone part as it is less chromatic. Measures 12-14 return the mood to the scream, but the piece ends with a quiet saxophone trill leaving us hanging with regards to the future.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
The angular saxophone line with its frequent use of altissimo register is what suggested the type of piano part I wrote. The piano uses the register extremes as well. In the beginning, the register extremes suggest the devastation. The piano lines move chromatically for the most part, but I break that pattern as needed for variety and to support the other lines with the appropriate harmony. At measure 5, the saxophone trill from the end was incorporated as a an accompaniment feature in the piano right hand while the left hand remains chromatic. At measure 7, I changed the 3/4 to 4/4 to add silence before leading into this quieter section with the piano right hand at the top of the keyboard. Dynamic contrast is also at the extreme in this movement as if one is screaming in the loud sections and staring in disbelief in the soft sections. Also beginning at measure 7, I introduce some ties and later syncopation to disguise the regular beat pattern. I made the tempo slightly slower in this section as well in order to create a quiet intensity. At measure 8, the piano begins to mirror the saxophone part as it is less chromatic. Measures 12-14 return the mood to the scream, but the piece ends with a quiet saxophone trill leaving us hanging with regards to the future.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Thursday, October 25, 2007
3rd Movement
I have tentatively titled the third movement "Apiary" as I see it as a microcosm of our busy and hectic 21st century lives. I am still going back and forth between "Leprechauns" and "Puck" as the title for the 2nd movement. I have been reading more about the history of Puck and even though his early associations are with the devil, Shakespeare made him more fairy-like. Maybe this movement is a microcosm of the devilish, trick-playing side in all of us. Help me out here by letting me know your thoughts.
Anyway, back to movement III. I added a two measure rhythmic introduction in the piano to open this movement and increased its tempo from 120 to 144. The piano left hand alone accompanies the first two measures of the rapid saxophone line. It has wide angular intervals befitting of the tension caused by our hectic pace. The rhythmic introduction is used to accompany the next two measures of the saxophone part but the chords are no longer static. There is gradual movement in each hand therefore adding tension. When the saxophone becomes more march-like in measure 7, the right hand of the piano does the busy saxophone line from measures 3-5 with a little punctuation added by the left hand. In measures 11 & 12, the piano returns to a fragment of the introduction underneath the FF sustained notes in the saxophone. The saxophone has a measure by itself before there is a recapitulation of measures 3-6. I now double the piano line in the right hand for added strength as we are approaching the end. The piano has the last comment on our busy lives by sustaining an unsettling diminished fifth echoed by the right hand fragment of the introduction refusing to stop.
I originally thought that I would be adding a lot to these pieces, but I have only added some brief introductions and an interlude here and there. Even though I am revising a much earlier composition, I find that they are very compact and intense short movements. They are almost Webernesque, where everything that needs to be said is stated over a very short period of time. We will see if the other movements hold true to form or whether they will be expanded more than I have already done to movements I-III.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Anyway, back to movement III. I added a two measure rhythmic introduction in the piano to open this movement and increased its tempo from 120 to 144. The piano left hand alone accompanies the first two measures of the rapid saxophone line. It has wide angular intervals befitting of the tension caused by our hectic pace. The rhythmic introduction is used to accompany the next two measures of the saxophone part but the chords are no longer static. There is gradual movement in each hand therefore adding tension. When the saxophone becomes more march-like in measure 7, the right hand of the piano does the busy saxophone line from measures 3-5 with a little punctuation added by the left hand. In measures 11 & 12, the piano returns to a fragment of the introduction underneath the FF sustained notes in the saxophone. The saxophone has a measure by itself before there is a recapitulation of measures 3-6. I now double the piano line in the right hand for added strength as we are approaching the end. The piano has the last comment on our busy lives by sustaining an unsettling diminished fifth echoed by the right hand fragment of the introduction refusing to stop.
I originally thought that I would be adding a lot to these pieces, but I have only added some brief introductions and an interlude here and there. Even though I am revising a much earlier composition, I find that they are very compact and intense short movements. They are almost Webernesque, where everything that needs to be said is stated over a very short period of time. We will see if the other movements hold true to form or whether they will be expanded more than I have already done to movements I-III.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
2nd Movement and request for help
I have completed the second movement but before I discuss what I did, I thought I’d explain the title “Microcosms” and request your (the reader) help in finding names for the rest of the movements. A microcosm is a diminutive, representative world; a system more or less analogous to a much larger system in constitution, configuration or development. My dictionary uses the illustration of a town meeting being a microcosm of American democracy. I named the first movement “Nebulae” representing what I picture cosmic gas and dust, with its contrasting light and dark appearance, would sound like if the visual image was translated into sound. It can be thought of as a microcosm of the universe. I have named the second movement “Leprechauns” because to me, it sounds witty and impish, an idea I associate with these legendary Irish fairies. They can be seen as a microcosm of a part of humanity that is playful, sly, and hoards wealth.
By now, you can get a sense that there is a lot of poetic license in coming up with the titles. I’m looking for interesting titles that reflect what the music is about and that have a microcosm relationship. Below is a description of the nature of each movement as I perceive it:
III – busy with pompous interludes
IV. Very intense
V. Schizophrenic
VI. Playful
VII. Lonely – lyrical
VIII. March-like
So send me your comments with your ideas.
Movement II – Leprechauns begins with a staccato accompaniment in the first two measures. Notice how the left hand in measure 2 imitates the descending scale of the piano right hand in measure 1. The saxophone melody has four motifs, measures 2,3,4, and 6 respectively. They are constantly juxtaposed to create the entire saxophone line. The piano accompaniment interplays with these motifs, sometimes by supporting them with something similar and other times being imitative. Chords in fourths and triads wander freely with regards to tonality, so freely in fact that is difficult to decide whether I should use sharps or flats for the clearest notation. During the last 8 measures, imitation predominates leading the to quiet, magical ending.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
By now, you can get a sense that there is a lot of poetic license in coming up with the titles. I’m looking for interesting titles that reflect what the music is about and that have a microcosm relationship. Below is a description of the nature of each movement as I perceive it:
III – busy with pompous interludes
IV. Very intense
V. Schizophrenic
VI. Playful
VII. Lonely – lyrical
VIII. March-like
So send me your comments with your ideas.
Movement II – Leprechauns begins with a staccato accompaniment in the first two measures. Notice how the left hand in measure 2 imitates the descending scale of the piano right hand in measure 1. The saxophone melody has four motifs, measures 2,3,4, and 6 respectively. They are constantly juxtaposed to create the entire saxophone line. The piano accompaniment interplays with these motifs, sometimes by supporting them with something similar and other times being imitative. Chords in fourths and triads wander freely with regards to tonality, so freely in fact that is difficult to decide whether I should use sharps or flats for the clearest notation. During the last 8 measures, imitation predominates leading the to quiet, magical ending.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Monday, October 22, 2007
A New (Recycled) Piece for Saxophone and Piano
The next piece that I am writing is a commission from Stacy Wilson, Associate Instructor of Saxophone at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. It is to be for Alto Saxophone and Piano and I have decided to recycle and older work of mine into a new one. Many composers recycle their music into new pieces for many different reasons. One is time constraints or having produce something for an upcoming performance and not having a lot of time to do it. Another is giving a piece new life through varying its instrumentation. A third reason is because the material has much musical merit and potential that may not have been fully exploited in its first usage. And a fourth reason is that the composer has matured and can find better ways of using the older material. In the case of the piece I am writing for Stacy,I feel that the last three reasons apply.
The piece that I am recycling is one that actually began its life as a set of pieces I composed for my oboist wife (then girlfriend) in 1966 and later were expanded into a work called "Micro Pieces" for solo saxophone that was dedicated to James Houlik. I plan to expand these again by adding a piano part and lengthening some of the movements. I am also changing the title to "Microcosms" and each of the movements will have a title as to what "mini-world" it represents.
For those of you who have been following my blog since its inception and have been listening to my music, you may realize that my preferences are towards music based in the traditions established prior to the mid-20th century. But as a composer and musician, I am aware of other compositional directions and will adapt my compositional style as needed in order to express what I am trying to communicate with each piece of music. In the case of "Micro Pieces" now "Microcosms", my melodic language is more angular and atonal. There is still an emphasis upon melody and rhythm, but the ideas change more rapidly and there is a greater emphasis on sudden contrast.
In order to add a piano part that is consistent in style with the melodic ideas in movement one, I chose to write a very coloristic piano part. In measure 2, the piano begins by reinforcing the forte of the saxophone crescendo in measure 1 with a diminished 7th chord. It then fills in the sustained saxophone g with a sextuplet with both hands in contrary motion creating intervals of sevenths and thirds that have root in the melodic interval of the saxophone on beat 1 of the measure and in the triad that accompanies it. The 3rd and 4th beats echo the saxophone from beats 1 & 2 and incorporate the diminished 7th chord once again. A coloristic G# trill in the piano right hand gives background to the repeated quarter note saxophone motif that was totally unaccompanied in measure 1. Afterbeats in the left hand of the piano again suggest the diminished 7th chord. Measure 4 consists of a rolled diminished 7th chord followed by the sextuplet again. Chords in 4ths accompany measure 5 which is followed the right hand of the piano in measure 6 and 7 playing an extension of the saxophone motif of measure 5 and 6. It is turned into straight 16th notes and varies its pitch content as it ascends, finishing once again with the outline of a diminished 7th chord. The use of the extreme ends of the piano add color and keep the accompaniment from obscuring the saxophone line as it is in totally different registers. These basic ideas continue through the rest of movement which ends with the piano doing the eighth dotted quarter rhythm from measure two, but this time as a diminished 5th instead of a minor 7th. This is a very tightly constructed movement, but hopefully has interest from the way the colors are used.
I have titled this movement Nebulae, as it reminds me of pictures I have seen of cosmic dust.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
The piece that I am recycling is one that actually began its life as a set of pieces I composed for my oboist wife (then girlfriend) in 1966 and later were expanded into a work called "Micro Pieces" for solo saxophone that was dedicated to James Houlik. I plan to expand these again by adding a piano part and lengthening some of the movements. I am also changing the title to "Microcosms" and each of the movements will have a title as to what "mini-world" it represents.
For those of you who have been following my blog since its inception and have been listening to my music, you may realize that my preferences are towards music based in the traditions established prior to the mid-20th century. But as a composer and musician, I am aware of other compositional directions and will adapt my compositional style as needed in order to express what I am trying to communicate with each piece of music. In the case of "Micro Pieces" now "Microcosms", my melodic language is more angular and atonal. There is still an emphasis upon melody and rhythm, but the ideas change more rapidly and there is a greater emphasis on sudden contrast.
In order to add a piano part that is consistent in style with the melodic ideas in movement one, I chose to write a very coloristic piano part. In measure 2, the piano begins by reinforcing the forte of the saxophone crescendo in measure 1 with a diminished 7th chord. It then fills in the sustained saxophone g with a sextuplet with both hands in contrary motion creating intervals of sevenths and thirds that have root in the melodic interval of the saxophone on beat 1 of the measure and in the triad that accompanies it. The 3rd and 4th beats echo the saxophone from beats 1 & 2 and incorporate the diminished 7th chord once again. A coloristic G# trill in the piano right hand gives background to the repeated quarter note saxophone motif that was totally unaccompanied in measure 1. Afterbeats in the left hand of the piano again suggest the diminished 7th chord. Measure 4 consists of a rolled diminished 7th chord followed by the sextuplet again. Chords in 4ths accompany measure 5 which is followed the right hand of the piano in measure 6 and 7 playing an extension of the saxophone motif of measure 5 and 6. It is turned into straight 16th notes and varies its pitch content as it ascends, finishing once again with the outline of a diminished 7th chord. The use of the extreme ends of the piano add color and keep the accompaniment from obscuring the saxophone line as it is in totally different registers. These basic ideas continue through the rest of movement which ends with the piano doing the eighth dotted quarter rhythm from measure two, but this time as a diminished 5th instead of a minor 7th. This is a very tightly constructed movement, but hopefully has interest from the way the colors are used.
I have titled this movement Nebulae, as it reminds me of pictures I have seen of cosmic dust.
I work in concert pitch, but the score I am posting has the saxophone part transposed.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/microcosmsblog.html
Dr. B
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The end of Suit Suite
Yesterday I finished “Suit Suite” but did not have time to post until today. I still plan to review the entire work over the next few days before I call it my final version. A little distance from the work usually gives me a different perspective on what I have written.
It took me two work sessions to finish Diamonds and then compose the Clubs (War) section of the piece. Diamonds ended with 3 measures of syncopated chords (measures 191-193) leading into an extension of the chromatic counterpoint section (measures 194-195). This builds into a long flutter-tongued chord (measures 196-197) that climaxes at the beginning of the Clubs (War) section. Clubs turned into a symbolic battle between the tubas and euphoniums. The opening repeated note figure that first occurs in measures 198 and 199 represents shooting. It goes through many transformations as the section unfolds, but has its most prominent role in the opening half. The two sides of the war identify themselves early. The first euphonium motif occurs at 199 & 200 and is immediately varied in measure 202. The tubas have two early motifs, one at measures 201 and 202 and the other at measures 203 and 204. The sides battle back and forth with “shooting” interruptions. A change of tonal center with the “shooting” motif at measure 210 ushers in new motivic ideas for both sides. The new euphonium motif at measures 211 & 212 is a canonic idea. The new tuba motif at measures 215 & 216 starts out like a rhythmic variant of the first euphonium motif, but it is extended and more forceful. The battle intensifies beginning at measure 219 where both sides present their motifs simultaneously. Notice the dynamic differences as this is intended to represent the ebb and flow of the battle. At measure 226, the battle begins to wind down for a brief respite, before taking off again at measure 231 in a slightly faster tempo. The piece ends powerfully without any clear indication that the war was won by either side.
I think it was a subconscious act that nobody wins this war, as I believe that most wars are senseless. If we spent as much money trying to alleviate the causes of the war as in trying to win it, there would be less pain and suffering. I usually do not end my compositions with a negative feeling, but “Suit Suite” actually represents the cycle of life. Although the piece presents the suits in order from high to low, their associations could be in almost any order. So even though the piece ends musically with war, it is as if the cycle continues with war (clubs) bringing death (spades) and out of ruin, springs life and love (hearts). Eventually, the craving for wealth (diamonds) and the power it brings, leads us back to war (clubs). The only way to break the cycle is to respect humanity and treat others as our friends and find ways to help all people dig their way out of hopelessness. So as I write this, maybe it is appropriate for “Suit Suite” to end with Clubs (war) as maybe it will imply a need to break the cycle.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/suitsuiteblog.html
Dr. B
It took me two work sessions to finish Diamonds and then compose the Clubs (War) section of the piece. Diamonds ended with 3 measures of syncopated chords (measures 191-193) leading into an extension of the chromatic counterpoint section (measures 194-195). This builds into a long flutter-tongued chord (measures 196-197) that climaxes at the beginning of the Clubs (War) section. Clubs turned into a symbolic battle between the tubas and euphoniums. The opening repeated note figure that first occurs in measures 198 and 199 represents shooting. It goes through many transformations as the section unfolds, but has its most prominent role in the opening half. The two sides of the war identify themselves early. The first euphonium motif occurs at 199 & 200 and is immediately varied in measure 202. The tubas have two early motifs, one at measures 201 and 202 and the other at measures 203 and 204. The sides battle back and forth with “shooting” interruptions. A change of tonal center with the “shooting” motif at measure 210 ushers in new motivic ideas for both sides. The new euphonium motif at measures 211 & 212 is a canonic idea. The new tuba motif at measures 215 & 216 starts out like a rhythmic variant of the first euphonium motif, but it is extended and more forceful. The battle intensifies beginning at measure 219 where both sides present their motifs simultaneously. Notice the dynamic differences as this is intended to represent the ebb and flow of the battle. At measure 226, the battle begins to wind down for a brief respite, before taking off again at measure 231 in a slightly faster tempo. The piece ends powerfully without any clear indication that the war was won by either side.
I think it was a subconscious act that nobody wins this war, as I believe that most wars are senseless. If we spent as much money trying to alleviate the causes of the war as in trying to win it, there would be less pain and suffering. I usually do not end my compositions with a negative feeling, but “Suit Suite” actually represents the cycle of life. Although the piece presents the suits in order from high to low, their associations could be in almost any order. So even though the piece ends musically with war, it is as if the cycle continues with war (clubs) bringing death (spades) and out of ruin, springs life and love (hearts). Eventually, the craving for wealth (diamonds) and the power it brings, leads us back to war (clubs). The only way to break the cycle is to respect humanity and treat others as our friends and find ways to help all people dig their way out of hopelessness. So as I write this, maybe it is appropriate for “Suit Suite” to end with Clubs (war) as maybe it will imply a need to break the cycle.
To see and hear what is discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/suitsuiteblog.html
Dr. B
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