About ten days ago I sent Lee Morrison the score for Time in Memoriam via email. He wrote to me today saying that the piece looks good. As it turns out the ensemble has a concert on Friday and then they are going to start looking at new music. Lee has asked me to email him the parts so the wind ensemble can read the piece next week.
This is great news. So I guess now it is time to turn out the parts so that the New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble can read Time in Memoriam. Unfortunately this adds a lot to my already busy work load. I am working on re-extracting parts for my Bass Trombone Concerto to send to bass trombonist Jonathan Warburton. I am also in the middle of re-orchestrating Off you go... for a possible performance in July. For this piece I am changing the percussion part to a piano part. I am going to be busy, but it is all good.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Listening Journal: April 18-24, 2011
Gabrielle Arness - Seeking (2005) for violin and cello
Billy Joel - Fantasy (Film Noir), op. 4 (2001) for piano
György Ligeti - Apparitions (1959) for orchestra
Edgard Varèse - Ionisation (1931) for thirteen percussionists
Click to order from Amazon.com
To order the score for Varèse's Ionisation click here: Ionisation for Percussion Ensemble of 13 Players: Full Score
Billy Joel - Fantasy (Film Noir), op. 4 (2001) for piano
György Ligeti - Apparitions (1959) for orchestra
Edgard Varèse - Ionisation (1931) for thirteen percussionists
Click to order from Amazon.com
To order the score for Varèse's Ionisation click here: Ionisation for Percussion Ensemble of 13 Players: Full Score
Time in Memoriam score is completed
On Saturday, April 16, 2011 I completed the score for Time in Memoriam. This wind ensemble piece is composed for Lee Morrison and the New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble.
There were times in the compositional process in which I wondered if this piece would ever be completed. The form and direction changed so many times that this piece hardly resembles the diagrammatic sketch I created when I first started thinking about this piece.
I am excited to have completed this piece. I am happy with the way it turned out. I look forward to receiving feedback from Lee. It is such a relief to finish a piece like this. The next step is to extract, edit and print the parts. That is when the whole package will be done.
There were times in the compositional process in which I wondered if this piece would ever be completed. The form and direction changed so many times that this piece hardly resembles the diagrammatic sketch I created when I first started thinking about this piece.
I am excited to have completed this piece. I am happy with the way it turned out. I look forward to receiving feedback from Lee. It is such a relief to finish a piece like this. The next step is to extract, edit and print the parts. That is when the whole package will be done.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Listening Journal: April 11-17, 2011
Marc-André Dalbavie - Concerto pour Violin (1996) for violin and orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - Le Réveil des Oiseaux (1953) for piano and orchestra
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 3, op. 23 (1898) Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
Pascal Dusapin - Chamber Music - CD
Fist (1982) for eight instruments
Hop' (1984) for eleven instruments
Musique Captive (1980) for nine instruments
Aks (1987) for mezzo-soprano and seven instruments
Niobé (1982) for soprano, chorus and chamber ensemble
Magnus Lindberg - Orchestral Works - CD
Feria (1997)
Corrente II (1992)
Arena (1995)
Click image to purchase mp3 album from Amazon.com.
The mp3 album price is only $2.67 as of this post!
Olivier Messiaen - Le Réveil des Oiseaux (1953) for piano and orchestra
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 3, op. 23 (1898) Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
Pascal Dusapin - Chamber Music - CD
Fist (1982) for eight instruments
Hop' (1984) for eleven instruments
Musique Captive (1980) for nine instruments
Aks (1987) for mezzo-soprano and seven instruments
Niobé (1982) for soprano, chorus and chamber ensemble
Magnus Lindberg - Orchestral Works - CD
Feria (1997)
Corrente II (1992)
Arena (1995)
Click image to purchase mp3 album from Amazon.com.
The mp3 album price is only $2.67 as of this post!
A reason for revision
Yesterday I was talking to one of my friends and he mentioned that he is looking for music for a concert coming up in July. The ensemble has an interesting instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. However, I do not have any pieces for that type of ensemble. He told me that a subset of the ensemble would work as well. I started thinking about Off you go... for flute, cello and percussion.
Off you go... is one of my favorite pieces that I have composed. I have been thinking about expanding it into a large scale work for years now. I have also considered changing the percussion part to a piano part. This concert opportunity gives me a good excuse to take another look at the piece and change it to a flute, cello and piano composition.
This change is not at all difficult to do as most of the percussion part is for the vibraphone. I would need to recompose the sections that use suspended cymbal and brake drums. That should not be hard. The main priority would be to keep the same or similar rhythmic ideas. I do have a couple of ideas of what to do in those sections.
The ensemble director would need the score soon to decide if they want to program the piece. So basically I have until the end of April, in other words this week, to get it done. I am confident that I can have it done on Saturday to send to my friends so he could pass it along.
Off you go... is one of my favorite pieces that I have composed. I have been thinking about expanding it into a large scale work for years now. I have also considered changing the percussion part to a piano part. This concert opportunity gives me a good excuse to take another look at the piece and change it to a flute, cello and piano composition.
This change is not at all difficult to do as most of the percussion part is for the vibraphone. I would need to recompose the sections that use suspended cymbal and brake drums. That should not be hard. The main priority would be to keep the same or similar rhythmic ideas. I do have a couple of ideas of what to do in those sections.
The ensemble director would need the score soon to decide if they want to program the piece. So basically I have until the end of April, in other words this week, to get it done. I am confident that I can have it done on Saturday to send to my friends so he could pass it along.
Happy Easter
I would like to wish all of my friends and family a Happy Easter. This day is another reminder to me of how important friends and family are. Happy Easter.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Listening Journal: April 4-10, 2011
Marc-Andre Dalbavie - Color (2001) for orchestra
György Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1974) for orchestra
György Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1974) for orchestra
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
We are having a girl!
My wife and I found out that we will be having a baby girl in September. For the past month I have been anxiously waiting to find out the sec of our baby. Last Thursday we got the news: We are having a girl! We are very excited about this news. We can now start planning the nursery and deciding on all the things we have been waiting on.
Our baby girl is due five months from today. We cannot wait for her to be born.
Our baby girl is due five months from today. We cannot wait for her to be born.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Listening Journal: March 28-April 3, 2011
Kaija Saariaho - Six Japanesse Gardens (1995) for percussion and electronics
Jord Widmann - String Quartet No. 3 'Jagdquartet' (2009)
Kaija Saariaho - Verblendungen (1984) for orchestra and tape
Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor (1917)
Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, Volume 8 - CD
Dance Preludes (1954) for clarinet and orchestra
Double Concerto (1980) for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra
Grave (1981) Metamorphoses for cello and string orchestra
Chain I (1983) for 14 performers
Two Children's Songs (1948) for voice and chamber orchestra
Six Children's Songs (1947) for voice and instruments
Witold Lutoslawski - String Quartet - CD
Kronos Quartet
String Quartet (1964)
Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, op. 4 (1899) for two violins, two violas and two cellos
Arnold Schoenberg - Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra (1910)
Click image to purchase mp3 version of this recording.
Jord Widmann - String Quartet No. 3 'Jagdquartet' (2009)
Kaija Saariaho - Verblendungen (1984) for orchestra and tape
Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor (1917)
Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, Volume 8 - CD
Dance Preludes (1954) for clarinet and orchestra
Double Concerto (1980) for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra
Grave (1981) Metamorphoses for cello and string orchestra
Chain I (1983) for 14 performers
Two Children's Songs (1948) for voice and chamber orchestra
Six Children's Songs (1947) for voice and instruments
Witold Lutoslawski - String Quartet - CD
Kronos Quartet
String Quartet (1964)
Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, op. 4 (1899) for two violins, two violas and two cellos
Arnold Schoenberg - Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra (1910)
Click image to purchase mp3 version of this recording.
Upcoming Projects
With the bulk of the work for Time in Memoriam completed I have begun to play my next composition. I have been thinking about what piece I want to have performed on the 9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music. I have been in contact with flautist Greer Ellison about writing a piece for her to play on the Festival. She is interested, so that is a possibility. Right now I am uncertain if it will be a solo piece or a duo or a trio (probably no bigger). I will need to contact Greer to see what she might be interested in.
I am also starting to plan my next wind ensemble piece. I have a couple of "feeler" emails out right now to a couple of friend of mine who conduct high school or junior high bands. I am checking to see if they would be interested in a new piece for their band. I am now waiting to see who responds to the email. My goal is to compose two or three pieces in the next year. At the point I will be able to create a flyer and try to market the wind ensemble music.
In the meantime my first priority will be to complete the two unfinished movements of Trackings No. 2. Even if it is finished in time, it is unlikely that this piece will be performed until next year (hopefully at the FCM). This is due to budgetary concerns. However, the piece will be finished within the next month.
I am also starting to plan my next wind ensemble piece. I have a couple of "feeler" emails out right now to a couple of friend of mine who conduct high school or junior high bands. I am checking to see if they would be interested in a new piece for their band. I am now waiting to see who responds to the email. My goal is to compose two or three pieces in the next year. At the point I will be able to create a flyer and try to market the wind ensemble music.
In the meantime my first priority will be to complete the two unfinished movements of Trackings No. 2. Even if it is finished in time, it is unlikely that this piece will be performed until next year (hopefully at the FCM). This is due to budgetary concerns. However, the piece will be finished within the next month.
Busy times
I realized this morning that it has been over ten days since my last post. Lately I have been quite busy with a lot of non-compositional things. So my composition time has been drastically cut. I guess I should get used to it with a baby on the way. Like most people I say it will not affect my time. However, I know it will all be about finding a balance. Balancing family, work and composing will be a difficult task, but one I can do. I guess that is why, in part, I have this blog. I will use this blog to make me accountable for my composing.
As for the recent past, the little composing time I have had has been devoted to entering the dynamics and expressions for Time in Memoriam into Finale. I am almost to the halfway point of entering these items. Fortunately I have learned many shortcuts on entering these items and cleaning them up so my hope is that it will not take too much longer to finish editing the score.
As for the recent past, the little composing time I have had has been devoted to entering the dynamics and expressions for Time in Memoriam into Finale. I am almost to the halfway point of entering these items. Fortunately I have learned many shortcuts on entering these items and cleaning them up so my hope is that it will not take too much longer to finish editing the score.
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