Composing Session: January 10, 2010

I have recently become frustrated with the way Mutability was turning out.  I started to feel as if the accompaniment was becoming too repetitive.  The harmonic language as a result was too static.  For the most part, I do like the way the vocal setting was turning out.  However, even that feel to me a bit unfocused.

When creating themes or motives I will sometimes come up with these ideas that end up too difficult for me to develop.  I am starting to think that this is one of those times.  The triplet accompaniment figure I have been working with seemed like a good idea.  It was working well, for the first half of the piece.  I just do not know if I can bring it to a successful close the way it is.

Yesterday I started to take a new approach to the accompaniment.  I am keeping the harmonic language that I have laid out.  I may make some minor alterations as this aspect only needs some minor touch up.  I currently plan on keeping the vocal setting as best as I can.  This new approach is more sparse, unlike the flowing nature of what I was working with.  The other big change, so far, is the time signature.  The figuration I am working with fits into a 3/4 meter as opposed to the 5/4 meter of the flowing accompaniment.

So far I have only rewritten the introduction.  Yesterday was a short composing session.  I do not think that I will abandon the triplet idea all together.  I am thinking that it will work well as a secondary idea.  I am considering using it in the second stanza which begins: "Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings".

It is too soon to tell if this reworking is the right solution.  All I know is that I have decided to stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.