Buddha Orchestration (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Today I experimented with the orchestration of the Buddha opening theme.

It was a challenge use the 2 pianos, because of the microtones in the other instruments. 

Then I realised that using lower notes of the piano actually creates a mist of natural overtones which are 'out of tune' anyway, so the microtonal instruments can just slot themselves right in. 

The nice thing about equal temperament is that almost nothing is really in tune according to the overtone series…

Followup romance for viola and piano

Score here

I'm thinking that this will be part of a set, with the other one. I feel as though I should write at least one more, but is that just a cultural norm?

Bouncy like a Tigger (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Polish your weaknesses until they're your greatest strengths, I always say. 

I'm turning my tendency to write hybrid Chinese-Gaelic-British music into an asset.

There's a Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac. It's going to be bouncy like a Tigger now.

again was busy today coming back tomorrow SORRY

Practice text using IPA alphabet

Today is libretto-practice day.

I have to get a start on my commission from the Song Company. It's a short a cappella piece using the International Phonetic Alphabet. 

Before I write the song text properly, I want to be comfortable with the IPA, since this is the first time I'm using it as an author.

The eventual song text will use disembodied phonemes etc. in such a way that there is no linguistic sense, ie. no meaning. 

But to begin familiarising myself, I wrote this practice text using largely English words plus a few sounds not found in English, like the [ǂ] which is a click used in Khoisan languages.

The English words are from Samuel Beckett. I figured it's fitting that I use absurdist text to practice writing nonsense… (Oliver, you'll recognise a couple of lines even if you don't read IPA…!) 

I'm sorry I haven't been commenting or posting properly

Hi everyone, it's been REAL busy but I'm back on track now and will be pumping out some make-up music for the days I've been away.

For today, here's a sight-reading recording of the Romance of a few days ago -

get romantic & sad

thanks to Meagan Turner (vla) and Vatche Jambazian (pno) for their real beautiful snowy-day playing <3 <3 <3

Sad waltz (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

Today yielded a waltz sad and sweet….

I wonder if it's the Cat's tune. Does anyone wonder why there is no Cat in the Chinese Zodiac? In the version of the story I tell, the Cat was pushed into the river by the Rat and got washed away. Till this day, cats don't like rats. Or water.

English Virginal Dog (Carnival of the No-Longer Chinese Animals)

I'm encountering that problem again …

So I wanted to write some playful music for the Dog, which is one of the last animals to arrive because it was enjoying the swim in the river and lost track of time.

But though I intended to write some Chinese music, this isn't even close. Instead it sounds like a children's song going into English virginal music, eg. Orlando Gibbons.

What to do… either I go down this path or I dump this music!

ABC's

Hey everyone,

I'm recently been learning a monologue from Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and have been inspired by some of its insanity.

This is a bit of a nonsense piece and I hope you enjoy it!

Score Here

No composing today...

I didn't get the chance to compose today, as I've been working at some orchestration work for a guy here in NY. I'd share some of that, but it's not mine so I think I'd better not...

I did however get a recording of a piece I wrote during month of music a year ago - almost exactly a year ago, actually! Here it is:

Score here

Twelve Multiphonics of Christmas

Hey everyone. The Clariboys and I were asked to be part of this thing called "A very multiphonic clarinetmas" and have been asked to contribute a carol with multiphoniccs. I haven't decided which multiphonics will be used where but the whole point of this piece is a comedic duet where an obnoxious multiphonic replaces each numeral in "the Twelve Days of Christmas".
Have a look :)

Score

Sheep, Monkey and Rooster (Carnival of the Animals)

I'm finding it quite interesting that I don't have many low instruments to work with.

I have 2 cellos. I also have the low notes of the 2 pianos and horn. But I don't have bassoon or trombone or double bass, so the normal orchestration techniques are out of the question.

Here is some mischievous, slightly hocketing music for clarinet, horn and cello, and if I continue to like this, it will representing the Rooster, Sheep and Monkey who cross the river together on a raft. 

Romance for viola and piano

boilerplate nice music here, I just wanted to have a good time w' some nice chords

Solo Viola

Vatche you definitely inspired me to do some writing for viola! 

Here’s a piece with a pattern I love playing around with. I want to start doing the sequence with harmonics (I reckon it would sound awesome) but will need to consult a violist given how fast this is.

Meant to be played as fast as possible with retakes at every bar line. Will definitely revisit this later to develop further. 

Actual folk song (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

I’m in the process of deciding if I should use traditional folk music in this piece. 

So I’m testing out the idea. It's been a while since I used a folk song in a composition so I'm perhaps a little rusty.

Right now its important for me to keep the idea pure so today, I spent the time in an iterative process to reduce this Horse song into its most basic form: melody and bass line only, and the bass line in as simple a form as possible and with as few changes of harmony as possible. 

I think I've managed to take out everything extraneous. I need to do this because only then can I hear the possibilities of transformations that will constitute 'composing'with the piece… 

(ps. the second period of the music is incomplete in this picture…)

a little orchestration

busy day today, so I'm posting a bit of work from this morning. I'm orchestrating this for the carols on norton concert, anybody know what the piece is? no points for the composer, it says his name on page 5.

Fiddler on the Roof Variations

Hey everyone! This is something I've wanted to get started on for years, it's writing a concert/show piece for clarinet based on themes from Fiddler on the Roof. Here's the Introduction!

Score
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bnlobvkxl7rbo8c/Fiddler%20on%20the%20Roof%20Variations.pdf?dl=0

Midi File
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdyej8m3id4cp3p/Fiddler%20on%20the%20Roof%20Variations.aiff?dl=0

Rat, Cat and Ox (Carnival of the Chinese Animals)

It's Sunday, so here's to hanging out in Woolloomooloo Bay working on the story and some rice paper rolls. And wine 😀

Complete lil chamber opera thing

I've completed scenes 4 & 5 of my still-to-be-finally-titled Away with the fairies piece. It's about 13 minutes long and now that this phase is done I'm going to leave it for a loooong time.

Score Here

Mum song

Hey guys,

Just something little today. I told my sister about month of music and she said “ohhh you have to write a song for mum!” So I’ve kind of been writing something that I’ll sing with my siblings tomorrow with my sister on guitar. This whole “writing songs for people as quasi gifts” is actually proving to be super draining. It was a cute idea but being asked to do it has made this one a bit less fun to write. 

I wrote this bit down just so I don’t wake up and forget the melody. Still some lyrics to tidy up.