The End

So today i presented for the last time! I had my piece almost completed, and when played was very well received by the class. This piece has come a long way in a short time. Some comments I received were:
-Consider giving the instruments more sustained notes
-switch up the repetitive sixteenth note figure in the flute line
-the time changes were great
-nice texture throughout
-interesting instrumentation that really seems to work very well together
I think all of these comments were great and definitely appreciated, i tried to incorporate some suggestions but because of a lack of time before the assignment is due i'll probably just keep these things in mind for future compositions!

I highly enjoyed being apart of the composition courses this year, it was a valuable learning experience which resulted in some pretty cool music!

-Jill

"i carry your heart with me"

So today I presented my new composition for the class. It seemed to be well received.
Some suggestions were:
- to add a tonal section as contrast (which I am considering)
- perhaps add the instruments over top of the vocal line in short durations so it won't take attention from the voice.
-maybe try switching roles between the winds and the voices
Everyone seemed to like my odd choice of ensemble as well.

I really like what i'm doing with this piece and I can't wait to see what else I can do with it.

-Jill

Something new...again...

So after a lot of thought and frustration I decided that I didn't really have enough time to complete my concert band piece, edit it, and edit parts all in time for a concert band reading. So as much as I love the idea, I am going to be putting it on the back burner to do another piece for a chamber group that i am able complete to my satisfaction.
I picked a poem by E.E. Cummings "I carry your heart with me" and decided to compose for Tenor, Bass, Horn, Flute & Clarinet. It is turning out to be rather atonal but I really like what I have so far. Using vocals I know it will be easier to know where to end, but it is still a challenge as I am not composing for something other the a brass ensemble, which is my comfort zone.
I'll be presenting what I have tomorrow and I am hoping that it is acceptable!

-Jill

Odysseus's Perils

So as I presented today I am using book 12 of the odyssey as inspiration for this assignment. This poem by Homer is divided into 24 seperate books with number 12 being Odysseus's encounter with the sirens, scylla and charybdis. The sirens are creatures whose song is the most beautiful sound that entices anyone who hears it. Scylla is six headed creature that eats sailors and Charybdis is a creature that sucks the ocean water, creating a whirlpool, that drags down unsuspecting ships. Now that I have finally decided on a concrete idea, and have settled on concert band I am alot more excited about this project.

My ideas were well received and I also had some great comments, such as:
-develop the pentachord further, such as expanding the range
-could fade the pentachord figure out or layer on top with different tonalities
-should start developing the theme for the sirens, decide whether to be pretty or quite the opposite representing the evilness of the sirens
-bring in the siren song slowly, hint at it over the moving line, as if it is in the distant
These are all great ideas and I look forward to further development of my composition!

-Jill

Why can't I make up my mind?!

So since last monday I have totally changed my mind once again! I have scrapped my idea for brass & percussion ensemble, and have also decided against using Wilfred Owen's poem (maybe I will come back to this at another time but it isn't really what i want to do for this assignment) Now I am going to revert back to my original choice of concert band. I know time is really cutting close, but I am determined to do this!
When I am composing I find it really helpful to have something that can inspire, and direct me in the process. Coming up with an idea this time has been quite the challenge but I think I finally have something I can work with, which I will be explaining in class tomorrow.
I am finding this assignment particularly frustrating in comparison to the others, maybe its because of all the other work I have to do along with this course or the lack of time/ideas, either way i'm glad I at least have a direction now. Hopefully this one sticks!

-Jill

Stuck!

So originally for this next project I was planning on composing for concert band, but now that is gone out the window! I've been trying to figure out what to do but became extremly stuck. After trying to come up with an inspiration I decided to use a poem by my favorite WWI poet Wilfred Owen - "Dulce et Decorum est". To support the very descriptive and powerful nature of the poem I decided to use a brass ensemble ( 3 trumpets, 4 horns, Euphonium, 3 trombones and tuba) along with percussion. I will have someone reading the poem, seperated into 3 parts, over top of a drone and perhaps a drum roll, with music developing between each reading. My ideas were well received in class and it was suggested to lean towards atonality (which i totally agree with!) because the poem calls for it, and to also use more militarisitc elements particularly in the percussion (which I also intend on doing, lots of drum rolls etc.) Hopefully over the next week I am able to come up with something I like!

-Jill

Now on to something new...

First of all I'd like to wish everyone luck on the concert tomorrow night, i'm sure it will be great!!!

It's really nice to have the first assignment finished with a resulting work that I am very happy about, but this means I now have to start assignment number 2. After thinking it over I definitely want to attept a piece for concert band. I know that there is a lot of work to it but I think i'm up for the challenge. Plus the GCB TerraNova program competition is a very good incentive! I have many years of concert band experience and I hope that this will transfer itself into my composition. I'm still thinking over some ideas for this project but I hope that over the weekend I can get something started.

-Jill

Finished!!!

So last friday I presented my "completed" piece for the class completely from beginning to end. I think it turned out pretty good, and I did receive a lot of helpful feedback from the theory interviewee Robert Rival. Some suggestions were:
-the blowing throught the instrument section is rhythmic, which was great but after a while it could be changed up to become less rhythmic. (this was a good idea so i did change it up a bit)
-consider what other materials/items could be used along with the crumpled paper, such as a maraca, a rain stick etc. (I also thought this was a good suggestion but because of time i opted to only go with the paper)
-The held C and C# in the tuba line can become redundant, so i changed it up to be more interesting
- I added another rip in the horn near the end so the one measure of it wouldn't seem so out of place
- The aleatoric section should be thinned out a bit so that the horn solo could be heard and the notation needed to be fixed (i fixed this section and am hoping that is now clearer)

I'm very pleased with how this piece turned out! Now onto project #2!

-Jill

The Whirlpool

So over this past week my piece has come a long way, which is very exciting! I'm so glad that I finally have a direction and a plan to follow, leaving little chance for me to experience composer's block.
I presented in class again this past friday and it went very well! It was the first time with actual performers and the unusually large audience was rather intimidating but my composition was very well recieved. The comments I received were great, and everything Scott had to say was very insightful.
Some comments were:
-work on the transitions between sections so the piece is more unified
-introduce some motivic material earlier in the piece to foreshadow what is to come (I will definitely try to do this)
- letting the first trumpet play out over the texture was used well and in good contrast, maybe extend this section, or take a little longer to start this
- bring back the "wind" effect later in the middle of the piece instead of just beginning and ending with it
-in the aleatoric section work on the notation, put a full score in each part at this time so all of the players are aware of what is happening and are able to stay in time ( i think this is a great idea, i was trying to figure out the best method to this all week!)
-work at dynamic contrasts!

Although I still have a bit of work to do, I think this piece is really coming together and will hopefully be finished for next friday!

-Jill

New Found Music Festival!

"In C" was definitely the best workshop I have attended thus far and it attracted a large audience which made it that much more exciting. This minimalist piece is such a great example of twentieth century ingenuity in the realm of composition. It was written for any number of musicians, and those that were present ranged from trombones and horns, to flutes, clarinets, oboes, singers, guitarists and percussionists, even a recorder and a xaphoon. The piece consists of 53 short phrases that can be repeated over and over for an infinite amount of time. They are to be played in order but the performers can decide for how long and whether to skip any of the phrases. We varied when everyone started playing by starting on one side of the room and continuing until everyone was playing, everyone would also take turns sitting out. The whole time there are octave C’s being played as continuous eighth notes acting as a metronome for the ensemble. It is so interesting that the development of the piece depends entirely on the musicians who are performing it! We played for about 50 minutes but it could have gone on for a lot longer. Myself and Heidi made it even more interesting by switching instruments half way through. The atmosphere that was created was unlike anything I have ever experienced, and definitely think that participating in this work is so much more effective then listening or learning about the piece.

Overall the Festival seemed to be a wonderful success and I am looking forward to the next one!

-Jill

Attempt #2...

So after last week I decided that I really didn't like what I had originally presented. I liked the bass line but that was pretty well it, so I trashed it! I picked an excerpt from "The Whirlpool" by Jane Urquart and then based my new composition on it. It opens with the horn & trumpets blowing through their instruments while the Tuba & Trombone crumple paper, this is supposed to represent wind and rustling trees. The tuba and trombone then come in with a bass line, followed by the upper voices. Then there is a 16th note passage that repeats over and over like water, and a "random note" section follows.

Even though I only had bits and pieces actually written out, I'm very happy that I planned out the piece so I know where I am going with my composition. I think my idea was well received. People thought that the piece was definitely going well, and really fit the paragraph that I read in class. It was also suggested that I develop some of the figures further, expanding and adding to what I already have.

Overall I am extremely happy about where this piece is going and I hope that I get even more accomplished this week so that I can get it played by the brass quintet.

-Jill

Project #1

Yesterday I presented a couple of my ideas for assignment #1. They were well received and the feedback was great!
Some comments included:
- it sounded almost like blues
-it had an almost dance-like quality
- I basically have written a vamp
-Try and take the vamp and change it up instead of it staying the same for a long period of time
I personally really like the line between the trombone and tuba and I feel I can do a lot with it, but I am not really liking anything else I have right now. I'm going to take this next week and really get down to work. Hopefully I can figure out something that I actually like and can take to a whole new level! I still frustrate myself when I start to compose because I always feel like I have this road block in my mind preventing myself from writing something great. Oh the life of a composer...
Anyways I love the instrumentation that I have chosen as I feel quite at home with brass quintets, of course from personal experience. Its also a plus that I have a great group with plenty of experience playing with one another, which will hopefully add to the performance in the end.

I guess I have a busy week ahead of me!

-Jill

and so it begins...

So here we are back for another, sure to be great semester. Of course it wouldn't be complete without composition class, woot! After last semester I am so excited to continue learning and expanding my abilities/knowledge of composition. The set assignments for this term sound extremely interesting, and I enjoy the fact that we get to further explore composing in a "non-tonal" manner.
I'm looking forward to the final assignment in particular, hopefully my 12 years of concert band experience will help! Even so, the instrumentation is so much larger then what we have used before that it is still going to be a daunting endeavour.

To start the first assignment we had to create 3 atonal chords, and then put all of the notes together to create a unique scale. I used fairly dense chords (which i highly enjoy) but for the longest while i kept getting a chromatic scale. I finally worked out thick chords that created a not so chromatic scale: D, E-flat, F-sharp, G, G-sharp, B-flat, B, C & D. My scale is still very chromatic in sections but there are larger intervals that break it up. Overall I think it sounds great and I believe I can accomplish a lot with it!

-Jill