After All

Continuing with the same song series as "Self-Sufficience," I have written a second one. Same musical theater style.

The song is a contradiction in that there is a simple melody over a rather harmonically complicated accompaniment, reflecting the character's outer-vs-inner actions.

Enjoy.

Haven't listened to the music, yet, but the lyrics are BEAUTIFUL! I love it! They flow so naturally (and I love the use of the 7). I can't wait to hear the music, because the lyric is so terrific. It's honest, poetic, and not clunky like so many of the "why did you leave me" lyrics one reads. I have to run to work right now, but when I return, I'll take a listen to the music.

This is absolutely beautiful, the accompaniment figure is really engaging and the melodies are very touching, moving even. I agree with DrPangloss on the lyrics, they're very nice and go well with Self-Sufficience. I love your style and sense of tonality, the chromatic ideas are lovely; the 7/8 works really well, so yeah - overall this is lovely.

I do think if I'm honest though that it could be more interesting maybe if we had just a tiny bit more variation between verses. I think you modulate wonderfully within each verse (especially the repetition of "What do you do"/"If he decides"); but I don't quite feel the second verse should be exactly as light as the first, for instance, and either some key-movement or a very subtle change in the accompaniment figure when it begins again at b.17 might help this. It's just my interpretation but I feel that the lyric is tinged with quite some sadness at the loss of something, even at "a beautiful, wonderful, perfect young man...". At the end as well, there's been a change in the idea being expressed again and the emotion of the lyric - I half imagined a few more bars, and maybe a more substantial modulation than we've yet seen in the song between b.35 and the beginning of the third verse, because it's a big thought process to get from the abstract worry/hope of the first two verses to this incredibly considerate and touching concrete decision at the end. You do do exactly this very well at "Or could there exist...", but I think more of this would really make this song even more special than it already is. I know this is musical theatre, which I guess I don't know a lot about, but if you look at Butterworth's 'Bredon Hill' (Bryn Terfel's recording is amazing) there's a really good example of how modulation and changes in the accompaniment can help the mood flow from verse to verse. (Okay, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, and admittedly in this song the changes in the accompaniment aren't that subtle, but it is a fantastic example of the kind of modulation I'm talking about).

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy paragraph on how it might be improved - I do absolutely love the song, and as it's quite short you might not agree with me that it needs more variation. Just what I thought though.

Are you going to write the musical then? Please do, it'd be wonderful!

Thanks for the commentary -

I think these songs are all going to be sung as part of a concert this coming year to raise money for the opera I'm putting up in the Spring, and I'll probably go back before then and do all these edits at once - see if I can't pull them a little tighter together, as well.

Originally Posted by Christopher Dunn-Rankin

Continuing with the same song series as "Self-Sufficience," I have written a second one. Same musical theater style.

Enjoy.

For some reason it all sounds very 70s to me (kinda nostalgic). However, the variations are a bit too subtle to keep my interest for long. The climax is well-timed and the pause at the end is good but if this is a stand-alone segment rather than an accompaniment to other on-stage activities I'd look to kick it up a notch. Mozart's 40th mov. 1 is a great example of what can be done with a simple idea.

How so '70s? I'm not arguing, I just am not familiar with the particular musical traits of that period of whichever style of music you're relating it to.

It's unlikely there will be other on-stage activities, such as dancing or whatever. However, it is a character piece, and I expect the singer to be a strong actor as well (the singer it was written for is a VERY strong actor), so in that sense, there is more to the performance than just the music and lyrics.

The song will also be accompanied by "Self-Sufficience," which is posted in this part of the forum, as well as between 2 and 4 other songs.

Great work. I like this more than "Self-Sufficience". I feel a strong strong Sondheim feel to it, with the constand motion and and the way you played with the motif and the fermata into the end, it was just all very Sondheim.
I enjoyed the harmony and the simple melody that just flows. I dont want to scare you, but I really see this as being where musical theatre need to be going. As Terve metioned, if you did write a musical it would be great.
Congrats.

I could see this piece like a one person song-cycle. Kind of like Webber's Tell Me On a Sunday, only with better music and without trying so hard.

Thank you!

I've made minor edits to both songs (modulations at particular repetitions, mostly, plus adding a tiny bit of motion to the end of "After All") - if you let me know e'mail addresses via PM, I'll send the updated scores to you (I don't want to take up my attachment space here).