pateceramics

Thinking, "I should write a theme first and then a contrasting one," is exactly the sort of thinking about form that he is discussing. You sound like you are well on your way to thinking about the large scale issues with a piece, rather than just writing note by note. It sounds like he's talking about how beginning composers just sort of work from one note to the next without any rhyme or reason. There may be no theme at all, just a random succession of notes that they liked for five minutes straight. Everyone works one note to the next, but the more experience you have, the more you'll be thinking ahead about how to organize yourself in the choosing of those notes. Thinking, I have a fast section, so next I should have a slow one for contrast... that sort of thing. Or, I'm going to have range issues if I give this bit to that instrument without modulating. Do I want to modulate, or do I want to give it to a different instrument... And he wants to suggest some simpler exercises to get you started thinking about these sorts of things before you decide to write a whole symphony. Use fewer instruments. Write a short theme and see if you can turn it upside down. Practice writing a fugue. Also, Schoenberg is writing in a way that makes him sound like a big smarty pants so he can scare you into doing your homework, so don't be intimidated into a state of confusion, just do the exercises. (My best guess at what he was going for at any rate).

How many takes do you need to get a recording of this length to your satisfaction? Bravo! I really enjoyed the transition at bar 63. (The "crazy" section). It works well as a bridge between the classical beginning and later jazz styles. I also particularly enjoyed the 130s (Allegro agitato) where you switched back in the other direction. And I heartily agree with Chopin's comment above about the value of structure and storytelling in music. To tackle such a lengthy project that becomes perhaps the most important concern. How can the same material be brought back and developed in a way that tells a story? You are further along on that journey than I am! Well done!

The text for this piece is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226, but the earliest known published version was much closer to our own time. It may have been written by Father Esther Bouquerel (1855-1923), who wrote much of the content for the small religious magazine in which it seems to have first appeared. A popular English version of this prayer is as follows: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

I've been going back over old files and refreshing the formatting and sound files so the scores look a bit less dated. This piece is from 2012.

This is fantastic, and I can only imagine it doesn't have more reviews because people like to be able to suggest something that should be improved upon, and this is perfect as it is. I agree with Henry that the 5/8 is an excellent fit here, partly because it rushes things along, and partly because it feels slightly off-balance, like a mad love affaire. Well played and well sung! Now I want to go look up some Jules Laforgue poetry. Are there other texts you particularly recommend?

Thanks so much, Henry! I know that parallel 5ths and octaves aren't harmonically exciting when one is looking for independence of line, but that wasn't what I wanted for this piece. I wanted a sense of rain-washed green hills with clear air above, dotted with sheep all saying their prayers to the land together like little nuns. So homophony made sense, and open harmonies, with the sopranos floating above like birds taking in the scene below. And since that could be a bit boring, particularly given the repetition in the text, some changes in rhythmic emphasis seemed wise. The tricky bit is remembering to read ahead so you actually do them, but thankfully, the conductor doesn't have too much to do, so they can free an arm to dictate triplets and other patterns if people are watching. Thank you for your thoughts and I'm glad you enjoyed it! -Maggie

That's what would make it fun for teachers to inflict it on their students. 🙂

Excellent! Needs to be given to beginning music students so they can learn to follow repeats. 🙂

The one thing that didn't quite work for me were the initial shifting rhythms in the piano in the opening bars. (Measures 5-7 in the right hand). It felt like the effect you were looking for was more like just a rit. and having everything written out into different triplets didn't quite give as smooth a change in tempo as perhaps you were trying to achieve? I really like this piece very much though! Sterling work! As neither a pianist nor a clarinet player, I can't speak to issues of playability. It seems like it would be a challenge to learn, but well worth the work! Very lovely!

I'm curious to know who made that comment. I can't really think of anything that you can't do these days, at least through manual adjustment. Maybe if you are doing really funky contemporary scores that deviate from standard sheet music styles, but that's not going to be a problem for most people. Then again, I'm not a publisher or a professor, and they are allowed to have a standard program that they prefer to receive files in to make their lives easier for marking up scores, editing, etc. Sometimes something is the standard just because at some point it was the most commonly used, and it's annoying to switch between different programs all the time which aren't compatible with each other, not because one is actually better. That said, I'm annoyed at Musescore every time they come out with an update and they move all the features around so I have to relearn where to find things.

Ah ha! That would explain it!

Thanks for the shout out, Henry. I actually record all the parts myself instead of using samples, which may be the difference. As an alto, I generally have the range to also record soprano and tenor parts. The lowest bass parts are too low for me, so I sing them up a few steps and use Garageband's "transpose" feature to shift them back down to where they are supposed to be. It sounds like I've been dropped down a well, but it works well enough.

Hi, guy, I suspect the problem is that an octave above middle C really is quite high for most tenors. Counter tenors can sing that, or higher, but they are an exceedingly rare voice type. The samples you bought may be giving you a more realistic idea of what you would get from a group of vocalists than your composition software. It's not that men who can sing that high don't exist. That is technically a range some tenors can sing in, but only a tiny number. Take a look at some standard choral repertoire and you can start to get an idea of the more commonly used parts of the range for different voice types. And remember that it is only in modern times that we have started using the "modern" tuning. Historic pieces look like they are written higher than they actually were, because the composers and singers were using a different tuning standard when they were written, and they are still performed down at that historically accurate tuning today.

I wrote this piece ten years ago, but have just made a new multitrack recording of the parts, so I thought I would share it here. Yes, you are correct. The bass line is being sung by an alto dropped down a well. (GarageBand makes it possible for me to sing all the parts, but I have to use the transpose feature to record the lowest bass notes, which creates a little distortion to the sound quality). The sheep is a genius of place; why would she stray? Here is the homeland. Here, her mother's house. Feed my sheep. Lead them home. Let them rest. Sisters, all among the hills, chanting their Daily Office: "There the rain licks into little pools. There, a dip to hide new lambs." "Take my coat," she said. "You are a guest."

I agree with Peter. This is a very pleasant little piece, strongly reminds me of Greensleeves, and some more contrast could be interesting to explore. If good music is always a balancing act between predictability, so the audience knows what notes to expect next and it all feels like it "goes together," and surprising twists, this piece is leaning more toward the former. (Which is fine, it's just a question of what you want to do). If you wanted to, one thing that tends to be characteristic of a development section is an unstable key. If a wide variety of accidentals start showing up in the middle of your piece, you're probably on the right track for upping the excitement. Try copy and pasting your main theme a few times and using your composition software to transpose it up or down and see if you hear anything that feels interesting. You could also try playing with the rhythms for more contrast. What does it sound like if you take the melody twice as slow so eighth notes become quarter notes, or longer? Is there a way to have one part doing that, while the other parts continue ticking along at your previously established pace? This is a very soothing and restful piece, so maybe you don't want to interrupt its flow, but if you did want to inject a little drama, that could be a way to do it. I like it!