November, for piano trio

This is a piece from last year, that I wrote for myself and two of friends, who play violin and cello. We performed it in a recital last May and it was videotaped, but I haven't been able to make just audio from that. I might put it on youtube or something. The three of us were taking a chamber music class and this was one of the pieces we worked on and I was very proud of their commitment and dedication! But all I have right now is a simulated performance. You'll notice that the string writing doesn't utilize many special effects, but I decided to limit those because I didn't want to burden the players too much, because they already had a lot to worry about with rhythms! (plus we were also rehearsing the ghost trio)

While we were rehearsing this, the three of us came up with an elaborate programmatic story... I don't remember it all, but it had something to do with a native american warrior who is about to go into battle, but has one last moonlit evening of romance the night before. Something like that anyway!

MP3:

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~jeremy-ricketson/november.mp3

Score:

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~jeremy-ricketson/November.pdf

Great piece - very enjoyable. Glad to hear this style of music being written by young Americans today.

A few comments: those diminuendos on the piano's held chords are pointless.....the natural decay can't be controlled. Maybe it's for psychological effect, but I doubt it has much.

At around bar 192 I was pleased to hear some of the polychords I like to use. :-)

Going into the semiquavers at b.276 felt a bit awkward. Perhaps it came across better in the live performance. (I await its upload!)

The transition at b.280 was great, as was the following material. However, the transition at b.286 felt rather less natural, and a tad jarring.

Great build-up towards the end. I felt perhaps that non legato might have been better in the 'cello in those arpeggios around b.304 when you start using fff and ffff. Just for more power and emphasis.

Final comment: perhaps after such a build-up, a high B would have been better as the violin's last note (to match the piano). After all, it has been much higher than the E, previously, and it would maybe help the piece to end with a bang.

Anyway, gorgeous piece. Great use of rhythms and metre throughout!

Yes, for some reason if I left that dim out in the piano, finale played the next note very loud, when it should have been soft. I'll remove it from the score now that I have an mp3 of it.

I will certainly try and get my video of this on youtube, right now it is on a DVD that was made on a home video camera, so it might not be the best quality.

And I was afraid that the B would be too high... but I'm sure a good violinist wouldn't have a problem. The guy who played that part probably could have done it. Thanks!

I hear Ravel ! (with more swing, whatever you call it)- it's good.

Really nice!

I very much enjoy it... Really wish I could hear the live performance of it.

At b200 the piano is a bit heavy in the mix...

I particularly like the use of changing rhythm and time.

The duet section between the cello and violin at b257-263 could have gone on much longer.

Very nice payoff in the end.

Chip

Yes, for some reason if I left that dim out in the piano, finale played the next note very loud, when it should have been soft. I'll remove it from the score now that I have an mp3 of it.

If the hairpin Daniel is refering to is that at measure 76, the reason Finale is playing the piano entrance at measure 80 loudly is that you need to put a dynamic change there.

Even with that redundant hairpin in the score, you sill need to have "p" marked at measure 80, for "security".

I would mark measure 76 with your "fff", remove the hairpin, then at measure 80 add the "p" dynamic indication.

One comment about dynamics: at measure 313 you indicate "ffff", which is a rather extreme dynamic. However, you add a crescendo after attaining that extreme dynamic. It's as though there is nowhere to go after that quadruple forte.

I understand what you are aiming for, but for clarity's sake, it would be best to keep the "extreme" dynamic for the very end.

Yes, I understand what you mean about those extreme dynamics. The performers told me that they can't really take such things seriously - Something I learned during rehearsal!

Thanks for the comments and listens!

hi

it is good music , i would like to read your score

dark