Dreaming In Baltimore. Now with PDF,Mus,and Audio File

This is the finale to my new musical, Dreaming In Baltimore. It's with the two main characters singing a duet. I'm working on the orchestrated version but for right now I just have the singers, and piano. Some minor tweaks are involved. Like the first beat of measure 35 isn't supposed to be there. Well thanks alot and please tell me what you think about it. I'll add the Finale score,PDf and an MP3 file on box. net below. PLEASE COMMENT!!

-Tariq

dreaming in baltimore.MP3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

dreaming in baltimore 4 duet.MUS

Finale NotePad 2008 - [dreaming in baltimore 4 duet.pdf

Can you add a .pdf? Finale's good at that.

Barring that, I'd like the lyrics.

What's the musical about?

Wow! Liked it.. So sweet. I love the piano on measure 42 up to the end. The combination of arpeggio and high notes creates a sense of illusion and ask me to dream while listening. So nice.:P

Haven't listened to it, yet, just read over the lyrics. There are a few parts where I'm afraid for the scansion, but I do like a lot of the lyrics, particularly "We dream today, knowing that tomorrow may not come."

Without listening, I really can't comment that much, so I'll hold the music discussion until I have a chance to listen. However, there are some formatting things that can be worked on, because some of this is very difficult to read. Particularly when separating syllables. Example... you wrote:

We dream to-day kno-wing that to-mo-rrow may not come

That makes the words difficult to follow, you it's better to break syllables up by how they sound (especially just about anything with an -ing ending) it would be easier to read as:

We dream to-day know-ing that to-mor-row may not come.

That's just one example, but that was fairly prevalent. Also, do the tenor and alto characters have names? Rather than writing a confusing stage direction, you can just put the character names before the different verses. Stuff like that. You don't want to make people work hard to decipher your music. You want the reading to be the easier part, so they can get to the deeper meaning and the harder stuff faster.

I look forward to hearing the music!

I think I understand why you split up the lyrics like that - "kno-wing" - you're thinking like a singer, with the vowels and all - but the good Dr. is right - it's easier to negotiate words.

Now that I've read over the lyrics, a couple questions:

What is the relationship of the characters to each other? The finale seems to have a melancholy overtone to it - is it meant to be a happy ending? A bittersweet ending?

Is the musical material of this finale in reference to any other part of the musical, or is it all new material?

What is the relationship of the characters to each other? The finale seems to have a melancholy overtone to it - is it meant to be a happy ending? A bittersweet ending?

I was curious to this as well, but I thought perhaps hearing the music would clear it up a bit for me. We haven't had a good musical theatre discussion here in a while. I must get some of my new stuff up here... but I need to polish it first.

In any event, I think it's very important for us to know the plot and understand who the characters are. Especially as this is the finale, we need an idea of what's led up to this.

I was curious to this as well, but I thought perhaps hearing the music would clear it up a bit for me. We haven't had a good musical theatre discussion here in a while. I must get some of my new stuff up here... but I need to polish it first.

In any event, I think it's very important for us to know the plot and understand who the characters are. Especially as this is the finale, we need an idea of what's led up to this.

The whole concept of the musical isn't fully complete yet. BUt the idea is that the two characters have found each other as "soulmates" kind of so they both keeps each other going. They both also are dreaming for something, such as a goal. BUt the problem is that the place in which they dream, "baltimore" doesn't really help them carry on those dreams, and what they see around them are dreams being lost and deffered but they refuse to give up on their dreams. Therefor they "Dare to dream where dreams are lost."

Christopher_ the ending is happy but is still has that sound because it is Bittersweet. Bitter because from what they see in Baltimore, there dreams won't come to be

but Sweet in the way that they always will still dream,and hope for something better. and have each other to do that

I really liked the lyrics a lot. The whole song was cool...sort of a nice melancholy tune, but the song still means something important. Nice work.

I think it's dangerous to actually write the finale before you actually have the story finalized. I'm sure you realize that this finale will change form as you continue to write towards it.

One thing is that, I think as you find out more about these characters, the finale will become more specific. It won't be about "ideas," it will actually become about these two people and the things they've gone to. I also think that with a story like the one you're suggesting, you'll have the chance in your finale to musically reference other elements of the story; things that they held them back and things that made them stronger.

Basically, you're writing about a very vague idea, when--for these characters--they should be singing about very specific things that have happened to them. If you were to gather a bunch of people in an auditorium and get up there and say, "Anyone can get back up again and try to better themselves if they've been knocked down" versus saying, "I was knocked down by XYZ, but I did ABC and it wasn't easy and it wasn't always pleasant, but I'm standing here today," which do you think will have the greater effect? Ideas don't mean anything without specifics. As you solidify the characters and the story, you will get the specifics you need.

Now, that doesn't mean they have to out-and-out SAY what they went through, because we just watched it happen. But right now, the song isn't really about anything, and when you have characters singing about real things rather than "Alto" and "Baritone" singing about ideas, you'll have a much stronger song.

Good remarks, David.

That said, the finale is often a very productive place to begin - AFTER sketches for musical material and themes/leitmotif/etc. - and AFTER your full book/libretto is done, so you have a VERY specific story arc to work from. I began my current opera with the opening scene of Act I, and the second thing I wrote was the final scene of Act III (the final scene of the opera). The resulting visualization of beginning to end was extraordinarily helpful in plotting out intermediate musical points.

Oh, I completely agree! I find it easier to do with plays than with musicals, and I write the last scene first ALL THE TIME. (I find it easier with plays because dialogue is not as strict as music, and making changes is a lot easier.) But I agree that creating the end and giving yourself something tangible to work towards can be a big help.

And, of course, even if you have done all of that work on creating motives, writing out your plot, etc., you will inevitably find things while writing the rest of it that will alter your finale. You just have to be prepared to change things and give them the specifics they need.

Are you writing this alone or with a collaborator? And if it's with a collaborator, then what exactly is the role of your collaborator?

I'm writing this alone. There's much more to the story then what I described in the reply. I mean there IS an actual story line but i just described the Feelings of the characters while singing the song.

Oh, okay. So, out of curiosity, who are the baritone and alto and what's their deal?

oK. Well first just to mention the male singer is a tenor. Everyone keeps saying baritone.lol.

Our story takes place in Baltimore. The plot (in progress) is that the main character who is the male voice in this song,( I don't have names yet) is about 15,and he's homeless. He resides in a big vacant building, to be exact, it used to be an arts school a long time ago. To his convince the old vacant arts school provides him with unlimited musical resources such as music theory,history,and reference books, instruments,and manuscript. therfor he is very skilled at music and has become a prolific composer. His one and only companion is another free spirit, and old but active man. the old man know baltimore and whats going on like the back of his hand. he also provides him with clothes and food and things he as also given him a radio for entertainment. The conflict comes in when the old man finds out that they will be fixing the building up and making an arts school out of it. the old man gives the boy places to stay but the boy thinks it over and decides that the school means alot to him and that he would stay there, move into the basement, and to learn more about music he'll try to attend the school.

Many things happen, the teachers admire his intelligence, but can't find any back-up info. His peers have many different reactions to him and also want to find more about him but eventually give up.

There is also a "in crowd" fo people and one leader in particular that everyone follows and he plans to be the best in the school. They run in to the min character in the hallway and all look at him weird from what they have heard but all of his attention is on one of the shy girls in the crowd. And they notice each other.

After auditions for a solo in the schools big show, the leader of the "in crowd" send the shy girl into the school on the weekend to steal the list of people who made it and to change it. she doen't want to be clowned so she does it.

while there, she runs into the main character. they are both very suspicious of each other . The main charcter runs away to the basement where he lives and the girl, unbeknownst to him, follows. he sings a song, she hides, he turns around and sees her.

So far I have that she wants to tell everyone about his talents , but he opposes for he is proud of his talents but, ashamed of his lifestyle.

There will be more to it though.

-Tariq

That's a very fascinating story. Kind of Rent meets Phantom of the Opera meets Evening Primrose.

My suggestion dramatically... what purpose does the old man serve? Is it possible to cut all that and start with a kid who hides out in the basement of an arts high school, attending school by day, studying all the texts by night? It seems that the whole first section is extremely superfluous to where the purpose of the musical is going.

It's also more plausible that there would be an 'in-crowd' if the school has been around for longer. How can you have an 'in-crowd' at a new school when no one would know each other? Especially at an arts school, students would be coming from all different public schools to attend the magnet school.

I think it's a really fascinating concept, I just think you have a few loose ends at the moment. I look forward to seeing more from it.

Thanks a lot Dr. The old man is sort of his gap between the building where he lives at and the outside world. The old man is also the way he finds out that a school will be starting there. BUt there is some cutting of things that could be done.

And im still working on the in crowd thing. THanks Much.

And i haven't seen evening primrose. I'm guessing i should take a look at it.

Evening Primrose is about a poet who hides out in a department store until it closes, only to find out that there's already a secret society of people living there. He falls in love with one of the women there, who desperately wants to leave, but no one's allowed to leave. They make a plan to escape, which is foiled by the other folks. It's a beautiful musical. Check it out.

In any event, I understand the purpose of the old man, but what I'm saying is that all of that seems excessive. I don't see the point of that whole segment leading up to the school opening. The story doesn't really take off until the school opens, so why not start the musical there. Whatever the boy's reason for being there, you can take five minutes in a song or something to explain, but just think about how necessary it is to actually see all that before the school opens.