The Mad Hatter

I have been composing a suite based on Lewis Carroll's adventures of Alice Through the looking Glass and in Wonderland. This is the latest installment.

The first half of this piece can be performed by mic'ing 2 violins and 2 cellos and a few other instruments and running them thru Amplifiers. I did it by taking GPO instruments and sent them thru z3ta and Guitar Rig Amps in Sonar.

The second half of the piece is an unplugged orchestra with the samples coming from GPO, JABB and EWQL.

Here it is

The Mad Hatter.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Comments are appreciated and as usual I will return the favor.

Ron

Wow, this must be a science fiction take on ole Alice. Very spooky at times, but still very Ron. I like your use of mallets as usual, you like to really build some thick textures and the xylo/vibes just rings right through always. And chimes and other percussion... nice addition. Nice bass trombone/tuba patch, by the way - I love that blatty sound. You always did a very good job at blending the pizzicato sections in seemlessly. Whenever I try and do it it's always too contrived. I liked how you saved the brass and winds until later.

So where did you get the idea for the title, "The Mad Hatter"?

Wow, this must be a science fiction take on ole Alice. Very spooky at times, but still very Ron. I like your use of mallets as usual, you like to really build some thick textures and the xylo/vibes just rings right through always. And chimes and other percussion... nice addition. Nice bass trombone/tuba patch, by the way - I love that blatty sound. You always did a very good job at blending the pizzicato sections in seemlessly. Whenever I try and do it it's always too contrived. I liked how you saved the brass and winds until later.

So where did you get the idea for the title, "The Mad Hatter"?

James

For the last year I have been working on a suite that gives my musical descriptions of the characters in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Though the Looking Glass. The Mad Hatter along with Alice and the March Hare have a tea party where the hare and the hatter ask each other ridiculous questions.

So far in the suite I have...

The White Rabbit

Alice

Queen of Hearts

The Red Queen

Jabberwocky

Bandersnatch

Jubjub

and now The Mad Hatter

I think I have posted all of them here Except for Alice.

Hollywood has passed these books off as children's tales, but they were written for adults and I took the approach of what the characters really were instead of the disney perspective. For example, Alice loved taking drugs, the Queen of Hearts loved to take off heads, etc. Not exactly kids stuff.

In the books The Mad Hatter is called The Hatter. Mad Hatter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I tried to show in this piece a crazy/mad individual. That is why I went with the odd beginning.

When you think of Pizz, do you think strings being plucked or do you think in terms of pitched percussion?

You are always good with pitched percussion, so think of it that way (as I do) and it should work for you.

Thanks James

Ron

Hollywood has passed these books off as children's tales, but they were written for adults and I took the approach of what the characters really were instead of the disney perspective. For example, Alice loved taking drugs, the Queen of Hearts loved to take off heads, etc. Not exactly kids stuff.

Actually, these books were written for children. Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll was his pseudonym) told these stories to three little girls while floating down the River Thames one afternoon. The middle girl, Alice Pleasance Liddell (whom the books were named after) begged Dodgson to write them down. You can read all about the history here.

But the pieces are great. Good job.

Price Walden

Price

You are correct that the stories bagan as tales told to those children. But he wrote these on 2 levels on purpose. His main audience was the adults that would know who the characters were.

Thanks for the listen.

Ron

I just listened to this, and I have now just confirmed it.

You have a very unique composing style that is different from anyone I have ever listened to .

I am not very familiar at all with the original story, but I assuming it was a relatively dark story? This definitely creates a "mad" individual feeling in my mind.

This was definitely worth the listen.

As always, I am very biased towards the brass section, my favorite section in orchestral music, and I really like what you did with the brass, as well as with the percussion.

The string parts seemed to just fit together perfectly.

Sax

There are 2 ways to read the Alice books. The way for Children and then the way as an adult would read them. I view them as a dark and dangerous journey into realms of the unknown where monsters lurk around every corner.

Thanks

Ron

Ron,

I didn't read everyone's comments, so sorry if I repeat something.

I really like this one, although I didn't picture the Mad Hatter as much. What I did like was you kept your unique style and continuously improve on it. Not just with this piece, but I mean in general. You're one of the lucky few in my opinion that have a certain personal voice, yet you gradually get better and better with each new composition.

I enjoyed the chromatic cello line in the beginning, as well as the quirky rhythms in teh middle section. The cymbols reminded me of an ethnic flavor which I adore. One thing I would do, which if this is more incidental music then disregard, is that I feel you need more glue so to speak. I think your ideas are grand as always, but maybe some more coherent links between them will give this piece the gradification it desires and demands.

Other then the small quibbles I try and pick from my donkey, you did a masterful job. On to your next piece I go!

Vince