God Scatters Beauty Now with Semi Live Recording

This is literally my most recent completed work. And in this context when I say completed I mean I have stopped composing on this piece and now begun the editing phase.

This piece is one of the few choral pieces I have written, despite being in choir and taking voice for years. This is also one of my more lively choral pieces I have written so there is a lot more experimenting in this piece for me.

The piece is written using an invented key of B flat and F sharp. However, the piece does modulate to more traditional keys. The piece is rhythmically conservative but can be at times melodically complicated.

This piece, for me right now, is still on shaky ground and I do have some reservations still about the pieces form. That being said, your input would be very invaluable to me in getting this piece performance ready.

Edit-

I have changed a few things and have a rough draft copy of the recording. I planning and re-recoding some of the male voice parts so be on a look out for those. This recoding is just a better way to hear the piece other then midi.

You can find the piece here:

Tyler Hughes | Facebook

and here:

Tyler Justin Hughes on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Finale 2008 - [God Scatters Beauty.pdf

It's interesting.

I bet it would sound a lot better in person, though.

It seems to get very 'heavy' in places. Very jumbled; too many voices at once.

I also couldn't pick out too many moments where the chord was a "stunning" one.

The whole work seems to be built on dissonance and clashing voices.

It's good though, but like I said, it would probably be better in person.

It's interesting.

I bet it would sound a lot better in person, though.

It seems to get very 'heavy' in places. Very jumbled; too many voices at once.

I also couldn't pick out too many moments where the chord was a "stunning" one.

The whole work seems to be built on dissonance and clashing voices.

It's good though, but like I said, it would probably be better in person.

I am hoping to have a some what live studio recording by the middle of this month. (Pending that my soprano doesn't skip town early) So be on the look out for that.

The clashing voice thing might be due to the fact that I used quintal and quartal chords a lot in this piece as well as just some dissonance.

And the jumbleness of it all, its a preference of mine to over orchestrate a lot (and at time is a feature of a lot of my works). Its something that I need to work on due to the fact that it gets me in some trouble with my professor and critics, but sometimes I can't really help it. I love a piece with 4 or more melodies all going at once with an accompanying harmony and bass line (and Im not talking about counterpoint or fugues either) :P

VERY pretty. I thought the harmonies were rich and delicious the whole way through. I really think, though, when going through the editing stages, that those divisi bass parts (ex. m55-58) are going to make the piece heavy and muddled. Which isn't a problem if that is the sound you are going for.

Your dissonance is well conceived, and even motif-ic if I'm not mistaken. Nice. In all honesty (and I KNOW it was because of the midi...), I would have enjoyed the piece more had it been a tad slower. In fact, I put it in finale and I slowed it down to about 62bpm, and it was just enough time for me to absorb everything.

I understand that during a live performance, the conductor would take liberties with the tempo and rubato the HECK out of it, it's so gorgeous. But, for me to hear ALL the line going on especially when it breaks into 8 parts, I need to have the time to process that as an audience member. It's interesting, your piece is so slow, yet your chords move at an alarmingly fast pace.

When you compose, do you set out with the chords and then write the melody to go with it, or do you have the melodic ideas in your head? And, I am speaking strictly to this piece.

You have also created something VERY original. I can't remember the last time I saw so many dominant (classical theory based) 7ths without resolution (except for in Jazz). Formwise? I got nothing to criticize... I thought you developed the material quite well and the poem helped you a lot. It's a rather short poem, and your motif of GOD was quite interesting.

I am glad I took the time to listen to this!

-Morivou

Wow, I really thought this was absolutely excellent. I found myself nodding in agreement with almost every decision you made when I was listening/reading through. Your use of dissonance was appropriate and interesting, I never felt that it was muddled or contrived. I don't think the bass part will muddle, since when it is very low in the register you have them separated by at least a fourth, so the overtones will mostly align. I just really really loved listening to this piece and I can absolutely hear a choir singing this. Congratulations on an outstanding piece of music!

I liked this a lot. It's different that a lot I've heard, in a good way. I'd gladly sing this in a chamber setting, in a nice big resonant church. Good work.

I have to agree with morivou on the bass issue. I think with basses that low, everything will become jumbled. If the basses and baritones were singing the same syllables/words at the same time, it would be less jumbled, or if the baritones were higher up, away from the low basses, then it would prevent things from sounding muddled. But in 8 part harmony, with basses that low saying one thing, and baritones only a 4th or so above them saying something completely different, it will sounds like there are just bass vibrations coming from that section of the choir, and I think it will take away from the overall sound, unless that it what you want. That whole bass clef will certainly become mush. I usually look at choral writing (with lots of varying melodies and words in each part) similarly to the overtone series. If you have very low basses , then from the bottom, you allow yourself an "octave" of space for the baritones, to remain clear and understandable and not make things muddy with the basses. (that is to say, about an octave, obviously the melody moves around, but a general octave of distance). From the baritones, usually a 5th above are tenors. a 4th above, etc etc. This allows for the overtones to ring on those cadence chords, regardless of how complex and dissonant, it will sound absolutely intentional, and you will hear each note of the chord, specifically and purposely.

I also feel that mm 59 through basically the end, you might want a solo soprano or 2 on the top line. 3 maximum and even that is pushing it. If there are even that many sopranos in the performing choir who can sing high D, then surely it will be difficult to get a unified tone up there. I personally would use 1, it will carry when she is that high, but if the rest of the choir drowns her out, 2 only.

Lastly, I love your motif on the "God" with the pick up grace notes, throughout the tenors/altos/sopranos. I can imagine the sound with the men singing melody while the women repeat that on top. Again, here I'd suggest that you have 1 soloist of each part to sing the grace notes. Grace notes are interpreted so loosely sometimes, it may be difficult to get more than 1 person to sing them at the exact same timing, every time. If you had 1 person from each part sing the grace notes, while everyone else is holding half-notes on "God" then it will definitely be heard, and allow for it to be more clear. This will also allow for a more sustained "God" on each half note, instead of the entire section losing the initial harmony, unless that;s what you want.

Overall, a very cleverly written piece. Good job. I like it.

A recording of the piece is now up.

I LOVE the live version. I take back what I said about the muddledness. I didn't really care, and it sounded better that way.

And, i also agree with the Chamber statement. This would sound better without only one or two people on each divisi part... in my opinion. (which is how I like my pieces done too).

Im glad you like it.

Midi really can not do a choral piece justice

Wow... after listening to the recording my opinion completely changed.

It's brilliant... I love how it flows and each voice part is kindof its own... ignoring the parts around it, yet making beautiful chords.

I love it.

Im glad you like it.

Midi really can not do a choral piece justice

Agreed, my friend.

Your vocal orchestration is really nice. As I was looking at the vocal range on this, though, there are parts that will come out very heavy - the sort of thing I'd expect to see in a Puccini opera chorus, rather than a choral concert piece.

Your vocal orchestration is really nice. As I was looking at the vocal range on this, though, there are parts that will come out very heavy - the sort of thing I'd expect to see in a Puccini opera chorus, rather than a choral concert piece.

I wouldn't really say that. If you juxtapose my piece with a lot of recently written choral music and other 20th century choral music you you will see that the range used has gotten larger and higher.

Terrific Choral writing. I would love to hear this piece live.

Like Riku said, I enjoy that all of the parts have a meaning, yet they still combine to form magnificent chords.

"God Scatters Beauty Now with Semi-Live Recording", lol.

An interesting headline...

Anyway, nice work.

"Maestro" Jamnez Vuitlaer