The Odyssey Suite

A Collection of orginal themes into a one movement suite that represents the epic poem, THE ODYSSEY

The Odyssey Suite

As the audio file to this work isnt working, the only thing I can go off of is the score. My first concern with this score, is that there is no indication for divisi passages. Am I to ascertain you intend all of these passages to be double stopped? Also, your glissandi of a 1/2 step make absolutely no sense to me. I mean... a 1/2 step... glissando to that? Might as well just write a grace note... cause that is about all it would sound like at that tempo! My advice on this work is that you study string technique and rework these parts. Some of this, if its not divisi is unplayable for the violin. I'll comment on structure once the sound file is fixed. Though, I can tell the ideas in it look nice... are they structured well in the composition?

Thank you very much. I will go in and edit the parts, and indicate teh divisis, because I do not inted this to be double stoped. I am also sorry about the sound file, I am tring to add it to the file. On the glissandos, I wanted the notes to have a slide, if you you understand. I wanted the string players to do a slow slide into the notes, since this section was marked at Quartet note =55bpm (ms.105). I thank you for you advise.

Thank you very much. I will go in and edit the parts, and indicate teh divisis, because I do not inted this to be double stoped. I am also sorry about the sound file, I am tring to add it to the file. On the glissandos, I wanted the notes to have a slide, if you you understand. I wanted the string players to do a slow slide into the notes, since this section was marked at Quartet note =55bpm (ms.105). I thank you for you advise.

Yes, but a half step glissando isn't going to be much of a glissando. Violinists, for instance, the half step fingering is generally much closer than on the other strings (the fingers far closer together... even more so the further up the neck you get.) Now if you had the end point of the glissando further up (say an octave higher than what you have here), it would be a lot better than glissandoing a half step. Make sense?

Yes, but a half step glissando isn't going to be much of a glissando. Violinists, for instance, the half step fingering is generally much closer than on the other strings (the fingers far closer together... even more so the further up the neck you get.) Now if you had the end point of the glissando further up (say an octave higher than what you have here), it would be a lot better than glissandoing a half step. Make sense?

Yes, I am aware of the smaller spacing on the violin and viola, with me being a violinist, but the effect I wanted to accomplish is hard to accompolish in writting, so I will give you an example. Say I had a B gliss. up to C (2nd). The effect in the music is that some players will hold on to the B, while some players {players are violinist in this example} will quickly go up to the C, in effect, giving some Dissonance. But if you look at the score in this example,Violins might do a B - C gliss, while the Violas might do a Bb - B(nat.) gliss, go there would be that Dissonance that the composer intended. So in effect, you are hearing the tones at diffrent times, if that makes sense?

Well, if you are wanting dissonance there... just simply write a dissonance in. You can't assume that the players will not play the passage in sync. If you wish for them to perform the passage out of sync then write a passage divisi that has them playing out of sync. I don't know, as a string player though, it's just hard to understand why you had have us do a glissando in an. As for your idea, correct me if i'm mistaken, but your wanting one note to be suspended while the others move up the chromatic scale. That can be written..

I'm just thinking of the technicality of doing a glissando between a half step... know what I mean?

I have been able to upload the audio!

As I suspected in listening, though I don't think this is THAT big an issue. Your ideas were very good. However, some of your modulations don't quite seem to meld at first - though, as the music went on after the key change.. you seemed to bring them together to meld better. One suggestion to help with the modulation is to prepare the listener for this. If you want them to be startled at keychanges than you have done your job well. If you want the key change to be subtle.. then I would suggest reworking it. As this piece goes on, it sounds more of a pastiche of ideas as opposed to a full integrated movement - structurally speaking. May I ask what form you are using? And have you thought of perhaps, using a sectional form to better unify all of these ideas? Another option would be to utilize a theme or motif that recurs and is mutated. So many different options.

My form is more of like a Free Form.

Well, structurally it works. Through composed (often confused as a free form) is a good form to use. But, with a piece this intensity - perhaps a more structured form would be good. To better incorporate your ideas under 1 umbrella. I don't know, just a thought to make this work better. I hope you don't think I'm being too harsh.

Oh, no. It is okay! I really do like that someome like you would take you time and advise me in my work. I reallly appreciate it!

I want to review this piece. But I can't open the score. Just the opposite problem Jason had ;-)

I have reloaded the Score file.