June 15, 201015 yr Intended for two flutes, two oboes and two B flat Clarinets.I apologize for the poor quality of the recording... it doesn't sound the way I want in the recording. I will provide a score.Here is the soundclick MP3 link in case YC's MP3 player is down for any reason - http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=9279395&q=hiThanks for listening :) Kuichigau
June 15, 201015 yr It's been a long time since I've heard any of your music, Jen, and I must say you've grown considerably as a composer since then! I'm impressed. Have you been studying formally, or are you experimenting on your own? Kuichigau, I gather, is a Japanese word meaning, roughly, "to clash or disagree." If it was your intention to illustrate this concept in music through the juxtaposition of calm and frenetic moods, I'd say you've done a good job. You've also done a lovely job of using what I perceive as an Asian tonal palette to express something in a Western manner. The idea of "East meets West" is one that has intrigued me for some time; years ago, alcohol connoisseur that I am, I even invented a cocktail now popular with some of my family and friends that amounts to a martini made with clear sake (instead of gin or vodka) and a splash of dry vermouth, garnished with a slice of cucumber - East meets West - which I called The Meiji, after the Meiji Emperor of Japan who opened his country to Western influence for the first time in the late 19th Century. I love the contrasting textures and abrupt changes of mood. Your use of the instruments, while at times unconventional, works for me. I'm not always sure from what I see in the score whether you want the two instruments on each line to be playing in unison most of the time, or whether a solo instrument is called for. You may want to make that more clear. You may also want to keep in mind that two of the same instrument playing a single line together sometimes results in discrepancies of pitch and articulation; that said, the unification, if carefully executed, can be a good way to reinforce the dominance of a line in a given texture. You can make your intentions more clear by putting each player's part on its own staff, especially in a chamber work such as this. Only one thing bothered me that I can think of right now: In measure 18, you have Oboe 1 play a melisma in 16th notes that trails off and doesn't seem to resolve to anything. Could be that was your intention, but for some reason it stuck out of the texture and didn't seem to work for me. It's your piece, though, and entirely up to you. Jen, I continue to be sorry that you and I got off on the wrong foot a few years ago when I was fairly harsh in my critique of one of your earliest works. I assure you I meant no harm, and in no way meant to discourage you. I admire what you're accomplishing in pieces like this, and think you have the potential to become a proficient and singular composer. Best of luck to you!
June 15, 201015 yr Author Thanks J. Lee :) No, unfortunately I have not had any formal music education as of yet... I just started going to college full-time this semester (I was just going part-time and working full-time), so I hope to take the music theory class at my college in the fall semester. Any progress I have made is from trial and error based on YC critique and reading wiki articles here and wikipedia. I actually don't recall you being overly harsh toward me as a beginner, and if you were it must have been constructive because I've never had "ill-will" :P haha. I always appreciate criticism as long it can be useful to me in future pieces (I tend to use criticism here for past screw ups more to aid future pieces which I credit for my improvement). I'm glad you caught the meaning of the title... I usually post the translation but forgot to this time. Yes, this piece was intended to sound as a mix of emotions that do not get along or agree with each other. (In case you are wondering, I am not fluent in Japanese... wish I was!... I use Japanese titles because my music takes a lot of influence from Japanese or Asian music.) I put both parts on the same line because they are supposed to play in unison when there is not a "part two". For some reason I think it makes for a neater score to do it that way because they play in unison for about half of the piece. I definitely do not claim to be an expert on scores tho ;) lol Measure 18, the oboe part was supposed to be an echo of the flute part in the measure before... nothing in the piece was really intended to "resolve" which is why I gave it the title... it is supposed to be weird, I don't think anything I write will even be conventional :) I will have to try your drink creation... I love Sake :)
June 15, 201015 yr Regarding measure 18: I understand better what your intentions were, and I respect that. Do give my Meiji cocktail a try! Mix the sake with maybe half a jigger of dry (white) vermouth in a shaker with ice - shake it up and strain it into a martini glass, and be sure to garnish with a slice of cucumber...the scent of the vegetable really enhances the experience. :D I'm so glad you never held any ill-will toward me for being tough on you, and I'm glad I remember the exchange more than you do. Apparently, you're able to move on from such situations better than I, and that's a good thing. It's not surprising to me that with your experience in the martial arts, you should be drawn to Eastern philosophies and influences. Whether you're fluent in Japanese or not, I love your title - I think it's well chosen - and your mixing of Eastern and Western influences is as creative as it is timely. Hope others get a chance to listen to this and comment. BUMP! ;)
