January 2, 201115 yr This is a solo work for cello. The work uses two ideas (the first a theme in harmonics and the second the interval of second.) Meditation Meditation
January 2, 201115 yr Author So. Why the DSCH quote? Fleeting meditation. I like it, sort of... DSCH quote?
January 2, 201115 yr Author Well, those four notes have been used in works dating back to the Baroque period... I didn't realize using those four notes constituted a 'quotation' of DSCH at all.. I've used those four notes in a TON of works myself. The reason I use them here is because the first two (D Eb) are my second motive. And the C and B are an inversion of it.
January 2, 201115 yr I get how it is related to you idea of the motive of the interval of a second. But you could started the inversion at any height. What I am saying is that you need to explain the leap from Es to C. But funny that (I guess) most people would notice this as a reference to dmitri, but it is not intended. I believe in the innocence of mankind again
January 2, 201115 yr its just a musical cryptogram which Shostakovich used to spell his name.. But it also fits nicely into deminished modes so crops up quite abit without being a quotation. I just thought it was such an excposed moment that it must be a qoute, oh well.. :)
January 2, 201115 yr Author @Jaap: I didn't realize a minor third was a 'leap' that needed to be explained. LOL @ DSCH: No, not a quotation. I didn't even think of Shosta at all during the writing of this.
January 2, 201115 yr Author Poor Shostakovich :( LOL. I like him - but not enough to pattern my works after him. I'm sure he would understand. ;)
January 2, 201115 yr @Jaap: I didn't realize a minor third was a 'leap' that needed to be explained. LOL Haha, fair enough ;) You need not explain anything to me. The first minor 3rd is from the F#-Eb (though technically a second) in ms 17. But since the fragmented nature of the groups of notes I had not suspected you could develop that as an idea, like you didn't with the tritone in ms 16 D-Ab. But now, when I look closer I can see your DSCH quote as a development of the sequence in ms 20/21. Interesting hah? how others interpret your work :D
January 2, 201115 yr Author Haha, fair enough ;) You need not explain anything to me. The first minor 3rd is from the F#-Eb (though technically a second) in ms 17. But since the fragmented nature of the groups of notes I had not suspected you could develop that as an idea, like you didn't with the tritone in ms 16 D-Ab. But now, when I look closer I can see your DSCH quote as a development of the sequence in ms 20/21. Interesting hah? how others interpret your work :D Well, anything over a fourth would be considered a leap - particularly for the voice. A cello can easily do a tritone without any concern for intonational issues. And yes, it is interesting how others interpret my work.
January 2, 201115 yr Well, anything over a fourth would be considered a leap - particularly for the voice. A cello can easily do a tritone without any concern for intonational issues. And yes, it is interesting how others interpret my work. Well. If your material is so sparse (love the economic use of it) any interval gets interesting. For me the thirds draw already attention, since the opening motive sets the secundal feel so prominently. One question. Why did you spell the G# (ms 15) as is, and not as Ab? In the context you are using flats. But on the other hand I can imagine that a C, Ab, and then an Eb together is so unadorned tonal that you dislike it ;)
January 2, 201115 yr When I was listening to this, I wasn't looking at the score, but then I heard the opening of Shostakovich's 8th String quartet and looked at the score and yeah, this is DSCH theme Even if(or rather, especially if) that wasn't on purpose I would recommend refactoring that part, because there are some motives which can be there only on purpose. The listener is trying to give meaning to that motive, but since you put none there... you know what I mean... Btw, liked the piece very much
January 3, 201115 yr Ok first the positives - great economy of material and a few nice contrasts of register and dynamics and rhythms. Clearly notated accidentals and notes. Negatives - Try to conduct this in 3/4 - you will find it is unnecessarily difficult. This should be in 6/8 throughout and would get rid of the 2/4. Don't be concerned of the beat becoming too square - even in 6/8 there are plenty of times the music switches to the weak beats but not so much as to obliterate entirely the pulse of the music. It would also help clarify those fermatas (or better eliminate them). Finally, you will realize you have a little more music than you originally thought. These tiny cellular motives are great building blocks and up to a point your slow teasing out of them works but after the first fast set of notes you return to the long notes with occasional short gestures. I don't hear a suggestion of the use of canon or other contrapuntal devices being used (eg as in Webern where he may have among the three registers several canons going on). Now what you are doing is tough - be as succinct as possible with the utmost economy of material. But this usually entails either re-working a short form in a new light (Beethoven's bagatelles) or using extended techniques and contrapuntal techniques to create a form and use color to delineate it (as in Webern's Bagatelles). In this piece I don't hear a commitment to either nor a formulation of your own. Rather, you rely on a downward path in register - that is a good overarching strategy but how are you getting there? In sum, a ton of potential here which I think either needs to be expanded and reworked OR kept the same length but reworked with a stronger underlying structure at a few levels. I'd say go with the latter as I think the length is almost right and changing the meter to 6/8 will reveal to you what music is missing or tarrying too long. I urge you to work on this as I like this direction of your piece - it is an excellent one and I think you will learn much from it.
