A Rose In Repose

For woodwinds and strings, this was inspired by a Tom Waits song that poses the question, 'Who will put flowers on a flower's grave?' I'm kind of fond of it, but my opinion doesn't count cuz I'm the composer. What do you think, YC's?

Here is a youtube video of the music: 

Edited June 24, 20178 yr by Ken320

Very nice. I like the chordal feeling and coming of the violin. Good lesson this is about the control of dissonance. 

For me is an "elegy"...Nice!

This is lovely.  I did find it quite melodic, however some of the very clipped phrase endings (for my taste) would have been better, a little less clipped, but I really liked it.  Very nice orchestration too.  

Thanks for your comments, Fellas. I’m glad you liked the work. Luis, it is an elegy, as you say. The chordal gestures represent a cry or a sob or a sigh, something that can happen in a single human breath. And right again, it is a piece where dissonances figure prominently. Because grief is a strange thing and a tear is oddly satisfying in its catharsis, though on the whole, crying is a profoundly painful thing. I felt that the gestures should contain elements of each, consonance and dissonance, both of equal value.

Mark, it sounds like you would have preferred proper phrases and more continuity instead of the gesture approach which is more episodic. That's a good point.

5 hours ago, Ken320 said:

 

Mark, it sounds like you would have preferred proper phrases and more continuity instead of the gesture approach which is more episodic. That's a good point.

Hi ken, no, I think there were only 2 or 3 very clipped phrase endings that flashed by so quickly I nearly missed the melodic element in them, but that was all, and now that you've given an explanation of your motivations, even they make a bit more sense, possibly representing a choked sob.

5 hours ago, Ken320 said:

 

Nice pictures!, good you mentioned it in the chat. So I came again to hear it! It's a very beautiful work.

Reading what you said about Tom Waits, I remembered this:

One day I'm going to die here too
And they'll plant me in the dirt
Like some lame bulb 
That never blooms come any spring
Not any spring
No, not any spring 
Not any spring

It's the final part of The Magdalene Laundries by Joni Mitchell.

Thank you, Luis. I had never heard that song before. I should go back and listen to more of her since I have always liked her. Even at sixteen, when it's not cool for young macho men to like female singers.