Just minutes before dawn.

Nothing profound, this is an impression piece from the few moments before the sun rises.

Duration: about 4 mins

It took about two months of intermittent work. The score (two clarinets, two flutes, strings, harp and percussion) had to be adjusted slightly to fit the electronics.

I'm not posting the score because it's full and you won't be able to see all staves on the screen together, and there're 22 pages of it.

Thanks if you can have a listen. Does it stand as a concert piece/interlude or something in its own right.

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m...335431&q=hi

Recording level was a bit high so keep the volume low. Ta.

Much appreciated,

Montpellier.

:)

Wow! I anjoyed this so much from begining to end !

Yes, its very atmospheric, and full of color. Although, It didnt evoke me the emotion of twilight. My idea of a twilight would be a bit more easy going. I think that it is written very well, now I notice that I havent listened any of your music before.

The melodic section, you introduced towards the end, made a nice finishing touch to the piece. Although it is very short and not much of a significant, I think that without this section it would felt incomplete. This made a very nice reslution from the dissonances you intruduced throughout the piece.

Good work !

Thank you for that. I hadn't thought it particularly dissonant but if you say so.... :whistling:

I'm a little like yourself in taking on different genres while trying to press forward with new things.

M

Nothing profound, this is an impression piece from the few moments before the sun rises.

Duration: about 4 mins

It took about two months of intermittent work. The score (two clarinets, two flutes, strings, harp and percussion) had to be adjusted slightly to fit the electronics.

I'm not posting the score because it's full and you won't be able to see all staves on the screen together, and there're 22 pages of it.

Thanks if you can have a listen. Does it stand as a concert piece/interlude or something in its own right.

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m...335431&q=hi

Recording level was a bit high so keep the volume low. Ta.

Much appreciated,

Montpellier.

:blush: [/b]

Hey M, I The more I listen to your music, the more I realize that part of your style is to leave instruments exposed in a Webernesque sort of way. I have to admit that I really like your writing when you have things fleshed out, and part of me realizes that this is because you meticulously set it up with your thinner scoring and clean intervals, but another part of me says, "Lay it on me thicker, man!" As you might have guessed by now (maybe, in part, from listening to my stuff), we come from opposite sides of the tracks as far as our gestalt on this is concerned.

You remind me of a Jazz drummer I once worked with, who once explained to me how he was one of those guys whose teachers had to scream at him to play louder.., more.., you name it. He just couldn't bring himself (musically speaking) to hit 'em hard on his set. Instead, he was all about color, subtlety, and delicately bringing different colors out of his instrument. Unlike most drummers I've worked with, he had to consciously work on playing loud. How I miss playing with him.

Hey M.

I was reading the above post and thought it was funny that Leightwing mentioned Webern...I was telling someone earlier, after having listened to your piece, that it reminded me of a slightly mellower Webern piece. Not that it sounds like an imitation of Webern, it simply has that essence of minimalism, letting each voice stand on its own to create a lot of distinct colors.

This music reminds me of ominous film music, actually. I imagine it could accompany some kind of dark, foresty or night scene to create a sense of mystery and wonder. I think maybe this is because your compositions in general remind me of paintings, with different brushstrokes and colors creating a scene or vision, so I listen to them and can't help imagining them against some kind of visual. cool. Back when I first heard "Mistral" (which is an even better piece!) I couldn't help but do it with that one as well. Hee.

I don't really have any criticism for this piece, I just wanted to offer my impressions.

Wow M

I'm impressed, the piece struck me as being slightly atonal. But it was enjoyable to listen to, I felt that the piece needed a little more structure to it, but if your intent was to be atonal, then I personally think you accomplished that goal. I say it's one of the better atonal pieces I've heard in a LONG time.

Well done :)

By the way, what is that in your Avatar?

Thank you for these kind remarks.

Hey M, I The more I listen to your music, the more I realize that part of your style is to leave instruments exposed in a Webernesque sort of way. I have to admit that I really like your writing when you have things fleshed out, and part of me realizes that this is because you meticulously set it up with your thinner scoring and clean intervals, but another part of me says, "Lay it on me thicker, man!" As you might have guessed by now (maybe, in part, from listening to my stuff), we come from opposite sides of the tracks as far as our gestalt on this is concerned.

.............

Thanks. It's also a learning curve and technical thing - a few of my items won't even fit the software partly because this laptop is too slow. I think the software allows 48 or 96 simultaneous "notes on" and "off" but the CPU can't keep up and I have to work round the dropouts. I did try with one and had to record it as two sets of wavs and combine them. I may post it later but it's something that leaves me a bit cold.

As for opposite sides of the track...are we so different? Well, yes...but your arrangement of Shenandoah had me spellbound and I looked on it as target: the means you used were kindred to what I'd so often like to be able to do - the texture changes by phrases, the evident contrapuntal lines, harmonies and on, varying at every verse. But you're considerably more advanced than I so don't give up on me yet! :P

Hey M.

I was reading the above post and thought it was funny that Leightwing mentioned Webern...I was telling someone earlier, after having listened to your piece, that it reminded me of a slightly mellower Webern piece. Not that it sounds like an imitation of Webern, it simply has that essence of minimalism, letting each voice stand on its own to create a lot of distinct colors.

This music reminds me of ominous film music, actually. I imagine it could accompany some kind of dark, foresty or night scene to create a sense of mystery and wonder. I think maybe this is because your compositions in general remind me of paintings, with different brushstrokes and colors creating a scene or vision, so I listen to them and can't help imagining them against some kind of visual. cool. Back when I first heard "Mistral" (which is an even better piece!) I couldn't help but do it with that one as well. Hee.

Hah! I've been told I sound a bit like various people but never Webern who was the purist among the Second Viennese trio, let's face it! Wayhayyy, Webern!

You sound like you got the gist of the piece though...

I rely on motifs a lot and filaments of sound entering/leaving, becoming part of a new harmony. Is it Impressionist? - the poor man's Debussy? Surreal? Can one be a surrealist composer, writing the musical cyclorama for deams and the like?

A few pieces were inspired by (atmospheric) moods like "Mistral" you mentioned which happened on a beach when the storm was in the air. A strangely electrifying feeling. Thanks for your most encouraging comments, also for listening to "Mistral".

I'm impressed, the piece struck me as being slightly atonal. But it was enjoyable to listen to, I felt that the piece needed a little more structure to it, but if your intent was to be atonal, then I personally think you accomplished that goal. I say it's one of the better atonal pieces I've heard in a LONG time.

Well... :D people are saying that round here.... though I don't consciously think of myself as atonal. I sometimes write in keys but haven't bothered with key signatures for a while. I'm not clever enough to write truly engaging serial music so maybe it's best to settle with what I have.

What matters is the effect (or even "affect") of the music. If it can be listened to, then nice and thanks for mentioning that. :wub:

Cheers.

cheers.

As for opposite sides of the track...are we so different? Well, yes...but your arrangement of Shenandoah had me spellbound and I looked on it as target: the means you used were kindred to what I'd so often like to be able to do - the texture changes by phrases, the evident contrapuntal lines, harmonies and on, varying at every verse. But you're considerably more advanced than I so don't give up on me yet! :)

[/b]

M,

I am flattered; but truly, you don't give yourself enough credit. Your pieces speak to me. Certainly, my comments re: "the opposite sides of the tracks" were composed hastily and didn't really convey my true meaning. Yes, we are different stylistically, and we tend to write in different genres. We even sport a different harmonic vocabulary, both conceptually and in practice, but I appreciate the depth of your music, in many cases specifically because you are able to create so much intensity with the smaller and lighter palettes that you work with. Your ability to consistently write at the boundaries of tonality are much more developed and stylized than mine, and your rhythmic language has an unassailable integrity. What I think I was trying to say is that I find that many of your strengths are my weaknesses.

But enough of this mutual fan-club thing. We are both composers struggling with our art, and with any luck, that's how it will always be. As long as we can identify our weaknesses, growth is imminent provided we continue to strive to improve. Besides, I'm sure you have a few more years of creativity in you before you reach my ripe age. :mellow:

...also for listening to "Mistral".

Have you ever had that one performed? I couldn't help thinking while listening to it that the computer-generated playback didn't do it justice. I wish I could hear a live recording of it.

edit: sorry this is in this thead, hehe.

Montpellier

Your music is impresive, you follow the line that goes straight from Debussy to Takemitsu. Nice colours and texture, a wonderfull creation.

Keep going this line, you are in the right line.

This is also a good filmic clue,

Congratulations

Luis

Montpellier

Your music is impresive, you follow the line that goes straight from Debussy to Takemitsu. Nice colours and texture, a wonderfull creation.

Keep going this line, you are in the right line.

This is also a good filmic clue,

Congratulations

Luis

Many thanks for that!

Have you ever had that one performed? I couldn't help thinking while listening to it that the computer-generated playback didn't do it justice. I wish I could hear a live recording of it.

"Mistral"? Nope. I submitted it to our County Orchestra but they couldn't "fit it into their program at that time". I think it was too modern - they're capable of playing it and it doesn't have too much brass or weird stuff but they tend to cling to earlier stuff. I hoped to make a mock-up to give to one of the other town orchestras (the soundclick attempt) but it didn't work well. I may do it again when I get a computer that can keep up!

Thanks. :)

M

"Mistral"? Nope. I submitted it to our County Orchestra but they couldn't "fit it into their program at that time". I think it was too modern - they're capable of playing it and it doesn't have too much brass or weird stuff but they tend to cling to earlier stuff. I hoped to make a mock-up to give to one of the other town orchestras (the soundclick attempt) but it didn't work well. I may do it again when I get a computer that can keep up!

Thanks. :D

M

Arg, "too modern" :laugh:. Well good luck in the future with that, I think it would sound really cool with real musicians.

Montpellier,

Can you post a link to your soundclick ID. Direct links to music never work for me for some reason on soundclick.

Thanks.

Sorry a bit of a delay. Not sure how to do that, but the artist name is:

CafedesReves, and it's the first title.

Thanks for your interest.

:P

M