Klezmer Violin Piece

 Hello hello!

I've technically known about this forum for a while, but it's time to finally post! I'm hopefully going to start being more active around here to keep myself accountable and continue working on my composition skills

To start this out, I wanted to share a piece I've been working on! It's still a WIP, (Basically the only thing in this file that is actively unfinished is the ending and I want to rework the start), but other than that it's a pretty complete piece. I wrote it for a solo-violin assignment in my composition studio, and because I got really mad at a choral concert I went to because they sang a piece called "Shalom" that had nothing to do with the language of origin or culture of origin. Anyway that's a rant for another bit. Here's the little klezmer!

Hi Chikotora! Cool piece, as a folk musician (albeit Finnish) I find this very exciting. It feels very natural and folklike, which is a great thing to get in a written trad style piece! It definitely feels like Klezmer!

Regarding the start, if you mark it as espressivo or as really slow I think it'll work. The first bar could work if it was played slow and expressively - most players would understand that instruction and make it work. Alternatively, you can always tell the player to improvise and if you want to be more involved compositionally then give them a framework to improvise around! Folk music and improvisation go hand in hand. The pizzicato would then work well as a gentle introduction and it also makes the listener's ear go into a groove.

Here is an example of what I imagine the improvised intro could sound like, of course in your case it is just one violin: (Youtube) - This is an actual Finnish folk tune (composed by an old guy forgot his name right now). The intro is quite short but you get the idea and the feel! In the score it is just labelled as "improvisation"!

Alternatively you could do some lick (jazz term) based on the melody and then go into the pizzicato. Anyhow I think you can sort of have anything short before the pizzicato because the pizzicato grounds it so well.

I think there might've been some very difficult fingerings there somewhere that I'd have to check but as a general rule I would advise always testing everything. But overall seemed very playable and intuitive.

With kind regards from Finland,
Pyry.

Thanks for the comments! 
 

Your description of the first measure with espressivo definitely leans more towards my initial intent, and really the midi does no justice. I thought about going into detail to make it sound exactly how I want in the sound file but honestly this is music to be read in my studio so I don’t need to care how the midi sounds for the most part.

My only worry with improvisation is that, since I know the person who will be playing it in studio, I know that they are definitely not trained to improvise in that style. I’m thinking of making a version after that’s more idealized to what I want and not tuned to fit the assignment requirements, so that’ll likely go in there

In regards to fingerings: I am not a string player, and do not have access to a string instrument. I am, however, trying to think through what the fingerings would be and making sure all of them are at least possible. My Professor is a string player so he usually checks me when I write something impossible.

47 minutes ago, Chikotora said:

Thanks for the comments! 
 

Your description of the first measure with espressivo definitely leans more towards my initial intent, and really the midi does no justice. I thought about going into detail to make it sound exactly how I want in the sound file but honestly this is music to be read in my studio so I don’t need to care how the midi sounds for the most part.

My only worry with improvisation is that, since I know the person who will be playing it in studio, I know that they are definitely not trained to improvise in that style. I’m thinking of making a version after that’s more idealized to what I want and not tuned to fit the assignment requirements, so that’ll likely go in there

In regards to fingerings: I am not a string player, and do not have access to a string instrument. I am, however, trying to think through what the fingerings would be and making sure all of them are at least possible. My Professor is a string player so he usually checks me when I write something impossible.

 

Nice! Looks like you have everything in order, good luck 🙂