Complete Scene I from Act I of my Opera...

Complete Act I - Scene I:

This is the music of the first scene of the first act. I really don't want to give the plot of idea of the opera away so I will do my best to give a suitable description of the music.

My approach to the opera is about using what works best for me and the story. I use concepts from the history of opera. Therefore, my opera is not meant to be "Opera Seria" of the baroque or of the classical era, nor is it the italian opera of Mozart, Rossini, Puccini or Verdi. Its not the operatic style of the late 19th century/early 20th century. At times the music will be what it needs to be. Hopefully, that will help in understanding the music. Although, I don't think there will be anything that will be difficult to comprehend.

A former teacher of mine and operatic Mezzo-Soprano suggested that I write an opera after hearing some of my choral/vocal music. This suggestion came a couple of years ago. It took me some time to make a final decision on which of my operatic ideas I wanted to go with for my first attempt. I plan to eventually meet with her and discuss the what I have composed so far and the direction of the work. She has founded a small opera company in Boston and I'm hoping she will help in its promotion.

Here are the links for the entire first scene. The first scene is meant as a set up and an opening.Therefor the scene is short. The first scene is never revisited in the opera again.

The work does rely tonal structure and motifs here and there.

1) Opening chorus of victory with one of the leading characters (Baritone).

2) Recitative with leading Character (Baritone) and Chorus member.

At this point the Baritone is conversing with the chorus and becomes a little annoyed before going into his aria.

3) Short Aria of leading character (Baritone). Music is meant to sound a little pompous, sarcastic, strong and at times noble. The aria is not meant to be long for this particular situation. But, I'm considering adding about 30 more seconds of music.

4) After Baritone Aria a lesser leading character (Tenor) enters in excitement with something to say. Instead of saying what needs to be said the character talks about how exciting the news is. The Baritone soloist and chorus get annoyed and prompt the "Tenor" to speak, or else. The music then proceeds into a Recitative to end the scene.

5) This is actually Scene IIa (as I call it). Here the scene is tension filled with some very unfortunate news.

Opening chorus: Interesting peice. But no real melody that I could hear. The chorus sounded like it was singing in an undiscovered mode. I kind of felt that the rolls on (timpani?) were kind of pointless as they didn't real have much effect on the rest of the peice. But that's just me.

Recitative: Not much of a recitative. More of a semi-melodic aria. I thought it was a little to abrupt. Finishing with no resolve. Very nice harpsichord part though. But the orchestra came in a bit too suddenly.

Aria: Not much I can really comment on. This should be the recitative in my opinion. But, i couldn't hear much of the voices, so... The strings kind of sounded a little weird. And, it's probably just the Mp3, but the end, again, didn't really have any resolve to me. Still good. Just need a little work.

The solo and chorus: Pretty. I liked it alot. No real criticism worth noting.

Scene IIa: Very nice. Pretty. Definitely great to listen to.

Overall: excellent work. Very impressive. The first little bit just needs some work. Keep on composing. :D

Thanks for listening and for your comments. They were duely noted. However, I'm not so sure I agree with you comepletely. But, at the same time I do unsderstand your position as the listener. It really is unclear for you to tell what is really going on dramatically and so it makes a big difference in regards to the music coming acros convincingly.

By the way, the timpani rolls are really a reference to the text. I'm not just putting them there "just becasue". :dry:

Anyway, thanks agian. :P

Oh ok. Well, I don't know the text, so it just sounded a little awkward. :ninja:

Heard that first chorus...very nicely done indeed, especially for a first operatic effort. It will be interesting to see how this progresses. Best of luck!

Heard that first chorus...very nicely done indeed, especially for a first operatic effort. It will be interesting to see how this progresses. Best of luck!

Thanks for listening. Glad you liked what you heard. The challenge for me will be not to get hung up in my compositional idosynchrosies and let the compositional vision I have come forth.

Anyway, I'd love to know what you think regarding the other pieces from the scene.

Thanks.

Great stuff Majesty, because of my lack of operatic insights, I have nothing more to say. You got off to a great start, keep up the good work. :o

Cheers

Great stuff Majesty, because of my lack of operatic insights, I have nothing more to say. You got off to a great start, keep up the good work. :)

Cheers

Well, at least you enjoyed the music :)

Thanks for listening. I do hope what I do with the rest of the opera will be just as enjoyable :D

in opera context is just about everything and so is the text. I think this music is original and very sumptuous. I would love to know what is happening and what the text is. perhaps you could post the text and the characters with the music? it would be really interesting. all the best with your work.

woooooooow! the opening chorus is absolutely dazzling! so powerful and effective, really irresistible! wonderful harmony and feel!

the aria is fine and in overall suits the purpose you have expressed, but i feel the need of a clear change of key or mood or texture in some place to the best effect.

the solo and chorus is beautiful and very well structured, and the return of the opening theme works wonderfully.

the scene IIa is dramatic and beautifully shaped, with a rapturing harmony. very nice!

regards!

Just listened to the opening chorus, really enjoyed it ;)

I'd like to listen again with the text though...?

All I can say is "Act I - Scene IIa from 1:20 on" ;) I love that part!

I enjoy all of it so far and I hope you'll keep us up updated as you go! ;)

Just listened to the opening chorus, really enjoyed it :)

I'd like to listen again with the text though...?

Thanks! Everyone seems to really like the opening the chorus the most. When the opera is about complete I will probably post it in Major works with a clear synopsis and I may include bits of the libretto. I just don't want to give too much away too early as some changes might be made to the libretto. But, I do understand everyone's request regarding the text. :)

All I can say is "Act I - Scene IIa from 1:20 on" :P I love that part!

I enjoy all of it so far and I hope you'll keep us up updated as you go! :)

Thanks, Invisionary. I know 1:20 is the whole big cirlce of 5ths thing which can sound very cliche and I think its sometimes hard to handle the circle of 5ths without making it sound cliche. But, I'm glad you loved it. That theme plays some significance so you'll hear it again somewhere in the opera when I post more.

And yes, I will update as I go. The past few weeks have been very busy for me but as this week starts I'll jump back into it. I'll post completed scenes as I go.

Thanks for listening!

woooooooow! the opening chorus is absolutely dazzling! so powerful and effective, really irresistible! wonderful harmony and feel!

the aria is fine and in overall suits the purpose you have expressed, but i feel the need of a clear change of key or mood or texture in some place to the best effect.

the solo and chorus is beautiful and very well structured, and the return of the opening theme works wonderfully.

the scene IIa is dramatic and beautifully shaped, with a rapturing harmony. very nice!

regards!

Thanks Frantz! I understand what you mean about the aria. There really doesn't seem to be a definitive change of key, but the thing is the as short as the aria is it moves through a number of keys in subtle fashion. Would you say that the lack of definitive changes in mood and key hurts the aria? Although, almost everyone really seems to like the opening chorus most, the baritone aria is my fav right now.

A lot of the themes heard in the first and second scene play a big role in shaping the musical form of the opera.

in opera context is just about everything and so is the text. I think this music is original and very sumptuous. I would love to know what is happening and what the text is. perhaps you could post the text and the characters with the music? it would be really interesting. all the best with your work.

Glad you found the music sumptuous :P

I will eventually post the opera with a clear synopsis and bits of the libretto.

Thanks for listening :)

Thanks Fratz!

Not to nitpick, but that name sounds funny without an N :P

Good one! I made the edit.:thumbsup:

Thanks, Will :(

Wow, incredible work. Beautifully shaped phrases, very well done. I have nothing much to say at this point, but, I'll leave you with that :)

Cheers

hi Majesty!

well i have given you my impression after listening just to the music. the lack of a libretto makes it difficult to judge the full effect of the aria. but i tried it again and as i stated before i still miss some variation in texture and mood although i can notice the subtle changes you have mentioned. i feel the sensation of an unresolved tension, but maybe that is precisely what you wish for this section. :) :P

hi Majesty!

well i have given you my impression after listening just to the music. the lack of a libretto makes it difficult to judge the full effect of the aria. but i tried it again and as i stated before i still miss some variation in texture and mood although i can notice the subtle changes you have mentioned. i feel the sensation of an unresolved tension, but maybe that is precisely what you wish for this section. :laugh: :D

Ah, yes the texture and mood. It was my intention to not vary the mood or the texture for this piece. The purpose being is this character is one of those people you either love or hate. Because of this, there is always a kind of tension when in his presence. His personality is very strong, a bit overwhelming, very self confident, he's almost like a bully. His personality is a reaction to his one and only personal fear/doubt about himself.

This first aria of his is not one where the text or the character experiences changes of mood, a kind of personal revelation, mood swings etc. In this aria he is making a kind of "this is how it is" statement with no room for debate. I hope that helps.

But, I honestly do thank you for pointing it out as it is a strong reminder to me that texture needs to play an important part in fleshing out the characters in opera. :huh: :)

Instead of continuosly making separate threads I've decided to post various moments from my oper in this thread.

This is an excerpt From the finale of the entire opera (Act III - Finale). Once again, there will be no score as of now. My apologies to those who would like a score for ease and clarity of analysis. I am mainly composing the opera in order but I was very inspired by this moment in the opera and had to break thought to work on this section.

Synopsis:

By the time of the grand finale, the people of the opera (solosits & chorus) have been experienced much without the opportunity to mourn and experience closure. So that you know, the losses aren't necessarily death related alone. At this point all the characters are now afforded the time to properly grieve and receive closure. It opens with a Basso Profundo soloist then continues with the entrance of the chorus for a short while. The music will progress suggesting the forward thought of hope until a Soprano recitative. During the recitative the Soprano makes claim that althought the people have rightly mourned, the situation is just an opportunity to move unto greater things with a thankfulness of what they still have and what has been passed on to them as a people.

Unfortuntely, some of the individual melodic lines don't come through as I would like for them to. :(

For the most part, the musical material is build off of melodic motifs heard in the F minor opening and some references to other themes that appear earlier in the opera.

You'll need time for this one. The excerpt is about 7mins :P ;)

Hope you enjoy.

I don't mean to sound redundant here, but you are simply shooting yourself in the foot by refusing to post the text/score/libretto. The fact of the matter is that opera is based entirely around the libretto. It is the key fundamental part of any opera. I don't understand why you think you would be "giving something away" when in actuality, you're just confusing everyone by responding to their comments with "Well I meant to do that because of this character I'm not going to tell you anything about" or "Well, I had to include that because this scene depends on it, even though I won't tell you how or why."

I typically make it a point to never listen to a composition unless it has a score or live performance. This is simply because the context can never be understood, the text setting cannot be fully appreciated, and the fact that you're working on a part of this score that you probably will need a lot of help on, but won't get any until it's too late. As a singer I find this aggrivating, and as an opera singer I find it insulting. I spend all my time making sure that I can convey the meaning of the text and be clearly understood through the orchestra and ensemble. The actual music is actually one of the smallest parts of what I do as an opera singer.

So I've had my say, include it with everyone elses, but you will never get a decent critique of this work without the score. It's just plain pointless to post anything without one.

Oh my - my - my! It seems as if you've been holding in your grievances about as long as the characters in my opera! I guess you've reached your Act III release and closusre as well? :w00t:

Now, let me get serious for a minute (but just one minute). I mentioned that there is no score "as of now" meaning there is one to come! Also, twice in this thread when members asked about the score I replied that once the opera was more complete I would place it in Major Works with secitons of the libretto! Also, I don't post my pieces because I'm in need of help on the composition process (nice attempt at the jab though). So, as a singer be insulted, annoyed, dismayed, aggrivated, fatigued, famished or whaterever it is you become in these moments. I have had experiences as a composer when pieces and ideas are stolen, used or shared too early in an uncontrolled environment. The opera is not near complete as yet and I will not post any part of the libretto or score until I feel the work is complete enough to share. For that I make no apologies. Yes, the idea of sharing is also to learn but that will have to wait until I'm ready to post the sections of the score and libretto.Whether other composers agree with me is not my concern. I have my reasons based on my experiences and I stand by them. All you had to do was read when I mentioned that I would post sections of the libretto at a later time.

So many people say that they don't take a listen unless there is a score present but there are threads floating around with "X number of views/downloads" and still no comments. I have no problem sharing scores if someone really feels as if they need it to give proper comments. But at this time with this piece I have made my decision to do things differently.

I'm definitely ok with the fact that I may not get a decent critique. I'm a little more thick-skinned and iron spined to have serious issues on that subject. I don't post pieces that often. When I do post and they don't recieve comments I usually figure its because no score is present and I'm ok with that. But, if someone really would like to see one, they can just ask and I'll post one.

You had your say, and with it you haven't taught me anything or said anything that I don't already know. Its too bad to suffer a massive attack of some kind, or so it seems. I personally don't loose sleep over these kinds of things. But, I'm glad you had a good listen and enjoyed the piece enough to want to rant about the libretto and miss out on the fact that I would post sections of the libretto when things were a bit more complete.

*For the other members on YC, I don't mean to insult you by not posting the libretto. But, when the piece is more complete it will appear when I post or repost sections of the oper.

I don't mean to sound redundant here, but you are simply shooting yourself in the foot by refusing to post the text/score/libretto. The fact of the matter is that opera is based entirely around the libretto. It is the key fundamental part of any opera. I don't understand why you think you would be "giving something away" when in actuality, you're just confusing everyone by responding to their comments with "Well I meant to do that because of this character I'm not going to tell you anything about" or "Well, I had to include that because this scene depends on it, even though I won't tell you how or why."

I typically make it a point to never listen to a composition unless it has a score or live performance. This is simply because the context can never be understood, the text setting cannot be fully appreciated, and the fact that you're working on a part of this score that you probably will need a lot of help on, but won't get any until it's too late. As a singer I find this aggrivating, and as an opera singer I find it insulting. I spend all my time making sure that I can convey the meaning of the text and be clearly understood through the orchestra and ensemble. The actual music is actually one of the smallest parts of what I do as an opera singer.

So I've had my say, include it with everyone elses, but you will never get a decent critique of this work without the score. It's just plain pointless to post anything without one.

Does a movie director release the script before the big release?

no... but I bet you the studio LEAKS information and then it's posted online by some dude, and then it adds hype and buzz, though it could be a fake script or a decoy. So, maybe this is jus a decoy, and the real opera is something completely different...

Pardon me, but this is a forum, so if you don't want help with your piece, or advice, this may not be the best place to post it. I was giving you my opinion with the understanding that others had asked you for the score as well. As I said, there is really no reason for me to listen to a score where the emphasis is on singing and text if there isn't actually any singing or text involved in the samples. You might as well call it a symphony, and I'd be much more inclined to comment on it then.

However, I am a singer, and I am therefore intrigued by the notion of modern opera, so I like to offer my assistance any way I can if I find out someone is writing an opera, or needs to get it performed. I have not listened to your opera, I don't know if it's good enough to gripe and moan about, I just know that you, like so many others before you, have taken the singing out of the one art form that is entirely based on singing. When others post songs, but only post a MIDI file, I give them the same speech.

This is a learning community, and if you feel you have reached a level of expertise that you think you can get by just fine without any help, then fine. Don't expect any help or support from me. But if I wasn't an oboist, but I was writing an oboe concerto, I'd probably want a few comments from an actual oboist so I could succeed. My roommate is a very skilled composer, yet he constantly asks me for help while he's writing vocal/choral stuff. If you're a singer, the point may be mute, but only if you're actually an opera singer. It certainly wouldn't hurt you a bit to elicit the help of your fellow colleagues.