March 8, 200719 yr ;) Hi all! Here's a piece I wrote some years ago. Love to hear what you think about it. It is for woodwinds, solo singer and mixed choir. The text is written by Edgar Allen Poe, my favorite poet! I wrote this piece for a composition contest in Holland. You can see the music here: A Paean by André van Haren (Book) and listend to it here: http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/mp3/4/2/8/42814.mp3 this is a recording of a live performence. or look at it and listend to it at the same time at the sibeliusmusic site here, but there will no choir then, only soundcard sounds: A Paean Here is the text of the poem that I used: A PAEAN by Edgar Allen Poe I. How shall the burial rite be read? The solemn song be sung ? The requiem for the loveliest dead, That ever died so young? II. Her friends are gazing on her, And on her gaudy bier, And weep !
March 10, 200719 yr Wow, that was absolutely beautiful. You understand voices very well, and you have a very definite style very becoming of this poetry. It was a little funny hearing the English words pronounced with that accent, but then I assume that many of our singers sound like that in other foreign tongues. In any case, great work.
March 10, 200719 yr Author Hi Matthew, thank for you compliment. The choir is Dutch so that gives the accent. I would love to hear this piece sung by a real English choir. Btw, were you able to understand the tenor solo? I have difficulty with it. Edgar Allen Poe is really my favorite poet, I used more of his text in songs and I wrote an opera based on his story The facts in the Case of Mr Valdemar. I only have the second scene of it in my sibelius programe for no, the rest is still on paper only. Andr
March 10, 200719 yr I could understand the tenor fairly well, but that may have been because I had the score in front of me. I would love to see something from that opera if you'd like to share.
March 10, 200719 yr Author I will look for the 2th scene and put it online, the text however, is in German. I was very into Mozart those days when I wrote it and worked together with a writer who translated my libretto, based on the Poe story, into German.
March 12, 200719 yr Author Hi Matthew! I couldn't find the Sibelius or Finale file of my opera. I know I have it somewhere on one of the 1000 cd's laying a round here, but where...? I could find the recording of the 2th scene though, the only one that has been performed. The occasion was my composition exam some 15 years ago in Holland. Originally, the score is for strings and piano, but on this recording you will hear the piano and singers only; I was never able to find the string players... The title of the opera is 'In Articulo Mortis.' Scene 2 greetings, Andr
March 23, 200719 yr This is a very interesting work, the poetry is well set. I don't know how many Poe works I've ever heard set to music, but this is extremely well done. I did have a hard time understanding the language, but that is merely due to the singers. I do think some of the choral parts are a bit transparent, which may be due to the size of the group you had, but I typically like a thicker choral sound. It doesn't particularly bother me in this piece, though. It seems that it fits the personality of Poe more than I expected it to. Well done.
March 23, 200719 yr I was looking at your classical symphony, and I think you should double check the range of oboes. You have them playing a low G that oboes cannot play.
March 24, 200719 yr Author thanks so much for the nice words about the poem, manossg and Nightingale! This piece is one of my favorites myself and I hope to get it performed sometimes with a better choir and soloist. I was of course trilled that it was performed at all that time, but also little bit disappointed afterwards about the quality of the tenor. Oboehazzard, thanks for the comment on that, I will have a look at it. I never had a complain of the oboe player in the first 3 parts though when it was performed by amateur orchestra. So maybe it is in the 4th part? Andr
March 24, 200719 yr Author I checked the symphony and found the low oboe part :) This happened because I rewrote this part from alt hobo to normal oboe. I thought I checked everything while rewriting but apparently, this slipped through. Thanks so much for this! Andr
April 2, 200719 yr Beautiful! I found this piece to be simply... beautiful! I haven't really written any music for choir yet, but this really inspires me to do so. I've listened to more of your stuff on your homepage and I have to say I really like your style of composing. What are your biggest influences?
April 2, 200719 yr This was wonderful. The measure before the first key change ... was ... I don't know how to describe. I guess awe-inspiring is the best phrase. But very good job! If I had written it, and of course this is just me, I would've set the phrase "burial rite" on a slower rhythm because you have "how shall" on a slower rhythm, and it just seems like the wrong emphasis was put on certain words. But of course I can't judge, because this is a very well written work. Kudos.
April 2, 200719 yr I know this sort of breaks any rules or ideas I've previously had in my head, Rafn, but to me it feels like the faster rhythm on burial rite sort of accents it, putting the emphasis there. Maybe it's because the rest of it is such a dirge, that sticks out to me. I think that to put burial rite on a slower rhythm would really detract from its emphasis. I know that sounds a little weird and backwards, but that's how I imagine it working.
April 3, 200719 yr I know this sort of breaks any rules or ideas I've previously had in my head, Rafn, but to me it feels like the faster rhythm on burial rite sort of accents it, putting the emphasis there. Maybe it's because the rest of it is such a dirge, that sticks out to me. I think that to put burial rite on a slower rhythm would really detract from its emphasis. I know that sounds a little weird and backwards, but that's how I imagine it working. Yeah, that does make sense. But I guess just overall I found that the sixteenth notes in the whole work to be a little fast. Just personal taste, I guess, eh?
April 3, 200719 yr Author Hi Erik, thanks for your nice words. I must say that my biggest influences still are, and it may sound a little standard, Bach and Beethoven. I studied classical piano as well and played so much Bach those days, something you can find back in the double fugue in A Paean. Mozart was here also a big influence. I was studying his requiem and especially the kyrie while writing this choir piece. I love fugue writing, you will find it back n more of my music,mostly in little moments, not as a whole double fugue as in A Paean. In general, I think I can say that my music is very rooted in the romantical style, although some of my songs and the scherzo in my first symphony are a little more modern.
April 3, 200719 yr Author This was wonderful. The measure before the first key change ... was ... I don't know how to describe. I guess awe-inspiring is the best phrase. But very good job! If I had written it, and of course this is just me, I would've set the phrase "burial rite" on a slower rhythm because you have "how shall" on a slower rhythm, and it just seems like the wrong emphasis was put on certain words. But of course I can't judge, because this is a very well written work. Kudos. Hi Rafn, I think things like how put words on music is very personal, there are so many ways to do it, it all comes down to how it feels for you. Andr
April 25, 200719 yr dear teacher, You put me to shame when I listened to your works. :) WOW! When will I ever be this good (prob never). Obviously, it would be rude to criticize your works and I don't really have anything productive to criticize about. But I must say I love Valdemar! It evokes this eerie feelings that I really love. Anyway, love to hear more stuffs from you... Minh
June 18, 200719 yr Mmm.... Not my most preffered style but you tackle this with a lot of sensitivity and I identify with that. Especially that ending. Very ballsy.
