Solomon's Seal now available at a lower price

They have cut prices at my supplier, so I decided to pass the savings on. You can also purchase it as a pdf to save 44% and print it yourself. Being a mobile form piece, that means you can arrange the pieces in the order you wish to perform them.



I'm still planning on posting an excerpt from An Angel's Kiss, but I've had a pile of work come in, so I'm rather busy right now.

Update on the concerto: I've sketched a chord progression for the second movement. The piano will improvise on a different progression over the top of it.

A Point of Amber Light now available for purchase.

My violin concerto, A Point of Amber Light, is now available on Createspace.

If you are interested in purchasing it, I'm happy to provide a discount code to friends for a significant reduction in price. Just send me an email.

It should appear on Amazon.com in 5-7 days.

Performance materials available separately. I'm happy to send the solo violin part out in pdf form to any violinist interested in performing it. The version with piano accompaniment will be my next publication, hopefully.

Theory 101.1

OK, I lied. Today I devised the tonal relationships of the sets from the inversion of the row.

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly rather, the set relationships turned out to be the same. I've never used the tonality of the inverted row before, so I expected the relationships to be inverted as well. I'm not sure I'll use the pivot tones with the inverted set, since they just extend the chromatic.

This is the primary material for the second movement, so I'm ready to begin sketching harmonic progressions for it. Once I have those, I'll start devising the textures. Remember, the movement will comprise a series of aleatoric textures over which one or more instruments will solo, and the piano will improvise over the top using a progression that may or may not match that of the instruments below.

OK, next time, I WILL post an excerpt from the one of the source stories.

Theory 101

I'm going to have to explain my rationale at some point, so it might as well be today, since I screwed up the labeling my sets a couple of days ago. This is the hard stuff.

After looking more closely at my sets, I discovered two more sets that overlap by 4 pitches. To classify them I had to resort to my pivot pitches. One of those sets shared an additional pivot pitch. Two of the sets that shared 3 main pitches contained both pivot pitches.

So I've got:

I is O0a
V is O0b
O5b shares 4 +1
O11b shares 3 +2
O1b shares 3 +2
O6b shares 4
O7b shares 4
the rest except O3b share 3 +1
O3b shares 3

My classification system mimmicks traditional tonality using substitutions (like jazz). And my substitutions are classed by how many notes they share with the tonic.

I shares all
V7 shares none (my dominant complex is really the vii, not V)
VI7 shares 3
III7 shares 2
IV7 shares 2
II7 shares 1

Using that hierarchy my sets are classed as:

Tonic
I O0a (+O6a as V/IV)

Dominant
V O0b

Subdominant
IV O6b
II O7b (+O5a as V/V)

Pre-subdominant
VI O5b (+O7a as V/II)
III O11b, 01b

The complement (a) sets of the above become V of x. Choosing between IV and II was arbitrary and may be adjusted when I start comparing the secondary dominant sets. I've discarded all the 3 and 3+1 sets, since they are all the grey in-between harmonies. They won't show much in the way of harmonic progression.

During the main tonal centre parts of the piece, these are probably the only sets I will use. That will probably be the first and third movement. Generally, I'll use them in "functional" harmonic progressions. I've used this method before, and it really does create harmonic motion.

For the middle movement, I may invert the row and re-classify. I haven't decided yet.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Tomorrow I may post an excerpt from the story this is based on.

More distractions

Yesterday, I was struggling against a work deadline and went out in the evening, so no composing. I'm still thinking of the pivot tones between my sets, and have decided that should work.

But ...

Instead of composing today, I put my publisher hat on. My set of short piano pieces, Solomon's Seal, is now published on Lulu.com, either in download form (£4.95) or in paper form (£8.95). I'm going to try to get permission to post a recording of it on my website, but here is the link for the sale copy:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/solomons-seal/14858450


I'm considering publishing the violin and piano version of A Point of Amber Light next, but there isn't a facility for publishing the violin part. I'll probably make that available through a free link to a pdf. I'm not sure yet.

Crash, Bang

Warning, warning. That does not compute!

I thought immediately of Robot in Lost in Space. Having plunked for Plan B on my sets, I was smacked in the face by combinatoriality. Combinatorial tone rows are those that can form a 12-tone aggregate with the last half of one of its transpositions. In serial music that opens up some possibilities, but in set-based composition that does just the opposite. It means that the dominant set has the same intervallic makeup as the tonic, providing no progression.

When I shifted my set to begin on F#, that is what happened. O0 and O6 were combinatorial. I've tried to compose with combinatorial sets before, and all you get are grey harmonies and static progressions.

So I'm back to plan A.

O0:
I: C D Eb E F# G
V: Db F Ab A Bb B

The biggest overlap between I and another set is 4.
O1:
V/V: C Eb E F F# A
V/II: Bb C Db D E F

That makes my sub/pre-dominant function. That isn't the final classification. I usually give two classifications based on which side of the grid the set appears. X or V/X.

I haven't gone that far yet because I am considering overlap or pivot pitches. As I stated yesterday, I'm concerned about how chromatic the sets are, so the answer may be to add the first note (or two) of the second half of the row to expand the set. This has the possibility of dampening the progression, so it has to be used sparingly. The other option is to resort to 5 and 7 note sets. Here, it probably isn't practical, since it doesn't add much flavour to the I set. It just adds another whole step (A), and making it a 5 note set just drops the G, another semitone.

Pivot pitches are probably the way to go.

Next, I'll finish the classification and decide on pivot pitches.

Diversions

Yesterday, I decided to create a row matrix. Unsatisfied with the idea of devising it manually, I decided to create a spreadsheet that would automate the process. That probably took twice as long as it might have otherwise, but at least now I can make matrices just by plugging in O0.

Interestingly, my row is in E, but I'm planning my pitches to centre around D. In fact, I will probably emphasize the middle of the row, rather than transposing it to D. At present the first 6 pitches are 5 4 6 7 8 9 from the series (rather than starting at the beginning of the row). It leaps from my nominal Tonic set to my Dominant set after 3 notes. (I'll explain my harmonic system in due course.)

Next up is devolving the row into pitch sets, and classifying their transposition.

Tonic (I): C D Eb E F# G
Dominant (V) Db F Ab A Bb B

I'm a little concerned about the number of semitones in the two sets, so I may consider shifting the row to start on the F#:

I: D F F# G A Bb
V: C Db Eb E Ab B

That might give me the more expansive sound that I'm after. I could use both, of course. I'll probably decide today.


On another note, I received the proof copy of my violin concerto on Monday. I made one change to the cover, so I have to approve it once more, but it should go on sale next week on Amazon.com (and eventually other outlets). ($30, but I'll offer discounts to retailers and others, if you are nice to me.)

I'll post a link next week. I'm also going to make my saxophone concerto available soon.

The Matrix

Yesterday, I had a look at the tarantella to derive a row from it. Before you think that writing 12-tone music is so 1950, I should tell you that this isn't 12-tone. Yes, I use a row, but only as a source. I usually divide it into sets that I classify harmonically, and use unordered. Saying that, I like the row that resulted from choosing the important notes from the RH of the tarantella. It's very chromatic, but I mostly chose notes after a leap or a direction change. I was forced to step down to the left hand for the last three notes. Here's the row as it stands:

E Eb C F# D G A Bb F Db B Ab

What I like about it is that it contains every interval, and has an open feel. The set from the discarded version of the concerto was too closed and dissonant. There are seconds there for dissonance when I want it, as well as thirds and fifths for when I don't. As the orchestra is amateur, I need to be mindful of dissonance saturation. This won't sound like Appalachian Spring, but it should have an open airy prairie landscape feel. It will just be more like a prairie at night.

I still need to sit and internalize the row at the piano before I derive the matrix and set classification, and that may have to wait until Wednesday, as I have busy days today and tomorrow, as well as a rehearsal tonight.

I ordered my copy of Parsifal yesterday.

Quiet

Today was a quiet day on the Concerto front. I created a sketch book to work in. Usually, I compose right into full score with a just few loose pages of sketch. I used to always carry a sketch book with me to put ideas in, so hopefully this will help keep the piece active in my thoughts.

I also discovered that I didn't own a score to Parsifal, so I'll have to order one. I thought we had one downstairs (an old vocal score), but that turned out to be Gotterdammerung.

I discovered that we'll have a contrabassoon in the orchestra, but not a bass clarinet. It's probably not as useful, but as I haven't scored any music other than a few bars of cellos, basses and clarinet, I'll just keep within the parameters.

Once I derive my pitch material, I'm going to start on the second movement. That should be the quickest to compose, and I'd like to get it into Maya's hands as soon as possible, since she will have to devise her improvisation around what the other instruments are playing. I need to contact her soon anyway.

By the way, you are welcome to comment on these posts. I've noticed that there are already a few readers, and it is nice to have some kind of feedback (preferably positive).

At some point, I will also post a chapter of An Angel's Kiss, just for your reference. It will probably only be from the first draft. (I'm planning a major revision of it.)

In the Beginning ...

Since last summer I have been contemplating writing a piano concerto and even wrote a few notes. In fact, I have about ten pages of sketches, but about a month ago, I decided to start over. I've been too busy working on a novel to think about music, and to be completely honest, nothing was coming. I was even considering giving up composing altogether.

That was until 3 am this morning.

I woke up with ideas, ideas other than just a little double bass figure that began the first movement. Suddenly wide awake, I was afraid to allow myself to fall asleep in fear that I would forget everything. Around 4 am, I decided to connect it with a diary, this blog, which will document the steps and thought processes I go through as I write this piece. Some of it may prove boring and mechanical, but (as you will read below) it will have a literary basis, some of which will appear here.

My big problem over the past few years is that my writing has eaten up my composing energy, and it is my thought that this blog will correct that.

Out of mind, out of sight.

That's the problem. If I'm not thinking about composing regularly, ideas are stillborn. I sit in concerts and come up with grand schemes that are forgotten by the time I've driven home.

Before I go too far, I should get the mechanics out of the way. This concerto is for Maya Irgalina and the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Shawn Matthew, an amateur orchestra that plays in the Spa there. It's a scenic venue overlooking the North Sea, and I've even written some fiction that starts there. The performance will be in March or May 2013, and Shawn is thinking of Brahms, Symphony No 4, and Stravinsky, Dance Concertante, as well as some chamber music to begin the programme. That sounds like a little too much music, if you add in my 20 minute concerto. I expect he'll revise his plans.

On to the concerto ...

At around 5 am, I decided that I might connect it to a novella I wrote a few years ago called An Angel's Kiss. In it, a famous concert pianist is about to give a recital when a woman with golden hair runs up onto the stage and kisses him. He finds himself unable to continue, and even touching a piano causes a panic attack. Not wanting to leave his audience cold (it was a gala charity concert), he summons a girl from the crowd who impressed him in one of his masterclasses. She plays the concert in his place and wows the critics.

It turns out that she is the sister of the woman who kissed him, but who had died in the WTC on Sept 11, a year earlier. The pianist and the girl become inseparable, but I'll leave the rest until I publish the novella. One other relevant fact is that the pianist has a dream to someday conduct Wagner's Parsifal. I'm considering using a few brief Parsifal references in my concerto.

I'm also thinking of connecting the concerto to another novel of mine, Diary of an Affair. The story is, of course, about an affair, but not the obvious one that spurred him to write the diary. The protagonist is a failed composer who works for a music publisher (in marketing), representing their composers at concerts. On the way back from one of his trips, he falls in love with a young American pianist (and composer) just starting at the Royal Academy in London.

Again, I'll stop with the plot there, but he eventually promises to write a piece for another composer who he has loved since he was twenty (who adores him). It turns out to be a concerto for the American pianist. Aside from the infidelity, a thread running through the story is his writing of this concerto. I'm not sure how I'll use it yet. Maybe just some of the gestures he describes.

Also, this concerto is about the night, perhaps a windy night. It's a dark room with twinkling lights. It's poetry (I hope).

The piece with be in three movements.

I. Seduction - I'm not sure what that really means yet, but it may mean some seductive melodies and sensual harmony. I've just written a few notes as a guide.

II. Romance - this is mostly an improvisation for the pianist. I'll set up a series of chord textures over which one or more soloist will play written solo passages. The pianist will improvise with the chords and outside the chords (anti-chordal). There may also be some wind and brass punctuation.

III. Tarantella - Several years ago I wrote a little 12 bar passage I called the "Yippee Tarantella" That will form the basis for the movement, which should culminate in a transformed quote from the trumpet tune at the beginning of Parsifal. I'm not sure that will work yet.


Next, I'm going to see if I can derive some pitch material from the Tarantella.