Now that I'm at the end of term, I need to evaluate what I need to do during the month I have before rejoining the fray. There are two things that must happen before school begins in January:
1) I must create a lesson plan for my new theory class and composition seminar.
2) I must re-score the winds for Nørgård's Remembering Child for our March CME performance.
There are two things that I would also like to do:
1) Finish the piano concerto.
2) Finish setting my third symphony. It will take too long for this break, if I do the other things, but I should get started on it. I'm up to p. 69, and I probably have 50 to go. I'll need to use WinScore to do it, or start over in Sibelius, which I'd rather not do.
I also need to think of some new pieces. I have a bunch that are started, and a couple students clamoring for a song cycle. That's a possibility, but do they really know what they are getting in for? What I really need is someone to commission me, and give me a deadline. Money talks and deadlines get the job done.
Other considerations: I've been asked to conduct the performance of Paradisio in January, so I'll need to program in time to prepare the score.
Lot's to do, but what I really need to do is rest after a tough term.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Two down
Alright ... all the parts are finished for Paradisio, and I've uploaded the corrected score onto CreateSpace. It should be available for purchase in a week or two.
So what is next? I need to arrange Per Nørgård's Remembering Child for a smaller wind section for our performance in March. That's my December project. I may also spend a little time on finishing Chaos. We'll see how much time I have around typesetting work (lots), jury duty, and setting up my lesson plan for Diatonic Harmony II.
New pieces down the road? I don't know. I need to finish the piano concerto, and finish typesetting my third symphony. Songs? We'll see.
...and of course I haven't written any prose lately.
So what is next? I need to arrange Per Nørgård's Remembering Child for a smaller wind section for our performance in March. That's my December project. I may also spend a little time on finishing Chaos. We'll see how much time I have around typesetting work (lots), jury duty, and setting up my lesson plan for Diatonic Harmony II.
New pieces down the road? I don't know. I need to finish the piano concerto, and finish typesetting my third symphony. Songs? We'll see.
...and of course I haven't written any prose lately.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
One down, one to go
This past month has been wild for me. It started with a Syracuse University Contemporary Music Ensemble concert in which we were performing part of my Visions Suite. The first and third movements are directed improvisations, and the second movement is No Free Lunch. We had some last minute personnel changes, and even a last minute rescoring of the cello part for alto sax and violin. We pulled it together and put on a good show.
Two days later, I played bass trombone in the premiere of Brent Michael David's Purchase of Manhattan. It has been so long since I've had a paying gig that I forgot about how good it feels to be handed that check. Of course, having the opportunity to play with pros again was even more satisfying.
Amongst that I had a set of parts that needed to be completed for a publisher, and final exams for my Eartraining students, which I still need to grade.
The big headache was delivering the parts for From Her Husband's Hand to the SU Orchestra for its Mar 2 premiere. I just finished them today, printed them out and updated the score, which will be available on Amazon very soon.
My final project for this month is finishing Paradisio. I've arranged the score and extracted the parts. All that is left is to clean up and proof them. They are due Monday as well, and the performance is on Jan 26.
Soon, I'll be able to relax.
Two days later, I played bass trombone in the premiere of Brent Michael David's Purchase of Manhattan. It has been so long since I've had a paying gig that I forgot about how good it feels to be handed that check. Of course, having the opportunity to play with pros again was even more satisfying.
Amongst that I had a set of parts that needed to be completed for a publisher, and final exams for my Eartraining students, which I still need to grade.
The big headache was delivering the parts for From Her Husband's Hand to the SU Orchestra for its Mar 2 premiere. I just finished them today, printed them out and updated the score, which will be available on Amazon very soon.
My final project for this month is finishing Paradisio. I've arranged the score and extracted the parts. All that is left is to clean up and proof them. They are due Monday as well, and the performance is on Jan 26.
Soon, I'll be able to relax.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Done
I decided to forego watching television tonight, since Jenny is away at a conference, and finished the first draft of Paradisio. I've changed a few things from the original - some dynamics and tempo markings - but it should sound pretty much the same (not that I've ever heard the original).
I just need to proof, then extract parts. Then I can get onto the sax concerto parts (around other work).
I just need to proof, then extract parts. Then I can get onto the sax concerto parts (around other work).
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Out the other side
I made it through my latest typesetting deadline, and took a break tonight to work on my Paradisio arrangement. I'm up to page 35 of 47, but I have the strings - at least their original parts - finished all the way to the end. I suspect they will stay mostly the same. I just have to decide where to allocate all the old winds, brass, and harp amongst the reduced corp of four instruments.
Until now much of it was easy, and there are still some easy parts to go in the last 12 pages, but it gets dense near the end (as well as pages 35-37), so it may slow down. I might try to finish it on Saturday, depending on my next typesetting deadline.
On this, I'm ahead of schedule, but I haven't started on the parts for From Her Husband's Hand, which are due on the same day: Dec 1. I'll need to start on them SOON.
Until now much of it was easy, and there are still some easy parts to go in the last 12 pages, but it gets dense near the end (as well as pages 35-37), so it may slow down. I might try to finish it on Saturday, depending on my next typesetting deadline.
On this, I'm ahead of schedule, but I haven't started on the parts for From Her Husband's Hand, which are due on the same day: Dec 1. I'll need to start on them SOON.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
More Chaos
As you know, I haven't had time to work on Chaos for a few months due to teaching commitments, other projects, and engraving jobs. I'm still thinking about it though, and one of the current gaps coalesced while I was in the shower this morning.
I used the sets for Chaos for an improvisation with the CME on Thursday. I was hoping that the gap between the first main section (and subsequent piano cadenza) would have some improvisatory material. At one point I described it as a collective improvisation, which I was afraid to write, but now I have pared it down to a solo violin and the solo piano, with possibly one other solo instrument above a string texture that will have loops of various lengths, so it doesn't noticeably repeat. There will also be some wind and brass inserts, much like I have used in Night Visions. I just need to find time to write it down and finish the last few bars of the written piano cadenza that leads into it.
Other than that, I have two partly composed sections near the end of the last movement that need to be completed and then the first draft will be finished.
I used the sets for Chaos for an improvisation with the CME on Thursday. I was hoping that the gap between the first main section (and subsequent piano cadenza) would have some improvisatory material. At one point I described it as a collective improvisation, which I was afraid to write, but now I have pared it down to a solo violin and the solo piano, with possibly one other solo instrument above a string texture that will have loops of various lengths, so it doesn't noticeably repeat. There will also be some wind and brass inserts, much like I have used in Night Visions. I just need to find time to write it down and finish the last few bars of the written piano cadenza that leads into it.
Other than that, I have two partly composed sections near the end of the last movement that need to be completed and then the first draft will be finished.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
CME News
We've had to make an adjustment to our CME program for Nov. 8. Instead of the Bill Brooks' Kitchen Sink, we are performing Small Talk, which is a more recent work, but this won't be a first performance. Since it is shorter, we have also added a piece that is related to the two planned improvisations, No Free Lunch. That means we will have 3 of the 5 movements/pieces of Visions Suite. (Remembering the Night Sky is the fourth, and the fifth is incomplete, but shares some material with No Free Lunch. It will include a large section originally intended for No Free Lunch, but was dropped because I was way over the commissioned length.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Steel Paradise
I have a surprise performance coming up in January. It was a surprise to me as I hadn't written the piece yet, and it hadn't been discussed at all, except that the SNM had expressed interest in performing something of mine on their winter series.
As I have to deliver a score and parts by Dec. 1, I decided to arrange a piece of mine that has never been performed, Paradisio. I know I was going to arrange it for band, but this came up, and it seems that it can be reduced easily for the required forces: cl, str qt, pf, pc, and steel pan. I've never written for steel pan before, but the concert features a steel pan specialist, and it seemed to be appropriate to include him. Anyway, I'm about a quarter of the way through it, and it's going quickly when I have time to work on it.
New Notations Computer Services Ltd is finished now. I sent my final accounts in to my accountant, and except for paying their invoice and submitting my final VAT return, it is closed. It served me well over the years. The new US company is Notagraphia LLC, and I'm too busy with it to build more than a rudimentary website. That is, combined with teaching, composing, and typesetting, there is no free time. (I really do need to do some work on the house!)
Speaking of teaching, I'm now directing the Syracuse University Contemporary Music Ensemble, and we will perform on our Nov. 8 concert the Stravinsky Octet, the first complete performance of Bill Brooks' The Kitchen Sink and The Water In It, as well as Pitch City by William Duckworth.
Also on the program will be two directed improvisations, for which I'm providing the framework. The first is called Night Visions, and will be based on a rearrangement of Pitch City that instead uses my rows. Over the top will be improvised material, using sets from those rows, as well as interpolated material from a "not-jazz" combo suite (Visions) that I began about 10 years ago. Rehearsals are going well.
The second improvisation is The Sky at Night, which uses the same sets accompanying the saxophone solo part from Remembering the Night Sky, which was originally supposed to be part of the Visions set. No Free Lunch is also part of that set, but it was originally supposed to be a much larger work. There is another "movement" that was never finished, since I was already 4 minutes over the commissioned length. I may finish it and revert the NFL material to the original ordering, and the re-insert it into Visions.
That would make the new Visions:
Night Visions: Improvisation I (fl, as, 2pf, pc, 10')
No Free Lunch (fl, va, vc, pf, current version, possibly reordered?, 5')
The Sky at Night: Improvisation II (fl, as, 2pf, pc, 10')
Remembering the Night Sky (as, pf, 18')
(untitled): Improvisation III ((fl, as, 2pf, pc, va, vc, probably based on unused NFL material, 12')
My original plan had a different instrumentation (as, tpt, tbn, pf, elect. bass, pc), but I'm not bothered about that. It's around the same length, and the instrumentation of the improvisations is flexible.
As I have to deliver a score and parts by Dec. 1, I decided to arrange a piece of mine that has never been performed, Paradisio. I know I was going to arrange it for band, but this came up, and it seems that it can be reduced easily for the required forces: cl, str qt, pf, pc, and steel pan. I've never written for steel pan before, but the concert features a steel pan specialist, and it seemed to be appropriate to include him. Anyway, I'm about a quarter of the way through it, and it's going quickly when I have time to work on it.
New Notations Computer Services Ltd is finished now. I sent my final accounts in to my accountant, and except for paying their invoice and submitting my final VAT return, it is closed. It served me well over the years. The new US company is Notagraphia LLC, and I'm too busy with it to build more than a rudimentary website. That is, combined with teaching, composing, and typesetting, there is no free time. (I really do need to do some work on the house!)
Speaking of teaching, I'm now directing the Syracuse University Contemporary Music Ensemble, and we will perform on our Nov. 8 concert the Stravinsky Octet, the first complete performance of Bill Brooks' The Kitchen Sink and The Water In It, as well as Pitch City by William Duckworth.
Also on the program will be two directed improvisations, for which I'm providing the framework. The first is called Night Visions, and will be based on a rearrangement of Pitch City that instead uses my rows. Over the top will be improvised material, using sets from those rows, as well as interpolated material from a "not-jazz" combo suite (Visions) that I began about 10 years ago. Rehearsals are going well.
The second improvisation is The Sky at Night, which uses the same sets accompanying the saxophone solo part from Remembering the Night Sky, which was originally supposed to be part of the Visions set. No Free Lunch is also part of that set, but it was originally supposed to be a much larger work. There is another "movement" that was never finished, since I was already 4 minutes over the commissioned length. I may finish it and revert the NFL material to the original ordering, and the re-insert it into Visions.
That would make the new Visions:
Night Visions: Improvisation I (fl, as, 2pf, pc, 10')
No Free Lunch (fl, va, vc, pf, current version, possibly reordered?, 5')
The Sky at Night: Improvisation II (fl, as, 2pf, pc, 10')
Remembering the Night Sky (as, pf, 18')
(untitled): Improvisation III ((fl, as, 2pf, pc, va, vc, probably based on unused NFL material, 12')
My original plan had a different instrumentation (as, tpt, tbn, pf, elect. bass, pc), but I'm not bothered about that. It's around the same length, and the instrumentation of the improvisations is flexible.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Silence
It's been a while since I last posted. The reason? I'm busy. Since my return from the UK ... really since just before I left for the UK, I've been buried under typesetting work. My new company that is forming as we speak (hopefully) and finally has a name, which I will announce as soon as it is finalized by my attorney. Many of you may have voted for it on my Facebook page, so it won't be a mystery to you.
I've sorted out a few of my computer problems, but not completely. I've replaced my clean, but limited, Creative X-Fi with a Xonar DG, which is a nice inexpensive ASIO sound card. Unfortunately, it isn't well shielded, so my hard disk activity bleeds into the output. That isn't as bad as it was on my onboard chip, but it is annoying anyway. If I decide to do any recording, I may have to build another PC that will tolerate my X-Fi card and more than 4 GB of RAM.
My latest problem is that my Score computer has died. While I was away, there was a power surge, and while my main PC was protected, it seems my Score one was not. Now I have everything plugged in through my UPS, so there shouldn't be any further problems. I'll receive a new power supply on Friday, which should fix the problem.
Hence, there has been no work on my Piano Concerto, nor the parts for my sax concerto.
It appears that I'll be conducting/directing the SU Contemporary Music Ensemble this year, so I'm thinking about reviving my work on Night Vision, which is a directed improvisation. I like the idea of having one improvisation on each concert, so I would like to start with something that is a little more codified than what they used to do at York, which was supposedly completely free, but unfortunately didn't really satisfy musically.
Please do attend my Cazenovia Counterpoint concert on 20 July if you can.
I've sorted out a few of my computer problems, but not completely. I've replaced my clean, but limited, Creative X-Fi with a Xonar DG, which is a nice inexpensive ASIO sound card. Unfortunately, it isn't well shielded, so my hard disk activity bleeds into the output. That isn't as bad as it was on my onboard chip, but it is annoying anyway. If I decide to do any recording, I may have to build another PC that will tolerate my X-Fi card and more than 4 GB of RAM.
My latest problem is that my Score computer has died. While I was away, there was a power surge, and while my main PC was protected, it seems my Score one was not. Now I have everything plugged in through my UPS, so there shouldn't be any further problems. I'll receive a new power supply on Friday, which should fix the problem.
Hence, there has been no work on my Piano Concerto, nor the parts for my sax concerto.
It appears that I'll be conducting/directing the SU Contemporary Music Ensemble this year, so I'm thinking about reviving my work on Night Vision, which is a directed improvisation. I like the idea of having one improvisation on each concert, so I would like to start with something that is a little more codified than what they used to do at York, which was supposedly completely free, but unfortunately didn't really satisfy musically.
Please do attend my Cazenovia Counterpoint concert on 20 July if you can.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Cazenovia Counterpoint concert
Family Arts Day: Bells & Bees
Saturday, July 20, 5:00 PM
Stone Quarry Art Park,
Stone Quarry Rd.,
Cazenovia
Tickets: $15 regular, $12 seniors/students, free for ages 18 and under (available at the door or email tickets@societyfornewmusic.org to reserve) Concert of music by regional composers and Syracuse natives Edward Ruchalski Bell Song, Douglas Quin A Lotta Night Music, Sean O'Loughlin Origins, Stephen Ferre Stimmen, Diane Jones Iago (2nd performance) and Open Space (premiere this version).
www.societyfornewmusic.org
Saturday, July 20, 5:00 PM
Stone Quarry Art Park,
Stone Quarry Rd.,
Cazenovia
Tickets: $15 regular, $12 seniors/students, free for ages 18 and under (available at the door or email tickets@societyfornewmusic.org to reserve) Concert of music by regional composers and Syracuse natives Edward Ruchalski Bell Song, Douglas Quin A Lotta Night Music, Sean O'Loughlin Origins, Stephen Ferre Stimmen, Diane Jones Iago (2nd performance) and Open Space (premiere this version).
www.societyfornewmusic.org
Saturday, June 8, 2013
On the radio tomorrow...
Tomorrow afternoon on WCNY (2pm) is the last of my series of broadcasts on Fresh Ink.They will play the version with piano of From Here Husband's Hand. The playlist says "eve", but I don't know what that means. It's possibly that they didn't have time for the whole thing, so they are excerpting a movement. Which movement is "eve"? Got me, possibly the first.
This is the saxophone concerto that will have its full premiere in February.
This is the saxophone concerto that will have its full premiere in February.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Today is F-day
Today was supposed to be completion day for my concerto. Unfortunately, I haven't written a single note since the last time I posted. I've been very busy here with teaching and work, plus I am thinking about something new, possibly a string quartet. (I had dinner with the Kronos Quartet last week, if you haven't already heard.) I've also been considering a sinfonietta piece. I have a couple started already, which I may continue, but maybe I'll start from scratch.
A string quartet? Yes, I have three already, and none have been properly performed. No. 1 was played in a workshop-concert in Aspen back in 1987. It has some good things about it, and a lot of it I really like, but it needs a rewrite in the middle. I was working on the second quartet at the same time, and it's more complex. It's a little longer, and I've had the quartet that I was writing for read it, but again, there are some things I'm not happy with. It probably needs a complete rewrite. The third quartet was originally meant as a joke, a piece "in C" for a competition. Again, it has some things I really like, but there are some parts in the middle that just seem a little square. It was performed on a workshop-concert in Dartington in 1990.
Do I fix one of them, or do I start afresh? That's my dilemma for this summer.
Meanwhile, the second movement of my Symphony No 2 is on WCNY's Fresh Ink at 2 pm ET TODAY. If you aren't near Syracuse, you can listen on wcny.org, live only as I don't believe the station has listen-again facilities.
A string quartet? Yes, I have three already, and none have been properly performed. No. 1 was played in a workshop-concert in Aspen back in 1987. It has some good things about it, and a lot of it I really like, but it needs a rewrite in the middle. I was working on the second quartet at the same time, and it's more complex. It's a little longer, and I've had the quartet that I was writing for read it, but again, there are some things I'm not happy with. It probably needs a complete rewrite. The third quartet was originally meant as a joke, a piece "in C" for a competition. Again, it has some things I really like, but there are some parts in the middle that just seem a little square. It was performed on a workshop-concert in Dartington in 1990.
Do I fix one of them, or do I start afresh? That's my dilemma for this summer.
Meanwhile, the second movement of my Symphony No 2 is on WCNY's Fresh Ink at 2 pm ET TODAY. If you aren't near Syracuse, you can listen on wcny.org, live only as I don't believe the station has listen-again facilities.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Another performance
I've just had some clarification on my Cazenovia concert this summer. It's a little sketchy, but I've had the performer (Kelly Covert) tell me she is slated to perform Stimmen on July 20. That will be the premiere of the revised version, as far as I am aware. Over the years, I've sent it out to several performers, but none of them has told me that they've performed it. Of course, there have been at least 2 performances of the original version, and maybe 2 others by the dedicatee. They were scheduled, but I don't know if they ever happened. I've since lost touch with him.
The pencil has been silent on the concerto this week. I've been busy preparing for final exams and grading papers. Hopefully, I'll get things together this week. Needless to say, I'm unlikely to meet my self-imposed deadline which is next Saturday. It's possible, but not likely.
The pencil has been silent on the concerto this week. I've been busy preparing for final exams and grading papers. Hopefully, I'll get things together this week. Needless to say, I'm unlikely to meet my self-imposed deadline which is next Saturday. It's possible, but not likely.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
From Her Husband's Hand to be premiered in February
I just got word today that we are on for February. As it stands, Ron Caravan will premiere From Her Husband's Hand with the SU Symphony Orchestra 24 years after I wrote the original version. I'm looking forward to hearing what I've always thought was one of my best pieces. I'll have the exact date soon.
Also on the cards is another Norgard arrangement. (Sorry for the lack of diacriticals, but every time I try inputting the ASCII codes on my laptop, it bumps me out of Blogger. Maybe I need a Danish keyboard.) I can't say what it is yet, but it will be another piece arranged and reduced for cello and orchestra. I'll start on it as soon as they send me the revised solo part. I think the performance is in November.
That hasn't quite kicked my piano concerto into touch, but I'll need to ration some time to get it done by my self-imposed deadline. Any pianists looking for a concerto to premiere? It should be about 20 minutes long by the time I finish it.
My performance diary:
Radio broadcasts (all WCNY between 2 and 3 pm on Sundays, Fresh Ink):
14 April 2013 - Oyre's Garden
21 April 2013 - Inner Sanctum
28 April 2013 - Inferno
5 May 2013 - Purgatorio, from Symphony No 2
9 June 2013 - From Her Husband's Hand (sax and piano version)
Live performances of my music
July 2013, TBA, Cazenovia, NY
Winter 2013, TBA, Syracuse, NY
February 2014, From Her Husband's Hand, Setnor Auditorium, Syracuse, NY
Also on the cards is another Norgard arrangement. (Sorry for the lack of diacriticals, but every time I try inputting the ASCII codes on my laptop, it bumps me out of Blogger. Maybe I need a Danish keyboard.) I can't say what it is yet, but it will be another piece arranged and reduced for cello and orchestra. I'll start on it as soon as they send me the revised solo part. I think the performance is in November.
That hasn't quite kicked my piano concerto into touch, but I'll need to ration some time to get it done by my self-imposed deadline. Any pianists looking for a concerto to premiere? It should be about 20 minutes long by the time I finish it.
My performance diary:
Radio broadcasts (all WCNY between 2 and 3 pm on Sundays, Fresh Ink):
14 April 2013 - Oyre's Garden
21 April 2013 - Inner Sanctum
28 April 2013 - Inferno
5 May 2013 - Purgatorio, from Symphony No 2
9 June 2013 - From Her Husband's Hand (sax and piano version)
Live performances of my music
July 2013, TBA, Cazenovia, NY
Winter 2013, TBA, Syracuse, NY
February 2014, From Her Husband's Hand, Setnor Auditorium, Syracuse, NY
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Un-Creatived
I discovered my Sibelius problem isn't related to my soundcard. The solution was buried on the Sibelius forum (and not in the Knowledge Base). I had to re-install all the sounds. My sounds folder was only 2.8GB when it should have been 39GB.
I've still disabled the X-Fi soundcard, since having only 4Gb severely limits the number of sounds that load. The sounds are better, but is the overall sound quality as good? It's hard to tell.
I'm stalled on the concerto ... only slightly. It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I just haven't had any time to work on it. I've print it out at 11x17, and have started laying it out on the floor - my usual practice when I'm getting close to the end. I highlight passages that require amendments, usually addition for continuity, and then fill in some more. I need to write that soliloquy, and I know it either needs significant length or only a short cadenza. Unfortunately, it is probably the former, which means more work.
I keep hoping the mice will compose it for me.
I'll be on WCNY next Sunday afternoon. I'm helping out with their pledge drive during the program (Fresh Ink) that will be playing Oyre's Garden the following week. If it is like past drives, there will probably be a brief interview.
I've still disabled the X-Fi soundcard, since having only 4Gb severely limits the number of sounds that load. The sounds are better, but is the overall sound quality as good? It's hard to tell.
I'm stalled on the concerto ... only slightly. It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I just haven't had any time to work on it. I've print it out at 11x17, and have started laying it out on the floor - my usual practice when I'm getting close to the end. I highlight passages that require amendments, usually addition for continuity, and then fill in some more. I need to write that soliloquy, and I know it either needs significant length or only a short cadenza. Unfortunately, it is probably the former, which means more work.
I keep hoping the mice will compose it for me.
I'll be on WCNY next Sunday afternoon. I'm helping out with their pledge drive during the program (Fresh Ink) that will be playing Oyre's Garden the following week. If it is like past drives, there will probably be a brief interview.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Time for a change
Well, I've done it. I ordered more memory, which means the X-Fi is coming out of my system. It's too bad. It had many useful bits and pieces. I'm considering moving it into my Linux machine (there are 3rd party drivers supposedly) or my Windows Me machine after it is retired from Score use. (No Windows Me driver.)
That leaves me with the onboard sound until I find a reasonable (but inexpensive) replacement card. There is a Creative card that might work (Z), but I don't think I'll risk throwing away another $100.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Don't get Creative
That isn't what it means on the surface. Several years ago, I bought a Creative X-Fi Fatality Platinum sound card, with the breakout box, so I can plug into the front of my computer, and have great sound as well. For a few months it worked fine, then my motherboard failed. That had nothing to do with the card, but I took it as an opportunity to upgrade to a higher spec system, 64-bit, and Windows 7. I checked the Creative website, and they had a Windows 7 driver. No problem, right?
Wrong.
I installed everything, no problem. Sound card worked fine.
Then I restarted my computer. Snap. Crackle. Pop. Static. I checked the Creative website again to see if I could sort this out. They recommended updating the driver. Nope. Didn't work. I contacted customer service. They told me to try several things that I had already tried. Eventually, I Googled the problem and found something that led me to the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
It seems that that 64-bit computers allow the addressing of more than 4GB of memory. Yay! Unfortunately, Creative X-Fi sound cards don't. It isn't a physical problem, as I discovered when I first installed the card. It worked properly until restart, then something kicks it. I informed Creative of the issue, but they weren't interested. They don't even have it mentioned in their support forum. Basically, they are looking the other way.
To get around it, you have to limit your MAXMEM in your bootloader to under 4000 MB ... not 4GB which is 4096 MB. For a while I was working at 3996, but at some point I changed it to 3800. I can't remember why.
On comes Sibelius 7. For months, I've been trying to figure out why the really nice Sibelius 7 sounds don't work ... well ... one does. The piano sounds fantastic, but in my Piano Concerto, that is all I get. I have to resort to Sibelius 6 sounds.
You can see where this is going.
Sibelius 7 sounds require 4+ GB of memory, and that is 4 GB just to play the "lite" sound set. You really want 8 GB for the whole set. 3800 MB seems to be just enough to load the first sound.
I figured that maybe I'd have a look back at the Creative website. Windows 8 is now out and you would expect them to update the driver for their flagship sound card. They did, however they only added Windows 8 support. They did not fix the problem, and they still have nothing about it on their site.
I did some more digging and found this discussion from 2011: http://forums.creative.com/archive/index.php?t-577245.html, which was eye-opening in a way, but only confirmed what I already knew. Creative just didn't care.
Now I'm in a quandary Do I deep-six my $200 sound card and add some memory to my system, or stick with the inferior Sibelius 6 sounds? What would I replace it with?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Think February 2014
I'm not entirely sure which piece, but I think I have a big(-gish) performance coming up in February. It is likely to be one of three orchestral pieces, two of which would be a first performance, the other would be a US premiere. The orchestra is set, but it depends on the artists (two are concertos). The least likely would be my third symphony, but I would reveal any more than that.
The more current news is that I'm on spring break and had planned to finish Chaos, but I've just received a pile of typesetting work, which is more urgent (partly because it pays). I hope to get a jump on the typesetting so I can spend at least a couple of hours on the concerto each day this week. I have done a little since my last post, but I think I might have to rewrite it. I forgot that the tempo was slow, so when I played it back, it sounded like I was going half speed. I'll have to remedy that. I would at least like to fill some partial gaps near the end, and probably fill out the ending.
Another thing I am considering is adding an improvisation/cadenza between what is essentially the second and third movements. It's not really in three movements, but there are three distinct sections. The soliloquy may comprise a fourth sections, but I'm hoping that it is perceived as part of the middle section.
Don't forget WCNY on April 14. I'll post details what they are playing when closer to the date.
The more current news is that I'm on spring break and had planned to finish Chaos, but I've just received a pile of typesetting work, which is more urgent (partly because it pays). I hope to get a jump on the typesetting so I can spend at least a couple of hours on the concerto each day this week. I have done a little since my last post, but I think I might have to rewrite it. I forgot that the tempo was slow, so when I played it back, it sounded like I was going half speed. I'll have to remedy that. I would at least like to fill some partial gaps near the end, and probably fill out the ending.
Another thing I am considering is adding an improvisation/cadenza between what is essentially the second and third movements. It's not really in three movements, but there are three distinct sections. The soliloquy may comprise a fourth sections, but I'm hoping that it is perceived as part of the middle section.
Don't forget WCNY on April 14. I'll post details what they are playing when closer to the date.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Performances
There are some rumblings on the performance front - this summer and next year. I'll post details when they are confirmed.
Also, the WCNY broadcasts are coming in April. I'll post a schedule closer to the time - the first is April 14.
On the composition front, I've been tidying up what I have - adding more articulation and dynamics. I've also composed a little more of the soliloquy as well as filling in some of the ending. I've got a lot of typesetting work coming up, so things might slow down a little. Can they get any slower? Must keep the momentum going, though.
Also, the WCNY broadcasts are coming in April. I'll post a schedule closer to the time - the first is April 14.
On the composition front, I've been tidying up what I have - adding more articulation and dynamics. I've also composed a little more of the soliloquy as well as filling in some of the ending. I've got a lot of typesetting work coming up, so things might slow down a little. Can they get any slower? Must keep the momentum going, though.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Even closer
I have been looking some more through that old wind ensemble proof of Chaos, and have also found more pencil annotations, one of them completing a section that I thought I still needed to fill in some orchestration. I'm going to go back and look more closely at some other sections of the proof and see if there is more. Yesterday's discovery finished off the better part of about 30 bars, and I still have two more pages of annotations to input before I start piecing together the ending.
I'm starting to feel the excitement of being close to the finish line. I'm sure that mood will change when I start writing the piano soliloquy. I might write the free/quasi-improvised part of it first, since I've always been uncomfortable writing for solo piano.
I've also had some thoughts about the future - what to do next. I must have about 40 partly-written pieces, including:
Partly written:
1) Song cycle based on some of my own poetry.
2) Another piano concerto (the first one I started several years ago years ago). It was too difficult for the Scarborough Symphony, and it was for chamber orchestra (poss. sinfonietta), so I never considered finishing it for the commission.
3) A large orchestra piece, heavily-sketched with beginnings to each movement, and three interludes complete. I tried and failed to convert it to the first piano concerto.
4) WE arrangement of Paradisio.
5) Sinfonietta reduction and arrangement for vc of From Her Husband's Hand.
6) WE arrangement of From Her Husband's Hand.
7) Night Vision, various versions including a jazz combo and nonet version. It includes the original source material for Remembering the Night Sky, but there is a lot more. It was originally supposed to be an hour long entertainment.
8) Riding the Crimson Sun, for nonet, beginning, plus sketches.
9) Typesetting of last movement of Sym. No 3, plus filling in a few final notes.
10) Revision of String Quartet No 2.
11) Another hulk of a piano concerto.
12) A trombone feature piece, either with electronics or orchestra. I've written some sketches, but never recorded any of the electronic stuff. Is that a sign?
Needs typesetting with some revision:
1) Concerto for Euphonium and Strings (significant revision, actually). Second movement is done, since it was fine as it stood.
2) Symphony No. 1, esp. third movement, which could stand alone, if I ever got around to the revision.
3) All three string quartets
4) Saxophone quartet
5) Three pieces for Chamber Orchestra (just typesetting)
6) Chamber version of Purgatorio.
7) Symbols and Signs (just typesetting, originally performed from ms)
8) Inferno (WE version, just typesetting, originally performed from ms)
Pipe dreams:
1) Must write some chamber music.
2) Must write some longer piano pieces (i.e. not miniatures)
3) A fourth symphony (3 in the first section might be it, but I'm not sure it really is a symphony. It's more like a concerto for orchestra). Won't start it until Symphony No. 3 is premiered.
4) Some brass music. I haven't written that much for my own instruments.
Any request? Comment below. Commissions gratefully accepted.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Suddenly I'm that much closer
Yesterday, I was about to post an update when I noticed that the proof of the wind ensemble version of Chaos ended 100 bars short of where the computer file did. I rooted around in some "older" proofs and discovered one that had an ostinato all the way to the end of the piece. As that ostinato generates all the music around it, that puts me withing striking distance of finishing. I still have the rest of the piano soliloquy to write, but it means that I should meet my self-imposed deadline of finishing by the (cancelled) premiere date, perhaps even much sooner.
My next task will be to get a performance and/or a recording. I have two basic options: 1) ask the SU orchestra to record a demo and possibly perform it, or 2) pay a professional orchestra to do it, either Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) or perhaps ERM Media, who do that sort of thing. I looked into costs several years ago, but I don't remember. I think it was about $1000 per minute of music, plus the expense of going to Vienna or wherever it is recorded. That's steep for an 18 minute concerto, so I might have to resort to some "cloud funding" to raise the cash.
I've also been thinking about the program notes for the piece, so I'll post those soon. I don't ordinarily write the notes before finishing a piece, but this has helped me crystallize the rest of piece in my head.
My next task will be to get a performance and/or a recording. I have two basic options: 1) ask the SU orchestra to record a demo and possibly perform it, or 2) pay a professional orchestra to do it, either Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony) or perhaps ERM Media, who do that sort of thing. I looked into costs several years ago, but I don't remember. I think it was about $1000 per minute of music, plus the expense of going to Vienna or wherever it is recorded. That's steep for an 18 minute concerto, so I might have to resort to some "cloud funding" to raise the cash.
I've also been thinking about the program notes for the piece, so I'll post those soon. I don't ordinarily write the notes before finishing a piece, but this has helped me crystallize the rest of piece in my head.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Latest on the Concerto, and more news
This week I've spent some real time on the concerto. What I've been doing is catching up the Sibelius file with the handwritten stuff. I'm not totally up to date, but I have bridged the second gap. The first gap requires some composition, but the second was already composed. It just needed some arrangement from the wind ensemble version. I've left out a couple of things but that is essentially complete. I also need to add a few things near the end.
The big question is what to work on next. It seems weird to me to write the ending and then go back and bridge the first gap. One advantage is that it might give me a better idea what to put in it. Originally, it was supposed to start with a written cadenza and then progress to some improvisation with the orchestra. I've come to the conclusion that I may have a "written-out improvisation" as a recommendation for the pianist - which, of course, everyone will play instead of improvising (if it is ever played).
I could just go back to plan A and just close the gap with the original wind ensemble material. That would require deleting the newly composed piano stuff and deleting all the blank bars and smoothing over the transition.
That sounds like a cop out, and frankly, it feels like one. The argument for it, however, is that the piece is feeling more like a concerto for piano and orchestra, rather than a piano concerto. That may be splitting the hairs a little fine, but the piano is really part of the ensemble - yes, it's out front, and when it plays it is usually the focus, but it doesn't really drive the argument. I generates it ... and sometimes comments on it. Most of the piece is derived from the piano music, but the piano (other than the unwritten section) never really dominates. That was why I balked at the wind ensemble piece. The piano/harp (line) had taken over, but it was never really a concerto.
OK, now for the other news. A series of my pieces are going to be broadcast on "Fresh Ink" (WCNY Syracuse) beginning on Apr. 14 (Oyre's Garden). There will be one almost every week for the next six weeks or so. (There are a few weeks that I'm not on.)
I'll post details closer to the time.
The big question is what to work on next. It seems weird to me to write the ending and then go back and bridge the first gap. One advantage is that it might give me a better idea what to put in it. Originally, it was supposed to start with a written cadenza and then progress to some improvisation with the orchestra. I've come to the conclusion that I may have a "written-out improvisation" as a recommendation for the pianist - which, of course, everyone will play instead of improvising (if it is ever played).
I could just go back to plan A and just close the gap with the original wind ensemble material. That would require deleting the newly composed piano stuff and deleting all the blank bars and smoothing over the transition.
That sounds like a cop out, and frankly, it feels like one. The argument for it, however, is that the piece is feeling more like a concerto for piano and orchestra, rather than a piano concerto. That may be splitting the hairs a little fine, but the piano is really part of the ensemble - yes, it's out front, and when it plays it is usually the focus, but it doesn't really drive the argument. I generates it ... and sometimes comments on it. Most of the piece is derived from the piano music, but the piano (other than the unwritten section) never really dominates. That was why I balked at the wind ensemble piece. The piano/harp (line) had taken over, but it was never really a concerto.
OK, now for the other news. A series of my pieces are going to be broadcast on "Fresh Ink" (WCNY Syracuse) beginning on Apr. 14 (Oyre's Garden). There will be one almost every week for the next six weeks or so. (There are a few weeks that I'm not on.)
I'll post details closer to the time.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Another re-think
I pulled out Chaos to work on it this week with the intention of reverting to the wind ensemble version. I listened to the playback in Finale of the original version as it stood before changing the orchestration. I wasn't exactly happy with it. Then I listened to the orchestra and piano version in Sibelius. I liked it a lot.
While part of me sees the advantage of preparing a wind ensemble piece (more chance of performance, etc), I think I've become invested with the piano and orchestra version. I think it works better that way, and I've become accustomed to the orchestration. I guess I'll stick with it and hope that it doesn't go the way of Paradisio, a chamber orchestra piece that I wrote to finish my Dante set, but never had a sniff of a performance, even after spending three years on the SPNM shortlist.
To satisfy the urges to write for wind ensemble and resurrect Paradisio, I've decided that I might kill two birds with one stone: arrange it for wind ensemble. It makes sense. Inferno was originally written for wind ensemble and has had three performances in that version, while the orchestra version, like Paradisio, has never been played. That leaves the question of what to do with Purgatorio. That was a chamber piece, and it was expanded slightly for chamber orchestra. I don't know whether it will work for wind ensemble, but I might as well complete the set eventually. I'll arrange Paradisio, and then see what happens.
In the meantime, I had a hard disk failure a couple of days ago, which means my installation of Finale is broken, so I can't work on either of my current publishing projects - both of which were set in Finale. I was going to translate A Point of Amber Light into Sibelius, but I can't do that yet. Oyre's Garden will stay in Finale, since I already have a complete set of parts for it. I thought about changing it to adjust some of the formatting, but it might just be opening a can of worms, and frankly, I should be composing some new music now.
While part of me sees the advantage of preparing a wind ensemble piece (more chance of performance, etc), I think I've become invested with the piano and orchestra version. I think it works better that way, and I've become accustomed to the orchestration. I guess I'll stick with it and hope that it doesn't go the way of Paradisio, a chamber orchestra piece that I wrote to finish my Dante set, but never had a sniff of a performance, even after spending three years on the SPNM shortlist.
To satisfy the urges to write for wind ensemble and resurrect Paradisio, I've decided that I might kill two birds with one stone: arrange it for wind ensemble. It makes sense. Inferno was originally written for wind ensemble and has had three performances in that version, while the orchestra version, like Paradisio, has never been played. That leaves the question of what to do with Purgatorio. That was a chamber piece, and it was expanded slightly for chamber orchestra. I don't know whether it will work for wind ensemble, but I might as well complete the set eventually. I'll arrange Paradisio, and then see what happens.
In the meantime, I had a hard disk failure a couple of days ago, which means my installation of Finale is broken, so I can't work on either of my current publishing projects - both of which were set in Finale. I was going to translate A Point of Amber Light into Sibelius, but I can't do that yet. Oyre's Garden will stay in Finale, since I already have a complete set of parts for it. I thought about changing it to adjust some of the formatting, but it might just be opening a can of worms, and frankly, I should be composing some new music now.
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