I have now slept in my own bed four nights in a row, but I've still been busy. I have been away visiting family in the US followed by a business trip to Copenhagen, with frustratingly little time to compose or write. After that I spent a few days at the York Festival of Writing, which I'll tell you about in my writing blog later.
The trip to Copenhagen was highlighted by lunch with Per Nørgård, whom I haven't seen for a few years. The performance of my arrangement of his Bach to the Future had been postponed due to schedule conflict, but we sat down to discuss it before the rearranged performance next year. It was nice to learn that he had no changes, and that he was completely happy with my arrangement. We also discussed a future arrangement (which shall remain confidential until it has been commissioned). Also, my sinfonietta arrangement of Helle Nacht has been recorded and should be released sometime this year.
Now that I'm back, I need to catch up on some work, and get down to composing this piano concerto, which I discussed briefly with Per, specifically the amount of improvisation in the second movement. I'm coming to the conclusion that I may have to write a suggested version, if I ever want it to be performed. I also need to get down to some writing.
I've sent out a few copies of A Point of Amber Light, and Per suggested I contact Danish radio. My next publishing project will be the violin and piano version, before I settle down and publish my saxophone music, which has a greater chance of being performed.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Point of Amber Light now available on Amazon.com
My violin concerto, A Point of Amber Light, is now available on Amazon.com.
If you are interested in purchasing it from the Createspace site, I'm happy to provide a discount code to friends for a significant reduction in price. Just send me an email.
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.
UK customers can find it on Amazon.co.uk, but it is listed as out of stock. For now buy it from Amazon.com or Createspace.
If you are interested in purchasing it from the Createspace site, I'm happy to provide a discount code to friends for a significant reduction in price. Just send me an email.
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.
UK customers can find it on Amazon.co.uk, but it is listed as out of stock. For now buy it from Amazon.com or Createspace.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
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.
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.
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