From friday-sunday i worked a grand total of 32 hours, not including drive time, which would make the grand total 41 hours. i needed a weekend to finish this aria "Ev'ry Year", the final act of "Cake." I was home friday night at 8pm, however, since i had only slept 3 hours before working 7 and driving 4, i pretty much died. Saturday, worked 14 hours with 4 of driving. Sunday, worked 11 with only an hour of drive time...Got home at 8:30pm sunday, and pretty much died. Today was my day off. I hopped into work for 2 seconds to get a quote for a job i'm doin' in NY, then came home...and worked...
Worked my face off. like mad crazy. then, emily came home and worked ceased, cause, well, she's more fun. heheh. I picked work back up at around 11pm...been workin' ever since till now. How much is done?
13 measures...
how long is it? easily 3-4 times that.
This is not getting done before tomorrow noon...when i'll be in brooklyn. Even workin' on the bus, which i WILL do, period. I'm gonna be that ass with my stuff in the seat to make sure i have room for compy.
I'm going to have to pass out soon. its 2am and i can barely see the screen. However...
I'm nearly proud of what has been written. The closest i've been to proud on any work on "Cake." Almost got the combination of punk, metal, and post-tonal berg~esque opera for which i was going. Nearly. For being just piano its doin' alright. I decided that i needed a nice way to prove a form, so, i'm doing pedal tones throughout and roughly following a set form. I don't want to say what it is, rather have some theorist check it out after i'm dead and have him be like "wtf mate?" yeah, cause only a stereotypical Australian will like this piece. HA!
Anyway, i've got to pass out now. i'm dyin'. just hope i finish...I really...But this is what happens when life gets in the way. If i had any spare time this weekend when i wasn't so entirely exhausted, i could have either worked on the piece of worked on all the other things that needed to get done today. With so much to do, four days of work all piled up, i couldn't get it all done. not even the surface. Slowly, i'm running behind on life. Damnit, that's what i hate about juggling 2 jobs and being a full time student, all the while attempting to somehow write music...
Oh, not to mention i have a performance exam tomorrow evening over exercises i haven't even looked at. AND a writing assignment that i haven't begun. and i lead a discussion on wednesday. *sigh* full-time students that don't work always wonder why us workers complain about school work. Now they know...
10/21/08
10/11/08
This is a copy of my myspace post. dunno why i did it there
the voodoo witch doctor steve saved me So, i'm almost healthy, and, for the first time in quite a while, i'm reading a shit load. in the last 3 days i've already covered nearly 200 pages of readings regarding the politics and philosophy of South Park. its been quite illuminating. Not just from the standpoint of South Park, but politics and philosophy in general.
I've never been overly interested in politics. As Matt an Trey so artfully put "It's always a choice between a douche and a turd." damn straight. So when i stepped into a "American Music and Politics of the 20th (and 21st) Century" i knew i was going to be a bit over my head as far as what i needed to know in the broad sense of political philosophy. I've taken my knowledge during the semester, which coincided, of course, with the current choice of douche vs. turd (which, in this case, i'm more likely to say its the choice between a brand-new shiny douche and a super stinky baby that just ate Indian food diarrhea turd.) and tried to become literate concerning a lot more areas than the current 4 or 5 current popular philosophies. I've kinda decided that the popular ones are the "South Park Conservatives" (stupid ass term), who are Republicans with Libertarian leanings and slightly liberal social views; hardcore Righties, those so incredibly conservative in everything their heads are up their asses (the current libertarian party, and those far right wing conservative christian political groups); moderate pussies, the people who sit in the middle and say "let's be friends" but don't really do a damn thing about it; the annoying yuppies with a social conscious, those liberal spouting celebrities that say all sorts of left wing political gobbledygook and believe in government control of the poor unfortunate middle class! (assholes); and the far lefties, the american green party that can't seem to get its head far enough out of its ass to possibly do a damn thing in american politics. yes the rain-forests are important, but, goddamnit, so are a few other things in life...like, um, having enough money to eat today?!?
So, the original paper idea for was the liberal leanings. I saw Stone and Parker as being slightly left of center. Closer to the center, realist type. However, as i read page after page of interesting analysis, from Toni Johnson-Woods "Blame Canada" which takes a large view of the politics and simply says they're true libertarian, to Brian C. Anderson, who says in his book "South Park Conservatives: The Revolt against Liberal Media Bias" that stone and parker are conservatives; just look at the large amount of liberal bashing they do! all the while, excluding all bases on the republican extremism. Then there was Richard Hanley's book "South Park and Philosophy; Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating" that shows stone and parker's affinity to be anti-extremism with libertarian leanings against government intervention.
So, obviously, my hypothesis moved 5 degrees to the right. The majority agree that South Park is libertarian in the truest sense of the word; anti-large government, anti-government interference, anti-extremism. hm, this is all well and good. and looking back through my memory of all the episodes i've watched, it seems true. But wait, i'm looking at a specific section of the literature. "South Park; Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" hasn't been touched as often as a handful of other episodes (it seems there are only a few that people have seen? no, they're just easy examples). And if i read the final soliloquy (which i spelled write on the first try. booyah) from "Team America" one more time i'm going to vomit. Yes, i get it, there are dicks, pussy's and assholes. pussy's need dicks, dicks need pussy's and assholes need to get fucked and only dicks with balls can do that. right right, i get it. but what about "Blame Canada"? what is that song saying? and what is it saying BEYOND the lyrics. the allusions to Les Miserables and Oklahoma! aren't as obvious in "Blame Canada". i haven't had nearly the time to sit down and watch those two musicals and South Park all in a row. man, only had 2 weeks to do this paper! c'mon!
Well, there's definitely anti-extremism, takes a stab at both the liberal media AND conservative morality, which, for some effed up reason, go together in the my head. think about it, the idea of being PC is a liberal idea. But then again, it espoused by many conservatives, especially in the religious right, as long as its in the context of "being PC towards me and my beliefs." Anyway, i digress. the lyrics and their satire are easy to discern. And i think i have the backing of enough other academics to do that without trouble...
But what about the music? its kitschy, tin-pan alley drivel that's for sure. simple, basic. Is it a second tier music on the communist music manifesto ideas from the 30's-60's with the likes of Seeger and Crawford-Seeger (yes the parents of Pete, if you didn't know that), Copland, et al. The use of a popular form (kitschy tin-pan alley musical forms) to espouse somewhat (in this particular case) libertarian AND leftist views (a don't interfere with me attitude along with an extremist run straight to the gun to shoot it out). Also, since the whole musical is in some form a satire against musicals (especially those Tim Rice/Elton John/Phil Collins/Andrew Lloyd Webber monstrosities) where does this song fit into the satire against the elevations of the musical to a second tier musical form, between "popular" and "art" music on the table i first read in an a chapter of a book by Guthrie P. Ramsey (which i felt his argument was ill-formed though correct.)
So, yeah...how is this only going to be 7-10 pages? hm...damn good question. Now that i've got the fodder, time to throw some on the bonfire and see how big i can get it before the fire department shows up. And, man, i'm hungry!
and its interesting, my blog meant normally for personal vents became an interesting musical/political discourse, so, i threw it here too. enjoy
I've never been overly interested in politics. As Matt an Trey so artfully put "It's always a choice between a douche and a turd." damn straight. So when i stepped into a "American Music and Politics of the 20th (and 21st) Century" i knew i was going to be a bit over my head as far as what i needed to know in the broad sense of political philosophy. I've taken my knowledge during the semester, which coincided, of course, with the current choice of douche vs. turd (which, in this case, i'm more likely to say its the choice between a brand-new shiny douche and a super stinky baby that just ate Indian food diarrhea turd.) and tried to become literate concerning a lot more areas than the current 4 or 5 current popular philosophies. I've kinda decided that the popular ones are the "South Park Conservatives" (stupid ass term), who are Republicans with Libertarian leanings and slightly liberal social views; hardcore Righties, those so incredibly conservative in everything their heads are up their asses (the current libertarian party, and those far right wing conservative christian political groups); moderate pussies, the people who sit in the middle and say "let's be friends" but don't really do a damn thing about it; the annoying yuppies with a social conscious, those liberal spouting celebrities that say all sorts of left wing political gobbledygook and believe in government control of the poor unfortunate middle class! (assholes); and the far lefties, the american green party that can't seem to get its head far enough out of its ass to possibly do a damn thing in american politics. yes the rain-forests are important, but, goddamnit, so are a few other things in life...like, um, having enough money to eat today?!?
So, the original paper idea for was the liberal leanings. I saw Stone and Parker as being slightly left of center. Closer to the center, realist type. However, as i read page after page of interesting analysis, from Toni Johnson-Woods "Blame Canada" which takes a large view of the politics and simply says they're true libertarian, to Brian C. Anderson, who says in his book "South Park Conservatives: The Revolt against Liberal Media Bias" that stone and parker are conservatives; just look at the large amount of liberal bashing they do! all the while, excluding all bases on the republican extremism. Then there was Richard Hanley's book "South Park and Philosophy; Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating" that shows stone and parker's affinity to be anti-extremism with libertarian leanings against government intervention.
So, obviously, my hypothesis moved 5 degrees to the right. The majority agree that South Park is libertarian in the truest sense of the word; anti-large government, anti-government interference, anti-extremism. hm, this is all well and good. and looking back through my memory of all the episodes i've watched, it seems true. But wait, i'm looking at a specific section of the literature. "South Park; Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" hasn't been touched as often as a handful of other episodes (it seems there are only a few that people have seen? no, they're just easy examples). And if i read the final soliloquy (which i spelled write on the first try. booyah) from "Team America" one more time i'm going to vomit. Yes, i get it, there are dicks, pussy's and assholes. pussy's need dicks, dicks need pussy's and assholes need to get fucked and only dicks with balls can do that. right right, i get it. but what about "Blame Canada"? what is that song saying? and what is it saying BEYOND the lyrics. the allusions to Les Miserables and Oklahoma! aren't as obvious in "Blame Canada". i haven't had nearly the time to sit down and watch those two musicals and South Park all in a row. man, only had 2 weeks to do this paper! c'mon!
Well, there's definitely anti-extremism, takes a stab at both the liberal media AND conservative morality, which, for some effed up reason, go together in the my head. think about it, the idea of being PC is a liberal idea. But then again, it espoused by many conservatives, especially in the religious right, as long as its in the context of "being PC towards me and my beliefs." Anyway, i digress. the lyrics and their satire are easy to discern. And i think i have the backing of enough other academics to do that without trouble...
But what about the music? its kitschy, tin-pan alley drivel that's for sure. simple, basic. Is it a second tier music on the communist music manifesto ideas from the 30's-60's with the likes of Seeger and Crawford-Seeger (yes the parents of Pete, if you didn't know that), Copland, et al. The use of a popular form (kitschy tin-pan alley musical forms) to espouse somewhat (in this particular case) libertarian AND leftist views (a don't interfere with me attitude along with an extremist run straight to the gun to shoot it out). Also, since the whole musical is in some form a satire against musicals (especially those Tim Rice/Elton John/Phil Collins/Andrew Lloyd Webber monstrosities) where does this song fit into the satire against the elevations of the musical to a second tier musical form, between "popular" and "art" music on the table i first read in an a chapter of a book by Guthrie P. Ramsey (which i felt his argument was ill-formed though correct.)
So, yeah...how is this only going to be 7-10 pages? hm...damn good question. Now that i've got the fodder, time to throw some on the bonfire and see how big i can get it before the fire department shows up. And, man, i'm hungry!
and its interesting, my blog meant normally for personal vents became an interesting musical/political discourse, so, i threw it here too. enjoy
10/9/08
how's this for an idea
Taken from a free rant on my myspace blog...
the opera, well...I'm thinking of going a strange direction lately. Kinda Bang on a Can/Dragonforce/Bullet for My Valentine/Puccini/Verdi/Nyman/Elliot Carter/Reich~ish. does that make any sense? so, let me say it this way...Simple layered forms, highly rhythmic almost frantic accompaniment, virtuoso performance practice, metric and tempo ambiguities, repetitive and organically grown, romantic vocals with a large touch of my standard whimsy and disinterest. now, how the hell do i write that?!? beats the shit outta me. hence, why there are no notes on the page. I listen to Dragonforce and get all pumped up, and realize, as i start writing that, damnit, i'm just transcribing! not that its a problem, but i gotta take the idea and meld it into my own vision. some sort of Three headed dragon flying over Valhalla in an endless loop while breathing fire down on innocents. yeah, that's good imagery i think. damnit, i hope that this isn't settling in my chest. i'll never be rid of the phlegm then...
so, none of my previous ideas are gone, they're just forming into a new gelatinous cube of musical doom. maybe i'll even write some MUSIC sometime instead of just talking bout it. n'ah, i doubt that. I really like the image of the dragon. I think i should make it a poster. now, if i only had any skill at all with drawing...oh well
the opera, well...I'm thinking of going a strange direction lately. Kinda Bang on a Can/Dragonforce/Bullet for My Valentine/Puccini/Verdi/Nyman/Elliot Carter/Reich~ish. does that make any sense? so, let me say it this way...Simple layered forms, highly rhythmic almost frantic accompaniment, virtuoso performance practice, metric and tempo ambiguities, repetitive and organically grown, romantic vocals with a large touch of my standard whimsy and disinterest. now, how the hell do i write that?!? beats the shit outta me. hence, why there are no notes on the page. I listen to Dragonforce and get all pumped up, and realize, as i start writing that, damnit, i'm just transcribing! not that its a problem, but i gotta take the idea and meld it into my own vision. some sort of Three headed dragon flying over Valhalla in an endless loop while breathing fire down on innocents. yeah, that's good imagery i think. damnit, i hope that this isn't settling in my chest. i'll never be rid of the phlegm then...
so, none of my previous ideas are gone, they're just forming into a new gelatinous cube of musical doom. maybe i'll even write some MUSIC sometime instead of just talking bout it. n'ah, i doubt that. I really like the image of the dragon. I think i should make it a poster. now, if i only had any skill at all with drawing...oh well
9/18/08
Schenkarian Analysis
Been a while huh? well, i've been rather un-busy and busy all at the same time. The problem has been, my friends, that the writing of the opera has gone quite poorly. My ideas on it continuously change. Even as i write down one way i'd like to do it, and go about setting it as such, the text leads me down another road. I have decided irrevocably, that i will let the text lead me from now on. Simple yet elegent is the hope.
Ah, but that is not the focus of this post. Schenkarian Analysis is. Hm, i like the fact that blogger recognizes the word Schenkarian. its defininately one of the few. i know when i type it on my yahoo e-mail, or on myspace, livejournal, or any of those other places i've placed ideas, it pops up as red death. Anyway, i digress. For those unfamiliar, Schenkarian analysis is basically a form of analysis based upon counterpoint and form. It boils down to figuring out the melodic line and the function of all the notes not the melodic line through counterpoint and form. Now, seems like a nice idea, does it not?
Well, tonight, in my boredom and wishing to escape at failing to write an opera, i picked up Allen Forte and Steven Gilbert's book "Introduction to Schenkarian Analysis." being a good student, i even began from the beginning (huh?). I was doing my damnedest at keeping an open mind. With all Truthyness i must say that i've never been a big fan of Schenkarian. I believe it was aptly described as "Taking what you need to make your point and throwing out the rest..." (Nick, outside Whitman Hall).
So, i opened this book with a free mind and musical being in the spirit of learning. And after 20 pages i had to stop...
The second example was case and point to me. The analysis said certain tones were nothing but neighbor tones and passing tones...however, when i saw them, they eluded instead to other harmonic structures within the music. Yes, passing harmonies, but harmonies non the less. And these harmonies at times created certain tensions in the music beyond what two passing tones unrelated harmonically (we are talking Tonal music here) would create in a piece. It was then, i had to close the book.
Now, the aforementioned Nick and I get in a huge argument about authorial intent. I believe intent must be taken into account, if for no other reasn than that it can lead to certain truths in the music (which thankfully, we both agree is the point of theoretical analysis). If an analysis does not reveal anything about the music, what was the point of the analysis. it becomes trivial. And, an analysis that disregards certain facts (in this case, implied or explicit harmonies) loses some ground, does it not?
For me that is the failling of Schenkarian Analysis. Implied harmonies are removed. And, well, i'm just not ok with that...at all...
Well, my word mill has run dry. Sorry, it seems as though my argument is only half made, but without me going and getting pictures to post to make my point, or going into long pages describing it, the argument ends here. Thanks for listening to a bored man rant.
Ah, but that is not the focus of this post. Schenkarian Analysis is. Hm, i like the fact that blogger recognizes the word Schenkarian. its defininately one of the few. i know when i type it on my yahoo e-mail, or on myspace, livejournal, or any of those other places i've placed ideas, it pops up as red death. Anyway, i digress. For those unfamiliar, Schenkarian analysis is basically a form of analysis based upon counterpoint and form. It boils down to figuring out the melodic line and the function of all the notes not the melodic line through counterpoint and form. Now, seems like a nice idea, does it not?
Well, tonight, in my boredom and wishing to escape at failing to write an opera, i picked up Allen Forte and Steven Gilbert's book "Introduction to Schenkarian Analysis." being a good student, i even began from the beginning (huh?). I was doing my damnedest at keeping an open mind. With all Truthyness i must say that i've never been a big fan of Schenkarian. I believe it was aptly described as "Taking what you need to make your point and throwing out the rest..." (Nick, outside Whitman Hall).
So, i opened this book with a free mind and musical being in the spirit of learning. And after 20 pages i had to stop...
The second example was case and point to me. The analysis said certain tones were nothing but neighbor tones and passing tones...however, when i saw them, they eluded instead to other harmonic structures within the music. Yes, passing harmonies, but harmonies non the less. And these harmonies at times created certain tensions in the music beyond what two passing tones unrelated harmonically (we are talking Tonal music here) would create in a piece. It was then, i had to close the book.
Now, the aforementioned Nick and I get in a huge argument about authorial intent. I believe intent must be taken into account, if for no other reasn than that it can lead to certain truths in the music (which thankfully, we both agree is the point of theoretical analysis). If an analysis does not reveal anything about the music, what was the point of the analysis. it becomes trivial. And, an analysis that disregards certain facts (in this case, implied or explicit harmonies) loses some ground, does it not?
For me that is the failling of Schenkarian Analysis. Implied harmonies are removed. And, well, i'm just not ok with that...at all...
Well, my word mill has run dry. Sorry, it seems as though my argument is only half made, but without me going and getting pictures to post to make my point, or going into long pages describing it, the argument ends here. Thanks for listening to a bored man rant.
7/3/08
interesting article on Strads
A break from opera for a bit (its been a month, so i guess its been a longer break than planned. crazy!). Here's an interesting article on Strads compared to modern violins. Pretty cool research bein' done me thinks
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002554
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002554
6/5/08
A little bit o' form...
If you're in the NY/NJ/PA area you prolly have seen those annoying commercials with Little Bit of Luck...yeah, i hate those...Anyway, this is my little addition to the world of pint size denizens that really wish they'd never been born...
As i chow down on a western omelet at the HoJo diner (i think its called Ambrosia) and hear the annoying mothers who obviously wish that they'd never had kids...and fathers telling 8 y/o daughters that "well, with your $2 breakfast, that means you owe me $7 so far on this trip..." it makes me realize one thing...
I never want kids...
Which makes writing an opera difficult, because it the closest thing (other than raising Monster) to rearing a kid. I've always been too impatient to let things just...develop. and it makes me wish i had tabasco for my potatoes...riiiight
AH, form in opera. finally getting to the point. so, as one who has never REALLY studied opera, i've gone about approaching more as if it were a symphonic piece. man...its hard to write with this family beside me...*sigh* too bad the WiFi doesn't work in the rooms, only the lobby and tiny diner. Damn...did that lady just say "It'd be better if they served cocktails..." It's only 9am...
ANYWAY, as someone who is more of a casual observer of opera, it basically seems to break down like this...
Overall Scheme falls as a combination of Arias, Recitative, Chorus, and the occasional duet or trio. So, they shove song forms sandwiched between the less structured Recit with the occasional large number. It pretty much seems to just be a back and forth set-up depending on what's happening in the story. I'm sure there is a deeper form in there deciding which song goes where, but i haven't spent the time studyin to figure that part out.
So, when i'm handed a gig like "write an opera" and i see "Aria, Recit, Chorus, Repeat" i get pretty damn bored. Even with knowing that i can put the arias into different song forms, not just the standard Aria or De Capo Aria form, well...its still a wash, rinse, repeat...So, how am i looking at form to create more internal interest?
Well, first, my operetta is quite short, shooting for 20 minutes max. That shortens what one can do anyway. The above formula would probably only go through twice...Instead i'm looking at a layering forms one on top of another...
In comparison then...a "classic" opera (not french, cause no ballet) basically follows the above recipe. Each scene might be different (scene 1 may be Recit, Aria, Recit, Aria, Recit and scene 2 may be Chorus, Aria, recit, duet, recit aria) but its basically mixing and matching the above and changing out song forms when needed. How about setting the whole opera up as a form, say, something "simple" like a Rondo. It would fit well with the idea that this is one continuous piece and not broken up into scenes. So, we have the Rondo form, meaning i have the one repeated theme and then new themes thrown in the mix, so, ABACADAE...on and on and on...This theme seems to be perfect to me for the opera. Sarah, the lead character, suffers from a form of psychosis that lends itself to repetition...I haven't decided how many specifics of the story i want up here, might want you to see it instead. heh. So, the lead suffers from a psychosis that is really cyclic, so a rondo, which is a cyclic form in itself works perfectly.
Now, that's all well and good, but how do you base songs on a rondo where A is a repetition? well, second layer of forms then...
the "A" theme then would have its own form, or possibly just be a short theme. undecided as of yet. However, the other sections, B and so on, the unique ones, show have...unique forms. makes perfect sense, no? Let's say, for instance, that B will be a Virelai, perhaps C will simply be Bar form, C might be a ballade (i love the formes fixes, obviously...and playing with things, such as Bar being AAB and ballade being AaB...such small difference. heheh). Anyway, so you end up with the Whole Opera as "Rondo" then 'scenes' being a set form such as "Virelai", and THEN, if there is an instance of an entire song in a section (say, the first scene where i KNOW there will be a short DC Aria) that form is then inserted. So what you could have in one page of libretto is a form that ends up...
A (B {CDCDE} cbB) A
confusing enough? especially the little "c" in the virelai. heheh.
This is what happens when i get bored, i end up doing form how the "masters" seemed to always do it. Forms inside Forms inside Forms...Also, this will help the music from wandering too much. Sarah's psychosis is based on repetition not wanderlust, so the music should be somewhat, fixed, yes? i think so...
Anyway, breakfast is over, i should shower sometime, maybe head back to sleep for a few moments before working noon till midnight. heh. Hope you all somewhat enjoyed my first "real" music post on here.
Till next time, fare thee well
As i chow down on a western omelet at the HoJo diner (i think its called Ambrosia) and hear the annoying mothers who obviously wish that they'd never had kids...and fathers telling 8 y/o daughters that "well, with your $2 breakfast, that means you owe me $7 so far on this trip..." it makes me realize one thing...
I never want kids...
Which makes writing an opera difficult, because it the closest thing (other than raising Monster) to rearing a kid. I've always been too impatient to let things just...develop. and it makes me wish i had tabasco for my potatoes...riiiight
AH, form in opera. finally getting to the point. so, as one who has never REALLY studied opera, i've gone about approaching more as if it were a symphonic piece. man...its hard to write with this family beside me...*sigh* too bad the WiFi doesn't work in the rooms, only the lobby and tiny diner. Damn...did that lady just say "It'd be better if they served cocktails..." It's only 9am...
ANYWAY, as someone who is more of a casual observer of opera, it basically seems to break down like this...
Overall Scheme falls as a combination of Arias, Recitative, Chorus, and the occasional duet or trio. So, they shove song forms sandwiched between the less structured Recit with the occasional large number. It pretty much seems to just be a back and forth set-up depending on what's happening in the story. I'm sure there is a deeper form in there deciding which song goes where, but i haven't spent the time studyin to figure that part out.
So, when i'm handed a gig like "write an opera" and i see "Aria, Recit, Chorus, Repeat" i get pretty damn bored. Even with knowing that i can put the arias into different song forms, not just the standard Aria or De Capo Aria form, well...its still a wash, rinse, repeat...So, how am i looking at form to create more internal interest?
Well, first, my operetta is quite short, shooting for 20 minutes max. That shortens what one can do anyway. The above formula would probably only go through twice...Instead i'm looking at a layering forms one on top of another...
In comparison then...a "classic" opera (not french, cause no ballet) basically follows the above recipe. Each scene might be different (scene 1 may be Recit, Aria, Recit, Aria, Recit and scene 2 may be Chorus, Aria, recit, duet, recit aria) but its basically mixing and matching the above and changing out song forms when needed. How about setting the whole opera up as a form, say, something "simple" like a Rondo. It would fit well with the idea that this is one continuous piece and not broken up into scenes. So, we have the Rondo form, meaning i have the one repeated theme and then new themes thrown in the mix, so, ABACADAE...on and on and on...This theme seems to be perfect to me for the opera. Sarah, the lead character, suffers from a form of psychosis that lends itself to repetition...I haven't decided how many specifics of the story i want up here, might want you to see it instead. heh. So, the lead suffers from a psychosis that is really cyclic, so a rondo, which is a cyclic form in itself works perfectly.
Now, that's all well and good, but how do you base songs on a rondo where A is a repetition? well, second layer of forms then...
the "A" theme then would have its own form, or possibly just be a short theme. undecided as of yet. However, the other sections, B and so on, the unique ones, show have...unique forms. makes perfect sense, no? Let's say, for instance, that B will be a Virelai, perhaps C will simply be Bar form, C might be a ballade (i love the formes fixes, obviously...and playing with things, such as Bar being AAB and ballade being AaB...such small difference. heheh). Anyway, so you end up with the Whole Opera as "Rondo" then 'scenes' being a set form such as "Virelai", and THEN, if there is an instance of an entire song in a section (say, the first scene where i KNOW there will be a short DC Aria) that form is then inserted. So what you could have in one page of libretto is a form that ends up...
A (B {CDCDE} cbB) A
confusing enough? especially the little "c" in the virelai. heheh.
This is what happens when i get bored, i end up doing form how the "masters" seemed to always do it. Forms inside Forms inside Forms...Also, this will help the music from wandering too much. Sarah's psychosis is based on repetition not wanderlust, so the music should be somewhat, fixed, yes? i think so...
Anyway, breakfast is over, i should shower sometime, maybe head back to sleep for a few moments before working noon till midnight. heh. Hope you all somewhat enjoyed my first "real" music post on here.
Till next time, fare thee well
5/23/08
The first Session
Take a seat on the couch. Hopefully this won't be too...painful. heh
Greetings all to my new blog. I'm moving it over to this location because, well, i didn't think anyone was reading over on Livejournal other than a couple friends. thanks to the wonders of google, i am hoping this blog touches a couple more people. for past posts please refer to the livejournal site
http://wtfisjohn.livejournal.com
Now, as to what to expect. Well, I am a composer, an educator, and a sound engineer. I split my time between south jersey where i have a lovely apartment, and Brooklyn, where i have a small room. I am a masters student at Brooklyn College in Music Composition as well as being an Adjunct Lecturer teaching CC 1.3: Music and its History, Language, and Culture. in other words, music appreciation. I enjoy teaching the class but hope to jump into teaching theory soon as well. Down in Jersey, i work for Concert Quality Sound (www.concertqualitysound.com). I think i am labeled on the website as a Sound Technician. Works for me. My forte is mixing, monitors or FoH (though my experience is limited to relatively small shows at the moment. Basically bar bands and monitors for a couple larger acts, nothing much over 750 people i think). I'm actual technical chops aren't a strength, but i am working on them...
SO, what can you expect? well, i'm not gonna talk about my daily life. its pretty freakin' boring. However, i am going to chat about pieces i am working on, cool shows i've done, interesting set-ups, awesome new electronic works, and just about anything else...Oh, and a lot of opera
Yep, opera. Little ole me. If you do happen to know me and haven't read previous blogs, than you may be surprised. I don't set text. I don't write songs. mainly i just pet my cat Monster. heh. but, i got hooked up with this...commission? well, i'm not getting paid, but whatever. This opportunity then, to write an opera for DePauw University. A short one...really short, part of the microfestival at a later date. a 20 minute opera. its an interesting challenge. To take a form that is classically quite large and shrink it down to 20 minutes...
Now, think of the challenges of writing a meaningful short story. and i mean, really short, like a maximum of 7 or 8 pages. These are the same challenges in writing a short opera. How do you develop an idea, a character, a theme in such a short time? well, its been what has been eating at me for nearly 2 months. bit late letting y'all know, eh?
I have the libretto. Got a fab short story from speakcoffeetome (check out her blog!) and i've adapted it to the best of my abilities. I'm not much of a writer, but i know a few tricks. i even had a draft of the first page of the libretto...
now i am going to burn it. yep, burn that sucker down. it sucked. really sucked. too convoluted. too complex for no good reason. 11 across 4 across 3 across 8, all these polyrhythms while the voice is stammering along at a quasi-speaking rhythm normally coming out as 5 across 3 or 4 and some other random rhythms...As i was writing, i started thinking "dude, all these polyrhythms. this thing is gonna get bogged down." Sure enough, it did. Scratch that idea...back to the drawing board. back to the basics...
Next post: Form
Greetings all to my new blog. I'm moving it over to this location because, well, i didn't think anyone was reading over on Livejournal other than a couple friends. thanks to the wonders of google, i am hoping this blog touches a couple more people. for past posts please refer to the livejournal site
http://wtfisjohn.livejournal.com
Now, as to what to expect. Well, I am a composer, an educator, and a sound engineer. I split my time between south jersey where i have a lovely apartment, and Brooklyn, where i have a small room. I am a masters student at Brooklyn College in Music Composition as well as being an Adjunct Lecturer teaching CC 1.3: Music and its History, Language, and Culture. in other words, music appreciation. I enjoy teaching the class but hope to jump into teaching theory soon as well. Down in Jersey, i work for Concert Quality Sound (www.concertqualitysound.com). I think i am labeled on the website as a Sound Technician. Works for me. My forte is mixing, monitors or FoH (though my experience is limited to relatively small shows at the moment. Basically bar bands and monitors for a couple larger acts, nothing much over 750 people i think). I'm actual technical chops aren't a strength, but i am working on them...
SO, what can you expect? well, i'm not gonna talk about my daily life. its pretty freakin' boring. However, i am going to chat about pieces i am working on, cool shows i've done, interesting set-ups, awesome new electronic works, and just about anything else...Oh, and a lot of opera
Yep, opera. Little ole me. If you do happen to know me and haven't read previous blogs, than you may be surprised. I don't set text. I don't write songs. mainly i just pet my cat Monster. heh. but, i got hooked up with this...commission? well, i'm not getting paid, but whatever. This opportunity then, to write an opera for DePauw University. A short one...really short, part of the microfestival at a later date. a 20 minute opera. its an interesting challenge. To take a form that is classically quite large and shrink it down to 20 minutes...
Now, think of the challenges of writing a meaningful short story. and i mean, really short, like a maximum of 7 or 8 pages. These are the same challenges in writing a short opera. How do you develop an idea, a character, a theme in such a short time? well, its been what has been eating at me for nearly 2 months. bit late letting y'all know, eh?
I have the libretto. Got a fab short story from speakcoffeetome (check out her blog!) and i've adapted it to the best of my abilities. I'm not much of a writer, but i know a few tricks. i even had a draft of the first page of the libretto...
now i am going to burn it. yep, burn that sucker down. it sucked. really sucked. too convoluted. too complex for no good reason. 11 across 4 across 3 across 8, all these polyrhythms while the voice is stammering along at a quasi-speaking rhythm normally coming out as 5 across 3 or 4 and some other random rhythms...As i was writing, i started thinking "dude, all these polyrhythms. this thing is gonna get bogged down." Sure enough, it did. Scratch that idea...back to the drawing board. back to the basics...
Next post: Form
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)