What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[BBMmk2]

Well may I add thyat an American College Wind band has accepted an arrangement I have done of the Apotheose from Berlioz's Symphonie Funebre et Trionfale. The DoM there says he would like to perform it but no date has been set and he would like more work rom me as well. Also there is a chance he could publish it as well!!

[Nick Armstrong]

Well may I add thyat an American College Wind band has accepted an arrangement I have done of the Apotheose from Berlioz's Symphonie Funebre et Trionfale. The DoM there says he would like to perform it but no date has been set and he would like more work rom me as well. Also there is a chance he could publish it as well!!

That's worth a couple of pints of Spitfire, whatever happens!! Congrats.

Might you be able to make its première coincide with a holiday for you and Mrs Bbm? (Which side of the USA is it?)

[Nick Armstrong]

Like Cali I downloaded the Gesänge der Frühe and have been trying the first. Does anyone have any details of that hand exercising contraption that Schumann invented?

One or two big / awkward chords aren't there...

[Beef Oven!]

You missed my gig last night then

Great but not really "polished"

But always good to hear of interesting things going on in all genres and none !

Going to a gig on Tuesday that may be matt with shiny bits.

Another gig on Friday which is certain to be of the polished type.

Last year's performance of Utrenja contained Polish.

[BBMmk2]

That's worth a couple of pints of Spitfire, whatever happens!! Congrats.

Might you be able to make its première coincide with a holiday for you and Mrs Bbm? (Which side of the USA is it?)

Well that's what we hope to do! It's at the Kaskaskia Centralia University Mount Vernon Illinois. I think an hour and a half flight from Chicago?

[teamsaint]

Well that's what we hope to do! It's at the Kaskaskia Centralia University Mount Vernon Illinois. I think an hour and a half flight from Chicago?

Take the QM2, do it in style and avoid most of that unpleasant "flying".

plus you get to visit Soton.

[BBMmk2]

Probably be more expensive than the flight!! I am deciding wether to arrange some Mahler or John Adams?

[EdgeleyRob]

I don't play an instrument and can't read music.
However I'm always making up stuff in my head,bits and bobs of ideas for String Quartets,Symphonies etc.
I couldn't write them down,I hum or whistle them to myself,anyone else the same ?

[Dave2002]

I don't play an instrument and can't read music.
However I'm always making up stuff in my head,bits and bobs of ideas for String Quartets,Symphonies etc.
I couldn't write them down,I hum or whistle them to myself,anyone else the same ?

Been there a very long while ago - the bit about making stuff up. I could "hear" the music inside my head, which I still do for music written by others which I know well. I usually "hear" the orchestration with instruments, or a choir or singer(s) if there are any.

I think trying to "write" a large scale work, or even a miniature one without writing bits down is almost impossible, though perhaps Mozart could do it.
Is it too late to try to learn musical notation? Singing or playing an instrument can help - as you've noted. Even just getting to be able to follow a score could be helpful.

[MrGongGong]

Been there a very long while ago - the bit about making stuff up. I could "hear" the music inside my head, which I still do for music written by others which I know well. I usually "hear" the orchestration with instruments, or a choir or singer(s) if there are any.

I think trying to "write" a large scale work, or even a miniature one without writing bits down is almost impossible, though perhaps Mozart could do it.
Is it too late to try to learn musical notation? Singing or playing an instrument can help - as you've noted. Even just getting to be able to follow a score could be helpful.

It's never "too late" to learn musical notation which is, in spite of what might seem, mostly very simple and straightforward.
If you want to follow a score, I would suggest that the one of Volumina by Ligeti is a good place to start, it's extremely precise yet looks like it sounds so very easy to follow.




There is, of course, a huge difference between being able to imagine something and to be able to refine the imagination of that thing into something actualised in the world (if that makes sense ?). Most of us could imagine wonderful food or buildings but the skill needed to make them is something else.

BUT

The skills of composition and notation are not necessarily the same. I've written many pieces with people who have no experience of musical notation some of which are more imaginative and successful that those by post graduate composers from music colleges, a process that involves a great deal of collaboration and negotiation rather than one of producing a "perfect" score for players to read.

[Dave2002]

Another example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpbxx...e_gdata_player - not by me!

PS: I don't think I'd have a clue how to play that one. The Ligeti score seems much clearer, with a moderate level of precision.

[MrGongGong]

Welcome to our world Dave



and so on

[Dave2002]

I wanted to show the score of Zyklus by Stockhausen. I think it's on the back of one of the CDs - but not so easy to find on t'Internet.

[french frank]

One or two big / awkward chords aren't there...

No 1, bar 6 My small hand will just about encompass one octave if there are no intervening notes

[BBMmk2]

How do people feel how about John Adams's music and the first movement of Mahler's 6th for wind band? This band I have in mind has ample tuned percussion as well as the static instruments.