What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Suffolkcoastal]

Am currently composing a Violin Sonata and on the 3rd and final movement. Hopefully it might get a performance in March. My Passacaglia for Piano received a very successful premiere (14 years after it was written!) in June. Still awaiting the chance to hear both my String Quartets and both Piano Sonata, the 1st was written almost 25 years ago when I was in my early 20s.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This afternoon, I acceded to a request to be rehearsal accompanist for a soprano with a manlgnificent sounding voice. But what is it about so many singers, who seem to imagine that keeping in time is utterly pointless? Staying with such singers is an utter nightmare.

[Flay]

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

You've ten toes spare haven't you?

And your nose...

[Beef Oven!]

This afternoon, I acceded to a request to be rehearsal accompanist for a soprano with a manlgnificent sounding voice. But what is it about so many singers, who seem to imagine that keeping in time is utterly pointless? Staying with such singers is an utter nightmare.

I hope you told her to her face, rather than just moaning on here!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

How do people feel how about John Adams's music and the first movement of Mahler's 6th for wind band?

Adams would work very effectively, I would imagine, Bbm (beware of copyright issues, though). Not so sure about the Mahelr #6 movement: parts of it would be well suited, but there are huge stretches of the score that would challenge the players and the audience (they need the contrast of Mahler's superb orchestra to create their full impact). If you do go ahead with this, do make sure that you follow it with the Scherzo

This band I have in mind has ample tuned percussion as well as the static instruments.

Most tuned percussion instuments nowadays have brakes on the wheels, so they needn't be "kinetic". (What are "static instruments" - I've never encountered this term before!)

[Serial_Apologist]

(What are "static instruments" - I've never encountered this term before!)

The organ in the Albert Hall? Difficult to slip in a pocket and take home...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The organ in the Albert Hall? Difficult to slip in a pocket and take home...

Still easier than the Eulenberg "Pocket Score" of Moses und Aron.

[Serial_Apologist]

Still easier than the Eulenberg "Pocket Score" of Moses und Aron.

But that wouldn't be a static score; it would be a score emitting lots of static !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I hope you told her to her face, rather than just moaning on here!

I did, but I was diplomatic. She was paying me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But that wouldn't be a static score; it would be a score emitting lots of static !

[Richard Tarleton]

Another village hall gig last night - two mates and I doing classical guitar solos and duets - and somebody's mobile phone went off while I was playing - I really feel my career is taking off

[Richard Barrett]

What is that, by the way?

[BBMmk2]

Adams would work very effectively, I would imagine, Bbm (beware of copyright issues, though). Not so sure about the Mahelr #6 movement: parts of it would be well suited, but there are huge stretches of the score that would challenge the players and the audience (they need the contrast of Mahler's superb orchestra to create their full impact). If you do go ahead with this, do make sure that you follow it with the Scherzo


Most tuned percussion instuments nowadays have brakes on the wheels, so they needn't be "kinetic". (What are "static instruments" - I've never encountered this term before!)

The Head of the Faculty is really keen on me doing this transcription of the Mahler for his wind band. So I have embarked on it, and one of the other professors there, wants to see it as well!! :)

Did I say static? What I meant was non-pitched percussion, eg drums etc.

The copyright issue yes I am well aware of, thank you Ferney! I will be hopefully doing the JA after the Mahler all being well with the publishers(and maybe the HoF may have some influence?)

[Dave2002]

This afternoon, I acceded to a request to be rehearsal accompanist for a soprano with a manlgnificent sounding voice. But what is it about so many singers, who seem to imagine that keeping in time is utterly pointless? Staying with such singers is an utter nightmare.

Do they also do (not do?) characterisation of the words in the texts? It has occurred to me recently that possibly some singers (as with some readers) do not use different tones/voices for different characters when singing. The easiest example I can think of right now is Schubert Death and the Maiden, but I think once one is aware of this there are many others. Another is Vergebliches Ständchen by Brahms, with alternating male and female characters. Even the well known Schubert Trout song (everyone knows the tune) darkens in tone towards the end, or surely should, at least for a little while. I have a feeling (I'd hope to be wrong) that only the very best singers make any attempt with this.

However, such characterisation may require a bit more flexibility with timing - which should be worked out with the accompanist. Otherwise I agree absolutely with your comments.

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread, which I started at someone's request (can't remember whose) - I'm interested to know the practical musical activities of Forumites, particularly as (since retiring 18 months ago - already! ), I'm happy to report I'm using the old Bechstein more and more.

Not sure I'm making a lot of progress though - I'm still practising the first of Schumann's "Gesänge der Frühe" Op 133, the piece mentioned in my post #1 ... though playing it earlier this evening, I've just about got it nailed now!

Another piece that rewards hours of effort getting some complex chords and discords under the fingers is Percy Grainger's arrangement of Dowland's Now, O Now I Needs Must Part (although the first section is quite easy - and old Percy has temptingly written in a bubble at the end of that section "You can finish here if you like!" )

The third piece I practise regularly is Fauré's Romance sans Paroles Op 17 No 3 - stunning melody, progressively adorned by countermelodies in its successive iterations, with a repetitive (but not exactly repetitive! ) left hand accompaniment which is quite a challenge.

Any more for any more?