
("Switched On" being a phrase used by Wendy Carlos to describe her electronic renditions of Bach's works, and is used as a quote only in the context of this post)

Arpangel wrote:I’m looking forward to your "Switched On" version of "Appalachian Spring"
GilesAnt wrote:If you are aiming for strict counterpoint you ,might want to change the parallel octaves in bar 1 between VCO2 and 3 (D to E). But things like this depend on the bigger picture sometimes.
merlyn wrote:If you were going to give this to someone to play you could lay out the rhythms in a way that is easier to read. In the first bar of VCO 1 the fourth beat is a rest, a quarter note rest on the fourth beat would make that obvious. I would find the first bar easier to read if the third beat was a sixteenth note, a sixteenth rest, an eighth rest then a quarter note rest on the fourth beat. That way where the beats fall is more obvious.
Ben Asaro wrote:3 of the 8 melody lines for the first subject are pretty much done! Looks like this will be in D Major. If anyone more familiar with the rules of counterpoint could have a look, I think I've followed the rules correctly!
RichardT wrote:Ben Asaro wrote:3 of the 8 melody lines for the first subject are pretty much done! Looks like this will be in D Major. If anyone more familiar with the rules of counterpoint could have a look, I think I've followed the rules correctly!
I think you’ve got more ‘coincident ‘ notes than would be normal, such as the first D. But that’s not really against any rules.
GilesAnt wrote:You have given us three different versions of your first subject, but essentially you have written one bar of music. I think you need to map out your vision a bit here.
I am going to use this thread for sharing my ideas and processes, thinking out loud, and hopefully get educated and inspired by the good folks on this forum
Arpangel wrote: I never thought that the first note I wrote on that paper would turn into a 2 minute piano piece, or a 40 minute epic, each note builds on what went before, and sometimes things unfold we would never have predicted.
GilesAnt wrote:Arpangel wrote: I never thought that the first note I wrote on that paper would turn into a 2 minute piano piece, or a 40 minute epic, each note builds on what went before, and sometimes things unfold we would never have predicted.
He is planning to write something in sonata form, classical in scale if not in style. This does need some thinking about in my view. The interplay of subjects, their development, harmonic tension etc. will all need at least some outline design. Sonata form looks simple at one level, but many composers have grappled with this, not always successfully. The form isn't intended as a straightjacket, but a model that can help the composer.
For smaller pieces where no specific form or architecture is envisaged then a bar by bar approach may of course yield excellent results - but that's not his aim (as I understand it from his posts).
From my readings, many of the great composers did indeed work with a vision in mind. Schubert, Mozart and others would carry more or less completed works in their head, and just needed time to write them down. Others would sweat and toil so the music matched their vision. Similarly Wagner could have hardly tackled his operas on a bar by bar basis.
The equivalent might be of an architect who sketches out a building without getting too involved in the details at the start. If he just piles one brick on top of the other with no plan it is unlikely that he will get good results.
Having a crack at something on a classical scale is brave, and I wish Ben all the best. I'm sure he will have fun having a go, even if all else fails.
Martin Walker wrote:It's great to see that Ben is getting such positive feedback here on his grand objective, but I felt I ought to say that even at this point I'm enjoying this first 'Philip Glass' inspired output
Martin