05 October 2018

Some cracking titles are born out of necessity

Adventures in the Power of Art:  I’m not even sure to whom I might confess that I involuntarily think of William Carlos Williams whenever I take a cold plum out from the refrigerator.
Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

There were beautiful prairies, too, diversified with groves and clumps of trees, which looked like vast parks, and in which you could see deer running, at a great distance.  In the proper season these prairies would be covered in many places with wild strawberries, where your horses’ hoofs would be dyed to the fetlock.  I thought there could not be another place in all the world equal to Kentucky–and I think so still.
– Washington Irving, “The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood”

As rare as it is that I dream of composing, this was a first, in that I dreamt of working on the mix of a fixed media element.  And the work went well:  the dream concluded with my relaxing back with headphones on, finding the sounds completely to my satisfaction.

So, yes:  the first time, also, that I wore headphones in a dream.

This morning, before pushing off to work, and (need it be added) while enjoying a cup of hot coffee, I saw to improving the beaming both for the cl/hn Ur-text of Considering My Bliss Options, and for the fl/cl adaptation.  I saw to the “quarter-rest fix” in the latter, though not yet for the original.  I also began work on the fl/alto sx version, which (not surprisingly) mostly entailed improving some enharmonic spellings; only a couple of places where I felt I needed to raise a note or figure an octave...a little surprisingly (for a horn line, which then became a clarinet line, and now being retooled for alto saxophone) every single note fell within the saxophone’s range.  Still, just a couple of the very low notes where I didn’t feel we wanted that foghorn honk.

Have not sent yet, both because I want to take a last proofing gander, and because a fl/alto sx adaptation of Zen on the Wing is also wanted.

Very nice, productive church choir rehearsal last night.  The one thing for which I felt the lack of sufficient time is, we aren’t as far along as I should like with my up-tempo unaccompanied arrangement of My Lord, What a Morning.  Probably, as the time fast approacheth for Christmas music prep, Morning will get pushed out to spring.  And that is just fine.

For my latest exercise in Sending a Score Where It Won’t be Appreciated, the subject under consideration is an orchestral score.  Too few winds for a movement from the Symphony to suit; and only one percussionist, so probably nothing from White Nights will do, either.  I am determined to send a piece, though.

The Op.99 is far too big an orchestra to answer this call.  But, it is also rich in texture; not over-rich, by any means–simply opulent.  The inspiration which came this morning is, then, to pare away “into” the slighter scoring, make the occasional musical adjustment, allot it a fresh opus number, and title it:  Harsher Erasures.


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