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.