Merry Christmas!

Joyeux Noel, mes amis! I hope you're enjoying a beautiful day. I'm a little early with the Christmas post, because I'm going to be busy all of today and probably tomorrow. We're going to Midnight Mass, which is really something. It feels so old-fashioned, and I love pretending that I live in some other time, haha.
So anyways, I am still exhausted from the semester, and I'm already feeling a bit stressed out for the next one, haha. Seriously though, I might have to drop a class or something, because I think I might be a little over-booked.
Anyway, have a lovely Christmas, everybody. God Bless.

Remember, Christmas season doesn't end on the 25th, it actually begins on the 25th! So I'm going to probably do a post on The Nutcracker sometime next week... lol.

The Little Prince Suite

Hey-o! It's Christmas break, and do you know what that means??
Well, it partly means going to school anyway because the professor needs you to re-organize the music library, but it also means having all the time you want to do music stuff! I mean, I just did a whole lot of music stuff, but species counterpoint isn't really my thing, I mean, I do it for class and I try to make it worthwhile, but it's not as satisfying as composing on your own terms. :P

So anyways, this semester in English 1B, we read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This little book quickly became one of my favorite books, and what do I do when I like a book? I compose music for it! That's a grand tradition that started for The Brothers Karamazov, and I actually haven't finished my work for that book, so yeah. I work slowly.

Anyway, I think that a book like this could really inspire some great music. It's presented as a fairy story written for children, but the story is actually a fable for adults. That isn't to say that kids can't enjoy it, millions have, but the story has beautiful merit for adults.

So when I said suite, I probably should have specified that my composition is a piano suite. I'm not at the orchestration genius stage of composition, haha! Here is my hopeful roughdraft. Of course, compositions are like stories, they are alive in a sense and can change drastically from what you expect. This is what I hope my suite comes out like.

1. From Star to Star (Allegro Moderato, Swing)
I think this movement will be pretty short. I've marked it as swung, because after a semester in Jazz Band I really wanted to write something swung. It's in the key of A major, which is probably one of my favorite keys, haha. This movement is supposed to be that part of the book where the titular prince is hopping 'from star to star' after leaving his home planet. I only have the beginning sketched out.

2. The Prince and his Rose (???)
I don't really have a clue about how this movement will sound. I really want to write something for the Prince and the Rose though, because the Rose is one of the central figures of the story. I'd like it to be kind of sweet and devoted, but also a bit of the Rose's temperamental personality.

3. Tamed (Adagio Comodo)
The Fox only shows up for one chapter, but his presence is felt throughout the rest of the book, and the wisdom he gives to the prince changes the character's lives. This one is in the key of G major, and it's based on material I had already written ages ago, and I think it works very well here. I will expand on it, of course, and hopefully it will convey the character of the Fox well.

4. What Makes a Desert Beautiful? (Andante)
I've done the most work on this one (and by that, I mean I have about 30 seconds). This is from the part of the book that is the most intense, I suppose. I am a little concerned that the harmonies are a bit strange for such a sweet story. However, I think the mood at this particular part of the book is very mature, and as long as I keep the composition style fairly simple it should remain faithful to the story.

I hope to have a movement completed before Christmas vacation is over!

Orchestra Excerpts That I'm Working On

Learning orchestral excerpts are just as important as learning concerti and sonatas! If you're going to play the flute, you've absolutely got to learn orchestral excerpts and have them down to perfection. You can't just flub your way through auditions, these excerpts are so important.

And you can't just play the notes beautifully and accurately, you also have to know the context of the piece. Listening is just as important as playing. Know the context of the selection, and apply it to your playing! Know what else is going on in the orchestra, and tailor it to be your own! 

Ahem, so yes. I always get very excited to learn new orchestral excerpts. I had a lesson with my teacher recently, and she assigned me some new excerpts for flute and piccolo. Here is a list, with a little run down!

Beethoven: Leonore Overture no. 3

I love these solos! The first important spot is right at the beginning and requires great breath control and accuracy in counting. The second solo occurs around 9:00 minutes in, I think. This solo is joyful and full of energy. The dynamic is piano, and since there isn't much happening in the orchestra, you can observe that dynamic marking. I love the beautiful, heroic sound of this solo. Remember, the opera this is an overture to is about a woman who rescues her husband from a prison. Try to keep that loving and heroic feel in your playing!

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Scherzo)

I was really lucky, and got to see a performance of the complete Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music with actors on the stage, too! Mendelssohn's incidental music is magical and fits perfectly with the play. The 'Scherzo' represents the faeries in the forest, and it sounds mischievous and enchanting. The orchestration is woodwind intensive, which makes it sound very nature-y. The flute solo is especially challenging, because there are only two places to breathe! You need to have really stable rhythm, and you also need to be able to conserve your air while still creating a beautiful tone. I like to think of Puck when I play this, and I think the solo should have a sneaky, playful feel. 

Dvorak: Symphony no. 8

This is exciting for me, because my college orchestra is actually performing this piece! My teacher tells me that Dvorak was friends with some flutists, which is why his writing for flute is so nice, and also why he gave second flute things to do too! Symphony 8 is full of beautiful solos for the flute, with the most famous (and hard) one in the last movement. My favorite flute solo is actually a little descant that goes over a string melody. This descant is very playful and sweet, which is one of my favorite things about Dvorak- how charming his music is! One of the hardest solos in the symphony is this recurring motif in the first movement, which many people think represents a morning bird call. It's kind of hard, because it prominently features the high-E on the flute, which is a tricky note to slur up to. But with lots of practice, you can figure out the best way to compensate.

Brahms: Symphony no. 4
I um... haven't listened to this one. My shame is great. But I'll get to it, give me time, I just got off finals, haha.

Ippolitov-Ivanov: Procession of the Sardar (Piccolo)
Aaaah, yes. Ippolitov Ivanov is a great composer. He's overshadowed by his teacher, none other than Rimsky-Korsakov (!!!!), but he is a good composer in his own right! He borrows a lot of subject matter from his teacher, most notably music dealing with the 'exotic'. Procession of the Sardar from Caucasian Sketches is a wonderfully lazy and regal piece. The piccolo is paired with the bassoon, and the two always make an awesome duo. The timbres compliment each other well, and they are paired together fairly often. 

Bizet: Carmen Suite, Avec la Garde Montante (Piccolo)
I feel like there's kind of a sub-genre of woodwind excerpts that I like to call the Piccolo duet. These happen rather infrequently in orchestral music, but often enough that I feel like there's some kind of pattern. Usually, these duets are light and chripy (is that a word?), and they move pretty fast. Anyway, I got off topic. This is a very cute little duet for two piccolos from the opera Carmen by Bizet, and while it's not very challenging, it has this rather impish and character, and the dynamics are so important!

Oh my gosh, um....

So it looks like I'm going to Spain! Remember that post from ages ago that I did talking about how I was selected for interview? Well, I guess that went better than I thought. WAY better than I thought! I mean, oh my goodness. I'm still having trouble processing it, kind of! I'm never good at accepting that good things have happened. I just to the worst conclusion faster than a speeding bullet. The words 'cautiously optimistic' mean nothing to me, ahahaha.

But um, yeah. There is a lot I have to do. I need to get my passport, and I need to start seriously thinking about my 20 page research paper. I'll be talking about the role of the guitar in the music Spain! My going to Spain depends on my ability to get that research paper done, and performing well in the mandatory preparation class. I hope that I do well. I'll do my very best! I've never been to Europe, and it's just so different over there!

You certainly don't see much scenery around here that looks like that... [dreamy sigh]
So anyways, tonight was officially the last of my finals. I had music theory this morning, and tonight we performed the first two movements of Dvorak's 8th Symphony! We're going to do all four in may, but I was so excited for this performance. I am acting principal (there's another lady who is usually principal, but was unable to make it this semester), and I got to play all these wonderful solos! Dvorak wrote such charming music, and the flute solos that he wrote are so lovely! I really enjoyed playing it, and I can't wait to start work on the rest when the next semester starts. But I'm not in any hurry to get back to school, haha. I'm too tired, I need to recharge myself.

So anyways, to celebrate, let's have some amazing Joaquin Rodrigo!! This is his guitar concerto, and it's become one of my favorite pieces. Rodrigo is an amazing composer, and I look forward to studying his works in the coming semester.

What Piano Pieces Should I Work on Next?

I did it! I did my piano recital! I messed up a few times, but I made somebody in the audience teary-eyed with my Ravel, sooooo, mission accomplished! Heh heh... anyway, it's never too early to be thinking about what you want to play next! Especially when you're like me and you're really slow at learning piano pieces.
Anyway, I have a few contenders, and I want you all to listen and say which you like best! You know, if you feel like it, I'm not forcing anybody, haha!

So I'm really into French piano music, mostly because it's super beautiful, but also because it's pretty much all I can really play. My teacher wants me to play something Russian next semester, so if anybody knows a Russian piece that is about intermediate difficulty... yes. Please tell me.

La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin by Claude Debussy
I love this piece! I have a recording of Jean-Pierre Rampal playing it on flute, and it made me really fall in love with the piece. The original piano version looks do-able for me, even through some of the chords are very big. The melody is very beautiful, and it's not that long, so I think it will be something to look at.



Humoresque no. 7 by Antonin Dvorak
I've loved this piece every since my sister played a violin version of it for her recital a few years ago! The piano version is very relaxing and beautiful, whereas the violin version sounded a little bit more goofy, haha. As the name indicates, the piece goes through many different humors. There are three basic melodies, the first being goofy and energetic, the second being sentimental and loving, and the third being emotional and intense. I think this one is easier than the Debussy, but it's in a very tricky key signature and I have trouble getting used to it.



Je te Veux by Erik Satie
I could definitely play this one. The only thing is that my teacher is kind of tired of me and my French music. I figured I would learn it over Christmas break, though, because I am just so fond of it! It's a waltz, and it's very romantic. The title means 'I Want You', and listening to it makes me feel like I've stepped through a portal to a parlor in Paris, in the early 1900s... I would love to play it and make people feel the same way!


Romeo and Juliet Before Parting by Sergei Prokofiev
Okay, this one is absolutely NOT easy. But I'm an extremely determined person. About a year ago, I started working on it just because I loved the ballet so much, and now I can play almost half of this piece! I think if I really pushed myself and built up technical skill, I could do it. Probably not for the spring semester, but sometime in the future!

Violence and Variations by Bear McCreary
This song is from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, which I watched last summer (skipping the nasty parts, of course, haha), and I thought the story was extremely good. That was augmented of course, by the amazing soundtrack! Seriously, if you think that modern music is awful, try Bear McCreary, his music is very accessible. I have a piano book of Battlestar Galactica music, and I have so many I want to play, but I chose this one, because despite the fact that it's a whopping seven minutes long, I find it one of the least technically challenging songs in the book. This piece is intense and so beautiful. Listen to the original version with the string orchestra, it's one of the most amazing 21st century pieces ever.

A Day in the Life: Final #1 Down, Five More to Go!

Yay! I just submitted my Electronic Music composition this morning in class, and now all I have to do is present it to the class next week. I'm very happy with how my composition turned out. I would have liked to have had more time to work on the ending, but I'm pretty pleased with the result. I think working against a deadline really helps my composition.
Tchaikovsky also liked working with a deadline. Sleeping Beauty, which was one of his fondest achievements, was written against a deadline, and he found that it helped him to write also. Just a little nugget of info that I thought you guys might like to know, haha.
So what do I have to do next?

1. Electronic Music Composition
2. Music Theory- Species Counterpoint (AAARRGGHHH!!)
3. English 1B- I have to finish "Death of a Salesman". It's okay, but I'm not super into it. I think I can appreciate it for what it is, so mission accomplished, Mr. Teacher.
4. Music 11- Just an instrumental recital, no biggie
5. Jazz Band Concert
6. Orchestra Concert

Wish me luck. I also have to fill out a form for my interview (you know, the one that decides whether or not I get to go to Spain!!), and I am so nervous for that!
I hope your finals aren't too stressful, everybody.