Crikey!
Thank you all for listening and these comments. You have been very kind to me with your comments. I had misgivings that it wouldn't work well but now feel slightly assured, ready to go ahead and prepare a final score with all the transpositions in.
Many thanks indeed, Luis.
Thank you indeed for listening and your comments. Yes, the score is at concert pitch except as mentioned just above the Tempo mark, first page above the piccolo staff. After a final clean up I'll transpose the parts properly. The Contrabass Clarinet is written an octave higher than concert. I hope I didn't seem selfish by not writing these parts (and the rest) conventionally transposed as this is a kind of penultimate draft and easier for me to check. The last thing I want is errors that should never be there, like leaving in keyswitch notes...well, it's happened. I have to feel assured that I know the score very well as...well, remote as it might be, should it ever be offered a chance of performance I don't want to be caught out.
Flattered as I am by your mention of John Williams, I'm really not familiar with his work except through the Indiana Jones films which I've just checked he scored. Be nice to have his money though! I'll have to give that one more thought.
Hah, I forgot I left that exhortation in at the end of the score. I'll pop into the software after replying here to erase it.
Once more, many thanks, much valued.
Henry, many thanks for your considerations and listening. Yes, I prefer the contrabass clarinet as I sometimes write very deep and quiet bass wind parts but there's no way a contrabassoon can play its lowest notes quietly, starting from and fading out to a 'niente'. The contrabass clarinet can more or less. Just a guess but if my exploitation of colour is noted it's probably because I value instruments in their own right with their range of timbres, each called in when the occasion seems right! The contrabass clarinet is a case in point. There were times in this piece when its solo line seemed right-on - an indescribable sound!
As for Webern I see what you mean and in terms of orchestration I suppose, yes, pointillist rather than like the organist, playing whole passages with a fixed set of stops. If you need just a dot of a certain colour then bring in the instrument just for one or two notes. .
Really appreciate your comments. Thank you for listening.
.
Thank you indeed, Thatguy. You've been most generous with your remarks. What can I say in the way of appreciation? - A bit lost for words. However, it's pleasing to know that it made some sort of sense to you.
I had some trouble composing it, wanting to move on from previous work which was starting to get repetitive. It's going to be harder to move on from this one. It is the most recent orchestral piece. I just call them all Music for Orchestra now but I've written several over a few years and still have to decide which to keep. I still have a heck of a lot to learn about the orchestra, balance, timbres, articulations and so on, and what I can do with the samples at my disposal.
So, thanks again for listening and your most encouraging comments.
All the best,
Quinn.