jrcramer

I don't know if you are familiar with the 15 seconds project of Olivia Jageurs, nor do I know whether it is still ongoing, but there is this lovely London based harpist offering to play and comment on a snippet of 15 seconds of harp music. I wrote 3 little pieces for it, one of which even aired on BBC3 The sound files can be found here: http://www.jaapcramer.com/music/2016/01/27/irks.html

Chopin asked a bunch of older members (which made me revisit the site) looks good. I see old and new names :)

whoa. I liked it. The tonal language is nostalgic sounding early 20th century. You write often for the higher range. It works, although I think at times you can hear the performers are a bit uncomfortable in that range. You say it is 5 years old. How do you feel about it now? Love to hear the other movements if they are available

+1 for Barber RRR Although I guess I would pick Barber (1st) symphony in 1 mvt. Especially the 3rd slow movement of that 1 movement work (haha). There is in the 1st symphony of Einar Englund a moment where I almost tripped, due to the sense of floating, soft gentile divine. I have the same with the 2nd movement of Ades' Asyla (not so much for the 3rd mvt). Or Lutoslawski's immensely profound 4th symphony... And all things Brahms I am no conductor. never stood before an orchestra. I imagine I would like the power, but feel I lack the leaders-qualities it takes. As a kid I imagined conducting the Chopin piano concerti. That was a phase... Can't stand the pieces now... Fascinating to see who want to go for the powerful frenzied and ecstatic pieces, or rather the slow soothing or lamenting ones...

like it. there is somethng very rewarding and accessable in your harmonic language. i love the timbre of the high range, it sounds pure in an overtne way, if that makes sense... for me this forum usually is about helping, obviously you dnt need that :) although appreciation does.

Thank you all for the kind words. I am still not sure if the right mp3 is player. It seems cropped on my safari (OSX Yosemite). so just to be sure I refer you to my site, that includes the link to the box.net-folder.

What makes Brahms interesting to me is the way he accepts the confinement of his time, yet stretches the possibilities. The first intermezzo of his op119, motivic build on stacking thirds, he explores common practice harmony, but really to the limits. Near the end he manages to play in effect an F major triad over a B major triad. Tritone apart. (and an added G) Love this moment so much. There is functional use of harmonic tension in the form, as it is the last moment where the tuplet-variation of his motive occurs. But the idea of getting here by just play falling 3rds, and vary upon that, is just brilliant.

i do listen to my music, with different effect. In a nostalgic mood i can appreciate early work in an endearing manner. ah... cute what i did there. it is not working, but young me was trying :D There is also the, what has been called, narcissitic side. I like to call it healthy pride in what I was allowed to do. And yeah it feels pretty good to have a folder in my itunes with my own name. I think everyone who does something, really as general as ths sounds, can have some pride :)

This indeed is clearly inspired :) The first think I notice on hearing is a bit of a minor nuisance to me. Bar 5 - 10, (and repeated sections) the bass part and the melody notes on the downbeat, move in parallel fifths. Now is there nothing wrong with a little common era bashing, but this sounds like it could use some more counterpoint to me.

Ok, then curtesy naturals are in place, because a conductor or performer could be confused. I think we tag along so nicely because we both have and have been in the process of developing an harmonic language and expand on personal preferences. Keep on :)

Just as Ravel said, that ending isn't working for me. Besides the lush and pretty mood you evoke, things get lost in multiple swells and sudden soli. This trick has been played out for me, so isn't rewarding for a fulfilling finish. As for tips to spice up harmony, try one of the following polytonality (the V-I pitfall isn't a problem anymore, because the I isn't the I another layer) modal music (Messiaen, if you dare you could pick a mode that does not contain perfect 5ths. Truth to be told, I like to cheat here, and pick ones that I can emulate traditional harmony, or something that psychologically works the same for me) twelvetone music

I liked this. I think what you explored the most is the melodic properties of the row. Do you use it also to form chords out of it, groups of 3 or 4 at once? At first glance I thought you did not. The organum tool you used P0+p8+p2 is interesting. In fact I liked it a lot. But it felt a bit like cheating on the principle of 12tone music. That said, I like it, because it enhances harmonic implications of the melody, and anything that defies the total emancipation of notes, and gives some ground, I usually like. tonal atonal music :) (Like Berg)

The theme song of Weeds is an older song by Malvina Reynolds. It stuck in my head, I liked the text a lot and it seemed funny to me to treat an 60s protest song as a church hymn and write an old-fashioned choral prelude to it. So for a contest (that I didn't win anything in and forced you to write for a funny combination of instruments, with at least on harpsichord) I made this little ditty. In celebration of the getting alive of this site I thought to share some of my work :) This one is mainly for fun and pretty weird

Hi Daniel. Interesting. I feel like you have developed over the time I haven't been listening to you work. Yet at the same time there are qualities in your work that show continuity. There is constant sense of suspense. Added with blocks of chords, embellished with trills and stuff. Halve way I thought, is he going to write all tutti all the time, but then you didn't. Good. The harmonic language has a sense of continuous suspense. Augmented triads and no resolutions. Yet, the harmonies do sound less static than what I remember from earlier work by you. For my taste I would love to have some more ground, direction, center, but thats taste :D btw, quickly screening through the score I think the final chord misses some F sharps (right hand of both the hammond and the piano) right???

I already loved this quite some time ago when you showed this the first time. But since I have learned to appreciate Lutoslawski, so much more is falling in place. Great work!