The Fox & the Rabbit - A Story for Narrator and String Orchestra

The_Fox_and_the_Rabbit_Score.pdf

The_Fox_and_the_Rabbit_Story_and_Notes.pdf

musicstory.mp3

Hey guys, been a while since I posted a piece here (have some stuff in the works but this is the first thing I've finished recently). This is my submission to the Winter 2017 programmatic music contest. In this case I did something a little different, I wrote a piece for orchestra and narrator (like Peter and the Wolf, which I was heavily inspired by). I do think there are some places where I could refine / expand upon (particularly have the finale in mind), but it is nearing the deadline and I am at the point where I just really want to put it out there to share and get some feedback. This is also probably the fastest I've completed a piece in it's entirety - when I entered the contest on the 5th of this month I only had the first two movements and a rough outline of the story.

The narration in the audio is also done by me, hopefully it was a serviceable job. I tried to compose almost exclusively at the piano this time and also tried to use some more interesting keys.

Hope you enjoy! (Also, the title isn't final - if you have a recommendation for a better one please let me know!)

Total Length: ~14 minutes

Length (only music): ~9 minutes

Hey, I enjoyed both the story and the music. My favorite sections were the darker ones, "lento misterioso" and "allegro malinconico." I particularly liked the descending chromatic line in the fox's section that becomes harmonized with itself in sixths and sevenths, reappearing later on with the fox's retreat. Some of the writing in your darker sections, particularly the "allegro furioso," reminded me of Philip Glass' score to accompany the old silent film Dracula -- lots of repeating, ostinato-esque motifs exuding a sinister mood. (It's good; check it out if you haven't already.)

I'm not really sure why the "allegro furioso" section is written in 12/8 when you used dotted notes almost the whole time. Couldn't you have used 4/4 in a slower tempo, then just used triplets/sextuplets for the falling motif at the end?

Also, I would've loved a more subtle, sneaky and mysterious theme for the fox played in a quick pizzicato; from both the music and the story, it seems he's more angry (like the stereotypical wolf character in folklore) than clever and sneaky (like the archetypal fox character).

Well done!

Sorry!

I listened to this when you uploaded but couldn't do it completely. 

In general, it's lovely and very nice. It's a wonderful project and I have nothing to say about the music because I think it fits well with the different parts of the story.

I wonder if, suppose, this is performed or released in some way..., perhaps introducing other type of instrument would give it more color...

Your voice is also nice!

Greetings!

On 3/20/2017 at 8:20 AM, Noah Brode said:

Hey, I enjoyed both the story and the music. My favorite sections were the darker ones, "lento misterioso" and "allegro malinconico." I particularly liked the descending chromatic line in the fox's section that becomes harmonized with itself in sixths and sevenths, reappearing later on with the fox's retreat. Some of the writing in your darker sections, particularly the "allegro furioso," reminded me of Philip Glass' score to accompany the old silent film Dracula -- lots of repeating, ostinato-esque motifs exuding a sinister mood. (It's good; check it out if you haven't already.)

Thank you! I'll definitely give it a listen. I do think that perhaps I should try to make a more concentrated effort to avoid ostinato in order to diversify my capabilities, as it's a little early for me to become so set in style (my last major work was also pretty heavy on ostinato).

On 3/20/2017 at 8:20 AM, Noah Brode said:

I'm not really sure why the "allegro furioso" section is written in 12/8 when you used dotted notes almost the whole time. Couldn't you have used 4/4 in a slower tempo, then just used triplets/sextuplets for the falling motif at the end?

On 3/20/2017 at 8:20 AM, Noah Brode said:

Also, I would've loved a more subtle, sneaky and mysterious theme for the fox played in a quick pizzicato; from both the music and the story, it seems he's more angry (like the stereotypical wolf character in folklore) than clever and sneaky (like the archetypal fox

That is a good idea. I in general think I underutilized pizzicato (I feel like I never know when to use it). Thanks for the insight, as particularly for the introducing sections with the fox what I had intended to make was moreso an atmosphere of foreboding than outright aggressiveness (though this particular fox is definitely more easily angered than the typical one).

On 3/20/2017 at 8:20 AM, Noah Brode said:

Well done!

Thank you!

On 4/9/2017 at 8:11 AM, Luis Hernández said:

In general, it's lovely and very nice. It's a wonderful project and I have nothing to say about the music because I think it fits well with the different parts of the story.

Thanks!

On 4/9/2017 at 8:11 AM, Luis Hernández said:

I wonder if, suppose, this is performed or released in some way..., perhaps introducing other type of instrument would give it more color...

That is a good idea. I didn't use an wind instruments due to time constrains (especially with my inexperience in using them) but maybe if I converted this into a piece for full orchestra it could be more captivating.

On 4/9/2017 at 8:11 AM, Luis Hernández said:

Your voice is also nice!

Thank you and thanks for your comments!