My Opera

I’ve been writing an opera since 11/14/18 and it’s coming along very well.

I’m a person that dreams big, and I hope it premieres one day. It would be nice if the Met liked it.

Sometimes I wonder: is it truly worth it? Why put myself through this monster opus if there’s a high chance it will never be performed on the stage? Why try?

Many people like the overture. With that said, is it enough? Lots of people want to be recognized in NY, and a sliver of composers, actors, you name it, actually do.

Why am I like this? Why am I unrealistic with my goals? Why torture myself?

First things first. Would you classify yourself as a beginner, intermediate or advanced composer? It's very hard to give you any advice without knowing where you are at, and where exactly you want to be. 

For me, it seems like you enjoy fantasizing about being "successful", whithout exactly knowing what success really means to you, or without really knowing what goes on in the field you want to be a part of. 

Don't bite more than you can chew, start small and gradually work up to your aims.

3 hours ago, iPiano7 said:

Sometimes I wonder: is it truly worth it? Why put myself through this monster opus if there’s a high chance it will never be performed on the stage? Why try?

I don't think this is really the question at all. I would ask myself: if this was to be performed on the stage, would it be worth the viewer and performer's time? I think it's much more important to hone your skills so that when that chance comes, you use it properly. If it doesn't come for this particular piece, for some other it will surely do. 

I don't want to disencourage you, but I think you should deal with it all with a handful more of patience.

Hello Jean,

I consider myself early advanced. I’ve been composing officially since 2010, and there are a few pieces from earlier written when I was a young kid. I’ve been a classical pianist with a variety of repertoire under my belt since I was seven. I’m almost twenty-five now.

I have been thinking a lot about my audience’s feelings. I almost removed a scene entirely because of its upsetting nature, then I remembered that the aforementioned material is a common opera trope. I won’t say what it is as it is a major spoiler.

I’ve been acquainted with the genre since I was three years old. I can’t sing opera to save my life. You bet I adore it and understand the music theory behind it nonetheless. I treat opera like my oldest friend.

I’m a big risk taker and a very different market than mainstream music. Who wants neoclassical music when you can have Billie Eilish? Sometimes I wonder how common it is for any composer to reach this point of doubt like I am feeling right now. Maybe it will pass with time.

It it's a torture for you, focus on another thing...

18 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

It it's a torture for you, focus on another thing...

 

 

Exactly.

I tell my students or anyone who asks me, write for art's sake.  If it is your desire to write something, write it.  Finish all of your musical dreams.  You never know, it might get played!

On 3/8/2020 at 3:00 AM, maestrowick said:

Finish all of your musical dreams.  You never know, it might get played!

I think this brings an interesting question.

How do you deal with what you wrote after it's finished? It'll never be played if you simply throw it in a drawer.

1 minute ago, Jean Szulc said:

I think this brings an interesting question.

How do you deal with what you wrote after it's finished? It'll never be played if you simply throw it in a drawer.

 

 

Believe it or not, I found the answer to that on this forum!!!  When I got here on here the 2nd time, All these kids 15 years younger than me had some of the BEST VSTS IN THE WORLD.  So I stepped my game up and bought EastWest.  Then I bought a mic.   I started recording everything myself.  ProTools is my best friend! So when I write something, I ask, beg, buy coffee for people so I can get it recorded.  At times, the RECORDING is more important than the performance.  A Good recording will breed other performances. 

@maestrowick I see. And what would you say it's more important to buy first, a VST or a good mic?

A good pair of stereo mikes - let's say the entry level Neumann TLM102 with Shockmounts - will set you back £1000 - about $1300. They're good for quality vocals, speaking, as well as instruments.

Don't want to rain on your parade but I have an associate who wanted to write an opera. Tried writing the libretto himself and scoring for about a chamber-sized orchestra for the pit. What he didn't count on was the sheer expense of staging it. Even a small cast is likely to cost more than the orchestra so, iPiano7, if you hope to see it staged, bear that in mind. There aren't many opera companies who will take on a new work from an unfamiliar composer unless it's commissioned, even if you offered to pay for the production. They're a snobby lot, the Opera set so be ready for hard work! You have impresarios to convince... If a "concert performance" is acceptable to you you have a better chance. 

It may be wise to take advice here and write something smaller - an operetta with a small cast, say, 2 or 3, and with a minimal set. Something like that could be within the scope of a repertory company or theatre. Many towns have "operatic societies" that generally put on G&S or musicals lasting between an hour and 90 minutes total. Ask around and see what's going on near you.

Good luck.

On 3/5/2020 at 7:32 PM, iPiano7 said:

Why am I like this? Why am I unrealistic with my goals? Why torture myself?

I personally think unrealistic expectations are a blessing as well as a curse. Sure, you might get yourself into situations that you don't know how to resolve, but I think part of making art is doing something that scares you. Doing something that is better than what you are. Diving deep into the abyss and triumphing over the unknown, triumphing over who you were before you went in. I say, if you want it, then go get it.

22 minutes ago, Left Unexplained said:

I personally think unrealistic expectations are a blessing as well as a curse. Sure, you might get yourself into situations that you don't know how to resolve, but I think part of making art is doing something that scares you. Doing something that is better than what you are. Diving deep into the abyss and triumphing over the unknown, triumphing over who you were before you went in. I say, if you want it, then go get it.

Beautifully put!

Why don't you just write a self-help book already? 😉 

And, yes, I agree with this @iPiano7. Stretch yourself and see what shape you fall back into.

I've had a few performances of my work in various places. They come and go. 

I tend to look at it this way: the urge to create is there, regardless if the performers are lined up to perform. Like a painter gets the urge to paint, we get the urge to compose. Ideas don't just sit idly and wait for you to have musicians eager to perform your latest opus -that's the reality of our craft. And that painter isn't just going to sit idly and wait to paint a work only when someone is ready to view or buy it -it doesn't work that way.

That said, one suggestion is to check out https://composerssite.com. I regularly see calls for operatic works. Prepare some of your material and send it out. Also, don't be afraid to contact musicians and opera organizations nearby and in your surrounding areas, send them samples of your work, and begin to network and build rapport with them. Often times, this can result in interest in performing your works (or at least, if anything, giving you a reading).

5 hours ago, Quinn said:

A good pair of stereo mikes - let's say the entry level Neumann TLM102 with Shockmounts - will set you back £1000 - about $1300. They're good for quality vocals, speaking, as well as instruments.

 

I would get AT4040s as a starter.  Heck, I'm a professor and I can't afford some TLM103s. Obviously, the u87s are the dream.

5 hours ago, Quinn said:

If a "concert performance" is acceptable to you you have a better chance. 

That's the way to go.  It's actually what I'm planning on doing!

7 hours ago, Jean Szulc said:

@maestrowick I see. And what would you say it's more important to buy first, a VST or a good mic?

 

Six in one hand/half a dozen in the other.  VSTs...GOOD VSTs are expensive also and you need a workhorse computer to run everything.  I chose mics, interface, and cables.   Truthfully, they tend to outlast a computer!

5 hours ago, maestrowick said:

 

I would get AT4040s as a starter.  Heck, I'm a professor and I can't afford some TLM103s. Obviously, the u87s are the dream.

That's the way to go.  It's actually what I'm planning on doing!

Ah....a professor, no less! Then you'll know that a beginner should always start with the  very best they can afford so that they - rather than their gear/the medium/whatever - are the limiting factor. The TLM102s seem expensive (and the user will need an interface that'll add another £100 to the cost) but they're good. A couple of five quid dynamics really aren't going to make it for a serious student.

.

True, the 4040s are great.  Do you like them?

There's always SM57s.   

21 hours ago, jawoodruff said:

I've had a few performances of my work in various places. They come and go. 

I tend to look at it this way: the urge to create is there, regardless if the performers are lined up to perform. Like a painter gets the urge to paint, we get the urge to compose. Ideas don't just sit idly and wait for you to have musicians eager to perform your latest opus -that's the reality of our craft. And that painter isn't just going to sit idly and wait to paint a work only when someone is ready to view or buy it -it doesn't work that way.

That said, one suggestion is to check out https://composerssite.com. I regularly see calls for operatic works. Prepare some of your material and send it out. Also, don't be afraid to contact musicians and opera organizations nearby and in your surrounding areas, send them samples of your work, and begin to network and build rapport with them. Often times, this can result in interest in performing your works (or at least, if anything, giving you a reading).

 

I really like your suggestion. Everyone on this feed has been awesome.

Writing the piece itself is not difficult. It is a large-scale show, and that’s not the challenge. I don’t doubt my capabilities of taking on a big project.

I’ve always been a compulsive worrier. I’m very proud of my opera and I wouldn’t be writing it if I thought it would sit on a shelf and collect dust.

There’s that “tape that plays in my head” that is trying to convince me to drop everything and give up.

I’ll be poking around on that website.