Music for Orchestra 14 - (Approx 5 1/2 minutes)

A modern piece. Chromatic. Mostly calm, drowsy.

I'm trying to move on from previous work which has been mostly chromatic. It was inspired by a "mood" but I haven't titled it. Through-composed, no tune of merit beyond a few motifs; relies on contrasts in the registers of instrumental groups; sustained veils of sound punctuated by rhythmical outbursts usually brass. The time signature is arbitrary.  Texture is generally thin.

The audio file is numbered XX (20) but it's closer to No.14 (all written over half a dozen years or so. I scrapped a few and renumbered them. 

There’s a score problem yet to resolve: I’m asking for 2 Trombones but in fact started writing for 3. I’ll have to add a third part in the final clear-up.

Another problem is with the engraving - this notation software can’t “change voice” with a tuplet without making a right mess. So there are points in the brass with 2 voices on the same staff in triplets that I’ve left as chords rather than tails-up/tails-down. I’ll deal with that later.

If you have time to give it a listen, many thanks. Critique is always appreciated and gratefully received, good or bad. 

Two versions of the score are offered: one with all staves throughout, the other with only staves used on a page.

I love it! An explosion of colors and textures, and expressive.

Nice!  I like it - I love the intriguing impression I get with all the strings doing a glissando together.  I assume that this score is all in concert pitch?  That creates some problems in the Bass Clarinet part - namely, all clarinets are used to reading parts in treble clef.  The Bb Bass Clarinet would just play the same range as the Bb Soprano Clarinet but an octave lower.  I keep getting the impression that you're John Williams writing in a slightly more modern style.  Your writing for the trombones and trumpets can be quite fanfare-like!  That's quite percussive and hence idiomatic.  The strings, harp and woodwinds sometimes create these kinds of concerted flourishes which are quite cool!  The duration of the piece goes by very quickly and is jam packed with material!  I love your indication at the end of the score:  "Time to wake up!  Look lively."  Haha  Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Quinn,

Your usage of orchestral colour is really amazing. I like the Eb clarinet, and this is actually the first time I've listened to the sound of a double bass clarinet. I guess that's the reason why a contrabassoon is not required here!

I still maintain that this piece is pointilistic even you say that you have never thought of Webern in the last post. Very effective and varied use of orchestral colours by allowing all the instruments to have their solo in short passages. That creates contrast but with the short lapse of time create surprise as well!

I love all those harp passages, the fanfare like brass passages as Peter mentioned, all those E flat clarinet and contrabass clarinet passages. I also love the chalumeau passage of the Bb clarinet. 

Quite sad the glissando isn't produced in the recording, since it fits so well in this piece!

It's a nearly 6 minute piece but I feel like the time flees so quickly with all those varied colours, and your pace is great in this piece since every passages is eventful. Thanks for your sharing!!

Henry

Wow, I don't even really know what to say to this.

You're so good, and as @Luis Hernández said, this is an explosion of color. I'm amazed how I was interested all the way through, as there wasn't a single thing that I could latch on to to make it so. Yet much like your "Sun" piece (something like that, you probably know what I'm referring to 😄), I was mesmerized by the sheer range of color that you used. It reminds me of why Howard Stern was so popular, everyone wanted to know what he would say next. The same goes for this piece...even though I had no idea what to expect, I was lambasted with a plethora of color and variation in the orchestration I'm not usually accustomed to. 

The higher register of the tuba, the low register of the bass clarinet, etc. etc. Wonderful work here. I'm curious, though. You make it seem like this was just an older idea brought to life. But I'd love if there was some theme attached as part of a larger work. You're truly a master of the orchestra, and I can't wait for more.

Outstanding! My only regret is that I don't get to hear more from you!

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. 

On 2/6/2023 at 7:10 PM, Luis Hernández said:

I love it! An explosion of colors and textures, and expressive.

Many thanks indeed, Luis.

On 2/6/2023 at 8:25 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

Nice!  I like it - I love the intriguing impression I get with all the strings doing a glissando together.  I assume that this score is all in concert pitch?  That creates some problems in the Bass Clarinet part - namely, all clarinets are used to reading parts in treble clef.  The Bb Bass Clarinet would just play the same range as the Bb Soprano Clarinet but an octave lower.  I keep getting the impression that you're John Williams writing in a slightly more modern style.  Your writing for the trombones and trumpets can be quite fanfare-like!  That's quite percussive and hence idiomatic.  The strings, harp and woodwinds sometimes create these kinds of concerted flourishes which are quite cool!  The duration of the piece goes by very quickly and is jam packed with material!  I love your indication at the end of the score:  "Time to wake up!  Look lively."  Haha  Thanks for sharing!

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. 

On 2/7/2023 at 1:07 AM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Your usage of orchestral colour is really amazing. I like the Eb clarinet, and this is actually the first time I've listened to the sound of a double bass clarinet. I guess that's the reason why a contrabassoon is not required here!

I still maintain that this piece is pointilistic even you say that you have never thought of Webern in the last post. Very effective and varied use of orchestral colours by allowing all the instruments to have their solo in short passages. That creates contrast but with the short lapse of time create surprise as well!

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.  .

On 2/7/2023 at 1:07 AM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

It's a nearly 6 minute piece but I feel like the time flees so quickly with all those varied colours, and your pace is great in this piece since every passages is eventful. Thanks for your sharing!!

Really appreciate your comments. Thank you for listening.

.

On 2/7/2023 at 5:45 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

You're so good, and as @Luis Hernández said, this is an explosion of color. I'm amazed how I was interested all the way through, as there wasn't a single thing that I could latch on to to make it so. Yet much like your "Sun" piece (something like that, you probably know what I'm referring to 😄), I was mesmerized by the sheer range of color that you used. It reminds me of why Howard Stern was so popular, everyone wanted to know what he would say next. The same goes for this piece...even though I had no idea what to expect, I was lambasted with a plethora of color and variation in the orchestration I'm not usually accustomed to. 

The higher register of the tuba, the low register of the bass clarinet, etc. etc. Wonderful work here. I'm curious, though. You make it seem like this was just an older idea brought to life. But I'd love if there was some theme attached as part of a larger work. You're truly a master of the orchestra, and I can't wait for more.

Outstanding! My only regret is that I don't get to hear more from you!

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. 

Hi Quinn.

The atmosphere you create is in my opinion very well achieved but for some outburst that I felt that was "too much" for that moment which kicked me a bit off the piece (near 1:46 I believe).

Though contrasts between instruments are very well done I think that's not enough to keep me hanging but I gave it another listen regardless of that. The more you get acquainted with this theme (as it probably happens with many), the better you understand it and the way it develops, more or less, and despite it still doesn't convince me fully as I think the last minute was just "too much of the same trick", I would say that I liked the piece overall, and loved the end and the very beginning of it.

Kind regards,
Daniel–Ømicrón. 

Another Quinn masterpiece!

So beautifully rendered: sounds like real musicians playing most of the time.

Love the jagged fractured structure of this work, and the intriguing unpredictable harmonies. All very mysterious!