complainte de la lune en province (piano & baryton)

Hello everyone,

Here is my last little composition, this time for piano and singing.

Text full of bitterness by Jules Laforgue, whom I love so much, for this very particular language, a mixture of strangeness and almost ridiculous simplicity.

Do not hesitate for any remarks or criticisms.

I know I'm not very in tune with my time... And that I still cultivate the impressionist nostalgia somewhat... But well... ok.

Why hello there!

I must say you have well written Leider.  I love the haunting piano chordal accompaniment. It remindss me of Debussy and Schubert. The tonal colors are just a chef kiss. It fits the overall theme: the moon. I cannot say anything negative. 

Well, I'm glad you like it.

I know that I can be blamed for redoing post-impressionism or anachronistic romanticism.

There would naturally be other ways to musically illustrate these beautiful texts by Jules Laforgue that have accompanied me since I was very young, but hey, I assume at my almost advanced age to be able to do what goes through my head!

I sometimes mentioned some reproaches that could be made to me in my youth, where my mentors saw my writing a little as retrograde (they excused me because I was nice anyway haha)

But at 54, my old serial masters no longer have too many reproaches to make me, where they are. And since I compose for my simple leisure, I admit that I feel free on YouTube to pass for anachronistic....

In any case, thank you for listening, it makes me very happy!

This is lovely! I couldn't possibly give any criticism, and one reason I liked it a lot is because I adore impressionistic music. The piece itself progresses well and both parts feel balanced, having distinct characters but going well together. What I wanted to particularly mention is that I am a fan of the playing, as it truly brought out the mood of each phrase and the transitions.

14 minutes ago, piajo said:

This is lovely! I couldn't possibly give any criticism, and one reason I liked it a lot is because I adore impressionistic music. The piece itself progresses well and both parts feel balanced, having distinct characters but going well together. What I wanted to particularly mention is that I am a fan of the playing, as it truly brought out the mood of each phrase and the transitions.

 

Merci !

Hey Jean @Krisp,

Sorry for another late reply even though I have heard this piece immediately after your release. I always love your harmonic language. 1:20 I love your modulation here! You move to the darker Eb minor after a refreshing start. Although there are lovely harmonies everywhere, I really love the chords in 2:38! Ending in the tritone of Bb after a E minor start is a nice touch!

On 11/22/2024 at 2:28 AM, Krisp said:

I know I'm not very in tune with my time... And that I still cultivate the impressionist nostalgia somewhat... But well... ok.

I would prefer this to the music now haha.

On 11/22/2024 at 4:47 PM, Krisp said:

I know that I can be blamed for redoing post-impressionism or anachronistic romanticism.

For me I think some of  the "progressives" are just writing music with nasty sound and claim themselves to be progressives. They are writing sounds rather than music when sound is put the highest emphasis.

On 11/22/2024 at 2:28 AM, Krisp said:

Do not hesitate for any remarks or criticisms.

It would be great to add una corda for the last sentence after the "cotton in the ear" with the more muffled sound in piano!

Thx for sharing!!!

Henry 

6 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hey Jean @Krisp,

Sorry for another late reply even though I have heard this piece immediately after your release. I always love your harmonic language. 1:20 I love your modulation here! You move to the darker Eb minor after a refreshing start. Although there are lovely harmonies everywhere, I really love the chords in 2:38! Ending in the tritone of Bb after a E minor start is a nice touch!

I would prefer this to the music now haha.

For me I think some of  the "progressives" are just writing music with nasty sound and claim themselves to be progressives. They are writing sounds rather than music when sound is put the highest emphasis.

It would be great to add una corda for the last sentence after the "cotton in the ear" with the more muffled sound in piano!

Thx for sharing!!!

Henry 

 

Thank you for your attentive listening.

I admit that I have moved on to other occupations since the writing of this piece and you are grateful that you can bring me back a little to the time of this composition.

I am very happy that my little harmonic tricks win your support. You must have noticed that when you walk on the edge of the tone, you can get trapped by ease and convention, and soon also make big beginner mistakes that are then understood as writing clumsiness. It is therefore a little challenge to play on these lines while trying not to fall into the traps. There is sometimes some left (you must have heard something that crumples me: on the words "plaquant un dernier accord", I left the delay and the note delayed at the same time, telling myself that I was going to correct this later to make the line clearer. Especially since it is the evocation of the "dernier accord, last chord", so a certain furtive dissonance was my goal, Because this last chord could only be slightly dissonant, but here, I find afterwards that the idea lacks precision of execution and is understood as a clumsiness rather than as a will. That's how it is ; I have to accept to leave failed things according to my own criteria (others will find that the whole thing is failed Haha).

You are also right about the possible use of unacorda, which I generally love Because I consider it a very important piano timbre game, especially in chamber music. It is also something that could have been done easily. And there was a card to play just as you emphasize between the sound and the meaning on the cotton in the ears. The reason is very trivial: I don't have a unacorda on my master keyboard. I didn't  recorded the piano not on my digital piano (a clavinova) which is to the right of my desk, not very easy, but on the Komplete keyboard that is just under my hands when I am sitting in front of my machines, and there is only one midi pedal for the sostenuto.

That's what I can say.

And thank you again! Your opinion is precious to me!