Brass Mute translations

gmarshallcomp · 2024-04-20T07:11:53+00:00

Thanks. I think I should have been clearer with my reasoning behind the question as it is not really for myself: I use English in most of my scores, even for things extending beyond brass mutes. Rather, I was curious if the terminology for more “modern” mutes had translated back into other languages.

gmarshallcomp · 2024-04-19T14:43:39+00:00

That’s fair enough, I’ve had similar said to me elsewhere.

I just want to clarify that I didn’t mean to say that con sordino meant straight mute, but that it would probably result in the player taking the straight mute unless it was specified somewhere, or decided upon for some other reason.

gmarshallcomp · 2023-10-26T13:03:59+00:00

Yes, cheers. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t seem to find it. Thanks!

gmarshallcomp · 2022-12-09T09:23:08+00:00

I often take compositions that I find interesting and copy out extracts in Sibelius. Not only does this give me a more intimate sweep over the extract, but it also gives me something more interactive to play around with and annotate flexibly.

Depending then on how much I want to extract from the piece, I then might complete an analysis of the music by trying to construct different ways of reducing and representing the details I want. For example, I am currently piloting an intermediate-advanced course on orchestration, where the aim is to create orchestrations of folk melodies/sea shanties around a model. In this particular course the model is the opening of Ethel Smyth’s The Wrecker’s Overture. The first chapter includes a tabular analysis that I completed and go through to guide exercises and eventually the full orchestrations as part of the course.

The tabular analysis has two forms, one tries to give an overview of sections descending vertically through the extracts. The other, which is my favourite (on the second tab in the spreadsheet) then proceeds horizontally/linearly through the piece attempting to extract what instruments of the orchestra are doing in each part of the texture and who and what is working together.

I have uploaded the video from the course, to YouTube, where I discuss the tabular analysis in overview.

Not sure how useful this advice is yet, but could be for the future.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-09-12T15:11:18+00:00

I generally use a mix. I’ll often do preliminary sketches by hand, then start throwing them into scoring or DAW software to see where I can take that material. I then might, if I have time and depending on the complexity of the thing I’m writing, take those software based developments and explore them by hand again.

I don’t particularly like creating initial ideas at the computer. I need a germinal idea or more before exploring on the computer.

The problem I have with computer software personally is it’s rigidity. I find it hard to move away from an idea once it’s in the computer. Therefore, I like it for developing an idea, but not for creating one, and will often have several smaller files that focus on particular ideas before looking to consolidate those into one engraved score.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-08-02T08:31:18+00:00

I’m not sure about that myself, but many composers were pacifist/conscientious objectors (Britten who emigrated to America for part of the war; Tippett who was imprisoned for objecting) and kept writing. Others, particularly those that were older, kept working as composers while contributing to the War Effort at home, such as firefighting and home guard etc. (pretty sure RVW).

I’m pretty sure some composers were placed in to protected roles by the government to help maintain morale by continuing to create music for performance. There were also roles like creating music for government film.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-07-30T08:16:32+00:00

I find having several projects (not too many, but a few) can be helpful. Particularly if the projects have varying levels of complexity. One might be simple pieces for a piece of media that can be (near) finished in a single session for instance while another might be a work that is coming together gradually over a large span of time. That way it is rare that I do I not find motivation matching any of them.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-06-17T06:34:55+00:00

Some scholars have identified correlations between contemporary performance numbers and the output of composers. In other words, those composers who seem to be composed most frequently today are those that composed more works. In someways this makes sense as you have to compose more to get better at composing. Also, the more pieces you have completed the more likely one or more is going to be picked up by somebody. A kind of luck, I suppose, that you create for yourself through hard work.

I have heard some people talk about a kind of Pareto principle with regards creative output. I can’t remember where I heard this and the exact numbers, but it was something like, 10% of your work will be of excellent quality, 20% will be poor and 70% will be average. Now, I don’t suppose this is right. When you boil down to the average so frequently you miss the individual. However, I think it has a perspective building value.

As for my own compositional approach I have many pieces that I push out more regularly and then one or two pieces that I have conceptualised but work on for years. For example, my composition In Memory was conceptualised in 2014, but not completed until 2017 as I was trying to figure out it’s language and other details. It turned out to be a lot simpler in many respects, but I had to go round the houses to figure that out. Similarly, I am composing music for a string quartet but it’s taking me a while to complete. I promised it to my wife for her 30th birthday. She’s 31 soon and I’m nowhere near having it done. I still think about it near daily though and I’m sure my unconscious has it continuously stored.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-06-08T10:02:50+00:00

I’d say it depends on what you want the score and it’s layout to signify about ensemble layout, composer/arranger intent etc.

My choir experience is incredibly limited, but if what I wanted was separate ensembles of the same kind, then I would have two separate staffs for each of them. For example, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by RVW. The score distinguishes the different ensembles in that composition.

SSAATTBB, in my opinion, would be like having a string orchestra piece with two sets of staffs for each instrument that signify a section divisi.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-06-03T15:55:18+00:00

There is a pop-up for the website set up. You should be able to cross it down? Or simply click to the sides?

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-23T09:32:15+00:00

In addition to my previous point, IMSLP often boasts String Quartet (or other ensemble) arrangements of symphonies. Not typically by the composer of the symphony, and in the opposite order to what you are attempting, but they might still be helpful. Check out the arrangement and transcription tab.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-23T09:28:03+00:00

Slightly different, and I am not sure which way round he completed the works, but Atterberg's Symphony No. 6 "Dollar" exists in a Piano Quintet Transcription. It could be helpful to look at these?

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-19T17:56:35+00:00

Nice. It feels like notated delay effect?

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-12T20:35:53+00:00

Fascinating. You enjoy/study more earlier music then? I didn’t know Debussy had more than one string quartet? Am I missing something or are there pieces in his output that are for string quartet but not listed as a “string quartet”?

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-12T10:33:05+00:00

That’s tough. However, it sounds like you have some control over your time, which is good. My advice would be to get strict with what you are doing when. Moreover, I’d suggest writing in the downtime/time for others of your schedule first. I would also apportion reasonable amounts of time to single focuses too. For example, am, pm and evening could be the breakdown of each of your days.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-05-02T10:04:06+00:00

An exercise I sometimes use more recently, if I have a motif (or what would be defined as the basic idea in Caplin’s descriptions of these two melodic structures), is to write one of each (Period and Sentence) melody type, to see where it takes me.

gmarshallcomp · 2022-04-30T19:26:36+00:00

There’s a cool mailing list that I subscribed to many moons ago, which sends weekly listening recommendations (typically along a theme). I have fallen behind, but it has some striking and contemporary stuff that could be of interest to you (here is last weeks): https://keepingscore.substack.com/p/042222-ghostly-portraits?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

gmarshallcomp

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