San Antonio Rows

[San Antone]

Apologies for taking so long! I've just listened to it, a very fine piece!  I like it very well, and I am sure Peter will be up for it, as well.

I am really glad.  I will get a PDF of the score in the next few days.

[San Antone]

I've been busy these last few weeks with a work that started out life as a traditional piano trio: violin, cello and piano.  Then morphed into clarinet, cello and piano.  Finally (because of my misreading of a call for scores) it was transformed into a trio of clarinet, bass clarinet and piano.  Although the path to this ensemble was a good bit wayward, I am very pleased with its sound.

I have written a lot of material - pages of sketches which grew exponentially once I began to put the ideas through the standard operations of permutation, inversion, retrograde, inverse-retrograde.  And then duration expansion and contraction.

Once I had all these little snippets in WAV files, I began to put them together in various versions in Presonus Studio One, which is a very good piece of software for flying in files and stacking them up in order to hear how one section of a few bars flows into the next. 

Also, I can pull in electronic sounds underneath everything.

I ended up with a little over 18 minutes, many parts of which I think work beautifully, but other sections that need considerable re-writing, or the editor's knife.   At present, I have eight minutes for the first movement that is almost done - but still a bit longish, so I will probably trim more.  I've have found that almost invariably a piece of music improves by editing out material.

I am also beginning to work on the second half, which is looking like it might break into two movements.

When so much of the piece sounds good, it is a real test of will to step back, and cast a critical eye towards the work in order to identify the weak parts and show no mercy.

Coming soon to this space.

[Karl Henning]

Splendid!

And:  media has landed.  Will advise

[San Antone]

'tis finished (for now) ~ trio: alto flute | bass clarinet | piano + electronics [2014:5]

I began to think about this work around the middle of last year when I began listening to a number of piano trios, Robert Schumann, Brahms, and others.  So I began to try to think of how I might write for the traditional instruments in a piano trio.  But nothing came of it.  I generally prefer woodwinds to string instruments, so I began to try to get some ideas for clarinet, cello and piano.  And even found some thematic gestures and such.  I went on to other things, things for which the music came easier and I did not even think about the trio for months.   At some point, it must have been December or so, I was looking for something on my computer when I found what I had done for the trio.  In the meantime I had begun using a technique of expanding and contracting ideas durationally which I found very productive, and began to take what I had written for the clarinet, cello and piano, and applied this durational manipulation.  And I ended up replacing the cello with a bass clarinet. 

Ultimately, I replaced the clarinet with alto flute and ended up with a two movement work that I consider finished.

https://www.youtube.com/v/iRPf1_RlutY

https://www.youtube.com/v/C_wXBjqAyHA

I took a very minimal approach with the electronics.  Since the trio writing was almost complete in itself, the electronics are added just to remove the sound of the trio from itself.

[Karl Henning]

Congrats! Will check these out soon!

[torut]

Thank you for sharing your music. I heard all the works with great interest, and was looking forward the new one. I like the ambient mood and the subtlety the electronics added. I liked the works with bass clarinet the most.

I generally prefer woodwinds to string instruments

May I ask the reason? Is it that you like woodwinds sounds to hear, and/or you feel woodwinds fit the best for the style of your music?

[San Antone]

Thank you for sharing your music. I heard all the works with great interest, and was looking forward the new one. I like the ambient mood and the subtlety the electronics added. I liked the works with bass clarinet the most.May I ask the reason? Is it that you like woodwinds sounds to hear, and/or you feel woodwinds fit the best for the style of your music?

Thanks for listening and sharing your reactions.  Regarding woodwinds vs. strings, it is something I feel right now; i.e. that woodwinds, especially the low winds (English horn, bassoon, bass clarinet, alto, bass flute) and also low brass, seem to be the sound I am hearing more than strings.

[torut]

Thanks for listening and sharing your reactions.  Regarding woodwinds vs. strings, it is something I feel right now; i.e. that woodwinds, especially the low winds (English horn, bassoon, bass clarinet, alto, bass flute) and also low brass, seem to be the sound I am hearing more than strings.

Thank you for your explanation. I prefer strings (it's not that I dislike woodwinds; I too like low register wind instruments), and wondered how your music for strings would sound. I am not saying music with strings is better. The particular instrumentation of your works creates very unique atmosphere.

[San Antone]

Three new things.  The first two are part of a series of works in which I used the same process, and which involved some indeterminate methods.  The program note for these two works is, "bassoon | piano | orchestra bells + electronics and horn | harpsichord | vibraphone + electronics are the second and third of three pieces all which share certain elements of process, and which involve three instruments and electronics in a meditative, ephemeral manner.  They evoke, somewhat, a Zen garden. The first work of this series was previously posted, bass flute | mellophone | harp + electronics."

https://www.youtube.com/v/erO1QYSLtZ0

https://www.youtube.com/v/J6yKUCvP4Dg

This next work is something a bit different; it was inspired by and utilizes some jazz elements: "flugelhorn | tenor saxophone | trombone + electronics is a jazz inspired, but more specifically inspired from the period of 1970-1972 of the electronic bands of Miles Davis.  What I did was combine my current working process with the sound of jazz from this period."

https://www.youtube.com/v/VUNmd5kOOcQ

As always, I hope you listen and enjoy what you hear; and comments are welcome.

[torut]

This next wrok is something a bit different; it was inspired by and utilizes some jazz elements: "flugelhorn | tenor saxophone | trombone + electronics is a jazz inspired, but more specifically inspired from the period of 1970-1972 of the electronic bands of Miles Davis.  What I did was combine my current working process with the sound of jazz from this period."

https://www.youtube.com/v/VUNmd5kOOcQ

I enjoyed this a lot. Interleaved abstract melodies, rhythmic, and electronics parts are all nice. Not only 1970-72, but also Miles Davis band in early 1980's came to my mind, probably because of the lightness of the beats.

[San Antone]

Thanks

[jochanaan]

...This next wrok is something a bit different; it was inspired by and utilizes some jazz elements: "flugelhorn | tenor saxophone | trombone + electronics is a jazz inspired, but more specifically inspired from the period of 1970-1972 of the electronic bands of Miles Davis.  What I did was combine my current working process with the sound of jazz from this period."

https://www.youtube.com/v/VUNmd5kOOcQ

As always, I hope you listen and enjoy what you hear; and comments are welcome.

I think Miles would have approved.  Those chimes reminded me of the fourth of Webern's Six Pieces for Orchestra, one of my favorites!

[San Antone]

I think Miles would have approved.  Those chimes reminded me of the fourth of Webern's Six Pieces for Orchestra, one of my favorites!

Thanks.  I always appreciate your thoughts.

[Rinaldo]

I was reminded of this thread recently and came back to hear the rest of what's been posted. Couldn't help but share one of your pieces on my daily listening diary. I hope you're doing well and there's more music on the way.

[San Antone]

I was reminded of this thread recently and came back to hear the rest of what's been posted. Couldn't help but share one of your pieces on my daily listening diary. I hope you're doing well and there's more music on the way.

Thank you for posting my piece on your blog, I appreciate your interest very much.  2014 was a very productive year for me, I ended finishing 52 works.  To hear some of these newer things, you can visit my Soundcloud page or my music blog.

Thanks, again,

/d/

[Karl Henning]

Cheers!

[San Antone]

A work I finished near the end of 2014, one which appeals to me more and more.

cor anglais | string quartet | bassoon + fixed media [ 2014 - 46 ]

https://www.youtube.com/v/_D_2Y2IWKTA&feature=youtu.be

This is a MIDI realization (using Garritan Personal Orchestra 4 instruments with Finale 2011). I also created a fixed media track which utilizes water drops, chimes and other synthesized electronic sounds.  I would love to arrange to have it performed, or at least rehearsed and recorded.

It begins very softly for about a minute before the english horn enters ...

[San Antone]

brass quintet + fixed media [ 2015.8 ]

https://www.youtube.com/v/a_nw4GEqSsg

A very quiet work.  This brass quintet is scored for two cornets, tenor horn (Eb), mellophone and euphonium, but can also be played by the standard quintet of trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba or bass trombone with slight modification.  Artwork by Giacomo Di Chirico.

[Karl Henning]

That versatility in scoring should be a plus!

[San Antone]

That versatility in scoring should be a plus!

I scored it originally for the standard quintet with tuba, but then got to thinking of a version for concert band brass.  I prefer the mellower sound of the cornet and the other brass, so went for it.  There were a few octave displacements because of range but other than that, no changes.  Regarding performance possibilities, I guess the standard quintet is much more likely.  But, still a long shot for my stuff.

Along those lines, I've been writing for "standard" ensembles, e.g. flute, viola and harp; Stravinsky's Solder septet.  Who knows ...