Ottevanger's Omphaloskeptic Outpost

[Guido]

Bask in the warm coruscating radiance of my aura of all-embracing love. Or it might be radioactive contamination. Whatever.

I still can't get over the brilliance of the words of that song. And the fact that she's already pointing out gaps in your reasoning doesn't bode well... (and the reasoning of a 1st class Cambridge graduate no less!)

[Maciek]

Ah, Cambridge is overrated.

You should know.

[karlhenning]

You've lost that flame-throwing feeling . . . oh-oh that flame-throwing feeling . . . .

The downloads must wait until tomorrow (Chowder Time), Luke!

[Maciek]

What? No one jumping to defend the university where the hero of my thesis studied? I'm really disappointed, gentlemen...

[lukeottevanger]

Nah, I think you were probably about right to start with.

[Guido]

Perhaps you should!

Today I learned that I am studying Science at the university that is ranked highest in science in the world. I am glad to say that I am adding nothing to that reputation.

[lukeottevanger]

...Today I learned that I am studying Science...

Wow, the stuff they're teaching there nowadays! I had it easy, I can see...

[Guido]

Luke that was mainly for those uninitiated few who don't have psychic powers like you or I (the true requisite to get into Cambridge), who may not know that I am doing science. I don't know why I thought it needed capitalising...

But yes you did have it easy - Cambridge has a new system of "dumbing up" everything, or everyone rather so that we all feel that what we're doing is really difficult, when actually it just makes no sense whatsoever. Ah the beauties of academia!

(Goedel's incompleteness theorem is one of the most interesting things I've learned about here, and its not even in my course! Basically though, the whole of Maths has somewhat suspect foundations... naturally they (mathematicians) stay rather quiet about it (Though that may be the Asperger's))

[Maciek]

Hey, I thought you were choosing stamp collecting?

[Guido]

Well that is in reference to Rutherford's quotation:

All science is either physics or stamp collecting.

At the beginning of the year Physics was my subject of choice... Now (or next year rather) I will be doing Geology, History and Philosophy of Science and Psychology. (!)

[Maciek]

You've come a long way!

[Maciek]

I always wanted to study either Maths or Musicology. How I ended up on Polish Studies is beyond me... (In high school, I even wrote an essay about Goedel's theorem in connection to 20th century literature! )

[lukeottevanger]

OK, level with me! If 6 of you have downloaded the piece and only one has commented, am I to take that as an implicit negative response? That's not fishing - I ask because I too am turning against the piece somewhat! I was so involved in writing it that I began to find it hard to assess its quality; revisiting it now that I haven't looked at the score for a couple of days, I feel rather deflated. Note-to-note it is mostly OK or better, I think, it still 'sounds like me' (not always something I am comfy with, as I'm not always comfy with myself, but which, as I've emphasized in the past, I prize highly in music) and there are some solid and interesting structural features. But the whole thing seems quite impersonal, perhaps because of over-thinking, perhaps because it is a relatively formal piece which doesn't always sit comfortably with me. Or is that conclusion overly omphaloskeptic in itself? 

Perhaps this is a way for me to discover, once and for all, what I suspected - that I am better in 1) smaller forms and 2) more intuitive composition. Well, so be it - I may just return in that direction.

Of course, it may turn out that you all love the piece, in which case, ignore all that - it is obviously an utter masterpiece

[karlhenning]

OK, level with me! If 6 of you have downloaded the piece and only one has commented, am I to take that as an implicit negative response?

Ach! I have not downloaded yet!  Sorry to keep you waiting, Luke!

In the spirit of 'leveling with you', it may well be next week.

[lukeottevanger]

Ach! I have not downloaded yet!  Sorry to keep you waiting, Luke!

In the spirit of 'leveling with you', it may well be next week.

No problem at all Karl. - I'm grateful that you intend to do so at all. It will be good to get a variety of outside opinions, however, given my doubts!

[karlhenning]

From what I've seen and heard of your work, Luke, maybe I have fewer doubts about you than you do, yourself 

[Guido]

I suppose it will be easier to judge once Karl has given its premier (and w have all duly been sent a recording of said premiere!). I will write some more notes on the matter once I have listened a few mre times, and when i have time. As I've already said, I do really like it, but I also think its quite austere, harmonically at least, in comparison to your other pieces, perhaps this is why you think it might sound impersonal (but then a real clarinet will add greater warmth of course.) I like the way in the central movement there are little hints of romantic beauty, but they are like snatches that sem to dissolve away (reminds me of Goldschmidt in that way). I will have to listen again, I've probably said too much already on only two listens... I'll keep stumm until I have heard it a few more times.

[lukeottevanger]

I suppose it will be easier to judge once Karl has given its premier (and w have all duly been sent a recording of said premiere!). I will write some more notes on the matter once I have listened a few mre times, and when i have time. As I've already said, I do really like it, but I also think its quite austere, harmonically at least, in comparison to your other pieces, perhaps this is why you think it might sound impersonal (but then a real clarinet will add greater warmth of course.) I like the way in the central movement there are little hints of romantic beauty, but they are like snatches that sem to dissolve away (reminds me of Goldschmidt in that way). I will have to listen again, I've probably said too much already on only two listens... I'll keep stumm until I have heard it a few more times.

Thanks, Guido, I think you are right to discern a certain austerity; it's there deliberately. I wanted to refine and 'classicise' the upsurge of heterophonic tendencies which I encourage in my more intuitive pieces, and that led to this Sonata being extremely linear and even properly contrapuntal to a certain extent. So, the two 'subjects' of the first movement are very clearly written in four and two parts respectively; and the second movement is mostly built up of superimposed flowing lines in imitation, augmentation and diminution of each other [the texture of this movement, with its calmly fluid lines, was the first thing I decided on for the piece, btw - the quotation at its head, 'humble, precious, chaste' stands for many of the musical concerns that are important to me in general]. Only the central chorale of that second movement, which forms the fulcrum of the whole piece in many ways, is strongly homophonic, at least until the last movement, which serves as a recapitulation and synthesis of much of the previous two movements as well as a chaconne in its own right.

Whether or not this classicizing austerity is 'a good thing' is a more moot point, and is probably the thing I can't decide myself just yet. It implies a certain distancing which I am uncomfortable with; but at the same time it leaves the music free to stand for itself, which is obviously positive. I will slog on with the omphaloskepsis...

[lukeottevanger]

....starting to enjoy the piece again....

Still more distance from it, and now I'm starting to be able to appreciate it just as a piece of music, not as That Piece I've Been Caught Up In For Weeks. 

[Guido]

Are youy ever moved by your own compositions? I recently read a story that Shostakovich started weeping when he first heard his string quartet no.8 being played because he was so moved, and I found the story very strange, but I couldnt't say why. I suppose I think its more normal now, but still I find it a little odd...

Couldyou put a composerly perspective on the matter?