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Finally
Would you believe that despite teh number of recordings I've had over the years, I've never actually listened to the whole of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony? I've listened to the second movement, the Scherzo, many many times. In fact it's one of my favourite pieces of Beethoven. A delightful, rocketing fugue. But I've never actually listened to all ( Read more... ) -
Accents
You ever talk to someone with such a strong (not necessarily thick, but strong) accent that you have to watch yourself so you don't imitate them? Well, I had a lady in the store yesterday right before I left that had a nice present Irish accent. I almost imitated her once... and I had to resist the urge to go "deedle-ee-dee potatoes" (those who ( Read more... ) -
Café L-Van
Nothing quite like a cup of coffee and Beethoven on a dreary Sunday morning to really energize the soul. Especially the wondrous Seventh Symphony in A. It's Beethoven at his lyrical finest and in his sort of Sturm und Drang element at his fiery best.
Edit: I sit corrected. This symphony is not Sturm und Drang, it's proof that Beethoven gave us God ( Read more... ) -
And now for something completely different....
SOAP NOODLES!
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CBC's Hockey Night In Canada Anthem Challenge
Well, at the insistence of my Aunt Diana, I've written a piece for the CBC's Hockey Night In Canada Anthem Challenge. Officially entitled "Fanfare in E Flat", but submitted under the title "Blue Line Fanfare", here's my original composition.
Blue Line Fanfare for brass sextetPlease, PLEASE go to the site and vote for me. I would be really grateful ( Read more... ) -
Father...
Another post in the same day? Wow! I'm on a roll... not that anyone reads this thing or cares ( Read more... ) -
The Phoenix rises further
Well, the second movement of my Second Symphony (subtitled The Phoenix) is complete. A B-minor Theme and Variations clocking in at 8:27 ... longer than the first movement. It's kinda fun writing variations on an original theme instead of stealing a tune to play with.
So that's two movements down, two movements to go. -
Interesting news
As some of you may know, i'm a neurotic composer. I like making sure that my work is playable by a fair number of musicians, and for this, I use a lot of musician forums. Well, one instrument with which I'm not too familiar is the Tuba. So in writing my theme and variations from my second symphony, I posted the melody I'd written for tuba on a Tuba ( Read more... ) -
Music that has changed my life, Part I: Orchestral/Solo
Thinking back on it this morning, there are a lot of pieces of music that have altered the way I write my own or that have taught me things (in addition to being fantastic pieces of music). Here's a small sampling...
Johann Sebastian Bach - Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor: The immense Bach Passacaglia taught me a wealth about counterpoint and ( Read more... )
