Quietudes: An Introduction
Welcome!
I am starting on a new composition/recording project, and I would like to share the details from the beginnings of the work all the way through to the recording of the finished product in roughly 8 weeks. The piece is relatively simple in concept; a two movement work for solo piano. As a composer I am greatly influenced by the raw power of nature and attempting to portray that through music. For this piece, titled Quietudes, I am thinking about two extremes: the vastness of space and the darkness of the deepest parts of the ocean.
The first movement, “Andromeda Fragments” will explore the former through constant motion. Fragments of gestures will gradually move into a longer phrase without meter, as if individual notes are stars, gestures are constellations, and all together the individual fragments make up the image of the night sky. The second movement, “Seafarer” will be much quieter and stagnant, utilizing many extended techniques within the piano to create the illusion of suspending the listener in the ocean depths. When the composition aspect is finished, I will be enlisting the help of two wonderful people to record the work: pianist Brice Kimble and fellow composer/sound engineer Daniela Bolin.
The sketches for movement one, as well as some ideas for an abandoned third movement.
For myself, the first step in creating a new work is to sketch ideas by hand. For some composers, this step is much more comprehensive than it is for me. In the past I have tried to write pieces entirely on paper before inputting them into notation software, but in my personal experience I find it tedious and limiting. This week, I wrote out some ideas and began inputting them into Sibelius (my notation software of choice.) I would like to do more on actual paper, but I need to be able to hear what I’ve written so far to be able to continue composing and my piano skills are not good enough to play it back myself! Hearing the MIDI play it back is a blessing and a curse; it plays it with more accuracy than I can manage, but the expression is not there. That’s where the fun comes in hearing it played by a live musician for the first time!
A snippet of what the piece looks like when notated in Sibelius; for now I’m writing without barlines to keep the sense of continuous motion, but that may change if I feel it just hinders the performance.
This movement so far feels quite influenced by the work of John Adams (no, not that John Adams), which I was initially fighting, but I think I’m going to run with it for now. I’ve never really composed in his specific style of minimalism before so I think I’ll use this piece as a way to explore new styles and sounds for each movement. For the second, many of the sounds I have in my head are rooted in George Crumb’s (my favorite composer) outstanding work Vox Balaenae. Writing one movement in the style of Adams and another in the style of Crumb will prove an interesting challenge for me, and I look forward to continuing on this journey.
Next week, I hope to continue my journey into the stars for movement one and begin sketches for movement two (which I anticipate will take considerably longer given the nature of branching out to extended techniques.) Until then, take a listen to the pieces I am taking inspiration from for this work, and enjoy!
John Adams - Hallelujah Junction for 2 pianos; this is the primary work I’m drawing on for the first movement of Quietudes.
George Crumb - Vox Balaenae for 3 masked players; I plan to utilize some of the sonic capabilities of the piano in this work in the second movement, especially pay attention to the piano part in “Sea Nocturne.” As a side note, I consider this to be one of the greatest works from the 20th century!