The Olympics begin this week and it's always an exciting time for the world. I love watching the opening and closing ceremonies and the Parade of Nations, though I don't have a specific sport that I follow. The first Olympics I was aware of was the 1984 games in Los Angeles and I remember that for a long time all anyone could talk about was the U.S. gymnastics team.
TV coverage does a good job of highlighting the dramatic stories that drive the competitors and led the athletes to the games. They all have that "Olympic dream," to achieve at the highest level in front of the whole world.
Even though I'm not an athlete, I have an Olympic dream of my own: it would be an epic thrill to hear one of my compositions used in during Olympic competition. I'm not talking about the opening and closing ceremonies – that's way too much to ask. But it would be amazing to hear one of my pieces accompany a gymnastics floor exercise, a synchronized swimming routine, or, at the Winter Olympics, figure skating or ice dancing.
As a kid, I especially enjoyed hearing the music used in the gymnastic competitions because it's so full of color, energy, and emotion. I think some of my pieces would be suitable. Need something with a dark energy? Try Avatar, Elementals, or Storm Trail. Something more rhythmic and angular? There's Agincourt. Need a bright explosion of sound? Quicksilver or Star of Valor. For something more lyrical, have a listen to A Hero's Welcome. And if you need something fun and sassy, I recommend Violet's Tango, Samba Del Sol, Lemon Twist, or Mambo Incognito. Of course, Gauntlet is good for any occasion.
Professional recordings of all these and more are available at alfred-music.com.
So if you're an Olympic-level gymnast, synchronized swimmer, figure skater, or ice dancer... you're probably training really hard and don't have time for music classes, so you've never heard of me. But if you're someone who knows an Olympic-level athlete, maybe suggest one of my pieces and help make my dream come true!
Showing posts with label Violet's Tango. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violet's Tango. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Doug Spata at Indian Hill Middle School
Today I did a "Johnny Depp" and paid a surprise visit to the Indian Hill Middle School 7th Grade Orchestra. I was invited by the director, Candace Putz, who always puts on a great Halloween concert and has programmed Gauntlet and Violet's Tango. I showed up early to surprise the class and rehearsed both pieces with the orchestra on stage. Mrs. Putz took this photo for me:
I realize that I don't put many photos of myself on this blog, but that's what I look like. Sorry to ruin the mystery.
IHMS has a good-sized orchestra with a phalanx of 'cellos, three basses, and a small but enthusiastic viola section. They play with all the passion required for Gauntlet and all the style necessary for Violet's Tango and I had a great time. I can't wait to come back and hear them in concert on Thursday night!
I also regaled the orchestra with the story of the time I met Lemony Snickett, the inspiration for Violet's Tango.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Violet's... 100 Meter Dash?
I found this video of Violet's Tango on YouTube recently:
JEEZY CREEZY!
Was the building on fire and they had to get through the piece as fast as they could before they evacuated? Why in the world would you take this piece at breakneck speed? It's a tango - it says so in the title, for goodness sake. A tango is a dance that requires a moderate tempo. There's no way anyone could dance to this tempo. Besides, I clearly wrote a tempo marking right there in the music:
Moderato. As in "moderately." As in "not fast." Clear as day in black and white. I even specified a metronome marking just to be even more clear - 120 beats per minute. Consider that a speed limit sign. This conductor was doing the equivalent of 70 in a school zone.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: just because you CAN play the notes fast, doesn't mean that you SHOULD play fast. When you take music - especially dance music - too fast, you lose all the nuance and emotion, and you waste the opportunity to give the music expression. Violet's Tango is a character piece with bold contrasts, nuanced harmonies, and a sly, flirtatious style. All that is thrown out the window when you plow through it like a panicked cheetah.
When you race through a piece like that, you're not only playing it wrong, you're showing disrespect for the music, your audience, and your own growth as a musician. So I once again beg conductors and orchestras everywhere: please please please please please pay attention to the tempo markings. I put them there for a reason.
It should sound like this.
JEEZY CREEZY!
Was the building on fire and they had to get through the piece as fast as they could before they evacuated? Why in the world would you take this piece at breakneck speed? It's a tango - it says so in the title, for goodness sake. A tango is a dance that requires a moderate tempo. There's no way anyone could dance to this tempo. Besides, I clearly wrote a tempo marking right there in the music:
Moderato. As in "moderately." As in "not fast." Clear as day in black and white. I even specified a metronome marking just to be even more clear - 120 beats per minute. Consider that a speed limit sign. This conductor was doing the equivalent of 70 in a school zone.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: just because you CAN play the notes fast, doesn't mean that you SHOULD play fast. When you take music - especially dance music - too fast, you lose all the nuance and emotion, and you waste the opportunity to give the music expression. Violet's Tango is a character piece with bold contrasts, nuanced harmonies, and a sly, flirtatious style. All that is thrown out the window when you plow through it like a panicked cheetah.
When you race through a piece like that, you're not only playing it wrong, you're showing disrespect for the music, your audience, and your own growth as a musician. So I once again beg conductors and orchestras everywhere: please please please please please pay attention to the tempo markings. I put them there for a reason.
It should sound like this.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Royalty Statement 2009 (Part 2)
The listings for foreign sales are shrouded in mystery. Though I've heard of a few performances in Austrailia, have found an online German sheet music vendor that sells my music, and got word of a performance in Canada, I'm not exactly sure who it is outside the U.S. that's buying my music. I would hope that it would sell in Japan, home of the Suzuki Method, and in Europe. From what I understand, other countries don't have school music programs analagous to ours and wouldn't need school-level string orchestra music. Here are my top-selling sets of scores and parts in foreign markets:
1. Agincourt & Mambo Incognito (tie)
3. Hot Potato
4. Gargoyles
5. Violet's Tango
As you can see, there's a marked difference from the top five sellers in the U.S. I should note, though, that foreign sales make up a tiny fraction of a percentage of my total sales. Also, the printout that I received shows that several of these pieces sold at different rates - probably in euros, Canadian and Austrialian dollars, and yen.
Last year I got a sheet showing sales of digital downloads from alfred-music.com. This year, there's no record of sales of MP3 files - maybe bacuase they're so few that it will be rolled into next year's statement.
Finally, I did get a notice about liscensing. When orchestras record their concerts, they're supposed to get permission from the publisher and pay a small licensing fee. A few honest souls actually did that this year and I thank them. Liscensing also includes a few listings from "Make Music," a program where directors can access notes from the composer with tips on how to rehearse and perform their music more effectively. I wrote a few of these two years ago and think that I might want to do some more in the future.
1. Agincourt & Mambo Incognito (tie)
3. Hot Potato
4. Gargoyles
5. Violet's Tango
As you can see, there's a marked difference from the top five sellers in the U.S. I should note, though, that foreign sales make up a tiny fraction of a percentage of my total sales. Also, the printout that I received shows that several of these pieces sold at different rates - probably in euros, Canadian and Austrialian dollars, and yen.
Last year I got a sheet showing sales of digital downloads from alfred-music.com. This year, there's no record of sales of MP3 files - maybe bacuase they're so few that it will be rolled into next year's statement.
Finally, I did get a notice about liscensing. When orchestras record their concerts, they're supposed to get permission from the publisher and pay a small licensing fee. A few honest souls actually did that this year and I thank them. Liscensing also includes a few listings from "Make Music," a program where directors can access notes from the composer with tips on how to rehearse and perform their music more effectively. I wrote a few of these two years ago and think that I might want to do some more in the future.
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