Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label election. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Election Day Anthem (Part 2)
Writing the middle section of my election-inspired piece was easy. Watching the news on Wednesday put me in just the right state of mind and I whipped up 32 measures in no time. Another few days to recapitulate the opening (with a few flourishes, of course), edit dynamics, and add bowings, articulations, and measure numbers and this one's done!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day Anthem
I have to admit that the closer we've come to Election Day, the more I've been paying attention and getting excited. It reached a point where I couldn't get to sleep last night and this morning I bolted out of bed at the sound of my alarm. I made it to the polls around 7:00am (they opened at 6:30am here in Ohio), cast my votes, got my "I voted" sticker, and stopped by Starbuck's for a free beverage (I'm not a coffee guy - they were nice enough to give me a free tea).
I mention all this because my Election day excitement has manifested itself in my latest composition. Looking over this year's portfolio, I saw that I was lacking a major-key piece for intermediate-level orchestras so I decided on the key of F major and set to work. My inspirations are not always apparent (even to me) and I realized after I got into the process that the style was inspired by the music for all the news shows covering the election - especially John Williams' "Mission Theme" for NBC and the CNN trumpets. For the B section of my new tune I borrowed a chord progression from a certain inspirational pop song from the 1980's. It's going to be an overture and for the middle section I think I'm going to do something like the hard part of Gauntlet - very nebulous, with overlapping motifs in a contrasting D minor. Like in Gustav Holst's "Jupiter," I think it's important to have a little sadness to temper the joy. Keeping with my inspiration for the piece, I want to acknowledge the sacrifices and heartaches that accompany a triumph.
I won't be able to work on the piece tonight (I'll be channel-surfing all night between CNBC, CNN, and NBC. And Comedy Central a little too) but I'll write again when I've completed a little more. I should also note that I'm not committed to a title yet. Chances are that by the time I submit the piece to my publishers, the title won't give any indication that I was inspired by the election.
Get out and vote! No excuses!
I mention all this because my Election day excitement has manifested itself in my latest composition. Looking over this year's portfolio, I saw that I was lacking a major-key piece for intermediate-level orchestras so I decided on the key of F major and set to work. My inspirations are not always apparent (even to me) and I realized after I got into the process that the style was inspired by the music for all the news shows covering the election - especially John Williams' "Mission Theme" for NBC and the CNN trumpets. For the B section of my new tune I borrowed a chord progression from a certain inspirational pop song from the 1980's. It's going to be an overture and for the middle section I think I'm going to do something like the hard part of Gauntlet - very nebulous, with overlapping motifs in a contrasting D minor. Like in Gustav Holst's "Jupiter," I think it's important to have a little sadness to temper the joy. Keeping with my inspiration for the piece, I want to acknowledge the sacrifices and heartaches that accompany a triumph.
I won't be able to work on the piece tonight (I'll be channel-surfing all night between CNBC, CNN, and NBC. And Comedy Central a little too) but I'll write again when I've completed a little more. I should also note that I'm not committed to a title yet. Chances are that by the time I submit the piece to my publishers, the title won't give any indication that I was inspired by the election.
Get out and vote! No excuses!
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