Gijs's Journal

[Gijs]

There are a couple of musical style I realy enjoy. In chronological order: Baroque, Romantism and the 60's. My development as a musicwriter are centered around my attemps to combine these styles. I'm developing a methode to do so. I will descripe this methode in this opening post. It will be under development constantly. I hope to discover something new to add in on a regular basis. In the following posts I will post (a link to) a piece/song I wrote in order for me to discuss what it's relation is to the progress in developing this methode. Here's the methode:

Eclectic counterpoint

1. Introduction

The syle of music revolves around the interaction between two or more voices. All voices have a distinct lyrical character. They "come together"in the piece and interact. They go thru all sorts of interactions and influence eachother thruout.

2. Clearity

The goal for the composer is to keep the interaction clear. The listener should be able to distinquise between the voices without having to strain to much.

Mulitple voices

The essence of eclectic counterpoint is to let several melodic voices sound simultaneously. However, the listener will only be able to focus on one voice at the time. To keep a sence a clearity a single voice has to clearly be in the background or in the foreground. There are several tips and tricks to do so.

The foreground

The most powerfull way to get a voice to the foreground is by a solo. Clearity is no issue in this case.

The background

A voice can assume a background role by repeating harmonies or melodic intervals. A strong way to stay in the background is by repeating the main theme.

Background and foreground simultaneously

The fore and background voices can sound togetehr by the use of strict counterpoint. Don't overuse this technique, because it will strain the listener.

From back to fore ground

To bring the focus to a background voice you can:

- Play ornaments.

- Play enharmonic notes.

- A change in dynamics.

3. Segments of the piece/song

In this chapter I will discuss the diffenent segments of a piece/song.

The introduction

It is important to give all voice the time to introduce themself. The strongest way to do so is to give all voices a solo in the introduction. This way the listener can get used to the existence of multiple voices.

The cadens

It gives a strong effect to cadens with a solo.

The ending

A final cadens with a solo also gives a strong effect during the ending.

4. Methodes of interaction

In this chapter I will discuss different methodes to achieve certain types of interactions.

Disagreeing

A sence of disagreement can be achieved by:

- Denying a modulation by one of the voice towards a second voice.

- Denying a thematic change.

Edited June 12, 2012 by Gijs

[Gijs]

Here are my reflections on a first piece concidering the methode's I metioned in the OP. Here's the piece (It's a piece for two voices. In this case two piano voices). :

Analyses

It starts with an introduction of the main theme in the highest voice. This voice is playing solo. A solo is the strongest way to focus attention to a voic. I think it's realy important to give both voices time to introduce themselfs. The strongest way to let a voice get to the foreground is by letting it play solo. Aftee the highest voice plays the main theme solo the lowest voice does the same. The highest voice does play a few notes to keep te attention of the listener high. I didn't realy do this very well. I ment to repeat the maintheme by playing only the most important notes, but it's not realy obvious I tried to do that there. This gives a bit confusion as to whether the voices is telling something new and should get the full attention. This goes even stronger for the highest voice, since we are naturaly inclined to give it our attention.

After the two voices introduced themself the highest voice repeats the main theme again. This time the lowest voice plays only the last part of the main theme. It's a partial repeat, but the effect is the same of repeating the main theme in it's entirety.

The highest voice plays some elaborations on the main theme, while the lowest voice keeps repeats the first sentence of the main theme and later the main notes of the main theme (during the second elaboration on the main theme by the highest voice).

Following is an elaboration on the maintheme by the lowest voice, while the highest voice plays the last part of the main theme. The elaboration of the lowest voice isn't realy done very well. Because it lingers a bit it doesn't really attract the attention like it should. I could have played some ornaments there. That way the focus would have gone to the lowest voice more strongly. The attention does go the lowest voice when the dynamics go up.

Then the two voices grab the attention one after the other in a rather quick succession. The highest voice grows in dynamic and thus taking the foreground. Besides the grow in dynamics there are nomerous chromatic notes that grab the attention. The elaboration (rather weak one, since the main theme is not realy recongniseable) ends with a long trill. The lowest voice takes the foreground, while the highest voice repeats the last part of the main theme again. The elaboration of the lowest voice isn't realy strong aswell, since the main theme isn't realy recognisable here either.

Now there is a little part where both voices are in the foreground. I triy to play them in strict counterpoint rules (predominantly 3th and 6th between the voices). There are probebly a lot of mistakes, so the effect is rather weak. After this there's a alternation between little solo leading us back into the main theme.

The highest voice introduces the main theme again (In E major). The lowest voice repeats it, while the highest voice plays the last part of the main theme with some variations. Then follows a sequence of alternation between the voices having little solo's. This folllowed by the two voice playing chords simultaneously (in C# minor with a c natural in the scale). By playing the same the piece gives an effect of consolidation of the voices. Atleast, that was the idea.

Now there is a part where the voice play in (an attemp to) strict counterpoint. The lowest voice has an accompaniment-like feel. This isn't a good thing, since it suggests it's the baackground voice, while I didn't want it to be that. I could have done this better by adding in some ornaments in the lowest voice. That would have broken the accompaniment-like feel. The lowest voice turns into a solo after this. The highest voice repeats the last part of the main theme in a spreas-out fashion.

After a little alteration between the voices, a little solo of the highest voice leads to the main theme again (in A major), played by the highest voice. The lowest voice repeats a falling segment it played a few bars earlier (during the alternation of the voices). By playing something from before the cadens the lowest voice gives the feeling of not complying to the highest voice, who is playing the main theme again. The lowest voice doesn't want to go back yet. This effect is a little weak, because the falling segment doesn't really have a strong character to it. I could have made it stronger by making it sound more "angry". For example by playing in C# minor. By repeating the last part of the main theme (it's biggest charasteristic is that falling last note) there a sence of consilidation. This is a nice part of the piece for me. To bad that falling segment of the lowest voice didn't realy work ou. otherwise the consolidating effect would be much stronger.

Now the highest voice plays an elaboration while the lowest voice plays the last part of the main theme with some variations. The highest voice ends in a long trill, while the highest voice plays an elaboration. After the trills, as the lowest voice is still elaborating, the highst voice plays variations on the last part of the main theme again.

The piece ends with simultaneous chords and a final cadence by the lowest voice.

Reflection

The are a couple things I could have done better. There are a few instances where I forgot the main theme material and played some random notes. This is bad for the clarity of the piece. Esspecialy when this happens in the background voice. It forces the listener to pay attention to something new.

In general what this piece realy misses is a deep ineteraction between the voices. I tried to play "by my own rules" in this piece. The interaction between the voices isn't realy there yet. I will try to better this in my next piece. Stay tuned.

Edited June 12, 2012 by Gijs

[midsummermagic1111]

I never saw Baroque music in that light.  Nice job!  I took a composition class, but found it difficult to think so logically.  I felt like I was just trying to select notes from a certain criteria rather than listen to the sound.. My favorite song I created in that class was when we did the stream of conscious melody writing.