wacko1138 has kindly posted a link to my first "techno" piece on his website.

From there you can either download it or click on the file and listen to it in your web browser.

There are no popups, but it will take a little while to load; it's about 40Mb.

So, in my Electro-acoustic class, I've had to do a couple of self-directed projects: one I meant to mention here, but did not.

Instead, I'm focusing on the one I just finished. There are still a few tweaks I'd like to do, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to them.

It's me writing an electronica piece. I don't know if it's house, trance, or what, but I hope you like it.

Sinewave. It's a download from Mediafire, so I'm sorry for the popups, and I hope you don't have to register beforehand.

I'll do my best to figure out another way of posting it soon.

This week I hit a wall of blah.

I could barely think, and due to self-imposed sleep dep, I was falling asleep all day on Thursday. Mind you, this is the same day that I drive to Pennsylvania for my church job. The rain didn't help matters any.

On the other hand, Autumn is upon New Jersey, and we have lovely fall colors. Driving to school isn't necessarily horrendous when you have a captivating backdrop for it.

I've been pretty jazzed about the two big projects I'm working on composing, one which I've had permissions for the sole author, and the latter which includes a piece written by Wendell Berry (just got permissions). This piece also includes a "poem" which I finally have all of the verses of and is in the public domain. Now the only texts I need to get are the ones I haven't finished writing yet. Be very afraid: I'm writing rhyming, metered poetry. This usually doesn't end well.

Now to see if I can get any more done on my song cycle before I get started on the day's shenanigans.

I've got magic on the brain. Eating good food while listening to the beginning of Bartok's made me think of Semuta music.

I need to delve deeper into this wondrous world that I'm studying at school, but for some reason tend to leave there.

I mean, I'm trying to make a living writing music, but I'm hardly putting any notes on a page.

The second comic here galvanized me to actually do something today instead of just reading more webcomics.

And while this is more pointed at wolven, all others are welcome to listen in.

Have you read Damiano or its sequels? They talk of magic, music, and deities; all things I believe you have an interest in.

I highly recommend this bit of what I have termed "historical fantasy fiction," since it is thoroughly researched, and assumes a working system of magic during the Avignon papacy and a plague. It also runs generationally, focusing on a different main character in each of the three books, while maintaining a cast of main characters who pass through all three.

The knowledge of renaissance music is impressive too. I have not played a lute, but a guitar was some similarity. I can almost feel one under my fingers as I read the prose.

And have you heard of Aleksandr Scriabin?

Most notably, his last work (unfinished) was to end the world upon its completion and performance. Although, apparently, this would be a happy end, not a terrible one.

Anyway, a few more thoughts on the power of music later. Now I have to compose love songs.

The biggest bit would be to tell myself to do some damn chores and not complain. Maybe "lighten up" too; I could've used that when I was a kid.

"Take piano lessons" would've been frickin' gold though . . . .

I gave mine today at work. When I start back to school in a month, I will only have two part-time jobs and full-time school. Also, evenings will be "free."

It's more than a little scary to be quitting a job in this economic climate, but I'm giving plenty of notice and will be given a "positive re-hire" status if I ever want to join the company again. It's also a very nice shiny bullet point on my resumé.

And now I am committed to finding a higher-paying church job for the fall. One of the places I still need to audition for suggested the opportunity of solos/ chamber ensembles, and I have been telling myself that I need to do more such work.

On an unrelated note, I received the permissions for four poems by E. E. Cummings; and will soon begin to write my latest song cycle. I'll be sure to share them soon; no worries.

Today I have worked on composition, talked to my brother about his upcomming trip (see below), made up another quote sheet for my desk, and taken many of my wife's old shoes to Goodwill. I am also currently kittylapped. And yes, I know that I lead a charming life.

Cold damn! Sorry, I got Mother's a/c fixed yesterday, and the result is glorious. I am now able to bask in the conflict between the sun and my overworked engine and condenser. Speaking of overworked engine, about two weeks ago, I hit 250,000 miles. Way to go, Mother.

Last week, I activated my new phone. I'm no stranger to Palm products, but this whole "smart phone" thing is a bit odd. I like having a camera though, no matter how strange and small the resulting photos are. Later this week, I'll probably share some more of them. Really, the only issue I'm currently having is that my typing is a bit messy. And I kind of miss Graffiti.

Next week I have my brother coming to visit. My smart, younger, cuter-than-me, and much different sibling will be in town for six days. Whatever should I do with him, aside from the usual constant torment? I'm still operating under the assumption that he doesn't drink, so the bars are out.

Anyway, having whiled away the past hour, I suppose I should get back to being a professional composer and all that.

So I've been composing for the last couple of weeks. Classes are out (I made mostly "A"s with a B thrown in for good measure), but I still have make-up composition lessons.

My teacher told me that I'm "too cerebral. You need to stop thinking so much about writing music and just write music."

So last week I labored on a solo cello piece. Now I need to finish it up somewhat and work on a woodwind trio piece.

In one of my attempts at loafing, I discovered an online version of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov's instrumentation treatise.

It's a little bit dated, but the editor has made an effort to update it to today's instruments.

So I'm taking a short break from writing music to post this and listen to Steve Reich's "New York Counterpoint" for clarinet(s).*

See y'all later. Gotta get back to my desk.

* The piece can be played by one clarinet player with two or three different clarinets called for and pre-recorded while playing one line live, or eight clarinet players live. The version I'm listening to features only one performer.

Why is it that once the semester is "over" I am suddenly more busy than I was during finals week?

I've needed to compose all week long, and between work and school, I can barely find the time to eat my meals, much less compose.

Well, can you?

I've been writing a cantus firmus for my counterpoint final. Actually, more specifically, I'm writing a "kyrie eleison" based on a paraphrase cantus firmus.

A little bit of history/ explanation.

Back in the good old days of music, when notation was finally introduced, the first things that were notated were the "proper" music of the church. Originally this was "plain chant," later, Gregorian chant. No matter the name of the chant, it was exactly that: one unaccompanied melodic line of text.

Many years later, polyphony (Greek for "many sounds") was invented in the church, when people started saying "we can do better than doubling the same melody at the octave or the fifth, let's really cut loose!"

A simplified history to be sure, but whatever. Anyway, people took these chants and started writing countermelodies against them, and constructed a whole series of rules on how to write these countermelodies, calling the collected rules "counterpoint."

I'm studying counterpoint because this is where Western music got its start, and it's a great tool to have in my toolbox. If I had to make a direct comparison, it's about as useful to have as a hammer, screwdriver, and a saw, combined.

Getting back to counterpoint for a moment though, after a while, people started getting tired of hearing the same old chants with different countermelodies. Due to the rules of counterpoint, all countermelodies are based off of the chosen melody, and the same ones get boring. These melodies, when used as the basis of a contrapuntal composition are called, singularly "cantus firmus" (Latin for "fixed melody." If you squint your eyes just right, you can see how the word "chant" and "cantus" are related to each other.), and pluraly "cantus firmi."

Because people were getting tired of these cantus firmi, composers started writing new ones, or finding popular songs and turning the melody of the song into a cantus firmus. The tune "Westron Winde" got a lot of settings in England; apparently it was quite popular.

In this grand tradition, I've turned Britney Spears "If You Seek Amy" into a cantus firmus and am using it as the basis for a Kyrie.

It's due Friday, and I don't have much yet. Counterpoint is not easy.

For once, I have been on top of my day. On time to all of my classes, prepared for them (all two that actually required prep). I got something approximating a decent night's sleep, and I finally received my E-Z Pass that I ordered a couple weeks ago.

I doubt tomorrow will be this good, simply because I have yet to do most of what's due, but that's why I got a full night's sleep last night, right?

Yesterday was mostly uneventful, with the following exception: I had lunch with two of my professors and Dr. Vivian Fung.

Wonderful post-feminist/ gender studies and musical composition conversation and food.

I suppose I should get cracking on my other projects for the day now . . . Osvaldo Golijov playlist, composing, lunch, Schenkerian analysis homework, grading quizzes, work . . . .

This weekend will involve theater and Ms. tscheese, the usual church gig in Pennsylvania and a recital at school (I'm singing in the chorus).

Also planning my spring getaway in a week and half's time.

If you live in Greensboro or Atlanta and want to see me sometime during the week of the 16th , let me know. I'm still working out my timetable, assuming my night job lets me off.

Well, last week rehearsals ate my life.

I performed Felix Mendelssohn's Die Erste Wahlpurgisnacht with the New York Philharmonic for four nights straight. On the plus side, I feel that I have grown at least somewhat, as a singer and musician by watching Kurt Masur rehearse and perform a masterwork. I also got to hear people keep saying "I really like this piece."

Perhaps it's indicative of my own love of nearly all music that I am irked by other performers who consistently bitch about how much they hate the current piece we're working on. Whether it's Mozart's Requiem ("I've already sung this piece 75,000 times and I'm 19."), Arvo Pärt's Te Deum ("It's just so boring."), Poulenc's Gloria ("I don't like the chords he used."), or whatever piece being performed, everyone at these performances genuinely enjoyed the piece itself. It was a refreshing change.

Last night I attempted to make Beef Stroganoff, but it ended up being Turkey Korma-noff. Pretty good all things considered. A fabulous night of substitutions: Beef became lean ground turkey; egg noodles became spaghetti squash; non-fat sour cream was used, but the bulk was actually 0% greek yogurt; shallots filled in for onions; garlic, mushrooms, and worcestershire sauce . . . were right, strangely enough; tarragon was replaced by tarragon vinegar; and the crowning achievement—cream of mushroom soup was replaced by korma simmer sauce.

It was delicious.

Still is, now that I think about it.

( Today, nothing much of note occurred, with the exception of an infuriating driver. )

And in two days, I get to hear the premiere of my first orchestral work, Cloudscape by the Westminster Conservatory Community Orchestra! I'm taking off the night from work to hear it performed. I'll most likely have tons of things I want to revise from it (assuming I don't just chuck the entire thing) but hey, you only have your first time once.

Speaking of work, I should probably get there soon . . . .

Just finished a miniature jazz tune.

You can listen to it if you wish.

Of course, as a jazz tune there's tons of stuff I'd like to work in over it, solo lines and the like. But to be fair, I was working under a tight deadline.

Woke up late, but feeling better than yesterday (99.5^o fever). Hacked up a gob of light brown goo and felt even better. Made a chicken and parmesan omelet paired with eggnog and honey coffee (loads better than it sounds). Practiced piano with a blindfold, composed with pencil, paper, and keyboard. Obtained Vietnamese food for dinner and watched Death at a Funeral and The Last Kiss.

Now for bed.

Goodness, it's been a while since I talked about composition.

I completed my first piece for orchestra this past semester. It's also the longest single movement piece I've written (so far). In addition, it was the first piece that I approached from a purely textural and chordal perspective: little to no melody in the whole thing, and what little there is was derived from a non-diatonic source (simply leaps of major thirds alternating with minor seconds; probably going to use it again since it gives a nice illusion of diatonicism.)

I also set two Christmas Carols and accepted a couple of commissions that I have no idea when I will write them. The Christmas Carols are an anthem-style setting of Coventry Carol (which isn't particularly good), and a hymn setting of a short English carol "Hush, all ye sounds of war" that was probably written around the first World War. (If you're interested in hearing it, I can email you the midi file of either one along with a pdf of the music. You can mention it in a comment.)

This semester I'm studying with a wonderful jazz musician by the name of Laurie Altman, and he's wonderful. He's making me eat my artistic veggies: getting me to play jazz piano, at least at a rudimentary level. In addition to the piano playing, I have to set a jazz tune for string quartet, and develop four measures of a sample piece. On the other hand, he's open to letting me study some other aspects of jazz with him, in addition to showing me the basics. I'm really looking forward to this.

Right now I'm working on an unpaid commission for my wife: a few themes for characters in a play. It's more getting back to my roots than some of the other stuff on my plate, so it's a lot of fun, but not without its own challenges: I'm trying to write it for only two instruments, which means there will be solo lines. I really haven't gotten comfortable with solo writing yet, so this is an excellent opportunity.

Oh my. I thought I had more to say, then realized that I don't at the moment. Well, more later I suppose.

Yesterday I made a Jack-o-lantern: a lovely, sad-faced dripping-sealed mouth a la Keanu Reeves "not making a phone call when he doesn't have a mouth" type of thing.

Today while hanging the spider web halloween lights, I noticed that someone had been excavating one of Jack's eyes. When I questioned Annie about it, she said it must have been the birds.

So we have a zombie/scarecrow Jack.

Awesome.

In composition news, I'm already getting sick of the first of my Christmas Carol settings. Fortunately, it has a double-bar and just needs to have the voicings tweaked. It's like re-introduction to part-writing.

Did a little bit of some much overdue score study today—Copland's Third Symphony. Once I'd finished, I started in on Beethoven's Ninth, but it was like trying to force down an entire flourless chocolate cake after melon slices and angel food cake, so I called it a day.

I managed to snag a church job that jives with my school and night job schedule. I was looking at all of the information, it looked like it would fit, then I noticed who the contact person was . . . she used to conduct the Atlanta Schola Cantorum—while I was in it.

Possibly the best job interview I've ever had, since it boiled down to: "If you really want the job, we'd be pleased to have you. And no, you don't need to audition."

The world is truly a tiny place.

On the way home, I had an "Ansel Adams View" as I call them: grey cloud cover as a backdrop for the stunningly arrayed trees, which were highlighted by the brilliant low-angle sun. Not as spectacular as two weeks' past, but I try to only be one day behind on these snapshots at most.

I'm currently working on my full orchestral piece (although I'm not sure I've actually used the tuba or basses yet, but I will get there), and a couple of Christmas Carols. With the carols, it's sort of strange to be dealing with melody and common-practice tonality after spending the past couple of months in non-tertian harmony land. I find myself much more willing to use chords themselves as a tool for text-setting rather than just melody. Which is not to say that I'm eschewing melody, just trying to balance the two more equally than in the past.

Now back to my own compositions, classwork, then night job!

So yeah . . . I have friends in New Jersey now.

Yesterday was spent hanging out with the insanely wonderful tscheese. This time there wasn't moving per se, just a few purchases at some places here and there (psst: hey Ms. tscheese, I bought too much coffee at Trader Joe's, so if you'd like one of our cans of coffee, you're welcome to it.), and a whole lot of various types of geekery. She also got introduced to my cats, who were much better around her than most people I bring home—Herbie didn't hide under the bed at all, for once.

Today I spent a fair amount of time with a fellow attender from the Quaker meeting. He's sort of spent the opposite amounts of time trading places with me over his life: grew up in New Jersey, went to undergrad in Atlanta (Morehouse graduate, no less), and did his Graduate work in St. Louis. A fabulous man who held a wonderful conversation with me about three hours long before he had to go visit his grandparents.

I've also been working on a new-ish composition for full orchestra. I even have homework for the piece: listen to other people's symphonies and orchestral suites from Haydn to Penderecki. It's starting to take a very rough form, and I'm excited about it.

Howdy all,

this is just a little note to say that I uploaded a new track on my website; Orion for woodwind trio.

What's that, you didn't know I had a composition website? Mind you, I'll have another one going up eventually, but this is a pretty good start.

There's a couple of my other pieces there too, so feel free to check it out.

Hope you enjoy,
-David