Compositions of a particular composer are like family-members, they all have something in common. When you listen to a composition, there are little building-blocks that you start to recognize. It’s the soundbite that make the music that particular composition. It’s the DNA of that composition. This DNA consists of just a few notes (3 or… Continue reading Music: DNA pasted in the Art of the state
Blog
Form: Story-telling structures in Music
When I started to write music, I decided to first work horizontally: harmonics, overtone-series, instrumentation. That kind of stuff. But of course I did need something to put the music I was writing in a time based structure. So I took the one I knew best: Traditional story-telling form. I had been studying that because… Continue reading Form: Story-telling structures in Music
Orchestra set-up: How to play the room
The set-up of on orchestra is an important part of a composition. As a composer, I imagine how the music will sound in 3D. So I imagine where the sound comes from when I am orchestrating. I even conduct the composition for an imaginary orchestra to feel if the composition is right. So where the… Continue reading Orchestra set-up: How to play the room
The conductor and his Map
The conductor as guide If the score of a composition is the map of the journey we are taking by sound in time, the conductor is the guide. He studies the map, is ahead of us to see where we are going and helps us stay together in difficult times. Conductors are guides The composer… Continue reading The conductor and his Map
How do you write music? Music in 2D, 3D and 4D
When I tell my friends that I am studying composition and have them hear a recording, many of my friends ask me: “How did you write this music?” This is the wrong answer: When I am writing a score I write that using notation software. I use that software to play the music while I… Continue reading How do you write music? Music in 2D, 3D and 4D
Silences
During my lessons with Stephen Melillo we talked about the analogy between composing and sculpturing. When you make a sculpture out of marble, you remove the material you do not want. When you write music you should also remove everything that is not needed. Composers can choose not to write notes, passages (see the blog… Continue reading Silences
DNA of music and why there is no right, nor wrong, but only sound.
Don’t you find it amazing, that you always recognize the composer when you play music? Like every composer puts his own DNA in every score? Is it really that simple? There is always that ‘one thing’ that gives away who wrote a piece. Often people think the orchestration gives the composer away, but that is… Continue reading DNA of music and why there is no right, nor wrong, but only sound.
Music and story
When you look at the score and hear the music of ‘Der Weihnachtswolf’ (‘The Christmas-wolf’), you see and hear a story. The piece has a poem added, describing the story you hear. Or did I write an entirely different story? My quest for understanding story in music, started with composing ‘The Waterwolf and the Fire-butterflies’.… Continue reading Music and story
Exploring music and psychology
This page will be developed after I have worked through ‘music and physiology’ . (All on ‘music and the brain’ can be found under ‘music and physiology’) Links to explore: Published papers coming with Monuments of Partimenti by Robert Gjerdinger.
How do you know your compositions are improving?
As a composer, I am always looking for ways to improve my work. But how do I know my newest composition is better than the last one? Could I measure such a thing a ‘progress’ of my work? Jon Brantingham tries a new approach to make the quality of a composition quantifiable to help us… Continue reading How do you know your compositions are improving?