New Orchestral Work

After spending some time experimenting with various technique in my piano and chamber works, I decided to devote some time to orchestral writing again.  My newest orchestral work is finished.  The work is what I am calling a musical thought.  That title of the piece is called Echo: Rise and Fall.  The thought behind it is the rise and fall of empires and human civilization. The work lasts about 5 - 6 minutes.  It is the first in what I hope will be a suite.  Enjoy!

Rise and Fall

Finally finished and submitted

So today I completed my work for the submission to the Cabrillo festival. I expect there to be quite a deal of revision IF I am selected to participate - which I really, really, REALLY want to participate! The work is quite unlike any of my previous orchestral works and I think really shows a nice amount of growth in my own personal style and sound. I posted the work for peer review on Young Composers. If any of my readers, whoever you are, wish to hear it click the link below! Enjoy!

The Western Gates

Cabrillo Festival

So, I decided to complete my submission for the cabrillo festival this year BUT... came to a screeching halt when I attempted to reorchestrate one of my many works for orchestra. The piece that I tried (the third movement from my Symphony) sounded horrid every attempt I made to reorchestrate it. So, the solution is to spend all night composing a new work for the festival. My start isn't bad actually - I'm about 100 measures in so far. I kind of like the idea! Hope it goes well! I post a new blog post once I get the piece submitted.

New Project

So, I decided to enter the Cabrillo Festival this year. It's headed up by Marin Alsop - a conductor that I've held as a role model to some degree since I first saw her conduct the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra a few years ago. The piece I'm composed is a special project just for the festival. My inspiration for this work comes from visiting local cemeteries here in Illinois: Campground Cemetery (Coles County), Wright Cemetery (Shelby County), and Greenhill Cemetery (Moultrie County). The history in the region dates back to about the 1820s, when the settlers first settled the counties listed above. Some of the grave markers are from that very early part of the local history - and is fascinating to me as a composer. So, what I've done.. is the first section is a look at Campground Cemetery. This cemetery used to be a meeting place for the religious circuit preachers and pastors of the early to mid 19th century. So, I researched and found a very old version of Amazing Grace that dates to that period and set it in a fugato. The counterpoint and harmonization are all mine... but the theme itself is the original theme - and yes, it is public domain (I did include that I used it in my program notes). I'm very eager and hope this gets selected for the Cabrillo.

Writer's Block

So, I sat down today to start work on my submission for the Cabrillo Festival this year. Well, I had a good work started and was in a good 50 bars... then I opened up Young Composers and read the dialog on the shoutbox - about how one of the composers there should 'embrace' the modernity and utilize more modern techniques in his music AND forget totally about all of the traditional 'blah' that came before. Since my music is very traditional in some aspects... well, a lot of aspects... it got me down. SO.. now I have writers block. I just don't know whether I should abandon my grasp on tradition or maintain it boldly. I just don't care for much modern sounds. They grate on my ears and don't sound overly musical at all to me. Sometimes I wonder why I should even bother...

Taking a break (for the most part)

I felt extremely tired this morning when waking up. My sinuses were inflamed, my legs hurt, and I had a nice healthy headache - so, I decided to lay off working on music today (for the most part). Sometimes, I will work till my eyes droop down and I fall asleep at the keyboard. Other times, I'll wake up and first thing I do is come on to check my scores and add notes and bars and passages - I work WAY too much. Usually, that doesn't bother me - besides the obvious worry about writing things noone else hears but myself. I do have performance opportunities - but most of those are months down the road. At times, I wish a kind benefactor would read this blog or my twitter or my facebook or my forum posts and show sympathy on me and offer to perform a work of mine... that would make me estatic beyond measure.

Piano Concertante no. 2

The newest project finished is another Piano Concertante. I originally envisioned this as a concerto - but, I don't know. The ideas were good but well - perhaps I'm moving in a different direction than I originally intended as a composer. Instead, this has turned into another 1 movement concertante. The work is a little rough around the edges but all in all I'm happy with how it turned out. I've posted a link for any and all who would like to listen.

Forum Posting of Concertante!

Busy times... stylistic changes

I am very busy working on a large scale piano concerto. The work is so far extremely different than my last work in this genre - composed last fall. The work is rather serious in nature and the harmony and thematic material used are put to extensive development and use. The piece feels rather mature for my current style even - which makes it well suited for its intent.

Works submitted and current projects

I submitted yet another series of works on Friday - the third this month. I also have a few more projects on the table as well as a few projects that are geared at getting me capital on a regular/steady basis to help finance my composition time. First, I am currently assessing the possibility of utilizing skype as well as other online features in giving lessons in composition to beginning composers. With skype as well as other features one can give lessons to students hundreds and thousands of miles away. My other planned project is an online group of musicians, via youtube, to collaborate and premiere works online - via youtube. I'm still examining the potential of the online universe on my physical career and as I see it, there really is no other way to break through without it. I have it set in my planner to come up with a thorough plan for these two ventures this week - my personal deadline is next week. I've already got a few youtube musicians on board and shouldn't have any problems getting more... so STAY TUNED! In other news, I am now collaborating with an east coast DJ. We are working on a few songs together and if things go well I will be receiving 50% of royalties from those songs - which is great news. The schedule of work, however, is 3 days a week and we spend a good 5 - 8 hours on those days working on the tracks... so it's not light work...lol! This month, I have a few more submissions for opportunities to submit to: mata festival, morton gould, and a shakuhatchi performance. So much to do... so little time to do it.

Working on deadlines...

So, I am busily composing a piece that has to be ready by the 31st of this month. It's at times like these that I wish I could survive solely off of my music. Receive compensation for all this time I put into my craft. I compose almost 16 hours a day - only to break for food, restroom, and sleep. My partner, at times, has to pry me away from my work to hang out with friends or go out to eat/watch a movie/shop. On my online forum, I am a reviewer - so I break at times to review works by other composers. I have top profile views on the forum itself and two of my works are in the top 5 on the site's music storage network (12 short pieces for piano is #1 in views and my Symphony no 1 is #5 in views). All this attention I receive on the site makes me wonder, does anybody really care about my music besides myself? Obviously, I have a silent fan base on the forum BUT who are they? Do they read my blog? Do they anxiously await a new work by me? I would give the world to know who loves my music and who frowns upon it. As I get this work composed at breakneck speed for what I hope will be a performance this year... I must know, does anybody really care?

Bridal Processionals Completed!!

I am so excited!! Tonight I finished the third and final processional. Now I have a complete set of 3 processionals for my friend to chose from!!! If anyone is interested in listening to these pieces or ANY of my current works, here is the link:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/pg/Music/jawoodruff

Just click music above where it say's my name! Let me know if you like any!

Bridal Processionals

So, I was asked by a friend to compose a series of Bridal Processionals for him to choose from as a gift for the woman he loves. I've composed two and am greatly becoming endeared to the idea of making the piece a regular form that I add works too - this is largely due to the fact that for processional music... there is little to chose from. My goal for him was to compose 3 processionals and then 3 dances to accompany them. The insrumentation for these works is Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Violoncello. This instrumentation provides an ample amount of color to accentuate the works and provide a nice 'aural' interest. As usual, I will post the 3 processionals and 3 dances here.

Busy Working

I have had a rough past few days. A few of my peers on YC gave me some rather negative reviews of my symphony. I've never been one to take criticism well - especially when it comes to work that I've poured over meticulously. I know it should be something I take in stride - but... lol! Aside from that, I've still been chugging a long working. I have been working on quite a few small works. Completed a short essay for piano, a miniature piece for string quartet, and am now working on 3 bridal processionals on a request from a friend. The bridal processionals are going to be three processionals meant to accompany the brides walk down the aisle. I decided to do away with the traditional bombastic march, alla Mendellsohn and Wagner, and replace it with a more delicate and poignant walk. I'm very pleased with the first of these - and may expand the idea behind this specific 'genre' and add to it. I researched the repertoire available for it and found there's not many pieces at all for this special moment. I'll post links to the finished opus once all three processionals are finished.

A student!

I was talking to a friend in the Philippines the other day. He is a very charitable person - he has set up a program to assist the local youths in his village. The program provides musical instruction and vocal training to impoverished youths. He uses the opportunity to create music to be performed by the choir. Well, he has been struggling with some of the intricacies of music composition. Halfway through the conversation he asked humbly if I could take him under my wing and teach him! I accepted. So the result is now that I have my first student!!! Given the fact that he does charity to the youths there I've decided to give him the lessons free of charge. Hopefully it will give me the experience teaching and I can acquire more students.

Administration

Today, I am preparing my scores for submission. Hopefully, and I'm PRAYING, this will go good and a commission or two will come from all the hard work I have put into my craft. It'd be nice if this country had a safety net to enable its artists and composers to work on their craft without concern of making ends meet - if it did, I probably would've been somewhere by now.

First Symphony completed!

I have finished my first symphony. The fourth movement is absolutely amazing in my opinion - perhaps the best music I have written to date. I feel the ending may need revised just a tad but overall I feel the movement is the best of the 4. I've posted the entire work on a composers forum that I am a member on. The site is still in beta testing BUT the work is viewable and listenable. I have it split into two separate threads on the forum. The first can be accessed here: Symphony no. 1 opus 2. And the second can be accessed here: IV. Largo. If anyone is reading and would like to listen please tell me what you think by leaving me a comment OR if you like my music please follow me here on my blog!

Sympony Finale

The finale to my symphony has turned very dark. I intended at first to contrast the opening with a faster major key section BUT the material connection just was not adequate to justify that. SOOO I have gone even darker and even dissonant with a return to the opening movements serial transitional passage being the chief theme of the finale's B section. This time, as opposed to hiding the theme in the classical textures of the first movement, I have the theme clearly in the center. Uttered in the winds at measure 34 of the movement. In a canonical passage. So far, this passage appears to be very rich and still not at conflict with the movement as a whole - which, I find, to be quite shocking...

Fourth Movement

The fourth movement is coming along nicely. The introduction is richly romantic with classical overtones. The material is derived from that in the first movement. I've decided the overall form of the movement will be a Rondo form (ABACADA). The only additions to the form will be the largo introduction and a coda. My hope is to have the movement last for about 10 mins or so. Though, I wouldnt be surprised if I could draw the music out longer. The completed Largo section is around 2 - 3 mins in length!

Fourth Movement Started

I started the fourth movement today. The opening is Largo (slow). And will slowly weave together the pieces that comprised the first 3 movements. My plan is to create a very expansive finale to the symphony as a whole.

Merry Christmas!!

To all those who are reading this blog, I would like to thank you and wish you all a very merry christmas and a happy new year!

Today and last night, I decided to take a much deserved break from composition. I have an idea where I plan to go with the fourth movement of my symphony and am now also considering ideas for the chamber work to accompany the piece. I think I may work on a string trio for that or perhaps a quartet.... hmmm..