Writing any piece of, well, anything requires answering a few very important questions early on. Fortunately for me, some of the tough ones are out of the way. Which Ensemble? Check. How long? Check. Form? Che....wait...Harmonic Language? Hmm...OK, so I have some decisions to make.
I've been reading a lot of this book lately:
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Contemporary-Composer-David-Cope/dp/0028647378/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329703716&sr=8-1
It's really fascinating, especially in how plainly it deliberates on such a wide range of topics, from planing to pointillism. I've found the chapter dealing with the 12-tone method and serialism to be quite thought provoking. Here's a really great quote from the text:
A short while ago, I thought I had come across the Nirvana of process-music in that of Ligeti, because, in my naivety, I gave a cursory glance at one of his etudes and deemed it "understood,." I then proceeded to write what I thought would be effective music based the very superficial assumptions I had made about that etude. What an error! Thankfully, there's no such thing as time wasted when it comes to writing music, because, even if it sucks, it's a great learning experience. Just to save face, I now recognize that Ligeti's music is anything but process driven, and that has dramatically increased both my appreciation and and enjoyment of it.
I read so many interesting ideas in that chapter, that it would take too long to go into detail about it. Suffice to say, I have chosen to write this piece for the Ora Ensemble in this language, because I believe it represents an important part of the contemporary musical landscape. To add further specificity to this decision, I am going to write a piece that emphasizes its lack of tonality, as opposed to, say, Dallapiccola or Berg, whose music can often sound strikingly tonal in spite of their method.
I had something I wanted to write regarding logic and effective communication, but I'll have to think about it some more. It's time to go and make some decisions...
It should be evident that any work using 12-tone processes will be as musical as the composer who creates it. In no way should the use of this technique serve as a crutch.Reading this now, it seems self-evident. However, I've found that I often tend to think of 12-tone music as process-only, and that anyone could write a good 12-tone piece. I've since mended my ways, because if my brief experience as a composer has taught me anything, it's that process alone simply cannot create effective music.
A short while ago, I thought I had come across the Nirvana of process-music in that of Ligeti, because, in my naivety, I gave a cursory glance at one of his etudes and deemed it "understood,." I then proceeded to write what I thought would be effective music based the very superficial assumptions I had made about that etude. What an error! Thankfully, there's no such thing as time wasted when it comes to writing music, because, even if it sucks, it's a great learning experience. Just to save face, I now recognize that Ligeti's music is anything but process driven, and that has dramatically increased both my appreciation and and enjoyment of it.
I read so many interesting ideas in that chapter, that it would take too long to go into detail about it. Suffice to say, I have chosen to write this piece for the Ora Ensemble in this language, because I believe it represents an important part of the contemporary musical landscape. To add further specificity to this decision, I am going to write a piece that emphasizes its lack of tonality, as opposed to, say, Dallapiccola or Berg, whose music can often sound strikingly tonal in spite of their method.
I had something I wanted to write regarding logic and effective communication, but I'll have to think about it some more. It's time to go and make some decisions...
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