Dissect away! (new composition for small mixed choir, clarinet, piano)

[Jeff Fuhrer]

I'd be interested in any comments on this composition. 

[Adrian Allan]

Is there a PDF score?

[Jeff Fuhrer]

Yes. I've uploaded that as well. Hope that shows up in the appropriate spot (I'm new to this forum).

Jeff

Adrian Allan said:

Is there a PDF score?

[Fredrick zinos]

I think this is quite good. I am somewhate confused by the score order and voicing of the flute and clarient but these are minor points.

 

Would love to hear this "live"

[Jeff Fuhrer]

Thanks Fredrick. Should I have the clarinet and flute positioned differently in the score? What else would you suggest? Happy to improve my scoring. 

I don't have a great live recording. My choir performed it last year, but the recording (and the performance) was not great. Thanks for your feedback.

Jeff

Fredrick zinos said:

I think this is quite good. I am somewhate confused by the score order and voicing of the flute and clarient but these are minor points.

 

Would love to hear this "live"

[Adrian Allan]

I thought this was very good - very much in the style of John Rutter. Always pleasant on the ear, and the woodwind provided a gentle accompaniment. Some nice 7th chords thrown in here and there.

I'd like to know what people with more of a choral background than me think of it. What voice software did you use? Was it East West's choir?

[Jeff Fuhrer]

Thanks very much, Adrian. The recording is all me, multi-tracked and engineered a bit. I know that's pretty whacky, but it gives me a sense of what a live performance might sound like. 

Adrian Allan said:

I thought this was very good - very much in the style of John Rutter. Always pleasant on the ear, and the woodwind provided a gentle accompaniment. Some nice 7th chords thrown in here and there.

I'd like to know what people with more of a choral background than me think of it. What voice software did you use? Was it East West's choir?

[Fredrick zinos]

yes, normal score order for an orchestra would be Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon (doubles go to the nearest logical spot. such as bass clarinet under the clarinet with the exception of piccolo which may be written either above or below the flute lline, since the third flute often plays picclo) French horns, trumpets, trombones tuba percussion, timpani, strings.

The french horn is below the bassoons and above the trumpets in an orchestra score because the horn and the basson MAY in certain cases be interchangelable. If you ever have to have a 4 horn sound and you only have two horns, you can add the two bassoons to approximate a 4 horn sound. An F major chord using this voicing might be: 2nd bassoon F below middle C, 1st bassoon middle C. 2nd horn, A below middle C, 1st horn, F above middle C.

In woodwind quintets the score order if FL OB CL Horn BN.

 

in your score the flute probably belongs above the clarinet and I would try to have the highest parts in the flute if possible.

 

 

[Jeff Fuhrer]

Of course, that makes sense. I wasn't thinking of using standard orchestral form, but what you're suggesting makes perfect sense. Thanks for the advice, that part is easy to fix.

I have some passages in which the flute and clarinet cross each other, and the flute momentarily sits below the clarinet. But I did that intentionally, and I think I'm ok with the way that sounds.

Thanks for your attention to my music!

Jeff

Fredrick zinos said:

yes, normal score order for an orchestra would be Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon (doubles go to the nearest logical spot. such as bass clarinet under the clarinet with the exception of piccolo which may be written either above or below the flute lline, since the third flute often plays picclo) French horns, trumpets, trombones tuba percussion, timpani, strings.

The french horn is below the bassoons and above the trumpets in an orchestra score because the horn and the basson MAY in certain cases be interchangelable. If you ever have to have a 4 horn sound and you only have two horns, you can add the two bassoons to approximate a 4 horn sound. An F major chord using this voicing might be: 2nd bassoon F below middle C, 1st bassoon middle C. 2nd horn, A below middle C, 1st horn, F above middle C.

In woodwind quintets the score order if FL OB CL Horn BN.

 

in your score the flute probably belongs above the clarinet and I would try to have the highest parts in the flute if possible.

 

 

[Will Smith]

Nice, very slick and elegantly constructed. I imagine this would be a good sing- lots of stuff for all the parts and some very attractive voicings (I love that Gbadd9 with the C natural in the choir's penultimate bar). Was Eric Whittaker an influence?

My only minor gripe is the number of perfect and plagal cadences in the first 1/2 or so of the piece- your harmonic language is much more interesting later on in the piece, so those regular cadences sound a bit plain by comparison. I also wonder if the woodwind parts could be more generously phrase-marked to bring out the lyrical quality of the writing. Good piece though man (you must have put some hours in on the recording!)

[Jeff Fuhrer]

Thanks! I don't really know Eric Whittaker's stuff, but a few people have suggested the connection. 

I will take a look at the composition with your suggestions in mind. 

The recording is pretty tedious, but it helps me hear things I might miss just by listening at the piano or listening to Sibelius's rendering.