New youtube vid of my Toccata

[Michael Tauben]

http://youtu.be/73FEeXeDgs4

I am writing other pieces too, honest!

Just made this vid of my Toccata which has been hanging around my profile for a while.

I think it's convenient way of presenting music and it saves the listener/viewer from having to scroll pdf pages or even turn real ones!

[Mark Nicol]

Hi Michael,

I enjoyed many passages in your work, which starts with a really lively toccata feel. I think that in the aesthetic relationship between length and content the piece, as an art work, needs to shortened, compacted. 
The syncopations sound great, but using much greater dissonances in conjunction would really highlight the 'spiky, edgy' effect. If you are writing in an improvisatory form from the keyboard you may be losing sight of overall architecture and coherency a bit. 

I think you have the basis of a good piece here, but it is a little anaemic on harmonic pungency, and needs more architectural  cogency, tautness, a more potent form.

Thanks for the post and look forward to your next work.

Mark Nicol.

[Michael Tauben]

Thanks for listening Mark.

I'm not sure where I could shorten it as it is very tightly structured in a modified version of classical sonata form complete with repeated exposition. ( I do hope you don't consider missing out the repeat to be acceptable :) )

As for the harmony, part of my intention was to build the piece from the fewest harmonies possible ( there are very few different chord structures in play) It is true that such harmonic treatment could not sustain a work of much greater length but I believe it is not possible to cut any passages without destroying the architecture. 

Also, I feel that adding 'greater dissonance' for the purpose of a superficial 'edgyness' would be self defeating as harmonic unity is the most important principal that governs my musical aesthetic. I'm not sure you have fully understood what is going on in the piece but I thank you for taking the time to listen and respond.

Mark Nicol said:

Hi Michael,

I enjoyed many passages in your work, which starts with a really lively toccata feel. I think that in the aesthetic relationship between length and content the piece, as an art work, needs to shortened, compacted. 
The syncopations sound great, but using much greater dissonances in conjunction would really highlight the 'spiky, edgy' effect. If you are writing in an improvisatory form from the keyboard you may be losing sight of overall architecture and coherency a bit. 

I think you have the basis of a good piece here, but it is a little anaemic on harmonic pungency, and needs more architectural  cogency, tautness, a more potent form.

Thanks for the post and look forward to your next work.

Mark Nicol.

[Mark Nicol]

Dear Michael,

no worries at all. You have to go with your formal and aesthetic imperatives - not mine. Can't be any other way. I look forward to the next work, and I may give my thoughts - but ultimately I'll respect your own expressive integrity. Great that you have resolve, anyway, and are not wishy-washy.

Best wishes,

Mark.