At 12:39pm on September 17, 2009, Simon Godden said…
I'm taking this opportunity to listen to your fugue on my subject again. I have to say Kristofer, it's in the league of the B Minor Mass ''Kyrie''. Brings tears to my eyes.
Hello, I'm listening to the Dorian right now. This strikes me as being active, yet at the same time meditative. And very beautiful.
What instrument are you playing? Are you playing instruments of your own making on these recordings. Are you a professional instrument maker or only build them for yourself and family? If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to know more about the instruments you build. Have you ever made a hurdy gurdy or hammered dulcimer? As you probably know, the hammered dulcimer is very keyboard like.....it's just that the hammers are held rather than triggered by a keyboard. Are you familiar with George Kelischec (I'm probably spelling his name wrong.) I used go to his Early Music Workshops held at a small college in the North Georgia Mountains many years ago when I was single. People came from all over and played Early Music, took workshops, very prestigious faculty. He lived in Brasstown, NC and to tell you the truth, he was an old man back then. I hope he is still among the living. He had sons who are probably carriyng on the tradition. Anyway, I can see you as a wonderful addition to the camp faculty and it's just so much fun! Okay, now I'm listening to the Prelude and Fugue in B Major. You should be nominated for a McArthur genius award! Wish I knew how people are nominated....the nominators are a big secret. Hope they're aware of our little site. In fact, I think I'll e-mail the McArthur Foundation and suggest someone monitor it! Yes! ....Martha
Kristoferus...thank you once again for your unwavering support to my music...I will be glad to work on the Palestrina version of Scarlatti...but wouldn't that be violating the time space continuum a tad?....how would Giovanni Perluigi innovate on minimalistic styles of his own polyphony yet to be created?...an interesting paradox....
Boy, you make a man work!... I had to go back to my encyclopedia musicalis to refresh the treatrises of days past... after summoning the spirits of Aloyisus and Josephus, they enlightened me.... your piece is academically devoted, in the strictest counterpoint sense. I appreciate the fact that you retained the finesse of invention while harnessing the nature of the diatonic modes....More so, I wonder...How my good chaotic/cosmotic fugic friend managed to abide.....Music of the Spheres!!!...wonderful work my friend!...
To my way of thinking totally authentic and very satisfying. I like the fact that this is a serious piece of work that appears to contemplate matters of significance. There is a certain intensity, perhaps density, to the subject matter and its development that reminded me of the relentlessness of composers prior to and including Bach.
I just looked at your photos. I have a virginal packed up in my basement. It was made by William Post Ross in the early 1980's. I haven't played it in years....never thought I would go completely (or almost completely) digital, because I used to play early music....hurdy gurdy, virginal, hammered dulcimer. I guess I got tired of all that tuning and the sampled sounds are so good now. Looking at your photos, I'm wondering if you make instruments? Martha Maria
At 1:52am on September 10, 2009, Adrian Allan said…
No problem - I've probably said enough about Donny's music now. He probably thinks I'm critical for the sake of it, but I can see the potential given a bit of tweaking which you have been kind enough to do.
Thanks for your feedback & support about that...I appreciate it. I want to go through that thread again when I'm in the mood for it.
I have selective perfect pitch, I sometimes know pitches correctly but with some textures, I get tricked or I can no longer tell. I think I don't have perfect pitch memory but I have a pretty expansive TEXTURE memory, and I'm able to remember pitches by texture. For example, I almost always know the notes played on a piano if it's in tune, and I usually can tell how much it's out of tune if it is as well. What material in particular of mine did you like? Also, I let your playlist play on a couple of different times and I like how you have that kind of contrapuntal, fugal aesthetic, and that you push the boundaries a little but not in a harmful way. I don't always like the more experimental approaches to fugues, for some reason they sound very easily clumsy to me (this is with my own attempts as well).
Excellent playing there - to bring out in make Frescobaldi's clarity and coherence as you did in the Canzona shows a fine musician. but this piece seems a bit conservative for Frescobaldi. When did he write this? Early in his career?
I can print sheet music from my Guitar pro program for any of my work. whether or not they will be playable has never been tested. I put the notes on the staff according to what I want to hear. All my tracks on each composition are labeled with the instrument for that track. I can print individual tracks and I can send you the MIDI files to any and all of my work. Just tell me what you need or if there is a particular composition you would like to work with. You can listen to most of my work at my web site. It is listed in my listening room most recent first and so on.
http://DonnyPike.tripod.com
The story goes that someone asked Rachmaninoff what inspired him to compose the prelude in C# minor. He is said to have responded in his typical deadpan style "$500.00." Turns out is was a commission.
Another example of the Rachmaninoff sense of humor.. NY 1920's or 30's Rach is performing one of the Beethoven violin sonatas with Fritz Kriesler. Kriesler loses his place and whispers over to Rachmaninoff "where are we?" Rachmaninoff whispers back "Carneigy Hall"
Heh, heh. Yeah, I think I had every Bond toy and soundtrack record when I was a kid, and that soundtrack was very influential on me. The bass line is a quassi François Rabbath arco contra basso line I learned for a piece when I was studying with his protégé. I deformed it into a mutated Rabbath-Pastorius-Clarke bass guitar line---with a pick in lieu of a bow. Heh, I know, too much information---but now that you mention it, it does sound like an insane “Secret Agent Man” line!
I’m a huge fan of counter point---therefore I find your music very satisfying. So far I’ve listened through 1-11 of your pieces. Great stuff.
I’m currently reading a biography on Bach by Martin Geck. Apparently Bach’s gig at the court in Weimar paid an annual salary of 150 florins, in cash, 18 bushels of grain, 12 bushels of barley, 4 cords of firewood, and 30 buckets of beer. Perhaps nowadays he would have demanded some good ol’ cheese fry with that.
Thank you once again for interjecting in the not too Civil Civil matter. To paraphrase Barney Frank "Talking to her is like talking to the dining room table."
Ah well I should just stick to trying to learn to write music and leave the philosophical arguments to those better educated than myself.
Next, months from now, something for orchestra that attempts to combine the passacaglia idea of Dream and Visions with the straight forward style of American Songs. I have no idea if this will work, but I'm forced to try it on two accounts. 1) It seems like a logical next step and 2) its a condition of my parole.
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What instrument are you playing? Are you playing instruments of your own making on these recordings. Are you a professional instrument maker or only build them for yourself and family? If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to know more about the instruments you build. Have you ever made a hurdy gurdy or hammered dulcimer? As you probably know, the hammered dulcimer is very keyboard like.....it's just that the hammers are held rather than triggered by a keyboard. Are you familiar with George Kelischec (I'm probably spelling his name wrong.) I used go to his Early Music Workshops held at a small college in the North Georgia Mountains many years ago when I was single. People came from all over and played Early Music, took workshops, very prestigious faculty. He lived in Brasstown, NC and to tell you the truth, he was an old man back then. I hope he is still among the living. He had sons who are probably carriyng on the tradition. Anyway, I can see you as a wonderful addition to the camp faculty and it's just so much fun! Okay, now I'm listening to the Prelude and Fugue in B Major. You should be nominated for a McArthur genius award! Wish I knew how people are nominated....the nominators are a big secret. Hope they're aware of our little site. In fact, I think I'll e-mail the McArthur Foundation and suggest someone monitor it! Yes! ....Martha
To my way of thinking totally authentic and very satisfying. I like the fact that this is a serious piece of work that appears to contemplate matters of significance. There is a certain intensity, perhaps density, to the subject matter and its development that reminded me of the relentlessness of composers prior to and including Bach.
Simply amazing!
I have selective perfect pitch, I sometimes know pitches correctly but with some textures, I get tricked or I can no longer tell. I think I don't have perfect pitch memory but I have a pretty expansive TEXTURE memory, and I'm able to remember pitches by texture. For example, I almost always know the notes played on a piano if it's in tune, and I usually can tell how much it's out of tune if it is as well. What material in particular of mine did you like? Also, I let your playlist play on a couple of different times and I like how you have that kind of contrapuntal, fugal aesthetic, and that you push the boundaries a little but not in a harmful way. I don't always like the more experimental approaches to fugues, for some reason they sound very easily clumsy to me (this is with my own attempts as well).
Donny
Donny
It Hurts To See You Go.mid
http://DonnyPike.tripod.com
Another example of the Rachmaninoff sense of humor.. NY 1920's or 30's Rach is performing one of the Beethoven violin sonatas with Fritz Kriesler. Kriesler loses his place and whispers over to Rachmaninoff "where are we?" Rachmaninoff whispers back "Carneigy Hall"
FZ
Thanks for the invitation.
BTW Listening to some of you work, I think the voice leading is exemplary. Does Civil even know what voice leading is?
Heh, heh. Yeah, I think I had every Bond toy and soundtrack record when I was a kid, and that soundtrack was very influential on me. The bass line is a quassi François Rabbath arco contra basso line I learned for a piece when I was studying with his protégé. I deformed it into a mutated Rabbath-Pastorius-Clarke bass guitar line---with a pick in lieu of a bow. Heh, I know, too much information---but now that you mention it, it does sound like an insane “Secret Agent Man” line!
I’m a huge fan of counter point---therefore I find your music very satisfying. So far I’ve listened through 1-11 of your pieces. Great stuff.
I’m currently reading a biography on Bach by Martin Geck. Apparently Bach’s gig at the court in Weimar paid an annual salary of 150 florins, in cash, 18 bushels of grain, 12 bushels of barley, 4 cords of firewood, and 30 buckets of beer. Perhaps nowadays he would have demanded some good ol’ cheese fry with that.
Thank you once again for interjecting in the not too Civil Civil matter. To paraphrase Barney Frank "Talking to her is like talking to the dining room table."
Ah well I should just stick to trying to learn to write music and leave the philosophical arguments to those better educated than myself.
Next, months from now, something for orchestra that attempts to combine the passacaglia idea of Dream and Visions with the straight forward style of American Songs. I have no idea if this will work, but I'm forced to try it on two accounts. 1) It seems like a logical next step and 2) its a condition of my parole.
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