I've posted some of my frustrations with learning Dorico before, but I just set my first string quartet in it. It isn't long, so it basically took me 3 days to come up with a satisfactory setting. The piece is from 1987, although I've made some revisions near the end. I've never been happy with some of the glissandi as well as the ending. It still seems abrupt, but less so now. I wrote out all of the aleatoric bits. I did have some funky things to do to make the notes after left hand pizz. grace notes not be pizz. That required some invisible staves with music on them to play the arco notes. Dorico doesn't do scrolling scores, so it is just audio here and static video.
I didn't realize that I hadn't posted my new trumpet concerto, so here it is. The trumpeter I was writing it for seems to have gone dark and isn't answering emails, so I'm still working on a performance. I've posted the scrolling Sibelius performance here, although I have also since converted it to Dorico. The Sibelius performance is marginally better. It's longer than a typical concerto, but I couldn't stomach dropping some of the music. I could have dropped the second movement, but I liked it too much. 2024 was a good composing year for me, having finished two major orchestral works. (82 minutes of orchestral music), plus a couple of arrangements and the settings of my String Quartet No. 3. String Quartet No. 5, was finally premiered in March, but I couldn't attend, and they never sent me the recording.
The composition of the trumpet concerto overlapped with Symphony No 4. They don't share any material other than some source materials, scales, rows, etc. The trumpet concerto used the rows/sets in a more vertical way, while the Symphony use a more linear implementation. It doesn't sound 12-tone, though, which it technically is - well, post 12-tone, maybe. Everything I write could probably be classified as that. String Qt No 1 is actually NOT 12-tone, but it carries the kernals of my eventual style and is less tonal than my subsequent work.
In case you are interested, all my string quartets now appear in my playlist under the music tab.
Comments
FYI, the scrolling video of the trumpet concerto was an intermediate version before I translated it into Dorico, so it has a number of empty staves. They aren't in the final score.
I listened to the trumpet concerto—it’s quite episodic and indeed deeply original. It doesn’t strike me as atonal, though my ears are not yet developed enough to fully perceive the tonal center or harmonic relationships you’ve described in your system, at least not consistently throughout. I won’t pretend to fully understand your system, though I grasp the concept. Once the six-note sets are established, how are their functional harmonic relationships determined? You mentioned tonic, dominant, and predominant functions in another thread—how do these labels manifest within the harmonic language? Do they operate in a way similar to traditional resolution and functional harmony, or is their movement governed by a different logic? Is counterpoint an active consideration within this framework, and does modulation—whether to different sets or even entirely new rows—exist within your system?
But back to the piece—it has a clever sense of direction and unfolds in almost a storybook fashion. If all else fails in securing a performance, I feel it would at least do the piece justice to record the trumpet part separately—replacing the VST with a live player. Allowing them the flexibility to record in a studio setting without needing to learn the piece to a full performance standard would be cost-effective, offer greater control, and add the extra layer of life the piece is begging for.
I’m glad the second movement wasn’t cut. From my perspective, it’s an essential part of the “story” and provides necessary context, though I have no idea if this aligns with your intent when writing or if it’s simply material expanded from existing ideas you mentioned. The final movement was my favorite—its chaotic energy served as a welcome culmination of everything that came before it. The orchestration is fantastic throughout.
I especially appreciated what I perceived as continuous transformation. It reminded me of molding clay—constantly shifting and evolving, yet always retaining its color and material makeup—never static, always in motion.
Thanks for your kind remarks David. I'll try to answer your questions as succinctly as I am able.
Harmonic relationships are determined by how much overlap there is between the sets. If you take a 12-note row and divide it in half, then there is no overlap between them, so the second half is a pure dominant (0 overlap). After that I transpose the row into all keys (and reorganize each 6-note set as scales). Then, I count overlaps. There will be either 2, 3, or 4. If I get 1 or 5, then there is a transposition error. If I get 6 or 0 and it is not the original row, then the sets are combinatorial, and the system doesn't work. (It's only happened once to me.) 3 is a Predominant, 2 is a Dominant, and 4 is a tonic. My rationale is that in common-practice tonality, there are multiple chords that can function as each. I, iii, and vi can all have tonic functions. IV, ii, and bII (and others) all have Predominant functions. V, vii, have Dominant functions. I will have traditional T-P-D-T progressions, but since there are usually 3-5 of each type of function, I have a lot of scope for variety. In fact, I sometimes leave off some of the non-overlapping notes to make certain functions clearer. It isn't the tonal center that drives the harmony, but the harmonic function itself.
As far as modulations go, one needs to transpose the whole system. You can turn around the functions to get something like secondary dominant, so a transposition of the original 6-note set can function as a dominant to the same transposition of the dominant 6-note set. I have found, however, that a more convincing modulation is created by inverting the row and creating a new function table. That might be akin to modulating to the parallel minor.
As far as voice-leading goes. I try to follow contrapuntal rules, but not very closely. My counterpoint tends to be more row-based in Symphony No 4, but purer in the trumpet piece. Frankly, what I do tends to be what comes naturally to me, just as it might if I was harmonizing a chorale tune. I follow the rules when they are relevant.
The second movement is a point of repose. It doesn't really feature the trumpet that much. I felt that the piece needed it, and it just felt wrong without it.
Interestingly, I just created a wind ensemble version of the last movement. I thought it lent itself to that. I think I need a wind ensemble version of the piece, but I don't think a full 4-movement version is viable for conservative band audiences. I might try to arrange another movement, but I haven't decided which. If I do the first, I'll probably need harp and celesta, but I didn't use them in the fourth movement arrangement.