Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Composing on Commission

The spring 2012 issue of Dulcimer Players News will carry my article titled "Composing on Commission".   The full article has detailed information on the tune Accomac Roots, a composition I wrote on commission.  You can hear the work at this link:  http://accomacroots.com/  A preview of the article without the step-by-step details of compositional choices is below.

Consider a subscription to Dulcimer Players News.  The quarterly publication includes a CD of the works published in the magazine.  DPN is a great value for the dulcimer community.  Check out their website here:  http://dpnews.com


Excerpts from Composing on Commission
Few of us have people beating down our doors to write checks for the tunes we create. But, all of us have occasions for which a unique piece of music would be a special gift. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, memorial services and other important moments punctuate our lives.  Each of these events is made better by the gift of original music.

Some composers of event-specific music simply follow their muse and slap an appropriate title on the finished tune.  While this approach is used more often than not, it is both an easy way out and misses the point of the event.  A little thought and planning can dramatically improve the results of the compositional effort.

Planning to compose an event-specific tune relies upon two guiding principles.  

1.  Define the subject of the composition

A thoughtful rendering of an event-specific composition begins by distilling the subject of the composition into a short list of salient, emotive characteristics.  Take care in this step to get to the heart of the subject by listing features that would be immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the subject. 

The best features for these lists generally originate in the first thoughts that come to mind.  The key point to keep in mind is that the finished composition should evoke feelings and understandings shared by many who know the subject. 

Divide the list into primary and subordinate features.  The primary features are those whose absence would render the definition of the subject incomplete.  Keep the list of primary features short.  Think of each primary feature as the topic of a movement in the final composition.  If you are writing a tune in A-B form, the list of primary features should contain only two items.  It helps to select primary features that differ significantly from each other.  Consciously selecting contrasting primary features will ensure that the movements of the composition will be distinctive and that the overall piece will have clarity.

Once the short list of primary features is set, review the list of secondary features to select those that best support the primary features.  Discard the rest of the secondary features. 

While you are not yet ready to compose, this is the time to begin exploring the musical motives that will drive the composition. 

2.  Allow the subject to set the structure and guide the composition
Once the lists of features are settled, allow these descriptions of the subject to set the composition’s form, tempo and style.  It is best not to begin by forcing the composition into a specific form.  An anniversary event is not always best served by a waltz.  A memorial service does not always require a slow air.    Imposing structure and style at the outset limits compositional options and creativity.  Let the content drive the choice of structure. 

Do you really compose this way?
It is fair to ask how much of the composition effort is planned in advance and how much is after-the-fact analysis and alteration.  The answer is that the tasks of composition and analysis cannot be untangled.  Even intuitive composers analyze their work as it progresses.  It may be that the analysis is subconscious or done by trial and error.  But the fact is that composition, whether intuitive or not, is a rolling analysis. 

Is there one best way to compose tunes?

Absolutely not.  This approach presented in this article is one of many ways to go about writing music.  Professor Joel Lester explained this best in his book The Rhythms of Tonal Music:

“One of the most tempting fallacies of any discussion about music – 
whether formal or informal- is to generalize a particular 
viewpoint into a universal law.”

While this advice is certainly true, a commissioned work that is relevant to the subject of the commission starts with a thorough understanding of the subject.  Make a list!  Then compose.

The complete article together with an mp3 of the tune and lead sheet will be available in the spring 2012 issue of Dulcimer Players News  http://dpnews.com

“…..it is difficult enough to say precisely what it is that a piece of music means, to say it definitely, to say it finally so that everyone is satisfied with your explanation.  But that should not lead one to the other extreme of denying to music the right to be “expressive. ‘”
Aaron Coplan
What To Listen For In Music