Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally Sparrow
I base my music on how it sounds to me rather than how it looks on paper and after spending time with other students on my course it would seem that I'm generally the only one to use this method. Of course, they aim for something that sounds pleasing to the ear but to get there they try to include certain musical techniques, harmonic and rhythmic devices for example, whereas I, after completing the piece, discover I've used these unintentionally anyway.
Another way of composing that I find effective, although not if I have a time limit, is to wait until I am so moved by an emotion or image, that I will be able to imagine the style of music to accompany it and will then go away and write down everything I can think of, the rest will just be down to experimentation.
So this got me thinking, when we analyse music for our A levels, are we being taught what the composers actually wanted to convey; or is it just our interpretation? Did Williams think of the technical aspects when composing; the way that the text books read or did he just think it felt right? Was he inspired by things the way I often am or was it just another day, another symphony?
Please reply with any thoughts on the discussion? What do you think composition is? Really important that I get something pleeeease!  Thanks. |
Hi Sally. Hmmm...I suspect most composers do a combination: they have a feeling that inspires their music, and they try to include some techniques they enjoy (like my favorites, counterpoint and polyrhythm).
I doubt older composers felt a ho-hum feeling when they were composing. The process may have been very tedious then (no computers!), but I suspect composers usually *felt* very strongly whether the music they were making matched what they "enheard" (instead of "envisioned").
