This category contains articles that discuss concepts and analyse the music of the 20th century (1900-1999). From late-Romantic into the fragmented modernist period and beyond, works by composers such as Mahler, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Berio, Lutosławski and Pärt can be found here (once we have covered them!). It also includes Film music written during this time.
Composed for the film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Bernard Herrmann’s science-fiction score has a lot to teach us about composition and orchestration in the medium of film, media scoring and wider. In this article today, therefore, I want to take a look at Herrmann’s score. I have done my best to be selective, […]
The Day the Earth Stood Still, Bernard Herrmann – Orchestration Technique Read More »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0QZ7LVWDps&t=1s&ab_channel=AnyOldMusic Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers is an opera set on the South West coast of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Perhaps indicative of an incredibly cosmopolitan society during this time, despite the subject matter and Smyth being English, the opera’s initial libretto was in French. However, Smyth had difficulty securing a performance for a French-speaking audience. As
Orchestrating a Swashbuckler: The Wreckers Overture (Ethel Smyth) Read More »
Bernard Herrmann’s “Walking Distance” is full of different orchestration and composition techniques. Last week we focussed on some of those orchestration techniques, such as reorchestration. This week we are looking at the composition. However, just like with the orchestration, we will have to be selective. Therefore, I have selected two short cues to look at in
I have not watched many of The Twilight Zone episodes. Not for lack of wanting to, but simply a lack of paired reason and opportunity. What better way, then, to introduce myself to these highly regarded television classics than by doing so through a composer whom I hugely admire, Bernard Herrmann. In this article, I want to
Delineating a string quartet and string orchestra in the instrumentation and engraving of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings impacts its composition, orchestration and arrangement. The reason is that it imposes a compelling dichotomy between a string quartet (solo strings) and a string orchestra (sectional strings). Doing this allows and, undoubtedly, encourages Elgar’s exploration of the solo
Introduction and Allegro for Strings (Edward Elgar) – String Orchestration Read More »
This article is a composition lesson in which I present a handful of experiments using tintinnabuli technique. A companion to the Für Alina article from a couple of weeks ago, this one revisits the concepts of that article, discussing them in practice.
How can you use Tintinnabuli to compose your own music? Read More »
In this article I look at Ralph Vaughan-Williams’ 5 Variants on Dives and Lazarus. A study in blending string timbres, I discuss Vaughan-Williams’ use of divisi and blending of solo, section and specific-string timbres.
Dives and Lazarus (RVW) – String Orchestration Read More »
In this article, I analyse and discuss Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina. Unearthing facets of tintinnabuli, I also discuss its origins and how these influenced the composition of Für Alina.
Für Alina – Composition Techniques Read More »
In this article I analyse and discuss the music composition techniques that John Williams uses in his film cue The Flag Parade.
The Flag Parade – Music Composition Techniques Read More »