Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, nicknamed “Little Russian”, opens with a melody presented on its own on solo french horn. Tchaikovsky then uses this melody as his only material for the opening three to four minutes, presenting it in three full re orchestrated forms, and then several fragmented forms. The first full version sees bassoons take up […]
Many of Chopin’s Nocturnes follow a ternary structure, or ABA form, where melodies of the A-section repeat and flank a different middle section. Interestingly, however, Chopin’s Nocturnes often implement subtle embellishments to each repetition of these A-themes. His first Nocturne Opus 9, Number 1 is a good example of these melodic variations. Taking a closer
Mozart, when introducing a theme in his Sonata form movements, often repeats the melody with subtle variations. For example, in his E minor Violin Sonata (K. 304, I have an extended analysis of the first movement of this piece here), he changes the texture from monophonic to melody and accompaniment. In his D Major Sonata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqfTcI3Ztk&t=9s&ab_channel=AnyOldMusic Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1897) is a musical composition based on a poem, of the same name, by 18th-century German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe was a product of the later Enlightenment. However, he had a profound impact on the European 19th-century and Romantic culture. For instance, Dukas is only one of many composers
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Paul Dukas (Music Composition Techniques Analysis) Read More »
A few months ago, I shared an analysis on the Hal Leonard arrangement of John Williams’ Flag Parade cue from the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace (1999). With these types of articles and videos, the objective is to unearth structure, concepts and techniques of composition via analysis. Occasionally, as I present today, I like to try and
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYUPk1vKxQk&ab_channel=AnyOldMusic Witold Lutosławski’s Chantefleurs et Chantefables is a song cycle for soprano voice and chamber orchestra, completed in 1991. Textually, the songs use the poetry of twentieth-century French surrealist Robert Desnos (1900 – 1944). A series of children’s poems, compiled and published posthumously in 1955, under the title Chantefables et Chantefleurs (Lutosławski reverses the title
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
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In early 1778, Mozart was touring from his home in Salzburg to Paris. Stopping in Munich and Mannheim first, Mozart composed many sonatas on this journey. A collection of these includes seven Violin Sonatas (No. 17 – 23). The E-Minor Violin Sonata, No. 21/K. 304, is the only minor key sonata in this collection. I decided to take a look at this sonata, in part for that reason, but also because I found the clarity of its composition compelling. Using texture to clearly state themes and then present interesting variants, I think it’s a good demonstration in what I think can be easily forgotten as a composer or arranger: less can be more. Below I explore the works contextual origins, before analysing the first movement in more detail, focussing on its composition.
Mozart’s E-Minor Violin Sonata, K. 304: music composition techniques Read More »
There is plenty to learn in analysing a composition. In the previous article I analysed and discussed the arrangement of Bizet’s Farandole. Here I take the learning process one step further by experimenting with combining the classic nursery rhyme melody “London Bridge” with the arrangement of Farandole. Taking the structural breakdown that I presented in the previous article I apply similar textures, orchestration and melodic treatment to “London Bridge”. This article discusses my process, thinking and lessons learned in undertaking this learning experiment.
3 lessons from arranging London Bridge for orchestra Read More »
The orchestral composition Farandole, a movement from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2, can teach us a lot of simple tips and tricks that we can apply to our arrangements, compositions and orchestrations. In this article, I analyse the piece and discuss its structure, its clever use of simple themes, textures and orchestration. For example, one simple but exhilarating technique this composition/arrangement uses is to counterpoint its themes at the end (see Themes/Melodic Material)
Bizet’s Farandole (L’Arlesienne No.2): music composition techniques Read More »