Generations (score link working now)
MP3
PDF
Can you believe it? I've been so busy with BEDA (among other non-blog tasks, of course) that this is only Week #7 of my New Music Appetizer!
Hopefully this morsel will be worth the wait.
Here, finally, is my MIDI mock-up of Generations, a 5-minute string orchestra piece written in honor of Charles Darwin, born February 12, 1809 - that's 200 years ago this past February!
Perhaps I'll self-analyze the piece in some detail in tomorrow's post. Suffice it to say that the work combined minimalism and a 12-pitch tone row, though not subjected to any row permutations. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! It's sort of a stylistic detour for me.
Note: Thanks to the wonders of MIDI, some dynamics and articulations are naturally not represented, but this does the trick... for an Appetizer at least.
Showing posts with label New Music Appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Music Appetizer. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
New Music Appetizer Week #6 - Teamwork Is the Key
trembles on the brink
MP3
A fascinating yet popular chord progression. An ambiguous and slightly pretentious title. This piece already seems bound for greatness!
For this week's New Music Appetizer, I'm joining forces with a handful of musician friends to write some music "just for fun" (whatever that means). The online music collaboration site Kompoz allows people to upload and download individual tracks of a song, facilitating remote collaboration. There are some great projects and great potential on the site.
trembles on the brink combines the soft strings chord progression of Jerome Kern's All the Things You Are (perhaps the most perfect song ever created) with... well, I don't know yet. That's the joy of collaboration!
To hear two other versions of the progression and learn more about the project, visit its Kompoz page.
Switching gears, also note that the Home and Projects pages of my website have undergone revisions and added a bunch of links. I finally got around to learning basic HTML coding yesterday, and I do mean basic! (A HREF=what?)
Enjoy, and have a good week. As always, say hi through comments. I'm off to imitate Boulez! Sort of...
MP3
A fascinating yet popular chord progression. An ambiguous and slightly pretentious title. This piece already seems bound for greatness!
For this week's New Music Appetizer, I'm joining forces with a handful of musician friends to write some music "just for fun" (whatever that means). The online music collaboration site Kompoz allows people to upload and download individual tracks of a song, facilitating remote collaboration. There are some great projects and great potential on the site.
trembles on the brink combines the soft strings chord progression of Jerome Kern's All the Things You Are (perhaps the most perfect song ever created) with... well, I don't know yet. That's the joy of collaboration!
To hear two other versions of the progression and learn more about the project, visit its Kompoz page.
Switching gears, also note that the Home and Projects pages of my website have undergone revisions and added a bunch of links. I finally got around to learning basic HTML coding yesterday, and I do mean basic! (A HREF=what?)
Enjoy, and have a good week. As always, say hi through comments. I'm off to imitate Boulez! Sort of...
Friday, February 27, 2009
New Music Appetizer Week #5 - A Trip Down Memory Lane
Mark
MP3
Darn, 24 minutes late.
Here's a mini-blast from the sort-of-past: a short piano work I wrote while a senior in undergrad and finally coming around to the slow realization that a "composer" is one who actually composes music... like, for real... and has it performed.
Mark is a character piece dedicated to my older brother. While the dissonances now sound far too harsh to my ears, the piece was meant to reflect the odd beauty of my brother's firm resolve through any sort of adversity. Some call it persistent. Some call it stubborn. But in any case, this is what it sounded like to my 21-year-old mind.
The recording features yours truly at the piano during my senior piano recital, the high point of my piano playing prowess!
Kind of a departure from the newly-created music theme of my New Music Appetizer, I realize, but I hope I will be forgiven. Last weekend was the insane 24-Hour Musicals, and I've got another collaborative project in the works starting this weekend.
As always, if you stop by, take 15 seconds to say hi. Leave a comment, or go to www.kylegullings.com, poke around a bit, and send me a message through the Contact Me page! Bye until next Friday.
MP3
Darn, 24 minutes late.
Here's a mini-blast from the sort-of-past: a short piano work I wrote while a senior in undergrad and finally coming around to the slow realization that a "composer" is one who actually composes music... like, for real... and has it performed.
Mark is a character piece dedicated to my older brother. While the dissonances now sound far too harsh to my ears, the piece was meant to reflect the odd beauty of my brother's firm resolve through any sort of adversity. Some call it persistent. Some call it stubborn. But in any case, this is what it sounded like to my 21-year-old mind.
The recording features yours truly at the piano during my senior piano recital, the high point of my piano playing prowess!
Kind of a departure from the newly-created music theme of my New Music Appetizer, I realize, but I hope I will be forgiven. Last weekend was the insane 24-Hour Musicals, and I've got another collaborative project in the works starting this weekend.
As always, if you stop by, take 15 seconds to say hi. Leave a comment, or go to www.kylegullings.com, poke around a bit, and send me a message through the Contact Me page! Bye until next Friday.
Monday, February 16, 2009
REDO New Music Appetizer Week #4 - Duchess of Malfi Sampler Platter
(revised audio samples and title!)
So, who knew you have to manually enter enclosure links in order for multiple files to show up on a podcast? Well, perhaps Oby knew. And Google Help sure knew. You learn something new every day. Thanks for the vigilant watch!...
Feel free to delete the old #3/4.
Gates Shut
MP3
4 Cannons
MP3
Wax Figures Reveal
MP3
Malfi Court Music 3
MP3
Here's a big round of short samples, all from the Duchess of Malfi, playing now through Sunday at CUA. It's a sort of Malfi Sampler Platter, if you will. Enjoy!
* Gates shutting
* 4 cannon shots in the distance
* Creepy "revealing of dead bodies" sound
* Malfi Court Music #3 (different from the previous music)
This last one, the Malfi music, is one of my favorites, largely because I very much enjoy how realistic the solo woodwinds sound - at least to my ears! What do you think?
So, not many comments on last week's New Music Appetizer. Maybe the variety of this week's selection will help that!
I've got a new project in the works, possibly collaborating with some others, but more on that later!
So, who knew you have to manually enter enclosure links in order for multiple files to show up on a podcast? Well, perhaps Oby knew. And Google Help sure knew. You learn something new every day. Thanks for the vigilant watch!...
Feel free to delete the old #3/4.
Gates Shut
MP3
4 Cannons
MP3
Wax Figures Reveal
MP3
Malfi Court Music 3
MP3
Here's a big round of short samples, all from the Duchess of Malfi, playing now through Sunday at CUA. It's a sort of Malfi Sampler Platter, if you will. Enjoy!
* Gates shutting
* 4 cannon shots in the distance
* Creepy "revealing of dead bodies" sound
* Malfi Court Music #3 (different from the previous music)
This last one, the Malfi music, is one of my favorites, largely because I very much enjoy how realistic the solo woodwinds sound - at least to my ears! What do you think?
So, not many comments on last week's New Music Appetizer. Maybe the variety of this week's selection will help that!
I've got a new project in the works, possibly collaborating with some others, but more on that later!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
New Music Appetizer Week #3 - Duchess of Malfi Court Music
Malfi Court 2 samples
MP3
PDF
Two days late, I realize, but I hope you'll forgive me. It is tech week, after all!
This week you get Malfi Court 2 samples, another sneak-peek into the sounds of Duchess of Malfi, playing Feb. 12-15 at Catholic University in DC. The MP3 contains two different settings of the melody "Rose, Red". All sounds are (quite obviously) synthesized.
The second setting, which starts after :22 or so, has some pretty crappy synth strings on it. (Just wait until that last chord... ew!) But that's what you get here on New Music Appetizer - freshly-made music that doesn't hide its first draft qualities!
See the PDF for the melody and lyrics.
You have two assignments this week:
1.) Make one suggestion for improvement, and
2.) Find one audio-tech savvy person you know, and ask her/him to listen to and comment on this sample.
Mmmm... Appetizers.
MP3
Two days late, I realize, but I hope you'll forgive me. It is tech week, after all!
This week you get Malfi Court 2 samples, another sneak-peek into the sounds of Duchess of Malfi, playing Feb. 12-15 at Catholic University in DC. The MP3 contains two different settings of the melody "Rose, Red". All sounds are (quite obviously) synthesized.
The second setting, which starts after :22 or so, has some pretty crappy synth strings on it. (Just wait until that last chord... ew!) But that's what you get here on New Music Appetizer - freshly-made music that doesn't hide its first draft qualities!
See the PDF for the melody and lyrics.
You have two assignments this week:
1.) Make one suggestion for improvement, and
2.) Find one audio-tech savvy person you know, and ask her/him to listen to and comment on this sample.
Mmmm... Appetizers.
Monday, February 2, 2009
New Music Appetizer Week #2 - Duchess of Malfi waves-breath-blood (link works now)
waves-breath-blood
MP3
No score this time. Here's my first draft of one of the sounds I'm creating for Duchess of Malfi. I'm calling this waves-breath-blood. It uses a mixture of found, recorded, synthesized, and (eventually) live sources to create a sort of soundscape.
Now, how do I make this sound cooler and creepier, yet less contrived, artificial, and distractingly intentioned? Thoughts?
The show runs February 12-15 at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and is directed by Ryan Whinnem. Check it out!
Okay, your turn. If you're intrigued by what you hear on my New Music Appetizer series, why not let me know by e-mail? Better yet, subscribe to my blog's podcast for automatic updates. (right side of the screen)
MP3
No score this time. Here's my first draft of one of the sounds I'm creating for Duchess of Malfi. I'm calling this waves-breath-blood. It uses a mixture of found, recorded, synthesized, and (eventually) live sources to create a sort of soundscape.
Now, how do I make this sound cooler and creepier, yet less contrived, artificial, and distractingly intentioned? Thoughts?
The show runs February 12-15 at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and is directed by Ryan Whinnem. Check it out!
Okay, your turn. If you're intrigued by what you hear on my New Music Appetizer series, why not let me know by e-mail? Better yet, subscribe to my blog's podcast for automatic updates. (right side of the screen)
Friday, January 23, 2009
New Music Appetizer Week #1 - Duchess of Malfi Court Music
Court Music 1
MP3
PDF
A bit delayed, but there it is: Week #1 of New Music Appetizer, my new weekly post of my works-in-progress.
First up is Court Music 1, my first draft of a 16th-century motet meant to serve as court background music for John Webster's play Duchess of Malfi. (Webster was a contemporary of Shakespeare.)
The play is going up February 12-15 at CUA's Hartke Theater, and is directed by Ryan Whinnem. Check it out!
More to come. Now... let the comments commence! (That means you.)
MP3
A bit delayed, but there it is: Week #1 of New Music Appetizer, my new weekly post of my works-in-progress.
First up is Court Music 1, my first draft of a 16th-century motet meant to serve as court background music for John Webster's play Duchess of Malfi. (Webster was a contemporary of Shakespeare.)
The play is going up February 12-15 at CUA's Hartke Theater, and is directed by Ryan Whinnem. Check it out!
More to come. Now... let the comments commence! (That means you.)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
New Music Appetizer - Inaugural Post
In addition to my new website, www.kylegullings.com (see post below), I am also starting 2009 off with high hopes for renewed productivity and purpose for this blog. Namely, this:
New Music Appetizer - a weekly series of fresh-off-the-presses MP3 files from projects that are currently on my ToDo list. Look for a new entry every Friday, starting the 16th.
Comments on my music and process are always encouraged. And with weekly updates, you now have no excuse for not checking my site frequently!
Also, if you haven't already, subscribe to my blog and/or add it to your iTunes podcasts by following the RSS link on the column to the right.
This Friday, be on the lookout for a sample of Renaissance-era-inspired background music for the John Webster play The Duchess of Malfi. And spread the word about my New Music Appetizer series! Bye for now.
New Music Appetizer - a weekly series of fresh-off-the-presses MP3 files from projects that are currently on my ToDo list. Look for a new entry every Friday, starting the 16th.
Comments on my music and process are always encouraged. And with weekly updates, you now have no excuse for not checking my site frequently!
Also, if you haven't already, subscribe to my blog and/or add it to your iTunes podcasts by following the RSS link on the column to the right.
This Friday, be on the lookout for a sample of Renaissance-era-inspired background music for the John Webster play The Duchess of Malfi. And spread the word about my New Music Appetizer series! Bye for now.
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