Preparing a Composition Portfolio: thoughts

These are some thoughts I discuss with my composition students when they are preparing their portfolios:

Composition Portfolio Preparation

1. Submit with a CD recording. Full, clear and accurate notation. Full score required in concert pitch.
2. Avoid using a midi print-out (Logic etc) which can be meaningless.
3. In pop music and jazz, rhythms are often difficult to notate because of slight changes to the beat - these don’t need to be notated– keep it simple and clear.
4. Drum kit parts – keep it simple and of use to the drummer – not too complex.

Some useful texts:

5.  Runswick, D. Rock, Jazz and Pop Arranging, London: Faber, 1992
6. Baker, D Arranging & Composing: For the Small Ensemble, Jazz, R&B, Jazz Rock, Alfred Pub, 1988
7. Adler, S The Study of Orchestration, New York, Norton, 2002
8. Avoid production of looped backing tracks where there is no development nor main idea/melody – it is boring.
9. Think about overall shape of piece and sketch that out first
10. Well-structured music combines repetition and contrast. Avoid over-repetition and too many different ideas – vary and develop your ideas.
11. Notational performance details: make sure that full details are provided for the players.
12. Avoid pastiche – relate your music to today’s music scene.
13. Listen to a wide range of music.
14. Approach your own music with a critical ear – don’t be easily pleased.

Arrangement:

15. Make sure the main melody is audible – think about balance of the parts and dynamics.
16. Vary the ensemble – don’t have them all playing at once all the time.
17. Find out the range of your instruments and what they sound like in their ranges, plus other aspects of their nature.
18. Buy a book on orchestration and read it– see above.  (plus see Hugill’s website)  http://andrewhugill.com/manuals/intro.html
19. In tonal music think about which chords you are using and what the key is.
20. Listen to your harmonic progressions? Are they the most effective ones? Are there notes missing? Does it go anywhere?
21. Melody is really important – it needs to be more than just part of the harmony – it needs a life of its own. It should have a memorable shape.
22. Make sure you use a varied rhythm – not just crotchets and quavers.
23. The bass-line is a second melody and needs to be memorable and singable – avoid just using a line of root position chords – use first inversions and passing notes – make it interesting.

Inspiration

24. Anything can be inspiring: improvising – images – poems – other works – stories – events – musical processes – chemical processes – emotions (but beware of ‘cheese’…).
25. Sketch the whole piece out first with just the main line – use a sound source to help.
26. Don’t leave it too late so you cannot improve it.

A Scottish Ligeti Trip (Hamburg Concerto)

In late January I went up to Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh) to give two pre-concert talks on Ligeti's last major work the Hamburg Concerto for Horn and Chamber Orchestra performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (they also played Ligeti's Chamber Concerto which I didn't hear). I was impressed by the quality of the playing of the SCO as this is an extremely demanding and complex work. The excellent soloist was Alec Frank-Gemmill (on both French and Natural Horn) and the conductor Robin Ticciati showed a thorough understanding of the score. The work is curious for two reasons: it is in seven brief movements which are often divided up into smaller sections making it 14 in total; and it makes extensive use of the strange and beautiful tunings of the upper harmonics of the natural horn. As one goes up the harmonic series, the notes gradually deviate from the equally tempered scale of the piano, sometimes to an alarming degree. In places the natural horn quartet in the orchestra (parts which are almost as demanding as the soloist's part) are all in different keys - F,E, Bb, and D. Ligeti combines the 'out-of-tune' notes from each horn to generate quite alien-sounding harmonies that are disturbing but also beautiful. It seems to me that it would be almost impossible to be able to calculate the precise results of these combinations, but there does seem to be a strange logic in the progressions - for example in the 'Choral' in the second movement. The fourth movement is also quite interesting in the way that it combines elements of minimalism and serialism in quite an original manner.
     I also ran a Ligeti study day in Edinburgh which included a question and answer section from the soloist and conductor who explained some of the challenges of the work. These included the problems of playing natural horns high up and hitting notes that one would usually avoid (ie the oddly tuned harmonics). Robin talked about the importance of having an image of each movement in your head before working with the orchestra, and the importance of avoiding listening to other people's recordings. I felt that the audience were quite positive towards the concerto, and they said that they would have liked to hear it twice in the concert to help their understanding. This is an excellent point as it is difficult for even experienced contemporary music listeners to make sense of a new work on one hearing (whatever they might say!).
   At the end of the day I got the participants to create and perform their own compositions based on Ligeti's ideas and techniques (see http://www.sco.org.uk/experience/blog/2012/01/exploring-ligeti  for pictures) which produced some rather interesting and unusual work. It is daunting doing this kind of activity if you are an amateur musician (or just a music-lover) and I felt everyone put a lot of effort into making the best pieces possible.

New Book on Ligeti: Gyorgy Ligeti: Of Foreign lands and Strange Sounds

I have just finished reading the above new book on Ligeti ed. by Louise Duchesneau (Ligeti's assistant) and Wolfgang Marx published by Boydell Press (my first copy fell apart). It is based on papers from a conference held in Dublin in 2007 but is now much expanded. There is some really excellent material here for Ligeti scholars, particularly the chapters on analysing the sketches by Jonathan Bernard and Richard Steinitz which give insights into how Ligeti wrote his music. Bernard usefully provides categories for the various sketch-types at the Sacher Foundation, and the colour plates of the sketches are amazing - especially those of Atmospheres and San Francisco Polyphony which are vividly graphic and quite colourful.
     The chapters by Ligeti's composition students, Manfred Stahnke and Wolfgang Schultz are also very revealing about how Ligeti taught his students and his relationships with them. Stahnke says that Ligeti was both "extremely exciting...[and] also vicious and unfair not only towards other, well-known composers, but towards his own students as well." (p. 223) Clearly this was quite an idiosyncratic approach to teaching which would not be tolerated today, although it seems that his students went back for more. Stahnke also states that "Ligeti was not a real teacher. Or rather, that he was a 'transposed' teacher, one who had long ago left behind the traditional 'keys' of teaching and now strived to discover new territory." (p. 225) It is clear that Ligeti approached his teaching in a similar fashion to his composition- that there are no easy answers and that every position had to be challenged. Stahnke also said that later on  "I once told [Ligeti] that he was like a vampire who bled us dry of all our ideas. A slight giggle to himself was his only reaction." (p. 227) To a certain extent all composers who teach gain from their own students, but of course students will also gain from their teachers - although they may not be aware of the extent to which they have benefited.

A Week Teaching Music at Oldenburg University

The week of 31st October I was at Oldenburg University as part of the Erasmus Scheme. This all occurred because the Professor of Music there Violeta Dinescu approached and invited me to go and teach. This was my first such trip and I was not really sure what to expect. It was a most enjoyable week during which I learnt much about the system in Germany and their approach to teaching music - the lecturers there were very welcoming (especially the composer Roberto Reale who was a great help). The following observations may not be precisely correct but they are what seemed to be the case to me at the time.
   It seems to me that lecturers at Oldenburg are much more independent than is the case the UK - there seemed to be a greater autonomy in the courses and what was offered by lecturers. In some of the courses/modules there were student from all years which is quite different from what happens at Kingston (although some 3rd year classes are taken by MAs). The students at Oldenburg seemed to be very serious and committed students, although this might be because they were all planning to become music teachers. The course has 3 years for the BA and a further 2 years for the MA. Before they can teach in schools they also have to undertake school observations. Students at Oldenburg have a good theoretical background and all seemed to have some ability on the piano. They seemed a little reticent and reserved in my classes but that may have been because they had to speak in English.
   It was good to see lots of practical music-making going on to a good standard (I heard the Wind Ensemble and Choir). I particularly enjoyed playing 'Katzen Musik' (Cat music) with Axel Fries - it was a really inspiring class exploring improvising with bottles and wine glasses. One quirk of the German system caught me out and that was the 'academical quarter hour' - all classes start 15 minutes late and finish 15 minutes early - no-one had told me that because it is so ingrained in Germany. I thought this was an excellent idea, as in UK there is often no time between classes. However they do start at 8 am (or 8.15) which would be less popular. It was also odd to see chalk still being used and I was pleaseed to see some OHPs. The German students are also very polite and at the end of classes all knock on the tables in approval. The food in the canteen was also excellent and apparently all organic - I really enjoyed eating at the Culinarium where the food was cooked in front of you. All in all, Oldenburg is an excellent place to visit.

The Basics of Composing Music: a Personal View

I have just spent a week music teaching at Oldenburg University which was both enjoyable and rewarding. It took me a while to realise that there is an academical quarter hour - all sessions start 15 minutes late and end 15 minutes early - an excellent idea I think. As part of my teaching I decided to think up a beginners' guide to composing as some of the students had done little (although they were excellent students). In fact I didn't have time to cover all the elements below in the class.

A Very Brief Beginners' Guide to Composing Music:

Stage 1

1. Listen to lots of different music - live and recorded.

2. Decide what music you really like.

3, Analyse in depth the music you really like - find out how it is put together in detail.

4. Try to create your own versions of the music you like - perhaps mixtures of different music.

5. Get your music played.

Stage 2

6. Before starting a piece think about what the concept (idea) of the work might be - what are you aiming for?

7. Think about the structure you need - look at possible other models.

8. What instruments  are you going to use? Make sure you find out about them.

9. Try to make the most of your musical material - use improvisation to help your ideas grow.

10. Try to avoid being too repetitive or too fragmented - find a balance between these two extremes.

11. Always be self-critical of your work.

12. Compose music because you want to  - not for any other reason.

13. Get a thick skin as you will need it - but do listen and consider criticism.

14. Don't just try to please your teacher- that is always a dangerous path. What happens when your teacher changes or you stop being a student?

15. Never write complex music for the sake of it - simple music can be more effective.

Thoughts about Judging a Composition Competition

I have just spent a week in Germany teaching at Oldenburg University (of which more later when I get chance) and I was kindly asked to be on the jury of an Internatoional Composition competition (percussion piece for medium level players) whilst I was there. There were 112 (more to come) to view from all over the world  - which was fascinating (and quite hard work). What was also very interesting was seeing the same basic errors again and again. So here are my observations which may be of use:
1. Too many were poorly notated or confusing (especially the rhythms).
2. Too many scores were very difficult to play when the guidelines stipulated that it was not for professional level.
3. Given that is was for percussion; few really explored rhythm in a fashion that was audible.
4. Many were very repetitive and lacked development.
5. Many had a very dense unvarying texture.
6. Few had any really sense of drama or shape  - which is really important in a piece of music.
7. Many used new notation which would take players a long time to learn and understand - why make life so difficult for players? We want them to play our music not find reasons not to.
8. Few candidates seem to have really thought deeply about the published requirements of the composittion - for example that the name must not be on the score but in a sealed envelope (relatively few did this).
9. However there were some execellent pieces - by candidates who had actually read the instructions and thought hard about what is needed.
10. Do think about the title - it needs to conjure up an image for the listener. 
11. Don't write for the wrong ensemble? Big band???

Another observation is that it is very difficult for juries in composition competitions when there are so many applications. Therefore if you don't win or get a placed position in a competition, it is not because you haven't written a good piece, it may be because there are simply so many works to consider.  It is best to make sure that your piece stands out in some way - so it is memorable. And make sure that you have written a good beginning...

The Setting of Student Fees

Now most of the university's fee levels for 2012 have been announced it seems that the majority have gone for £9,000 or quite near to this. The Government predictably seems to be horrified that universities have made a rational decision given the restrictions that have been put upon them. At present, most Arts and Humanities courses bring in around £7,200 per student, so in theory any fee below that would cause a loss for University (unless there were counter-balancing cuts). The Government has also been making cutbacks in funding to Universities in the run up to 2012, and want to restrict the numbers of overseas students (another important source of income to universities). Another factor is that there is likely to be a drop in student applications for 2012 entry (both UG and PG) which may also cause a drop in income.
    So it seems that the universities have taken the only option open to them. After all, it costs a similar amount to teach a student whether they go to Oxford or Oxford Brookes, therefore they ought to have a similar fee. If all the ex-polys charged much less than the Russell Group Universities, then they would look as if they were offering a much inferior course, and also have less money to ensure that this was not the case. It will be interesting to see how the Government responds to this rationalism.