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The Exorcism -Bass Clarinet, Piano, and String Quartet

Discussion in 'Critique & Feedback' started by David Carovillano, Oct 11, 2019.

  1. Hi all,

    This is my first offering, as I've discovered Redbanned from the VI forum. Not an original title in the least, but hopefully, musically it has something original to say :)

    Questions, comments, shoot away! Thanks for letting me share my music. Us composers are a lonely lot sometimes and it's nice to have an outlet to communicate (both musically and with the written word).



    Cheers!
    Dave
     
  2. That's a wild piece! Both the instrumentation and the composition. Excellent and very imaginative. The MIDI sounds just about perfect. It's interesting to hear the bass clarinet - I love that instrument though clarinet players tend not to - (right Becky?) But it adds such a sinister tone and has been used throughout film music history for that. Maybe clarinet players don't want to come across as sinister. Why, I have no idea.
     
  3. Wait...is this really MIDI? Strings maybe, but if its MIDI then phrasing, dynamics and timing of the Bass Clarinet are quite amazing. Great piece!
    And if its really MIDI, how did you sync up the players with such a free-flowing tempo?
    Regardless, its a masterful performance and recording and composition.
     
  4. Thanks, William. Clarinet players may not be in love with the bass clarinet, but Becky's an exception. She has a Buffet Prestige and treats it like a child (although, locking up a child in a closet for months at a time is probably not the way to do things). I'd argue that clarinet players are sinister whether or not they play the bass clarinet :)

    Dave
     
  5. Hi Gregory,

    Thanks for listening and commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Your first line reminded me of the old "is it real or is it Memorex?" commercials :)

    It's all MIDI: VSL solo strings and bass clarinet (standard libraries...I didn't have the extended at the time) and Pianoteq's Steinway D.

    To answer your question re. syncing/tempo: I do work a few different ways, depending on the needs of the music. In this case, I would have imported the midi to Cubase from the Finale score. Keeping the strings and bass clarinet as is (ie. perfectly quantized from the Finale file), I would begin by playing in the piano part at a fixed tempo. Once that's done, I'll selectively play in parts of the midi for the bass clarinet and/or string quartet, as needed, leaving approx. 60% of the original quantized notes as is (ie. not played in). Of course, after all this, I'll do the velocity adjustments, expression curves, etc. for all parts. And then, I'll draw a tempo track. After doing so, there may be certain cadence points, lyrical passages, etc. that require some additional tweaking, so I may replay in a passage, or more likely, just adjust notes ahead/behind the beat, tweak velocities, etc.

    I appreciate your interest...thanks again!

    Cheers,
    Dave
     
  6. Thanks for the explanation Dave. I vaguely suspected that may be how you worked though the results really are more impressive than I could have imagined. Players not being able to have eyes on each other is the most difficult part of realizing with MIDI and you've pulled it off amazingly well. I'm very impressed in many ways. Thanks for sharing.
     
    David Carovillano likes this.
  7. @David Carovillano this is an awesome work. I agree with @Gregory D. Moore that the performance is wonderful and the virtual instruments sound fabulous. I own Spitfire Woodwinds, Berlin Woodwinds, and the VSL woodwinds. For me, nothing is as good as the VSL woodwinds.

    Questions:
    1) Your soundstage is marvelous, What did you use?
    2) You did not mention the VSL humanize function. I love it and use it constantly. Did you not use humanize?
     
    David Carovillano likes this.
  8. Nice to see you on Redbanned, Paul! We all get around the ol' internet, don't we?

    Thank you for your comments! I used the Neuer Saal room (Mir), and for sure, I always make use of VI Pro's humanizing functions. Combined with playing certain parts in live can enhance the overall realism. Luckily I'm "decent" with my piano chops, although nowhere near where I'd like to be :)

    Cheers!
    Dave
     
  9. There is much to like about this, but in particular the bass clarinet sounds great here. I really like your harmonic language! What were your inspirations for this? I imagine that I hear some Shostakovich here.
     
  10. Thank you Kristoffer for your kind words! The Exorcism was a departure from my more tonal works, but seemed appropriate based on the concept of an "exorcism." Many people are often surprised by my method, in that, I've essentially sworn off listening to classical music for the past 5 years (save for the occasional moments here and there) in hopes of allowing myself to write freely without undue influence from the great masters. There is always the notion of "burden of the past" that exists with composers, especially those that choose to write in a more tonal manner. And while we'll never escape our lifelong musical influences, (heck, subconsciously we're hearing music all the time), I feel that the only reason I'm able to write at all, is purposely avoiding exposure to the great works of masters that would likely cause me to hang my head in shame and never attempt to write a single piece. My greatest connection has always been to composers like Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Faure, etc. And yet, more often than not, my music has reflected influences of composers like Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, etc. Go figure :)

    Oh, as to inspiration in general: I force myself out of guilt to write all the time, and rarely spend more than a minute or two in front of the keyboard/computer before I start writing whatever comes to mind. Usually, a piece will be named after it is completed...occasionally, such as with this piece, I'll have the idea in mind prior to starting, which of course helps shape the decisions with regard to how the piece will develop. My brother in law (also a composer) suggested I'm very much a "stream of consciousness" composer and I tend to agree.

    Cheers!
    Dave
     
  11. Your piano chords at the start really sound like the woodwinds in this, albeit faster paced:



    Ever heard that before?
     
  12. Philippe,

    Good ear! I totally hear that, and I'd be honoured to ever write anything reminiscent of Britten :)

    Cheers,
    Dave
     

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