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Post by lawrence on Nov 9, 2017 2:52:22 GMT
This is the first dance in a series of six or seven that I've decided to call A Suite of Antique Dances. The idea is to have the dances performed on stage with the music.
My duty I would shirk if I did not tell you how a Mazurka does work. Wikipedia: A Polish dance in 3/4 where the first beat is a quarter, two eighths, triplet, etc. but the next two beats must be straight quarter notes. The accent is on beats two or three.
So I looked over some Chopin mazurkas and began writing when someone said, why not look at Edward Elgar's mazurka. What, the ever reserved pomp and circumstance guy wrote mazurkas? Who knew? Elgar adds tuba, bass drum and piccolo riffs which gives it a marching band sound. Even so I liked it and included some of those elements. Consequently there is a mixture of styles, and I am anxious to get your opinion. If you are a Polish person who holds mazurkas just short of sacred, my apologies. The first four measures are what I envisioned before the Mazurka went berserka.
soundcloud.com/larya/mazurka Attachments:Muzurka.pdf (649.87 KB)
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Post by gx on Nov 9, 2017 3:45:10 GMT
(Hey Lawrence, I look forward to hearing this, but thought i should mention, it's not Algar or Alger, but Elgar. )
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Post by gx on Nov 9, 2017 4:02:39 GMT
Quite fun.. Especially liked the minor episodes.. The ones in major sounded a bit too regal for my taste-- (like elgar  With this idea of Mazurka, there is a slight stretching of the second beat, and a slightly shorter 3rd beat -- which can give a bent flavor of pulse… This is something that relates to Chopin's Mazurkas. Im reminded of a story where Chopin was playing one of his Mazurkas for a fellow musician, when the musician proclaimed that "You are playing it in 4 beats!".. Chopin said, "No, no, i am playing it in 3".. Of course, for this affectation, one would need a conductor… Have you heard Rubinstein playing the Mazurkas? |
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Post by lawrence on Nov 9, 2017 4:55:17 GMT
gx
Thanx for the heads up. It has been maybe 40 years since I played a few Chopin's mazurkas on piano, and honestly haven't heard any since. Some of the ones Rubinstein is playing are familiar, but never heard his rendition. His is so elegant and lyrical it makes me think that Elgarizing a mazurka, even orchestrating a mazurka is a mistake. Some piano music doesn't translate to orchestra.
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Post by gx on Nov 9, 2017 5:17:05 GMT
Yes, and what is not sooo difficult to bring out in a solo performance, (the subtle/ and not so subtle sense of rubato, among other things..) would seem very tricky to translate to orchestra..It does make me wonder though..
(As i listen to Debussy's Mazurka, i can hear how that might be orchestrated - yet that pulse is soo slippery.)
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Post by driscollmusick on Nov 11, 2017 17:54:21 GMT
Hi Lawrence, I really liked these. You have a natural fluency that makes the music very enjoyable. A few more technical observations: 1) What is this staccato/tied articulation meant to be? At first I thought it was a typo, but I see you have it in many parts? At any rate, ties have to tie to something, unless you're trying to create a laissez vibrer articulation, but that really doesn't make sense here, especially for winds & arco strings?  2) I think the orchestration is overall quite good, but I would urge you to try using more percussion! With judicious use of triangle, glock, bass drum, etc. I think you could really get this to sparkle! At first I thought I heard high bells at the end (quite pleasingly), but since they aren't in the score, I assume they were just artefacts of the MIDI realization... 3) I don't know Mazurka literature well, but is it always stop-start structure like this? On first listen, I interpreted the piece as a series of dances, not a single one. I think the movement holds together pretty well from that perspective, but if if you are truly considering this as only one of a multi-movement series of dances, consider if repeated use of the stop-start structure might chop up the form too much and lose the listener... |
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Post by lawrence on Nov 13, 2017 20:55:16 GMT
Driscollmusic,
Those are typos, incomplete slur erasures. They appear lightly in the score and shouldn't have printed. I can't erase them because they are already erased. Sometimes they will go away on their own, or else I will have to replace all the notes (pain in the behind).
I was undecided on the breaks and actually added three measures for that purpose. You make a good point about fragmenting the score so I've taken the breaks out. If the conductor wants breaks for dancers he can add them.
Elgar's mazurka had plenty of percussion. When I was listening I thought that was a good idea, but then completely forgot about it. I'm adding a triangle and maybe glock. Thanks for the good advice.
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Post by lawrence on Nov 13, 2017 21:12:49 GMT
Yes, and what is not sooo difficult to bring out in a solo performance, (the subtle/ and not so subtle sense of rubato, among other things..) would seem very tricky to translate to orchestra..It does make me wonder though.. (As i listen to Debussy's Mazurka, i can hear how that might be orchestrated - yet that pulse is soo slippery.) On further study, mazurka is a folk dance of the Mazurs a clan of Polish people. Chopin took the dance and elevated it to an art form. So now mazurkas have to be played with rubato to be artistic and suitable for the upper classes. Well I say baloney to that. I've lowered an art form to make it suitable for the masses. The Mazurka is no longer held hostage by the aristocracy but has been liberated for the common man. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
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Post by gx on Nov 15, 2017 1:31:17 GMT
Sure, of course… But to me it isn't a class thing.. but a musical question.. of expressive power.. I have a feeling that the folk music - has inherit in it- those rhythmical quirks - as much folk music does.. It is the adopting of the 'classical' bar line, that made it stiff, so much is called upon the performer to bring it Back to that folk complexity of rhythm.. Just my 2 cents
Hey Lawrence, I think your piece stands on its own.. Perhaps the label is not needed..
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Post by lawrence on Nov 15, 2017 3:03:03 GMT
Sure, of course… But to me it isn't a class thing.. but a musical question.. of expressive power.. I have a feeling that the folk music - has inherit in it- those rhythmical quirks - as much folk music does.. It is the adopting of the 'classical' bar line, that made it stiff, so much is called upon the performer to bring it Back to that folk complexity of rhythm.. Just my 2 cents Hey Lawrence, I think your piece stands on its own.. Perhaps the label is not needed..
Here's the finished score and mp3 (I hope). For the theory gurus, I have put in articulations, adjusted the staves, checked the instrument ranges, and added bells, glockenspiel was too quiet.
soundcloud.com/larya/mazurka-1 Attachments:Mazurka p.pdf (663.75 KB)
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Post by Mike Hewer on Nov 15, 2017 8:22:12 GMT
For the theory gurus, I have put in articulations, adjusted the staves, checked the instrument ranges......
Surely you mean for the musicians and conductors.
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