A Work by CATO, Who Is NOT A Composer! (?)

Started by Cato, December 31, 2016, 04:43:11 AM

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Cato

A nagging idea...

in 2018 Mrs. Cato and I will have been married 40 years: I composed the Wedding March for our Nuptial Mass.  The organist was no professional, so the march could not be too complicated, and even so, there were various blunders during the actual event.

I have been thinking of revising it slightly, and finding a decent organist to record it and offer it as one of the anniversary presents.  0:)

The manuscript did not survive the famous massacre of 1995, but everything has remained in my head.  $:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Karl Henning

I know a couple of organists we can ask to play it!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Cato

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 01, 2017, 04:39:49 AM
I know a couple of organists we can ask to play it!

Okay!  I will need to re-subscribe to NoteFlight to create the manuscript: to keep it a secret, I will need to buy some sort of gift card to buy the subscription, since Mrs. Cato oversees all of our financial transactions.   0:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on August 01, 2017, 04:23:21 AM
A nagging idea...

in 2018 Mrs. Cato and I will have been married 40 years: I composed the Wedding March for our Nuptial Mass.  The organist was no professional, so the march could not be too complicated, and even so, there were various blunders during the actual event.

I have been thinking of revising it slightly, and finding a decent organist to record it and offer it as one of the anniversary presents.  0:)

The manuscript did not survive the famous massacre of 1995, but everything has remained in my head.  $:)

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 01, 2017, 04:39:49 AM
I know a couple of organists we can ask to play it!

Fate so far has been against me: no organist whom I or Karl have contacted in the past months has time or interest.

If you know of anyone who plays the organ fairly competently, and would like to make some extra money by playing and recording my little prelude (circa 3 minutes), please let me know your e-mail address via Personal Message, so that  I can forward the pdf.file and a "MIDI" version.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on September 02, 2018, 03:04:01 PM
Fate so far has been against me: no organist whom I or Karl have contacted in the past months has time or interest.

If you know of anyone who plays the organ fairly competently, and would like to make some extra money by playing and recording my little prelude (circa 3 minutes), please let me know your e-mail address via Personal Message, so that  I can forward the pdf.file and a "MIDI" version.

I see that a good number of people, including new members, happen to be online now. so please read and pass the request on to any organist you may know.

Today, this polite "No" came from a local organist: Fate seems to be against me right now!  8) ;)

QuoteThank you for the email.  You're obviously a man of many talents!  I was not aware of your musical interests and abilities!  I enjoyed seeing/listening to the music file that you sent.  That piece was no small task to compose!   Unfortunately, I'm not sure that I have the time (nor perhaps ability) to learn the piece and to perform it for you.  The music is somewhat challenging, and I am also dealing with some double vision issues, (which makes it seem twice as challenging!).  (I had one eye surgery this summer and likely another one sometime later this autumn.)  If you can find someone else who would be willing to learn/perform the piece, they are certainly welcome to use the organ here to make that a reality.  And I do hope you can find someone who can do that.  I'm sure you would like to hear the piece in its completion, and on a pipe organ as it was intended to be played.  I'm sorry that I won't be able to assist you in that regard.  Let me know if you find someone who would like to rehearse/play it here for you.  In the meantime, congratulations on your upcoming anniversary.  Best wishes for many more!

One of the nicest rejections I have received!  :D 0:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on September 02, 2018, 03:04:01 PM
Fate so far has been against me: no organist whom I or Karl have contacted in the past months has time or interest.


If you know of anyone who plays the organ fairly competently, and would like to make some extra money by playing and recording my little prelude (circa 3 minutes), please let me know your e-mail address via Personal Message, so that  I can forward the pdf.file and a "MIDI" version.


Since we have a few new members who might not have seen this topic about my curious non-composing career, I thought I would again push the message about needing an organist.

Plus, some months ago, in a box of novel and short story manuscripts, there surfaced a few photocopies of some musical works from 50 years ago or so!  They survived the Great Purge of 1992, when I destroyed everything...or at least, I thought I had destroyed everything!

Among the works was one of which I at first literally had no memory!   ???  That was an unusual experience for me, because I usually have - in music! (not in everything, as Mrs. Cato will verify  :D   )  - nearly total recall. 

After mulling and stewing and simmering, I decided the work - despite my inability to remember hardly anything about it (a memory of sorts finally did arrive, that it was composed during a Christmas vacation, and a very snowy one at that) -  had enough merit that I would put it into a computer manuscript via the NoteFlight on-line program.

I have almost finished with the last movement: the work is for 2 violins (which was at first not clear, given that the photocopy had not preserved what the two treble-clef instruments were supposed to be) and a piano, which might make it seem like a trio, but the opus is more like a symphony for the three players.   ???  8)

I have of course revised it as I have entered the notes into the program: the manuscript contained some mistakes, and some impossibilities for the violins.  Here and there I expanded some sections, since it seemed too Webernian and needed elaboration.  Transitions here and there were added, and so on. 

So for the third time in the past few years, I have returned to (sort of) composing music, "sort of," because in this case I already had a complete manuscript, as opposed to the sketch for the Exaudi me.  Whether or not this will stimulate the itch to compose something ex nihilo in the 21st century, and not something based upon works from 50 years ago, who knows?

Probably not!

Certainly nobody is knocking on the door to demand a concerto or symphony!  8)

Anyway, stay tuned!   0:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Karl Henning

Very interested in the development of this reconstruction.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Cato

Quote from: Cato on November 15, 2018, 03:00:55 PM
Since we have a few new members who might not have seen this topic about my curious non-composing career, I thought I would again push the message about needing an organist.

Plus, some months ago, in a box of novel and short story manuscripts, there surfaced a few photocopies of some musical works from 50 years ago or so!  They survived the Great Purge of 1992, when I destroyed everything...or at least, I thought I had destroyed everything!

Among the works was one of which I at first literally had no memory!   ???  That was an unusual experience for me, because I usually have - in music! (not in everything, as Mrs. Cato will verify  :D   )  - nearly total recall. 

After mulling and stewing and simmering, I decided the work - despite my inability to remember hardly anything about it (a memory of sorts finally did arrive, that it was composed during a Christmas vacation, and a very snowy one at that) -  had enough merit that I would put it into a computer manuscript via the NoteFlight on-line program.

I have almost finished with the last movement: the work is for 2 violins (which was at first not clear, given that the photocopy had not preserved what the two treble-clef instruments were supposed to be) and a piano, which might make it seem like a trio, but the opus is more like a symphony for the three players.   ???  8)

I have of course revised it as I have entered the notes into the program: the manuscript contained some mistakes, and some impossibilities for the violins.  Here and there I expanded some sections, since it seemed too Webernian and needed elaboration.  Transitions here and there were added, and so on. 

So for the third time in the past few years, I have returned to (sort of) composing music, "sort of," because in this case I already had a complete manuscript, as opposed to the sketch for the Exaudi me.  Whether or not this will stimulate the itch to compose something ex nihilo in the 21st century, and not something based upon works from 50 years ago, who knows?

Probably not!

Certainly nobody is knocking on the door to demand a concerto or symphony!  8)

Anyway, stay tuned!   0:)

Yesterday the Fourth Movement of New Year's Resolution (the title remains a mystery: I have no memory of why the work has that name) reached a conclusion.

It is a "trio" for two violins and a piano.

I am rechecking the score at the moment: this may take a day or two.  The MIDI provided by the music program is at times mediocre to annoying, the latter for various reasons, one of them because it often does not follow the dynamics in the score, e.g. a decrescendo to ppp is apparently not possible.  Another annoying aspect is that sometimes the voices are often "equalized" when they should not be, at others a voice is almost inaudible.

Anyway, stay tuned!  If I am pleased with all four movements today or tomorrow, I will probably put them on DropBox, or offer them to you via e-mail, along with the score (c. 80 pages).

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

mc ukrneal

Karl would be pleased and I am mightily impressed myself. Though, mind you, it would ne nice to know what the title means...just a little thing... :)
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Cato

Quote from: mc ukrneal on November 29, 2018, 04:14:20 AM
Karl would be pleased and I am mightily impressed myself. Though, mind you, it would be nice to know what the title means...just a little thing... :)

Thank you!  And I wish I knew what the title meant: the only clue is a tiny memory that it was composed during a Christmas vacation, probably c. 50 years ago, a vacation which of course included January 1st and a few days into January.

I am not inclined, however, to dispense with the title.  8)   :D
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on November 29, 2018, 04:58:58 AM
Thank you!  And I wish I knew what the title meant: the only clue is a tiny memory that it was composed during a Christmas vacation, probably c. 50 years ago, a vacation which of course included January 1st and a few days into January.

I am not inclined, however, to dispense with the title.  8)   :D

What is happening with DropBox?  I cannot place anything there!  I have my two previous works, the Exaudi me, and the Organ Prelude, both scores and MIDI files, still stored there and available, but I cannot - so it seems - upload anything to it!

Unless I "upgrade" to a subscription!   ???

So...

I have the error-free (I hope!) score ready to go, except for "performance cues," which I see no need for, since there will most probably never be a performance.  The MIDI is also ready.

The files are too big to be attached here!

So, if you would like to hear and see the MIDI and the score, please send me a message with your e-mail address.

Thanks in advance!
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Ghost of Baron Scarpia

The free version of dropbox has has a very restrictive size limit, which you may have exceeded. The main advantage of dropbox is that it has a very good syncing utility, that mirrors your hard disc in dropbox (I have a paid Dropbox account).

There are other free alternatives. I have used MediaFire in the past. You can get a free account with a lot more storage than dropbox.

Cato

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on November 29, 2018, 09:35:38 AM
The free version of dropbox has has a very restrictive size limit, which you may have exceeded. The main advantage of dropbox is that it has a very good syncing utility, that mirrors your hard disc in dropbox (I have a paid Dropbox account).

There are other free alternatives. I have used MediaFire in the past. You can get a free account with a lot more storage than dropbox.


MediaFire!   Many thanks! I will look into it, but will need a few more hours! 

I can also share the files via "Google Drive," if people feel safer using that.   8)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

A review of New Year's Resolution was received this morning: the first sentence refers to the 9-tone scales indicated in the score, which avoid using D, E, and G, except for a cluster chord used in the bass of the piano (q.v. in the score).

Quote

Well, it sure takes massive willpower to avoid D,E and G, hopefully not for the rest of the year!
(The lowest tone clusters, however, don't count. OK, that's all right!)
The idea is fascinating, but not unlike using a particular raga or other exclusionary scales in Oriental music.
I did enjoy listening and reading the score at the same time, wondering about the formidable technique a pianist would need for those Prokofiev-like configurations.
Also there is the likeness to Ives, hoping you will take that as a compliment.
I liked the spacing of the chords, a lot of 4th's and 5ths, melodic and harmonic.
This shows as I may have said before, an instinctive grasp of acoustics.
Quite a bit of modern composed music may look good or paper but as for acoustical balance, sounds terrible.
I also appreciated the unity of material in the variations, reminding me of Beethoven's Op. 111.


Many thanks for the kind comments, and for mentioning Beethoven, Ives, and Prokofiev in relation to my little work!


Quote from: Cato on November 30, 2018, 05:30:30 AM

Here is the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/eq4xhvds0scsm9i/New_Year%2527s_Resolution.mp3/file

And again: here is the score.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/magnud8f7ehjyba/New_Year%2527s_Resolution.pdf/file

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Sergeant Rock

the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Cato

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

vandermolen

I listened to 'New Year's Resolution' just now. I liked it, especially the opening movement and I liked the juxtaposition of different tempos in places. Powerful and thought-provoking music.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).