Ottevanger's Omphaloskeptic Outpost

[karlhenning]

Coraggio!

[karlhenning]

Just checking in . . . I know times have been trying.

[Cato]

Luke Ottevanger wrote:

Well, chaps, not much happening round these parts, of course, as I've been stupidly busy the last few weeks, and it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future and beyond. The composing has taken a knock because of that, which is of course hard to take, because however rubbish what I write might be, creating it keeps me (relatively) sane, and without it I go a little doolally.

So, do little composing and go doolally!  Is that how it works?

We assume your work at the school(s) has caused problems?

No matter!  5 A.M. up and at 'em!  "Total organization: every day 50 push-ups, 50 pull-ups," and then compose compose compose until you jog to school at 7! 

[Luke]

Ha! One of the schools is 35 miles away if I do the shortest, bumpiest, narrow-scrape-with-tractor-iest cross-countriest route! the other a mere 20 miles - no chance of jogging it!

However, work continues on that little piano piece (which is now about 11 pages long and no longer so little); an odd one, very sweet and consonant, unsurprisingly, given the source material (English folksongs, but specifically in Cecil Sharp's edition, with his piano accompaniments - in fact, sometimes I use the accompaniment and ignore the song entirely). I'm loathe to treat these delicate little pieces too heavily, and really what I'm doing is adding little flourishes, touches of heterophony, pointing up motivic links between the songs, superimposing lines, extending patterns to hint at other harmonic areas, building an overall structure out of the metric, motivic, textural and harmonic correspondences between the songs....that sort of thing. I've composed the first 2 or three minutes, and the last 2 or 3 too; I think, despite its oddness, that I'm going to end up pleased with it, when all the gaps are joined up.

[Cato]

Ha! One of the schools is 35 miles away if I do the shortest, bumpiest, narrow-scrape-with-tractor-iest cross-countriest route! the other a mere 20 miles - no chance of jogging it!

35 miles!  Too bad the local school in the shire has nothing for you!

Your description of the piano piece sounds like a "Variations on an Old English Folk Tune." 

We are expecting something old, something new, something unexpected, and nothing to rue! 

[karlhenning]

Ha! One of the schools is 35 miles away if I do the shortest, bumpiest, narrow-scrape-with-tractor-iest cross-countriest route! the other a mere 20 miles - no chance of jogging it!

However, work continues on that little piano piece (which is now about 11 pages long and no longer so little); an odd one, very sweet and consonant, unsurprisingly, given the source material (English folksongs, but specifically in Cecil Sharp's edition, with his piano accompaniments - in fact, sometimes I use the accompaniment and ignore the song entirely). I'm loathe to treat these delicate little pieces too heavily, and really what I'm doing is adding little flourishes, touches of heterophony, pointing up motivic links between the songs, superimposing lines, extending patterns to hint at other harmonic areas, building an overall structure out of the metric, motivic, textural and harmonic correspondences between the songs....that sort of thing. I've composed the first 2 or three minutes, and the last 2 or 3 too; I think, despite its oddness, that I'm going to end up pleased with it, when all the gaps are joined up.

Despite the oddness . . . reminds me of a project . . . .

[DavidRoss]

Ha! One of the schools is 35 miles away if I do the shortest, bumpiest, narrow-scrape-with-tractor-iest cross-countriest route! the other a mere 20 miles - no chance of jogging it!

Sounds lovely!  BTW, WTF is "doolally?"

However, work continues on that little piano piece (which is now about 11 pages long and no longer so little); an odd one, very sweet and consonant....

Sounds delightful! When can we hear it? 

[Guido]

I should mention that I had a little play through of the cello/piano piece sketches (only the cello part) and thought they were absolutely beautiful... I'm not holding my breath, but look forward to some time when more are produced!

[karlhenning]

I should mention that I had a little play through of the cello/piano piece sketches (only the cello part) and thought they were absolutely beautiful...

Hear, hear.

[Luke]

I should mention that I had a little play through of the cello/piano piece sketches (only the cello part) and thought they were absolutely beautiful... I'm not holding my breath, but look forward to some time when more are produced!

Ha! Thanks! I thought that my ears were burning recently...

As I said at the time, I think that little sketch would have to be a resource to be drawn on for another piece, not an integral part of a larger piece itself. But thank you for the words of encouragement!

Meanwhile, the piano piece mentioned earlier draws closer to being finished - just a section in the centre of the piece remains intractable. Bigger problem, to my ears, in the aftershock of the Viola Sonata of K Henning, is that my piece seems so spineless and naive (deliberately so, but still...). It lacks something, still...

[Guido]

A stonking great cello line is what!

jk jk.

[Luke]

Finished, I think. Still very soft-centred, and something of a partner to my Nightingale Sonata of 2006 in its folk music basis and its unabashed use of tonality. An odd one, I think, but I like it and find it very touching, personally....

[karlhenning]

Splendid! Will look this over soon . . . somehow I've been scheduled for the shop both Saturday & Sunday this week and next . . . ah, well, I can rest on Thanksgiving Day ; )

[Guido]

Oh but it just looks so beautiful!

[Cato]

Oh but it just looks so beautiful!

Great to read that Luke Ottevanger has fathered new progeny!

0:)

I will need to be home to download the work, and first need to write something - long overdue - about Karl's Viola Sonata!

[Luke]

Oh but it just looks so beautiful!

Well, thank you! It is actually beautiful, objectively speaking - the sounds and textures and harmonies are attractive, the melodic lines and the figurations are strong, as they should be seeing as I took many of them from elsewhere! But all that doesn't necessarily a good piece make - whether the thing hangs together, whether it is well-made and satisfying is another issue, and I'm not so certain of that.

Currently burning to write but working long long hours, up and out early, home and to bed late, and not much time or energy to create. It's all quite frustrating!

[karlhenning]

Hang in there!

[Luke]

OK, the annual piece I do for the girls at my school (that I wrote and posted a score to here in August) has been rehearsed a few times, and I recorded it today in the church at school where it's going to be sung in the Advent service on Sunday. I'm pleased with it, and with the girls' singing too, this time. Here's an mp3 of it:

http://www.mediafire.com/?h4xi73t4gmucsxs

and the score, with some revisions to what I posted in August, is attached.

[karlhenning]

Will delight to check this out Saturday!

[Luke]

Thanks, that's great! I think it works well, in its simple little way...