Beethoven Triple Concerto

 

What I like most about this piece is the beautiful melody. It is really amazing how Beethoven passed the melody through the three performers, but putting a little twist on each instrument. He was able to accomplish this so it doesn't get boring it keeps your attention, and you get a little curious on what is going to happen next. 
                                                     Tamara Asire.

Learning Sibelius

A few helpful links for learning Sibelius:

• Official Sibelius blog
• Quick Guide to Sibelius Note Entry
• The Sibelius 7 ribbon (if you download Sibelius version 7 - it looks different from Sib 6)

IMSLP and scores

I forgot to mention this yesterday, but the Bach and Chopin scores I showed you can be downloaded from the wonderful site www.imslp.org; and here are links for the pieces. I also made a Sibelius version of the Shostakovich, which you can download and mess around with if you like. Have fun and good luck writing your pieces!

Bach, Prelude in C major, Well-Tempered Clavier book 1, BWV 846
Chopin, Prelude in C major, Op. 28 No. 1
Shostakovich Sibelius file (download this as a file by right-clicking, or control-clicking on a Mac)

Quick Sibelius shortcuts

Click in an empty part of the bar to select the whole bar

For note entry, click on a rest

Option-click anything to copy it

R = repeat (either for notes or whole bars)

K = key signature

Q = clef

T = time signature

S = slur; use space or shift-space to make the slur longer or shorter

H = hairpin; use space or shift-space to make the hairpin longer or shorter

L = line; brings up a dialog with lots of different lines (trill, 8va, etc. etc.)

Handwritten notation

My unofficial rules for writing music by hand:

1. Always use a straight edge for stems and beams. Beams should be thicker than stems.
2. Stems should extend an octave above or below their notehead. For the middle line and higher, stems go down; below the middle line, stems go up (for ledger lines and beamed notes, these rules can be relaxed so the beaming looks good).
3. Accidentals extend above or below their notehead by a perfect fourth.
4. Plan how many measures you'll have on each staff system, so you don't run out of space.

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C Major

BWV 846; performed by Sviatoslav Richter.

Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major, op. 87

Performed by the composer.

Chopin Prelude in C, Op. 28 No. 1

Performed by Martha Argerich. These videos which show the score as the music plays are some of my favorites.

Assignment for Saturday, February 2

Please post to this blog a video of one of your favorite pieces of music; in the post, explain what it is about this piece that you like so much.

Academy Syllabus

Stephen Taylor and Halim Beere, instructors
Saturdays at 1 pm, Music Building Room 5047 (CAMIL computer lab)

Welcome! Our plan for this semester is for each of you to compose a short piece for your peers, to be premiered at the spring concert on May 18. The exact instrumentation is up to you - it can be anything from solo instrument up to four or five players.

We will learn how to compose for strings and piano: instrument ranges, techniques like double- and triple-stops, as well as some more extended techniques including sul ponticello, sul tasto, harmonics (both for strings and piano), playing inside the piano, etc. We will also be studying some of the best chamber music composed in the last 100 years, and we will learn the basics of notating scores and parts with Sibelius, the music notation software in our CAMIL computer lab.

You will also be driving the repertoire and class activity - we would like each of you to post ideas, questions, cool videos, etc. to this blog, so that during the week we can all keep working on our pieces.

Academy Schedule

January 26th, February 2nd, 9th, 16th:  Composition 1pm (CAMIL lab, Music Building 5047)
Theory 2pm (basement, 1180)

Rehearsals 3-5PM or as scheduled

1/26
- basics of staff notation 
- Shostakovich, Preludes and Fugues for piano
- how to use Sibelius 

2/2
- introduction to orchestration (please bring your instruments)
- Shostakovich, Trio No. 2 in E minor for violin, cello and piano?
- Eighth Quartet?
- more Sibelius

2/9
- jazz chord notation
- Debussy, Sonata for Violin and Piano? Ravel?
- more Sibelius

2/16
- Olivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time for violin, cello, clarinet and piano
- more Sibelius

February 23rd: 1pm Composition
- Messiaen continued? Bartók?
- more Sibelius

2pm Studio class, Smith Memorial Room

Theory 4pm

March 2nd: 1pm Composition
- Elliott Carter? Stravinsky? Penderecki?
- more Sibelius

2pm Masterclass, Smith Memorial Room

Theory 4pm

March 9th and 30th: 1pm Composition
2pm Theory
Rehearsals 3-5pm or as scheduled

3/9
- John Adams? Steve Reich? Phil Glass?
- more Sibelius

3/30
- György Ligeti, Etudes for piano? Miles Davis? Bill Evans?

April 6th:  1pm Composition
- First draft of your piece is due!

Theory 2pm

3pm Studio Class, Music Bldg. Auditorium

April 7th: 1pm DoCha Recital and Masterclass, Orpheum Museum

April 13th/20th:  1pm Composition

2pm Theory

Rehearsals 3-5pm or as scheduled

4/13
- Halim Beere, pieces TBA
- reading session for student pieces

4/20
- Stephen Taylor, pieces TBA
- Radiohead? Björk? Other?

April 27th   1pm Composition
- Revised draft of your piece is due!

2PM Masterclass, Smith Memorial Room

Theory 4pm

May 4/11th: 3-5pm Rehearsals

May 18th: 1pm Auditions, 202 Smith

6pm Recital, Smith Recital Hall