Yet another gem.  This is a powerful and intense work and an eye opener to the diversity of concert band rep, especially for those of us that are quite ignorant to what's out there, beyond the conventional rep as you mentioned.

Thank you for sharing this, Bill!  It was written the year I was born, and I'm glad to have discovered it before I'm on my death bed (although, another 10 trombone work at that time as a fond farewell from this earth might also be appropriate).  Nelhybel is indeed deserving of some recognition for this!

Thank you, Paolo for sharing your work and thanks to both you and William for the detailed technical discussion that is immensely helpful.  It's always interesting to see the different workflows and strategies for utilizing virtual instruments, and you both have some great suggestions.

As for Bruckner, I can't help but laugh every time I hear his name, as I'm reminded of a silly story from my university days when I was a (reluctant) choir member and we sang his Te Deum.  The good ol' days for me :)

Cheers!

Dave

Haha, Tom! Your intelligence is hardly limited. The number of people that took me up on my request, however is quite limited.

At least I predicted right: after 5 years, I've amassed a musical support network of 3 people. Lunch is on me!

Cheers,
Dave
p.s. I am extremely grateful to the 3 of you and any others that may follow.

Hi all,

I would like to ask for feedback on a longer work (almost 30 minutes) but can't share it on the forum. If you'd be willing to listen to it, ideally twice (who is this crazy guy that demands an hour of my time?!) please email me at acclarion at yahoo dot ca and I'll email you the private link.

I have a whopping 3 or so supporters on the VSL forum, but don't want to burden any individual by imposing this request directly on them, hence my open request here. Ideally, I'd be able to get 5 or so takers in the next week. If not, I'll rely on artifical intelligence software to tell me if my music is any good or not.

Cheers!
Dave

Hey, at least our fingers are moving, otherwise I'd say there's a whole lot of faking going on :)

Thanks for the laughs, Jasen! You win a prize for catching the Home Alone theme at the start. I'm sappy, what can I say? It's too late for our little one to want her two front teeth, but she can sing, All I want for Christmas is for daddy to stop writing music and spend all his time serving me! (which I already do, by the way).

Oh, and while I've lived in the northern most parts of Canada, where I am now hardly qualifies as brutal weather. It has been near t-shirt wearing weather for most of December :)

Thanks to all of you!  

Ben, congratulations on the new position.  I, too, was lucky to have the chance to have a dream come true, when VSL gave me the opportunity to do some demos this year.  Here's hoping that everyone's 2020 is filled with happiness and success!

To the VSL community:

Just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best for 2020!  

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Cheers!

Dave and Becky

Not doing a great job, unfortnately. I have 3 supporters that "get it". It's funny how I'm constantly told how abstract my music is on forums, and yet I know how "off the beaten path" much modern/avante-garde music can be in comparison, that I sometimes feel like postng my music side by side with some of these works, so people will consider my music to be the pleasant and familiar work :)

Merry Christmas to all! (Happy Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday you may celebrate)

Dave

Hi Tom,

Thanks so much, as always, for your support and thoughtful comments.  I'm starting to wonder if you've got my home tapped (all those bloody Amazon devices around my house are sending my conversations with Becky to you, aren't they?)  Your comments about program music are spot on.  I often dread finishing a piece, because I know it is at that moment that I have to A) come up with a title, if I haven't already... B) find a way to summarize the work in words that I know will be more easily digested/analyzed by the average listener than the music itself, and C)  try to make it seem like every note I wrote was intentioned with unmistakable purpose...yeah right.  The fact is, I very much just write.  The truth is, if writing music was laborious for me; if I had to painstakingly sketch out a theme prior to writing; if I had to think about the overall structure and map out my cadence points, key changes, secondary themes, etc. I would never write a single thing.  I've always been that way, both with music, and the written word.  

Imagine the dread I faced with writing assignments in school, where they purposely asked you to map out your thesis, arguments, etc. on these neat little charts.  I basically wrote the essay, did little to no revisions afterward (I know how ironic this statement is in light of your work, Tom! lol) and plugged in what I believed the teacher was looking for on the "pre-planning template" after the entire essay was done :)  I'm not suggesting that in recent years, as a composer, I haven't tried to discipline myself to think more about these things prior to starting, but I invariably always end up just doing what I'm going to do, for better or worse.

Anyway, I'd love to name every piece, "Rondo in F Major" (hell, even if it's in G Major...I deplore tonal "labels") :)

Part of the joy of sharing music with such brilliant listeners like those on this forum, is the exchange of ideas.  I'm just as happy to have you or someone else tell me what you feel the music represents. I'm never married to my own idea of the meaning, even though I'm quite married to the music itself and would be far more reluctant to change the way I write music based on someone's suggestions, than to change the "program" or meaning of the work, if a better story emerged from the discussion.

As for the violin, here's what Becky and I suspect:  we listened on a few different speakers last night, all with strikingly different impressions.  My studio monitors give the sensation of a relatively close proximity, my TV has the violin jumping out way in front, my Sonos speakers put it closer to blending with the orchestra.  I honestly never know.  In graphical terms, the solo violin is right in front of the main mic, with all the orchestra significantly behind.  However, the violin I used has its own reverb and I didn't turn it off here, as I normally do.  That spatial representation of the violin's reverb, plus that of the Mir venue may have made the instrument more "airy" and "wet."  This is probably what's happening with you and Crusoe hearing it more distant.  I do agree that Crusoe has a special sensitivity to this stuff and I don't...so, let's just say that you guys are probably spot on with what you're hearing!

William, thanks again for your kind words as well.  I always enjoy dipping in to the lake of knowledge (a pool is too small) that you possess, and love that you're literally an encylopedia of classical and film music references.

Cheers!
Dave

Hi Crusoe,

I will admit to always looking forward to your comments.  I think you try harder than most to see beyond simply the music, and try to arrive at the meaning behind the work.  The beautiful thing about instrumental music is that it can convey so many different, yet all viable, meanings to different listeners.  I sometimes wish I didn't have to name pieces and provide my own thoughts when sharing, because it's never my intention to force my own ideas of what was influencing my musical decisions on others.  More often than not, I arrive at a "feeling" about the meaning after I've completed the work...in other words, I often write with the absolute music mentality, even if much of my stuff has that programatic/narrative feel to it.

Anyway, one interesting point to bring up:  the violin being in the high register most of the time (there are a few moments for impact where I had it in the lowest range) is more a function of it cutting through the orchestra, than a desire to imply lightness vs. darkness.

As for the placement of the solo violin, it's literally kissing the microphone, while everything else is quite further back.  Any closer to the listener and they might feel violated by the violin's bow :)  It's always interesting how the sound is perceived to different listeners and through different equipment, but you have impeccable hearing/attention to such detail, so who am I to tell you it was close enough? lol

Cheers!

Dave

Thanks, Bill!  As long as I write music, I'll keep sharing it :)

Btw, I've received a similar response (or lack thereof) on that other forum as your Symphony did.  All the more reason to remember that we do what we do, first for us, then for the few that may appreciate it.

All the best,

Dave

So, this piece is kind of an odd duck.  I originally set out to compose a violin concerto, but having just finished a cello concerto a few days before, I thought it might be best to break up the insane workload of a full concerto with a smaller work.  I ended up writing this piece, Perpetual Light, as an orchestral work with a violin soloist that is featured from around the 2 and a half minute mark on, after a very long woodwind/brass opening. 
  Anyway, my "lighter work" ended taking a bloody 6 weeks to create the mock-up, setting back several other projects.  Oh, the joys of midi
 
Instruments:  all VSL dimension strings and brass, as well as VSL woodwinds.  A non-VSL product is the solo violin.
 
  Perpetual Light for Violin and Orchestra
 
Cheers!
Dave

I think that statement is a little harsh.  Dorico was built from the ground up, therefore it is to be expected that there would be a steep learning curve.  In my own experience migrating from Finale to Dorico, after several months of use, I'm beginning to see how much more intuitive and user-friendly Dorico can be.  Of course, to compare the familiarity with existing software that you may have used for a decade or more to something completely new, is about as fair as comparing a new symphony heard for the first time to Beethoven's Fifth.  Give it a chance to grow on you.  Expect to be frustrated as you must learn new shortcuts, commands, and myriad other things that are second nature to you in your previous software.

However, stating "Dorico is a piece of crap" is disrespectful to the countless individuals that are working daily to improve and develop this program in to something that can finally compete with the established programs that quite frankly, have often left users feeling ignored in terms of feature requests.  

I'm glad that others have more patience for a new program, because it is these people that will give the Dorico team the financial resources and support to continue its development.  

I've worked with only with the standard library and it's served me well writing chamber music.

Cheers!
Dave

What a beautiful way to start a new week.  Thank you for your music and accompanying film.  I'm in a calm place, after having just fed a 2 year old.  That's an accomplishment you can be proud of!  This is the perfect example of combining your interests and creating touching art.

All the best,

Dave

Jasen,

Thanks so much for all those thought-provoking comments.  You always inject information splashed with your wacky sense of humour in to your posts, which makes for very entertaining reading.  I believe you're spot on with regard to how most people view a forum as a technical troubleshooting reasource, as most that visit here are actively trying to write their own music, not be an audience for other composers (with exceptions, of course).  This begs the question:  if everybody's creating, who's consuming, and where can we find them, so we'll have an audience for our work?

As for my pieces serving as a sort of meeting ground for discussion, I love it!  You're absolutely right in that, when we write and share our music, we're doing so as much for stimulating discussion as we are simply for feedback. Thanks to the brilliant minds that occupy our little subforum, I get a regular dose of food for thought...I'm certainly not stimulating my intellectual curiosity in the grocery store :)

Cheers!

Dave 

Crusoe and Paolo T:  thank you both for listening and commenting.  Paolo, I'm happy the piece resonated with you!

Crusoe, as always, your discriminating ear picks out some fine detail.  I'll confess to not being as confident as you with regard to the resonance in the low-mids.  Reverb is always a delicate balance between not enough and too much.  What I like on Monday might change drastically on Tuesday.

In terms of interpreting the piece, my thought process in conveying the range of emotions when composing, was to have an anchor point, such as the initial two chords, serve as the question of, "am I good enough to do this?" (almost like a musical sigh).  The loose structure, with constant interweaving ideas, echos (as you pointed out in the strings echoing the clarinet and piano often) etc. all serve to imply the racing of thoughts through the mind, with the ever-looming question returning no matter how I try to escape answering it.  

The second movement's aggressive nature, with the strong conviction opening is that point when I, as a composer, feel I'm secure in my ability, and will plough forward with new determination and resolve.  The unbridled enthusiasm and energy catipults me forward, but of course, doubt returns (marked by the slow/mysterious section where the harmony unravels).  The abrupt ending was with intent (not because I had to rush in the house and tend to my crying baby, I promise!)  The phrase preceeding the ending, in which the violin plays the last (almost hicupped) note before the final assertive conclusion, was to imply that doubt never fully leaves, but the final word was my way of saying, I'll drown it out and move forward with confidence.

OK, so I usually prefer to say what I'm thinking through music, not words.  However, I recognize that instrumental music can obfuscate the meaning/intent, absent lyrics which pretty much give anyone listening the intended meaning of the writer.  

Thanks again to both of you for listening.  And yes, crusoe, I counted you among those wonderful forum contributors that vanished in the night :)  (I'll also look in to the youtube notification thing)

All the best,

Dave

Tom, first off, thank you as always.  Your support of my work has been hugely motivating for me, as a person with your talent, musical experience, and ability to articulate your thoughts so eloquently, is rare.  Even rarer, is your willingness to devote the time to listen repeatedly to a piece, in hopes of finding some meaning beyond the initial impression, and then to put forth such a humble and sincere response, like you have here.  

My take on your situation, is that you have all the capability in the world to translate your inner voice in to beautiful music.  As I said with the piece you shared with me a while back, it only takes one piece to show you have the ability...from here on in, it's a matter of finding the motivation/inspiration to continue to create.  In my case, the motivation is simple:  this is what I've chosen to do, so I want to do it well, because I am not interested in doing anything else (and I spent way too much money building a backyard studio to have it collect cobwebs!)

In any case, let me reaffirm:  you're no poser, you're no obnoxious kid brother (well, at least not in this context...you may be to your actual brother if you have one!)  You're a valued member of this community, and if more people would have the confidence/willingness to just allow themselves to partake in some music and discussion, without fear of judgment/criticism, I suspect the community would blossom, with even more composers sharing, more listeners commenting, and maybe, inspiring someone like yourself to take the plunge with your own work.

Glad that When Doubt Arises struck a chord (no pun intended).  Now, go and buy a VSL product (do I get a commission?) and show me how it's done!  :)

All the best,

Dave

Bill,

I'm always grateful that you have the energy and resolve to address these kinds of statements.  I've always subscribed to a philosophy:  "for those that get it, no explanation is necessary; for those that don't, no explanation will ever suffice."

Dave

"Since this is art, it is not 'essential'..."

"If it were a piece of scientific work, and if it has validity , it cannot be ignored..."   - Agitato

Agitato, you seem like a good person and extremely intelligent but that kind of statement pisses me off.  

Art is "not essential" - yet no society in all of known history can do without it all the way back to CAVE PAINTINGS. It is only  the modern science-and-materialist attitude that considers nothing except for intellect and logic.  This age is one of total fragmentation and utter lack of generalized knowledge, and too many people view things outside of their incredibly narrow fields of interest as "not essential."  

And on the second statement - it is just as true with art as with science.  Nobody who does classical music can ignore Beethoven. Or Bach. Or Mozart. Nobody who does symphonic music can ignore Mahler.  And so on and on...

Sorry to rant but anytime I hear a variation on how art is not as important as science ---