19-tet 2 piano work

Here's a preview of my piece for MidWest MicroFest:
<http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>
http://works.music.columbia.edu/~chris/19mix1.mp3<http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>

The title is something like:
Walking Down the Hillside at Cortona, and Seeing its Towers Rise Before me

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christopher Bailey
chris@...
zipzappoozoo@...
http://music.columbia.edu/~chris

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It is nice to hear someone jump into the thick of the tuning and push it. You really get to hear quite a few things inherent in it than only a piece of music can bring out.

Christopher Bailey wrote:
>
> Here's a preview of my piece for MidWest MicroFest:
> <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3 > <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>>
> http://works.music.columbia.edu/~chris/19mix1.mp3 > <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3><http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3 > <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>>
>
> The title is something like:
> Walking Down the Hillside at Cortona, and Seeing its Towers Rise Before me
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Christopher Bailey
> chris@... <mailto:chris%40music.columbia.edu>
> zipzappoozoo@... <mailto:zipzappoozoo%40gmail.com>
> http://music.columbia.edu/~chris <http://music.columbia.edu/%7Echris>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> -- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/index.html>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main/index.asp> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

> Here's a preview of my piece for MidWest MicroFest:
> <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>

Hi Christoper, I'd like to ask about the means of production for this
piece. You didn't mention what you are using to make the sounds. Is this a
real piano in 19tet? Or a synthesizer? Sampler? Live performance? Etc.

Also, a small technical comment, not a critique of the music per se... The
difference in amplitude between the softest parts of this piece and the
loudest seems rather too much. This is a common complaint with me. If I
turn up the beginning so that I can actually *hear* and appreciate what's
happening (the opening tinkly sounds), then the loudest parts blow the
house down... So I have to adjust volumes a lot. In general, I like a
dynamic range from pp (which is barely audible) to ff (real loud), rather
than ppppp (totally inaudible) to fffff (blow the house down)... :-)

<rant>
For the film-makers in the audience... My wife and I both have this
problem. Film-makers turn the audio way down for important face-to-face
conversations and plot points, then crank it way way up for car crashes,
action violence, "excitement music" and other sounds. What's with that
anyway? Sheesh, with modern film and recording technology, they ought to be
able to even it out more so that you can *hear* the conversations at
normal volume whilst not having your eardrums blown out by the car crashing
noises. We watch films at home with the volume remote in one hand,
constantly going up so we can follow the talking and down so we aren't
blown away by the action. Why should the audience have to adjust the volume
all the time?
</rant>

Cheers,

Rick

I find this piece quite evocative, and agree with Kraig's comments.

One suggestion: it sounds to me as if it may not need to be so
dense and note furious at times; the computer does a fantastic
job but it may prove to be more difficult in actual performance
than it needs to be. Not trying to change your ideas of course.
For myself, if the idea requires something that's difficult to
play, then so be it; it will just have to be practised a lot. But if the
idea can be expressed in a way that's easier to play, I will go
for that myself. It's just a practical rule of thumb I use, because I
tend to like complex strutures, but I also don't like to make anyone
work harder than they need to. Tell that to Brian Ferneyhough,
right? : ) So, all this may be totally irrelevant for you and be
politely ignored.

Anyway, nice work!

Aaron Hunt
H-Pi Instruments

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Christopher Bailey" <chris@...> wrote:
>
> Here's a preview of my piece for MidWest MicroFest:
> <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>
> http://works.music.columbia.edu/~chris/19mix1.mp3<http://
works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>
>
> The title is something like:
> Walking Down the Hillside at Cortona, and Seeing its Towers Rise Before me
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Christopher Bailey
> chris@...
> zipzappoozoo@...
> http://music.columbia.edu/~chris
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

>Hi Christoper, I'd like to ask about the means of production for
> this piece. You didn't mention what you are using to make the >
> sounds. Is this a
> real piano in 19tet? Or a synthesizer? Sampler? Live >
> performance? Etc.

Synth/Sampler (XV-3080).

> Also, a small technical comment, not a critique of the music per > se...
The difference in amplitude between the softest parts of
> this piece and the loudest seems rather too much. This is a
> common complaint with me. If I turn up the beginning so that I
> can actually *hear* and appreciate what's
> happening (the opening tinkly sounds),

Yeah, what you want is called "Compression". I didn't do that, because this
isn't the final version of the peice, and I figure you can do the volume
changes manually yourself.

However, I should note that "classical" music is frequently recorded with
little or no compression (because of the "purist" nature of the recording
people in that field, I guess?? to be honest I don't know why they are so
scared of it . .). For example, check out the DG recording of Boulez
conducting Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, and La Valse (especially the latter).
Both recordings are fantastic, but both have a huuuuuuge dynamic range that
makes the openings reeeeealllly soft and the climaxes reeeeaaaalllly loud.

On the other hand, if you look at the waveshape of almost any pop music, it
looks like total noise blast from beginning to end. Almost funny.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> One suggestion: it sounds to me as if it may not need to be so
> dense and note furious at times; the computer does a fantastic
> job but it may prove to be more difficult in actual performance

Well, I am imagining that an actual performance will be somewhat slower than
this . . .there is a built-in rubato aspect to the work, that I like. And
in any case, I would rather do that than subtract notes--the
skysscraper-chords are essential to the innate hysteria of the piece.
Sometimes it's fun to hear the computer do it fast, though.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Grady sez:

> It is nice to hear someone jump into the thick of the tuning and
> push it. You really get to hear quite a few things inherent in it than >
only a piece of music can bring out.

Nice to hear from someone who's gone on record as hating 19 :)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well just because it wouldn't be ideal for my language or taste, i recognize it works quite well for others.
While on the Subject of 19 i have scanned half of Mandelbaum's book which i will be putting up. It is a great work and is quite a bit more than just about 19

Christopher Bailey wrote:
>
> Grady sez:
>
> > It is nice to hear someone jump into the thick of the tuning and
> > push it. You really get to hear quite a few things inherent in it than >
> only a piece of music can bring out.
>
> Nice to hear from someone who's gone on record as hating 19 :)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> -- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/index.html>
The Wandering Medicine Show
KXLU <http://www.kxlu.com/main/index.asp> 88.9 FM Wed 8-9 pm Los Angeles

Nice piece. It sounds like you made good use of some of 19's more
exotic possibilities.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Christopher Bailey"
<chris@...> wrote:
>
> Here's a preview of my piece for MidWest MicroFest:
> <http://works.music.columbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>
>
http://works.music.columbia.edu/~chris/19mix1.mp3<http://works.music.c
olumbia.edu/%7Echris/19mix1.mp3>
>
> The title is something like:
> Walking Down the Hillside at Cortona, and Seeing its Towers Rise
Before me
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
----
> Christopher Bailey
> chris@...
> zipzappoozoo@...
> http://music.columbia.edu/~chris
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>