Mozart composed entire pieces in his head, fully formed. (Image from the film "Amadeus")
I just finished revising Heroes & Villains. In a previous post, I mentioned some weaknesses in the piece I needed to work on. Namely: not enough harmonic or tonal variety… and an ostinato pattern that got a bit repetitious.
So I fixed it.
No major structural changes. Just details here and there, and now the piece is at least 50% better because of it. (And marimba players will be thanking me for years to come for the cool part I added for them!)
Which brings me to the compositional process. Unless you’re Mozart (or Bach), music doesn’t just suddenly appear in your head fully formed and perfect. It’s a process of creating… molding… forming… revising… refining… and tweaking.
For me, composing has been a very organic process. Musical motives and ideas suggest other ideas, and gradually a form begins to take shape. I rarely start out with a solid idea of what the form should be (unless I’m writing an arrangement).
However, that seems to be changing lately. I’ve been noticing that other composers, such as John Mackey and Steven Bryant—and Dr. Carolyn Bremer, my composition teacher—are clear about the structure early on in the process.
It’s interesting how different composers approach their art in different ways. No one approach is better than another. Just different.
But I got to thinking about the implications of being clear on the form and structure early on, as opposed to my traditional “organic” approach.
It would certainly help give a clear sense of direction as I work on a piece. An organic approach allows you to remain open to new and surprising possibilities… but it can also leave you unsure where to go next—as if going on a journey without a map or compass.
So I’m going to try an experiment…
I’m working on a new piece for Wind Ensemble. And I’m going to focus on form and structure very early in the process.
In fact, even now (before I’ve even written down a single note or even know exactly what the main motives are), I know what the piece is about. I have a rough idea of each of its seven sections, and the overall “mood” or “feel” of each section.
I’ve never written like this before. It will be interesting to see how it works out for me.
The piece is called “Astral Worlds”. On the surface level, it’s a musical depiction of a shamanic journey to other dimensions… but it’s also about the spiritual journey toward enlightenment that every soul must make. It will be between 10 and 15 minutes long, and probably a grade 6 level piece.
(By the way, if you’re interested in commissioning such a piece and premiering it, I would be happy to dedicate it to you or your ensemble.)
I’m very excited about “Astral Worlds”. I know this is going to be the best piece I’ve ever written. I can feel it!