In the Key of K

This was the last substantial piece I composed in grad school around 2006 or 2007. It’s something I had been wanting to do for years and I hope to write more symphonies one day. However, right now I have nearly 15 years of backlogged or unfinished recording, writing, and art projects that are taking up most of my time. My kids are old enough now that I feel I can spend more time for me instead of parenting and working for money 24/7. So I’m working on catching up with dozens of projects.

Let me state this clearly, the midi files are NOT how this composition should sound but it is an approximation. I wrote this nearly 20 years ago using the Finale software and a few years ago that company went out of business. So I am stuck with midi files that are very old and not too great unless I do a ton of extra work that I don’t have time for presently. Sometimes it doesn’t play back all the instruments, sometimes the dynamics are wonky, and sometimes the articulations are weird. I don’t have time to pull all these files into new software (Dorico is supposed to be the Finale replacement) and fix everything so we are stuck with these versions for now. If an orchestra is willing to play it, I will definitely fix up the scores and separate the parts! Just ask!

So, this is the typical four movement sort of archetype. The first movement establishes the tone of the larger piece, the second is slower, the third is a ‘dance’-ish piece in 3/4, and the fourth is more adventurous. Note: the midi clips below have up to ten seconds of silence at the beginning of each track–no particular reason, I’m just too lazy to edit it out right now.

Movement I:
PDF of the score

The first movement, as I mentioned, sets the tone. This piece is written in a version of what academics call “Sonata Form”–Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation. The boxed letters above the measures in the score mark all the important sections. The exposition travels over markers A, B, and C. The development is in marker E. And markers F to the end are the recapitulation and coda. Today, I would extend the coda to make a more dramatic ending. There are no surprises here just some nice symphonic music that tickles my ear.

Movement II:
PDF of the score

The second movement is all about timbre and texture. Listening to it now I think I would like to re-write to add more to it. It only feels like half a movement to me now. I would explore more simple rhythms and different small groups to layer in more texture. The midi playback is skewing it a little bit but it’s better than nothing!

Movement III:
PDF of the score

The third movement–the “dance movement”–is in 3/4 time. There are two main sections, one that toys with some simple counterpoint over chords and then a section that has quarter note triplets. I have orchestrated that quarter note triplet idea in other places before and I love it in every iteration. The idea still feels unfinished with my inner vision. This movement, like the last is just too short. If I had the time I would easily make it twice as long to hash out some other ideas that I have.

Movement IV:
PDF of the score

The fourth movement playfully experiments with counting four/four time with eighth note patterns of 123 123 12 and 12 123 123. This is kind of a joke making fun of myself–I have at least a dozen compositions where I have done this or something like it subconsciously and I embrace it here. I am aware! The midi playback, as before, only gives you a rough idea of how it should sound but it gives you a sense of my style. 😎

The K who wrote this, in 2006/2007 was trying to get shit done. I was balancing grad school with teaching, gigging, and recording–not to mention organizing 15 or more performers for my graduate recital and writing and arranging all the material for that concert. It would be fascinating to know how things would have worked out if I could have focused solely on any one of those things instead hustling all of them at once. Anyway the most complete part of Symphony no 1 is the first movement, if you have to choose where to begin, start there.