Assignment 4: Final Composition

During the planning stages for this composition, I decided to apply a certain degree of ‘freedom’, and allow a theme to appear during the writing stage.  However, this ‘theme’ became apparent very quickly and I have decided to entitle this piece ‘A Veteran Mind’, based on the idea of the scattered and distant memories of an elderly war veteran. 

Whilst originally planning the piece I composed three short melodic lines, (A, B & C – appendix 1) which became the core concept on which transformations were applied.  By doing this, I have not only designed a starting point for the development of composition, but also created a ‘blueprint’ of the veteran’s accurate memories.  Then, by applying processes such as inversion, augmentation and even simple key changes, I was able to  ‘distort’ and ‘scatter’ these memories of mimic the veteran’s dementia.

Although I originally designed a basic plan for this piece, I heavily manipulated the tempo, key and time signatures to fit with the veteran theme.  I have therefore re-designed my table below:

Part A Principal Section (i)	Part B Principal Section (ii)	Part C Subsidiary Section	Part A Principal Reprise (i)	Part B Principal Reprise (ii)	Part A +D Principal Reprise & End
m=53 2/2 16 bars Misterioso Gmaj	c = 116 4/4 16 bars Alla Marcia Gmaj	m = 58 2/2 10 bars Espressivo Gmaj	c = 86 4/4 16 bars Misterioso Ebmaj	c = 86 4/4 12 bars Preciso Ebmaj	bpm = 96 4/4 8 bars Espressivo Gmaj

Section A

I wanted this opening section to introduce the veteran character and begin to show his scattered memories of war.  Using a relatively slow tempo and a ‘misterioso’ direction, I wanted to reflect the man’s age and frailness.  The choice of a 2/2 time signature and the use of snare drum was intended to mimic a marching rhythm, portraying the deep military influence on this man’s life.

This piece begins by elongating my original melody (A) using the bassoon to play the original treble melody (transposed down by three octaves), whilst the timpani plays the melody originally composed on the bass clef.  Within this, and section B, the melodic line of each instrument stays within its own staff and is not mimicked or echoed by the other instruments.  However, a simple series of augmentation, diminution and inversion has been used to elongate the original melodies written.  At this stage, I have purposely kept each instrument playing its own distinct melody, and I plan to interweave these sections later to create further texture.  Hopefully this will also give the listener the opportunity to hear the original melodies, albeit transformed somewhat, before later attempting to decipher the various overlapping tones and motifs. 

As this section is both designed to introduce the character, and provide a ‘lead-in’ to section B, I have used a number of varying dynamics and increasing tension to achieve both ideas.  At the beginning the bassoon plays a gentle and soft melody, rising slightly at peaks, whilst later we hear the timpani playing mainly loud and unbalanced crashes.   From the fourth bar, I have introduced the tones of the snare drum, which plays the original melodic rhythms, in order to reflect the military theme. 

Section B

This section is designed to build further tension and I have therefore experimented a little with transposition to lesser-heard intervals.  Slipping into a 4/4 time signature and increasing the tempo, this section takes on a more regimented and organised feel, meant to reflect the veteran’s army training and eventual progression to war.

For the first few bars, the bassoon plays a direct imitation, then inversion, of the original (B) melody (bass clef).  Due to the bassoon ‘unveiling’ itself during composition, as the ‘principal instrument’, I wanted to keep the dynamics quite simple to enable the listener to easily follow the bassoon as the main character.

However, the timpani section sees quite a different approach here.  Much like with the bassoon, I have used the original melody (B) for the first four bars, but this time I have retrograded it in the last bars to complete the section.  In order to continue building the tension and portray the veteran’s approach to war, I chose to transpose the retrograded melody down by a diminished fifth to create slight dissonance.   The dynamics of the timpani begin quite softly, with some peaks, before switching to a louder and more intrusive dynamic in the latter half.  I did this to give the listener the idea that a dramatic event is approaching.  

The snare drum still plays a key role in holding together the rhythm of this piece.  In this section, I have added a number of tremolos, increasing in number, to add texture and continue with that all-important feeling of tension. 

Section C

This section represents the war scene and I have used a great number of transformations on my original melody (C), to create a central section of tension.   At this point we move back to a 2/2 time signature to provide a shift in rhythmic texture. 

Although the bassoon does follow the original melodic motion, I have this time experimented with chromatic inversion, as opposed to diatonic, which I have used before.  This section is supposed to be tense and dramatic and I think the contrast of this dissonant style works extremely well.  The dynamics of this section are supposed to give a pulsing feel, therefore the Bassoon moves quite elegantly between a loud and soft volume. There are a number of staccato and accent additions, once again to add texture and a feeling of unease. 

The original melody for the timpani has been transposed up a diminished fifth to provide texture between the bassoon’s melodic line.  The dynamics are greatly and dramatically varying throughout section C and I have also added a number of tremolos to the crotchet and minim notes to enhance the military feel. 

The snare section does not follow the rhythmic pattern, but plays a series of almost random notes to give the impression of gunfire.  The clashing and rolling of this drum, against the slightly unbalanced and dissonant feel of the other instruments, helps to continue the feeling of suspense. 

Part A & B & A – reprise (ii)

At reflect the old man’s dementia, this section provides a reprise of different elements which appeared in the first two sections.  However, a greater number of transformations and dynamic changes have been added to further ‘mix-up’ the memories.  Previously the piece has been composed in G major key, however, I have transposed this section into Eb major to continue the feeling confusion and change.  

I have experimented with augmenting and echoing entire section across both instruments, transposing unison parts using diminished intervals, to achieve tension and dissonance.  The wide use of dynamics was designed to give the impression of fading memories being re-awoken. 

The beginning of the section uses very simple imitation across all three instruments, mainly based around the bassoon and snare drum copying the movement of the Timpani.  Due to my use of diminution on some parts , the timpani  achieves a great rolling effect by the use very short note values.  I feel that this rumbling effect adds to the drama and tension of the piece

Section A (iii) and D

The final section of this piece provides a contrast to uncertainty and tension of earlier sections.  We return to the home key to give a sense of closure, but unlike the opening section, I chose to use a brighter and happier feel.  This was primarily to portray the old man’s troubled memories slipping away and him thinking of brighter things. 

At the beginning of this section, the bassoon and timpani repeat the melody from the very start, and towards the end, I have repeated bar 78 (79 – 81), each time varying the interval to suspend the cadence. 

Overall thoughts and reflections of Assignment 4

I am really pleased with the way this slightly experimental composition turned out.  During the planning stages I was keen to let the instruments guide the piece, and I am very encouraged by the story that unfolded.  I have decided to entitle this piece, A Veteran’s Mind. 

The snare drum undoubtedly shaped this piece giving a military feel, whilst the low tones of the bassoon, teamed with the crash of the Timpani, made the theme of war perfect for this composition.  However, with the various transformations and hint of dissonance, I was unhappy to base this solely around a war scene. As the bassoon’s character further unveiled itself, my ideas of a lonely veteran telling his story and struggling to coherently piece together his memories, came to light.

The snare drum played almost constantly throughout, represents the vague memories of the front line and watching troops march through a warzone.  The crashes and rolls of the Timpani create the idea of gunfire, bombs and general devastation.   However, the melancholic tones of the Bassoon seem to perfectly contrast these sounds, giving an almost elegant and regal feel. 

The use of transformations in this piece completely shaped the entire idea.  The various adaptions, augmentation and diminutions provide the listener with just ‘snapshots’ of the old man's memories.  The tension in this piece is supposed to represent the turmoil, anguish and upset that someone would feel, trying to remember and piece together these painful memories.