KVR Audio

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:40 am

This will be the second part of a violin concerto I am writing. The Melody, by itself, is at this link.
https://soundcloud.com/artlowell/a-melo ... -orchestra

Or, if you would like to hear it along with the first part, the Scherzo, this is the link.
https://soundcloud.com/artlowell/a-sche ... -orchestra

It will take me some time to turn out a third part.

seismic1 · Post by **seismic1** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:24 pm

Very enjoyable. I'm no expert, but some of those violin articulations are quite dramatic. I'm looking forward to the finale.

Good work

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:59 pm

Thanks Seismic. The finale will be some time in coming.

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 12:19 am

Wow! Love your style.

Phazma · Post by **Phazma** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:36 pm

I like it! I guess you made it with samples and MIDI as it sounds a bit electronic but as for the composition it sounds well inspired!

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:58 pm

Yup! All MIDI. No humans were harmed in the making of this piece.

annode · Post by **annode** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:46 am

Had a late night listen and with a foggy mind it still sounded pretty good to me.
I``ll have another listen tomorrow with a clear head.
- any voice to midi in this?

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:04 pm

It's a very cool app, but I haven't found a use for it yet. I doubt that I ever will.

annode · Post by **annode** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:21 pm

annode wrote:Had a late night listen and with a foggy mind it still sounded pretty good to me.
I``ll have another listen tomorrow with a clear head.
- any voice to midi in this?

Clear minded, I had to have about 4-5 listens before I understood it.
Takes some time to assemble it in your head so it makes sense. Maybe this is true with every listener? Just one play through can not a proper criticism make.
This is very well crafted Art. One section sounding much like circus fantasy is up there with the best of Danny Elfman, although personally my least favorite section.

I think the actual orchestration is it`s weakest link.
You write in a 1940-50ish modernist style I think...i`m no expert, I may be off on this. Anyway, fine work. It turned out well...it`s all very strong and flows together well although it takes multiple listens to hear it that way. First and second listens, it sounds schizophrenic or cartoonish...but later it all falls in place. Maybe it`s that i`m not used to listening to this style.

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:43 pm

I've had others make the same kind of comments. Perhaps because it takes me so long to get these things down, it makes perfect sense to me when I'm writing it. At the same time, I will often get an idea that flows out of the passage before, but which I don't think has enough "meat" to it to develop a lot. (another way to say that I can't think of ways to manipulate it). I also like to surprise the listener by interrupting a thought with something completely unexpected. Besides, I get bored with an idea if I draw it out too long.

I always have this kind of doubt about these pieces when I post them, then, I listen to them many times to try to hear what I think others will hear. On repeated listenings, they generally seem to come together. So, I think that those who listen only once will probably go away a bit confused, while those who listen several times tend to discover how it fits together. This is what I think I'm getting from peoples' comments.

I definitely had Prokofiev in the back of my head while I was writing this. That cartoonish oom-pah section is kinda inspired by the way he likes to parody Russian folk music, or, like Stravinsky, a traditional puppet show (Petrushka). That's the flavor I was thinking of.

Thanks for the remarks. they gave me a chance to explain what I am doing, something like you might see in the program notes at a concert.

TrekStar · Post by **TrekStar** » Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:50 pm

A Melody for Violin & Orchestra: beautiful composed

...wonderful harmonies and structures!...ups and downs in dramatic waves. would love to hear that rendered by better orchestral libraries or might be even by live musicians .....!

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:08 am

Thanks, Trekstar. I would love nothing more than to hear my music performed and interpreted by live musicians. DAW renditions are really nothing more than digital music scores that suggest to us how a piece of music might sound if played by the real thing. If you think about it, it's lightyears beyond what the written page would tell you. It still isn't the finished product. The greatest thrill that I can imagine would be to hear live musicians play my music.

davidstiles · Post by **davidstiles** » Tue Dec 08, 2015 9:17 am

Terrific composition, Art. Like TrekStar, I'd love to hear it put through some better orchestral libraries (or, of course, actual live musicians). But the fact remains that there are some lovely melodies and some appealingly playful counterpoint that kept my ears solidly occupied throughout this listening experience.

artlowell · Post by **artlowell** » Tue Dec 08, 2015 1:15 pm

Thank you, David. that's makes me feel very successful.

A Melody for Violin And Orchestra