6.30.2009

An Excuse To Play With Negative Harmony.

So I have decided to try and write an eight minute piece for woodwind ensemble.

Available Instrumentation:

4 flutes (piccolo double)
2 oboe
1 Eb clarinet
7 Bb clarinet
1 alto clarinet
1 bass clarinet
1 bassoon
2 alto saxophones
1 tenor saxophone
1 baritone saxophone
4 horn
2 cornet
3 trumpet
3 trombone (including bass)
2 euphonium
1 tuba
Timpani
2 percussion
Optional: piano or harp

This project is for the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Composition Competition, an ensemble in San Diego looking for new works for their specific instrumentation. The only problem is that it needs to be competed in just under a month.
So I am going to try to write and submit it in the little time I have.

I have wanted to write a piece with negative harmony, that is chord structures are built downward from the top, for some time now but never really got around to it. So I ran across the call for scores from Hillcrest and when I was trying to think of a concept for the piece for some reason my mind went to the hollow earth theory and I thought "hey, that could be a good excuse to use negative harmony". So here I am, trying to decide how to go about using another system of tonality yet again. It should be fun.

More as progress develops.

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