The prodigal son: composition begins
I've started work on my cantata. The younger son's aria is taking shape, the choir singing throughout ("O my God, I firmly resolve [...] to amend my life") but remaining firmly in the background while the soloist almost improvises his line around it. So far, he sings just about nothing but the word "Father" over and over again; the mood's all very contrite and humble.
The opening chorus is characterised by unlikely modulations. It starts with a pretty bare treatment of the words "in this life we cannot do great things" before blossoming when "we can only do small things" comes round. Then I'm inserting a quick bit of 1 Corinthians - "love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" - before returning to Mother Theresa's words, this time set in a much warmer, more positive light. The idea of love as a healing balm is a theme which pervades the work as a whole, so it makes sense to dwell on it at the beginning.
Both of the pieces I've started with are very much reflective, so next up I'll be tackling the final chorus. Then I can work on the various recitatives which bind the whole thing together, before getting going with the thanksgiving chorus. I anticipate this being among the most difficult sections to write, as it has to carry on under the next recitative, which leads straight into the father's aria - the last part I'll write.
If you're wondering why I'm more or less decided as to what order I'll be writing everything in, it's all down to knowing how it all fits together. The recitatives, despite being secondary to the arias and choruses, are instrumental in creating a cohesive whole, so once the main numbers are done it's just a matter of binding it all together as one.
The prospects are good.
The opening chorus is characterised by unlikely modulations. It starts with a pretty bare treatment of the words "in this life we cannot do great things" before blossoming when "we can only do small things" comes round. Then I'm inserting a quick bit of 1 Corinthians - "love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" - before returning to Mother Theresa's words, this time set in a much warmer, more positive light. The idea of love as a healing balm is a theme which pervades the work as a whole, so it makes sense to dwell on it at the beginning.
Both of the pieces I've started with are very much reflective, so next up I'll be tackling the final chorus. Then I can work on the various recitatives which bind the whole thing together, before getting going with the thanksgiving chorus. I anticipate this being among the most difficult sections to write, as it has to carry on under the next recitative, which leads straight into the father's aria - the last part I'll write.
If you're wondering why I'm more or less decided as to what order I'll be writing everything in, it's all down to knowing how it all fits together. The recitatives, despite being secondary to the arias and choruses, are instrumental in creating a cohesive whole, so once the main numbers are done it's just a matter of binding it all together as one.
The prospects are good.
posted by Anthony at
14:13
3 Comments:
Wow...that's awesome. Hope it all comes together:)
By
Miss Scarlet, at 3/4/06 14:38
My hat's off to you. I am not creative in that way at all...I could never compose anything. I had to write a short piano piece in graduate school and my professor said, "Well...for such a simple piece, that's really hard to play. You don't really understand fingering, do you?" Sigh. I was like, I'M A VOICE MAJOR, FINGER THIS. : (
By
Andy, at 4/4/06 00:36
It's a good retort, Andy, if not quite Wildean in its refinement!
I'll have to send you a copy of the two arias, see what you think of them. As the younger son is rather obviously supposed to represent me, the high baritone will need a two-octave range, from bottom to top G sharp, concentrating more on the upper register. The bass is likely to go rather lower, a similar range probably around two E flats.
By
Anthony, at 4/4/06 00:41
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