Improvable.

Byartsyhonker March 3, 2010 0 Comments
Good rehearsal today with the other members of the Brigantia Consort -- we looked at some new repertoire, rehearsed stuff we've been working on for performance probably this summer, and did some improvisation.We recorded some of the rehearsal, and it was interesting to hear the results. Two things, to my mind, really stood out.The first is that we do talk rather a lot between playing. Of course...

Still ticking.

Byartsyhonker February 28, 2010 0 Comments
What have I been up to?I'm learning to play the organ. This is a lot of fun, but rather difficult. I try to play the right hand line with my right hand, the left hand line with my left hand, and the pedal line with my other left hand. It's going well, though; I've played at a few services, and a funeral, and I have a few more lined up. I'm also rehearsing a lot with the Brigantia Consort. No, we...

External validation

Byartsyhonker December 17, 2009 0 Comments
Yesterday was my graduation ceremony: I got to dress up in very silly clothes and was given a piece of paper confirming that I have done the work and can put letters after my name. It was a happy occasion, and a slightly surreal experience.I have observed, as have many other graduates, that I couldn't have finished the degree without the help and support I received from family, friends, and...

Back to Bach

Byartsyhonker November 14, 2009 0 Comments
Yesterday I went to the Early Music Festival in Greenwich.It was a little strange being in the area again. Attending a concert in St Alfege church as a member of the public was a little odd but not hugely so, despite the fact that the last time I was there was for my final recital. It was good to hear the Trinity recorders play as I've been doing some playing with recorders myself recently...

Busy…

Byartsyhonker November 5, 2009 0 Comments
I do seem to be having something of a dry spell, in terms of blogging here. I have been quite busy! I composed an anthem; it was sung during a church service on 27th September. The sheet music is available here and a MIDI file here; I don't yet have a suitable recording. The piece is dedicated to Rev Dr Catherine Dowland-Pillinger, on the occasion of her ordination to the priesthood of the Church...

Finding the right words

Byartsyhonker September 2, 2009 0 Comments
One of the things I didn't have much time to do while I was doing my music degree was write music. The majority of my composing so far has been choral work. It isn't a particularly vast majority, a handful of songs and anthems really. Sometime soon I'll get more of it up on a website. Usually, I find a text that, on some level, seems to speak to me, and then set it, and then it sits in a drawer...

The internet is full of shiny.

Byartsyhonker August 15, 2009 0 Comments
Via Chantblog, I found this webpage which takes Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier fugues and has an analysis and discussion for each. It uses Shockwave and I had to open it in Safari to get it to run properly but it is quite seriously shiny.Over at Vimeo there is a video of Bobby McFerrin demonstrating "The Power of the Pentatonic Scale". As someone says in the comments, I'm not convinced this...

Performance Collective Evening Concert

Byartsyhonker August 8, 2009 2 Comments
London Performance Collective7.30pm Evening ConcertTuesday 18th AugustAn Evening filled with music, wine and cake * Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumble Bee for bassoon and piano * Otar Taktakishvili - Flute Sonata * Handel - Sonata in G minor Op. 1 No. 6, violin and serpent * Schumann - Fantasiestucke, Op. 12 * Beethoven - Trio - for flute, bassoon, and piano Tickets: £10 (Conc. £6)The Space...

Results, moving on and settling in…

Byartsyhonker August 5, 2009 0 Comments
Where to start?I got my degree. Specifically, I have been awarded a Bachelor of Music (Hons), Second Class Honours, Upper Division. In ordinary terms that's known as a 2:1 in the British system. I had a celebratory recital on 10th July. I'm listening to a recording now, to try and make a CD to hand on to someone who couldn't be there. It's interesting... a note in the Mozart that I had pegged as...

Final stretch

Byartsyhonker June 16, 2009 0 Comments
Over a month since posting, again!I have my end-of-degree recital on Tuesday next week. That's, er, a week from today. Right now, it's all about the practising. And the programme notes... sadly I'm not allowed to have a ghost writer for my programme notes! I'm hoping to get back to writing some more here when I have recovered from the recital.