Orchestration:
- Winds
3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 1 bassoon - Brass
6 French horns, 2 trumpets, 4 trombones, 3 Wagner tubas - Strings
18 first violins, 11 second violins, 10 violas, 10 cellos, 9 double basses - Percussions
Harp, glockenspiel, timpani, 3 snares, cymbal, Taiko drums
Composition notes:
The first part modulates from G major to both its parallel (g) and relative (e) minors. The sequential progressions feature ascending thirds (with secondary dominants as passing chords) and descending seconds embellished by 7-6 suspensions. Diatonic harmony makes frequent use of dominant sevenths. Chromatic harmony uses altered chords, including:
- Chromatic submediant (c: #vi) with a subsequent half-tone resolution (VI), prolonging the tonic. This chromaticism can also be interpreted as either a borrowed chord (C:V), or a transition to the Neapolitan chord (G:II –> bII). See also d: #vi.
- Suspended chords.
- Borrowed chords.
The closing section (mm. 120-131) emphasizes character transition from hopeful (major and augmented chords) to somber (minor and diminished chords).
Howto/FAQ:
Composed and orchestrated with a piano and a scorewriter (Musescore, see musescore.org). The final sound (orchestral mock-up) created using a
- DAW (Reaper, see reaper.fm);
- VST instruments (East West Symphonic Orchestra, see soundsonline.com);
- articulation management system (Reaticulate, see reaticulate.com), to efficiently combine articulation patches on dedicated MIDI channels;
- MIDI control surface.
Post-processing and mixing included automation of volume envelopes and panning to reflect orchestra layout; digital filters applied (in the form of effects plugins) include reverb of the orchestra and equalization of the taiko drums (cut low and boosted high frequencies). No dynamic range compression was used, so as to preserve orchestral dynamics.
Recommended reading on music composition theory includes Caplin’s Analysis of Classical Form and Adler’s Study of Orchestration.
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