Recontextualization

I've started the next assignment!

I think I started and stopped and started and stopped this project that many times... My initial idea (writing for vocal quartet) has been abandoned (it will be revisited!) and I'm now writing for piano, violin, cello, and alto flute!

The concept I've chosen is to 'recontextualize' a musical concept. To read further on this, check out Dr. Ross's blog:

http://clarkross.blogspot.ca/2012/10/project-2-fall-2012-options.html

I think it's a pretty neat idea! It can be anything from mixing a 12 bar blues with classical writing, to pop 4-chord-songs averted, etc. etc! From what we discussed in class, the possibilities here and endless. So! I've only gotten about a minute into the piece but here's my concept:

I'm taking the opening motive of "Smoke on the Water"and putting it in an art music context.

For those of you who don't know "Smoke on the Water", spend about 5 minutes in the guitar section of Long and McQuade or feel free to check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WX_4FNoto4

So far, my piece opens with the piano playing the motive. What I've done is displaced the second note of the motive by an 8ve and it actually masks the renowned Deep Purple quote pretty well . From there, the piece uses primarily an octatonic scale (so far anyway...) and intergrates the motive in subtle ways including varying the rhythm, retrograding, etc.

It's still got a long way to go and I'm sure a lot of the ideas will change, but with only a couple weeks to write this one, I've gotta put the pedal to the metal and get this plane in the air.

...sure hope we don't have a crash landing here.