Shortly after I had completed my piece Tourmaline for saxophone and computer sound, I showed a recording engineer buddy the Pro Tools session that contained all the recorded elements, along with the score, and explained how the recorded part is represented in the score, how the performer plays along, and how if all goes as planned the different bits synch up and there is the music. He looked at me incredulously and said:

SO MUCH WORK! Why on earth do you put yourself through this?!

I have asked myself the same thing more than once! The answers are always the same.

  1. Because I HAVE to – nothing else feels satisfying in quite the same way that composing does.
  2. Because composing music is fun!! Duh!
  3. The best reason goes something like this totally unexpected email from Antonio Albanese, the guitarist of the ensemble Compagnie Ch.AU, which is running around Switzerland playing my piece Two by Eight:

Hi Alexandra!

We have been working on your piece and I always forgot to tell you how much fun it is to play!!

Thank you a lot.

I’m sure we’ll have a lot of success with your piece.

All the best!

Antonio

That is why!

*******

In other news, a new piece for double bass and electronics is imminent! I am smitten by jazz orchestra. In the bloggerhood there happen to be a couple of new kids on the block. While we’re at it, some of my favorite reads are listed for you here since I haven’t got a proper blogroll going yet:

Mostly Musical
John Mackey’s Blog
Mind the Gap
Night After Night
Sound Directions
Unquiet Thoughts
Urban Modes

Extra-musical and excellent/funny/useful/interesting
1,000 Awesome Things
Cake Wrecks
The Daily Coyote
Honey Rock Dawn
Noisy Room Full of Silence
Study Hacks

Cheers all!