Michael Cooke

This week has been incredibly productive for my latest composition project. With fewer competing tasks, I’ve been able to dedicate more time and energy to this creative endeavor. Here’s a glimpse into my journey this past week.

Narrating History Through Music

My primary focus has been on meticulously arranging various presidential quotes to narrate the story I aim to convey through my music. This has allowed me to create detailed notes and a plan for this composition. The process involved not just the selection but also extensive research to find additional quotes that would enhance the narrative. It’s been a fascinating experience, delving into the depths of history, uncovering the words that resonate with the story I want to tell and fit into my musical puzzle.

Beyond Conventional Forms

Breaking away from traditional structures like Sonata Allegro or Rondo, I’m sculpting this piece as a timeline – a musical chronicle, if you will. The base phase loop of the composition takes about 14 minutes to complete its phase cycle, with an additional minute allocated for the coda section. Envision a 15-minute journey, segmented into an introduction, a coda, and three main but interconnected sections:

• The Resilient Nation: The first, and longest, section starts with optimism, drawing from the strength and forward-thinking of Presidents like FDR, JFK, and LBJ, as well as a quote from Bush Jr. It’s a celebration of our nation’s enduring spirit.
• Confronting Our Shadows: Transitioning to a more critical tone, the second section spotlights our failures, selfishness, and moments of corruption, marked by a rhythmic repetition of the word “false” around the seven-minute mark. This section includes impactful quotes from Clinton, Nixon, and new ones from Trump.

• The Dawn of Hope: The final section echoes a message of hope and potential for rectification. It shifts from the previous section with a poignant quote from Eisenhower, followed by optimistic inputs from Obama and Reagan, along with some recurrences from the first section. It’s a musical embodiment of our capacity for change and improvement.

Challenges and Solutions in the Creative Process

This week’s puzzle was seamlessly connecting these thematic sections. The transition from the first to the second section posed a unique challenge. To tackle it, I split my work into two separate audio files. This approach allowed me to focus on the second section, where my ideas were flowing more freely. Once I had a solid draft for the first half of this part, I revisited the end of the first section to smooth out the transition. I’m pleased to say that I now have about nine minutes of the “tape” part of the piece in a good first draft.

Pausing for a Tribute

Temporarily, I’m shifting gears to contribute to a collaborative tribute to Dr. Mark Alburger, a set of variations based on his opera “Antigone.” It’s a project that brings together 6-7 composers, each adding their unique voice to honor Mark’s legacy. So far, I’ve sketched out a few ideas and begun laying out the score. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting collaboration!

Parting Notes

This week has been a blend of creativity, challenges, and solutions, underscoring the ever-evolving nature of composing music. Documenting my notes and plans has been crucial in keeping track of my progress. It’s a reminder that the process of creating music is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. I look forward to diving back into my main project soon, but for now, the tribute to Mark takes precedence. Thank you for being a part of this adventure. Your support fuels this musical exploration. Stay tuned for more stories from this composition odyssey.

Today, I want to share two important lessons from my recent experiences in composing and music notation.

1. The Importance of File Formats and Backups

Last week, my progress in composing was slower than anticipated – I managed to add only about 50 seconds to my composition. This was partly due to other projects taking precedence. One significant task was rescuing compositions for Dr. Mark Alburger, the founder of SFCCO, who sadly passed away last summer. We’re organizing a memorial concert for him titled “Leaving a Mark,” but faced challenges with various music notation software.

Some of his music was in the now obsolete Encore software, while others were in Finale and Musescore. As a regular Finale user, handling the pieces in this format was straightforward, allowing me to seamlessly generate parts. Musescore, having recently undergone an update, has become more user-friendly. However, familiarizing myself with its nuances, particularly in exporting parts, presented a bit of a learning curve that I navigated with interest. The biggest hurdle was the Encore files. I tried several methods, including attempting to compile software tool for conversion. Eventually, the simplest solution was using an old laptop that could run an older version of Encore. This allowed me to convert files into MusicXML for use in Finale or Sibelius.

This experience taught me the vital importance of keeping scores and parts in accessible formats like PDF and MusicXML. I almost lost my first symphony, which was in DOS-based software. Thankfully, I had printed copies, though it still requires re-entering it into a modern music notation program.

2. The Value of Detailed Planning and Notes

The second lesson concerns the current piece I’m writing. I never anticipated such a long pause in its creation, leading to insufficient notes on my plans. While the overarching ideas and concepts were clear, the detailed, section-by-section plans were lost in my memory due to the extended break. This resulted in significant delays as I tried to recall and reconstruct my original plans.

This was a major oversight on my part, as I usually document thoroughly, especially for longer pieces. My usual practice includes taking notes of any good ideas, even for later sections. The key takeaway here for fellow composers is the importance of documenting your plans comprehensively. Ensure that you have enough details about your themes and ideas so that it’s easy to pick up where you left off, even after a long pause. This approach can save you from having to re-conceptualize parts of your work.

Both these lessons have been poignant reminders my approach to composition and music notation. I hope sharing them helps you avoid similar pitfalls and enhances your creative process.

Stay tuned for more updates on my compositions.