All my plans for the last two weeks to work on my 4th symphony went up in smoke. I haven’t touched it.
I knew that preparing my orchestra for our May concert would cut into my composing time, but I didn’t anticipate just how much. Unfortunately, two composers dropped out at the last minute—one the week of the deadline, the other two weeks after. That put our concert lineup in serious jeopardy. To make matters worse, the backup piece we received from another composer didn’t match our ensemble’s instrumentation.
To keep the concert afloat (and the budget balanced), I dug into my catalog and pulled out a piece we performed about ten years ago: Triangles—one of my guided improvisation works.
This piece uses time-based sections instead of traditional measures and beats, a structure similar to another piece already programmed. I chose Triangles because it’s relatively forgiving—perfect when players only have a few weeks with the parts—and it weaves mistakes more gently into the overall texture.
However, Triangles had been sitting untouched for a decade. Luckily, I still had PDFs of the parts, but I remembered that the original instructions were a bit confusing even back then. And since our orchestra now has a lot of new members who aren’t familiar with this style, I needed to update the materials to make it easier to understand.
Clarifying the Instructions
One of the biggest sticking points was the relationship between “base notes” and “satellite notes.” In the piece, you begin on a base note, move to a satellite note, and return to a base before shifting again. This creates floating, interlocking melodies that emphasize specific intervals—something that’s been effective in other works I’ve written.
I rewrote the instructions to make this concept clearer and discussed them with several players to see if the revisions helped. Some still found it confusing at first, so I re-explained it individually. I’m hoping with some rehearsal and the new instructions, it will click more naturally.
Finishing Old Business
While revisiting Triangles, I discovered a few more loose ends.
- The original version lacked a glockenspiel part because we didn’t have a glockenspiel player available at the premiere. I had simply left that part unfinished. This time, I completed it properly.
- Several PDFs were missing critical solid crescendo–decrescendo markings. I’m not sure why, but I recreated them to match my original intent.
- I also noticed that the second section of the piece was longer than I intended it due to a mistake. I didn’t fix it yet (correcting it now would be too disruptive for the upcoming performance), but when I eventually migrate Triangles to Dorico, I’ll fix the section timings properly.
To help the conductor and ensemble practice, I made a video that handles the countdown timings for each section. Since Triangles doesn’t rely on a traditional conductor beat-by-beat, the video will help keep everyone synchronized and change at the proper timings. I also printed and mailed off a full score, among the other logistical details that ate up time.
Perspective on Lost Time
In reality, I shouldn’t be frustrated. I gained another opportunity to have one of my pieces performed—and that’s always the larger goal. Still, it’s a reminder that even the best-laid plans can get completely reshaped when unexpected challenges—and unexpected opportunities—drop into your lap.
My fourth symphony will have to wait just a little longer. But at least Triangles is getting a second life, and I’m excited to hear it again with fresh ears.
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Tags: in progress