bruckhorn

I concur with getting out of your comfort zone. When I was stuck on a piece that I didn't want to write (if I didn't do it, I wasn't going to graduate) I finally got to the point of playing a little joke with the piece. I varied the melody to the point it was a twelve tone row. I had repeatedly told my composition teacher that I wanted nothing to do with twelve tone music and would never compose a piece that used one. If he noticed what I had done, he didn't say anything. Normally, I write every note down and consider the entering of it into the computer as a second draft. I write left handed, but use the mouse in my right hand. Two years ago, I wrote a suite for strings, but didn't write a single note on paper-- it was all done directly into the computer. A couple of friends said that it was unlike anything I've composed. Maybe it was due to using my other hand when "writing" it. David Raksin said that he was stuck working on a theme for Laura when he took a letter from his then-wife and improvised at the piano while reading it. He said that it was when he got the gist of the message ("Get lost!") is when his hands played that famous theme for the first time.

Not knowing what piece you're looking at, I am unable to answer that. It is possible that the composer desires a larger string section, but the division could be done due to how often the parts would require divisi lines. Check the score's preamble. Vaughan-Williams' score for the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis calls for the strings to be divided in three uneven groups: a string quartet; a "regular" string section (with the last desk of cellos on a separate line); and a middle-sized group consisting of one desk of Vln 1, Vln, 2, Vla, and VC along with a lone DB. As far as I know, when it is performed in concert, it is done so using the orchestra's normal compliment of string players.

Happy Birthday, J-Dubs. How many symphonies did Vaughan-Williams compose after the age of 80? Just an idea...

The only thing that I have to add is that the level of ensemble may come into play. When I was in high school, the best player(s) took the first part, the second best player(s) took the second part, and on down the line. When I was in college, I read that for orchestral pieces, that French Horns should be listed first in the brass section and broken down 1/3 and 2/4 in keeping with the 200+ years of traditional score layout. The same tome indicated that for band pieces, that trumpets should be listed first in the brass section and the parts should be broken down 1/2 and 3/4. No, that didn't confuse me a bit... In retrospect, it probably had to do with the author's view of orchestras having more skilled, professional musicians, while bands were primarily seen as amateur (high school) ensembles.

I did. Sounded like The Clocktower. As a resident of Oregon, I must point out that Oregon played in the Rose Bowl, not Oregon State. Perhaps if the Ducks only had two uniforms instead of a new uniform for each game, they would have been more easily recognized. Not that I really give a hoot-- I got my degree from Cal Santa Barbara.

Considering how early we're supposed to get to the airport for security processing, why not both?

Depends on who owns the rights. Standard for studio films is that the studio owns the rights to the score, but sometimes a composer will do a score for less than his normal fee and retain the rights. I read that Horner had that arrangement for a film in the '80s (Testament, I think) and it may be the deal that Williams had with The Sugarland Express. On more than one occasion, Jerry Goldsmith expressed a desire to have less of his music released on soundtracks albums.

Thank you, Trentman. Perhaps, next time, you could include a photo that is a little more, uh, distracting.

Order placed at 12:08 and I just received an e-mail less than two hours later that my order has shipped. Damn, that was fast! Now, if USPS would be that fast...

Hmmm, guess the site likes me more, because I printed out my confirmed order at 12:08 PST.

Thank you for checking. Now I gotta figure out where I got that length estimate. It's one of those things that get me thinking about how my Grandma had Alzheimer's and that it is genetic...

I, too, would like to get the complete score to this. However... It's been years since I've read the liner notes to Music for a Darkened Theatre, but I recall that Elfman states the total length of this score as being on the short side (20-25 minutes). Can anyone please confirm? Also, can we get a full length version of "The Night the Reindeer Died"? I'm surprised that no one has made this yet.

I'll concede Piranha II (gotta love those Roger Corman films), but with Jamie Lee Curtis' dance, I'd disagree with True Lies.

Gee, what's the default guess gonna be when a label announces a new release of a classic score? So glad that this is finally being released. Back in high school (you know, when CD's were new), I did an analysis of the piano arrangement of the theme. Seeing the uneven triplet figures altered the way that I looked at rhythm. It was one of those, "Oh, I didn't know you could do that," moments. It also led to my putting off beat triplet figures into my quiver, too. I, too, would like to see a release of an expanded/complete score to The Abyss, but I'm not holding my breath. It's the Cameron film that has faded the most from the zeitgeist.

I have seen many articles criticizing the US No-Fly list. Reports of names being added, but no details being associated with them. It is possible that it was a different John Adams that was put on the list, so with just the name to go by, all of them get the hostile treatment. I just checked my local phone book and in a area of approximately 100,000 people there are two listings for John Adams. Projecting that up to the nation, that would be 6,000 men named John Adams. I have personal experience-- a few years ago a local youth sports league did background checks of all of the volunteers. The company that ran them only put the first and last names through a national database and spat out the matches. It came back with a match on my name as a registered sex offender, but it did include details-- the match's middle initial, physical description, and city and state of residence. As I have a different middle initial, am seven inches taller, quite paler, and live three thousand miles away, I was cleared by the group and was allowed to volunteer. Unfortunately, it comes with having a common name.

Pardon my impertinence, but how can you not own a copy of Hook?? It boggles my mind. I think you are referring to a segment from Prokofiev's 'Romeo And Juliet' (I vaguely remember it being one of the the fight scenes or some other such frantic and energetic moments from the ballet). The cue is "The Death of Tybalt". In the 80's Horner was "borrowing" music from Prokofiev and Khatchaturian with impunity-- their music was composed in the USSR and was public domain. Not saying it was morally okay to do it, but it was legally. When the USSR fell, all of that music was suddenly drawing royalties (primarily through BMI); I wonder if Horner had to settle with Sergei and Aram's estates... Bill Conti lifted The Seasons by Glazunov (who lifted it from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto) in The Right Stuff. And I was amazed when listening to a CD with The Empire Brass; it had a fanfare written in the Renaissance that sounded nearly note for note the Fanfare from Rocky. I'll try to track down the track. EDIT: Empire Brass- Royal Brass, tack 8. I don't have speakers on the computer I'm working on, so this is if my memory serves. And, please note that the track has two fanfares, so the extract might be the other one.

Somebody's got a problem with something involving Star Wars. We have two choices for who to blame: George Lucas and Ben Burtt. I'm voting for Burtt on this one. Well, I can't lay The Clone Wars at his feet, can I?

I can understand why they excluded Lord of the Rings: the films were scripted and filmed at the same time and were based on material that the author considered one book, not three. But they included The Four Musketeers, which in their blurb wasn't planned until the editing process convinced the producers that they had enough for two movies. A little consistency, please. (Okay, so they were based on two books-- wiggle room, but still...) And, yes, I know that the bulk of Superman II was filmed alongside Superman, but production did shut down and was not resumed until after Superman was released.

The inclusion of Airplane II surprised me as well. I would have had The Empire Strikes Back and Godfather part II in the top two spots. How did T2 and Aliens rate higher than Empire? Despite his assurances, Cameron is not king of the world. Hmmm, no James Bond movies on the list... I would have thought that For Your Eyes Only would have gotten some dap for saving the series following the debacle that was Moonraker.

He may have lost his edge when he went from being the most interesting man in the world to having weaponry such as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms. Maybe he took one too many soft cushions to the head.

Now, if there was a thread that all of these Star Trek quotes could go to instead... Finally got my copy. No magnet, though. I am contemplating sending back the order in toto because of it. I did enjoy driving on Main Street on Saturday, blasting "Surprise Attack" and watching the reaction of the tourists.

I have a feeling that I'm gonna be kicking myself when the answer is revealed.

Wait, didn't he kill the Star Trek quote thread?

I thought my phrasing would be less likely to bring the wrath of the moderators done upon me.