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December 22, 2009
Obsession vs. Autopilot vs. Style
Fear not, this is not one of those “year in review” blogs. 2009 was a doozy of a year but I’m much more interested in the Now than I am the Then.
So I’m writing a piece for your standard flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano ensemble. I was working on one that included harp and a whole string quartet but it struck me as impractical, no matter how beautiful it was. Wow. I really just wrote that, didn’t I? Crap. Maybe the compromised ensemble is more of a problem than a help. Crap.
Anyway, that previous paragraph isn’t really what I wanted to blog about. It is an important revelation nonetheless, so I’ll let it stand. As I’ve been working on this piece I’m starting to notice trends in my compositional behavior. I’ve been doing very similar things in the last few pieces and I can’t tell whether it is just where my head is right now or if I’m falling into a rut. I suppose it could be both.
Am I taking the easy way out or am I really honing a style? Everything in the piece feels right so I am inclined to think this is a style thing. Yet I’m hoeing the same row that I see in my last half dozen pieces or so. With some exceptions, sure, but for the most part my music has been getting slower, simpler, and longer. Doing something else is really difficult.
So where does a composer’s current obsession end and style begin? When does style become a positive trait not marred by the notion of “phoning it in?” Maybe I’m too hyper-aware of this in my own music because of all the self analysis I did during the Unsafe Bull Podcast days. Maybe I’m just scared of where I’m headed. I am writing the music I need to write at this moment. I suppose the rest will fall into place. And, if I’m lucky, I’m giving some poor musicology doctoral student in the far future a dissertation topic.
Originally posted by Jay C. Batzner from Jay C. Batzner, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Dec 22, 2009 at 11:11 PM