THE ART OF WRITING MUSIC
A practical book for composers and arrangers of
instrumental, choral and electronic music as applied to publication, films,
television, recordings and schools.
Also contains a special chapter on electronic music by
Steve Kaplan.
PREFACE
MUSIC! Even the word sounds wonderful. Mysterious and exotic. Harmony...coloratura...soprano...violin...they
all sound melodious to the ear. The word
melody, too, flows and is pleasing
when spoken. Counterpoint...well, that's more a little suspect. Maybe too cerebral. Fugue
is a little harsh too, but there are more than enough words to make my
point.
Whether their origins are
Greek or Latin, the words that make up the various facets of music send a
signal to the brain of something pleasurable, romantic and, to the
non-musician, mysterious and sometimes baffling.
And what is music? A certain thing that happens to the
voice box that shifts gears and results in singing, usually pleasurable. People sawing with bows,
blowing through pipes and horns, striking keys and hitting things.
These productions of sounds
we define as music have been with us for a long time. Progress improved the capabilities of the
instruments, and a few new ones have been added along the way, but basically
not much has changed. At one time or
another, various people have sat down and written out the components of the
symphony orchestra. In its ordinary form it contains three trumpets, three trombones,
four horns, woodwinds by twos, strings and
percussion. Within the last century or
so, we have added extra woodwinds, and other instruments such as harp, tuba,
and piano.
But all these players sitting
on a stage would be useless without something to play. We would hear tuning up, perhaps a few
well-known folk songs played willy-nilly, but nothing else. In other words, unless there is someone who
is willing to sit down with pen and paper and create, the symphony orchestra,
choir and band would be totally worthless.
What it comes down to is the
fact that if there were no composers, there would be no music. On the other hand, if there were no musical
organizations, the composer would never hear his or her music played, either. And then there is the conductor. Ah! Quite often it is the conductor who decides
what the orchestra will play. Everybody
is at his or her mercy. And of course,
the conductor quite often is beholden to the person or board responsible for
the hiring. So, in the final analysis, it often comes down to money and business, just
like everything else. It may be art to
some, but to others it's the old do-re-mi.
In spite of the dichotomy of
art and business, music has flourished.
We have been blessed with masterpieces of opera, symphony and ballet as
well as small works. We have had a
worldwide legacy of folk, pop and theatre music, because of the people who have
written the music and the words that sometimes accompany it. And it is also because of the people who have
arranged or orchestrated this music.
Although composition and orchestration are synonymous with serious
composition it is not the case with other areas such as popular music and music
of the theatre. In those cases, songs
are written and later arranged. It also
should be mentioned that to the vast majority of the public this craft of music
arranging is all but unknown. In the
pages that follow, I hope to be able to contribute my experience along with the
desire that I might make life a little easier for those of us who write
music. It is not meant to be the
definitive last word on the subject, nor is the intent to compete with the
other fine books that address these matters.
The French have a word, amusegueules which is a small morsel and precedes the first
course at dinner. I hope you enjoy my
little tidbit and get some satisfaction from it.
John Cacavas
Available
directly through your local music dealer. Hardcover price is $39.95, and softcover price is 25.95.
Published by
Available through
Telephone
(818) 761-0615.
Trade paperback ISBN: 0-88284-619-1
Hardcover ISBN: 0-88284-618-3