A Love Song for an Angel

Forever From That Day

天使

Heartache was no stranger
lonely without end.
Then one day I saw you
Sunlight entered in.

Standing on the pathway
Smiling at the rain.
You were like an angel
And became my friend.

Two hearts bound together

Forever from that day.

I will always love you

for eternity.

 
Stepping in the ocean
Timeless as the waves.
Nights with you beloved,
Love alone we know.

Does not really matter

what you think of me

If you walk away now

I will understand.

Our hearts bound together

Forever from that day.

I will always love you

for eternity.

Music Composition

I Love Music... at least that's what the label says.

Last weekend I began writing another music composition for choir and piano. The text is from Psalm 117. Similar to the brevity of this particular Psalm, the part I've completed is only 19 measures. The work could probably stand alone as a very short piece, but my wish is to expand it. In doing so, my desire is to write something truly joyous rather than simply compose dreary solemn sounds in a major key.

Last evening, I had the unique opportunity to listen to a new composition by Dr. Stanlas Man. Immediately I was very impressed by the quality of the computer produced orchestral sounds. I asked Kie to play the piece again and then a few more times to listen deeper. The composition is short, and I was wondering why Dr. Man had written so short a movement. Within the structure of his composition is a wealth of melodic lines and tonal colours just waiting to be explored and expanded…but he didn’t.

Let me quote from Dr. Man’s e-mail, “Here is the 2^nd movement of the orchestral suite “Koinonia” (Greek word for life together in Christ). It describes about our God who is the only wise and mysterious one. Without him no life in Christ can be possible.”

And I began to wonder: if we know so little about God, how then can we possibly write music about God?

We can only draw upon our experiences and encounters with God, and then spend a lifetime trying to understand and define what we think we know about God, but sooner or later realize that we cannot possibly fathom God.

In a musical context, Dr. Man has brilliantly captured these feelings. 

I wish I could compose music like that, music that seems alive and speaks to the longings within. For me every note is a fight to wrest and produce, like panning through tons of gravel for specks of gold, but so often the result seems more like shiny specks of fool’s gold and frustration. Yes frustration, and even anger toward myself, because I cannot seem to be able to break through the barriers of my limitations to grasp the inspiration needed to create beautiful music.

Nonetheless I try not to lose sight that my purpose in writing music is to worship the God of Israel through pleasing sound rather than self-expression through noise, but at times the distinction is very blurred… no doubt from my imperfections.

The Oddblock Station Agent

Friday morning, February 17, 2006

What is a Descant?

Nothing quite like an open invitation to perform, but a fine line does exist between play me and play with me.

Jonah to audience, "I don't have to see what I'm doing... it just has to sound right."

Today's lesson: what is a descant?

One dictionary's definition verbatim: An additional part sung (sometimes improvised) above a given melody.

As Jonah adroitly plays out for us, a descant can also be an instrumental voice above the given melody, and in his fortissimo example, was improvised and impromptu.

The Oddblock Station Agent

Name That Tune

Name That Tune was a game show on radio and later on television in various forms.

Anyway, one can only wonder what thoughts run through the mind of a small child sitting in front of a keyboard for the first time, especially after the little person discovers that sounds result from touching, pushing, hitting, and/or banging those keys.

Audrey to audience, If you're so smart in music, then let's hear you name this tune."

For now, let's just say this tune starts in the key of G. 

G is good! 

Good starts with G!

Beethoven's 4th piano concerto starts in G.

And G is one note better than John Cage's alleged composition called 4'33"

 The Oddblock Station Agent

The Less Serious Side of Music

I simply call this post, "Lessons in the Keys of Humility" or "Doses of Counterpoint in Reality"

...and then laugh at life.

My dream was to be a composer...

...but eventually I learned I was not noteworthy.

Either I had an unappreciative audience...

 ...or the truth hurt.

My new composition may not be exactly like Beethoven or Mozart...

...but does it even make sense?

For a while tried my hand at conducting...

...but written music has a complex language of its own.
...and everybody has to be on the same page, including the conductor.

Delusion:
Shhh! Genius at work...

Reality:

Then again, maybe it's better if no one finds out.

Trade Secrets:

I used to wonder how those older accomplished conductors were able to memorize the entire scores of large works and never seem to lose their place when conducting a performance from memory.

easier this way... because I'm getting there myself.

A touch on the cynical side...

...but a reflection of today's noisy world.

This effect can easily be accomplished merely by listening to music in a busy place.... and maybe it doesn't have to be all that busy either. John Cage would've had a field day with this.

The Oddblock Station Agent

The MCBC English Choir

The MCBC English Choir under Fred's very capable conducting.

One of the most encouraging remarks I once heard Fred say came early one Sunday morning a few years ago. Fred mentioned that he could not sleep well the night before, because the music and our voices were running through his thoughts. I don’t say encouraging because Fred could not sleep, encouraging because of his commitment to this choir. I too have to admit to some restless and almost sleepless Saturday nights before our Sunday presentations because the tenor part had been running through my head.

Below is another photo of our choir recorded in March 2008, the week prior to Sharon's final Sunday with MCBC. Missing from the photo are Fred and Jimmy. That morning, Fred had to rush off in order to conduct another choir.

With a deep and heart-felt thankful gratitude to God, and with many fond memories, I have been a part of this choir.  

Thanks Andrew for taking these photos.

The Oddblock Station Agent

Addendum: a part of our history

In a light-hearted moment: our Sopranos and Altos with our pianist who will be leaving for university.

Our very talented conductor and gifted pianist (Father and daughter) June 2003

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E Minor

Music is always around.

The ultimate challenge to the composer is to grasp inspiration, sort it out and then try to make sense of it all so that ultimately the completed work will also make sense to the listener. 

Sadly, and too often, music in this random format is regurgitated and foisted upon the unsuspecting ignorant as fine art, when in reality it is nothing more than the disorganized nonsense it really is. 

Having stated the foregoing, am I any less guilty of simply compiling more noisy nonsense?

The listener shall ultimately make that verdict.

Work on the 4^th piano sonata commenced in 2005 and was completed in 2008.

One limitation of the music notation program used is the inability to show assigned metronome settings on printed versions, therefore they are given as follows:

I   Allegro appassionato – 108 quarter notes per minute

II  Andante moderato ma cantabile – 72 quarter notes per minute

III Andante ma agitato; Allegretto – 82 quarter notes per minute; 88 quarter notes per minute

Although titled a piano sonata, the music in both the expected structure and required harmonic modulations do not in any sense adhere to the traditional sonata form. Having said this however, a sonata-like form and structure are evident in each movement.

The opening theme of the first movement was first conceived in 1974 during the Vancouver years, but never progressed beyond a forgotten musical idea jotted down in a music notation book. Thirty-one years later the ideas finally took shape.

The Andante movement was incidental music written for Kimberly’s wedding however, the work was never performed that day. Later incorporated into the sonata as a slower middle movement, the softer timbres of A flat Major provide the needed contrast.

Three attempts were required to finally write and complete the finale. The incomplete first two versions were unsatisfactory, and have been set aside as musical compost to possibly revisit at later dates.

“Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after the wind.”

(Ecclesiastes 4:6)

Does the world want or need one more piece of music that will never be good enough, never be performed, never be heard and never be known?

Music composition is so often nothing more than a striving after the wind with two hands full of toil. Perhaps not writing another music composition is the handful of quietness that our noisy world truly needs.

March 15, 2011

The Oddblock Station Agent 

Sample from the opening: