Author: Scott D. Strader

Orchestral Study #5 (variations)

  1. Orchestral Study #1 (flowing and hymn-like)
  2. Orchestral Study #2 (driving and chaotic)
  3. Orchestral Study #3 (adagio with melisma)
  4. Orchestral Study #4 (allegro)
  5. Orchestral Study #5 (variations)
  6. Orchestral Study #6 (space)
  7. Orchestral Study #7 (dialogue)
  8. Orchestral Study #8 (toccata)
  9. Orchestral Study #9 (seven interludes)
  10. Orchestral Study #10 (rupture, slowed down and from different angles)
  11. Orchestral Study #11 (a crowd, disassembled)
  12. Orchestral Study #12 (thesis)

I say this every time, but this one felt like a failure early in and, except for the last section, still does. It’s because the muddy harmonies and overfull orchestration that I could never get right. It reminds me of a watercolor when you layer too many colors: a grayish, uncertain mess. This one also took the longest to complete because of my unhappiness throughout. Lesson learned?

The goal was a passacaglia-type work, but I think of it now as four variations without a theme. My intent always drifts as the ideas start to reveal themselves. The first section doesn’t have the clarity to come across as a thematic jumping off point, but it does set the harmonic structure for the three sections that follow. Second section: a chatty variation with runs swapped across the instruments. Third: long held notes in the horns while oboe, bassoon, and violas jump around noisily as background radiation. Fourth: the longest and the one that flowed out very naturally. A brash, more harmonically clear and confident statement split in the middle and the ending with a more uncertain theme using solo violin, viola, and cello.

Next up may be a sonorist piece. I’m using a classical orchestra just for simplicity (it’s enough of an effort to learn with just this limited palette) so I’m not sure how well that style will communicate.

orchestral-study-5

News for the week of 12 May 2019

Fetal heartbeat bill

Tue 14 May 2019 – Georgia passes a bill (HB 481) that criminalizes abortions after six weeks. “[U]nborn children are a class of living, distinct person” that deserves “full legal recognition.” Women who self-terminate can be prosecuted. Gov. Brian Kemp. 34-18 in the Senate, 92-78 in the House.

Wed 15 May 2019 – Alabama passes a bill (HB 314) that makes it illegal for doctors to perform an abortion. The woman will not be prosecuted; the doctor can face up to 99 years in jail. Gov. Kay Ivey. 25-6 in the Senate, 74-3 in the House.

Thu 16 May 2019 – Missouri Senate passes a bill (HB 126) criminalzing abortion after eight weeks. Women would not be prosecuted; doctors would face five to 15 years in prison. Gov. Mike Parson. 24-10 in the Senate.

Continuing the story, Washington and either Volusia or Brevard county voting machines in Florida were hacked by the Russians in 2018, potentially tipping the scales. Republicans previously blocked security measures recommended by all intelligence agencies to secure elections.

Lots of Iran news. Basically, the administration is telegraphing aggression based on very, very suspect intel in order to either Iraq war that shit or for Trump to (as some Republicans fear) set up a Kim Jong Un-like meeting with Rouhani and give away everything like he did then. Rep. Tom Cotton said, unbelievably, said the US could win a war agains Iran with: “Two strikes, the first strike and the last strike.” Where to even begin.

Trump may pardon a soldier, on Memorial Day, who was convicted of war crimes.

News for the week of 5 May 2019

(Notes on the news. Trying this weekly in order to remember the notable stuff.)

Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, planned to go to Ukraine to help their government do opposition research on Joe Biden.

Trump held a rally in Panama City Beach, FL and complained that you can’t use weapons to attack immigrants:

And don’t forget — we don’t let them and we can’t let them use weapons. We can’t,” Trump said. “Other countries do. We can’t. I would never do that. But how do you stop these people? You can’t. There’s—

An audience member then shouted “Shoot them!” Trump then joked about it.

The New York Times acquired Trump’s state tax returns for 1985-1994 which revealed that he lost $1.2B over that time period.

Georgia passed a bill that bans abortions after six weeks.

School shooting in Highlands Ranch, CO.

Where was I?

Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park on Saturday. Beautiful day and beautiful chance to add to our art collection.

Angry Angler Fish, oil on wood by R. L. Alexander, Art by Alexander

Beautiful, jem-like oil painting. Got into discussion on his paintings of one of his greyhounds, Botticelli (who had a black and white face perfectly split down the middle), and his many hedgehogs. Some regret we didn’t buy the one with Botticelli on a small hinged altarpiece that he found used, then cleaned up and made into a shrine for the haloed dog.

Descensitizing, mixed-media on wood by Erin Curry, Erin Curry

The Delinquent, mixed-media on wood by Erin Curry

There is so much to see and read in their backgrounds. Small drawings, pasted images, hatches of paper strips with writing or cut from larger images, and text. The clouds of impressions that surround the subjects act as a blend of the viewer’s and the subjects’ thoughts.