# Dialogue for clarinet and viola



## violadude

Hey guys, well now that I've spread the word that I am indeed a composition major at an arts school, I suppose I am obligated to post something that I wrote on here.  Thanks member Nix for encouraging me to put a composition of mine on the site! 

This short piece is called Dialogue for clarinet and viola, it is not my best work, since I rush wrote it in about 2 or 3 days to satisfy a 3 piece/semester requirement that my composition teacher put on me, that I was also falling sorely behind on. Anyway, I'll explain how I put the piece together.

Basically, this dialogue is modeled after a very condensed version of sonata form. I wanted the two sonata form themes to have a very striking contrast with each other, so I created them in very different styles. Theme 1 is a quick, percussive and stark twelve tone theme. It is basically just a short trade off between the viola and the clarinet, each exchanging an atonal contour and a rhythm (1, *2*, 3, *4, 1, 2*). Immediately, afterward is a relatively long, sad melody on the clarinet (which is tonal) The melody winds downwards while the viola provides mysterious offbeat trills. This is theme 2.

The development section mostly concerns itself with expanding theme 1, the atonal contour, as well as the accompanying rhythm. It is expanded, traded off between the instruments, and turned into a quirky waltz-ish theme, until it eventually dissolves into just the rhythm part of theme 1. This rhythm drives the development to its climax, which is the second theme, now played exactly the opposite of how it was presented (loud, on the viola in chords, with clarinet providing the now aggressive trills.)

For the recapitulation, I condensed things even further and put the 1st and 2nd theme together, in counterpoint with each other. I changed the articulation and mood of the first theme to match that of the second theme. The piece ends with a questioning theme that was woven into the development section (first appearing at 0:40).

Anyway, sorry for the long winded explanation, but I hope it is interesting and I hope you enjoy my piece!  Sorry the performance is kind of lousy (the clarinet comes in late around 0:47 >.<) but me and the clarinetist only rehearsed a couple times, and I'm not really an outstanding violist to begin with.

Just to clarify, development is at 0:38, recap. is at 1:49. Exposition is obviously the beginning.


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## violadude

I just commented on the "funky jazz" thread, but then realized I should have kept my own piece at the top of the list for publicity's sake. :devil:

Bump!


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## Nix

Thanks for posting! Cool stuff- very compact, nice payoff and good work! Have you considered writing additional movements? Right now I see it as the last movement (possibly) to a some sort of suite of short duos, or just a simple 3 or 4 movement form. And then you'd get a chance to really explore all the different sounds and textures you could create.


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## violadude

Nix said:


> Thanks for posting! Cool stuff- very compact, nice payoff and good work! Have you considered writing additional movements? Right now I see it as the last movement (possibly) to a some sort of suite of short duos, or just a simple 3 or 4 movement form. And then you'd get a chance to really explore all the different sounds and textures you could create.


I hadn't thought about adding movements, but that's a great idea! I would have to put it on the back burner though. I just finished a piece for Oboe and string trio that I am working on getting rehearsed for a performance, I have an electronic piece I have to compose for my "fundamentals to electronic music" class and after that my next goals are to compose a song cycle and a piece for 2 undecided ensembles.


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## violadude

Re: Aleazk

hahahaha! good one!


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## Polednice

My concentration is dipping at the moment, but I've listened to it a few times and rather enjoyed it! I think it's quite good as a little thought experiment and microcosm - the thematic material is quite simple, but it's good how you still draw distinctive contrasts out of them.


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## violadude

Polednice said:


> My concentration is dipping at the moment, but I've listened to it a few times and rather enjoyed it! I think it's quite good as a little thought experiment and microcosm - the thematic material is quite simple, but it's good how you still draw distinctive contrasts out of them.


Thanks for your input!  As much as I talk about composers doing whatever they want and standing up for any avant garde piece on the forums, in my own music I actually do usually like to include bits of tonality along with bits of atonality so there is something for everyone. Sometime within the next couple days I plan on posting a more substantial piece, my viola quintet, that really has a lot of styles next to each other so that everyone has something they can grab on to and enjoy.


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## aleazk

violadude said:


> Thanks for your input!  As much as I talk about composers doing whatever they want and standing up for any avant garde piece on the forums, in my own music I actually do usually like to include bits of tonality along with bits of atonality so there is something for everyone. Sometime within the next couple days I plan on posting a more substantial piece, my viola quintet, that really has a lot of styles next to each other so that everyone has something they can grab on to and enjoy.


 I have the same philosophy with respect to tonality-atonality, see for example the first piece of this:

http://www.talkclassical.com/15353-two-small-compositions-piano.html


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## Polednice

violadude said:


> Thanks for your input!  As much as I talk about composers doing whatever they want and standing up for any avant garde piece on the forums, in my own music I actually do usually like to include bits of tonality along with bits of atonality so there is something for everyone. Sometime within the next couple days I plan on posting a more substantial piece, my viola quintet, that really has a lot of styles next to each other so that everyone has something they can grab on to and enjoy.


I think that's generally a very good attitude to have. I think it also fosters the widest possible scope for interesting development within a piece because you maximise the styles and atmospheres you have available to you.


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## violadude

aleazk said:


> I have the same philosophy with respect to tonality-atonality, see for example the first piece of this:
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/15353-two-small-compositions-piano.html


I have a bus to catch so I have to run, but I just listened to the first one, I really liked it! Love the juicy harmonies and somewhat fragmented, rhetorical feel to it. Thanks for sharing, Aleazk!


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## violadude

Polednice said:


> I think that's generally a very good attitude to have. I think it also fosters the widest possible scope for interesting development within a piece because you maximise the styles and atmospheres you have available to you.


Now I'm really curious to see how you like my viola quintet. I'll let you know when I get it on here. It's a lot longer than this one though, about 15 minutes long, in 8 movements. It's called "Theme, variations and interludes" for 5 violas. Anyway, like I said, I'll update you when I post it, lots of different styles in that one.


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## Kopachris

I'm not very familiar with modern techniques such as 12-tone, atonality, serialism, etc., so I can't give a lot of feedback. I did actually like this piece quite a bit. I usually have trouble comprehending works like this, but keeping it simple as you did really helped. The motivic development was very clear and recognizable throughout, thanks in part to your description in the OP.


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## Polednice

violadude said:


> Now I'm really curious to see how you like my viola quintet. I'll let you know when I get it on here. It's a lot longer than this one though, about 15 minutes long, in 8 movements. It's called "Theme, variations and interludes" for 5 violas. Anyway, like I said, I'll update you when I post it, lots of different styles in that one.


Theme and variations is my favourite form, so expect glowing reviews!


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## samurai

Way to go dude--I mean violadude! I was able to follow the thematic development and enjoyed the fact that you used {dissonance?} in its proper proportion, and not just for the sake of showing that you could work with it {I hope that made sense}. I also really liked your use of dynamics between the two instruments, and found the ending to be very effective, in a haunting, albeit positive way. Congratulations, and thanks so much for sharing your talent with us!


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## violadude

Polednice said:


> Theme and variations is my favourite form, so expect glowing reviews!


Uh oh, I feel on the spot now!  lol I feel like I should warn you it's not a very traditional theme and variations...but I hope you enjoy it anyway!


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## violadude

Kopachris said:


> I'm not very familiar with modern techniques such as 12-tone, atonality, serialism, etc., so I can't give a lot of feedback. I did actually like this piece quite a bit. I usually have trouble comprehending works like this, but keeping it simple as you did really helped. The motivic development was very clear and recognizable throughout, thanks in part to your description in the OP.


I'm really glad to hear that! I had hoped that my music might somewhat bring atonality "to the people" so to speak in a way they could understand and follow it. Don't get me wrong though, as far as listening goes I love Boulez just as much as the next crazy music student.


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## violadude

samurai said:


> Way to go dude--I mean violadude! I was able to follow the thematic development and enjoyed the fact that you used {dissonance?} in its proper proportion, and not just for the sake of showing that you could work with it {I hope that made sense}. I also really liked your use of dynamics between the two instruments, and found the ending to be very effective, in a haunting, positive way. Congratulations, and thanks so much for sharing your talent with us!


Thanks for your input! It's really helpful for me to hear opinions of non-musicians. I'll let you know when I post another piece of mine if you'd like!


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## Sid James

Thanks, I enjoyed it. I think it has potential to be expanded if you want to do that. It seems that there is enough material there to warrant expansion in some ways.

The kind of "atonal" but also melodic style of this reminded me a bit of Bernard Herrmann's string quartet _Echoes_ which I just got on a Naxos disc a few weeks back. I agree, it's not necessary to totally abandon melody to write engaging music today. I think the odd - well unusual to me - combo of clarinet & viola kind of "worked." I quite like chamber works which are short - Elliott Carter & Stepan Wolpe wrote some which are quite interesting in terms of putting a lot into such a small space of time & for one instrument only.

I'll be interested in any other things you post. Thanks for sharing & keep up the good work...


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## Webernite

I don't mean any offence, but the piece is quite short and difficult to grasp, so it's hard to know what to say. It'd be interesting to hear one of your longer compositions. By the way, why did you choose an unusual combination like five violas? Doesn't that make it really difficult to get the work performed?


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## violadude

Webernite said:


> I don't mean any offence, but the piece is quite short and difficult to grasp, so it's hard to know what to say. It'd be interesting to hear one of your longer compositions. By the way, why did you choose an unusual combination like five violas? Doesn't that make it really difficult to get the work performed?


You might have already read this in another thread, but I was actually commissioned to write it for 5 or 6 violas. Or else I definitely wouldn't have chosen that combination either haha


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