# A harmony a week keeps the mind at it's peak.



## Rasa

So, I think I may have mentioned this idea before, but what if we took some simple tune (a folk melody, showtune or whatever), harmonised it (3 or 4 voiced) and saw what the others did. The themes would probably be short (8-16 bars) as not to overload ourself.

Who's up for it?


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## Polednice

Ooooooooooo, this sounds fun!! I'm in!


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## PostMinimalist

On board too.


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## Ukko

Barbershop quartets have been doing this for awhile. no plagiarizing, please.


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## Ravellian

_A harmony a week keeps the mind at *its* peak. _



I'd love to do this, but I can't get my version of Sibelius to work on my computer... *sigh*


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## Polednice

Ravellian said:


> _A harmony a week keeps the mind at *its* peak. _
> 
> 
> 
> I'd love to do this, but I can't get my version of Sibelius to work on my computer... *sigh*


Go out and buy the fancy, new Sibelius 7 then.  I've only taken a brief look at it, but it didn't look much different to version 6 - they're just selling a shiny new box.


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## Rasa

Hilltroll72 said:


> Barbershop quartets have been doing this for awhile. no plagiarizing, please.


Now that would be sad.



Ravellian said:


> I'd love to do this, but I can't get my version of Sibelius to work on my computer... *sigh*


Write on paper, scan it.

Here we go, the first one. It's one of my favourite folk songs of my childhood. Its fairly straightforward so go loose. 3 voiced, 4 voiced, classical, jazz, fugue (i'd be impressed), go loose.

I added the text merely as phrasing reference, ignore it further.


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## emiellucifuge

Yep. Good choice with the dutch song.

By the way, havent seen PostMinimalist in a while..


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## Polednice

Damn it, I was just about to go to bed, now it seems I'll be up for a while longer...


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## Rasa

Did the first phrase. I'll leave the second one for tomorrow.


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## Rasa

I'm terribly sorry, I made a huge mistake in the original. Here's the correct notation.



Part of this folk song can be found in the Belgian Navy's march, at 0.50


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## Rasa

OP delivers.

I am well aware this is a stylistic monstrosity. Perhaps a few more of these will help me find a slightly more modern and coherent idiom.



Also protip, if you're not done with yours, don't listen or you'll be influenced, wether you want it or not.

And for our non-score reading readers, file below.

View attachment visseroplossing.mp3


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## Klavierspieler

Rasa said:


> OP delivers.
> 
> I am well aware this is a stylistic monstrosity. Perhaps a few more of these will help me find a slightly more modern and coherent idiom.
> 
> 
> 
> Also protip, if you're not done with yours, don't listen or you'll be influenced, wether you want it or not.
> 
> And for our non-score reading readers, file below.
> 
> View attachment 2319


You're done already? I'm just about to start!


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## Rasa

Well, I didn't have to discover the song and it's harmonies, so It's just a matter of an hour.


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## Meaghan

What a fun idea! I'll do it too. Starting now...


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## PostMinimalist

OK.. copied out the tune. Now down to work....


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## PostMinimalist

*Done! as Gordon Ramsey would say....*

Here's my 2 bob's worth. there's an mp3 to hear what is sounds like too....
FC


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## Rasa

Woah. (those boor basses)


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## PostMinimalist

I don't think they are too bad. May be a bit low on the E, but that's well within the capabilities of most choirs. I did this in about 25 minutes with a pencil, then I put it on Finale and got Logic to play it on the piano.
I'm thinking of doing a big band version today but that will take rather longer... 
I had a listen to the clip of the Belgian navy... very little to go on there.
Your version is very good with nice antiphony and consistent style. The audio has a glitch where the soprano d from the third last bar got held in to the next chord forming a ninth in second inversion but that's not what you wrote so I guess it's a computer thing.

My version was a look at some extremes, The fist phrase is as simple as I'd like and the second was a more like Reger. I did 2 different harmonizations of the next phrase and then dashed off the last bars in about 30 seconds. Saying this, you can see that continuity of style was not a big issue for me but you never said that it sould be anything in particular.
Usually when I get a commission for orchestration or arranging it comes with very severe instructions about style, instrumentation, utility and level of player ability. So here I just put down the first thing that came into my head!

Next time how about a less harmonically commital melody. That 3rd bar got on my nerves after about 5 minutes.

Looking forward to the next one!
FC


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## Rasa

Well, if Polednice and Meaghan would do their homework we could proceed 



> second was a more like Reger.


I thought to myself: "what the blargh?", because this harmonisation was utterly divergent from the idea I had in mind for this. It took some while getting used to, and without the rest of the song.



> Saying this, you can see that continuity of style was not a big issue for me but you never said that it sould be anything in particular.


Isn't it a given though? We never had it specified but our teacher would still smash our head over it!



> Next time how about a less harmonically commital melody. That 3rd bar got on my nerves after about 5 minutes.


I have a very fine one lined up, another Dutch folk song. After that one we'll certainly switch to English themes so you guys can take the text more into account. Perhaps someone else can propose a theme. I guess an English speaker wouldn't suspect that their is anitphony to be had in this one.


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## Polednice

Rasa said:


> Well, if Polednice and Meaghan would do their homework we could proceed


Hey, I thought this was a harmony a _week_?!  I'll get on mine as soon as possible - I just have some pressing work that needs to be done by tomorrow afternoon first.


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## Rasa

Well, usually when my harmoney professor gave me a week it ment I made it the evening before the lesson.


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## PostMinimalist

'Harmoney' professor! Sound like a nice job....


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## Couchie

I have one coming as well.
I assume this is easier if you have taken harmony and/or composition and you have even a foggy idea in hell of what you're doing.


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## Sanctus Petrus

Rasa,

I happen to know the song myself.
The last phrase is played twice, the first time slightly altered.
I'm posting my version with the correct superius.
I'm not quit satisfied with my result, it's too scholastic.
Yours is fine, but I especially like Postminimalists arrangement.


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## Polednice

Without doubt, this is the best way I've used my time staying up until 2am before!  Oh dear, perhaps that isn't a good thing... 

Anyway, assume all the usual defensiveness and excuse making - I'm an amateur and all that crap, so there are bound to be a lot of formal errors, but this is how I approached it, and I'm sure I'll learn from everyone else. 

View attachment Visser.pdf

View attachment Visser.mp3


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## Meaghan

Mine is coming, I promise! I started it Tuesday and haven't worked on it since. But I will have it before my week is up.


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## Rasa

The week is ticking away... only few hours left!

The good news is, I have already prepared the next one.


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## Rasa

I'm not likely to be around tomorrow, so here is the next one.

Another dutch folksong, I've made a metrical translation should you want to take the text into account.


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## Sanctus Petrus

Rasa said:


> I'm not likely to be around tomorrow, so here is the next one.
> 
> Another dutch folksong, I've made a metrical translation should you want to take the text into account.


Interesting 1.
Arranged it with 3 voices.
Better result than Looze Vissertje.

Score:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/allendie.png/

Midi:
View attachment Kapers.mid


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## PostMinimalist

I found an hour free this morning so I did the first few bars of the first one as promised for big band! Here's the result and the sketch.


Now how's that for stylistic integrity?


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## PostMinimalist

Nice one Sanctus Petrus. (The 6/8 g minor) I think this one is even more harmonically commital than the first, though....mmm


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## Sanctus Petrus

PostMinimalist said:


> I found an hour free this morning so I did the first few bars of the first one as promised for big band! Here's the result and the sketch.
> 
> Now how's that for stylistic integrity?


Dude, this is awesome!
You are a pro, I'm certain.
How did you record it?


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## Sanctus Petrus

PostMinimalist said:


> I think this one is even more harmonically commital than the first, though....mmm


I know for sure Rasa's development as a composer is still in the stage of harmony (not even counterpoint) so he safely stays in the domain he masters (quite well)

I hope he does not make the same mistake as I made by sticking to scholastical ways of writing.
Threads like these are a good way of opening up one's viewpoints.

Maybe I'll get the hang of it in may old days, and start writing some really good stuff.:lol:


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## PostMinimalist

OK I did the whole big band arrangement in about 2 hours and, yes I am a pro so I won't show my score for this one.
Here's the audio...


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## Rasa

winner

5char


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## Sanctus Petrus

PostMinimalist said:


> OK I did the whole big band arrangement in about 2 hours and, yes I am a pro so I won't show my score for this one.
> Here's the audio...


Is this a sound module?
It sounds so real!


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## PostMinimalist

It's Logic Pro with a mixture of VSL Garageband and presonus samples.


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## Rasa

View attachment KaaprenKoor.mp3



Arranged for choir, then rewritten for trio. The trio sounds better on midi because there's less repeated notes.

View attachment KaaprenTrio.mp3


PM, why don't you prepare us next week's theme? That way I get to arrange something I don't know.


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## PostMinimalist

Nice modal folk song version. The only thing I'd chsnge is maybe the A in the 2nd last bar in the alto to an F.
I'm pushed for time this week (I'm orchestrating a musical for the Greek National Opera!?!?!?)
but I'll give this one a go tomorrow and line up an odd melody for your delight.
FC


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## Sanctus Petrus

RAsa said:


>


Okay, but rather 'antique'.
Add a bourdon, drink a bottle of rhum and you will feel like a real pirat.


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## Rasa

New melody coming up tomorrow.


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## Polednice

Ah yes, damn! I forgot about this thread. I'll wait for the new one and then join in again.


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## PostMinimalist

I'm in Crete for 2 weeks and no contact with the net except for this hour so sorry for the lack of response...
Normal service will be resumed ASAP.
FC


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## Klavierspieler

Rasa said:


> New melody coming up tomorrow.


And? (@%&# character limitation)


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