Ken's Composition Assignments

Assignment ? - write an overture.

I looked up overture in Wikipedia, and got the history of it, and it seems it sort of turned into "symphonic poem" in modern day usage.. so I'm a little confused, yet intrigued by the idea of a symphonic poem (since I write poetry also). This is just a snippet, the beginning of an idea.....


powered by ODEO
Assignment 4 - write a waltz using some quartal harmony, with variations.


Notes: theme with retrograde and inversion variations. This is not good music, but I am taking the approach of just letting myself "play" with sounds without worrying about making a finished product yet. However, I did use some of the quartal and other more unusual (modern) harmonies in Raise the Palm Leaves High - in a separate post.

powered by ODEO
Assignment 2 - take a well known melody, harmonize, then create variations on it.


powered by ODEO


Notes:
Variations on Dona Nobis Pacem by W.A. Mozart

Assignment 1 - Composition assignment: create and melody for a poem or bible verse and harmonize it.


powered by ODEO


Notes:
The melody is played, then the first and second parts, then the 1st-3rd parts, and finally all four.

Poem:
I have a letter hidden in my heart -
Set down upon a sheet of whitest silk,
Laid down in script of a still whiter milk -
Of a love from all the others set apart

It nests alone, rolled up for none to see,
and tied with ribbon
tight as lock and chain,
It now chains me.

- poem by KE Peace circa 1979