Music 462-465: Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano

As the world nears the denouement of this blog planned to occur at the appearance of the 2500^th story in a month or so there are a few things that have got a bit muddled over time. To tidy things up and lend an air of completeness to this blog there are a few things I will post over the next few days. The area that has suffered through lack of posting is the music sphere in particular.

So if I may, I shall post the music compositions of 2022AD that I failed to post. That way I can say in the end “It is done!”

One of the things that stops me from posting music is that I feel it is a nuisance to the readers who come here expecting a story. So if you are here for stories please come back in six or seven days once I have rid myself of these musical encumbrances. Also if you are a regular commentator please don’t feel any obligation to comment.

By now you must be beginning to decipher that I have a substantial inferiority complex! Perhaps the music posted today – called “Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano” – might point to my propensity for solitariness. Perhaps the real me is hidden in these four pieces!

Here then are “Four Landscapes for Oboe and Piano”:

             Landscape 1 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 2 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 3 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE
             Landscape 4 – audio HERE; sheet music HERE

            

               

Music 445: Water Wheels

Here is a piece of music for woodwind and piano. The woodwind is made up of flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, and bassoon.

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 402-4: Three Rondos for Wind Quartet

Here are 3 rondos for flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, and bassoon.

Rondo I: The audio can he heard HERE, and the sheet music can be downloaded HERE.
Rondo II: The audio can he heard HERE, and the sheet music can be downloaded HERE.
Rondo III: The audio can he heard HERE, and the sheet music can be downloaded HERE.

In the unlikely event of them getting performed I could provide the individual music for each instrument.

Music 351: Scherzo for Woodwind

Here is a piece of music for four woodwind players: Flute, English Horn, Bb Clarinet, and Bassoon.

Have a nice day!

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 350: Fo(u)r Woodwind

Well, I couldn’t stop myself – so here is a piece of music for four woodwind players: Oboe, Cor Anglais, Clarinet, and Bassoon.

Have a nice day!

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 349: Waltz (for bassoon and piano)

Here is a piece for piano and bassoon – again, played on the computer – so it won’t be as exciting as in the real! It is a waltz.

It’s really the fourth of four woodwind pieces of a set on this blog (flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon), although I have a fairly definite suspicion that they’ll never get played! However, I enjoyed writing them!

The wrong notes are intentional! I like wrong notes. When I was learning the piano I had wrong notes all over the place. Just play them without being a fuss-pot and they’ll sound better than good. A lot of my music has bum notes in it to teach purists a jolly good lesson!

This will be the last bit of music I’ll post for a while as they’re not the most popular things I post. However I will continue to potter with music in the lurking depths of secrecy. As a teacher told me, maybe 60 years ago, “Write for the waste paper bin. Write for the waste paper bin every day.” I’ve never quite got out of the habit of throwing things away.

Have a nice day!

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

 

Music 348: Helter-Skelter (for Bb clarinet and piano)

Here is a piece for piano and B-flat clarinet – again, played on the computer – so it won’t be as exciting as in the real!

It’s called “Helter-Skelter”. The piano part in particular should be played with a great deal of abandonment!

The clarinet part is written for the Bb clarinet, so it will be in the wrong key to play along with on most other instruments. If you want a copy of the clarinet part to play on a C instrument, just email me!

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 347: Magpies (for flute and piano)

Here is a piece for piano and flute – again, played on the computer – so it won’t be as exciting as in the real!

It’s called “Magpies” because the middle section sort of sounds like magpies gabbling away in the trees. At least, it sounds a bit like the magpies we have here in New Zealand (which were introduced from Australia in the 1860s to combat pastoral insect pests).

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.

Music 346: For oboe and piano

Last year (2019) for a New Year resolution I thought I’d write (after a many years’ hiatus) some pieces to play on the piano. It ended up being 181 piano pieces!

This year I thought I’d try to write some pieces for other instruments – but since I don’t play anything other than keyboard the audios are composed on what I have on my computer (which is what came with it when it was purchased over ten years ago – yes I know Windows 7 is obsolete).

Many years back I used to arrange and compose a lot of music for orchestra. I knew the strengths and restraints of most instruments. It’s now almost 40 years since I last wrote for orchestral instruments, so things have become a little rusty. However, the orchestrating tomes are still on the shelf and are coming in handy.

For today’s piece of music, which is for oboe and piano, I hope it is oboe friendly! One of the things about an oboe is that it doesn’t use up much air, so unlike most other instruments you blow into, an allowance has to be made for the player not just to breathe in but to breathe out first! If any of you are oboe players I’ll try to humbly accept criticism of fingering, phrasing, etc. I’m in awe of any oboist’s breath control!

The last thing I composed for orchestra that was performed was for a circus! They wanted an entire circus performance not to be just a series of acts, but to tell a story. It was quite successful. After that, a university lecturer (since deceased) invited me to compose a piece for a youth orchestra. He furnished a list of instrumentalists. I was excited! I handed him the score, and the next day he said that the strings didn’t have phrasing and many articulation markings. (Don’t string players have any nous and pencils?) I added the markings, and the next thing was that he said there were too many double bass parts. I concluded from that he didn’t like the piece. I gave up and have since done other things. But here I am back again!

I am extremely reticent about foistering such compositions as these on the public. I feel some trustworthy readers might feel loyalty-bound to listen. But what else can I do with the jolly things?!

Thanks
Bruce

Audio HERE, sheet music HERE.