Oh Well ! The snow seems set for the 'duration' now. The freezing temperatures mean that the snow is not shifting, melting or drifting, just sitting.
It is quite beautiful, but the nights get chilly. Without my trusty wood burner I think I would be very frosty indeed !
I have been clearing cupboards, making soup and re printing my telephone number list - it is amazing what jobs one can get done when things conspire to keep one at home!
I have also been searching around for some new folk songs to arrange. My daughter's Chapel Choir, and my own Inner Sound need some new repertoire for the spring term, and I feel in the mood for some creative arranging. Actually, it is a bit of a blessing that I can't move all that easily, as :
a) There is no excuse for not using the time !
b) I can dip in and out of inspiration, any time of the day !
I said in a previous post that I am not creative 'from scratch' so to speak, but I think my years of working with voices, young and old, have given me a firm foundation around which I can weave ideas.
The 'perfect' melody to arrange requires very little in the way of crossing parts, and keeps each vocal line within their own area. A little of alto's over sopranos is ok, but too much of it and it defeats the object! So many tunes have already a very wide range, so that makes it tricky to arrange without too much crossing, so I tend to explore about 8 or 9 folk songs and end up with a short list of, maybe, 3.
Then I sit at the piano and find a few interesting or 'scrunchy' chords which will fit around the harmony, and only then do I begin to write individual lines.
Normally I begin with the Soprano and Bass, a good melody line and a firm 'bottom' so to speak ! Actually, being a Mezzo myself, I rather enjoy giving the Tenor and Alto lines interesting twists, and a bit of scrunch. Middle parts are SOOOOooooo....interesting and satisfying !
I will let you all know which traditional melodies I used in time!
Watch this manuscript..............................
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