Composition: Tobias Andersson
performed by Göteborg Wind Orchestra at Sjöströmsalen, HSM, on the 10th November.
Conductor: Finn Rosengren.
Video: Lina Cordoba. Recording: Tobias Andersson
In the autumn of 2022 I was given the opportunity to write a piece for Göteborg Wind Orchestra, a 22 piece band that plays a wide range of classical repertoire. Here I would like to present some of the ideas that I worked with in the process of writing this piece, in relation to my research subject. Working with writing a piece for an orchestra and not perform myself gave me the opportunity to explore how a small musical material can be expanded upon at a larger scale than in my other work during this research project. Because there would be no improvisation involved, other than the musicians interpreting their parts, the challenge was put on me as a composer to make the material come alive.
Looking back on it, working with a piece for a larger ensemble was also a good example on how composition is a way of learning new musical materials. In a context where I am improvising on the guitar, my belief is that if I do not hear it, I will not be able to play it. Or at least I consider that the musical value of playing something that I am not able to imagine in my head first is insignificant. Bouncing back to the discussion on similarities and differences between composition and improvisation I would say that writing a piece for orchestra was also an exercise in improvisation for me, opening my ears to new sounds.
In the context of this research project it seems most relevant to discuss how the melodic and harmonic material of the piece is built around a four note collection, or tetrachord (see example, pitches A, E, F#, G). It is the intervallic relationship between the pitches in this tetrachord that is expanded upon in various ways. In the end choral (see sound exerpt and score) the vertical line is also the basis for the horizontal harmony. In my example the treatment of the material is mixing ideas from post-tonal harmony with traditional functions, giving space for greater flexibility in relation to the original key signature.
Working with the material this way, turning it back and fourth, transposing it and harmonizing it in different ways was also a way of investigating one of my original questions on composing a larger piece of music with a small original cell. From my perspective as the composer I am constantly aware of the connections to the original source but I am not so sure the listener will always make the same connections. I am also not sure that making the connections visible has any value in itself. My hypothesis still remains that the connections give a general sense of coherence in the music.
There are many aspects of writing this piece that fall outside of my research subject like rythmical ideas, orchestration, notation to mention a few. To summerize I think it is interesting how writing a piece for a large ensemble where everything is notated relates to my idea of a musical state of flux. Improvisation was definitly a part of working with the piece but when the final version of the piece is performed it is not only the performers who experience the transformation of the musical material but also the listeners. I like the idea of getting the listeners to hear the music like it is in flux.
