ok, so we got a massive music assignment today. I think it's aimed at the year above us though. We have to choose one of three things.

1) An essay on something musical. (I think about 1000-1500 words, if I did it it would be about a classical/romantic composer)

2) A composition! Either for instrumental or voice. It has to me more than just a melody line.

3) A solo performance of 8-10 minutes. (Arghh, I can hardly perform something decent once a term, let alone learning something in 6 weeks!)

I'm leaning towards the composition, even though I havn't done it before. If I did it would be a piano piece with a flute part maybe complimenting/harmonising with the general melody. There would also be a flute solo in it. I might even have two flutes for the solo. Why not?

I'm just worried if I'm going to be able to do that in 6 weeks. I shall have to get cracking pretty soon

9pm is not the best time to start though, off to bed in a couple of hours...The essay might be interesting though. To look at an author's life in great detail. Analysing what in their life affected composition style, particular pieces. Also what affected their life in general. I'm thinking Rachmaninoff for this one, because he rules, and he was depressed, and depression is interesting to analyse, especially musically. Tchaikovsky died, and he was one of his idols, when he was early 20s I think. Also people kept critisizing his work, the mean, insensitive people. Don't they know what it is like to be critisized all the time, especially for a passion!

After I bored you all with that, I was wondering which one you think I should do, or if you have any suggestions for other things I could do. It is negotiable.

Thanks.

Yikes! Ten minutes is a long time for a solo performance - in front of an audience, or just your class?

My son always went for composition. It'd more fun, and you won't be judged on the beauty of it, just that it fulfills the technical requirements. And, yes, since it won't be performed, you don't have to worry about mundane details of reality - have a cannon firing at the climax!

Personally, I say if you go for the composition option, really mess with your prof's mind and write something in the style of PDQ Bach! You know, something along the lines of "Concerto for Horn & Hardart," "The Stoned Guest," "Hansel and Gretel and Ted and Alice (an opera in one unnatural act)," "Iphigenia in Brooklyn," or "Fanfare for the Common Cold."

agony - Ten minutes isn't long for a year 12 Year 12 performance exam, but that isn't what I'm doing. I'm glad the teacher didn't say 20. Composition will be fun, but I'm a pedantic person, and if I go over my stuff I find that it doesn't always sound good. I heard a piece once that had champagne corks popping occasionally once, that was cool! They guy who had the job of popping the corks looked like he was having fun as well.

Dragonkin - I havn't heard of any of those pieces. But seeing as it's my first composition, I was thinking something relatively simple. The titles sound...interesting though.

Lioness, Dragonkin is referring to the alter ego of Peter Schickele, a music professor who is sort of the Weird Al Yankovic of the classical world. And a favorite of college chorale directors. Or used to be, anyway.
It's odd, but really rather fabulous stuff, especially if you're familiar with the music he parodies. Here's a link to his site:
Peter Schickele/P.D.Q.Bach

And hey, if your instructor has a sense of humor, a comedic piece isn't a bad idea--probably score points for originality, at least.

Ok.

My teacher does have a sense of humour. Perhaps I could get a popular tune and write variations. Or get what a friend of a friend did and write variations in styles of different composers. Apparently that was pretty funny.