I worked again last night on the “Least of These” piece, and I can’t make it work. I did four different settings of the text, and none of them pleased me. Yeah, I know, Edison made 999 light bulbs that didn’t work, but that took years and I’d rather not do that.
So I’m filing that idea away and abandoning the Outside the Bachs this year. I had been getting the feeling that I was using it to avoid working on Moonlight anyway, and I really want to get a lot of that done by Christmas, mostly because I feel the lure of the symphony calling me and I want to clear my desk before starting on that.
Unless, of course, I get notification from the Welcome Christmas folk that “Sir Christémas” didn’t win that competition, in which case I can turn around and submit it to Bob Burroughs.
Let’s see how productive I am tonight in getting back into Marx Bros. territory. I think I’ll start by cleaning up the songs I’ve worked on so far, which are… ::checking the files:: “Sheer Poetry,” “Love Song of Thurgood J. Proudbottom,” and of course, “I’d Never!” Also, I need to get my head in that 1930s soundworld, which I don’t think I’ve really done yet.
Yep, that’s what I need to do, all right.
Get yourself one of those Reader’s Digest Great American Songbook collections. Seriously. Great resource.
As to frustration over setting for OtBs competition. Give yourself time every day to work on musical ideas without a thought for contests, commissions, deadlines, competitions, etc. Just do what interests you or amuses or absorbs. Day by day you will begin to accumulate a file of ideas, fragments, seeds, genomes, etc. You will be surprised how quickly it will begin bursting at seams. Then, when the opportunity to create something for an event or competition arises, you just dip into file and assemble and tweak and complete.
If I had tried to make something from scratch for the Contact Improvisation Class’s recital piece last spring, I would have freaked. As it was, when the teacher asked me for something, I just rummaged, fiddled, assembled, played–not getting invested in concern over “composing the piece”–and the material was done. In the can. And it felt like just more of my directionless daily explorations.
Dale has nearly ruined Funt’s piece,
He didn’t know what to do with it;
If you think that play is bad off now,
Just wait till Dale gets through with it!
(need I say, “just kidding?”)
Marc:
I know, I know. I’m lazy. I’m results-driven. I’m a bad artist.
You are anything but a bad artist, Dale. Hey, if you need inspiration, I’ve got “Duck Soup” on DVD. It’s one of my favorites (and I think it’s now out of print). Anyway, we should all get together and watch it. It’s only a little over an hour long. Of course I shouldn’t bother with the offer after you guys dissed me on the “King of Kong” thing, which was FANTASTIC, by the way.
I’ve also got “A Night At the Opera.” We could make it a double feature.
If you don’t like the idea, I have a little song for you:
I don’t know what they have to say,
it makes no difference anyway –
whatever it is, I’m against it!
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I’m against it!
Your proposition may be good,
but let’s have one thing understood –
whatever it is, I’m against it!
And even when you’ve changed it or condensed it,
I’m against it!
I’m opposed to it.
On general principles I’m opposed to it.
For months before my son was born,
I used to yell from night to morn –
“Whatever it is, I’m against it!”
And I’ve kept yelling since I first commenced it,
“I’m against it!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PY7N4iRgLQ
I already have my Complete Marxist Works, but hey, you might consider joining Marc and me in a couple of weeks. We’re going down to Grantville to see the new work, John Wallace & the Vampires. Ginny’s going to drive us.
And right on time, the Welcome Christmas people came through with an email this morning: two guys in California were awarded the top two prizes. So I’m off the hook. I’ll clean up some of the harmonies which really don’t sound right and send it off to Outside the Bachs.
Consolations. And congratulations. And … Grantville? Vampires? John Wallace? I’m definitely in.
My two cents on Marx-ist inspiration: read some S. J. Perelman.