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Palette

I'll admit that I'm a movie music nerd and a fan of the usual suspects (Williams, Horner, Howard, Zimmer, etc.). Some others on the less ...

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Michael Allen

Apr 3, 2019

Atmosphere

In early 1914, Holst heard a performance of Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra. This seminal experience along with a suggestion from ...

38 views0 comments

Michael Allen

Jul 29, 2018

Color Separation

A single yellow bloom will really pop in a bush of red ones, even though they are all roses.

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Texture 1 - Writing for the whole ensemble

Michael Allen

Mar 18, 2018

Texture 1 - Writing for the whole ensemble

A while back, I wrote an entry called 4 Dimensional Texture where I identified 4 basic ways to group instruments in a large ensemble.

6 views0 comments

Michael Allen

Mar 9, 2018

Breaking my own rules

I usually have three or four arranging projects on the front burners and many more unfinished projects in my "work in progress" file. May...

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Michael Allen

Sep 24, 2017

Farnaby's Conceit

The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book comprises nearly 300 works composed for keyboard by notable English court composers from the time of Queen ...

19 views0 comments

Michael Allen

Sep 15, 2017

Breaking up the Romance

Too soon? I'm having too much fun with these titles. I promised to talk about the decision to transpose this movement of Robert Schumann'...

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Michael Allen

Sep 14, 2017

More advice on Romance

One of the things I appreciated about teaching was that I learned things about my own playing by observing and articulating ideas to stud...

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Michael Allen

Sep 12, 2017

Limoges - The Big News

Sadly, only a few of the sketches by Victor Hartmann that inspired Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition have survived. We must rely on ...

11 views0 comments

Michael Allen

Sep 2, 2017

Little Red Riding Hood

I've been a big fan of Rachmaninoff's music for many years, but arranging his music for brass presents, in some cases, insurmountable pro...

34 views0 comments

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