Michael AllenAug 10, 2019PaletteI'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...
Michael AllenApr 3, 2019AtmosphereIn early 1914, Holst heard a performance of Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra. This seminal experience along with a suggestion from...
Michael AllenJul 29, 2018Color SeparationA single yellow bloom will really pop in a bush of red ones, even though they are all roses.
Michael AllenMar 18, 2018Texture 1 - Writing for the whole ensembleA while back, I wrote an entry called 4 Dimensional Texture where I identified 4 basic ways to group instruments in a large ensemble.
Michael AllenMar 9, 2018Breaking my own rulesI usually have three or four arranging projects on the front burners and many more unfinished projects in my "work in progress" file....
Michael AllenSep 24, 2017Farnaby's ConceitThe Fitzwilliam Virginal Book comprises nearly 300 works composed for keyboard by notable English court composers from the time of Queen...
Michael AllenSep 15, 2017Breaking up the RomanceToo soon? I'm having too much fun with these titles. I promised to talk about the decision to transpose this movement of Robert...
Michael AllenSep 14, 2017More advice on RomanceOne of the things I appreciated about teaching was that I learned things about my own playing by observing and articulating ideas to...
Michael AllenSep 12, 2017Limoges - The Big NewsSadly, only a few of the sketches by Victor Hartmann that inspired Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition have survived. We must rely on...
Michael AllenSep 2, 2017Little Red Riding HoodI've been a big fan of Rachmaninoff's music for many years, but arranging his music for brass presents, in some cases, insurmountable...