Michael Allen
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 Schoenbergโs Five Pieces for Orchestra. This seminal experience along with a suggestion from...
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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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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.
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Michael Allen
- Sep 1, 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...
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