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Drum Corps"izing" Arrangements of music


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1992 Cavaliers Gvorkna Fanfare: Stamp

ReallY?? I thought it was ratehr faithful to the original.

For myself, on those rare times when I've arranged, I tend to stick to the original except the ending, since many clasical endings just leave you flat on a football field...

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Sorry for the analysis, I'm a Barber freak.

No problem. I understand that there are differences in both approach and intent, and some of these can come from ommission. I just figured I would try to use a piece that everyone seems to recognize to explain my point.

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-When it gets the point where we refer to a piece of orchestral music by the year and corps which played it, is when it has gone to far. You cannot truelly judge the quality of the music based soley on the drum corps arrangement. I'm sorry but if you want to comment on how good of a piece scheherezade is, listen to the orchestral work. While you might say it was a good show that SCV put on, you can't say it was a good version of scheherezade, because while some of the melodies were there, the story was captured soley by the guard, and not by the music.

I think that is somewhat missing the point though. As long as we are talking about the "intent" of the music, let's be real. The actual intent of any music is for the listener to enjoy or get something out the the experiance. No more, no less. It really does not matter what they get out of it. It's art. Everyone looks at a painting or sculpture and thinks something different, experiances something different. I think I can truly judge how much I like something by listening to it, what ever form it is. I happen to know a number of songs that I like the drum corps versions a LOT more than the original. And vice versa. It's not really connected in any way. If I listen to SCV 04 and enjoy their show, than the music and visual arrangements did their jobs. I don't think we should expect anything more, less, or different. Art's quality is relative to the viewer.

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Chipping in off-topic. I'd say the intentions behind the two versions are very different. The original work paints shades of acceptance, reconciliation, and immense sadness. It's very peaceful throughout, even up to the moment that it climaxes.

Not to be argumentative, but Scheherezade is in no way peaceful. It's on the edge. Even the violin solo in the very end is on the edge. Scheherezade is one of thousands of concubines of an arabian Sultan. Every night he sleeps with a new concubine and has her killed at the end of the evening.

Scheherezade is the first concubine to escape death. She puts him to sleep by telling him great and harrowing tales (which are the four movements) and ending with story of The sea and sinbad's ship, which in the end crashes into the rocks. [This the 'climax' is sooo far from peaceful, the orchestration at this moment is huge, gong, bass drum, rolling timpani, full orchestra with the strings playing ponticello at the bridge].

At the very end of the fourth movement we here the violin play its solo, it represents scheherezade sneaking out of the palace/or whatever the sultan lived in. Its delicate and soft, she can't make a noise, or the sultan might wake and her escape would fail.

Nikolai was a master of orchestration. You have to know the story to really his understand the music.

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Now, before I go back and clarify my point obsessively, re-read what I said and think about it. HARD.

Which of the two is the most likely reason any person takes an interest to drum corps?

Thank you! I gotcha... Though my reasons for joining drum corps, was not because of the loud in your face playing (though that was all fun and all). Different people--personalities, but I see your view point.

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Yeah, it's only about a 90-second piece, it's not like Stamp could complain about Cavies missing the nuances, themes...

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Yeah, it's only about a 90-second piece, it's not like Stamp could complain about Cavies missing the nuances, themes...

Well, one day when you write a piece of music and a corps uses it to your dislike, you might have the same feelings about it he did.

The music I write is very personal to me. While I would be honored that a corps would want to use my music, I write music a certain way for a certain reason. I'm sure he feels the same way.

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Yeah, it's only about a 90-second piece, it's not like Stamp could complain about Cavies missing the nuances, themes...

It could be a 15 second piece for all I care, that doesn't take away from the fact that he composed something, and didn't care for how someone else interpreted something he wrote. I think we should respect that.,

Edited by Einstein On The Beach
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