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Hi! It's Sibelius using NotePerformer. Musesounds does have so very good sounds, but I find the strings rather woolly, especially in fast passages and, being a Sibelius user, I'm not sure I can use Musesounds.

Thanks a lot! :) I've now conducted them and the last movement has a few very tricky moments I'd re-orchestrate more fluidly / less pointillistically , but it's low down the list for the mo.

@leearmstrongmusic409 I noticed your repertoire of orchestration, and it's great. I'm not even close to your level. I'm getting into it after an injury that makes playing the piano very difficult. I thought this was a great way to explore music as a collective experience of great musicians. Thomas Goss and MOOC have been quite helpful for me. You just gained a subscriber. I will try my 4k tv instead of my phone. I'm sure it will look better. Thanks.

@@eddygonzalez2328 Thanks very much! I've been at it for 20 years. Started with cello ensembles (my own instrument), the string orchestra, then full orchestra. Good luck with your orchestrations!

@leearmstrongmusic409 thanks. Well, you obviously didn't have to struggle like many of us nonstring players who have to deal with those people who play the little cello that you put on your shoulder and hold with the chin. They seem to be very particular with their bowing. It doesn't matter what you write, they'll end up playing it whichever way the feel like it. Sorry, I always have to vent about them. I never thought that I would spend 50% of orchestration dealing with those string players. I figure, some of the winds or brass would be more difficult. Nope, strings. I want to be a conductor just so I can overrule the CM. 😂

Hello! Yes, apologies - I did see it, but have been up to my eyes. I'll make sure I reply by the weekend.

Thank you! That's very kind. It's not available at the moment, but will be soon - watch this space! :)

Hi! I'm really glad you like it :) I'm in the process of getting it published, so it'll be available soon and I'll post a link here.

Amazing! Thank you, I shall check them out, and thank you for your kind words.

@@leearmstrongmusic409 You're welcome! I will say, the 78RPM versions are interestingly a bit slower, but how much slower isn't consistent. I suspect it may indicate the movie was meant to be projected at a lower rate, and that the slowest tempo might've been the baseline and anything faster was just done to cram it onto the max length of a 78RPM (depending on size either 3 to 5 minutes).

@@Sodaholic6502 Thank you. I still haven't had a chance to go and listen. I took my tempi (with a bit of artistic license) from the 2001 DVD soundtrack.

@@leearmstrongmusic409 The 2010 cut is far more accurate than the 2001 cut as far as I know. The music is actually arranged somewhat differently than in the 2001 cut. Actually, I wanted to ask: what software did you use to produce this? MuseScore, perhaps?

@@Sodaholic6502 Ah, thank you. That's interesting to know. I'm not entirely sure which one I was listening to for reference, to be honest!

Hi Kurt! Not right now, but hopefully very soon - it's something I'm working on now, so watch this space. Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you like them!

Hah! Yes, some of it would make excellent boss music! :D

Thank you very much :)

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it and thank you very much for the additional information regarding the recording. I don't have a copy of the liner notes and gleaned what I could from the internet (wrong, as usual!). I'll amend the text above. Thank you again for your work putting that video of the piano score together - I edit videos as part of my day job and know how long it must have taken! Superb work.

I'm not sure why I'd bother - it will sound a lot worse as a midi file... :)

Thanks, I'm really glad you like it - it's a beautiful piece and Mary Howe's music should be much more widely heard! As a cellist myself, I actually prefer flat keys - B flat and F are lovely keys to play in on the cello (though G and D are much preferable!). I'd always prefer to play in four flats than four sharps - something about how you have to shift that I find easier than with sharp keys. I also always try to keep my arrangements in the key of the original work, which was F minor, in this case. I've conducted this with a group of amateurs and, although you lose your top open strings, the four flats gives it a lovely, warm resonance due to the lack of bright, upper-string harmonics. It's a nightmare to play in, but I think my favourite key for a rich, warm sound on a string ensemble is actually D-flat major.

@@leearmstrongmusic409 Thank you for your answer. This is very interesting! Not being a string instrumentalist, I always ask for feedback and advice after finishing a composition. One thing instrumentalists tend to agree on is that they prefer sharps over flats. They've insisted on this so much that I considered it a rule set in stone, but now you changed my perspective! What you've said about the difficulty of shifting from one key to another is intriguing; I had never considered this for string instruments! Regarding the warm resonance, do you think it’s preferable to use more challenging positions if it achieves a specific sound quality? I always try to write in a way that minimizes complications for the instrumentalist, especially because it's hard to get a live performance of your works these days, and when it finally happens, rehearsal time is usually very limited. Again, congrats on your arrangement! Loved the conversation!

@@BelenVivesMusic It depends who you are writing for, really. Look at some big scores by Richard Strauss, Mahler, even Tchaikovsky - certainly Scriabin. They are merciless to their string players, both in the keys the write in and the technique they demand, but people love and play their music. As a general rule of thumb, on the cello, C, G and D are the easiest keys, particularly D as the natural harmonics at the neck give you a convenient anchor point for playing high. However, B-flat major is a beautiful key on low strings, because the third of the chord, D, is so resonant, as it is an open string. Over all, I'd say if you want a bright, vivid sound from strings, write in 2-4 sharps, but if you want a rich, brooding, luscious sound, particularly in mid to low range, write in 4 or 5 flats. However, as you say, if your only chance of performance is a local amateur orchestra, five flats might stress them out a lot! Good luck :)

​@@leearmstrongmusic409 Thank you so much for these insights! Your advice and expertise are incredibly valuable to me. I'm taking note of everything and will be more mindful of the keys in my compositions for strings from now on.

@@BelenVivesMusic My pleasure. Glad to be of help.

Not quite - just variations on one Mendelssohn theme by Liszt, arr Armstrong :)

Thank you! Yes, Notperformer and a bit of fiddling around with hidden dynamics etc

Thank you again. I think my email is on my about page.

Thank you very much indeed!

Thank you very much! :)

Hi there! It was because the orchestra it was written for wasn't using them in the other pieces in the concert. Yes, the trumpet parts are very hard and I need to revise a couple of corners.

Thank you very much!

Hi there! Thanks a lot. I use Sibelius with NotePerformer 3

Thank you! Yes, please drop me a DM with your email

​@@leearmstrongmusic409can you share the orchestral score with me too please?

Thanks! :)

Thank you! I'll add them to my long list of things I'd like to have a go at :)

Thank you! Glad you like it. It was a tricky one to realise, but I'm quite pleased with it.

@@leearmstrongmusic409Also isn’t note performer playback better today than it was five years ago? I would love to hear an update

It's notated in Sibelius then exported as a video.

@@leearmstrongmusic409 excellent sound

Thank you! The sounds are by Noteperformer

Drop me a message and I'll see what we can do.

Drop me a message and I'll see what we can do.

​@@leearmstrongmusic409can you send me de orchestral score please? I need It

Thank you!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it. It's such a wonderful piece!

Hi there. Link for what? The sheet music?

Ah, how interesting! I'm sure Liszt wouldn't have pinched it, but it could be unconscious, perhaps? Where in the Chopin do you mean? I don't know it and couldn't hear it on a first listen.

@@leearmstrongmusic409 In this recording by Sirota, for example, I was thinking of the passage from 5:07 to 5:30. Not accusing Liszt of plagiarism, of course! If anything, if I'm right about this "echo" it was at least an hommage, and may even have represented something that Liszt was searching for ... ruclips.net/video/lP55g04Aa8k/видео.html

@@iianneill6013 I think I'll have to take your word for it, you being more familiar with both works. I can't hear it myself, I'm afraid :)

@@leearmstrongmusic409 It may just be my imagination or wish fulfilment fantasy. :-)

Sorry about that! I had to tone it down because the levels were peaking! Glad you liked it :)

Thanks! :)

Thank you very much. He wrote some wonderful organ works and a small amount of chamber music, too. Well worth checking out.

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. Sadly, I can't take credit for the orchestration. Except where I have transcribed vocal lines, it is almost entirely the work of Leoncavallo. I might also, politely, take issue with some of your statements about orchestral colour. As a string player myself, I find Tchaikovsky's music to be entirely rooted in the strings, not the other way around. I don't believe Leoncavallo over orchestrates or doubles a little too much - for the best examples or over orchestration and multiple doublings, look to composers such as Rachmaninov and Vaughan Williams. Yet, despite these possible defects in orchestration, their work sounds lush and wonderful. I would not label the strings as homogeneous, though they can be, if written for in certain ways. The difference in feel, mood and sound between, say a high cello playing softly or violas playing loudly on their bottom string is huge - I would say the colour available in the strings is at least as interesting and varied as that available from the wind or brass (perhaps another homogeneous family by the same argument?). Having said that, the electronic realisation here does not do the strings much justice, nor does Leoncavallo use them to their fullest. If you would like to hear some of my original orchestration, please try some of my Debussy arrangements - I use the instruments much more sparingly - as I feel befits the composer and period. Edit: I should clarify that I did remove the bass clarinet part as the ensemble the arrangement was intended for didn't have one available.

Thank you again, Stevee!

Thank you!

Thank you! It's a fantastic piece.

Thanks :)

Thank you!

Thank you. Yes, of course - drop me a message/email and I'll send you the score and parts

Thank you once again.