This is an outstanding video. Mozart 40 is a favorite of mine, and so is Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Both are featured here! Familiarity definitely helps in analysis. I have frequently gushed about Professor Belkin's astounding generosity in offering his expertise like this, to the point of perhaps seeming a bit...shall we say...smarmy. But I'm not sucking up; I really, truly appreciate this beyond my ability to express. What's more, his own compositions are wonderful. Learning from an actual (and excellent) composer is valuable beyond measure. Sorry if I seem unbalanced or overly enthused, but I can't help myself. Alan: you are doing a great service. This lesson is especially relevant because I just finished my own attempt at a large scale orchestral piece and put it out there. A professional composer friend of mine was good enough to offer constructive criticism and was delicate enough to suggest where I could improve without being specific enough to "box me in". Watching this lesson, the lightbulb went on, so to speak, and I have some solid ideas where to improve. I'm using too many pedal points, for one, but I'm also not providing suspense and expectation in the way that an author of stories would. This is especially relevant because my piece is quite programmatic. This lesson has sparked some solid ideas on how to proceed in revising it! I won't be so gauche as to link to anything in these comments, but if any of my fellow aspiring composers are interested, you can look me up on SoundCloud. I would welcome comments, positive and negative, in a constructive spirit. And I would gladly return the favor by listening and trying to thoughtfully comment on anyone else's work! The piece is called "Elegia". Please know I'm not trying to promote myself; I just want to take part in developing a community of aspiring composers who can support one another. Thanks, Alan. I truly appreciate what you are doing.
Im so depressed. Ive been having this writers block for 3 years now. I went from writing every single day to not writing for years. I understand music more but i no longer hear it in my head (thats how I used to compose).
Paul Mina Storm Buddy, you need to respect other people. Just because you aren’t like this doesn’t mean...actually, this is worth finishing my response.
Hi. I've been enjoying your lessons. But I also want to mention how much I like your works that you've been using! Would love to hear the whole pieces. Is there anywhere to check them out? Thanks!
What recording of Symphony no. 40 did you use there? Sounds like a rehearsal recording to me. After the hornists take a rest, the first note or 2 that they play sounds very out of tune before it becomes in tune with the rest of the orchestra. No good hornist would do that outside of rehearsal.
You talk as if during rehearsal there was license to be out of tune... I understand the french horn is nearly the most difficult instrument to play -- basically you can blow on it but you never know exactly what note is coming out. You hate the out of tune chord, I marvel at how they got all the other ones right.
@@lucst-pierre1396 I know that. It's just that it is very hard to not notice when a brass instrument is out of tune. In fact, the first thing that discourages me from listening to a particular recording is a brass instrument being out of tune.
This is an outstanding video. Mozart 40 is a favorite of mine, and so is Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Both are featured here! Familiarity definitely helps in analysis. I have frequently gushed about Professor Belkin's astounding generosity in offering his expertise like this, to the point of perhaps seeming a bit...shall we say...smarmy. But I'm not sucking up; I really, truly appreciate this beyond my ability to express. What's more, his own compositions are wonderful. Learning from an actual (and excellent) composer is valuable beyond measure. Sorry if I seem unbalanced or overly enthused, but I can't help myself. Alan: you are doing a great service.
This lesson is especially relevant because I just finished my own attempt at a large scale orchestral piece and put it out there. A professional composer friend of mine was good enough to offer constructive criticism and was delicate enough to suggest where I could improve without being specific enough to "box me in". Watching this lesson, the lightbulb went on, so to speak, and I have some solid ideas where to improve. I'm using too many pedal points, for one, but I'm also not providing suspense and expectation in the way that an author of stories would. This is especially relevant because my piece is quite programmatic. This lesson has sparked some solid ideas on how to proceed in revising it!
I won't be so gauche as to link to anything in these comments, but if any of my fellow aspiring composers are interested, you can look me up on SoundCloud. I would welcome comments, positive and negative, in a constructive spirit. And I would gladly return the favor by listening and trying to thoughtfully comment on anyone else's work! The piece is called "Elegia". Please know I'm not trying to promote myself; I just want to take part in developing a community of aspiring composers who can support one another.
Thanks, Alan. I truly appreciate what you are doing.
Wonderful.
Im so depressed. Ive been having this writers block for 3 years now. I went from writing every single day to not writing for years. I understand music more but i no longer hear it in my head (thats how I used to compose).
Paul Mina Storm Buddy, you need to respect other people. Just because you aren’t like this doesn’t mean...actually, this is worth finishing my response.
Thank you Prof. Belkin.
Excellent as always. Thank you, Alan!
Great information. Much thanks!
Always very helpful and right to the point. I love the example from your symphony no. 4. Where can I listen to it all?
Mozart's 40th is one of the few symphonies outside of Beethoven that I've memorized in its entirety
Me too. I love it!
Love your symphony. Tension - and a cool modernist feel - Bartok and Hindemith even Martinu?
I hear a bit of Robert Simpson in the mysterious feeling and that dotted rhythm in the 1st violins at measure 16 and 17.
Hi. I've been enjoying your lessons. But I also want to mention how much I like your works that you've been using! Would love to hear the whole pieces. Is there anywhere to check them out? Thanks!
What recording of Symphony no. 40 did you use there? Sounds like a rehearsal recording to me. After the hornists take a rest, the first note or 2 that they play sounds very out of tune before it becomes in tune with the rest of the orchestra. No good hornist would do that outside of rehearsal.
You talk as if during rehearsal there was license to be out of tune... I understand the french horn is nearly the most difficult instrument to play -- basically you can blow on it but you never know exactly what note is coming out. You hate the out of tune chord, I marvel at how they got all the other ones right.
This is an analysis class, not a ''who's out of tune'' class.
@@lucst-pierre1396 I know that. It's just that it is very hard to not notice when a brass instrument is out of tune. In fact, the first thing that discourages me from listening to a particular recording is a brass instrument being out of tune.
I agree that it’s distracting. Sounds like someone slammed on a car horn.