Da Capo

Although last week I had intended to begin brainstorming melodies and harmonies for my composition, I decided to take a step back and first analyze some musical compositions in terms of structure, theme, and patterns.

The pieces I decided to look at (or rather listen to) were ones that I had previously played or am currently learning:

• Violin Concerto in E minor by Felix Mendelssohn
• Ballade Und Polonaise by Henri Vieuxtemps
• Passacaglia by Johan Halvorsen
• Navarra by Pablo de Sarasate

Then I explored some of the pieces that I'm familiar with but have never learned:

• Violin Concerto in D Major by Jean Sibelius
• Sheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

I've noticed that most of these pieces center around a main melody or theme, and that theme reappears in later sections of the piece in a slightly altered form, if not the exact same.
In the case of Passacaglia, there were no themes that reoccurred later in the piece but most of the sections were repeated twice, the second time being softer or in a different style of playing.
I also noticed that in the two string duets that I looked at (Passacaglia and Navarra), the two parts often danced back and forth, exchanging main melodic lines for simple accompanying harmonies. Interestingly, most of Navarra consists of the two parts playing in unison rhythmically, but one maintaining a fixed interval (a third down) as harmony to the other. On the other hand, Passacaglia features more push and pull in terms of which player holds the melody and which player holds the underlying accompaniment.
Ultimately, analyzing the compositions of these pieces gives me an idea of how to construct the skeleton of my composition (and it allowed me to listen to good music excessively).

Decisions:
One of the key steps in starting a composition is establishing a key signature (see what I did there ;D). So I've decided on the key of D Major. It's a key that particularly suits the violin because of the violin's structure (the strings are tuned to G D E A), in addition to be fairly easy to play in.
Since I'm not writing a waltz, I will write in time signature, also known as common time, because it is so commonly used.

I also talked with my violin teacher, Dr. Juan Ramirez, and he has consented to being my mentor for the duration of this project. He has extensive experience in composing, conducting, and playing music, so I anticipate his help.

Reading Ahead (For real this time)
- Brainstorm melodies and harmonies
- Interview Dr. Ramirez
- Acquire music staff paper and music composing software