Tonal and Atonal Music

To all young and old who thinks that incomprehensible atonal music is of highest status and hierachy, and that tonal music should be discriminated as a poorly-treated specimen, I will strongly suggest some reflections on your part.

The following is one of my favourite quotes that put across the idea clearly to all who’s living in the 20th century where atonal works, chance or experimental music, etc. is common. There are of course many fantastic music of such nature, and I’m proud to be one of those listeners. The main idea I want to put across is that the most difficult thing to do is actually to craft a good tonal composition!

“I think it is funny; if you write tonal music, it is called shameless. But if you write the most atonal rubbish, the word “shameless” is never used. I think a composer should use the language in which he communicates best. It is especially hard to write good tonal music because if you are not skilled, it will be immediately clear to all.” (Johan de Meij, 2004)

So can you find the tonal centre of the quote?

Benjamin Yeo

Find me on ReverbNation!

You can also find me on ReverbNation, where you can listen to 2 full recordings of my published compositions performed by the Washington Winds.

http://www.reverbnation.com/benjaminyeo

Cheers,

Benjamin Yeo

Midwest Clinic 2008

Midwest Clinic 2008 (Chicago, Illinois)
An International Band and Orchestra Conference
16-20 December 2008

Midwest Clinic 2008

It was indeed an extremely valuable experience for me to be able to attend the annual Midwest Clinic 2008 in Chicago. Not only it was the first time I experienced extreme chill and snow (at least for me), most importantly I was honored to be able to meet fantastic new people and friends.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the staff of C.L. Barnhouse Company who have made me feel very welcomed throughout my stay at Midwest. I have also made some very good friends, mentor composers and conductors whom are indeed very valuable to me. It was amazing to meet them face-to-face when I could only recognise their name printed on my score in the past!

I look forward to the next Midwest Clinic and hopefully the experience would be as great, if not better than the first!

Good Resource to Consider…

I’m always very interested in different videos that are meaningful and inspirational especially for our fellow musicians, or even your students in band. There is always something to learn from these movies. Here are some shows that I’ve watched and hope you and your students (if you’re teaching), can consider: (not in order of preference)

Titles (Synopsis not included):

1. MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS

2. MUSIC OF THE HEART

3. BRASSED OFF

4. DRUMLINE

5. *NODAME CANTABILE (Japanese TV Drama Serial 12+2 Episodes – not too “serious” with essence of humour, be sure not to get hooked, have fun!)

 

Some great DVDs (*from Brain Music):

1. *Building a Great Junior High Band

2. *Rehearsal Technique

3. *Harmony Training for the Ensemble

4. *Basic Training for Concert Bands

5. *Young Bands Young Directors (Fundamentals for Successful Programs)

6. *Inagakuen Wind Orchestra (Best Collection 2001-2005)
- One of the better investments to have and show your students!

7. Dynamic Music Vol.1 with Richard Saucedo

 

Be inspired!

IN THE WINTER EARLY HOURS, AT THE BREAK OF GONDWANA

IN THE WINTER EARLY HOURS, AT THE BREAK OF GONDWANA
- Tone Poem for Wind Band -

This composition is based on the beautiful impressions of the GAP and the NATURAL BRIDGE (the great piece of rock) of Albany, Western Australia. In the near future, the rock will fall due to plate movements. Here are some of the inspirational pictures I took:

Billion of years ago, the earth was made up of one supercontinent called Pangea, which consists of Laurasia (the top portion) and Gondwanaland (the bottom portion). Due to the geography of plate tectonics, this supercontinent broke up to where they are today, and therefore the existence of Antarctica, Australia, Asia, North and South America continents, etc. The place where I stood was the break-up point of Antarctica and Australia (yes, they were once joint together!) which were part of Gondwanaland. Fantastic ocean view!

Update:
Date of completion: 30 October 2008
Duration: 8:30 minutes
Grade Level: 4.5 (medium-advanced)

Consists of 7 short movements:
1. Grandeur of Supercontinent
2. 45 million years ago
3. Break-up of Australia and Antarctica
4. Impressions of the Natural Bridge and the Gap
5. Fateful Tragedy
6. The Future: Collapse of the Natural Bridge (Uncertainty of time)
7. Magnificence of Mother Earth

Programme Notes:

In the Winter Early Hours, at the Break of Gondwana is a composition based on the beautiful landscapes of the Gap and the Natural Bridge of Albany, Western Australia. The work reflects my impressions of this magnificent sight at dawn during the winter, as I stood near that rugged coastline where the continents of Australia and Antarctica were once bound together. These two continents formed part of the supercontinent called Gondwana that existed about 200 million years ago.

 

The piece opens with the “Grandeur of Supercontinent”, Gondwana, depicting its magnificence as one gigantic land mass. The continents of Australia and Antarctica which were part of this huge land mass started to separate from each other 45 million years ago when the last section of the supercontinent broke apart, and are represented by the use of 4/4 and 5/4 meter changes. The sounds of bubbling volcanic lava and exploding rocks can be heard as the two land masses breaks off violently accompanied by tremors from the earthquakes. As I stood along this break-up point with the strong winter winds, I witnessed the beauty of the remaining landforms of the Natural Bridge and the Gap with the ocean waters crashing beneath them. Despite its beauty, it has a tragic history as many innocent lives have been lost at this dangerous stretch of coastline, with some of the roughest seas in the world. In the future, the Gap will widen and disappear; the Natural Bridge will collapse and form a new gap as our restless mother earth continues to drift the continents apart!

Influences

There are some composers (band or orchestral) as well as their works that have influenced much in my music career. Just to name a few:

Baroque composers such as, Johann Sebastian Bach (especially for all his chorale-writing techniques).
Romantic composers such as, Peter Illych Tchaikovsky.

Contemporary band composers/conductors (for their educational and musical influences) such as, Jacob de Haan; Steven Reineke; Robert W. Smith; Mark Camphouse; Itaru Sakai; Frank Erickson; Frank Ticheli; James L. Hosay; Satoshi Yagisawa; Jan Van der Roost; Timothy Reynish; Allan McMurray and Robert Halseth to highlight some.

 

There are many good books in the market that have inspired and guided me in the way I look at things as well as the music I write. To highlight a few:

1. WHAT TO LISTEN FOR IN THE WORLD (Bruce Adolphe) – Proscenium Publishers Inc., New York.

2. REHEARSING THE BAND (John E. Williamson) – Meredith Music Publication.

3. ARRANGING FOR THE CONCERT BAND (Frank Erickson) – Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp.

 

Keeping the music alive,
Benjamin Yeo

As the Moon Whispers…

As the Moon Whispers…
(Commissioned by the Montfort Secondary School Military Band, Mr Winston Aw, Band Director)

Difficulty Level: Grade 3
Performance Duration: approx. 4 mins

“As the Moon Whispers…” is a slow and expressive piece of music which paints a musical picture of a young child sleeping soundly beside the window listening to the voice of the moon.

It is a windy night, with rustlings of leaves from the nearby lonely tree that breaks the otherwise silent night. The moon watches over the child, whispering to him to take good care of himself from the chilly winds. Raindrops start to fall and the moon loses sight of the child as rain clouds begin to hinder its vision. The moon struggles to see the child, “take care my child, take care…”, the moon whispered. He seems to have heard the moon as he opened his eyes slowly and returned with a smile.

This piece of music demands a high level of musicality and is a great tonal trainer for your band.

Further details of the music will be released at a later date.

Salutations!

Welcome!

This website will link you to my latest music works as well as other related pages.

Benjamin Yeo