I am the anti-fan of Mozart, although I will say he was at least a pretty interesting guy. Did you know he also had tourettes? (I'm sure I just butchered that spelling)
True story. If you've seen the movie Amadeus, his laughter in that movie may not have been too far from the truth. It actually goes much, much deeper than that:
He actually wrote a song titled "Leck mich im Arsch" which, literally translated, is "Lick me in the anus."
He was also known to say very, very dirty things--for instance, in a letter to his cousin, writing "I will shit on your nose so it runs down your chin".
Maybe Mozart had tourettes? Maybe he was just one dirty-minded guy?
Just a short thought for the day!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Great music programs
Hello!
Just thought I'd let any fellow composers in on a few tricks of the trade.
Several programs that are absolutely necessary for the serious music composer:
Either A. Sibelius or B. Finale.
Yes, they cost money. They are not free. You have to spend money to make money. I personally use Sibelius, but Finale is just as good. They both do basically the same thing--allow you to set up a professional-looking score with any instrument you can imagine.
Now, if you want to make your music SOUND professional, you have to spend much more money.
www.soundsonline.com
At this website, you can buy the best programs money can buy. I strongly recommend buying either EWQLSO (an orchestra program) or Colossus. These programs plug into Sibelius very easily, and allow you to put real sounds to your music. They are absolutely wonderful. For movie score composing, I highly suggest also buying other programs from the same site--at the moment, I own EWQLSO, EWQLSChoirs (very complicated, incredibly worth it), Ministry of Rock (for metal and rock), Voices of Passion and RA (both amazing for writing world music), Stormdrum (nearly essential for ANY type of music), and Dark Skies (a huge group of sound effects for horror movies). To see how these sound in action, check out:
www.ilike.com/artist/Hamilton+Cleverdon
The sounds really are spectacular. Happy composing!
Just thought I'd let any fellow composers in on a few tricks of the trade.
Several programs that are absolutely necessary for the serious music composer:
Either A. Sibelius or B. Finale.
Yes, they cost money. They are not free. You have to spend money to make money. I personally use Sibelius, but Finale is just as good. They both do basically the same thing--allow you to set up a professional-looking score with any instrument you can imagine.
Now, if you want to make your music SOUND professional, you have to spend much more money.
www.soundsonline.com
At this website, you can buy the best programs money can buy. I strongly recommend buying either EWQLSO (an orchestra program) or Colossus. These programs plug into Sibelius very easily, and allow you to put real sounds to your music. They are absolutely wonderful. For movie score composing, I highly suggest also buying other programs from the same site--at the moment, I own EWQLSO, EWQLSChoirs (very complicated, incredibly worth it), Ministry of Rock (for metal and rock), Voices of Passion and RA (both amazing for writing world music), Stormdrum (nearly essential for ANY type of music), and Dark Skies (a huge group of sound effects for horror movies). To see how these sound in action, check out:
www.ilike.com/artist/Hamilton+Cleverdon
The sounds really are spectacular. Happy composing!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Introduction/Beethoven
Hi! Welcome to my blog. I'd like to use this to simply provide people with interesting facts about music. Use these in any conversation, you're sure to be the more interesting person in the room.
I'm going to start off with incredibly famous composer Ludwin van Beethoven. He was an amazing man, and changed the face of music in general. Many people know about his deafness, but fewer know about his manic depression. Losing his hearing was drawing him away from his art--his livelihood, his passion, and his love.
The following is a letter containing his will, sent from Beethoven to his brothers, whom he was very close to:
For my brothers Carl and [Johann] Beethoven
O ye men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic, how greatly do ye wrong me, you do not know the secret causes of my seeming, from childhood my heart and mind were disposed to the gentle feelings of good will, I was even ever eager to accomplish great deeds, but reflect now that for six years I have been a hopeless case, aggravated by senseless physicians, cheated year after year in the hope of improvement, finally compelled to face the prospect of a lasting malady (whose cure will take years or, perhaps, be impossible), born with an ardent and lively temperament, even susceptible to the diversions of society, I was compelled early to isolate myself, to live in loneliness, when I at times tried to forget all this, O how harshly was I repulsed by the doubly sad experience of my bad hearing, and yet it was impossible for me to say to men speak louder, shout, for I am deaf. Ah how could I possibly admit such an infirmity in the one sense which should have been more perfect in me than in others, a sense which I once possessed in highest perfection, a perfection such as few surely in my profession enjoy or have enjoyed - O I cannot do it, therefore forgive me when you see me draw back when I would gladly mingle with you, my misfortune is doubly painful because it must lead to my being misunderstood, for me there can be no recreations in society of my fellows, refined intercourse, mutual exchange of thought, only just as little as the greatest needs commanddisposition, although I sometimes ran counter to it yielding to my inclination for society, but what a humiliation when one stood beside me and heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone heard the shepherd singing and again I heard nothing, such incidents brought me to the verge of despair, but little more and I would have put an end to my life - only art it was that withheld me, ah it seemed impossible to leave the world until I had produced all that I felt called upon me to produce, and so I endured this wretched existence - truly wretched, an excitable body which a sudden change can throw from the best into the worst state - Patience - it is said that I must now choose for my guide, I have done so, I hope my determination will remain firm to endure until it please the inexorable parcae to bread the thread, perhaps I shall get better, perhaps not, I am prepared. Forced already in my 28th year to become a philosopher, O it is not easy, less easy for the artist than for anyone else - Divine One thou lookest into my inmost soul, thou knowest it, thou knowest that love of man and desire to do good live therein. O men, when some day you read these words, reflect that ye did me wrong and let the unfortunate one comfort himself and find one of his kind who despite all obstacles of nature yet did all that was in his power to be accepted among worthy artists and men. You my brothers Carl and [Johann] as soon as I am dead if Dr. Schmid is still alive ask him in my name to describe my malady and attach this document to the history of my illness so that so far as possible at least the world may become reconciled with me after my death. At the same time I declare you two to be the heirs to my small fortune (if so it can be called), divide it fairly, bear with and help each other, what injury you have done me you know was long ago forgiven. to you brother Carl I give special thanks for the attachment you have displayed towards me of late. It is my wish that your lives be better and freer from care than I have had, recommend virtue to your children, it alone can give happiness, not money, I speak from experience, it was virtue that upheld me in misery, to it next to my art I owe the fact that I did not end my life with suicide. - Farewell and love each other - I thank all my friends, particularly Prince Lichnowsky and Professor Schmid - I desire that the instruments from Prince L. be preserved by one of you but let no quarrel result from this, so soon as they can serve you better purpose sell them, how glad will I be if I can still be helpful to you in my grave - with joy I hasten towards death - if it comes before I shall have had an opportunity to show all my artistic capacities it will still come too early for me despite my hard fate and I shall probably wish it had come later - but even then I am satisfied, will it not free me from my state of endless suffering? Come when thou will I shall meet thee bravely. - Farewell and do not wholly forget me when I am dead, I deserve this of you in having often in life thought of you how to make you happy, be so -
Heiligenstadt October 6,1802 Ludwig van Beethowen
O ye men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic, how greatly do ye wrong me, you do not know the secret causes of my seeming, from childhood my heart and mind were disposed to the gentle feelings of good will, I was even ever eager to accomplish great deeds, but reflect now that for six years I have been a hopeless case, aggravated by senseless physicians, cheated year after year in the hope of improvement, finally compelled to face the prospect of a lasting malady (whose cure will take years or, perhaps, be impossible), born with an ardent and lively temperament, even susceptible to the diversions of society, I was compelled early to isolate myself, to live in loneliness, when I at times tried to forget all this, O how harshly was I repulsed by the doubly sad experience of my bad hearing, and yet it was impossible for me to say to men speak louder, shout, for I am deaf. Ah how could I possibly admit such an infirmity in the one sense which should have been more perfect in me than in others, a sense which I once possessed in highest perfection, a perfection such as few surely in my profession enjoy or have enjoyed - O I cannot do it, therefore forgive me when you see me draw back when I would gladly mingle with you, my misfortune is doubly painful because it must lead to my being misunderstood, for me there can be no recreations in society of my fellows, refined intercourse, mutual exchange of thought, only just as little as the greatest needs commanddisposition, although I sometimes ran counter to it yielding to my inclination for society, but what a humiliation when one stood beside me and heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone heard the shepherd singing and again I heard nothing, such incidents brought me to the verge of despair, but little more and I would have put an end to my life - only art it was that withheld me, ah it seemed impossible to leave the world until I had produced all that I felt called upon me to produce, and so I endured this wretched existence - truly wretched, an excitable body which a sudden change can throw from the best into the worst state - Patience - it is said that I must now choose for my guide, I have done so, I hope my determination will remain firm to endure until it please the inexorable parcae to bread the thread, perhaps I shall get better, perhaps not, I am prepared. Forced already in my 28th year to become a philosopher, O it is not easy, less easy for the artist than for anyone else - Divine One thou lookest into my inmost soul, thou knowest it, thou knowest that love of man and desire to do good live therein. O men, when some day you read these words, reflect that ye did me wrong and let the unfortunate one comfort himself and find one of his kind who despite all obstacles of nature yet did all that was in his power to be accepted among worthy artists and men. You my brothers Carl and [Johann] as soon as I am dead if Dr. Schmid is still alive ask him in my name to describe my malady and attach this document to the history of my illness so that so far as possible at least the world may become reconciled with me after my death. At the same time I declare you two to be the heirs to my small fortune (if so it can be called), divide it fairly, bear with and help each other, what injury you have done me you know was long ago forgiven. to you brother Carl I give special thanks for the attachment you have displayed towards me of late. It is my wish that your lives be better and freer from care than I have had, recommend virtue to your children, it alone can give happiness, not money, I speak from experience, it was virtue that upheld me in misery, to it next to my art I owe the fact that I did not end my life with suicide. - Farewell and love each other - I thank all my friends, particularly Prince Lichnowsky and Professor Schmid - I desire that the instruments from Prince L. be preserved by one of you but let no quarrel result from this, so soon as they can serve you better purpose sell them, how glad will I be if I can still be helpful to you in my grave - with joy I hasten towards death - if it comes before I shall have had an opportunity to show all my artistic capacities it will still come too early for me despite my hard fate and I shall probably wish it had come later - but even then I am satisfied, will it not free me from my state of endless suffering? Come when thou will I shall meet thee bravely. - Farewell and do not wholly forget me when I am dead, I deserve this of you in having often in life thought of you how to make you happy, be so -
Heiligenstadt October 6,1802 Ludwig van Beethowen
(end letter)
Beethoven was an incredible man, and a very good writer. Always stick to your passion once you've figured out what it is, because you never know what may happen in the future.
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