minute-long quartet

Written a while ago, revised it recently. Some voice crossing, welp.

Also, this. Can’t believe from version 2.10.33 to 2.18.2, Lilypond changed the base of relative pitch notation and removed a bunch of definitions syntax.


Input: \paper{
    line-width=140\mm
    ragged-right = #f
 }
\new StaffGroup	<<
		% Violino I.
		\new Staff
		\new Voice = "a" {
			\autoBeamOff
			\clef treble
			\key g \major % or e \minor
			\tempo "Moderato" 4 = 110
			\time 3/4
			b'4 b'4 b'4 \bar "|"
			d''4 b'4 d''8\( e''8 \bar "|"
			fis''4.\) d''8\( b'8 a'8\) \bar "|"
			g'2. \bar "|"
			e''4. c''8\( a'8 g'8\) \bar "|"  % bar 5
			fis'2 e'4 \bar "|"
			fis'2.\( \bar "|"
			d'2.\) \bar "|"
			b'4 b'4 b'4 \bar "|"  % bar 10
			d''4 b'4 d''4 \bar "|"
			e''4. d''8\( b'8 a'8\) \bar "|"
			g'2. \bar "|"
			e''4.\( d''8 b'8 a'8\) \bar "|"
			g'4 e'2 \bar "|"  % bar 15
			g'4 e'2 \bar "|"
			fis'4 d'2 \bar "|"
			g'4 b'4 c''4 \bar "|"
			d''4 a''4 fis''4 \bar "|"  % bar 20
			g''4 b'4 c''4 \bar "|"
			d''4 fis''4 g''4 \bar "|"
			e''4 g'4 c''4 \bar "|"
			d''4 g'4 f'4 \bar "|"
			e'4 g'4 a'4 \bar "|"  % bar 25
			fis'4 a'4 b'4 \bar "|"
			g'4 b'4 c''4 \bar "|"
			d''4 bes''4 a''4 \bar "|"
			g''4 b''4 g''4 \bar "|"
			e''4 g''4 c''4 \bar "|"  % bar 30
			d''4 g''4 d''4 \bar "|"
			c''4 g''4 b'4 \bar "|"
			a'4^\markup { \bold \italic rit. } b'4 fis'4 \bar "|"
			g'2. \bar "|"
		}
		% Violino II.
		\new Staff
		\new Voice = "b" {
			\autoBeamOff
			\clef treble
			\key g \major % or e \minor
			\time 3/4
			g'4 d'4 g'4 \bar "|"
			a'4 d'4 a'8 b'8 \bar "|"
			d''4 g'8 a'8 d'4 \bar "|"
			e'4. d'8 e'4 \bar "|"
			g'4. e'8 d'8 e'8 \bar "|"  % bar 5
			c'2. \bar "|"
			a2. \bar "|"
			fis'4 c''4. d''8 \bar "|"
			g'4 d'4 g'4 \bar "|"  % bar 10
			a'4 d'4 a'4 \bar "|"
			b'4 g'8 e'8 d'4 \bar "|"
			cis'2. \bar "|"
			a'4. b'8 g'8 e'8 \bar "|"
			d'2. \bar "|"  % bar 15
			d'2. \bar "|"
			c'2. \bar "|"
			d'4.\( g'8 g'4\) \bar "|"
			a'4\( g'4 a'4\) \bar "|"  % bar 20
			b'4.\( e''8 b'4\) \bar "|"
			g'4\( b'2\) \bar "|"
			e'4.\( d'8 e'4\) \bar "|"
			d'4\( b'2\) \bar "|"
			d'4.\( d'8 e'4\) \bar "|"  % bar 25
			d'4\( fis'2\) \bar "|"
			d'4.\( g'8 g'4\) \bar "|"
			a'4\( g'4 a'4\) \bar "|"
			b'4.\( d''8 b'4\) \bar "|"
			e'4\( g'2\) \bar "|"  % bar 30
			g'4.\( b'8 g'4\) \bar "|"
			c'4\( d'2\) \bar "|"
			d'4.\( e'8 c'4\) \bar "|"
			b2. \bar "|"
		}
		% Viola.
		\new Staff
		\new Voice = "c" {
			\autoBeamOff
			\clef alto
			\key g \major % or e \minor
			\time 3/4
			d4. b4. \bar "|"
			d4. a4. \bar "|"
			e4. g4. \bar "|"
			c'2. \bar "|"
			e4. g4. \bar "|"  % bar 5
			a2. \bar "|"
			d'2. \bar "|"
			a4. d4. \bar "|"
			g4. b4. \bar "|"  % bar 10
			d'4. a4. \bar "|"
			e'4. b4. \bar "|"
			g2. \bar "|"
			e'4. b4. \bar "|"
			e2. \bar "|"  % bar 15
			g2. \bar "|"
			c'4. d'4. \bar "|"
			b4. d'4. \bar "|"
			a4. d'4. \bar "|"  % bar 20
			e'4. g'4. \bar "|"
			b2. \bar "|"
			c'4. g'4. \bar "|"
			d'4. b4. \bar "|"
			g2. \bar "|"  % bar 25
			a2. \bar "|"
			b4. b4. \bar "|"
			d'4. c'4. \bar "|"
			b4. d'4. \bar "|"
			g2. \bar "|"  % bar 30
			b4. d'4. \bar "|"
			g4. d'4. \bar "|"
			c'2. \bar "|"
			b2. \bar "|"
		}
		% Violoncello.
		\new Staff
		\new Voice = "d" {
			\autoBeamOff
			\clef bass
			\key g \major % or e \minor
			\time 3/4
			g2. \bar "|"
			fis2. \bar "|"
			e2. \bar "|"
			c2. \bar "|"
			a,2. \bar "|"  % bar 5
			d2. \bar "|"
			d2. \bar "|"
			fis2. \bar "|"
			g2. \bar "|"  % bar 10
			fis2. \bar "|"
			e2. \bar "|"
			a,4. b,4. \bar "|"
			cis2. \bar "|"
			c2. \bar "|"  % bar 15
			e2. \bar "|"
			d2. \bar "|"
			g,2. \bar "|"
			a,2. \bar "|"  % bar 20
			e,2. \bar "|"
			b,2. \bar "|"
			c2. \bar "|"
			g,2. \bar "|"
			c2. \bar "|"  % bar 25
			d2. \bar "|"
			g,2. \bar "|"
			fis,2. \bar "|"
			e,2. \bar "|"
			c,2. \bar "|"  % bar 30
			g,2. \bar "|"
			a,2. \bar "|"
			d,2. \bar "|"
			g,2. \bar "|"
		}
	>>

There is also a piano version, dedicated to a friend who passed.

what’s wrong with art music

By art music I mean contemporary classical music. I could say that everything is wrong with it, but that’s probably too glib. Instead I’ll break it down into progressively deeper reasons.

1. The soundscape
Noise, texture, gesture over pitch, rhythm, harmony. You thought serialism was information poor. Well contemporary music is possibly worse.
(Read the article)

two for april

果树边,如梦如幻;漫步中,似近似远。

1.

2.

r.i.p.

22/398, 29/271, 511


a favorite day

My favorite composition so far, on a theme by cw.


…and a mechanically re-arranged brass version

on the cusp of national day

in three movements

1.

2.

3.

(Read the article)

music a bit out of the ways

2003-2009

Rhapsody on Chinese Themes

The seemingly celebratory language is farcical. It is in fact a most depressing and suffocating piece.

Terribly orchestrated in this draft, but the instrumentation outline is there.

classical period music on classical period instrument

Melvyn Tan plays the same Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 discussed here on the fortepiano with, I believe, non-equal temperament tuning, too. This is quite amazing, with its clarity and register color contrast that can only be approached with deliberate care in that video by Barenboim. This recording actually makes the second movement make sense finally.
(Read the article)

president’s day

it is what it is


The Quantum Leap synthesizer sounds are commendable, but take a Herculean effort to program well.

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