Fiona Coulter's Blog

Looking for Musicians to Collaborate With

fiona — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:10:28 +0000

As the title suggests, I am looking for musicians to collaborate with. Ideally in or around Bath, because that is where I live, although further afield might be possible.

I have some compositions, particularly for the flute, which I would like to have performed and perhaps recorded. An example is the duet for flute and cello here:-

flute+cello3

However I can write for other instruments, and would be interested in composing specially for an ensemble if a likeminded group were to get in touch.You should be able to tell from this and other posts that my compositions are generally melodic, I don’t try to write music that is ‘difficult’ either to play or listen to.

You can contact me by adding a comment to this post. Obviously I am not expecting to get knocked down in the rush, I am just putting the idea out there.

How to be Creative?

fiona — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:11:54 +0000

This question greatly occupied me in my younger years. Where do original ideas come from? What can one do to make them come? Something I have discovered with age is actually that this problem is generally not one worth worrying about.

In fact it is not difficult to have original ideas. The main thing that creativity requires is time: you need to be prepared to set aside time to explore whatever it is that you are trying to create, whether it is a piece of art, music or literature. It is no good trying to force things, but, from personal experience, I normally do find that if I decide to make the time to work on my music, something will come. What is required is a willingness to explore one’s own ideas, to see where they are going without being excessively self-critical.

There are some things that are the enemies of creativity. Firstly tiredness, it is no good trying to do anything when you are simply exhausted, much better just to get some sleep. Anything that befuddles the senses, such as strong liquor and illicit substances, is a killer of creativity. I know that there are people who fondly believe otherwise, but I think that this is because creative people sometimes have a strong personal attraction to drink or drugs. But if they manage to create original work it is usually in spite of the substance use, not because of it.

The other enemy of creativity that I touched on above is excessive self-criticism. We all need that inner censor, who tells us when an idea is rubbish, and not worth pursuing. But the censor should not be allowed to wield excessive power, we should not allow it to cut off ideas before they can be explored. When I try to compose music I don’t know ahead of time whether what I write will be good or not, in fact one of the joys of composition is the constant surprise at what comes out.

Sometimes when I make a start on a piece I have a good idea of what I am trying to achieve, for example the Partita for Solo Flute is something that I had in mind to try and write for some years before I actually got around to it. I had a fairly clear idea of what I was trying to achieve before I started. However just as often I really don’t know what I am going to produce, it just happens. Of course it doesn’t really, I guess that the ideas are being mulled over somewhere in my unconscious mind. The important thing is to get into the habit of writing regularly, to make oneself product something, good or bad. The more it becomes a habit, seemingly the easier it becomes to tap into that unconscious source of creativity.

So make time: practice your art. It is not difficult. There are other things that harder in my opinion, like how to find your own authentic voice, which I may write about some other time. Sorry if you were expexting something more profound, but I think that the big secret is that there is no secret.

Crow and Moon

: Crow and Moon

Meanwhile the last word from someone who really did know about being creative:

Violin Concerto In D Op. 61 Part 3

My New Camera

fiona — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:29:05 +0000

I’ve treated myself to a new digital SLR camera, a Canon EOS 60D. It was expensive enough that it took me some time to work myself up to actually buying it. I am not good at spending money (lack of practise? or just inherent stinginess?).

I have to say that I already love it.

Back in the days before digital photography I used to own a Canon AE 1 (in fact I have still got it), in some ways it seems quite similar. The thing about Canon is that they do make good lenses, one of the most important things in determining the quality of the picture you get.

I am not a very technical photographer, I mainly just enjoy looking at things and taking a picture if I think they look interesting. I did at one time learn about f stops and that kind of thing, but I have forgotten most of it now. I first became interested in photography when I bought a very old (probably 1950s) camera from a market stall for £10. It had no exposure meter, and you could not actually tell from the viewfinder whether or not it was in focus. I had to estimate the distance to the subject, and then guess the light level and set the f-stop. Surprisingly I became quite good at it, the pictures often came out. The thing that made all this hassle worthwhile is that it had a beautiful lens, the results could be lovely.

Unfortunately in a fit of generosity I gave the camera away a few years ago, something that I regret to this day. I only hope that the person I gave it to appreciates it.

Anyway here are a few pictures with my new camera. Sadly just after I bought it I was ill for a while, then the weather has been miserable since, so I have not had much opportunity to use it, but here are a few.

The last one went a bit wrong, but I quite like the result anyway.

Open College of the Arts

fiona — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:55:22 +0000

Music

For the past two years I have been studying a course in advanced music composition at the Open College of the Arts. I want to strongly recommend the OCA to anyone who wants to study music (or the other arts) in a creative way.

For my course I composed an extended piece of music, a fantasy for the orchestra based on three Somerset folk songs. The thing that the OCA gives, which is invaluable, is feedback about the work from a practising composer. In my case my tutor was the composer Patric Standford. His critique was always exactly to the point, proving (if it were needed) that a few well chosen words from someone who really knows what they are doing are worth far more than any amount of ill-informed opinion.

You can hear the piece here:

Folk Song Fantasia

I attended an OCA music composition workshop in Barnsely on 12th November. It was fascinating to finally meet the other music students. We were a very mixed bunch, but I think all very creative and serious composers – I was very impressed by the quality of the compositions, all were good, and a couple were really beautiful.

Flautist Carla Rees gave us a very interesting tour of the modern techniques of flute writing. Some of them I don’t really see the point of I have to say, but I do really like the concept of a quarter tone flute, and may well try tackling a composition for it in the future. I do love the sound of quarter tones, they are commonly used in folk music around the world, also in blues, as ‘blue notes’. I was very interested in Irish music for many years, and I think quarter tones are sometimes used there, often by older more traditional players, perhaps unconsciously. So quarter tones are not necessarily alien.

Travelling up to Barnsley and back was exhausting, but worth the effort. I hope that the OCA will do something similar in future, and I will be able to attend.

Remembering Laura Bruni

fiona — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:50:44 +0000

Today is the first anniversary of the death of my sister Laura Bruni. She is still much missed.

You can read her obituary in the Guardian here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jan/05/laura-bruni-obituary

It is still very hard to come to terms with. Looking at the great woman she became it is clear that it was a sad loss to the Labour Party and to us all.

On a more personal level the loss is still raw. She was my little sister, and I wanted to take care of her and in the end I could not. The only thing I could do was be with her when she died.

She was motivated in her political career by a desire to help others and to be of public service. Those who knew her will remember her as a woman of personal integrity with a strong sense of social justice.

I will remember her as my beloved sister.

Autumn

fiona — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:55:01 +0000

Autumn has been particularly beautiful this year.

Red Leaves of Autumn

A couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Westonbirt Arboretum and took some photographs of the trees. Many of the trees were still green, some had turned a rich red, others were in the process of turning. Spectacular!

I suppose it should be a depressing season – winter is just a few weeks away, another year will be over. I will be a year older and will have accomplished little with my life, and will have that bit less of it left.

Yet I also find that first slight hint of a chill in the air invigorating. Before the really bad weather sets in, this time of year often produces days of astonishing beauty. The light is a rich golden glow rather than the harsh glare of summer.

Partita for Solo Flute

fiona — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:12:29 +0000

This is a new composition, written for a workshop at the OCA on writing for the flute.
As the name suggests, this piece is inspired by the great flute writing of the baroque period, particularly JS Bach and CPE Bach, also Telemann. Therefore it is a mixture of baroque and a more contemporary styles. I have had the idea to write something like this for a few years, it has been nice to have the incentive to finally get around to it.
The piece is based on dance forms, but I have substituted a tango for the first movement which of course was not a dance of the baroque era.
Movement 1
This movement mixes passages using whole tone and half tone scales with more traditional tonal passages to product two contrasting themes. It should be played at a moderate pace, about that of a normal tango.
Movement 2
This movement has the character of a sarabande so I have called it that. However unlike a
traditional sarabande it is in 5/4 time. The thing I like about this time signature is that it can be played as a group of 3 beats followed by 2, or as a group of 2 beats followed by 3.
This movement should be played at a slow pace with a strict tempo, and relatively little dynamic variation. The mood is one of calmness and serenity.
Movement 3
This movement has the character of a gigue, so I have called it that. While mostly in 3/8 it plays around with the time signature a bit and like the first movement uses both whole and half tone passages as well as more traditional tonal ones.
The mood is light and bubbly and it needs to be played fast.

tango

sarabande

gigue

Absorbing Historical Mystery

fiona — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:21:36 +0000

I first discovered the work of the author C.J. Sansom about a year ago. I was given one of his books (Revelation), and was about half-way through it when I realised that I really had to read all the others in the series. At my age it is really quite exciting to discover a new favourite author.

There are so far five books in the Shardlake series of novels, in order they are: Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation and Heartstone. They cover the experiences of lawyer Matthew Shardlake in solving a series of murder cases, set against the background of the corrupt politics of the reign of Henry VIII.

They are very far from being average, run-of-the-mill crime fiction (even average, run-of-the-mill historical crime fiction). There are two main features that distinguish these books for me.

Firstly the character of Shardlake himself is immensely sympathetic. As a character he is flawed and vulnerable, yet is a man in possession an unerring moral compass, often to his own detriment. He has a gift for making powerful enemies (and a few friends).

Secondly, C.J. Sansom succeeds in painting a compelling portrait of life in Tudor England, and corrupt Tudor politics in particular. The intimate detail of everyday life as well the big picture seems convincingly portrayed. It feels like a real world inhabited by real people.

Added to which, each novel delivers a satisfying murder mystery. There are real clues in the text, and you can play the game of guessing the murderer if that is your thing. The eventual solution does actually make sense.

The first novel in the series (Dissolution), is set after the execution of Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn and, as its title suggests, deals with the issue of the dissolution of the monasteries. The cynical land-grabbing which ensued among the rich and powerful remains a theme throughout the series.

Real historical events are woven throughout the series, so Dark Fire covers the fall of from power of Thomas Cromwell, Sovereign deals with the collapse of Henry’s marriage to Catherine Howard, Revelation is set at the time of his marriage to Catherine Parr. The title is taken from the biblical Book of Revelation, and concerns a serial killer inspired by that work.

The final book (Heartstone) is set at the time of the sinking of the Mary Rose, so very near the end of Henry’s reign. If there is another in the series – and I am very much hoping there will be – it will presumably be set after his death.

If you are intending to read these books it probably is best to start at the beginning of the series (though admittedly I did not)

Dissolution (Shardlake)

Author: C. J. Sansom
Publisher: Pan
Offers - Buy New From: £0.42 Offers - Buy Used From: £0.01
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Editorial Review Brand New Item, Fast Dispatch

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Dark Fire (Shardlake)

Author: C. J. Sansom
Publisher: Pan
Offers - Buy New From: £1.46 Offers - Buy Used From: £0.01
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Editorial Review The second Shardlake novel in C. J. Sansom's remarkable historical crime series

Reviews:

Sovereign (Shardlake)

Author: C. J. Sansom
Publisher: Pan
Offers - Buy New From: £0.79 Offers - Buy Used From: £0.01
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Editorial Review The third novel in the compelling Shardlake series

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Revelation (Shardlake)

Author: C. J. Sansom
Publisher: Pan
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Editorial Review The stunning new Shardlake novel

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Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake 5)

Author: C. J. Sansom
Publisher: Pan
Offers - Buy New From: £0.19 Offers - Buy Used From: £0.01
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Editorial Review HEARTSTONE (B)

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A Quick Two Part Invention

fiona — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:52:31 +0000

2 Part Invention

Music

A quick two part invention for the piano.

I wrote this a couple of years ago (I think), at a time when I was playing some of Bach’s 2 part inventions.

No To Sky

fiona — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:05:22 +0000

I’m really disgusted by the BBC’s decision to give up half their coverage of formula one in favour of Sky.

Even if I could afford to pay to watch the sport on Sky, I wouldn’t want to pay money to any company owned by Rupert Murdoch, so I will only be able to see half the races next year. That saddens me.

Formula One is something that the BBC does really well, they deservedly won a BAFTA for the coverage of the race in Abu Dhabi last year, in which Sebastian Vettel became World Champion. There are rare occasions when I think that a sport can achieve the status of art, and I think that was one of these. It was not the most exciting of races, but there was something really beautiful about Vettel’s drive, he was so far in front of the rest, and made it look so elegant and effortless in the last few laps. I was moved to tears when he finally won.