Author: ASRe1

Layering for Orchestral Effects

My Hiding Place is one of my favorite tracks on the With All My Heart CD.  This track was composed and produced by Claudius Cazan.  The melody is gorgeous and so is the arrangement.  One effect that Claudius tried to achieve is the sound of a true string section without the use of string orchestra.  He played sixteen tracks of backing violin parts to accomplish the sound heard in this track.  The effect is a unique and luscious sound.

Claudius was born in Romania, and the Romanian influence can be heard in this piece.

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Superimposing

I was reminded how much I enjoyed listening to I’ve Seen That Face Before, by Grace Jones.  In her version of Libertango lyrics and an altered melody are superimposed over this Astor Piazzolla piece.  This concept is not new, and it is quite effective.  Another very good example would be the Ave Maria, by Charles Gounod, where the basis for the piece is the first prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier, by J. S. Bach.  The jazz piano improvisation below is played over a track that I produced using a piece by, Oretade Ravanello.  The piece has a tempo marking of Andantino expressivo.  I started with a keyboard sound and then added bass guitar and drums/percussion.  I love playing to this track.

Jean Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730)

For this post I am sharing the Allegro by Jean Baptiste Loeillet.  It is a simple piece in 3/4 time, and it is marked with a vivace tempo marking.  The simplicity of the piece does not make it free of challenges to the player, and the dynamic markings are a challenge to observe.  There are also challenges with the articulation in both the flute and harpsichord/piano parts.  In the flute part for example there are figures where the part leans or sighs.

In the videos below, I have included both the performance and the accompaniment.

Performance

Harpsichord Accompaniment

Follow this link to the sheet music > Allegro  (it doesn’t have a lot of expression markings, but it should do.)

Wedding Sheet Music