The melody is usually the line that is prominently superseding all other voices. It can be heard by itself, and it makes perfect sense. Within that melody you have phrases, not unlike an independent clause in a sentence. A melody line is considered one voice. When you add other voices to that melody, the other voices compliment the melody. This is done either by adding other independent melodies, or through the use of chords. A lot of pop songs, for example, use the simple technique of supporting a prominent melody/singer with chords.
Two separate conversations can be very hard to follow. You will usually follow one voice or the other, and you may eventually become annoyed. In music, however, two voices can compliment one another. They can be, at times, in harmony with one another. At other other times there can moments of dissonance that sound sweet when it resolves or moves towards harmony. The way a melody or even multiple voices move is called voice leading. Voice leading is a way for multiple voices to move through a phrase. Proper voice leading will speak in a way that leads the listener from one place to another.
I like the use of multiple melodies in a song. At the same time a strong chord progression is key to establishing a sense of direction. I enjoy a song that can take you on a journey of sorts. Music for video or film is fashioned to do just that, but when music can take you “somewhere” without it already being connected to a film or video, that is something special.
What is fun about a project like Above and Beyond is that, while learning to play with a new instrument, I also get to test the limits of the technology at hand. I am also met with the challenge of trying to push the boundaries of my creative ideas, while simultaneously being held back by people’s expectations. Above and Beyond was to be marketed to massage therapists for use during massage therapy sessions. In a massage therapy session the music is supposed to be transparent. The client is supposed to relax. The music is to be ‘felt’ more than ‘heard’. In that respect the music is a total failure. This music demands your attention. It draws you in.
To create the music for Above and Beyond, I experimented with all kinds of sounds available only from a Korg M1 Music Work Station. What’s really cool about the M1 is that you can take basic PCM samples and mold and shape them in an infinite number of ways. Often, creating a song meant spending a great deal of time designing sounds specifically for one song. I also experimented with the form and structure of the songs. A number of songs were flat out rejected for being “too dark.” I still love listening to those other songs that didn’t make it on the CD.
This album is now available as a download or for streaming online, but it was originally released on Compact Disk. The disk was to be about an hour long. And the order of the songs on the disk were set up so that the music would gradually bring the listener to deeper relaxation. Then gradually bring them up a bit. I don’t think it will work with every one in that way, but it was worth a try.
My first outlet for selling the CD was at the Spa at Norwich Inn. Betty Loiacono was the spa’s publicist at the time. The following is what she had to say about this release:
“Above and Beyond was a unique project for David in that it was inspired by his therapist wife Beverly, other therapists at the Spa at Norwich Inn, and by the guests at the spa. Noticing that not all of the music (“New Age”) was having a beneficial effect, and was actually disturbing at times, David and Beverly created the themes for this music which would not only be relaxing, but uplifting for the spirit as well. By popular request, Above and Beyond was created, right here in Norwich, especially for our guest and staff. It now holds acclaim and the music has been described as a peaceful force.” Betty Loiacono – Public Relations Department – Spa at Norwich Inn (607 West Thames Street, Norwich, CT 06360)
For those times when you’ve been searching for the Elusive Answer, and all you need is A Simple Thought, retreat to The Nesting Place at Summer’s End, and Surrender to Above and Beyond. There you will find, riding high on Balloons,Windows In The Sky beckoning you to The Eastern Sky from A Long Time Ago, where To Flow As One in the Cielo Azul brought more than Friendship, it brought My Dance with Not A Cloud In My Mind.
The styles represented here are from the baroque and classical era in music.
Genre: Classical: Baroque
Release Date: 2013
Three composers are represented in this collection: Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The contrast between the Baroque and Classical style periods is represented here in both interpretation and instrumentation. And although, the same flute was used to play all of these pieces, the contrast is still evident. The baroque sonatas employ the use of harpsichord, while the Mozart selections use piano for accompaniment. Originally for flute quartet, the sonata by Mozart uses a piano reduction for accompaniment. The reduction itself is true to the original, although it was not personally reduced by Mozart. As a bonus, two pieces from Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 are included. They serve as interlude between the baroque composers.
Johann Sebastian Bach, a prolific composer, saw himself as a dutiful craftsman. This recording was approached in the same manner. The idea here was to make, as much as possible, every aspect of each performance intentional. The production style for this collection is uncommon in classical recordings. Both the flute and piano parts are heard with exceptional clarity and detail. Also, the treatment of the different genres is unique to each piece.
buy it now at ASR Music Store. You can also find it at your favorite online store.
David E. Gonzalez Genre: Classical: Baroque Release Date: 2013
