He Was Despised : sample of near atonal music : by Koerber
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    We were talking Shoenberg on another thread and thought I should post this, one of my pieces out of the early 80s.

    It has some very 'modern' harmonic progressions. Enjoy. I had one soloist sing this a few years ago (On Good Friday), and she did a superb job as the harmonies gave no clues to what she was to sing. It was mesmerizing, and caused a fury from the clergy. I was told never to play it again. :)

    heWasDespised.mp3
    3M
    Picture 2.png
    821 x 954 - 139K
    Picture 3.png
    797 x 938 - 153K
    Picture 4.png
    636 x 668 - 77K
    Thanked by 4JulieColl musiclover88 CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 517
    I guess I'm just odd, but I think it's lovely. If I had the right soloist available to me, I'd use it in a heartbeat. Then again, I've never met a Proulx work I didn't like either, so I guess I'm the odd one.
    Thanked by 1francis
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    I like it very much, too, and didn't know how anything could possibly compare to Handel's original, but this is amazing.
    Thanked by 1francis
  • musiclover88
    Posts: 156
    I love it. Seriously, I can't even put into words how much I love this.
    Thanked by 1francis
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    This is very powerful, profoundly bitter, very sensitive and evocative.
    I can't imagine what your clergy found so objectionable about it. Are they afraid of emotion? There is really nothing at all musically shocking. In fact, as I listened I was reminded of certain passages of Lotti, even of parts of Bach's crucifixus. What is wrong with these men?

    Just one thing - on this and numerous other examples which are offered on this forum we are treated to a most offensively fake tonal phenomenon which does the music no help at all and is really dreadful to listen to. I suppose that one doesn't always have a choir or singers to record, but this what-ever-it-is sound source is pathetic.

    Francis, you should send your work to one of the better publishers.
    Thanked by 1musiclover88
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    MJO

    The sounds are the simulation of instruments in Sibelius (or with mrcopper a higher end program, perhaps Gigastudio or something) and with others, Finale, etc. I know. They are atrocious samples, so sorry.

    As for publishing, someone who (said he) was friends with the upper tiers of the music world wanted to get me connected back in the early 2000s. He died very unexpectedly which was very sad. I thought I was truly getting a break.

    Here was the email he sent me.



    >>>>
    Hi Francis,   Tonight, I went to your website and look and listen your music. I love your music and believe me, you should be published by major companies that publish serious music, well written and accessible to serious choirs that don't want to sing mediocre music like... you know what I mean...  
    <<<<<br />...
    >>>>
    Warner Bros (Lawson-Gould), Warner Bros (Gordon V. Thompson) publish composers like you. Robert Shaw, Roger Wagner, Elmer Iseler, De Cormier, Alice Parker and many other serious composers are published by these companies.You should be one of them. Some of my works are published by these companies under "Roger Wagner Choral Series and Elmer Iseler Choral Series".  
    <<<<<br />...
    >>>>
    I was born in Montreal, Que, in 1941. I am a French Canadian. I have been a professional composer and music director since 1960. I studied music in Quebec, with Dr. J.A. Thompson, Maestro Wilfrid Pelletier, Czeslaw Kackzinski, Jeanne Landry, in France with Nadia Boulanger, Igor Stravinsky and Pierre Max Dubois, in Germany with Herbert Von Karajan and in U.S.A. with Leonard Bernstein. I was a very closed friend and colleague of the deceased Roger Wagner, Elmer Iseler, Pierre Max Dubois and Igor Stravinsky.  
    <<<<<br />
    >>>>
    I still have worldwide contacts and I intend, with your permission, to make your works know internationally by choirs such as: King's College (Cambridge), Regensburg, Leipzig, Roger Wagner Chorale (Jeannine Wagner), Elmer Iseler Singers (Lydia Adams), Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières (Paul-André Bellefeuille; my son) and many other choirs of professional caliber. If you want to contact me, please feel free to do so at your convenience. Truly yours in JMJ,   André Bellefeuille  
    <<<<<br />
    >>>>
    Your Requiem in a masterpiece. I Love it very much. This should be performed internationally.   Truly yours in JMJ   Andre Bellefeuille



    If he was who he said he was, I was heartbroken when I learned he died. Did anyone here know him?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    This is sad, Francis. It seems a loss to you and to all of us.
    Have you considered sending your work to Oxford? Novello? Chester?
    Over here, Concordia publishes some better things, usually more scholarly that any of our Catholic publishers... in fact, some of their things are right out of Oxford. There are other American publishers who print quality music in scholarly editions. Sadly, none of them are Catholic.
    Do take action!
    Send copies of your work to university choral directors, cathedral choirmasters (including Episcopalian ones), anything to make your work known.

    (I looked up Andre Bellefeuille on the internet and could get nothing about him, though there are some recordings of choral work directed by a Paul-Andre Bellefeuille.)

  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Numerous cathedrals and large churches with excellent choirs perform my works including Episcopal cathedrals in the US, Canada and Australia. I was disheartened when I submitted works to publishers as they pay nothing (5% of profits) and demand that you sign over your work. As a result, I self publish on www.MyOpus.com.

    Paul is his son.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Thanks to all for your supportive comments above.
  • dad29
    Posts: 2,217
    Good Stuff.
    Thanked by 1francis
Add a Comment