#larghetto

It’s a pleasure to be back with Musica in Extenso for a third time. My name is Richard B., on Tumblr as @you-had-me-at-e-flat-major , I’m a music student at the University of Edinburgh, and perhaps unsurprisingly, I’m a composer. The first piece I’m sharing this week is my Septet in F major. I wrote this a slightly neo-classical (though not too neo-) style for 2 violins, viola, cello, flute, clarinet and bassoon. The first movement is a simplified sonata form allegro, the second a lyrical Larghetto, and the third – my personal favourite – is my take on the idea of a “musikalischer Witz”, or musical joke. It’s filled with surprises such as 9-bar phrases, sforzandi and interrupted cadences. At the University, it’s an honour of mine that I’ve been able to join the Composers’ Orchestra, and have this piece played – in fact, it’s being performed in less than a month.

El Hero Larghetto in D Minor

This piece is dedicated to a friend of mine whom passed away far younger than he should have. It is the first piece I've written actually sitting at the piano as opposed to exclusively using notation software. From inception to final form, passed about 6-8 weeks. Experimentation with changing tempo gradually as well as abruptly throughout the song is meant to catch the listener off guard and create a sense of discontinuity-much the way I felt when receiving the news of my friend's death. The piece is delicate, sombre, and fragile, while simultaneously conveying characteristics of strength and confidence many of the traits that made up the complexity of my friend's personality.

The Faceless Pianist