Action Piece - Composition Walkthrough Pt.7 - Bars 58-73

The passage starting at bar 58 sets up to lead all musical ideas to a consequential end. The idea of this passage is to not introduce any more new musical material but lead the previously established ideas to their highest energy version.

As always, the full score is attached for cross reference at the bottom of the article, for readability, I will use score reductions here. Here's again the playback of the reduction from below:

https://soundcloud.com/robin-hoffmann/whtsto-bars-58-73/s-Iape0

Bars 58-65

To set up for maximum dynamic impact, I decided to go for a soft dynamic in bars 58-59 without trying to lose the momentum. The rhythmical "stomping" continues at a rather unpredictable rhythm (in spite of the 4/4) in Low Piano and Low Strings. I use a three note cluster consisting of F#,G and A (sourced from the octatonic scale again) to not become too relaxed harmonically. The low woodwinds establish a rhythmically rather static, yet harmonically rather blurry (due to low register) harmonic bed of an F#m(b6) chord. The quarter pulse in this figure is clearly noticeable. I didn't want a clear harmonic impression here but a rather ominous sounding low texture. The choice of woodwinds was deliberate as in spite of their low register, they still provide some definition which I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else in the orchestra. Putting this figure in the low strings would result in a "wooly" undefined low rumble. Putting it in the low brass would be extremely unidiomatic and too fast for the trombones.

In the high woodwinds, I establish another layer in multiple regards. The flutes keep altering back and forth between an Em and Dm triad. On top of the sustaining F#m this would again create a Bi- or rather Tritonal harmonic world. (Again the Dm/F#m would be the "signature chord" of that piece). Additionally to the harmonic layer, there is also a rhythmic layer component at play here. On top the "quarter pulse low woodwinds", the "unpredictable low strings/pno cluster stomps" a rhythmical layer that keeps repeating every three eighth notes is established. So there is also a sense of a rather simple polyrhythm. The third factor is the register/texture which is set clearly apart from the rest of the orchestra making it possible to easily distinguish this layer. The last part is probably the most important one if you want several elements of your arrangement to be perceived individually.

Bar 60 starts the buildup and reintroduces the "octatonic fanfare" from bar 5-16 with a few rhythmical contractions but contourally identical to the first appearance. Even the choice of instrumentation with Horns starting and Trumpets joining in before the peak is as it was in the first appearance.

However, this time the by now very well known and internalized 7/8 "signature rhythm" playing the "signature chord" of Dm/F#  as a "fundamental groove" is added which in a sense brings these ideas that were separated before together.

This groove is from a melodic standpoint the "developed" (or rather "archaized") version of the original rhtyhm (bars 19-24) as it was already introduced in bar 28 with a slight change in the second chord that it keeps altering to in the sixth eighth of each bar which in this case is an Ebm/D (again sourced from the octatonic scale of F#(half/whole)).

The violins provide an eerie glissando texture (which was only partially realizable with samples - I would have liked them to gliss a bit faster back and forth)

The peak of the fanfare lands on a very straight forward Cm chord in bars 64/65, dropping again the low register to give it more impact on its reappearance in 66.

The reasoning for the pretty straight forward Cm was to make the contrast to the following section stronger. It is however a tritone away from the preceding bass note (I'm consciously not saying root note as that was pretty much left in the dark) making it a little "spicier" in context.

Note the dynamic shape of the long sustaining brass chord in 64/65 hitting hard at fp, immediately dropping to p and crescendoing back to ff. Adding such dynamics on sustaining brass has a huge advantage on several levels.

• it adds colour: As the brass instruments change their sound colour so dramatically over their dynamic range, this dynamic creates a wonderful ramp of "fading in" high harmonics leading to  the following section.
• it creates space: notice the descending string tremolos (+ tubular bells). If I kept the brass (and especially trumpets) at a high dynamic level sustaining through this note, it would have been very tricky for them to cut through (in spite of the sheer numbers and huge range they play in) The sudden drop in dynamics in the brass creates a hole that allows for this figure to cut through.

This figure is also rhythmically essential to keep the pulse alive in spite of the sustaining harmony. Closing in on the climax, it is not desirable to let the rhythmical energy drop too low by not keeping the pulse alive.

Bars 66-73

The general idea here was to bring the "signature rhythm" to its peak while creating a "dizzying" effect with super active woodwind figures. The tonality modulates to A as a bass note which again is a "ramp up" but due to the symmatricality of the underlying octatonic scale is the same tone material than the previous F# octatonic scale so it doesn't feel like it's tonally shifting.

Structurally in the rhythm figure, nothing new is established, the alteration between the 7/8 and the 9/8 has been introduced earlier as has the harmony (signature chord plus a few similarly dissonant side stepping chords). It is presented at full force (ff pesante (which means heavily)) with all strings, all brass minus trumpets and low woodwinds, together with timpani and bass drum.

The actually new element here are the woodwind figures. In order to give them a chance to come through in this configuration I put all other instruments in rather low register which also kind of supports the idea of the rather archaic, dark and brutal pounding of these chords. Putting them in higher registers would have resulted in a more brilliant sound which was not really desirable here.

The high woodwinds keep alternating between Fm and Em triads with a few passing chords in between. Particularly the flutes are in a very high register coming close to the upper limit particularly in bar 70 onwards. I wanted an almost annoying, piercing woodwind sound here. The Piccolo at its very highest register is very capable of cutting through a lot of textures with an almost painful quality which is only translated in a limited way in this mockup. This whole passage in the woodwinds is probably the weakest regarding realism of the mockup as the frequencies pile up in a rather unnatural way here. Still, I think the idea comes across.

As a development, trumpets enter in bar 70 in octaves with the first two trumpets playing again at a very high (and edgy) register. The melodic and rhythmic contour reminds of the "octatonic fanfare" mentioned earlier.