Prelude to an Operatic Flute (2020)

AMDG

Prelude to An Operatic Flute (PTAOF) imagines the last hours of a dying family member. It is divided in these three short scenes, and takes place in a room inside a castle fort, built of grey bricks and stone, all in a distant medieval forest land.

MuseScore: https://musescore.com/user/52508498/scores/18122383/s/gNXiSy?share=copy_link
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/karolcpmusic/ptaof2020r24

Below is the story which I have always had in mind when composing.

~ Begin Program ~

Mark A (0:04) Foggy Forest
-Misty and sad theme anxious of death.
-Frightening thought of death.

Mark B (0:51) Thunderstorm
-Uneasy: Last times on earth, the Last Rites are administered.
-Reassurance: Of the others.
-Request of the member not present.

Mark C (1:27) : Sunrise through the nighttime fog.
-Spread of joy, relief.
-Reminded.
-Doors open, and enters the relative.

Mark A (0:04): At the opening, the strings accompanied by a pair of winds and horns announce a misty sad theme. The orchestra re-echoes the theme as the distant orchestral flute rises high until trumpets resolve. We are presented a scene of a dying loved one on her deathbed, surrounded by dear family members. All were anxious of the hour that was near, and the sudden frightening thought of death.

Mark B (0:51): It is no doubt these were her final times and therefore, the Last Rites are administered. A reverence passes over to those present. After the rites, the dying one makes a last request to the priest to see a relative not present. The thoughts of death and grief reach a climax as the relatives grow in worry, until she gently reassures them. A calm follows for a brief time.

Mark C (1:27): Now confident that her wish will be granted, along with preparation for the rewards of eternal joy, she expresses a joy and relief which spreads to all those present. Expressed as the orchestra re-echoes the opening theme. This time, the theme is carried by the trumpet and flute in the background in an overpowering hopeful tone, almost forgetting the first sudden fright and worry the opening. The flute and bassoons distantly recall that this will be the last time to see her family members in that life. As the muted brass sound the doors opening, the music comes to a brief transition into a close, marking the start of their conversation.

~ End Program ~

This originally began as a flute concerto project, hence the empty staff of the flute before I later decided to make this a standalone work. The single flute playing in the score is not the soloist, but in the woodwinds section. I had inspirations from Dvorak, Mahler, Stravinsky, Alma Deutscher (for musical storytelling), and also some from Thomas Newman, Kevin Kiner, and Michael Giacchino.

This also features some of my earliest orchestrations from about four years ago, and I am well aware of some the awkward use of instruments. At the time of composition, I was using the piano roll feature with MuseScore 3 in an attempt to fill every sound space possible with detail, which I will later find out is a bad idea. I am also aware of the awkward meter changes which should have been 3/4, 2/4, 4/4, 2/4, (not 3/4, 4/4, 3/4). In addition, I decided to upload the original score with the custom audio for historical reasons.

Numerous dynamics and articulation marks were applied for the best possible playback with MuseScore 4, though no notation were changed to retain my original intentions. The only change made to the original score is page formatting, and rehearsal marks for your convenience. If you are curious to know how the piece originally sounded, simply switch to the score audio (not the custom audio). Overall, I am happy with how this turned out in) with Muse Sounds, and I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

P.S. The MuseScore 4 score is in the video links.

About the cover art: In brief, the forest image is from an early Blender graphics project, which was made around the same time PTAOF was composed. It is the scene that closely comes to mind at the opening.

Originally composed in 2020, remastered with MuseScore 4 Muse Sounds, and mixed with Audacity in 2024.
Score marked complete on June 22, 2020
Forest Cover Art: Copyright © 2020 Karol C.P.M. All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2020, 2024 Karol C.P.M. All Rights Reserved