Classical Music and Stylecopies I made

In this modest menuet I salute Beethoven, having been born 250 years ago now, and all he did for the world and for me personally. 
i ofcourse used a fortepiano. Enjoy.

(Stylecopy by Sipke Hoekstra, also known as 'The Eckmann Family' and Fugitempus. Early Beethoven Period imitation.)

Minuet for Ludwig van Beethoven

Birthday Minuet for Ludwig van Beethoven

Talking Music
	
 	The construction
 	This prelude draws from a technique similar to twelve-tone technique- but only to a certain degree. Whereas dodecaphony rises all chromatic tones to equality, I chose to leave distinct tonal markers in the genome of this piece, in order for it to remain communicating. The choice of material helped. The single 16-note progression upon which material is based, was derived from the already rather chromatic dux of a baroque (so utterly tonal) fugue I wrote around the year 2000. This tonal dux fitted the purpose of a rather strict use in bending, tossing around and transposing utterly smoothly, because of the chromatic aspects of it and almost complete use of a chromatic scale. Retrograde motion, transposition and inversion were used in the context of a traditional formal structure and a free tonal harmonic vocabulary, the balance between tonal and atonal shifting now and then. 
	The piece
	The structural model for Breakdown is the Baroque Prelude.  The principal sequence of notes (called 0) is stated repeatedly, be it at first in ‘cells’ of four sixteenth notes, in a fluid rain of notes. Then the theme appears more or less complete and is repeated in various ways, increasingly interrupted by fragments of itself. Towards the end all material is disintegrating to continuously shrinking fragments that are mixed unrecognizably, deteriorating to a musical void. The piece ends with a sudden and short moment of relived brightness.  
On (a)tonality
	Hopefully this modest addition to the still ever-growing symphonic repertory may contribute to the definitive defeat of the convulsive (and still rather powerful) modernistic view, in which all things should be new for the sake of being new. What wrong lies in the synthesis of something Old and something New? Why completely abandon principals that already proved their merits, purely for the sake of abandoning? And why trying to reach musical goals by solely using dissonances? Or complex systems that possess hardly any communitive properties? Just like light exists only exists because darkness does, consonance and dissonance are the Ying and Yang in music. They are in fact the Ferdinand and Isabella that make our musical realm complete.
	I refuse to understand why music without consonances should be more worthwhile to create, perform or listen to than music predominantly consonant. I think it is out of sheer intellectual elitism that we’ve presumed otherwise for so long. It is time we dare admit that the Emperor is, in fact, naked.
	So, in this aphoristic  musical statement, I have sought to combine tonal and atonal principals, and to bring together old and new forms. In harmony.   

Breakdown is the result of my final assignment for a Berklee Orchestration class in 2022.

Breakdown

Breakdown, a prelude for orchestra, by Sipke Hoekstra (=Fugitempus)

Here's three takes on eight simple chords, combined into one build-up for full orchestra, culminating in a grand orchestral tutti. The sec eight chord sequence is presumably by Berklee's Ben Newhouse, all the thematic and motivic material, including the orchestration, is mine.

Used BBC Symphony Orchestra Pro and mainly Waves plugins.

Eight Chords. Three Takes. One Orchestra.

In this one I orchestrated 8 measures of action material (melody and bass part) presumably by Ben Newhouse, for a Berklee course, Orchestration 2. I extended the material by orchstrating it, creating an intro, repeating the material while building up tension and activity. 

I first made some sketches in Finale, creating the most important front, middle and background material. I also defined the harmonic outlines and a countertheme in Finale. I then imported it in Cubase, where the true magic happened 😊

I chose not to simply repeat the 8 measures but to make a 16 measure section of it. I added a short percussion intro, then a simple yet already active first version of the theme. Then I added a second version of the theme, adding more orchestration, adding up to in fact the full instrumentation of the grand orchestra. I also added more activity here (strings and high woodwinds) as well as a countertheme in the brass. 

I included a vast battery of percussion, made up by percussion from both BBC SO Pro and EW SO Platinum. Both Libs were used for all the instruments as well. (Neither of them is 100% satisfactory, but when they team up they almost are). The rhythms (midi) are mine.

Orchestrating a Short Action Cue

This Pavana originates from a piano suite I wrote in 2009.. The entire suite was composed using a technique similar to twelve-tone technique- but without the atonal bit ;-)

Retrograde motion, inversion, transposition, augmentation and diminution were used in the context of a traditional formal structure and a free tonal harmonic vocabulary, the balance between (poly)tonal and atonal shifting now and then. 

	Inspiration the for Pavana and its primary rhythm  is the Renaissance dance of that name. So working on the Pavana inevitably evoked images of a late 16th century court. This gave me the idea to make the Pavana a kind of tableau vivant, with every variation or version of the theme portraying one or more courtiers. In fact very much like a Lego-set with minifigures, every figure taking its place and role in a miniature story. The story? About a dancing master who desperately tries to teach the courtiers (the old first minister, the astrologer, the jester, murmuring bishops, a bunch of knights joking around, a light-footed princess, heralds – you name it) the Pavana, before the King enters. Will he succeed? It’s all in the score!

PAVANA - a Dance in Miniatures for Orchestra

Testdriving Era II in a Pseudo-Dufay-Ish Motet ('Mon Coeur Détruit' by Fugitempus)

Bought Era II recently and wanted to testdrive it immediately; wrote some 'medieval' things in the past and now I had a chance - finally - to make it sound right. 

This is a motet I wrote in Dufay-style, many years ago. In this testdrive I tested quite some instruments of the Era II library, including a bunch of recorders, bowed strings (viola de roda, nyckelharpa and bass viola da gamba), plucked strings (zither, langeleik and early renaissance harp) and a diverse percussion ensemble. 

Will be sharing more of my Era II exploits soon, but the conslusion for  the time being: like!

Mon Coeur Detruit | True Medieval Instruments | Testdriving Era II

In this short track I created a mediterranean tune, fit for opening a film or series. 
I kept the material simple and transparent. The result is a somewhat hybrid classical/film-ish kinda thing.
Oh; I added a wind machine in the percussion group, not only because I have always wanted to add one, but foremost because I had a 'tempestuous'  association when the orchestration developed the way it did. And: while still being an orchestral instrument, it's also sound design avant la lettre, adding to the scoundtracky feel of it all.
The combined result of music and clips depcits the storms we face, within and outside ourselves - and how to meet them with imagination!

Created with mainly BBC SO by Spitfire and East West, plugins mainly by Waves.

La Tempesta

Description in music of the dramatic events occurring on June 8th of the year 793 AD: the first recorded Viking raid. Immediately a brutal one as well, because subject was Lindisfarne, a small island solely inhabited by peaceful, unarmed monks. Most got killed, the rest wounded and/or enslaved. Captivating events, that I wanted to turn into a captivating soundtrack.

First you hear the monks sing a gregorian-ish theme (mine), while a omental whispering crescends. Musical instruments take over the theme, the tempo increase -alarm! An atonal, cataclysmic climax resolves into oblivion. Or - does it? Perhaps the whispers now heard, are the same as the ones already there in the beginning? 

I used East West SO and SC, BBC SO, ERA II and several other 'contemporary' vst's, as well as plugins mainly by Waves.

LINDISFARNE 793 AD

After having completed the reasonably violent project 'Lindisfarne 793 AD' (to be found here as well), about the first recorded Viking raid, I felt the need to use the theme in a totally different setting. One of reconciliation and hope, both so much more needed in the grim times we're in right now. 

Watch the movie I made here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT1MCtvwb-s

Perhaps I will be orchestrating this one in the near future!

I once again used that terrific piano VST: Alicia's Keys, by Native Instruments. A piano VST allready well-dyed-in-the-wool but still very current in terms of warmth, clarity and technical approach. I've been using it for years and will probably continue to do so for many years to come.  

Set up: Alicia Keys' (virtual) Yamaha, by Native instruments! Plugins by Waves (delay, reverb+predelay, compression), Fabfilter (compression) and Izotope (EQ and limiter). 

native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys/alicias-keys/

"The instrument samples come from Alicia Keys' very own Yamaha­™ C3 Neo grand piano. This unique and highly-sought after instrument was built to celebrate Yamaha's 100th anniversary in 2002 and represents the very top of the Conservatory Collection line. [...]

ALICIA'S KEYS was sampled from her own playing, recorded in the artist's own studio under the supervision of her trusted engineer, Ann Mincieli."

LINDISFARNE EPILOGUE | Perspectives on Alicia's Keys part 2

‘Fair Wells’ is actually one of my first ever DAW-productions, dating from 2018, when I was making my first, unsecure steps from notated music to improvised music and DAW. 

Here I let Alicia’s Keys (that wonderful piano vst plugin based on Alicia Keys’ favorite Yamaha grand piano) team up with a small chamber orchestra, containing no more than a solo soprano sax (Garritan Jazzband 3), accompanied by French Horn and Bassoon (both East West SO), low strings (East West SO + Spitfire Appassionata strings). 

At the core of this short atmospheric piece lies a live improvisation. The rest was added later on. Plugins are mainly by Waves, Izotope and Audiaire.


native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys/alicias-keys/

"The instrument samples come from Alicia Keys' very own Yamaha­™ C3 Neo grand piano. This unique and highly-sought after instrument was built to celebrate Yamaha's 100th anniversary in 2002 and represents the very top of the Conservatory Collection line. [...]

ALICIA'S KEYS was sampled from her own playing, recorded in the artist's own studio under the supervision of her trusted engineer, Ann Mincieli."

Fair Wells | perspectives on Alicia's Keys part 3 (with small orchestra)

The Frysk Jeugd Orkest won the First Prize of the National Competition of Youth Orchestra's of the Netherlands 2015, partly by performing my symphonic poem 'Saga.' 'Saga' was commissioned by the orchestra in 2013. 
The work is published  by Highland Music in Amsterdam in 2014. 

Saga | soundtrack to the life of a forgotten hero [Live performance in De Doelen in Rotterdam]

Mijn Hart Was Toegevroren

In Memoriam Ate Wiegers Hoekstra

XVIII Shall I compare thee

This is my Soundcloud, welcome on board!  Some of my most recent works can be found here. Enjoy! Want to hear some of my composing ancestors? Check out www.soundcloud.com/eckmann #HOAX

Saga | soundtrack to the life of a forgotten hero [Live performance in De Doelen in Rotterdam]

Sipke Hoekstra

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