Pageant of the Universe (at last!)

A while ago, I began an orchestral composition of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. The book is set up in a way that highlights thoughts, personalities, and the effects people have on one another. Through this composition, I had hoped to accomplish this interweaving, but I can’t say I’m entirely satisfied yet.

There was a lot of deleting. Especially at the opening. I knew I wanted the alto saxophone to start, with a rhythm close to the speaking of “I will buy the flowers myself.” However, I felt it sounded a bit empty, but the emptiness was necessary for the alto to be heard. Working out the intermingling between instruments was difficult due to the program’s lack of balance in its playback, so I had to cut many scenes that I wanted to delve into more, such as Richard Dalloway’s flower scene, Elizabeth Dalloway’s desire for freedom, and the group scenes (such as the skywriting incident, or Clarissa’s party). This is fun, though. I’ll keep writing until it’s done.

As it is, though, the piece opens with Clarissa Dalloway on alto saxophone. The rest of the instruments soon join in for the introduction as she walks down the street, finishing with a timpani roll. The trumpet starts the fanfare, leading into body of the piece.

Peter Walsh comes in first on tenor sax, with Clarissa joining soon after, since it seems that Peter appears in her mind before she consciously intends to think of him. Then the trumpet fanfare resumes, announcing the motor car, and everyone responds in a Gershwin-like fashion.

My interpretation focuses on admirable Hugh during the motor car scene (not true to the book, I know), and Septimus overhears him and responds. Hugh’s pompous tuba fades and Septimus trails off into his own world while Rezia counters, trying to pull him back.

Next, we enter Septimus’s world. The narrator starts, providing a backdrop before the doctors bring in the madness. Dr. Holmes ominously trods in on first trombone, and Septimus struggles to be heard. Big Ben beats three times, showing Septimus’s feeling that he’s running out of time. Following Septimus’s first outburst, Dr. Bradshaw enters, harsher than Holmes, and Septimus continues to wail. Big Ben returns. As both doctors gang up on him, the narrator joins to assist, but Septimus is too far gone. He branches into his own cadenza, symbolizing his feeling of hopelessness. His cadenza ends with a downward glissando, representative of his fall.

Big Ben beats once more (for Septimus’s time is up) and all characters release a brief cry of mourning. All but three instruments drop out--Clarissa, Rezia, and the narrator--creating the only dynamic effect I could accomplish. Rezia and the narrator fade, but Clarissa remains, connecting to the memory of a man she never knew. Septimus’s ghost supplements Clarissa’s introspections, and the trumpet announces the party. The mood shifts back to the joy of the beginning, and concludes.

Things I learned:

• Musescore automatically groups the notes as if in 3/4 time even though the piece is in 6/8. It is also strongly resistant to change.
•  Musescore’s playback feature doesn’t recognize drum rolls. So you have to expand it into endless sixty-fourth notes.
•  The only way to bring out an instrument’s part in the playback is to use less instruments. And don’t counter it with an oboe.
• The clarinet and alto saxophone sound strikingly similar.
• Dynamics and Rubato sections are arbitrary.
• Don’t attempt to change the tempo in the middle of the piece. It gets confused.

Maybe it would help to find real people to interpret the parts.

Instrumentalists:
Big Ben: Timpani
Clarissa Dalloway: Alto Saxophone
Peter Walsh: Tenor Saxophone
Richard Dalloway: Flute
Hugh Whitbread: Tuba
Elizabeth Dalloway: French Horn
Announcer (of things like limos, skywriters, parties): Trumpet
Septimus Warren-Smith: English Horn
Lucrezia Warren-Smith: Oboe
Dr. Holmes: Trombone 1
Dr. Bradshaw: Trombone 2
Narrator: Clarinet