Photo taken in August 2022.
I am currently occupied with the idea of composing very long melodies that still hold their shape and can still be conceived as a single unit of melody, even though they take a long time to complete in performance. Here the skilful and mindful performer plays a big part by keeping the direction moving; keeping the journey towards that final phrase focused and clear. In a recent piece of mine for alto flute and piano (“I only write alto flute parts when I miss you”), one of the two main motives is a 32 bar long melody which take up towards 2 minutes to play.
Listen: https://helgiingvarsson.bandcamp.com/track/i-only-write-alto-flute-parts-when-i-miss-you
I hope to experiment with even longer melodies in the future.
During university composition studies one is encouraged to use ones head, to follow logical ideas, processes and conclusions. This is a very useful skill for a composer to develop and master. But after graduating I felt I had not been encouraged enough (or given space) to also follow my heart, my emotions, when creating my music, my art. I am more and more drawn towards putting my heart, my emotions, my musical message, behind the wheel. My head, my logic, my techniques are still active and working in the background at all times nonetheless, but are more in the role of a backseat driver or a co-pilot. This might sound easy or simple on paper, but opening one's heart as an artist (or otherwise) can be hard. You risk leaving yourself vulnerable. But the reward can be huge. It can be a type of catharsis when you've created something you feel is meaningful to yourself emotionally, and such a creation often translates to other people as well as something moving, true and intrinsically human. You have to give yourself completely to the music. My methodology to achieving this is: You set the music off in the composition process; you create a plan of action, a starting point and begin the journey, but once the music and motives start to take shape, you have to be ready to follow them to where they want to go. You have to listen to them and hear where they want to go aesthetically. If their request moves you, you then take them by the hand and lead them there. This is a highly intuitive process that requires the composer to set the scene by creating lots of material via logical processes, then take a step back regularly to listen, to feel, to connect with the material on a personal level, until a full musical arch is a achieved.