How To Be A Composer - BBC Series

[Simusio]

Hey All,

Thought you might be interested in this http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lsylj/How_to_Be_a_Composer_Episode_1/
A BBC Series about a music journalist.... ah wait... I'll copy and paste from the site.. :D
'Journalist, critic and self-confessed music addict Paul Morley embarks on a year-long pursuit to the heart of his obsession.

Morley begins a year of intense lessons and tutoring from one the most prestigious music schools in the world, the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he joins the composition department as an undergraduate student.

This is the first time Morley has been back in education since the age of 16, and it is by no means an easy year as he feels his way through his first lessons on rhythm and notation before finally composing his own music for an ensemble of young virtuoso musicians.'

I've only watched the first one and it was interesting seeing an outsider out of his depth but learning loads. Looks like as good series! I don't know if you can get iplayer out of the UK.... I often can't get videos from the U.S. but its worth a try, might be able to get from somewhere else.

Hope you enjoy it!

[Composer_1984]

I saw this too - was good fun! Although I did feel the academy were heavily directing him towards a particular 'avant garde' style.

[PaulR]

I saw this too - was good fun! Although I did feel the academy were heavily directing him towards a particular 'avant garde' style.


This is the trouble with this type of BBC programming. I watched them both and felt it was on one hand, interesting for complete and utter novices who wish to eventually learn to play an instrument and learn to read music and on the other hand typical northern England left-wing political crap as usual. Avant Garde = left wing, no talent shit.

Actually, I was annoyed because my wife told me it was The Royal College of Music and when I realized it was the royal academy of music and that communist twit from Southport, I was deflated. ;)

[peter5992]

Unfortunately it's not viewable for anyone outside the UK (related to rights issues) - too bad, that would have been interesting to watch.

[OneThrow]

This is obviously a cathartic journey for Paul Morely, but I have great difficulty with this as a program, because this is not how to be a composer. Its how to get everyone to write your music for you.

Paul Morely is clearly out of his depth, and his teachers at various points do not know what to do with someone who should not be at an institution like this.

It was interesting and Paul did get involved with some useful results, not really of his own making.

Best moment was when Peter Mazwell Davis put a student in his place for the use of too long a silence. YES!!! Brilliant! That's how a great teacher should teach!

:D

The whole thing was very superficial.

[ewkarl7777]

"Avant Garde = left wing, no talent shit."

LOL. I've never heard that before. I would hope both left and right leaning composers felt free to write whatever they want.

[PaulR]

"Avant Garde = left wing, no talent shit."

LOL. I've never heard that before. I would hope both left and right leaning composers felt free to write whatever they want.

In the context I used it, that is an appropriate statement - harsh, but probably accurate. There should be no verbal political statements prior to making art as far as I'm concerned. Political verbal statements swaying either left or right as you put it, should be for another platform and arena altogether. Morley is full of shit and constantly playing up to the BBC left wing ethos whatever program he's on. That's fine if you're a self made moron and like all that stuff - but the BBC used to be a politically independent organization - which is what it's supposed to be and now long since gone.

Yes as One Throw states, it certainly came across as someone else doing the writing and that's fine in the way that TV works for the masses. Ironically, this is not a program for musicians as I saw it. It's for shaven headed wanabee morons and northern people should be banned forom the media. I hope the conservative party do something about the BBC - the BBC has turned into a fucking shambles under labour and it needs to be purged.

What is interesting is that at the end of the second program it says that Morley will become a tutor at the royal academy next year. I mean - huh?

I'm taking one of my cats - Bernard - to the royal academy of music to see if he can earn us all some extra cash. I'm confident he'll get a job as a lecturer in keyboard playing and filmscoring there.

[OneThrow]

You'll have to excuse me. :D :D :D :D

[Daryl]

Whilst I agree with the sentiment that the RAM was pushing Paul Morley towards an avant garde style of composing, I can't really see any other option. When a composer has no ability in melody, harmony, counterpoint or orchestration, there are really only two choices; avant garde, or music for media. ;)

D

[PaulR]

When a composer has no ability in melody, harmony, counterpoint or orchestration, there are really only two choices; avant garde, or music for media. ;)

D

Third choice could be have him taken into the square and shot at dawn. :cool:

Fourth choice could have been - send him to a music teacher down the road from wherever he lives, spend a year taking Grade 1 pianoforte - and take a photo of it. Instead of making drivel using BBC license payers money.

[Simusio]

quite was disappointed by this actually, I thought it would be part of a larger series... but I watched the 2nd and final episode this morning. It would have been a lot better if he wasn't in it... and it focused on some students who could actually play music.
One crushing part was was part way through the 2nd episode when he was trying to play a C Major and C Minor on the piano... The game was u for me then but I agree with Daryl - I don't see what else he could have created other than avant garde music.. lets just hope he's not lecturing in composition...

Sorry to inflict it on you all!

[OneThrow]

BBC4, a place you would hope for programs that attempt to tickle the little grey cells.

After all this is what you've got on BBC3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRyW6n5699Q

[michaelshumway]

for the US viewers, youtube has the entire thing.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOBKIRjpLks&feature=related