I am in the midst of reading John Adam's autobiography, Hallelujah Junction. At the same time, I am starting a string quartet. These are the thoughts on my mind at this juncture. During the beginnings of the Avant Garde, Adams described how composers went out of their way to try to be so different - splicing electronic tapes, using boredom as a means to an end, exploiting all kinds of timbre, etc. He says he did not find his voice at that time.
So, how different, or innovative must a composer be? Maybe by exploring the wide range of possibilties does one come to find one's voice. As humans, we tend to crave the familiar while searching for the new. Theme and variations. The question for me is, where do I draw that line? How new and different?
I actually think that I like to express the musical ideas inside my head - ideas which come to me while listening to other people's music. I want to express various emotions, or the stuff inside that isn't limited to verbal language. Things I think will have a place in my original compositions are strong sense of pulse - a rhythm that moves forward, modal harmonies with various colors, counterpoint, and a variety of timbres. I would like to learn more about world music and the fusion with western classical music.
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