T. 11--Nick Totten in C Major

This composition marks the first of the compositions I created on the Finale program. My pieces become much more involved because I didn’t have to play all the parts myself in order to hear how the piece sounded. This piece was written to fulfill an assignment in my 10^th grade English class, taught by Rebecca Meyer-Larson. The assignment was to create something that represented who I was. I was excited to take on the challenge of interpreting Nick Totten in music. 

Because I played cello, I knew I had to use that somehow. Then I got the idea to use a lower-middle range instrument from all four of the instrument groups in a symphony. I thought timpani would add a dimension of “epic” and grandeur to the piece. I don’t remember why I included the electric guitar and bass. I guess I thought it would sound cool. 

I composed in a stream-of-consciousness style, measure by measure, bar line by bar line. I started with the oboe, using the beginning of Ravel’s Bolero theme, and took off from there. Everything besides the melody was simply constructed to sound good with the melody, without any thought of chord progression or direction. This was how I composed for a while, and you will see that style throughout the rest of the pieces from the high school period of my life. 

The original title of this piece was “Nick Totten in A Minor.” I knew the key was in C major, but I wanted the title to sound a bit more unique so I named the minor key. Now, with my increased understanding of music theory, I know it is not accurate to call this piece “A minor” because the piece is not meant to be minor but major. So, I changed the title to conform to that fact.