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Ben Clapton

Isn't it odd...

October 11, 2005 at 3:04 PM

Isn't it odd how sometimes you can go through a rough spot of creativity, getting nothing for weeks, or months, or for what seems an eternity. Then one day, a spark, and it floods and something just happens?

That happened for me today. After working rather hard last year with my compositions (I think I did 7 in total), I felt this year had been rather dry, with only my composition for my Church's anniversary being completed so far this year. I had done a lot of work on some other pieces, but it just never came to fruition.

Yesterday, I decided to just sit down at the piano and write down whatever came to my head. Something came, but it wasn't much.

However, today, I found a site with a calling for submissions for a student composition competition, writing of a capella Vocal Ensemble. Well, that was my spark. I had some ideas for a vocal piece a while ago, so I fetched out my ideas, but didn't like it for this one, so I went to my trusty Norton. No, not the Anthology of Music, but the Anthology of Poetry (It's actually my mum's). I just looked through there and found a poem that I liked. Timor Mortis, by an anonymous poet from the 15th Century.

Anyway, the music just seemed to flow out of me - starting from about 5pm that afternoon, it's now nearly 11pm and I've got the majority of a composition completed.

Now why can't I find that spark every time I want to compose?

From Gwen Falconer
Posted on October 11, 2005 at 6:01 PM
Aww, I'm happy to hear! I love it when that happens. Though it doesn't happen to me through composition, the same thing happens to my creative writing. Hmmm, I've wondered that too, why can't we always be THAT productive? But then, if we were like that all the time I think our brain would start to melt.... :) Congrats.
From Pauline Lerner
Posted on October 12, 2005 at 6:02 AM
I'm glad the music is flowing out of you again. i bet it's beautiful.

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