I thought I would ask opinions on this related topic which these pieces involve.  I am doing some material for a music library, but somehow I am disturbed by the idea of putting out music one is serious about, or feel is personal somehow, to a library.  Is that insane?  Should I have the attitude, just get it out there no matter what?  On the Overture, it is a somewhat "classical" piece so will never make money.  In my case, it will also not be accepted by an orchestra director for live performance, because it is not modernistic and is old fashioned tonality.  They automatically think anything modern must be atonal or the composer is an idiot.  So anything tonal and pleasant sounding is rejected.  So I am doubly screwed there.  On these other pieces though, I have a certain feel for them even though they are simple, and want to develope them into a large suite that will be on CD as a musical fantasy.  So I am as usual agonizing over them.   I would be interested in any thoughts on this kind of Hamlet-style self-torture. Hamlet without the larger-than-life tragic dimension of course. More pathetic than tragic.  

"Is that insane?"

No, but I think the danger is overstated. Let me elaborate. 

I've spent my life in words and music, writing scripts and scores, none of which you have heard or seen, as I am under-accomplished. But by the grace of God and to his glory, I have made a living at it. 

And the most ubiquitous fear in both industries, the fear I have had and observed in others (particularly in their twenties and thirties), is that choice morsels of one's own repertoire will be co-opted, stolen, or under-compensated. At my ripe old age, I can only wish that more of my material would have been treated that way, as the Heculean task of selling nearly anything dwarfs all other concerns. 

So I have come to terms with this artstic dilemma by the culling of the best five percent I have ever done (as best my ears can tell -- and they can't, always) and sending the rest to a library. But this library allows me to keep the rights to my own music. And THAT is a bigger deal that the reflexive protection I feel for personal work. 

More philosophically, Faulkner said, "A writer must kill his darlings." I don't know that renting cues to a library is tantamount to death. But the point is, our work is not as fragile and rare as we sometimes believe it to be. We have more music in us. Our talent is not an eggshell. And the truth of cue libraries is, our work is buried under a bed of atmosphere, dialogue, narration and SFX, heard from the other room at three A.M. So what? It's still ours, still very good, and it still lives to be heard another day in a better venue. 

In the meantime, these libraries send us more money, which we promptly feed under Dietz's office door. Our orchestra gets better, we might steal another day avoiding a real job, and life is good. 

So may you have wisdom culling the right five percent and make the most possible return on the rest. "Cast your bread upon the water...." 

These cues show a welcome, shrewd use of the choir. Sampled vocals are usually "the end of the illusion." But you used the sustains and syllabes so shredwly, my ear went with it. Also, the best orchestration is the developmental section in the third piece, starting about halfway through the track. 

Be aware of a tendency for the ascending perfect fifth. It can be overdone, particularly as a means to launch a melody. Also, you are in danger of harmonic rhythms (change rate and timing of chords) that are too predictable and almost always on the beat. "Barline tyranny," my professor called it in school, faulting my music because of it. I resisted the comment, but years later, yeah, he was right. 

This is talented work. it's better than a lot of cues I've been selling for years. And you were very successful exposing the brass. The temptation is to bury it in a sea of strings, because octave bass -- chorded divisi mid-rage -- and octave violins *always* work. But you showed great restraint, and that with the Appassionata library. (The Appassionatas are the orchestral equivalent of double-fudge.) To keep the brass naked so to speak, and do it so credibly, is a testament to good writing and orchestration. 

What a great post. Thanks, Plowman.

Just one little detail:

@plowman said:

[....]In the meantime, these libraries send us more money, which we promptly feed under Dietz's office door. [...]

Now I finally understand why I'm still poor: I don't have an office, thus no office door either! But wait - where's all that money ...? [:S]

 Thanks plowman, that is the kind of really thoughtful reflection I need. Even bringing William Faulkner into it - a tremendous artist and writer.  Thanks a lot for taking the time to write! 

Sorry about the delay, I have returned from lovely Vienna only a couple of days now, and there has been a lot to do (there still is...).

Very well done William, and I think you went further up the ladder of mixing with orchestral samples. I don't see how you can avoid forever getting performed live, or becoming rich by these very attractive tracks - not so much from music library companies (steady but low income), but from the luxurious and lucrative market of PC/video games. Keep it up! It must happen someday!

 thanks Errikos.  You were in Vienna?  You lucky! 

@William said:

 thanks Errikos.  You were in Vienna?  You lucky! 

He had to. We had some serious talks about his forum manners.  [C]   ;-D

Yes. I feel like a changed man. Tolerant, all-embracing, magnanimous, love-giving. Thanks Dietz [}]

"Tolerant, all-embracing, magnanimous...."

That's Dietz. Some boast of an "open door" policy. Dietz has no door at all. 

@Another User said:

 I've spent my life in words and music, writing scripts and scores, none of which you have heard or seen, as I am under-accomplished. But by the grace of God and to his glory, I have made a living at it.  

  That itself is a great accomplishment!! I only wish I can someday say the same. Now, back to teaching :-( 

thanks Servandus and Errikos and the other brave forumites including Guinness drinkers who give me some listening time...