Official Pre Bac page

I have chosen to be a composition major; I am therefore submitting 2 original compositions, as well as 1 performance.

Compositions

String Trio, composed August 2020 - January 2021 (duration: 3 min 13)

I had always wanted to compose for a string trio; I love how the violin, viola and cello create contrasting sounds, despite all three being string instruments. 

When I started, I did not have a clear idea of the melody. I only had a vague idea of a few chords I wanted to use. But I was quickly inspired for a melody, too! At first, I mostly used vertical or parallel harmonies. I have never officially learned how to use horizontal harmony or counterpoint, so  I frequently harmonized my melodies with simple chords or simple harmonies with thirds above or below the note.

I showed the first draft of this piece to my music history teacher, who encouraged me to make the melody go from one instrument to the other, and taught me the very basics of counterpoint. 

Later, I also decided to modulate for a very brief moment, to make the piece more surprising and interesting. I kept working on it, until I was satisfied with the result.

The intended style of this composition is a classical piece (used here as an umbrella term, not the musical era).

Les Ailes, composed July 2020 (duration: 3 min 00)

Luckily, despite the COVID situation, I was able to attend a music internship I had signed up for, in the summer of 2020. The aim of the one-week internship was for each participant to compose an original song, as well as to write the lyrics (within 7 days). Each person was provided with specific challenges, which he/she/... had to incorporate into the song. Mine were to use the violin as one of the accompanying instruments, and to use the 'Bm - G - Em' chord progression. 

I quickly came up with the rest of the chord progression, but the real challenge was to add different parts with different instruments. I played the chords on the piano, which form the basis of the song and essentially stay the same throughout the whole piece. I however spent quite some time trying to come up with a melody!

But the real challenge, in addition to writing the music, was to come up with lyrics in French ! French was every participant's mothertongue, which meant that every single participant understood my (rather personal) lyrics perfectly.

I performed this song at a small concert on the very last day of the internship, and re-recorded my voice and violin with my microphone, at home., for the official pre-bac version.

The intended style of this composition is a "Chanson Française" pop song.

Allemande (Partita II) - J.S Bach, performed January 2021

I chose to perform the 1st movement, "Allemande", of Bach's 2nd violin partita in D minor. One of its main challenges is that position shifts cannot be heard! This means it is not possible to shift from one position to another with a glissando, which makes it very tough. Of course, an additional challenge was the intonation. This piece is meant to be for unaccompanied violin, meaning that every out-of-tune note will be heard.

I started learning this piece in November 2020. I first started by playing it in pizzicato, to make sure my intonation was correct before playing it with the bow. Then, I went on to play it with 'arco'. From November to January, I have kept practicing it until I felt ready. I performed it in January, in front of my father and brother, as a concert with a bigger audience was not possible due to the COVID measures put in place.

Research Paper

I have decided to write my research paper about the relationship between music and politics, and how they both affect each other. I have written a pdf paper, and have made a 7 minute video presentation.