drakolan

I have a 1997 Ford Tempo (automatic) and last night the gas pedal stuck. I had to pull it back up with my foot to get the car to finally stop and slow down. After testing it a bit, there is a slight bit of resistance and when you push past the resistance is when it is sticking. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this and how to fix it? (As well as a general estimation on repair costs)

Looking for some more chant melodies to use in a piece I'm working on, any help would be great.

I mean there are obvious examples... Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin, and Scriabin's Poeme of Ecstasy, but how much of a role DOES sexuality play into the composition of classical music? What are pieces you find particularly sexual?

So I was digging through some of my old student pieces (I do from time to time to look for ideas that can be salvaged) and came across this chant melody that I used as a Cantus Firmus for a piece, but no where in my notes for the piece do I list -what- chant melody it is. So, I'm turning to the Yahoo answers community, I'm not sure if durations are correct but this is the purest form that it appears in the piece (obviously I isolated it completely from everything else going on)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kwmCi7R3Wg

As you probably know, Mr. Babbitt passed away a little over a month ago. While I was never a huge fan of his musical offerings (Though, I will admit some resonate with me), it's more his ideas presented in 'Who Cares if You Listen?" that have plagued my mind for years.

Babbitt argues that the isolation of composers to academia and obscurity is beneficial, because it allows them to truly delve into the abstract and create. This however isn't the point I wish to discuss. He places the acceptance of these abstractions not as the responsibility of the composer, but as the responsibility of the performers and listeners.

Let me explain, Delicious Manager (You all know him, he's on here quite frequently) posted a question (that has mysteriously disappeared) where he posted the Kalevi Aho Clarinet Concerto. I was enthralled by the work, but couldn't help thinking that in the hands of a different clarinetist, the work could easily be a jarring noise, rather than the beautiful work it is (I'll post links at the end as a reference point to a well interpreted piece that is chock full of extended techniques and dissonaces). I personally know 3 clarinetists that this is likely within TECHNICAL reach of, but only one of them -might- be able to interpret it in such a way that it becomes music rather than a train wreck.

So I ask the Yahoo Answers community, was Babbitt correct on this point? Is part of the issue with performing modern works a failure of the PERFORMER to interpret them in a meaningful way? Does the current standard of musical instruction leave performers ill-equipped to interpret contemporary works?

Links to the Aho piece:

I. Tempesto - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7yxTgH0htE

II. Cadenza - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zdnOTaRI8U

III. Vivace - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of2Gfonb860

IV. Adagio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-36KDz9aVMw

V. Epilogo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9qMvjPGCKU

I've been asked to write a string quartet, and unfortunately strings are the group of instruments with which I have the LEAST personal experience (being a woodwind player myself). This being said, I do have at least a little working knowledge and a pretty solid idea for the piece, except I want the cellist to do single 16th note tremelos at Quarter = 128 for quite awhile it seems. Is this feasible in terms of stamina or should I find another solution for the sound I'm after?

This question has plagued me for some time. Should the works of Mozart, Beethoven, etc., hold the place they do in the concert hall? Personally, I find their music to be a direct reflection of their time. While masterfully crafted and important to the historical development of music, the themes presented seem to be out of step with the human condition today, and the constant hammering away of these works only isolates the classical musician further into the halls of academia. Also, the prevalence of these works seems to box in the modern composer, where a work may only receive a handful of performances before being retired to the box in the basement in favor of programming the New World Symphony yet again.

How do you feel? Why or why not? I'm looking for an intellectual debate on the subject, not a blathering rant on how Mozart was the greatest composer of all time.

Tonic - I, iv, iii (rare), IV64

Subdominant - IV, I6, G6, FR6, ii, N6

Dominant - V(7), V7+5, bII, vii

T.S. Eliot died in 1965, however his epic 'The Wasteland' was written in 1922. The copyright laws are a bit confusing so I can't figure out which to go by in this case.

A few years ago, I ran out of money while going to graduate school. I took on a part time job and a full time job, in addition to attempting to attend class full-time. Things went from bad to worse and I wound up losing my loans and scholarships due to my GPA falling below acceptable levels. Now that I'm a little more financially stable, is it possible any graduate program will even look twice at me if I try to go part time?

I need to find some classical composition contests but I am having very little luck finding any online. Does anyone know of any websites that have a list of current calls/competitions?

The entire arm is off and needs to be replaced. I have the part but can't get it past the power steering pulley wheel. It's a 2.2 liter engine. How do I get the piece in there?

I've taken my truck to the mechanics to get the electrical system fixed twice now and have paid over $500. The first time they claimed it was the battery cable, the second time they swore it was the alternator. My vehicle is dead again with absolutly none of the electrical system starting up. What should I do?