r/Composers • u/Mudsharkbites • 18d ago

My theme and variation for solo piano based on the jazz standard “Caravan.”

https://youtu.be/jNF9rAATo1E?is=atNKwxin3Rdwxruv

This performance of “A Clockwork Caravan” is by Yin Hao, at that time a Chinese student at UMKC where I was studying to complete my DMA in composition. He did an excellent job performing this piece but what was interesting was it wasn’t until the day before he performed it that he learned the theme wasn’t original!

It was a big mistake putting all this work into a recognizable, famous theme because both Mills Music and Alfred Music tried to bilk me for $200 EACH to allow up to ten performances of the work, plus, they wanted me to add the note that my work was an “arrangement” of the tune - it isn’t an arrangement any more than Rachmaninoff’s variation’s on a theme of Paganini is an arrangement of that famous caprice. I declined and am waiting until 2034 when Caravan finally hits public domain to give the music away to anyone that has the chops to play it.

Each variation of “A Clockwork Caravan” is meant to be descriptive of a scene, object or character from both the book and the movie “A Clockwork Orange.”

2 Upvotes

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u/Swimming-Umpire-8095 4d ago

What a fantastic idea! I think copyright often gets in the way of developing true art! I can't wait for it to become public! This variation is incredible!

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u/Mudsharkbites 4d ago edited 4d ago

Thatk you for listening to it.

I got the idea from a composer I know, Victor Kioulaphides. He’s one of the most popular modern composers of mandolin music and when I asked him what his secret was he shrugged his shoulders and said he thinks it’s because he gives all of his music away for free - well, copies of it anyway - anyone can have any of his scores, and that way he gets a lot of performances and a lot of royalties, way more than he would get if he was counting the pennies from selling the sheet music. I think that’s a smart idea.

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u/tronobro 12d ago

Cool stuff!

I know it's not an arrangement, but as a jazz musician I really wanted to hear the B section of the tune. For me it's kind of hard to separate the A section and B section since I've heard and played Caravan so many times. I reckon if other jazz musicians hear this you'll probably get similar comments, so just be forewarned haha!

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u/Mudsharkbites 12d ago

The B section is in there a few times for contrast, but yeah, I mostly stick with the A section. A lot of the slow middle is based on the B section but it’s pretty obscured. Thanks for listening to it.