Fauxharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3 - Finale

Paul Henry Smith — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 04:32:09 +0000

“For the Fallen” - by Andrew Lowe Watson

Paul Henry Smith — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:01:04 +0000

2007 Adagio Composition Contest Finalist
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“Reveries” - by David P. Sartor

Paul Henry Smith — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:59:56 +0000

2007 Adagio Composition Competition Finalist

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“Gridley Paige Road” - by Matthew Quayle

Paul Henry Smith — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:22:57 +0000

2007 Adagio Composition Contest Winner

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Building Beethoven’s 7th - Wii Test

Paul Henry Smith — Sun, 06 May 2007 05:18:36 +0000

This short video shows my first test using the Nintendo Wii controller, or “Wii-mote,” to affect the playback of a short passage. The motion and position of the controller tells the computer to select from among pre-recorded samples of musicians playing loud or soft.

The results are promising, but I can easily see that this approach will have limitations as the music gets more complex. For example, when first violins need to be emphasized and then second violins immediately following them, how will the controller “know” which instrument group to modify? We’ll probably have to pair multiple controllers (perhaps Wii-motes) with multiple musicians and computers.

Building Beethoven’s 7th - Allegretto (complete)

Paul Henry Smith — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:28:58 +0000

This episode presents the complete performance of the second movement, Allegretto, of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, Op. 92. Performed by the Fauxharmonic Orchestra.

(Optimized for iPod playback: The dynamic range has been reduced.)

Building Beethoven’s 7th - Hidden Clarinet?

Paul Henry Smith — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:22:08 +0000

A “hidden” melody in the middle of the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony is uncovered and performed by the Fauxharmonic Orchestra. The melody has actually only been “hidden” in plain sight, for it is clearly written in the score.

2007 Adagio Composition Contest

Paul Henry Smith — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:25:21 +0000

Find out more about our search for the next great sad string orchestra piece.

2006 Contest Winner “Absolutely Dynamite!”

Paul Henry Smith — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:18:47 +0000

A Screaming Comes Across the Sky

Performed by The Fauxharmonic Orchestra,
Conducted by Paul Henry Smith

“Man, this is absolutely dynamite!

You have done a fantastic job of capturing all of the nuance of the piece - the variety of the percussion, the string divisi, the mutes - all of it is here. I can’t imagine how many hours of work went into this. I just want to congratulate you on your frighteningly accurate representation of the piece.”

– David Heuser
Associate Professor of Composition at University of Texas San Antonio,
Winner of the 2006 Fauxharmonic Orchestra Composition Contest.

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Performance of “Awakening” by Ludwig Tuman

Paul Henry Smith — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:41:44 +0000

Like most of Ludwig Tuman’s writing, Awakening, a work for chamber orchestra, resists being easily classified.

Awakening (chamber orchestra)

While composed in an atonal idiom, it contains hints of the classical music of Java, the raga of India, the baroque concerto grosso, and other sources that attentive listening will discover, blended together within a coherent artistic statement.

Awakening is not program music in the sense of following a specific story line. However, as its title suggests, the music does evoke a movement from darkness into light, from dreams to consciousness. Listeners have described their experience of listening to it in terms of an individual awakening, nature’s revival after winter, creatures evolving over eons, and an entire world spinning into the morning.

To learn more about Ludwig Tuman’s background and music, or to view the score of Awakening online, click here.
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