Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

And there are so many music apps for iPad. If you want to create simple orchestral accompaniments from notated scores - check out Notion5 (though its easier to use on the PC - but much much cheaper on iPad). Comes with reasonable orchestral sounds (you can buy more) - and you can upload to dropbox, etc.

Just do a search for Music apps for Ipad. But Animoog for you is a must (if you are into synths - we know you love Moog).

http://www.musictech.net/2013/04/10-best-ipad-music-making-apps/

But Audacity should be fine for all your audio mixing needs. Gotta figure out that hum/buzz. Lots of folks here will help you there.

Na. I start naming my theremins then all my other inanimate objects get jealous, before you know it I'm naming my synthesizers, then my recorders - where does it stop - when all my dinnerware has names - then the books get cranky - and they already have names. Not worth it. I'll just have to practice harder I guess.

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

Ok. The Laub Canzonetta accompaniments are available now. Also just put up Schumann Ich Grolle Nicht that I had previously played into a MIDI File - output here with the Garritan CFX piano. I'll put up the MIDI file when I get a chance too.

Working on a couple theremin war horses now - Bach Air from Orchestra Suite #3 (string accompaniment that I also had done up a while back). I'll try and get that done for this Sunday's installment.

And then I started work on the Faure Pavan. This one I'm doing up using Faure's full orchestral version (it was originally a piano piece) including the ad lib. choir parts that I'll use some choir samples on. This one might take a while.

I highly suggest anyone that reads music to take a crack at making an arrangement of a piece they like for some different instrumentation and theremin. It teaches you a lot.

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

For those interested, I added the Bach Air in D from his Orchestral Suite #3 (Air on the G String for those that know it by that name - though it's not transposed to be played in that manner). I have two .MP3 files, the first has a "cooked" two measure intro so you can get your tonal bearings and get set before coming in. The second file is the original where the melody begins with the strings. Basically the accompaniment just doubles the Second violin, Viola and Cello/Continuo parts and the theremin plays the first violin part (though I did not add a continuo - as it doesn't really need it for practice). Also added a MIDI file and Score with theremin part. I play it rather slow for practice (still a challenge for anyone).

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

Well, I told myself I wouldn't do this, as it's too overplayed and I'm not that crazy about the piece, but what accompaniment page for theremin would be complete without some arrangement of Le cygne. Frankly I'm much more an L'éléphant man myself and perhaps I'll do that up for those interested in playing in the low register.

Took the Saint-Saëns original two piano accompaniment of The Swan and arranged if for Theremin, Strings and Harp. The theremin part transposes the melody up an octave so it can be placed in the treble clef as I'm not sure many folks here are going to be that comfortable reading the original tenor clef (though I'm sure most people know the melody by heart).  So play it down an octave lower to match the original cello range if you like. Heck - play it up another octave if you like for that matter if you're more into Humming Birds than Swans.

The arrangement could be a bit clearer as I did not do it up in the DAW where I can EQ things better (just a notation program playing here). But it's fine I think for practice - which is the intent. Maybe at some point I'll get around to making a better version.

Interesting how simple this piece is. I never paid it much attention before. The  movement before it (#12. Fossiles) is by far my favorite. Alas, not an appropriate theremin piece.

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

Music of the English (Elizabethan) Madrigal School I feel can be a wonderful addition to the theremin repertoire  (Elizabeth I: 1533-1603). These (usually short) pieces by composers such as Orlando Gibbons, John Dowland, Thomas Campion, William Byrd (more a sacred vocal composer), Thomas Morely, Thomas Weelkes and others writing in the period around 1560-1620 bridge the gap between late Renaissance and early Baroque style. They are typically for four or five voices, though there are also solo madrigals (and many songs) as well for solo voice and predominately lute accompaniment (or possibly virginal, etc). Many have wonderfully simple melodies that will be nice on theremin.

I added a string arrangement of Dowland's Come Again, Sweet Love doth Now Invite. I should do up a bunch of these for lute and theremin that can accentuate the theremin's strength in an intimate setting. Will put up Gibbon's The Silver Swan soon, which is a rather iconic Madrigal that I made an arrangement of a while ago that I can easily reset for theremin.

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

For those interested, I added Tomaso Giordani's (at least it's ascribed to him) Caro mio ben. First published in 1785 - a very well known tune. A rather straightforward arrangement removing the first violin part when it doubles the theremin and I added a continuo realization. As usual, .MP3 accompaniment, MIDI file, and the score and theremin part are there.

In the works are Beethoven, Faure, Gibbons, Sullivan. 

Silly question....is it possible to download the MP3 accompaniments so I can get them to my Ipod?

If I bring up the .mp3 in the player by clicking on the link, I can then right click in the player to save as .mp3.

Rich

Theremin Arrangements & Accompaniments for Practice

Well there's of course The Swan, but for us lovers of early music there's also The Silver Swan, one of the iconic English Madrigals of the Late Renaissance/Early Baroque, from Orlando Gibbons Madrigals in 5 parts, first published in 1612. Original here.

I thought it might be nice to get a feel for what the theremin would sound like with Lute, so I did up an arrangement using the damped Lute sample from  Eduardo Tarilonte's wonderful Medieval Legends sample library that contains all kinds of early instruments (and he recently released version 2 that includes even more). Anyone interested in creating early music MIDI mockups must have this library.

Now I'm not really a lute player so this piece may well not be totally practical for the instrument but I think it gives a good idea of the instrumental combination if you practice with it as I did not try and make it overly complicated or dense when adapting it from the five part original vocal piece.

I posted the theremin part along with .mp3 and MIDI file.

So give that other swan a shot. You may become a fan of early music like some of us here.