Composing in the 21st Century

Song in A minor 1.2

Still nothing on my big news yet, but in the meantime managed to finish another track.

The decisive meeting was supposed to have been last week i.e. Sep 19th by the latest.

I am basing this on an email stating "we hope to hold the final meeting next week" (2 weeks ago).

I would have received a rejection by the latest, yesterday. However, I ought to have received a contract by today at the very latest.

So, I am now thinking the meeting was postponed. Which puts my chances back to 50/50.

Yet another night's sleep lost waiting for this contract to land. Closed my eyes for maybe 3 1/2 hrs last night. They have no idea of the torture I am undergoing right now.

Could still all end in rejection in which case I'll have the consolation of being famous for being a Piano Teacher in Edgware!

I have only been waiting a mere 10 months for this news and they do say patience is a virtue.

I've been waiting 10 months for this big news, so I guess another 1 to 14 days won't kill.

What is the news? Secret, but it would be the biggest break of my life (so far).

As it stands at the moment:

The decisive meeting was meant to be last week.

If this meeting took place, guaranteed I have the contract and they are drawing it up right now (or very possibly my work has been sent to USA for a final vote).

If the meeting did not take place everything is still 50/50.

The chances are either 1 or 2 in 3,000.

If my work had been rejected (from last week's meeting, if there was a meeting last week!) it surely would have 'landed' by Sat/Mon/Tue/Wed.

"Chasing" email. Why don't I just send one? Can't do that as I've already chased them twice and it might antagonise them!

Who will I be working with in Switzerland?

Ans. The band "We Are Dust" featuring Jessica Knoll (pop vocalist, songwriter) and Mike Turtle (composer, arranger, keyboard, drums, bass etc.)

Here is a link to hear some of the music that they've already produced without me!

http://tinyurl.com/3fy9zr

If you like that page, here is another:

http://tinyurl.com/53u5wu

Here's the latest song for the Switzerland album produced here as a Piano solo.

direct link:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M0LrnJubl1E

News has been happening very quickly over here.

Thanks to FaceBook I am now back in touch with an old School colleague who is a professional lyricist.

It appears I have now completed my checklist of requirements to enter the pop world with some clout:

lyricist
singer/band
drums
bass
arranger/producer

The above skills/disciplines were previously stopping me from writing pop music (for the last twenty-odd years).

With all of the above skills, you might well ask what my contribution is!

The answer to that is that I specialise in harmony and melody - in other words, chords and tune (which are fairly critical when it comes to songwriting!)

How fast can I write these chords/tunes?

As I am writing them, I am putting them up on YouTube, except I'm not quite managing to keep up.

I am in fact four songs ahead composing wise compared to YouTube Piano performances.

This will hopefully be rectified tomorrow morning when I've pencilled in a few hours for immortalising my latest songs on the ivories.

Alongside all of this, I am waiting for two big pieces of news on the Classical front.

a) The release of Piano Colours [Meridian label] - a CD comprising 100% of my own compositions for Piano, performed by Louis Alvanis (concert pianist).

b) The 'biggest news of my life' which is still 50/50 at the time of writing and is to do (largely) with the Classical world.

I am trying to catch up with the whole history of pop music in 10 weeks!

YouTube direct link:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ylI0S1v9B3k

Just catching up with my history of pop today! I am probably not the only person who rates Freddie Mercury as the greatest pop vocalist of all time! Here he manages to outsing one of the world's leading Opera stars!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B0JZ_Kh6SFE

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CbBoKSDH9qY

Reykjavik Postcard

Reykjavik Postcard - the latest original pop composition in the set.

Another two of my pop piano pieces with postcard titles are up on YouTube today:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTHPk5RLzk

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UzYjgeVjun8

In spite of being under quite a bit of stress with matters unrelated to music, I managed to put up another video for YouTube today.

It is amazing working like this. Compose a piece for piano, record it, all on the same day. Put it up on YouTube, start getting feedback.

It wasn't like this back in the day!

At this rate, I could write 100 piano pieces a year with ease. When I think I was working away at my Jazz Symphony from 2002 to 2006 it kind of puts things into perspective!

Full link coming later - temporary link here:

http://uk.youtube.com/user/FeBlandMusic

I entered the YouTube daily music chart at #94 for the first time today after being on their site for three months.

Within an hour I had moved up to #86.

Someone is obviously having a little game with me today, because I am currently in the No.69 position.

http://uk.youtube.com/user/FeBlandMusic

I have just made it into the top 100 on YouTube!

After 3 months of uploading music videos I have achieved my first YouTube 'honour' making the daily chart at position no.94

Considering this covers the whole world and every genre of music, it's a pretty good start!

http://uk.youtube.com/user/FeBlandMusic

stop press - think I've just gone up to #86 !

Updated bio for YouTube (link below).

FeBlandMusic starring Jonathan FeBland Composer/Piano

FeBlandMusic

Style: Classical
Joined: 22 May 2008
Videos Watched: 566
Subscribers: 8
Channel Views: 313

Piano and other related music either Composed, Performed or Conducted by Jonathan FeBland.

Jonathan FeBland trained at the Royal Academy of Music, London (1978-1982). His music is published by Universal Edition. Although he is thoroughly Classically trained, he composes in styles ranging from contemporary serious to light/educational "classical", jazz, new age and pop/rock. Almost 200 of his compositions are visible and audible at Sibelius Music dot com. In all he has composed about 600 compositions which have been played in great concert halls, used for educational exams, recorded on CD by artists such as Deborah de Graaff, Trio B3 Classic and Louis Demetrius Alvanis and "real print" published by Universal Edition (UE).

Further (more serious) information about this Composer can be found at www.febland.net/ which (when working) links to 22 major music and other creativity websites around the internet.

Record Label: Meridian Records
Label Type: Major Label
City: London
Hometown: Edgware
Country: United Kingdom

Website URL: http://www.febland.net/

YouTube link:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=14jI6oCyq5c

There's a long story why this is "hands only". I am doing 5 things so I will give the story later!

OK I am free now! Why is this video 'hands only'?

One of my YouTube friends Thomas Andersen in Norway was going to give the premiere of this composition, but he has suddenly walked into a complex agenda and will now give the second performance of it in 6 weeks time when his desk is clear.

I made the close up hands performance so that Thomas could study my hand positions and fingerings and get a grip on the techniques best used for this sort of style of piano playing.

I might re-do a full body version of it in a few days when my own desk is somewhat clearer!

Freitag in Ölberg:
Die Seele baumeln lassen
Das Programm der Saison 2000/2001

26.1.2001

Erich Fried: Ein Abend über die Liebe

Andrea Welte - Flöte
Ingo Schulz - Klavier

Werke von Debussy, Reger, Mouquet, Honegger, Godard, Saint-Saëns, Poulenc und FeBland.

Textlesung: Detlef Berentzen

Just archiving this from the Internet. It's a record of a performance of my 3 Miniatures for Flute & Piano (pub. Universal Edition) given on 26th Jan., 2001 by the flautist Andrea Welte in Germany.

Pleased to note that I was the final item in the concert - this is a great honour as the instrumentalist(s) have decided to end the evening with a flourish!

OK, well, yeah, I had a piece of news in today, but I can't talk about it exactly.

It's one of those, it's either going to be massively good news, or, to put it mildly, incredibly upsetting news.

What I do know is that a decision is going to be made within perhaps ten more days... It's something I've been waiting the best part of a year to hear about and it's at least 50/50 in my favour, perhaps even slightly better...

How big would this news be if it hit?

In immediate cash terms, perhaps not that much, we are talking succès d'estime here.

Let's just say that it wouldn't look bad in the CV.

More to follow then, in about ten days.

On this same point, it seems a lot of things in my life have been 10 or 0 decisions. Is that just me?

This piece is visible on Sibelius Music but requires a complex download. Ask me for more details if you are interested!

To: MO (music organisation - initials changed for reasons of security)

Follow-up message

RE: Money paid into an old defunct bank account.

Dear Sirs,

I already informed you that MO paid my last fee of £271.93 into the wrong bank account.

I used to have an account with the Woolwich 10-80-XX a/c 81000XXX at the address 125/127 Station Rd, Edgware, Middx., HA8 7XX.

Please note 125/127 Station Road is no longer a Woolwich Bank/Building Society at all. It is now a sweetshop.

Barclays Bank took over the Woolwich some time ago (maybe 4-odd years ago).

In any case, I switched my business to the HSBC Bank 7 1/2 years ago on 1/1/2001 - MO was fully informed of this and have been paying me money via BACS transfer solidly since January 2001.

I thought MO was an 'alliance' and therefore expected my MO money to be paid into my HSBC account (I am not quoting the bank details here, but be assured, MO have full details of this account for you on file).

Please also note my full new house address which is identical to before except that it now starts with MOZART HOUSE which is where I live.

OK. What have I new to say in this email message?

I went into Edgware Barclays today and showed them the current account with Woolwich that you claim to have paid the money into, (I think, on Aug 8th ??).

Barclays said "Yes" they did take over Woolwich and checked and double checked and triple checked my account and there was absolutely no record of it whatsoever on their computers.

Reason? I completely shut down the account in early 2001.

Barclays told me that normally it takes about 6 weeks for an incorrectly transferred BACS payment to be returned to the sender (i.e. yourselves). If this is the case, you should no doubt shortly be hearing from them if you have not in fact already done so.

I would appreciate it therefore, if you could send me the £271.93p ASAP to the correct HSBC account which (as I have already said) MO know all about.

Many thanks in advance for your co-operation and for dealing with the various points in this communication.

Yours sincerely etc.

Jonathan CAE 16250XXXXX

Snowy Postcard should shortly be up on YouTube.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm_oyJMsPkA

After approx. 17.45

Review in a Spanish magazine today:

http://www.opusmusica.com/028/trios.html

My bit reads:

El inglés Jonathan S. Febland (1960) se formó en la Royal Academy of Music de Londres. Su estilo participa de diversas influencias como el jazz, la música ligera, la tradición clásica y la música contemporánea. Su English Suite, del 2007, es una curiosa humorada, incluso en el sombrío Adagio con que preludia el Allegro final. Su encanto radica en que al no tratarse de música narrativa, suscita por ello la imaginación del oyente carente de pautas.

Which translates loosely as:

The Englishman Jonathan S. FeBland (1960) was trained at the Royal Academy of Music of London. His style is taken from diverse influences such as jazz, light music, the classical tradition and contemporary music. His English Suite of 2007, is a rather curiously humorous, even in the sombre Adagio which is a prelude to the final Allegro. The delight (of this work) radiates from not treating itself at all as narrative or descriptive music, thereby arousing the imagination of a listener without preconceived guidelines.