Album: Bach/Glenn Gould/ The Well-Tempered Clavier: Preludes and Fugues, Book 1 (Preludes and Fugues 9-16)
Label: Columbia Records
Year Released: 1964
Composer/Artist: Johann Sebastian Bach (composer), Glenn Gould (pianist)  
Genre: Classical (Baroque), Piano

When I began this blog series about audio recordings in my collection, I initially planned to avoid featuring classical music albums. My reasoning for that stemmed from what I had discussed in previous blog posts: mainly, the glaring problems with classical music and cultural (mis)representation. I also had to consider that I would be severely limiting my audience if I only focused on that genre. Also, from my perspective as a composer, it helps to gain exposure to multiple popular music genres: many of which adhere to formal structures and break social stereotypes. It is with those contexts that I approach this current discussion. The music may derive from an older time period associated with "classical" music, but the unconventional way that it is performed links it to the twentieth century.

The Well-Tempered Clavier: Preludes and Fugues, Book 1 (Preludes and Fugues 9-16) serves as part of a multi-volume series of keyboard music by Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), as played by Canadian pianist Glenn Gould (1932-1982). This is not the first time that I have heard these pieces on audio recordings. I have heard these pieces on the 1984 Andras Schiff  double CD compilation (and and his interpretation of the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier). Things take a markedly different turn with how Glenn Gould performs Bach when compared to other interpretations. Listening to "Prelude and Fugue 9-16" on the vinyl record, I noticed the following: 
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1) Choice of tempi—Gould takes certain preludes and fugues at either faster, or  slower tempo markings than initially prescribed in the scores.
 
2) Pianism—Gould takes some liberties with these pieces by preferring to use a detached style of playing: incorporating legato and staccato in unexpected areas.
 
3) Humming— Yes, humming. That characteristic can be found in many Glenn Gould piano recordings. This  Bach album is no exception. Upon first listen, the humming sounds like mistakes on the album that the recording engineer forgot to remove. That aspect of the album is intentional, though. Glenn Gould would frequently hum along with the music throughout his recorded performances. (I recommend using headphones when listening to his recordings, because people can get a better grasp of what I mean.). While traditionalists might scoff at that technique and allude to its distracting nature, it also demonstrates that Gould was able to break the strict rules of piano performance etiquette. By humming while playing, he was able to feel the music. In this respect, audiences do not just hear an interpretation of Bach. They get to experience it through the musical process by the performer. It should also be noted that the legacy of Glenn Gould and his recordings (which range from his interpretations of music by Bach, to the twentieth century with composers like Alban Berg and Paul Hindemith) are currently preserved online through a commemorative website and social media platforms.
 
I should also add one important detail concerning this specific Bach album and acoustics. The Glenn Gould recording of “Prelude and Fugue 9-16” from Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier functions as a performance of music by Bach for more contemporary audiences. Gould plays the music on a modern piano that uses “equal temperament” tuning, where the octave is (theoretically) subdivided into twelve semitones. That approach might work well for  piano music from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but it does not work for keyboard music written before the twentieth century. The fault does not lie with Gould, but in the incorrect tuning system. Michael Rubenstein has illustrated through mathematics that “well temperament” signifies a completely different tuning system than “equal temperament.”  Well temperament (sometimes called "unequal temperament") tries to solve the glaring problems with certain intervallic divisions (thirds and fifths) and key limitations of “meantone temperament” by offering more sonic possibilities and musical key options based on the “Circle of Fifths”). Equal temperament subdues those sonic possibilities by (unsuccessfully) trying to evenly divide the octave. When it comes to interpreting older keyboard pieces (including repertoire from the Classical and Romantic eras), some musicians prefer more historical accuracy by applying the “Thomas Young” well temperament from 1799. While Michael Rubenstein does discuss this type of keyboard tuning, I find it more beneficial to hear the differences between this and equal temperament. Those looking for more information about different acoustical systems should consult How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (And Why You Should Care) by Ross W. Duffin.

Album: Children of Sanchez
Label: A&M Records
Year Released: 1978
Composer/Artist: Chuck Mangione  
Genre: Film Score Soundtrack


Today, we are going to take a look at Children of Sanchez (no relation) by jazz flugelhorn player, keyboardist, and composer Chuck Mangione (b. 1940). This album functions as music to the 1978 film adaptation of the Oscar Lewis anthropological novel The Children of Sanchez (1961), but with with a slight change in time period set in 1968 in the film version. Both the book and movie examine thematic materials concerning family relations, poverty, and class struggles in 1960s Mexico.
 
To offer some context regarding the film, directed by Hall Bartlet, The Children of Sanchez provides a series of glimpses into the daily lives of Jesús Sanchez (played by Anthony Quinn) and members of his family in Mexico City. At times the film can prove difficult to watch due to multiple factors: the slow pacing, strange lighting choices, and the frequent moments of palpable dramatic tension: especially scenes involving the strong-willed and independent-thinking Consuelo versus the belligerent nature of her father Jesús. Sympathizing with some of the characters also presents a challenge given that some of them express distasteful social behavior. Jesús, for instance, is presented as a father who tries to provide for his family as he struggles to win the Lottery so he can build a house and get his family out of poverty, At the same time, though, his physical abusiveness via machismo and philandering antics serve to diminish his sense of humanity.
 
Concerning the music that accompanies The Children of Sanchez, the soundtrack consists of fifteen tracks on two records (four sides) and lasting over eighty minutes (The digital version of the soundtrack, based on the CD reissue, features two "discs"). In terms of musical style, the album technically functions as jazz with Latin American elements. Listeners get treated to acoustic guitars with Spanish-sounding riffs, brass, percussion, and dotted rhythms: especially in the opening  “Children of Sanchez Overture.” Because Children of Sanchez also works as a Chuck Mangione album, the soundtrack showcases his improvisatory skill with the flugelhorn. Another component that also helps to complement the film stems from how Mangione incorporates religious symbolism. Some of the lyrics that appear on the album directly refer to Biblical passages or Christian Catholic  prayer, such as in the vocal opening to the “Children of Sanchez Overture,” Pilgrimage, Part I,” and “Pilgrimage, Part II.” This makes sense because the film also incorporates religious symbolism: not just as irony in character development, as with Jesús Sanchez.  The film presents viewers with scenes of sacred social customs (from the presence of the Catholic Church/Mass, to the incorporation of Indigenous-- and African-- Spiritism through root medicine ceremonies) and vitriolic commentary on religion from the perspective of the impoverished.
 
Based on the liner notes to the album, the music heard on Children of Sanchez took Chuck Mangione three weeks to complete at the request of Hall Bartlett. Bartlet contacted Mangione in 1977 right after his promotional tour for the Feels So Good album. Children of Sanchez presents an interesting approach to film scoring. There most certainly are themes included on the soundtrack, such as the slow and mellow “Consuelo’s Love Theme” to the more fast-paced Latin jazz tracks like “Hot Consuelo” and “Market Place.” What differentiates Children of Sanchez from other soundtracks, though, stems from how Mangione intentionally wanted the tracks included in their original forms. That means that the improvisational sections from Mangione include moments that some listeners could interpret as aural mistakes on the records. It also means that some of the album tracks extend well beyond the three-minute mark:

• “Children of Sanchez Overture”—14 min., 7 sec.
• “Consuelo's Love Theme”—17 min., 4 sec.
• “Medley”—8 min., 20 sec.
• “B’bye”—8 min. 27 sec

Children of Sanchez  has its share of positive and negative traits. Like the accompanying film, the soundtrack exposes people to Latin American music culture. Also like the film, it calls into question the frequent problems associated with representation and creative ownership. Even though the film does have Mexican American actors, like Anthony Quinn, some viewers might be perturbed by how all of the characters only speak English instead of speaking in Spanish or a bilingual format. The same could be said for parts of the soundtrack that incorporate lyrics, because they also only apply English. In critiquing the tense relations between Mexico and the United States, The Children of Sanchez also presents the possibility for expressing "Latinidad," which continues to be a problem in the entertainment industry. The way that the music gets incorporated into The Children of Sanchez gives the impression that some of the tracks feel slightly out of place. They often sound muffled or get used as background music. Some could also perceive the music in Children of Sanchez as promoting cultural appropriation or Exoticism, because the musical score was written by someone outside of Latin America. In that respect, some listeners might   take offense with how the music is presented and should approach the soundtrack with caution. Children of Sanchez is readily available on music streaming services, while the film is available through  the Tubi app. 

 Album: Blood, Sweat & Tears 
Year Released: 1968
Composer/Artist(s): Blood, Sweat & Tears
Record Label: Columbia  
Genre: Jazz-Rock

It has been awhile since I last wrote on here. Rest assured, I did not forget about my record collection. Let us continue this exploration with Blood, Sweat & Tears: a rock group based in New York City that incorporates multiple musical elements-- primarily, jazz and (occasionally) classical music. This band must be understood as a supergroup, active since the late 1960s and continuing into the 2020s, with different members over the decades. The 1968 Grammy-winning self-titled album featured the following nine members in the band at that time, many of whom also helped to arrange the ten tracks on this album:

• James Thomas Fielder: Bass
• Steve Katz: Guitar, Vocals
• Chuck Winfield: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
• Lew Soloff: Trumpet
• Bobby Colomby: Drums
• Dick Halligan: Keyboards, Flute
• Fred Lipsius: Saxophone
• Jerry Hyman: Trombone
• David Clayton-Thomas: Lead Vocals

• Of the tracks that stand out to me, let me begin with “Variations on a Theme by Eric Satie (1st and 2nd Movements)"—This track opens the album with an arrangement of the Gymnopedie No. 1 by French composer  Eric Satie (1866-1925)-- who also more commonly went by the name Erik Satie. In this case, Blood, Sweat & Tears focuses on using a fragment of the opening melody and expanding it with flutes brass, drums, and what sounds like a “flange” effect. This piece also serves as a cyclical end to the album, because the first movement reappears as the the final track… with the sound of footsteps (The album credits a Lucy Angle for providing that effect.)

• “And When I Die”—The band experiments on this track with what sounds like a combination between Gospel/Spiritual and Country Western music. The lyrics and thematic material, on the other hand, appear to contradict this musical backdrop and can come off as blasphemous for some listeners: specifically, the overall approach to not fearing death.
• “God Bless the Child”—This is a cover of the Billie Holiday jazz standard—a song which Holiday had recorded several times. The version by Blood, Sweat & Tears is radically different in terms of tempo, vocal delivery, and instrumentation. The pacing is slower in the beginning and the end, with a slight tempo increase at the “bridge” and David Clayton-Thomas sings the lyrics in a soulful manner. The real surprise with this cover comes in the instrumental middle section that unexpectedly incorporates Latin Jazz at a faster tempo. While that inclusion seems rather random and out of place, it somehow works.
• “Spinning Wheel”—I find this track interesting not just because of the incorporation of brass and drums. Like “God Bless the Child,” “Spinning Wheel” also changes the musical mood: specifically, towards the end where the ensemble imitates a carousel, followed by random banter and laughter.
• “Blues—Part II” This track is more like a long series of improvisations with solos for organ, drums, and saxophone. David Clayton-Thomas also sings towards the end, belting out vocalization reminiscent of soul music

Given all those details, can the self-titled album appeal to more contemporary audiences? That depends. This record functions like a snapshot of late 1960s rock music. Those who are unfamiliar with Blood, Sweat & Tears should check out their hit song “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” (also on this album). There is also a recent documentary that explores the musical career of Blood, Sweat & Tears: both the good and bad moments. The band also has their music available via streaming services. One the other hand,  not everyone has liked their music. Some listeners today might also feel uneasy about instances on the album that could come off as cultural appropriation. Again, the best way to interpret the work is as a product of its time.  

Album: The Music from Peter Gunn
Year Released: 1959 (Recorded in 1958)
Composer/Artist: Henry Mancini (1924-1994)
Record Label: RCA Victor
Genre: Television Show Soundtrack

To kick things off with this record collection, let us go back several decades to the late 1950s to one of the most important soundtracks in both popular music and entertainment culture. This soundtrack became the first record to win the Grammy Award for “Album of the Year” in 1959. The opening theme music from this album has been covered by rock bands and featured in the 1983 arcade game Spy Hunter. The record that I am discussing today is The Music from Peter Gunn from 1959: composed and conducted by Heny Mancini.
 
Allow me to give some context before exploring the music. This album serves as the soundtrack to the television Crime Noir Drama Peter Gunn (1958-1961), which aired on both NBC and ABC through its three seasons. Created by Blake Edwards, also known for directing the original Pink Panther movies (which Mancini also scored, among any other films throughout his career), the plot for Peter Gunn is quite straightforward. A police officer and a detective team up to solve crimes. The show is currently available in syndication on the Tubi website and app. I should also note that Peter Gunn is an audacious program (for its time) because of the onscreen violence and mature thematic material permissible in the 1950s.
 
Jazz music serves as the central component to The Music from Peter Gunn. According to the album liner notes written by the show’s creator, Blake Edwards wanted jazz music reflective of modern times (the 1950s) that also complemented the mysterious atmosphere of his drama.  Another interesting aspect of the show stems from how Edwards also wanted the music featured in the program to be performed live instead prerecorded in a studio and dubbed. This point becomes very clear in the first episode (“The Kill.”), The orchestrated jazz heard on both the soundtrack and the show do not present neutered versions of the genre. In The Music from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini uses the jazz formal structure in tracks that often span from two to four minutes. He applies a melodic theme (often called a “head” in jazz terminology) and moments of  shared improvisation in the ensemble mainly consisting of piano, bass, guitar, brass, solo saxophone, and percussion. The iconic theme music that opens the soundtrack and show prove an exception, because it based more on 1950s rock and roll idioms.
 
Does The Music from Peter Gunn still hold up in the 2020s? My answer to that question is both “Yes” and “No.” On the on the one hand, the album could serve as an introduction of sorts to jazz music for large ensembles through tracks like “Sorta Blue,” “Dreamsville,” and “Fallout!” Some musicians might be slightly annoyed by instances that sound like the pattern infamously known as “The Lick.” The also album functions as a sound artifact of 1950s pop culture and could be an acquired taste for a few people. Some parts of the album, like the title to the last track (“Not from Dixie”) would probably raise some eyebrows given recent social debates. I should add that More Music from Peter Gunn (1959), which I also have, functions a companion album that includes more tracks heard on the show. As of 2010, the Library of Congress archived The Music from Peter Gunn for its historical and cultural significance as popular music. Listeners can access The Music from Peter Gunn, which was re-released in 2019 under the Digital Gramophone label, through digital music streaming services. 

Over the past years, I have discussed audio archiving and preservation. I do that because it is a topic that piques my interest, especially when researching the different types of tangible audio recording materials versus digital restoration. Starting this month, I will add new content to this blog that will showcase the audio recording collection that I have amassed in my studio. For those who don’t know, I collect vinyl and shellac records. I became fascinated with that form of audio technology for several reasons. The first was that I listened to records while growing up and still have some of the albums from my parents’ collection from the 1960s and 70s, in addition to other albums that I found or had been donated to me. The second reason stems from reading books like Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music by Mark Katz (2004), which devote time to talking about the impact of records and their overall “warm” analog sound quality.
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Much of what you will see in this record collection covers myriad genres: everything from classical, to rock and pop, to film soundtracks, foreign language/international, electronic, spoken word, and more. Of course, categorizing the collection in such a subjective way is not all that simple. I have found that some of the albums that I currently possess illustrate different musical subgenres. I have many albums of twentieth-century classical pieces that represent different compositional approaches throughout the era (neoclassical, serialism, jazz-inspired, postmodern, etc.). In other instances,  multiple genres collide to form an unexpected aural experience. This has been the case for some 1960s and 70s rock and jazz albums in the collection that combine instances of classical or funk music. To make these posts more interesting (and to spare the audience from boredom), I will refrain from talking at length about categorizing all the records that I have—something that has become a daunting process. I more interested in providing “my take” on these albums, their possible rarity, and whether they are currently accessible to the public through digital formats.   

I have spent the past few days investigating several smartphone applications related to Music Theory. As a composer, I find this process necessary. Music Composition often requires having the capability to explain the theoretical and analytical processes behind writing a new piece of music: not just saying things like, “I wrote the music because it sounded good.” What I found in terms of Music Theory applications for smartphones has presented mixed results and demonstrates good (if, at times, imbalanced) approaches to the materials presented and the target audience. This post will present a short compilation of applications designed to teach concepts in Music Theory. It is not intended as a series of thorough product reviews. My goal here is to briefly address what these apps concentrate on and highlight possible problems. I will focus on apps that are currently available on Google Play via Android phones—apps that I have access to because I use Android. To avoid any future complaints and backlash from Apple users: Yes, I am aware of Music Theory apps on iOS.

Many of the apps that I located and tested tend to discuss Music Theory in basic terms for audiences who mostly have no experience in music, or for musicians who want to strengthen their skills in Music Theory. In this case, this refers to the tonal Music Theory of the “Common Practice Period” (before the rules changed and expanded in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries) through scales, key signatures, intervals, chords, and Ear Training. These concepts can be found in apps like Music Theory Helper, Perfect Ear, and Sonid among others. Perfect Ear and Sonid demonstrate intriguing approaches to Basic Music Theory through gamification: presenting courses and lessons to audiences in a way that feels more like a game instead of academic work. The formatting for Sonid also draw heavy inspiration from the Duolingo language learning app, complete with a mascot (a whale).

These are all fine attempts, but what about the more complex parts of Music Theory? Where are the apps that teach people about Neo-Riemannian Theory, Twelve-Tone Serialism, and other concepts? This is where Google Play could use some more work. While I was unable to find anything related to the chord transformations in Neo-Riemannian Theory, I did manage to find a few resources for post tonal music analyses. There is the DodecMatrix app, which I talked about in previous posts-- and had negatively reviewed the 2018 update. That app underwent another update in early 2021. Despite its flaws, that app allows people to create twelve-tone grids for serial music composition and offers the possibility to switch between the musical alphabet and pitch-class numbers, as well as play back each row in the grid. The Pitch Class Set Calculator and Set Class Calculator apps enable the creation of musical pitch-class sets. They indicate how to properly organize the sets, determine symmetry, and offer lists of lists of all combination of pitch-class sets by chord type, interval vectors, and Forte Number categorization. As many can probably tell from this complex description, those two apps assume that people know how to use the calculators and do not offer visual guides that physically show people what these sets look and sound like.

That last part is, perhaps, the biggest obstacle that I have encountered when looking for Music Theory apps that focus on contemporary analytical techniques. How can app developers present the information to the public in a way that is easy for people (especially, those outside of music) to understand? Granted, I am far from finished with discussing this topic. While the apps that I have seen represent a good start, there is still more that needs to be done. There are more concepts in Music Theory that need exploration in app form: concepts that are necessary to learn in a university or compositional setting. I will, however, discuss that in a later post.

Some may recall back in May when I briefly wrote about El Mes de la Radio (Radio Month) in Puerto Rico. I also noted some dates that could cause some confusion if not clarified, like World Radio Day on February 13 and National Radio Day (today’s date) in the United States. Instead of regurgitating what others say about National Radio Day (that it is a time to remember the creator of the radio Guglielmo Marconi—even though researchers like Allison Marsh find that part of history debatable), I want to take things in a different direction. Over the past few years, radio has gained importance due to the necessity for its historical preservation. The Library of Congress founded the Radio Preservation Task Force (RPTF) in 2014 as an extension of the National Recording Preservation Plan. This task force follows an approach akin to ethnographic field recording preservation through finding, collecting, archiving, and researching radio recordings (specifically rare or endangered ones) for academic purposes.
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Cultural preservation in radio equally deserves attention: both in terms of broadcasting and applying forms of technology through podcasts and Internet accessibility. I discuss this point in my upcoming musicological work on the Gullah/Geechee people in the coastal regions from North Florida to North Carolina. I not only look at how this community of descendants from West Africa have used radio stations (like Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio and WKWQ 100.7 FM) and podcast interviews (like this episode of The Stoop) to educate audiences about their history, language, music, and social customs. They also preserve their heritage by accurately representing themselves to prevent mainstream radio corporations (like the ubiquitous iHeartRadio) from interfering with and exploiting their identities. 

Music has served as a vital tool for drawing attention to social and historical moments. This is especially true when considering the music featured in sporting events like Baseball, Football, and the World Cup Soccer tournament (otherwise known as “the other Football”). When it comes to the Olympics, which most of the world is currently watching, there have been countless pieces and popular songs written for both the summer and winter variants of the occasion. To clarify, “the Olympics” refers to the modern version since 1896 based on the ancient Greek competitions. Rosie Pentreath notes that the first modern Olympics, which took place in Athens, Greece featured the premiere of the "Olympic Hymn" by Spyridon Samaras (composer) and Kostis Palamas (lyricist). Pieces written for the Olympics are often commissioned by members of the Olympic Committee or for televised broadcasts and are intended to convey the strength, determination, and global unity of the competition.

I would be remiss if I also did not include the "Olympics Theme Song" (Bugler's Dream") by Leo Arnaut (1904-1991) and “Olympic Fanfare” by film score coposer John Williams (b. 1932). According to Griffin Harrison, these pieces have been used for televised broadcasts of the Olympics since the 1960s and 80s: the first theme initially used by ABC and the second used by NBC. It was not until the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia that NBC decided to combine the two themes 
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Notice that I said that popular songs have also been written for the Olympics. This illustrates the inclusivity of multiple musical genres beyond Classical. Over the decades, many performing artists have tried their hand at writing songs that attempt to capture the exhilaration of the sporting events: some songs done well, others poorly executed. The Olympics theme song “Reach” by Gloria Estefan stands out to me: in part, because it was written to commemorate the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. That specific event holds a place in my childhood memory, because I remember physically witnessing part of the “Running of the Torch” throughout the state of Georgia while I was  living in the city of Columbus at the time. “Reach” is also a memorable theme song because the material focuses on more than just sports. It is about perseverance and aiming for success and goals in life.    

As the Independence Day celebrations in the United States this year draw closer, allow me to direct attention to music programming for the occasion in the realm of classical music. More specifically, I have noticed a current need to reassess the repertoire by including pieces that logically match the atmosphere of the event. Among the usual pieces performed, like The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa and Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland, one piece particularly stands out from the list: the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. Judith Kogan, Rob Cutietta, and Ralph Graves among others have perceived this orchestral piece as an odd programmatic choice because the thematic material has nothing to do with the United States or the Fourth of July. The orchestral work itself depicts the when Russian troops defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Army.
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If the 1812 Overture does not relate to the Fourth of July or the United States, then why is it frequently played out of context? According to the aforementioned authors, that piece has become part of American tradition through its use of cannons (thanks in part to the Boston Pops Orchestra) and through advertising (because the music is Public Domain). What, then about expanding the classical repertoire for Independence Day? Many over the years have pushed for greater representation of living and deceased American composers from across different racial communities and backgrounds. While some may point to the 2015 musical Hamilton for its casting and discussing the American Revolution, Independence, and the aftermath, that work has gotten its share of negative criticism over the years over its selective approach to American colonial history. Instead, I refer to the efforts to expanding the American classical music repertoire by including different music and composers. Ralph Graves, whom I referred to earlier, presents a playlist of pieces reflective of Independence Day from composers like Joan Tower, William Grant Still, and Adolphus Hailstork.            

Those who have visited this website recently might have noticed something different about the “Contact” section. No, there is nothing wrong with the page. I just needed to apply several necessary alterations to it. Besides including my contact e-mail (for business and networking purposes) and adjusting the pricing ranges, visitors to my site will now see a clickable link to a “Contact Form” that I created through Google Forms.  Today’s post will provide some explanation as to what this form is, why I chose to create a “Contact Form” for this website, and the contents of that form.

The new “Contact Form” on this website provides potential clients with a questionnaire that attempts to help me figure out what kind of music that they need. I say “new” because Weebly has its own “Contact Form” function in the website builder. If that is the case, then why did I stop using that feature? The answer to that question is simple. I got really fed up with getting spammed. I had to remove and replace that feature on my website because I kept getting nonsensical e-mail messages from random users abusing the site.

I have tried to make the questions on the “Contact Form” as direct as possible. Ignoring the obvious segments of the form (“E-mail” and “What is your name?”), I concentrate more on the following:

• The profession of the client
• What they are looking for
• Whether their proposed commission or project is “Safe for Work” (SFW)
• Whether their proposed commission or project offers compensation
• The possible deadline

While many of the choices that I offer in the questionnaire concentrate on “the Arts,” I also draw attention to clients in Business, Education, nonprofit groups, and people who like music who wish to show support. With that said, I also demonstrate more leniency when it comes to free work by including exceptions for nonprofit groups and people who need music solely for educational use. I should add the caveat that it is the responsibility of the client to initially check and make sure that they do not violate any ethical rules by revealing any classified information about their project or commission: specifically, if such information relates to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with a production company. Those who want to know more about that should check out my older post on composing music for podcasts for more tips.