Embedded Files
MEET DENA!
MEET DENA!
Hi! My name is Dena (She/Her) and I was born and raised here in Ottawa. I enjoy spending time with friends and family, as well as theme parks and the outdoors. I also like to play soccer and also hockey during the winter.
As someone who plays two instruments -- drums and piano -- I enjoy listening to and playing music. I have been playing the drums for 6 years and I first started learning the piano when I was a young child but only decided to go back to it last year! I like playing songs I am familiar with, including hits from the past as well as contemporary music on the piano, and I also enjoy playing rock and jazz patterns on the drums!
Dena's Final Composition
"RETURN FROM EXILE"
Dena's Final Composition
"RETURN FROM EXILE"
"Return From Exile" was inspired by the style of Joe Hisaishi and his music written for Studio Ghibli films. I wanted my composition to have a theme of a journey with a sorrowful, yet triumphant sound. To express this in my composition, I used the structure of ABA' where both sections of A are more quiet with a sense of stability that is then contrasted with the B section. The B section feels like the core of a journey that is being faced with -- and eventually overcoming -- challenges. "Return From Exile" starts and ends quietly but grows in the middle; particularly in the middle B section, there is a call and response between the cello and the violin; this back-and-forth develops the composition forward, adding a sound of triumph as well. With that said, the intro is slow and simple, allowing the music to build and become more complex while using simple rhythms. The outro, however, makes use of the main melody introduced at the start of A but simplifies it further to end the piece with a softer and quieter sound.
The instrumentation uses primarily string and wind instruments with piano, violin, cello, harp, and flute, which gives the piece a more calming and natural sound. Because the style of this piece was intended to mimic the style of Hisaishi, the instrumentation is simple but rich with texture, as well as diverse but fitting with the theme.
My intention with this composition is to evoke a victorious feeling of overcoming. For my audience, I want them to listen for the call and response in particular between the cello and the violin during the B section. I also want my listeners to note the layering of instruments as they build and diminish to help intensify or richen the composition as it evolves.
For your best listening experience, we highly recommend using headphones!
Dena_Return_From_Exile.movDena's Reflection on the Final Composition
Dena's Reflection on the Final Composition
What are your thoughts on having Joe Hisaishi specifically as a reference for your work? How did having his music in mind affect your own compositional decision-making? In what ways do you think you were successful in capturing his style in your composition?
I think having Joe Hisaishi in mind while writing was able to help me when starting out my composition because we talked about some of the characteristics of his pieces such as his spread out chords. Having his style in mind affected a lot of my decisions while composing. I slowed the tempo as his pieces tend not to be super fast or build to a more upbeat tone as the piece progresses. I also had to edit out a lot of 16th notes out of my original melody as his style has less complex and more simplistic rhymes. I think I was able to capture his style in my music through the piano chords specifically in the intro and outro. They were rolled, spread out over many notes, and held for long durations with a slow tempo.
What are some things that you did not foresee? Why do you think some of these turned out differently than what you intended or expected? How did you deal with this?
I did not foresee the amount of problems my chords would bring up. I think this is because I wrote them on paper, so when they played out loud with the melody after everything was written out there were multiple repetitive problems and inconsistencies with them. To deal with this I reworked my chords to fit the melody and also changed my original part “B” to my part “A” because it worked better with its chords and also had a more introduction and starting, main melody sound to it.
What worked well for you and therefore is something you would do again in the future?
I think changing instrumentation to add variation to different parts or sections works well for me. I also think adding more instruments and layering them on top of one another gradually adds more texture and growth to the piece. I liked having an intro and outro as well and thought it helped introduce the composition effectively as well as end the piece in a satisfying way.
What did NOT work well for you and therefore is something you would do differently in the future?
I think in the future I am going to start writing my composition by writing out my ideas for the melody and then writing my chord progression around that. I also think that I am going to input what I have into the Sibelius sooner in order to hear it out loud and make changes earlier on in the process.
Other Highlights from This Year
Other Highlights from This Year
Lights_Out.m4vHORROR SHORT FILM SCORE
HORROR SHORT FILM SCORE
This is a composition scored for the horror short Lights Out, written during the Halloween season in October, which has a spooky sound and feeling to it.
I added layering of instruments to add tension and suspense to the composition. I also used the lack of sound or abrupt stops to build intensity and wonder as well. Because the composition was written alongside the short film, the music was written to best fit and accompany the video and its contents.
SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE
SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE
This is a Rudimental Solo performed by Dena Yousuf.
Dena_Solo.m4vOther Highlights from Last Year
Other Highlights from Last Year
Dena's Final Composition
"TIPTOE AT TWILIGHT"
Dena's Final Composition
"TIPTOE AT TWILIGHT"
"Tiptoe At Twilight" is a mysterious and ominous piece in a contemporary classical style. The oboe and bassoon play the melody and the piano plays the harmony while the double bass plays the lowest voice. The form of this piece is ABA'CA"D, which intentionally repeats A with variations to add more intensity each time before eventually returning to the main theme. I was inspired by the "Funeral March of a Marionette" by Charles Gounod, which was used by Director Alfred Hitchcock as the theme song for his mystery television series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". His catchy theme song was interesting and evoked a mysterious mood overall. The reason this piece is entitled "Tiptoe at Twilight" is because parts of the piece sound like someone creeping around in secrecy while the rest of the world is asleep, evoking this feeling of mystery. This composition progressively gets more intense and louder to create more chaos and confusion. I hope that this special composition of mine can keep the listener guessing throughout the whole so that they can exercise their own imagination.
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