Dogs Galumphing in the Snow
Amused by the videos people have been posting on Facebook (due to the recent weather) of dogs galumphing in the snow, I've written my own sound track.
There are two videos below, the first with the dogs galumphing, and the second a follow along score. There is some more description and background to this music at the bottom of the page.
We had just had a lot of snow in the UK and I was amused by the videos people were posting of dogs leaping about in the snow. So I wrote this piece (initially without the video, just the idea of the video or something to do with larking about in the snow generally) then discovered it fitted the video almost exactly. It was also inspired by this piece: https://soundcloud.com/peter-j-felice/waltz-of-the-ladybird-beetles-2010 and by my recent purchase of the noteperformer plug in for Sibelius which I am using here and makes for a very realistic orchestral sound (I particularly like the bite of the brass and the power of the strings).
Although I had this video in mind, I didn't consciously write it to fit the video, rather I just wrote the music as I liked then saw that nearly by accident the following passages seem to fit the video perfectly: The soft tam-tam where the dog at the beginning faceplants into the snow and stays still; the build up to the dog's leap into the snow at 0:07, the emphasis where the dog falls in at 0:12; the climax with the rough and tumble at 0:19; the low string rumble where the video shakes at 0:22; the high trumpet with harmon mute for the crazed leaping dog at 0:25; the solo violin imitation for the dog's tail poking out of the snow just after that; the flute accent just when the next dog jumps on top at 0:29; the slightly sweeter music for the unsure little dog around 0:36; the leaping music where the dog starts leaping at 0:42 and then trailing off to high notes with celesta and glockenspiel as the dogs romp off into the distance. So it looks like I've written this to follow the video, but it was a happy accident (or maybe I was doing it subconsciously if that is possible?). Alternatively maybe we make what we hear fit what we see?
I would have liked to have made it longer but I only had a Friday evening and part of a Saturday free to write it as the thaw was starting, so had to keep it short to post while it was still topical locally. I might do a longer version in preparation for the next big snowfall. Snow's virtually gone now as I write. Damp slush is not very inspiring for a piece, but that could be an interesting challenge - pieces about slush or drizzle, overcast and a bit chilly - typical British weather...