Frans AbsilNews
January 2012: Sezuan video trailer on YouTube
Rehearsals for the 2012 stage production "De goede mens van Sezuan"
(The good woman of Setzuan) by theatre company Spot'70 Warmenhuizen are at full speed. I wrote the music for this production.
Watch the video trailer of this stage production on
YouTube >>
And, by the way, there is an updated 2012 price list for the Fanfare and Concert Band compositions and arrangements (order sheet music, scores and parts).
December 2011: Support my contribution to the "Entertainment Experience" project
Recently, I started uploading film music contributions to the Entertainment Experience project (various episodes). A voting system will determine whether this music (The Framus Experience) will end up in the final version of the movie. If you have enjoyed and benefited from the free content and information on this website, now is the time to support me. Vote [* Stem!] for me on The Entertainment Experience Website.
November 2011: Film Music Tempo Calculation Tool Vs. 2.1
The film music tempo calculation tool, mapping event timing markers to musical beats in fixed tempo, is gaining popularity with film/tv composers. Last month somebody uploaded a demo of this tool to YouTube. An update seemed appropriate; the timing resolution has improved and there is a mapping from frame numbers to time in seconds. Open the Film Music Tempo Calculation Tool Vs 2.1 or see all available tools in the Document Archive >>
October 2011: Photo movies and theatre music
A set of short photo movies with musical backgrounds has been published on YouTube. Watch the movies about Camperduin Beach, River Geul, Schoorl Dunes, and Warmenhuizen in Winter, or see the collection in the Audio and Video Archive >>
The music for the theatre play "The Good Woman of Setzuan" (Bertolt Brecht) has been completed. This set of six songs and various musical backgrounds has been commissioned by theatre company Spot'70 for their 2012 stage production. Rehearsals with musicians and singers will commence soon. See the List of Compositions >>
July 2011: New arrangements for concert band
There are two new popular music arrangements for symphonic wind band: Hello and Just the Way You Are. This yields a total of four new releases. Work on new audio excerpts is in progress. Visit the Guide to the Music for Concert Band >>
May 2011: Fresh website design
The site has been redesigned, with a fresh look (two-column design, new colour scheme), and updated content. Navigation through the pages has been improved, with access to the Sitemap and Search engine from every page now. The set of scripts in the Musician Toolbox has been re-programmed (minor Javascript errors removed), see the Document Archive >>.
April 2011: New arrangements for symphonic wind band
Two arrangements for symphonic wind band have been re-orchestrated: Moon River and One Note Samba. For more detail, see the List of Arrangements >> or visit the Guide to the Music for Concert Band >>
January 2011: New and updated content
This month brings:
- A new booklet, added to the tonal counterpoint library. It contains the annotated examples of 3-part counterpoint, 4th and 5th species. Go to the Counterpoint Examples page >>
- The updated 2011 price list for the Fanfare and Concert Band compositions and arrangements (order sheet music, scores and parts).
October 2010: More composer/arranger interviews
More interviews with composers/arrangers for the Metro Friends magazine (March-May 2010, in Dutch) published on this site:
- Read the interview with Martin Fondse
- Read the interview with Franck van der Heijden
- Read the interview with Bob Zimmerman
- Go to the Document Archive >>
September 2010: Pitch, Time Delay and Frequency Conversion Tool
A Javascript GUI tool has been added to the Document Archive.
Musical Pitch is converted into MIDI Key parameters and Frequency.
Also, for a given Time Delay the comb filter Cancelling Frequencies
are calculated.
Go to the Pitch,
Time Delay and Frequency conversion page
>>
Go to the Document Archive
>>
July 2010: Singer Stephanie Kramer in the recording studio
In the first week of this month the young talent and dedicated singer Stephanie Kramer will be in the studio to record the lead vocal tracks of the song Identiteit Harenkarspel (a song about the identity of
the Harenkarspel village community).
The closing song from the Harenkarstival 2008 music and theatre production will be released in a new audio and video production. It will support the local festivities during the annual North-Holland fair season in August 2010.
Play the movie on YouTube >>
June 2010: MIDI keyboard and controller to sound mapping
In the PDF section of the document archive, find a 28 page booklet
with MIDI keyboard (note and key velocity) and controller (modulation wheel)
to sound library mapping for the Logic EXS24 sampler instrument and the
Native Instruments Kontakt and Battery sample player.
Go to the MIDI Keyboard and Controller to Sound Mapping document
>>
Go to the Document Archive
>>
May 2010: Create symmetrical 12-tone series
A new JavaScript GUI has been added to the document archive. This
generates either retrograde or retrograde-inversion
symmetrical twelve-tone series.
Go to the symmetrical
12-tone series page
>>
Go to the Document Archive
>>
March 2010: Search tool added
A search tool has been added to facilitate searching and navigating this Website. Enter a search string and get the most relevant links. Go to the Search tool >>
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December 2009: Harenkarstival movie on YouTube
The film Harenkarspel Dorpstaferelen
(Harenkarspel Village Scenes) from the 2008 Harenkarstival
theatre and music project has been published on YouTube.
Play the movie on YouTube >>
November 2009: Interviews in the Metro Friends magazine
The current issue of the Metro Friends magazine
(Jaargang 12, Nr. 23, September 2009) contains more
articles in a series of interviews with composers/arrangers:
- Read the interview with Jules Buckley (comp/arr/cond)
- Read the interview with Sebastiaan Koolhoven (comp/arr)
- Read the interview with professor Walter van de Leur (jazz and improvised music)
- Go to the Document Archive >>
In the Document Archive (PDF section), there is also a new article about harmonic technique: the combination of two layers of three-part chord structures in perfect 5ths, with chord classification, analysis and application examples (pdf, 8 pp.). And there's a new, extended version of the Pitch-Class set graphical toolkit.
August 2009: New composer tool in the document archive
This GUI demonstrates vibrating string natural harmonics:
June 2009: New composer tools in the document archive
Two new Javascript GUI pages have been added to the Composer Toolbox in the Document Archive:
- Open the Film Cue Event - Musical Beat Matching Tool GUI
- Open the Musical Note and Sequencer Tick Timing Tool GUI
- Go to the Document Archive >>
May 2009: Composer Interviews in the Metro Friends magazine
The current issue of the Metro Friends magazine (Jaargang 12, Nr. 22, April 2009) contains the first two articles in a series of interviews with composers/arrangers (this Website presents the English version of the interviews):
- Read the interview with Vince Mendoza (chief conductor Metropole Orkest)
- Read the interview with Vellu Halkosalmi
- Go to the Document Archive >>
March 2009: Tonal Counterpoint Examples (Booklets)
A number of PDF booklets has been added to the Document Archive. These contain marked tonal counterpoint examples (2 to 4 voices, 1st to 5th species). This collection will be extended in the near future. Go to the Counterpoint Examples page >>
