CLEOPATRA - the film music.

This music and its description was written for the Tangentusers group on Yahoo
to encourage participation in the 30 second composition contest Nov - Jan 2001-2.
The idea here is to double-click to open each very short midi file
and read the description as you listen.

What is the point of making compositions which are only 30 seconds in length?
One answer is - film music. Scene-setting stuff, atmospheric material,
whatever you want to call it. Tom Cruise comes in and the music comes in softly
because he's the tragic hero, or it goes dramatic because he's the baddie,
or martial because he's the good guy who is going to right wrongs etc.
I didn't have that in mind when I sat down with Tangent recently.
First of all came a piece that I called "Cleopatra" because it sounded
stately and a bit middle-eastern. Like Topsy, the whole thing just growed from there.
So here is my music to an imaginary film about Cleopatra.
Believe me, creating this was more fun than watching a re-run of the old Liz Taylor film!
With the exception of the finale, all these compositions would be valid entries
for the 30 second contest.
To give you some idea of what I saw, as well as the titles,
here's a brief run-down of each musical episode:

Cleopatra Awaits. In the palace by the Nile, the sultry Cleopatra
awaits the arrival of Caesar. Slight hint of impatience as the music fades out.
cawaits.mid
Danger! Marc Anthony in the pyramids, facing a gang of killers sent to kill him
by Caesar (don't let's worry too much about the factual truth of any of this.)
danger.mid
Marc Anthony Awakes. He wakes, locked in a cell in Cleopatra's palace,
confused from the drug he was given and very anxious.
marcwakes.mid
Flight From The Palace. Under cover of darkness Marc Anthony and Caesar
get away from the palace of Cleopatra.
flight.mid
Sunrise. Cleopatra wakes from her slumbers in the first light of the Egyptian morning.
Dressed only in a thin negligee, she gazes from her bedroom window to the cell
where she has incarcerated Marc Anthony and Caesar. A thin smile crosses her lips.
sunrise.mid
The Palace By The Nile. Our first glimpse of Cleopatra's palace as the camera moves in using an aerial shot.
palace.mid
The Plotters. Dirt doings in the senate in Rome as Caesar's enemies conspire against him.
plotters.mid
The Snake. Bitterly disappointed in love Cleopatra takes the asp and clutches it to her bosom.
snake.mid
Finale. The film ends with this tragic, extended theme as Cleopatra's funeral cortege
wends its way to Carthage. I tried this piece over 30 periods and was still enjoying it for all 7 minutes plus.
finale.mid

If you look at the number of parameters I had to set - very few -to create this you begin to realize what a wonderful program Tangent is.

John Close
[email protected]
Nov 2001

Sorry, almost forgot.

The Lovers. Marc Anthony and Caesar kiss tenderly as Cleopatra's body is lowered
into the tomb. A gay film, - yesss! It'll put thousands of bums on cinema seats everywhere...
love.mid