This song bears a strict ontogenetic connection to Arnold Schoenberg's "Three Piano Pieces", but it is a long and winding road from there to here and that is not this.
You can find a recording of the original music HERE.
What this is, is a set of BIAB RealTracks driven by chords extracted from an unheard MIDI transcription of the Schoenberg, forcing a showdown between tonality and atonality as BIAB tries its best to hold its ground in an untenable situation. The sung melody was derived from the chords called out by BIAB and is not present in the Schoenberg.
Thanks to RayC for lyrics:
The Reich that one lives with one's tears Is crumbling in waves in the morning light An autumn tide overflows The levelled horizon
Blood lines pure and sweet Flow numb into the waters! The Reich that one lives with one's tears Is crumbling in waves in the morning light
The leader, urged on by their devotions Intoxicated and more by his daily injections Blood lines pure and sweet Flow numb into the waters! The Reich that one lives with one's tears
LISTENER ADVISORY
Click to reveal..
There are horns if you wait long enough! But it all gets rather out of hand by the end.
RealTracks: 995:Bass, Electric, HardRockLA Ev 120 997:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockLACrispArp Ev 120 ~522:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 120 2585:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PunkHeldPlus Ev 165 ~686:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 120 RockHardLA^5-a:Snare, Loose HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat
Emvoice synthetic singers employed. Spoken words by Siri. Logic Pro says, "And we helped!"
EXCELLENT...The photographed Flipper is being flippant as usual.
Yes, he was “the people’s king of the sea“ at first, doing tricks to delight young people and bringing laughter wherever he went, but then he declared himself Ubergruppenflipper and it was all “I’m faster than lightning!” and the sound of his squeak would make the children cry. This composition depicts the slide into tyranny.
It really is way too long but I wanted to use the entire piece Schoenberg piece.
I tried to fit lyrics into Jay’s part (they may even still be in there) but the jumpy melody made them completely unintelligible. I will try again when I think I can get away with it.
That's exactly the same sad state as the lyrics of the current song I'm working on.
I wish Emvoice gave you a choice of default syllables, or let you set one yourself. It would be fun to have a piece that went "bork, bork, bork!"
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Came for the Schönberg, stayed for the horns.
Yay, it worked! Psychologically, at least.
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Disappointingly less cacophonous at the end than advertised.
Not to worry, I can fix that. =8^)
Originally Posted By: dcuny
More musical than the description led me to believe!
I am finding, more and more, that intellectually interesting, abstract musical ideas can yield dandy, listenable music if you anchor them to emotionally accessible existing material. In this case, I'm anchoring 100-year-old atonal piano music to a collection of hopelessly tonal recordings and forcing them to work out a compromise. It's very dialectical! And I kid but I be serious.
Thanks for listening, and best of luck with the lalas.
Mark
"The present day composer refuses to die!" – Edgard Varese
fun and unusual experiment and col-la-la-la-boration. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for putting up with all the experimentation! Hopefully the "Si-Ray" interlude helped break up the la-la-la, which I kind of do la-la-lather on.
It'd be pointless pointing out the point if you don't already see it, if you get my point. I refer you, instead, to the animated film based on the album by Harry Nilsson... This part may assuage your pain...
The POINT is made at 2.17.
Last edited by rayc; 01/22/2208:34 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
That's cool. I want to quote all of the funny comments above but there are too many. You folks are all so entertaining in many ways. Really cool how you created this, Mark, and a great idea to add Ray's lyrics, which seem the highlight of the song, an oasis of understanding among the la-la-las, which are also very cool. What a wonderful musical mind you have, Mark.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
That's cool. I want to quote all of the funny comments above but there are too many. You folks are all so entertaining in many ways. Really cool how you created this, Mark, and a great idea to add Ray's lyrics, which seem the highlight of the song, an oasis of understanding among the la-la-las, which are also very cool. What a wonderful musical mind you have, Mark.
Thanks, Marty! THAT is the point, to invite people to listen and laugh and think and react with whatever they keep under their hats.
Listened to the original first. Seems he wrote it to express his feelings after his wife had left him. Then you understand a bit of what you hear. We recognise what you did with his music, same atmosphere. And of course you can hear Flipper too. Could be good music for a movie!
Thanks, Rob and Anne-Marie! I appreciate the comment, and I’m really glad you were interested enough to listen to the original.
Hello Mark You have to come up with such an idea first really cool And that you used a Hard Rock Bass RT gives you a second thumbs up as well ;-) Many greetings Andi ;-)
THAT is the point, to invite people to listen and laugh and think and react with whatever they keep under their hats.
Well, I checked under my hat (after retrieving it from the hat-check girl) but what was there hardly mattered (being grey and all). I will say 'great job all the way around' and 'good use of BIAB' and whatever other forum review platitudes exist besides those two. Here's another: 'always enjoy what you post.' But actually, I quite do. Got my grey matter percolating, and that's a good thing. Thanks for the creativity.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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