Concert Band - Level 4 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.1285185
Composed by Christian F. J. Buettner, John Tuananh Dang, and Rajan S. Arranged by Stephen Cai. 21st Century,Video Game. Score and Parts. 66 pages. Stephen Cai #876297. Published by Stephen Cai (A0.1285185).
Monody - TheFatRat (Christian F. J. Buettner)
arr. Stephen Cai for Concert Band
Program Notes:
MUSIC
As a sequel to Pigstep by Lena Raine and Exodus by Ernest Gold, I have decided to take on the challenge of arranging the ever-famous glitch hop song, Monody by Christian Buettner (known more prominently by his online alias, TheFatRat).
Similarly to Pigstep, my first arrangement, I ran into the challenge of instrumentation, as Monody’s original soundtrack almost entirely consisted of electronic instruments. However, I used the same technique I did with Pigstep to overcome this problem: assign basslines to low brass, treble melodies to mid-range instruments, and high parts to upper woodwinds. Unlike Pigstep, Monody pushed me to be more creative with the percussion section, as I had to puzzle out recreating all of the numerous sound effects throughout the piece with traditional percussion instruments. I even decided to notate a conch shell line for the war horn present at the beginning and the coda!
At the end, however, it all came together nicely, and I came to realize that both this song and the process of arranging it represent a journey, albeit in different contexts. The word “Monody” refers to, in a literal sense, a song sung to mourn one’s death, which accordingly fits with my view of the piece as a journey where the narrator loses their companion.
Writing the introduction measures (M.22) carried me through the genuine feelings of embarking on a mythical undertaking as the original soundtrack intends to portray. The lively middle section (M.70) was enjoyable to write as well, because the music itself is upbeat and full of energy. Finally, arranging the solo section was probably my most memorable experience. The slow and subtly melancholic character of the melody (the oboe solo) very closely alludes to the narrator’s mourning, and the enchanting lyrics originally written for this section further confirms their loss:
I still hear you in the breeze,
See your shadows in the trees;
Holding on, memories never change.
The chords and harmonies that the original soundtrack provided were relatively simple to transcribe, and I found joy complementing them with luscious percussion effects.
This is my interpretation of Monody, and I believe that it would be best performed as a journey, one which we can relate to as it encompasses the theme of loss; a monody.
ARTWORK
I also took up the challenge of creating original cover artwork for Monody, and I have to say, my level of appreciation for artists of any kind has skyrocketed ever since that endeavor. It took nearly two months of watching YouTube tutorials, onerous idea crunching, and using my sister’s drawing tablet, but I had nevertheless completed it with advice from some of my more experience peers (including my sister).
Formal Credits: Cai, Stephen and Rachel Cai. “Monody” Arrangement for Concert Band cover. 2023
Lastly, I want to say thanks to my friend Matteo Sohn for being such a huge musical inspiration, and thank you for acknowledging my arrangement!
