November 7

So today I went back to my piece to try to start composing the lyrical part of the aria, but all I could hear was the sound of other composers’ music in my head. I was trying to get inspiration for my piece, but I couldn’t think of anything, so then I got to thinking and I thought that maybe it would be better to compose the overture instead of the aria. I don’t think it would impact my web series a whole lot - if anything, I would be able to teach the viewers more; I could show them how to write the overture (since it sets the stage for the whole piece), then how to write an aria, then how to write recitative, and use those to explain how to compose an aria.

The story of The Judgment of Paris starts at the wedding between Peleus and Thetus, which all of the gods attended save Eris, goddes of discord, who was not invited. She shows up and throws a golden apple into the crowd addressed “To The Fairest”. Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all see the apple and think it is addressed to them, so they agree to go an ask a mortal to choose The Fairest. They appear to Paris and each explain why they are The Fairest:

• Aphrodite is the goddess of love and promises that she will make sure he marries the most beautiful woman in Athens

• Athena is the goddess of wisdom and promises that she will make him victorious in all battles

• Hera the queen of the gods and promises that she will make him a powerful leader

Paris chooses Aphrodite, and Athena and Hera team up in their anger to make his life hell, and thus begin the Trojan war. I’ve been composing the overture in story sections because the overture basically tells the story of the opera through music, so today I composed the tranquil section of the wedding ceremony which is a harp solo.

I am planning to finish the overture this week, and then do the set model & drawings between November 10th & 14th (because I leave on the 14th). I will take my iPad with me to New York next week and do my costume designs on it, and then maybe I can start scripting the webisodes next week as well. I am going to California for Thanksgiving and I am going to try to film the webisodes before I leave so that I can edit them while I’m gone, which would give me about a week to do all of the marketing and finish up the Criterion C documents. That is my plan, and I’m really going to try to stick to it.

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