Hi Fred,

My edition is the 1955 printing of the first edition. I paid $5.75, which price is next to the name of the original owner, both enciled on the inside front cover. (I just wish I could find the kind of detailed information Kennan gives on so many instruments, on the guitar, which he does not cover.)

One problem with "Summer's Gone", for me, is due to the way the Microsoft Wavetable synth acts, at least on my machine. It is way too loud. For example, if I have master volume in Composer set to 90, and the volume of, say, the piano set to 75, using the Creative synth, I will have to reduce the note velocity using MS Wavetable all the way down to about 25 to make the two sounds equivalent.

In light of that, I'm not sure any experimenting I do would be of much value. In order to hear the clarinet measures, for instance, I had to reduce the master volume of the strings way, way down. If you can hear the clarinet on your set up, my experiment would just screw you up.

Have you thought of having the strings act as accompaniment, instead of having them double the piano in the same octave? Seems to me the piano is and should be the star of the piece, rather than competing with the strings. Perhaps the strings could augment the harmony, with violins or violas doubling some of the melody a couple of octaves lower than the piano, which plays mostly in octaves 6 and 7?

I like the flute and clarinet sounds. I wonder if a passage with one of those instruments as soloist--strings and even piano providing accompaniment--might provide a nice contrast? I think the melodic content would support a longer version of the composition.

I also like the metronomeless quality of the piece. I think it adds to the emotional content.

Just some quick thoughts. Hope you will keep posting as your progress.

all best,
mgj