Behind the Scenes #10

The orchestrations of "All's Fair in Love" heard at the February and April performance at C.W. Post took from December 2, 2009 to January 14, 2010 to complete. Christopher Hopkins wrote the orchestrations specifically for the musicians who signed on to the full production performances. The selection of musicians and instruments at the university dictated the instrumentation used. Based on this, the instrumentation for "All's Fair in Love" is as follows:

Bb Trumpet 1 and 2
French Horn
Trombone
Violin
Cello (double on String Bass)
Flute (double on Clarinet)
Oboe
Eb Tenor Sax
Piano
Drum Kit

The musical is also available as a piano and voice score as was heard during December 2009's Preview Night.

Behind the Scenes #9

Through collaboration and cast input, Christopher adapted the songs and dialogue to reflect the characters which the cast had perfected. From October 7, 2009 to October 9, 2009, the cast met individually and as duets with Christopher to experiment with voice ranges and keys. The following adjustments were made to better fit the performers at the time:

"Welcome to My Store" experienced a key change from the original key of A major to C major.
"I Love You" experienced a key change for Mr. Johnson's section from the original key of E major to F major.
"When I Look at You" experienced a key change for Anthony's section from the original key of Bb major to C major.

Behind the Scenes #8

Christopher began writing the script for "All's Fair in Love" on November 11, 2009 and completed the first draft on November 23, 2009. The second draft of the script was available on December 4, 2009. The current version of the script was finalized at the last cast rehearsal on December 18, 2009.

Behind the Scenes #7

The first performance of the songs in succession took place on December 1, 2009. The book, score, script, audio, website, and the lyrics are under copyright by the United States government.

Behind the Scenes #6

The first song to be composed was "I Love You" and the last song was "Katherine's Call." During the summer of 2009, Christopher planned to compose a new melody every day. Having a plentiful collection of melodies from which to choose from, he added lyrics, with full awareness of the plot and the characters. He dated almost all of his sketches and scores and maintains a file with numerous revisions for each song.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Behind the Scenes #5

Using the Finale music notation software for the Mac, he translated his sketches to the computer. The computer allows him to add and edit lyrics, adjust page layout, insert chord symbols, and adjust keys for the songs. With bi-weekly updates to Prof. Strommen, Christopher stayed on task, knowing that the earlier the songs are completed, the sooner the production phase could begin.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Behind the Scenes #4

Christopher decided to create the musical from the bottom up instead of continuing from the original musical outline. Beginning in June 2009, he sketched many of the musical's melodies while working as a ballet accompanist at the USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. After positive reactions from the campers and the dance instructors, Christopher was confident that the musical would be a worthy endeavor.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Behind the Scenes #3

As Christopher completed his Master's degree in Music Theory and Composition at C.W. Post, he reconsidered resurrecting the full length musical project after taking graduate courses in Composition and Orchestration from Prof. Carl Strommen. A graduate thesis in composition provided him with a venue as well as an academic purpose to compose and direct an original musical.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Behind the Scenes #2

During Christopher's undergraduate years in Boston College, he began construction of a full length musical. With the assistance of a trusty faculty advisor, he learned to develop the plot and characters and how to vary musical ideas. Unfortunately, the project was dropped and put aside.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Behind the Scenes #1

The idea behind "All's Fair in Love" stems back to Spring 2006 when Christopher listened to an original ten minute musical composed by his brother Stephen and performed by students of Yale University. The musical was called "Life Depends on Love" and was based on Aesop's fable of Venus and the Cat. Featuring four singers and a small pit band, the musical achieved the objectives of the Shen Musical Theater Composition Project at the university.

TO BE CONTINUED...