The Making of the Album “Beautyquest” by Stephen Weber, Part 2: The First Half

of the Album

What follows is context, content, and construction of the first seven tracks on the
album.

Beautify Your Corner of the World

Since the album is built on the concept of beauty, it made sense to me to start the
album with a song about the importance of beauty in our world, hence the title
Beautify Your Corner of the World. The lyrics encourage the listener to take time
for, understand, appreciate, create, and perpetuate beauty. The opening line of the
chorus, “Surround yourself with beauty”, is a plea for people to look for and
embrace beauty in their worlds, whether that be in nature, in people, in process, in
design, or myriad other manifestations. The song utilizes primarily piano, bass,
vocals, drums, and some synth strings. Fellow Drooble member, Richard Groce,
did stellar work on the trap set, sending 14 stems to drop into the track. Vocals on
this one challenged me because it’s more pop-style singing, and the little vocal
training I had was voice lessons in “classical” style at undergraduate and graduate
level. It took SO many takes to get the vocals done as best I could, though this is
still clearly an area that needs improvement. The song is the first one I’ve written
for contemporary ensemble that uses the favored popular form of verse/chorus,
though I’ve modified it. The form I used was: intro/verse, interlude, verse/chorus,
interlude, verse/chorus, chorus, tag.

Set It Free
The song Set it Free is important to me, though I don’t like the way the vocals
turned out. After the opening track setting the tone for the album’s focus on
beauty, this second track, for rock ensemble, begs the listener to consider the
nature of the creative idea. The creative process is one of fascination to me, but I
wanted to give the listener some insight on how it works for many song-writers or
composers. The idea may come to us as a little “kernel” of an idea. Over time, we
grow that idea and at some point it shows itself in full blossom. What once existed
in our head is something we can project to others through the creative tools
available to us. Once we have brought the creative product into this world, we have
set it free. It still remains a part of us, but we gave it life and share it with others; it
has a life of its own. The song opens with a daringly long one-minute piano solo,
very reflective. The first half of the lyrics are then sung. Special thanks to Cory
Moon, fellow member of Drooble, for his exceptional 2.5 minute guitar solo,
which really signifies the “setting free” of the musical idea in the middle section of
the song. The second verse of lyrics are then expressed, followed by a return to the
reflective piano solo that began the composition.

The Set of Four “Naturescapes”

Mountainscape
The composition Mountainscape begins the set of four pieces inspired by nature.
For me personally, mountains invoke a general sense of awe. They remind me of
my smallness in this world. Mountains can be incredibly beautiful, but at the same
time sublime in their massiveness, seeming limitlessness, and the heights to which
they can rise. This composition is in five sections: 1) The sense of awe upon
approaching the mountains, 2) The journey up the mountain begins, 3) Stopping to
enjoy nature, 3) The journey continues, 4) Arrival at the peak. Traditional
orchestral and solo instruments were used extensively, and harp is added later. The
music of the journey, driving strings, is enrgertic, while stopping to enjoy nature
explores the color of some of the orchestral instruments. One would think the
arrival at the peak would be the most triumphant music in the piece. However, I
chose to try to create ethereal and sublime music to reflect the euphoric feeling of
reaching the peak, which affords views of massive expanses and a feeling of
closeness to another world on a higher plain, as if at the top of the world.

Seascape
To be quite honest, the sea, though I find it very beautiful, is something I fear. I
fear its potential for power and its sheer massiveness. Yet, it can produce and
reflect a whole spectrum of colors, produce undulating sounds, and beautiful visual
patterns. It can be menacing, and it can be mesmerizing. It’s been the subject of
myriad novels, poems, works of art, and musical works. In Seascape, I’ve tried to
capture the power and expanse of the ocean as well as its incredible beauty. The
composition is in four sections: 1) Calm Seas for the journey, 2) Storms on the
horizon, 3) The fury of the storm, 4) The storm passes and calm sees return. The
composition is basically in ABA form, the A section being calm with simple
harmonies and melodies. The B section has sections, the first is the sights and
sounds of an impending storm, and the second the fury of the storm. The fury
section utilizes unusual meters to create a sense of loss of stability and danger. The
calmness of the A section returns the listener to a sense of repose.

Desertscape
I’m just not particularly fond of or comfortable in the desert as I’ve spent much of
my life living on the plains in the Midwest and surrounded by lands producing
crops in abundance. The presence of seemingly useless land just seems wrong.
However, a different perspective might be that the desert – since it is rarely arable
land – is there simply and only for its natural beauty. I’ve tried to adopt that
perspective over the years, but still find the colors of the desert subtle, though the
shapes and formations one can encounter in the desert can be very unique,
interesting, or downright bizarre. For the composition, I’ve used an array of syth
and traditional instrument sounds. One component of the piece is the duo for violin
and viola, the colors of which are just subtly different, but through quartal and
quintal harmonies lend a sense of reflection and mystique. There is also a
substantial middle section, eerily ambient, that features classical guitar motives in
interplay with a synth solo sound. This is probably my least favorite track on the
album, yet I really like certain parts of it, and do find a solitary and subtle beauty
built into it through compositional and various timbres.

Plains-scape
I wanted to make this one special, since I’m particularly fond of the plains, the
topography that seems most innately comfortable and enriching to me. Growing up
in the plains of Manitoba, Michigan, and Indiana, I connected with the serenity and
expansiveness of the plains. I find the utility of the land, providing so many
sources of food and goods, one of its more attractive aspects. Yes, it has more to
offer: the colors of the different grains, the tall grasses waving in the wind, clusters
of trees, and subtle rolling plains that create wonderful textures. The musical
setting is quite slow and expansive, dominated by brass and synth sounds. The
second half of the song features harp accompaniment and a dialogue between flute
and oboe. The whole intent was to create a space for the listener, an idyllic space in
which they can discover the detailed beauty of the plains: wildflowers, grains,
grasses, trees and wildlife. The brass returns to take the listener from the detail
level to the expansive land, open skies, and seeming limitlessness of the plains.
Guises of Beauty

This track is central to the concept of beauty expressed in the album. The lyrics
detail the various forms and guises of beauty in fragmented phrases. The song
begins with a piano introduction followed by the vocals expressing the text through
simple and short melodic ideas. The accompaniment to the vocals includes
undulating figures in piano and a warm string-like bed. After a piano solo, the
music abruptly erupts into an emotive and expressive lead guitar solo over bass,
keyboard, and percussion, a virtual blossoming and explosion of exuberance. This
is probably the most robust and outwardly energetic section on the entire album.
The piece closes with a reprise of the introductory piano material, ending the piece
in a reflective manner.

Most of the first seven tracks were uploaded to Drooble, where I received
significant feedback. Most of the songs made the “Charts” on Drooble, some
reaching #1 in their respective genre.

The entire album “Beautyquest” by Stephen Weber is streaming on Spotify and

numerous other streaming services. It is available for digital purchase through
iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, and CDBaby.