Balloon Flight

Balloon Flight was composed to accompany a film from the 2011 Bristol Balloon Fiesta. The images were filmed using a time lapse technique, meaning that the movement is significantly faster than normal. This gives the footage a quirky and almost comical character. In the music, the general amount of balloon movement was translated into the mood of the scene. For example, a relaxed and airy sketch was composed for the start of the video, followed by a lively central section (with an accent as the two balloons crash into each other), and finally, a sparse ending.

The melodic lines in the piece are generally short and fragmented, matching the movement of the balloons. Various runs and accents were added to highlight the entrances and exits of the most prominent balloons. The harmony throughout is jazz inspired, using a wide array of chromatically altered chords. These chords stop the composition from becoming four-square, which the images are clearly not. The overall major tonality is designed to enforce the fun and enjoyable aspects of ballooning.

The composition is largely in a 3/4 time signature. This time signature was chosen due to its flowing nature, again to match the images. There are also frequent changes to 4/4, 5/4, 6/8 and 7/8 - firstly out of necessity (in order the fit the music to the images) and secondly to introduce further irregularity. A large amount of the music is to be played staccato (or pizzicato for the strings), enhancing the lightness of the floating balloons.

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