4. The Moments

I believe that for a composer, whether a concert composer or a score composer, there is a single goal that matters above all else: composing the moment. That instant during the process when you can say, “Yes, this is it. I’ve found it.”It might be a single note, a motif, a rhythmic figure, a chord, or something else entirely. What it is matters less than the fact that it gives the composer that feeling.

This is often perceived by people outside the profession, listeners especially, as a God-given talent bestowed upon composers. In reality, it is nothing more and nothing less than a high level of training, experience, a well-educated ear, and a healthy mind that knows exactly what it wants. Contrary to popular belief, music is a craft filled entirely with mathematics. The right moment is created through mathematics, through formula. Of course, these formulas must be felt, but their application, in my view, is as clear and binary as ones and zeros.

Whether someone is just beginning their journey as a composer or has been doing it for many years, I think there is one thing a creator should never lose: the drive to explain what they are feeling in mathematical terms. Music is the form through which this impulse manifests for us. When beginners ask me questions about composition, this is usually the core of my answer. Your favorite composer knows how to translate what passes through their mind and heart into mathematics, through music theory and compositional technique. Yes, they feel deeply. Yes, they focus on the right details. Yes, they observe carefully, listen extensively, and watch attentively. And then, they know which formula to apply.

Let me give a very simple example: in Howard Shore’s Evenstar, written for The Lord of the Rings, the solo voice suddenly turns to an open “ah” vowel for one second. This single decision elevates the music from a generic ethnic vocal line into that unmistakable elven timbre that has shaped the imagination of millions. At a moment we subconsciously expect it, the singer sustains a note on a flat frequency, without vibrato, allowing it to shine. This intention and countless others like it enabled the masterful Howard Shore to compose scores that have won numerous awards and continue to inspire future generations like us.

In my personal view, nothing about composition is a divine gift. It is hard work, technical knowledge and capacity, experience, process, and the desire to create. Stay on the path. Keep producing. Don’t stop. Next topic: "Is a Score Composer Always a Score Composer?"