New Synopsis!

So in an effort not to make the second act completely suck, I got rid of it. This is the new plot. Enjoy!

Matches, Act 1
 (Opener) we open with Jane wandering down the street trying to sell matches. When no one will buy them from her, she sits down by a wall and lights a match to keep warm. She begins to tell us her story.
 We travel back to her childhood. The year is 1932. She's 12 years old. The country is into the great depression, but Jane's family comes from old family money. They aren't worried. They have everything. And because of that, her father can afford to give her anything she wants, and often does. Meanwhile, some of the hired help are less than pleased with their wages during this depression. They plot to kidnap Jane and hold her for ransom. However, Kai, the son of one of the kidnappers overhears their plans and foils them, introducing himself to Jane in the process. They instantly become friends.
 Shortly thereafter, Jane's parents are in a fatal car crash. She's adopted by her british grandmother, who comforts her by singing her a lullaby about how shooting stars are souls ascending to heaven.
 A few years pass and Kai's father passes away. Kai sings a song at the funeral about how he always felt like his father was never there for him, but knows in his heart that everything he did was for Kai. Meanwhile, Jane's grandmother is pressuring her to start acting like a lady so she can find an eligible young bachelor to marry her and take care of her. Once Jane's training is complete, her grandmother holds a grand ball in her honor. Kai and his friend Frederick stand outside and laugh at all the ladies all dressed up to impress the overeager gentlemen, while, inside, Jane is fed up with the way she's treated like some kind of prize, merely a pretty face for the gentlemen to parade around. She decides to run away. Kai sees her leave the ball and follows her to her room, to find her there packing. They get into an argument, Jane trying to explain that she can't stay there anymore and be treated that way, Kai trying to convince her that it would be dangerous and stupid to leave and that she would be better off here. With him. He kisses her. She flees. Kai is left alone, contemplating his love for her, and her leaving him anyway. Kai decides to go find her, but he has no money, so he decides to join the army in an effort to look for her. He tells Frederick how he has to leave to find her because she makes his world so much brighter, and Frederick finally agrees to join the army with him.

Act 2
 We find Jane living on the streets of New York, where she meets Mama Jean (name subject to literally any better suggestions.), a frisky street girl, who tries to convince her that a girl like her doesn't belong on the Streets of New York City. Meanwhile, Kai and Frederick discuss with their new platoon-mates (term?) the women they left behind - or hope to find. Kai finds out he's getting leave for Christmas, and decides to take that opportunity to visit New York City, knowing that Jane always wanted to visit there.
 Meanwhile, Jane and Mama Jean are approached by a street gang who lure them in with promises of enough food and warm shelter, in exchange for pickpocketing and other street crimes. Despite Mama Jean's warnings, Jane decides it's worth the risk and discovers the high of being bad. She and the gang pull of numerous successful thefts, until one day a cop catches them and they have to scatter. A terrified Jane is separated from the group, and runs back into Mama Jean. She tells her what happened, and decides to leave the gang forever, realizing it really isn't worth the risk. Mama Jean lets her in on a great job she found in the meantime - selling matches. They're cheap to make and everyone needs them, so it's a great way to earn extra cash. She and Mama Jean talk about what they miss most about their lives back home, and Jane realizes she's in love with Kai, and always has been. She decides she has to save up enough money to go back to him, but no one will buy any matches. She collapses by a wall in the cold. Kai, who is on leave in New York comes across her a few hours later, as she is freezing to death. Kai begs her to stay with him, but she eventually succumbs to the cold. Kai wraps his coat around her and kisses her one last time. She reawakens and tells him his father sent her back to him. They live happily every after.

The Album!

Ladies and Gents, the official Matches first demo album is now available on Bandcamp! It contains the first 5 demos we have recorded, including:

Opener (My Story)
Mia Princessa
Souls and Stars
Paper Silhouettes, and
Death of an Angel - with the full orchestral score!


In celebration of the release, and as a thanks for following this blog, get 50% off when you use the code "gainingcomposure" when you buy the album, through next Thursday (6-21-2012)! We'll let you know as soon as more demos are released! Enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, drumroll, please...

We have an announcement to make! And it's kind of huge and really awesome and we're super duper excited. I bet you can't wait to find out what it is. You're probably on the edge of your seat with anticipation... "What could it be?" you wonder, as you race through these words, eagerly hoping to get to this vital, incredible information. Your pulse races, your thoughts swirl through your head... "What incredible news could they possibly bring to the otherwise dreary landscape of my desktop?"

Well, I'll tell you. Ladies and Gentlemen... Drumroll, please...

Death of an Angel, the long-awaited Act I Finale, is finished! Completely scored. This marks our first fully-orchestrated piece in the show. It's a huge milestone, and we're absolutely thrilled! Demo will be forthcoming in the link on the side, just as soon as we finish recording the vocals! Can't wait to share it with you!

New Logo!

Check out our awesome new logo! Courtesy of Dani Scheiterle, our Art Director. Dani is a graphic design major, and she did a fantastic job with this. We're super excited to have her!

Blurb - "Hold a Candle"

So this song is going to be the first song of the second act. It's for a funeral - Kai's father. The song starts out telling everyone how Kai's father was always too busy to spend any time with him, and how he never knew him, but by the end, Kai realizes that he was actually a good father, overall, and he just wanted to take care of him.

Character: Kai
Favorite Line: "As far as fathers go/ No one could Hold a Candle to you..."
Hardest line to write: "He always said it was all for me/ He always talked about how things could be"
Why: The syllables again. They just felt awkward, but I wanted to get across the idea that Kai's father was really doing all of this for him, but he never noticed until now.

New song! "Hold a Candle"

Hold a Candle

Kai:
I've known you since birth
But you never knew me
You've watched me grow
I've watched you leave me behind...
All my life I've had one mission,
Just a father's recognition

Hold a candle for a man who never knew me
Make your wishes as the star floats away
Hold a candle high for one who loved
Some say too much, some not enough,
But he tried...

Hold a candle for a man who never saw me
For a man who always had more work to do...
He always said it was all for me
He always talked about how things could be
But he died...

So hold a candle to the sky
Make a wish and say goodbye
Tell him everything you'll miss
One last touch
One last kiss
Remember everything he'd say
Dry your eyes and walk away
Promise never to forget
The life he lived...

Hold a candle for a man who never left me
Hold a candle for the things we'll never do...
[To casket]
But dad, I wanted you to know
As far as fathers go
No one could hold a candle to you...

Tuesday Update!

Hey, folks! It's Tuesday, which usually means a new song, but I'm kind of lagging a little on the lyrics for the one I'm working on... Don't worry, I'll get there! Tony and I worked on the orchestrations for Death of an Angel today, and let me tell you, they sound AWESOME! I'm posting the updated mp3 of what we have so far, which you can access in this link (which can also be found on the sidebar)... We've got roughly half a dance break, and a verse left, and then it's done! Woo hoo! Also, you can hopefully expect to see lyrics for a new song within the next day or so. I'm trying, I swear... I'll give you a hint: it's a funeral song!

Blurb - "The Match"

So, this song, "The Match" is finally the play on words I've been trying to write for a while now... We knew we wanted to include a play on words with the title, Matches, but hadn't figured out where to put it yet. Well, here it is. This is a solo for Jane's character, and is sung right after she wakes up in the hospital and Kai is gone, when she realizes she's always been in love with him. This is the moment she decides she has to go after him.

Character: Jane
Favorite Line: "If the fire dies, I'll only get burned."
Hardest line to write: "I didn't know and so I ran/ from all that we could be"
Why: I changed this line so many times... I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't make it work...

"The Match"

The Match

Jane:
I’ve never heard a stranger line
than “the fires of love that’s true”
For every man I’d ever met
was a flame that never grew
But now I understand the phrase
He’s been here with me all my days
Each other guy was a spark that died but
He’s always been the match

I’ve wasted time on other men
Pursuing petty shine
But the glow that shows when first we meet
grows darkened over time
No one else could ever last
the light grew dimmer all too fast
Though the fire grew, I never knew
He’s always been the match

A match can keep you warm at night
in darkness, it’s a guiding light
a spark does nothing more than glow
for seconds at a time
A girl deserves a roaring fire
that’s fueled by hope, and burns desire
It starts with just a simple match
and he was nearly mine

He has to know, I have to try
as he tried to tell me
I didn’t know and so I ran
from all that we could be
I promised him I’d always stay,
but I grew scared and ran away
If the fire dies, I’ll only get burned
He has to know my lesson’s learned
through thick and thin, it was always him...

He’s always been the match...

Blurb - "Gentleman Likes a Lady"

This one is a full-cast latin swing number, which will be sung by none other than Grandma, herself. This should be a fun one... When I was writing this one, I was trying to come up with either the scene where the Grandmother starts putting pressure on Jane to date wealthy men, or the scene where she's actually going through them. What I ended up with was a song that works for both. This song takes place between "Souls and Stars" and "Paper Silhouettes" and covers some of the time between 12-year-old Jane, who just lost her parents, and 20-year-old Jane, who is fed up with all the pressure and the fakeness of the so-called gentlemen she's supposed to be trying to woo.

Character: Grandmother
Favorite Line: "They only want to catch a glimpse/ of what's beneath their sashes"
Hardest line to write: "You'll learn which is the dinner plate/ and how to Maître d' one"
Why: This line just felt weird the whole time I was writing it... It worked in the end, but it was still weird to me...

"Gentleman Likes a Lady"

Gentleman Likes a Lady

Grandmother:
There's one thing that I've learned in life,
so listen close to me, dear.
You've led a very privileged life,
but if you want to stay here
You've got to learn to pay your dues,
and then you'll have it made
You gotta know one simple rule
Gentleman Likes a Lady

So if you want to catch a mate,
You've got to learn to be one
You'll learn which is the dinner plate
and how to Maître d' one
Each gentleman will want your kiss
before your beauty fades
But if you want to be a married miss,
a gentleman likes a lady

Boys may go for lovely lasses pining for a guy
but they all give up their pining in the end
The girls will lose their lovely curls
and wanton willing smiles
and the boys grow into gentlemen

Though gentlemen may sometimes glance at curly, dainty lasses
They only want to catch a glimpse
of what's beneath their sashes
They'll never see the devotee
behind the masquerade
A dainty girl, he'd never do
a Gentleman Likes a Lady

[Dance Break]
Girls:
Boys may go for lovely lasses pining for a guy
But they all give up their pining in the end
Boys:
The lasses lose their lovely curls
and wanton willing smiles
All:
And the boys grow into gentlemen...

So paint your lips and brush your hair
if that's what makes you pretty
But to lose a girl so debonair,
Well, that would be a pity
You could have had a perfect man
If only one had stayed
There's one thing that I'm telling you
A simple thing for you to do
I promise every word is true
A Gentleman Likes a Lady

Blurb - "My Angel"

I'm rather proud of this song. The lyrics turned out really well, I think, and it fits well into the action and into the story. It falls right after their fight when Jane gets fed up with everything and decides to run away and Kai tries to stop her. In a last ditch effort to convey his desperation and try to get her to stay, he kisses her and she freaks and runs. This song comes immediately after she leaves and Kai is left heartbroken.

Character: Kai
Favorite Line: "My Angel had the mortal world to woo her..."
Hardest Line to Write: "A kiss from her could heal a wounded soldier/ but an unkind word could break a lover's heart"
Why: I really, really, really tried to make the format of the second verse match the first, but this was a stubborn line because I really, really, really wanted to include the foreshadowing. I ended up just going with it and making it stand out, which, I suppose, highlights the foreshadowing, anyway, so whatever...

"My Angel"

My Angel

Kai:
My angel has a smile that lights the heavens
My angel has a face that outshines stars
Her eyes are like the sea
Her hair is soft and free
A touch from her will stop you where you are

My angel has a voice that calms the spirit
A voice like you have never heard before
A kiss from her could heal a wounded soldier
but an unkind word could break a lover's heart

The truths I never told you
that now  I'll never say
The promises I'll never get to make
That last look in your eyes
That took me by surprise
Made me lose control
and made you run away...

My angel had the mortal world to woo her
But my angel had the strength to seize the day
She thought that only she could see
The way this world should be
And so, before my eyes,
My Angel flew away...

Blurb - "Paper Silhouettes"

Is it conceited to really, really like your own lyrics? Because I really like the lyrics I wrote for this one. I feel like it's some of my best work... So, this song goes in when Jane is about 20, and she's under a lot of pressure from her grandmother to try and secure a wealthy husband so that she never has to worry about money or anything, especially since this takes place toward the end of the depression. Jane is completely fed up with how all these guys just want a pretty face and nothing more, but she's expected to be polite to them anyway.

Character: Jane
Favorite Line: "In every bachelor batch/ finding your perfect match/ but a girl made of paper/ is easily burned."
Hardest Line to Write: "They tell you to be polite/ hoping that someone might/ fall for a girl/ with her pages unturned."
Why: Do you know how hard it is to rhyme the word "burned" within the context of this song? Very. It took me forever to come up with something suitable for this line...

"Paper Silhouettes"

Paper Silhouettes

Jane:
Dancers in perfect form

spin across the ballroom floor

in dresses made of silk

and shoes made of glass

exchanging their pleasantrie
s
over trite melodies

but never revealing,

removing the mask, saying



Pleased to meet you, monsieur

pleasant to meet you, monsieur

and shake hands

do the dance enchanté

how long will you stay, monsieur?

Say the weather looks fine

play the part, say the line,

til the day fades away and I'm nothing more...

Than a paper silhouette on a stage...



They tell you to be polite,

hoping that someone might

fall for a girl

with her pages unturned

In every bachelor batch

finding your perfect match,

but a girl made of paper

is easily burned

but I'm



Pleased to meet you, monsieur

pleasant to meet you, monsieur

and shake hands

do the dance enchanté

how long will you stay, monsieur?

Say the weather looks fine

play the part, say the line,

til the day fades away and I'm nothing more...

Than a paper silhouette on a stage...



They tell me I'm beautiful, but what do they know,

they're just puppeteers dancing with paper silhouettes

They smile with their teeth and they put on a show

but it's not worth romancing a man you'll forget anyway...

In a day...

So you say...



Pleased to meet you, monsieur

pleasant to meet you, monsieur

and shake hands

do the dance enchanté

how long will you stay, monsieur?

Say the weather looks fine

play the part, say the line,

Say, I'm Pleased to meet you, monsieur

pleasant to meet you, monsieur

and shake hands

do the dance enchanté

how long will you stay, monsieur?

Say the weather looks fine

play the part, say the line,

til the day fades away and I'm nothing more...


Than a paper silhouette on a stage...

Blurb - "Souls and Stars"

This song is one of the ones actually inspired specifically by the original story of the Little Match Girl. In the story, she looks up to the sky and sees a shooting star and remembers that her grandmother once told her that a shooting star is a soul ascending to heaven. This song is based on the idea that if you wish upon a shooting soul, your wish goes straight to heaven, and that's why you make wishes on shooting stars. The tails on the shooting stars are the tears of those they've left behind.

Character: Grandmother
Favorite Line: "Catching wishes in their tails/ and slipping out of sight..."
Hardest line to write: "drops from eyes that miss the one/ who gave their spirit light"
Why: I knew what I wanted to say, but it was way too many syllables for the line that I needed. I finally managed to cut it down to this line, which sums up what I wanted to say pretty well, actually, but it took forever to get it to sound right...

"Souls and Stars"

Souls and Stars

Grandmother:
Wish upon a shooting soul
Send it straight to heaven
Where only God can hear the sorrows
hidden in your dreams
Stars may light the darkest night
when tears fill up the lanterns
But wish upon a shooting soul and what you wish will be

Stars are trailed by lonely tears
sparkling in the heavens
drops from eyes that miss the one
who gave their spirit light
But tears will lift their souls to God
and carry them forever
catching wishes in their tails
and slipping out of sight

Blurb - "Mia Princessa"

So this song is going to come after the full-cast opener, which will be called "Daddy's Little Princess," and which hasn't been written yet. (I'm working on it, I swear...) Because this part of the story is set in the great depression (probably circa 1931), people are obviously incredibly desperate for money. Because Jane has a wealthy family (which will be established in DLP), some of the disgruntled waitstaff are going to attempt to kidnap her to ransom her for money. The title is referencing the previous song, as well as making fun of her for being daddy's little princess, because that's why she's being kidnapped now.

Character: Kidnappers
Favorite line: "We just want to play"
Hardest line to write: "If he don't, then he/ practically shot her"
Why: I felt really weird about including this line in what's supposed to ultimately be a family show... It seemed a little harsh to actually say that they were going to kill her and it was her dad's fault for not paying the ransom. I went with it anyway because I couldn't come up with a nicer way to say it...

"Mia Princessa"

Mia Princessa

Kidnappers:
Mia Princessa, Mia Princessa
Daddy's little girl
Where's your daddy now?
Mia princessa, Mia princessa
Not so powerful
with no one else around

Sweet little baby
Carried the world on
her silver platter.
That doesn't matter

Mia princessa, Mia princessa
You can come with us
Please don't make a fuss.

Jane:
Please, sir, will you let me go?
I've done nothing against you
Please, sir, will you let me go?
Let me go
Let me be
Why do you want me?

Kidnappers:
Mia princessa, Mia princessa
You don't have to fear
We just want to play
Mia princessa, Mia princessa
You can make us rich
If only daddy pays

Rich daddy oughta
Pay for his daughter
if he don't, then he
practically shot her

Mia princessa, Mia princessa
Nothing more to say
Carry her away.

Blurb - "Death of an Angel"

So this is obviously supposed to be the finale for Act 1, as evidenced by the title "Act 1 FINALE." This takes place back on the streets where she's sitting by the wall. Because it's so cold out and she's been out all night with nowhere to go, no money, no shoes, and only a bundle of matches, and it's getting close to dawn at this point, she's just about frozen to death. Enter Kai, who, after she ran away, realized he was in love with her and had to go find her. He finally sees her on the streets of New York literally moments before she passes out from cold. In this scene, Jane sings a verse, then Kai sings a verse, and then there's a dance break where, while Kai holds Jane by the wall, silhouetted dancers will come in on the street behind them, one male and one female, representing the couple. Then the couple does their last verse, which is actually their verses layered on top of each other (they're written to fit together), and at the very end, Jane passes out, the female dancer disappears, and we see a shooting star before the blackout.

Character(s): Jane and Kai
Favorite line: "What is heaven if there is no earth?"
Hardest line to write: "Please don't leave me here, love/ Not without your smile/ Don't leave me alone, dear/ Without you, I would die"
Why: This verse wasn't in the original lyrics. I wrote it later so that Kai didn't have to repeat his last verse. It still feels really awkward to me, but it makes sense in the song, so I guess I'll leave it in...

Act 1 FINALE "Death of an Angel"

Death of an Angel

Jane:
I am here
Will you listen for me
Hear my plea
Hear my story
Time goes on
What are seconds worth?
What is heaven
If there is no earth?

But the dawn slips over the mountains
And the sky grows light
As I approach the night

Hush, my dear
I am never gone
I will pass
You will go on...

Kai:
Wait for me my darling
I can't let you go
You are all I live for
Your love is all I know
Do you know my darling
Just what I would give?
I would give the heavens
Just to see you live

But the dawn creeps over the mountains
And the sky grows blue
As my heart breaks in two

Please don't leave me here, love
Not without your smile
Don't leave me alone, dear
Without you, I would die

Last verse:
Jane:                              Kai:
Hush, my love               Hush now, stop your crying
Dry your tears                Dry up all your tears
I'll be with you               You were once here with me
Through all your years    Here through all the years.

Kai:
But if you’re gone...
I can’t go on...

Blurb - "Opener"

This is just a short little opening piece to introduce our main character, Jane, and to start the story. Jane enters on the streets of New York, trying to sell matches at the end of the great depression. When no one will buy, she sits down by a wall and begins to tell her story.

Character: Jane
Favorite Line: "Can you spare a dime? A little time? To help a poor girl out..."
Hardest line to write: "And I can't go home/ I'm lost and out of time..."
Why: I couldn't actually write this line until we had a plot, and I changed it several times once we did, because it kept sounding way too awkward... I finally figured out that this line works, and ran with it.

"Opener"

Opener

Jane:
Please, sir, will you buy a match?
Can you spare a dime?
A little time?
To help a poor girl out...

Please, sir... I am all alone.
And I can't go home
I'm lost and out of time

My story is familiar, yet never heard before
The story of a girl who was in love with a boy
But she never even knew
Til their hearts had broke in two
And she was gone...