5...4...3...2...1...

No, I am not blogging into the new year.  I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who performed my music in 2009 and those who participated in the 7th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music!

I want to wish everyone safe partying this evening and a Happy 2010!  As for me, I will be ringing in the New Year at home with my wife and kitten.  I know I am looking forward to the end of 2009.  This was not exactly my best year, but things are looking up.

I will see you in 2010!

Listening Journal: December 21-27, 2009

Johann Sebastian Bach - Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Stings and Continuo in c minor BWV 1060 (1740) Hilary Hahn, violin and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jeffery Kahane
Iannis Xenakis - Syrmos (1959) for 18 strings
Edgard Varèse - Ecuatorial (1934) for bass voice and mixed ensemble

Dream Cycle - Echo

Below is the text for Echo by Christina Georgina Rossetti.  The fifth song in my Dream Cycle.

Echo
by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Come to me in the silence of the night;
Come in the speaking silence of a dream;
Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright
As sunlight on a stream;
Come back in tears,
O memory, hope, love of finished years.

Oh dream how sweet, too sweet, too bitter-sweet,
Whose wakening should have been in Paradise,
Where souls brim-full of love abide and meet;
Where thirsting longing eyes
Watch the slow door
That opening, letting in, lets out no more

Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live
My very life again though cold in death:
Come back to me in dreams, that I may give
Pulse for pulse, breath for breath:
Speak low, lean low,
As long ago, my love, how long ago.

Unused concepts for Dream Cycle

As I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the end of my Dream Cycle I have taken a look back at a couple of my undeveloped ideas.  There are two texts that I considered using, but did not use.  The first is a text by Christina Georgina Rossetti entitled Mirage.  As you know, I am using Rossetti's Echo as the final song of the cycle.  Mirage is a beautiful three-stanza poem about things not always being what you want them to be.

The other text is an original poem I wrote around 2002 entitled Nights When I Dream.  This is a very personal effort for me.  I wrote this when I was coming to terms with moving from Bowling Green, OH to Eugene, OR.  This poem is also a reflection of my personal feelings and beliefs.

I may yet decide to put these texts into song and either expand Dream Cycle or possibly make a sequel to the song cycle.  Only time will tell.

Dream Cycle - A Clear Midnight

Below is the text for A Clear Midnight by Walt Whitman.  The fourth song in my Dream Cycle.

A Clear Midnight
by Walt Whitman

This is thy hour O Soul thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done,
Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the themes thou lovest best,
Night, sleep, death and the stars.

Dream Cycle - A Dream

Below is the text for A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe.  The third song in my Dream Cycle.

A Dream
by Edgar Allen Poe

In visions of the dark night

I have dreamed of joy departed;

But a waking dream of life and light

Hath left me broken hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day

To him whose eyes are cast

On things around him with a ray

Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream, that holy dream,

While all the world were chiding,

Hath cheered me as a lovely beam

A lonely spirit guiding.

What though that light, thro’ storm and night,

So trembled from afar--

What could there be more purely bright

In Truth’s day-star?

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!  I plan on announcing projects and plans for 2010 within the next week.

All the best,

Brian

Dream Cycle - I Dream'd in a Dream

Below is the text for I Dream'd in a Dream by Walt Whitman.  The second song in my Dream Cycle.

I Dream'd in a Dream
by Walt Whitman

I dream'd in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth,
I dream'd that was the new city of Friends,
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it led the rest.
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,
And in all their looks and words.

Dream Cycle - Mutability

Below is the text for Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  The first song in my Dream Cycle.

Mutability
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon;
How restlessly they speed, and gleam, and quiver,
Streaking the darkness radiantly! -yet soon
Night closes round, and they are lost for ever:

Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings
Give various response to each varying blast,
To whose frail frame no second motion brings
One mood or modulation like the last.

We rest. -A dream has power to poison sleep;
We rise. -One wandering thought pollutes the day;
We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep;
Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away:<

It is the same! -For, be it joy or sorrow,
The path of its departure still is free:
Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
Nought may endure but Mutablilty.

Listening Journal: December 14-20, 2009

Igor Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1947)
George Crumb - Makrokosmos: Volume 1, Part 1 (1973) for piano

Magnus Lindberg - Orchestral Works - CD
   Clarinet Concerto (2002)
   Gran Duo (2000)
   Chorale (2002)

Listening Journal: December 7-13, 2009

Pascal Dusapin - À Quia - CD
   Ètudes No. 1-7 (1997-2001) for piano
   À Quia (2002) for piano and orchestra

Olivier Messiaen - Les Offrandes Oubliées (1930) for piano
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9, op. 125, "Choral" (1824) Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Gyorgy Ligeti - Piano Etudes (2001)
   XVI. Pour Irina
   XVII. À Bout de Souffle
   XVIII. Canon

Song order for "Dream Cycle"

Now that Mutability is almost complete, I have thought a bit about song order for Dream Cycle.  The order below is still tentative until I finish all songs, but this is what I am leaning towards right now.

   Mutability - Percy Bysshe Shelley
   I Dream'd in a Dream - Walt Whitman
   A Dream - Edgar Allen Poe
   A Clear Midnight - Walt Whitman
   Echo - Christina Georgina Rossetti

Composing Session: December 12, 2009

So I was finally able to lock myself away in my office and spend some time composing.  It has been a while since I have been able to dedicate half a day to composing.  I did get a lot accomplished.  I have the outline of the accompaniment done and I have marked where the vocal part of the last two stanzas will lay.

I decided to break one of my rules of composing in order to make a push to get this song done.  I did a lot of the composing on Saturday into Finale.  This means that I entered my previous sketch of the first two stanzas into Finale, edited it and composed more in the program rather than using pencil and paper.  Normally, I like to have a hand written sketch of the score before inputting it into Finale.  However, I really want to finish this song and I decided that it would be easier for me to compose into Finale.  I do not think that there is anything wrong with this method of composing.  This is just not how I would like to compose. I enjoy sitting at the keyboard and hand writing my sketches and scores.

My hope is that in the next day or so I can spend time fleshing out the vocal line and complete the score for Mutability.  After this song is done, I will only have one short song left to write.  For this song, I will use the text A Clear Midnight by Walt Whitman.  I already have a couple of sketches for the accompaniment that I might use. We will see.

"Mutability" Update

This weekend I did not spend nearly enough time composing.  The time that I did spend was productive.  I reworked the sketch I have been working on for the accompaniment of the second stanza.  Initially I had the accompaniment alternating sonorities every two measures.  The thematic and rhythmic material is similar, but the harmonies changed every two measures.  I felt as if this was too predictable so I rearranged the measures to alternate the harmonies every measure.  Essentially, I switched measures 2 & 3, 6 & 7, etc.

After playing through this new "arrangement" I was happier wit the way things are taking shape.  Now I need to start composing the vocal line and integrate it with the accompaniment.  I have also been thinking that the accompaniment for the fourth stanza will be nearly identical to the first, giving the song a sense of return.  I may change my mind on this, however.  I am not yet completely sure.

Listening Journal: November 30-December 6, 2009

Marc-André Dalbavie - Axiom (2003) for piano, clarinet, bassoon and trumpet
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7, op. 92 (1810) Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, volume 5 - CD
   Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
   Three Poems by Henri Michaux (1963)
   Mi-Parti for Symphony Orchestra (1976)
   Overture for Strings (1949)

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 8, op. 93 (1812) Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Tristan Murail - Vues aériennes (1988) for horn, violin, cello and piano

Non-Classical Musical Influences

Over the past month I have been thinking about what influences me as a composer.  There are many classical composers from whom I draw inspiration.  These composers include Kaija Saariaho, Olivier Messiaen, Iannis Xenakis, Pascal Dusapin and Gyorgy Ligeti.  There are, however, many non-classical musical influences from which I draw inspiration.  These people are not merely musicians whose music I enjoy listening to, but rather their song writing, musicianship and artistry have a tremendous hold over me.

The list of these influences is not long, but the names are widely recognized:

   Bill Champlin

   Chicago

   Eric Clapton

   Eagles

   Billy Joel

In future posts I plan on talking about each in some detail highlighting songs, albums and what it is about these musicians that influences my work.

This train of thought has really come about since my wife and I saw Bill Champlin perform live in Lodi, CA last month.  I was absolutely blown away by this concert.  It was the first non-classical concert I have attended since 1998.  I had forgotten what kind of energy is generated at such events.  Especially when the artist truly enjoys what they are doing.

Since then I have been looking at the non-classical music to which I listen.  There are about seven or eight musicians and groups that I go back to time after time.  Of those musicians the one I listed above hold the most influence over me.  All of these people are tremendous musicians and song writers.  They are not just mere entertainers that perform other people's songs.  The create and perform their own music.

Listening Journal: November 23-29, 2009

Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano
   XVIII. Regard de l'onction terrible
   XIX. Je dors, mais mon couer veille
   XX. Regard de l'Église d'amour
Gyorgy Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1973) for orchestra

Einojuhani Rautavaara - A Requiem in Our Time - Complete Works for Brass - CD
A Requiem in Our Time (1953) for four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, baritone horn, tuba and percussion
Playgrounds for Angels (1981) for brass quintet
Tarantará (1976) for trumpet
Independence Fanfare (1992) for three trumpets and trombone
A Soldier's Mass (1968) for large chamber wind and percussion ensemble
Octet for Winds (1962) for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, two horns and trombone
Hymnus (1998) for trumpet and organ

CD Review: Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos

About a month ago I listened to the recording of Hilary Hahn performing the Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos.  This CD is in my top three favorites of hers.  I would have to say that the CD of the Bach Violin Concertos is my favorite.  Since this listening I have gone back and reread my review of this CD that I posted on New Music Forum on October 4, 2008.  I have included the first part of the review below.  The complete review can be found here: Hahn Review.

Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Review by Brian Bice
October 4, 2008

Hilary Hahn’s latest recording is one that is not to be missed.  The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen joins her on this recording.  Ms. Hahn makes a seemingly unlikely pairing of two concertos by two major composers of the early 20th Century.  Arnold Schoenberg and Jean Sibelius.  They are two of the more diametrically opposed composers from the first half of the 20th Century.  However, upon listening to these works and learning more about how these pieces came to be, the pairing may actually be a logical choice.

    Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was born in Germany, fathered the serialist movement and later immigrated to the United States as the Nazi regime came into power.  Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was born in Finland, and began his musical life as a concert violinist.  While in college he began studying composition.  The allure of composing caused him to set aside his violin.

    So why put these two composers, much less these compositions on the same recording?  (For more of the review click here: Hahn Review)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My warmest wishes go out to everyone this Thanksgiving Day.  Today I will be spending the day with my wife, my mom and my cat, Fozzie.  We will be keeping it low key, just the way I like it.  As a special treat I have uploaded the recording of Visions of a Landscape for woodwind quintet to my website: www.newmusicforum.com.  The recording will be featured on the main page as well as the info page for the quintet (in my personal site).  Feel free to have a listen to the piece and send me your comments.  I am always interested to know what you think.

Rethinking the website

As many of my friends and family know I run a website dedicated to the promotion of contemporary classical music: New Music Forum, www.newmusicforum.com.  This has been a pet project of mine for years.  However, I have not been able to devote the time and resources necessary to take the site to the next level (whatever that is).  My work on the site would come in fits and starts.

One great thing that has come out of New Music Forum is the annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  This concert series was born out of the overall concept of New Music Forum.  This is truly a project that I am proud of and amazed each year at how much the concert series has grown.

I am currently in the process of rethinking my goals for New Music Forum.  Let me make one thing clear: New Music Forum is not going away.  I want to retool the site so that it becomes more of an information resource where multiple people contribute.

A good friend of mine, who is also the website host, has recently turned me on to Word Press.  He has setup a prototype site in New Music Forum for me to mess around with and learn how to use Word Press.  If this is successful, in other words if I like what I see, then is would be easy for me to migrate New Music Forum to a Word Press site.

Right now I do not know what I want to do.  I will be spending time over the next couple of weeks playing with the Word Press version of New Music Forum.  I will give updates about my progress with the website as it is an important project to me.

Listening Journal: November 16-22, 2009

Luciano Berio - Chemins II (su "sequenza VI") (1967) - for viola and chamber ensemble
Tristan Murail - Allégories (1990) - for six instruments and electronics
Arnold Schoenberg - Five Piano Pieces, op. 23 (1923)
Anton Webern - Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, op. 9 (1913)
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5, op. 67 (1808) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6, op. 68 "Pastorale" (1808) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Composing Session: November 18, 2009

A few weeks ago I had created a timeline which outlined my plan for finishing Dream Cycle.  I had planned on being done with the draft of Mutability by last week.  Well, yesterday was the first day in which I have composed since I created that timeline.  So basically I can throw it out the window.

With all that said I did have a productive composing session yesterday.  I spent sometime developing the accompaniment for the second stanza.  Basically, I sat at the keyboard and played around with the initial material that I had.  I tried to steer myself away from the repetitive nature of the accompaniment of the first stanza.  I will be using repetition on some level because the accompaniment needs to be fluid from stanza to stanza.  This will create a more cohesive sound instead of sounding like four different pieces (one for each stanza).

Right now I have eight measures sketched out.  I do not think that this sketch I created last night will be the "final" version.  I will need to spend more time fleshing out the material.  Some of the motives and thematic ideas could be explored a little bit more.  This could possibly provide more material for development in later stanzas.  After I work on this a little more, I will begin working on the vocal sketch.

Listening Journal: November 9-15, 2009

Kaija Saariaho - Du Cristal (1990) for orchestra
Kaija Saariaho - ...à la fumée (1990) for alto flute, cello and orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 4, op. 60 (1806) Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Demondrae Thurman - Soliloquies - CD
Patrick Schulz - Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble (2000)
John Stevens - Soliloquies (2000) for euphonium
Doug Bristol - Fantasy for Euphonium and Orchestra (2002)
Patrick Schulz - Constellation (1999) for euphonium
Frederic Goossen - Sinfonia Concertante (1994) for euphonium and wind ensemble

Iannis Xenakis - Kyania (1990) for orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Krinoïdi (1991) for orchestra
Iannia Xenakis - Herma (1961) for piano

Listening Focus

As I mentioned in a previous listening journal I have shifted my focus of listening more towards orchestral music... at least for a while.  I did this in part for no other reason than to give myself some parameters in choosing what to listen to.  I have also decided that I need to include more pre-20th century music in my listening repertoire.  I have noticed that the majority of my listening tends towards contemporary music.  I have nothing against pre-20th century music.  I enjoy listening to Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and their contemporaries.  I just do not think about those composers when it comes time to listen to something.

Now I will be making more of a conscious effort to include the music of these eras in my listening.  I will say that this decision does stem from my listening to the Beethoven Symphonies.  I started to listen to these symphonies again on a whim when I decided to focus more on orchestral music.  I have been enjoying them, especially the 1st and 2nd symphonies since I am less familiar with them.

I do believe that it will be more beneficial for me to include pre-20th century music in my listening.  After all, these are the pieces that early-20th century composers had to listen to.

Bill Champlin: Bichin Tour

Friday night November 13, 2009 my wife and I went to see Bill Champlin perform live at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi, CA.  In a word the concert was Awesome!  Bill and his band played with a raw energy that electrified the crowd.

This tour is in support of Bill's new album No Place Left to Fall.  First off I must say that this album is amazing and it is hands down my favorite album of the year.  Bill and his band performed nine of the thirteen songs from this album that night.  I was excited to hear so many songs from this album performed live.  In addition they performed various songs from Bill's other albums.  There were even a few surprises in the set list including Please Hold On from Chicago 17 and Tamara (Bill's wife) singing You Won't Get to Heaven Alive from her 1995 solo album.

Bill Champlin is an amazing musician.  During a few of the songs he would transition from keyboards to guitar and no miss a beat.  He is very personable not only with the members of his band, but with the audience as well.  Bill would give credit where credit is due.  All of the band members were given their chance to shine.  It was fun to see Bill stand just off-stage during the drum and bass solos.  I could see him as he watched in amazement as Rochon (bass) and Eddie (drums) rocked out.

Aside from the music I really enjoyed and appreciated the fact that Bill and his band had no where else they would rather be.  One unfortunate thing about the show was that only half of the seats sold.  At one point Bill made a comment about this.  He said that some groups/artists would whine about this fact, but he did not care because they were there to play.  This says a lot about the band.

I have been a big fan of Bill Champlin for a long time.  His albums Burn Down the Night and Through It All have spent countless hours in my CD player.  Now No Place Left to Fall is in constant rotation in my CD player.  Seeing him perform live with a renewed energy is a real thrill.  True to form Bill came out front to the lobby after the show to greet some of his loyal fans and sign autographs.  My wife and I hung out and got to meet Bill.  Both Bill and his wife Tamara signed my copy of the No Place Left to Fall CD.  The picture above is a scan of that CD cover.

I really wish I could see his show again on this tour.  However, I do not have the time or money to head up to Oregon or Washington.  If you have been considering seeing his show, do it!  It is well worth the money.

Bill, thank you for a great show!  The CD is awesome.  I'm glad to see that you are enjoying yourself on stage.  I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Band Lineup:
Bill Champlin - lead vocals, keyboards and guitar
Tamara Champlin - vocals (lead vocal on You Won't Get to Heaven Alive)
Jerry Lopez - guitar and vocals  (lead vocal on Lovers Tonight)
Jamie Hosmer - keyboards, guitar and vocals
Rochon Westmoreland - bass and vocals
Eddie Garcia - drums

Understanding Xenakis

First off I need to clarify: I am not an expert on the music of Iannis Xenakis.  I have not studied his scores nor have I read his book Formalized Music.  Though I do wish to read this book one day.  I have listened to a large portion of Xenakis's music that is available in recorded form.  I really enjoy his music.  What I am offering here is my perspective on how to listen to the music of Xenakis.

Most people, when they listen to music, listen for the melody.  The melody is like the lead actor in a play.  It stands out front and commands your attention whenever it is present.  Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries (and probably even today) would judge the success of a piece based on whether or not the melody is memorable.  During the early to mid-19th century, the motif and motivic development became the norm.  The motif commands the audience's attention the same way the melody does.

Listeners are familiar with the melody and motif.  These are basic principles that are learned no matter what kind of music you enjoy.  Cursory listening of Xenakis reveals a lack of both melody and motif.  I am not suggesting that these principles do not exist in Xenakis's music as attention grabbing devices.  However, upon continued listening one does get a sense of the use of color and texture as recurring thematic devices.

I remember a couple of months back I had the desire to hear something gritty and bombastic.  I really wanted to hear one of the most dissonant things I owned.  Of course I immediately thought of Xenakis.  I listened to Aïs for orchestra.  About halfway through the piece my wife, Melissa, comes out to the living room and says, "I don't mean to be rude, but what are you listening to?"  My response was simply, "Music."  I explained to her that it was a piece by Iannis Xenakis and I had the desire to hear something dissonant.

When I talk to friends and colleagues about the music of Xenakis I hear a lot of negative reactions to his music.  I understand that point of view because when I first heard some of his music I thought it was unorganized noise.  Now that I have read a bit about him and listened to a large portion of his music I know that is not the case.  After all, his book about his compositional techniques is titled Formalized Music implying a structure and plan within the music.

What I am offering here is a way to listen to the music of Xenakis that has helped me make sense of is and more importantly enjoy his music.  First and foremost push aside the concepts of melody and harmony in your mind.  These are aspects of music that exist in Xenakis's compositions, but they are more difficult to find.  One of the keys to his music is timbre.  His use of various instrumental combinations and sounds shape and color the music.

It took me a while, but after I listened to six to eight pieces by Xenakis I was able to listen to the coloristic aspects of his music and focus on how he used timbre to create forward motion.  The case could be made that Xenakis's music uses a timbral progression rather than harmonic progression to drive the piece.

Another key aspect is formal structure.  It seems to me that Xenakis is very deliberate in his form and the way in which the sections develop.  Listening to form and structure requires yet another level of listening skill.  While the mind and ear want to latch on to what is happening at that moment, it is important to take note of section beginnings so that the larger picture can develop in the listener's mind.

After having a better understanding of the timbral/coloristic aspects of Xenakis's music the formal structure and development become easier to hear.  Being more in tune with with the timbre I was able to hear repeated occurrences of these devices and the larger picture became clearer to me.

Unlike Mozart, Beethoven or really most other composers, the music of Xenakis is very difficult the listen to at first.  The music is very dense and there is little for the ear to grab on to such as melody and harmony.  I feel that repeated listening to a singular piece is valuable, but with Xenakis it is better to listen to multiple pieces before attempting repeated listening of one piece.  By listening to multiple pieces I was able to hear different ways in which Xenakis would use and develop timbre.  All of this listening has helped in my understanding and enjoyment of Xenakis's music.

I really do encourage people to listen to Xenakis's music.  He was a gifted composer who deserves more performance time.  I highly recommend keeping an open mind and listening to this music in terms of color and timbre above all else.  In doing so I believe that sound world will draw you in and allow you to have a better understanding and enjoyment.  Happy listening!

Listening Journal: November 2-8, 2009

Iannis Xenakis - Roáï (1991) for orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 2, op. 36 (1803) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Kaija Saariaho - Lichtbogen (1986) for nine musicians and live electronics
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 3, op. 55, "Eroica" (1804) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Kaija Saariaho - Monkey Fingers, Velvet Hand (1991) for piano

A better understanding

Here's a simple fact: there is a lot of great music out there.  Of course there is a lot more bad music than great music.  Music is a very personal thing.  Not just composing music, but listening and playing as well.  Our likes and dislikes stem from personal aesthetic choice.  I know that there is a lot of music that I like that others do not.

As students we are encouraged to expose ourselves to new things.  Different composers, different aesthetics.  Our instructors encourage us day after day to challenge ourselves and play with the unfamiliar, because you never know what you are going to like.  I am now about three years removed from being a student and I still try to embrace this basic principle.  I do get stuck from time to time in doing and listening to the "same old thing."  There is nothing wrong with that, embracing the familiar is almost as important as playing with the unfamiliar.  My whole approach to music is about discovery.  It is a very personal journey for me.

Lately it seems as if my activities have been about stretching myself and playing with the unfamiliar.  The song cycle I am composing is one way I am stretching myself.  I am also starting to explore music and composers with which I am unfamiliar.  I recently started listening to the music of Gyorgy Kurtag.  I have to say that I am impressed with his music.  I have only listened to a handful of pieces, but there is something about it that I really like.

When I was a student I did not appreciate the principle of expanding my musical knowledge.  This was probably because I was so busy studying and working that I thought I did not have time to listen to new things.  Now that I am out of school and doing things for myself I can say that I have a better understanding of what my instructors were trying to tell me.

Listening Journal: October 26-November 1, 2009

This week I focused my listening on orchestral music.  Which is why all of the pieces except for one are written for orchestra.  Also, in the Beethoven listing I included orchestra and conductor.  I feel that for major works where there are numerous recordings, I would identify the recording to which I listened.

Karol Szymanowski - Symphony No. 4 (1932)

Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibleius Violin Concertos - CD
Arnold Schoenberg - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 36 (1936)
Jean Sibelius - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 47 (1905)

Pascal Dusapin - Apex (1995) for orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - Un Sourire (1989) for orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Dikhthas (1979) for violin and piano
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 1 (1800) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Phases of the accompaniment

In the sketching of the accompaniment for Mutability there have been a few phases through which the thematic ideas have gone. The sketch on the left contains examples of such phases.  (Click on image to enlarge)  Example 1 illustrates the basic, almost primitive gesture.  This is a two-beat quintuplet gesture that was to be transformed in many different ways.  I had initially chose the quintuplet gesture because the word "mutability" is a five-syllable word.  As you will see the quintuplet gesture is no longer the base for the accompaniment; however the number five will remain prevalent.

Example 2 shows the second phase of the accompaniment.  Here is the quintuplet gesture is replaced by two sets of triplets.  My intent here was to create a gesture that floats to the top and then tumbles down.  This is the phase in which I did the most experimentation.  Because of my amazing piano skills (please note the sarcasm) I entered this gesture into Finale.  From there I varied it through transposition and interval adjustment in order to try and find the sound I was looking for.  A couple of examples of the variations are included in example 3.

The fourth example includes the current state of the gesture.  After I had found the harmonic language I wanted, I decided to cut the tumbling aspect of the gesture.  I started to think that this last part of the gesture was too final.  It brings the gesture to a point of repose in the middle of the phrase.  This did not allow for the fluidity which I desired.  After settling on this I created two secondary gestures as contrasting ideas.  These are shown in examples 5 and 6.  From there, I assembled these gestures to create the introduction for the song.

All of the gestures in the introduction will be utilized as primary gestures for each stanza.  The "floating" gesture is used with stanza one.  The secondary gesture in example 5 will be used in stanza two.  The one in example 6 will be used in the third stanza, probably along with the "floating" gesture (not sure yet).  The fourth and final stanza will use a combination of all three gestures, possibly in a similar fashion to the introduction.

The Shaping of the Song

I have finally made, in my mind, substantial progress with the song Mutability.  The texture and the vocal setting are finally starting to take shape.  The texture is one thing in particular with which I have been struggling.

When I am uncomfortable composing for a particular medium, in this case voice and piano, I tend to fall back on compositional styles that are easier for me to develop.  This often includes slower devices, such as tempo, harmonic development and overall texture.  My tendency towards these things stems from the type of music I listen to.  My favorite composers include Kaija Saariaho, Gyorgy Ligeti, Tristan Murail and Olivier Messiaen.  These composers have a lot in common in terms of texture, harmonic development and melody.  I do not necessarily draw from specific pieces from these composers, but their output holds a tremendous influence over me.

Falling back on familiar devices is not a bad thing.  However, the piece I am currently working on is a song cycle for alto voice and piano.  Composing a series of songs, each in a similar vein become pedantic, almost boring.  Not only to the listener, but the performers and myself.  I need to challenge and push myself to do different things with the medium.

I have always had a clear concept of the texture for both the vocal setting and the accompaniment for Shelley's text Mutability.  The issue I have been struggling with is realizing that concept.  I want the accompaniment to be fluid, flowing freely.  Almost like waves that outline the harmony and carry the voice.  My concept for the vocal setting is a floating melody that sits on top of the accompaniment, letting the piano drive the piece rhythmically.

I have done a few drafts of both the piano accompaniment and the vocal setting.  It has taken me a few weeks to create the shape and texture the music has become.  While the shaping of this song has been a struggle, it is a vital part of the composition.  Now that the ground work is laid and the outline of the first stanza is complete, the other three stanzas should fall into place relatively quickly.

Listening Journal: October 19-25, 2009

Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano -
   XV. Le baiser de l'enfant Jésus
   XVI. Regard des prophétes, des bergers et des mages
   XVII. Regard du silence
Krzysztof Perderecki - Clarinet Quintet (1993) for clarinet, violin, viola and cello
Kaija Saariaho - Stilleben (1988) for tape
Tristan Murail - Désintégrations (1983) for 17 instruments and tape
Pascal Dusapin - Comoedia (1993) for soprano and 6 instruments
Gyorgy Kurtag - Six Moments Musicaux (2005) for string quartet
Gyorgy Kurtag - Tre pezzi (1979) for violin and piano
Gyorgy Kurtag - Messages (1996) for orchestra
Anton Webern - Quartet, op. 22 (1930) for clarinet, tenor saxophone, violin and piano
Esa-Pekka Salonen - Insomnia (2002) for orchestra
Gyorgy Ligeti - Trio for violin, horn and piano (1982)
Billy Joel - Air (Dublinesque), op. 10 (2001) for piano
Igor Stravinsky - Tango (1953) for 4 clarinets, bass clarinet, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, guitar, 3 violins, viola, cello and double bass
Pierre Boulez - Le Marteau sans maître (1955) for alto voice and 6 instruments
Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940) for clarinet, violin, cello and piano - VII. Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du temps

Happy Birthday, Blog!

On October 17th this blog turned one year old.  I have enjoyed creating a journal for my compositions, listening, related events and compositional processes.  In many respects this blog has held me accountable for not only my composing, but my listening activities as well.  It is also fun to look back at some of my previous posts and read about the progress I made during the compositional process.  I would like to thank my family, friends and readers for their support.  I hope you continue to enjoy this blog!

Fall Projects Update

I have been looking at my list of pieces I would like to compose.  I have also been thinking about my next project.  In an earlier post I wrote that I will be doing an orchestration of Playing in the Shadows for the call for scores for the 2010 New Music @ ECU Festival.  The deadline for this call is coming up in a couple of weeks and I realize that I do not have enough time to meet this deadline.  Therefore, I have decided to put this project on hold.

My first priority remains the Dream Cycle.  I will be resuming work on Mutability this week.  On Tuesday, I finished editing the score for I Dream'd in a Dream.  I have decided to include A Clear Midnight as the fifth song (but not necessarily fifth in order) of the cycle.  As I get closer to finishing Mutability I will start thinking about the order of the songs.

I am not sure what my next project will be after I finish Dream Cycle.  I may try to find an outlet for the complete version of Off you go... and work on the rest of that piece.  I am also planning another collaboration with Micheal Vickers.  For this I have been brainstorming ideas for instrumentation, but I have not yet settled on anything.  I am leaning towards something with winds and strings as opposed to a standard quartet or quintet.  I am open to the idea of a "standard" ensemble, but I am not sure of what I want right now.  There is a lot I would like to compose, I just do not know what I would like to do next.

Listening Journal: October 12-18, 2009

Tristan Murail - Serendib (1992) for 22 musicians
Tristan Murail - L'esprit des dunes (1994) for chamber ensemble
Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano - XIV. Regard des anges
Witold Lutoslawski - Grave: Metamorphosis for Cello and Strings (1981)
Kaija Saariaho - Jardin Secret II (1986) for harpsichord and tape

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today, I celebrate my 33rd birthday!  To celebrate I took Monday and today off from work.  I figured I had a couple of holidays owed to me so "why not?"  While it gives me time to rest, it also gives me time to do the thing I love...compose.  I am going to spend some time entering the revisions of I Dream'd in a Dream into Finale and look at my plans for future projects.  Of course tonight I will enjoy a big piece of the birthday cake my wife has made for me.

Overhauling the song

As I continue to look at my song I Dream'd in a Dream something does not seem right to me.  I like the motivic development of the accompaniment and the general outline of the vocal setting.  The aspect I realized that I do not like is the flow of the vocal melody.  The overall shape and contours of the sub-phrases are fine.  There is too much space between these sub-phrases that interrupt the continuity of the vocal setting.

My first approach to fix this issue was to tighten up the melody and delete some of the superfluous measures.  I worked on that a little bit, but I found that in the context of the accompaniment there are not many "extra" measures.  Then I thought of the idea of changing the time signature from 5/4 to 4/4.  This ended up being an easy change as many of the measures ended with half notes.  So, in essence, there were superfluous beats in almost every measure.

This change seems to work for the best.  I did need to drop three measures to tighten up the space between the lines of text.  Also, I have had to change some, but not many, pitches to fit better with the accompaniment.  Since I am not a great piano player, I will need to enter these changes into Finale and listen to the playback to hear for sure if this is the best solution.

Sketch process: I Dream'd in a Dream

When composing the song I Dream'd in a Dream the accompaniment was derived first.  I am not saying that the vocal setting was an after thought.  Rather, I drafted the accompaniment ideas first since they were the more prominent  musical ideas that came to mind.  Then as I was composing the vocal setting, I worked with the accompaniment to mould the two parts into a cohesive unit.

On the left I posted the initial sketch page for this song.  (Click sketch for full-size image)  The top system includes the ideas I toyed with for the introduction/primary motif.  The second system is where I started outlining possibilities for the vocal setting.  The third system is where I sketched the basic accompaniment figures for the second through fourth lines of the text.

It was when I worked on this part of the sketch that I began to see the song come together as a whole.  The text written below the thematic lines does not correlate to any specific rhythms or texture.  I wrote the text under the lines so that I could outline what text will go with what accompaniment.

From that point I worked on composing out the accompaniment, creating the form and structure.  When adding the vocal setting I found that I needed to tighten up the accompaniment making slight changes to the texture so that the two parts can work together, but that is a topic for another entry.

Listening Journal: October 5-11, 2009

György Ligeti - Three Pieces for two Pianos (1976)
Kaija Saariaho - Io (1987) for chamber orchestra, tape and live electronics
Kaija Saariaho - Lichtbogen (1986) for nine musicians and live electronics
Kaija Saariaho - Verblendungen (1984) for orchestra and tape
Tristan Murail - La Barque Mystique (1993) for flute, clarinet. violin, cello and piano
Kaija Saariaho - Petals (1988) for cello
Eric Stokes - Eldey Island (1971) for flute and tape
Tristan Murail - Le Lac (2001) for chamber ensemble
Olivier Messian - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) - XIII. Noël

"I Dream'd in a Dream" sketch completed

This afternoon I completed the sketch for my song, I Dream'd in a Dream.  My intent for this song was to give the accompaniment a simplistic and open quality.  I feel as if I accomplished that.  Tomorrow, I will continue to input the song into Finale.  There are a few measures in which I need to fill out, but the primary accompaniment and the vocal line is finished.  As I edit the score and look at it more closely, I may decide to revise sections.  This is a natural process for me as I always continue to edit and revise my music as I enter it into Finale.

I hope to post some sketches of the song and talk more about the process in the next few days.  Right now I am happy this song is pretty much done.  Now I can refocus my energy on the song Mutability.

Enhancing the texture

This week I have been looking at the accompaniment for I Dream'd in a Dream.  For the most part the draft consisted of parallel octaves in both the left and right hands.  While this creates the simple harmonic language I am striving for, it feels a bit empty, almost too simple.  I have spent quite a bit of time at my keyboard playing the different passages adding different tones trying to find pitches to complement the harmonic language.  I am finding that all it takes is one or two pitches here and there to give the accompaniment that little something extra.

In addition I have taken another look at the melody of the first two lines of the text.  In this case I feel that there is too much space between the phrases.  With a relatively stagnant and repetitive accompaniment the melody needs to flow and move just a little bit quicker.  I have take out some rests and changed some durations to create the consistent flow it needs.

I am happier with the revisions I have made.  My hope is to wrap up the sketch for this song this weekend and return to working on Mutability by next week.

Holy Grail found

For the last six years I have been trying to find a recording of Kaija Saariaho's Io.  This piece is composed for chamber orchestra, tape and live electronics.  Io is a piece I have read about in various sources yet never heard.  A colleague of mine told me about a performance he saw at UC San Diego years back.  This only added to the mystery and legend of Io.

The only recording of this piece I could find is an out of print CD of Saariaho's music entitled Meet the Composer.  I have looked at various music stores, especially ones that specialize in classical music and no one could order it for me.  I have also looked online at various e-tailers and even eBay looking for this CD.  I even search the internet for a bootleg copy of the album to no avail.  This piece and this disc had become my Holy Grail.

That is until last night.  I happened across a website that had an "advanced" mp3 search engine.  So I tried the keywords "Saariaho" and "Io."  Sure enough, it worked!  The search yielded a listing for the meet the composer album.  So I downloaded it.  Now let me say that I do not normally download commercially available CDs without paying.  The only exception I would make is for recordings like this that have been out of print for years.

I finally got the chance to listen to this piece last night.  After years of waiting, I have a copy of the recording.  It was worth the wait.  The piece was better that I could have imagined.  The sound world drew me in right from the beginning and did not let me go.  I am looking forward to hearing it again (and again).

It is my hope that a new recording of this piece is released so that a new wave of people can hear this piece.  Needless to say, I would definitely purchase that recording.

Listening Journal: September 28-October 4, 2009

Stephen Gerber - String Quartet (1973)
Yehuda Yannay - The Hidden Melody (1978) for cello and horn
Iannis Xenakis - Evryali (1973) for piano
Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano
    XI. Première communication de la Vierge
    XII. La Parole toute-puissante

Challenge update

This weekend I challenged myself to compose a song for Dream Cycle.  The text I chose was one I have been considering as an "interlude" song, Walt Whitman's I Dream'd in a Dream.  When finished this song will be the 3rd completed song, and 4th overall as I am currently working on Mutability as well.  I was unable to finish the song this weekend.  However, I did sketch out the entire accompaniment and the first two (of five) lines of text.  I would say that this song is about 60-70% completed.  After I finish the sketch this week, I will need to spend some time revising it.  I feel that there are a couple of measures that could use some tightening up.  Right now I am happy with my progress and I should be done with the song by the end of the week.

A personal challenge

In the past week I have been updating my website with some of the fine details about my compositions.  These details include performance history, movement titles and composition dates.  It is amazing to me how prolific I used to be.  There are some pieces which I composed in about a month or so.  These are not short, easy pieces either.  One such piece is Sleep's Journey for piano.  This is a six-minute piece that took me about six weeks or so to write.  Nowadays it seems as if it would take me six months to compose such a piece.  There are two pieces, Incursion for bass trombone and Not With, but Not Alone for flute, which took me two to three days each to compose.  Again both of these pieces are about six minutes in duration.

So I have been thinking about this and I decided to challenge myself.  I am going to try to compose a song for Dream Cycle this weekend.  This is a lofty goal for me considering that I have been working on this song cycle off and on for almost eight years now.  I decided to use one of the shorter texts that I have been considering.  I am in the process of composing a different song for the cycle, Mutability, but it is too long for me to challenge myself to finish this weekend.  The text is I Dream'd in a Dream by Walt Whitman.  The poem is only five lines, but the imagery and meaning is perfect as an interlude type song for Dream Cycle.

The goal is to compose this song this weekend.  It will be a tough challenge for me as voice and piano are two of the more difficult instruments for which to compose.  In fact I would be happy if I finished the song by the end of the week.

The value of good performers

In a previous post I talked about hiring performers and receiving great performances and recordings.  This got me thinking.  The price you pay for the performers is the cost of good performers.  What is the value of good performers?  Why should I go to the expense of paying a lot of money for someone to perform 8-10 minutes of music?

Well, the simplest answer is to get a good performance and recording.  Okay, I get that, but what does this really mean?  The performance happens once and it is over.  Usually the performance is captured in a recording and you can keep it.  When thinking about it, I realize that it is what you do next that makes the difference.

If you wind up "sitting" on the recording, then it does nothing for you other than add to your portfolio.  You can use these good recordings to help solicit more performances, either of the same work or another work.  Often, performers and conductors are interested in hearing a composer's music.  Providing high-quality recordings will more accurately depict the sense of style and technique the composer utilizes.

Building relationships, through networking and hiring performers can lead to more opportunities.  Performers who have played your music before may be interested in new works.  Also, the performers may recommend your music to other performers and conductors.

Listening Journal: September 21-27, 2009

Kaija Saariaho - Je sens un duxiéme Coeur (2003) for piano, viola and cello
Olivier Messiaen - Chronochromie (1960) for orchestra
Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 26 (1868)
Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano - X. Regard de l'Espirit de joie
Iannis Xenakis - Dmaathen (1977) for flute and percussion
Walter Hartley - Metamorphosis (1975) for clarinet and piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in A Major (1787) for violin and piano

Lessons learned this summer

This summer was by far the busiest I have experienced compositionally.  From May to August I received six performances on my music.  Only three different pieces were performed, but each were performed twice.  As can be expected there was a wide range in the quality of these performances.  However, this year I did have some top-notch professionals playing my music.  The Avenue Winds performed my woodwind quintet Visions of a Landscape in two performances (June 6th and July 18th).  Violinist Philip Santos performed my violin piece also in two performances (May 18th and August 22nd).  Both sets of performances were great.  I am really happy to have had these high-quality performances.  These are recordings that I am willing to go back and listen.

As a student, I relied on student performers who would give good, but not great performances.  It is not that they are incapable of such, but at that point they are too busy with school and other commitments to really learn the piece.  Also, most of these performances we done for free or for food.

This was really only the second or third time I paid someone to play one of my pieces.  In the past I was always hesitant because I was afraid that I would be paying for a mediocre performance.  I have come to realize that the performers will do their best with a piece they are hired to play.  Their reputation is as much at stake as mine.  Basically, if they want more work, then they will do a good job.  I am very pleased with the performances by the Avenue Winds and Philip Santos.  I now have a couple of great recordings of my music.  This is a lesson well learned.

Performance blog: 7th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - August 22, 2009

Each year fellow composer, John Bilotta and I organize and run the Festival of Contemporary Music (FCM).  Every season we host two concerts in the summer.  The 7th Annual FCM was scheduled for Saturdays August 8th and 22nd at the San Francisco Community Music Center.  I founded this Festival in 2003, in part, as a vehicle for my music.

This year I programmed my violin piece Glimpses of the Moon.  After I heard Philip Santos perform this piece at the Seventh Annual Glenn Glasow Memorial Concert I knew I wanted him to play my piece at the FCM.  Fortunately, Philip graciously agreed.  He was eager to have another crack at this piece.

The plan was to work with him a couple of times over the summer, but even the best laid plans can fall by the wayside.  This did not take away from the performance.  Philip did a masterful job working his way through the unmetered phrases.  He took charge of the piece and made it his own without ignoring my intent.  I could not ask for a better performance under these circumstances.

The next step is to find the time and the money to record this piece with Philip.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation Part 2 (July & August 2009)

By the time July 1st rolled around summer was half over and four of my six scheduled performances had occurred.  As a matter of fact June 7th until July 17th was the slow period compositionally for me.  I mean, I had a lot to do to prepare for the 7th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music, but I did not have any performances lined up and I did not do much, if any, composing.  The was due in part to the fact that for the second summer in a row my wife and I moved.  This was not exactly what we planned on doing this summer, but with my promotion and transfer to Stockton, CA (about 40 miles away from Modesto) it was a necessary evil.

My next performance this summer took place on Saturday, July 18th at the 2009 San Francisco Chamber Wind Festival.  The Avenue Winds were set to premiere my woodwind quintet Visions of a Landscape.  All five movements were performed on this concert.  Prior to the concert photographer Micheal Vickers and I set up a display of the five photographs we used in this collaboration.  This display was setup so that people could view the photos on the way into or out of the concert hall.  All-in-all the concert was wonderful.  The performances were great and I am very pleased about how my piece turned out.  For more thoughts and details about the Festival check out the Performance Blog entry about this concert (posted September 22nd).

Two weeks after the San Francisco Chamber Wind Festival the 7th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music began.  The FCM is my pet project.  The Festival began in 2003 and this year was entering its 7th season.  This year we were hosting two concerts, the 9th and 10th concerts in the Festival's history.  The two concerts occurred on Saturdays August 8th and 22nd.  This year we decided to space out the two concerts by two weeks for two primary reasons.  The first is to give us a little rest between events.  Also, and more importantly, we thought that there is a greater chance for returning audience members if the concerts were spaced out.  I think that it worked.  The audience for the concert on August 22nd was at least as big as on the 8th.  It seemed to me that the audience may have been bigger (more on that in a future posting).

August 22nd also saw my last performance of the summer.  Philip Santos performed, once again, my violin piece Glimpses of the Moon at the 7th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  The performance was great.  I could tell that he was really starting to better understand the piece.  Philip's performance was full of nuance and subtlety.  I am very happy with the way this performance turned out.

So this was my summer.  It was very busy, productive, exciting and eye-opening.  This period of time was the first in which I was really glad my wife and I moved down to California from Oregon last summer.

Website Updates

As a composer, more often than not you have to do everything for your music except perform the piece.  However, there are many times where the composer plays his or her own piece.  While there is value to that, I feel that it is more rewarding to have someone else interpret and perform my music.

One aspect of being a composer that I neglect or have difficulty maintaining is my public relations.  Until recently I did not make the extra effort to establish connections and solicit performances of my music.  One aspect of my PR that I have been spending a lot of time on lately is my website.  I recently came across "Yahoo Media Player" a module for my website that has made streaming audio much more manageable.

As a result I decided to give my personal website a facelift.  I am trying to give it its own identity that is different than New Music Forum.  I have been uploading numerous mp3s, pdfs of scores and pictures.  My hope is that it will act as an agent of sorts for my music.  This site will give people the opportunity to explore my music and possibly create more performance opportunities for me.

Here is a link to my website: http://newmusicforum.com/BrianBice/BrianBice/tabid/56/Default.aspx. A permanent link is located on the left.

Performance blog: San Francisco Chamber Wind Festival - July 18, 2009

I was fortunate this year to have a piece selected for performance at the 2009 San Francisco Chamber Wind Festival.  This Festival is put on every year by John Bilotta and takes place at the San Francisco Conservatory.  There are two ensembles-in-residence at the Festival: Avenue Winds and ChamberMix.  The Avenue Winds is a woodwind quintet that performs a many different concerts each year throughout the Bay Area.  As you may recall, this is the same ensemble that performed the 3rd and 5th movements of Visions of a Landscape on June 6th.  ChamberMix is a mixed ensemble consisting of approximately 6 performers.  This group is founded and run by Martha Stoddard, who also plays flute in this group.

The piece of mine that was selected for inclusion at this year's Festival was Visions of a Landscape.  This piece is the result of a collaboration with photographer Micheal Vickers.  The Avenue Winds performed all five movements of my piece at this concert.  This performance was scheduled prior to the Avenue Winds/NACUSAsf concert on June 6th.  When I found out about the NACUSAsf concert I submitted Visions because the ensemble was already going to learn my piece.  If I could get another performance, then why not?

As a whole the Festival was great!  All of the performances were of high quality.  Another great thing about the Festival was that most of the composers were in attendance.  The Avenue Winds did an amazing job performing my quintet.  It is very gratifying to have professionals perform my music.  As I mentioned in my blog entry about the June 6th concert, it is such a great feeling to hear an ensemble accurately perform a fast movement at the indicated tempo.  Now, I would like to add that it is satisfying to hear a high-quality performance of my music whether it is fast, slow or in between.  This is a valuable lesson I learned this summer.  Not only with this piece, but with other pieces as well, but that is for another blog entry.

This was just another great experience I had this summer.  There were many good pieces performed on the Festival.  One that sticks out in my mind is a solo bassoon piece by Bruno Siberchicot called Chamans.  This along with another another piece I heard later in the summer has really inspired me and given me ideas for future projects (again I am getting ahead of myself).  As I look back, I think this summer will prove to be a huge step forward in my career.

Performance blog: UCSC Flute Studio Recital - June 5, 2009

On Friday, June 5, 2009 the UCSC Flute Choir undertook, once again, Shadows of Dreams.  The performance was a part of the the Flute Studio Recital.  This was one of the rare times in which I did not attend the performance of one of my pieces.  My wife and I had already made the two and a half hour journey to Santa Cruz twice in the span of a week.  One time for a rehearsal and once for the premiere.  I did not have the time, or the money, to travel once again to hear them play my piece, though I kind of wish I could have.  I did receive the recording so I was able to hear this performance.

Upon listening to this recording it was clear that it was not as strong of a performance as the one on June 2nd.  The concert took place at the end of the school year and I could tell that fatigue was setting in.  All in all I will say that I am not disappointed with the whole experience.  I had a lot of fun composing the piece, meeting the performers and hearing the performances.  Thank you Greer Ellison and the UCSC Flute Choir. 

A look ahead at some Fall projects

In trying to get motivated to compose again after a long, busy and sometimes stressful summer, I have been thinking ahead to what projects and pieces I will work on in the coming months.  The first thing I am going to do is complete Dream Cycle.  In previous posts I have noted that I am currently setting the text Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  In the cycle I have already set A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe and Echo by Christina Georgina Rossetti.  I am also considering 2 additional short texts by Walt Whitman I Dream'd in a Dream and A Clear Midnight as interlude songs, songs to fit in between the 3 main texts.

My next project will be an orchestration of my large chamber ensemble piece Playing in the Shadows.  The idea for this project came from a call for scores for the 2010 New Music @ ECU Festival.  Normally, I do not compose anything for a specific call for scores.  To me it does not seem like a good idea.  If a piece I am composing or want to compose happens to fit a call for scores, then I will consider submitting it.  For example, there is a call for scores that would be good for Dream Cycle so I am going to consider submitting to that call.  Also, I want to do this orchestration project because I have been wanting to revisit this piece and this is a good way for me to do so.

There are other projects/compositions I am thinking about working on.  Right now these are the two that I will be working on in the immediate future.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation Part 1 (May & June 2009)

This Summer started off great!  Well, actually we have to look a little before Summer to see where it all began.  As I have already blogged about May 18th was the first in a series of performances that would take me through the Summer.  On May 18th, Philip Santos performed Glimpses of the Moon for violin at the Seventh Annual Glenn Glasow Memorial Concert.

May 24th was another important day as my wife and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary.  At times it is hard to believe that we have now been married over a year.  We spent the day at the Oakland Zoo.  It is always fun to see the animals.  We finished the day by having dinner at the Olive Garden, one of Melissa's favorite places to eat.

June 2nd and 5th saw the premiere and second performance of my flute quartet, Shadows of Dreams.  The experience as a whole was great.  Greer Ellison, the ensemble's director, is very nice and supportive.  The quality of the performance was what you would expect from an undergrad ensemble.  The two performances were quite different.  I do hope to be able to work with Greer again.

Saturday, June 6th, was the first of two performances of my woodwind quintet Visions of a Landscape.  This piece is important because it is my first collaboration with SF Bay Area photographer Micheal Vickers.  This concert, supported by the San Francisco chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA, was to me more of a preview performance as the Avenue Winds performed only the 3rd and 5th movements.  I remember leaving this concert happy because it was the first time an ensemble accurately performed a fast movement of mine at the correct tempo.  It is amazing what happens when professionals perform your music.

The rest of June was rather exciting.  I was promoted to receiving lead for the Stockton, CA, Bed, Bath and Beyond and so there was some adjustment there.  Also on June 18th, my nephew Jonathan David Bice was born.  Big things were happening and this is shaping up to be a great summer. 

Hello Old Friend

Wow.  It has been over 2 months since my last post.  Well, Summer always seems to be a busy and yet somewhat unproductive time of year for me.  For the second year in a row my wife and I moved.  This year we only moved about 40 miles north from Modesto, CA to Stockton, CA.  So this year's move was difficult, but relatively painless.  Over the next week or two I will be writing about my Summer.  I will highlight the San Francisco Chamber Wind Festival, the Festival of Contemporary Music and other important events and happenings (and even some not so important things).

I do feel bad for neglecting this blog and you, my reader.  But let it be know that I am back and i am looking forward to a productive rest of the summer and beyond.

Performance blog: NACUSAsf Avenue Winds Concert - June 6, 2009

The Avenue Winds premiered the 3rd and 5th movements of my woodwind quintet Visions of a Landscape on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at the Portola Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley.  Portola Valley is just west of Stanford University.  The members of the Avenue Winds include Melanie Keller, flute and piccolo, Jessica Boelter, oboe, Ricki Nelson, clarinet, Charles Moehnke, bassoon and Cathleen Torres, horn.  A fun fact about this group is that I am friends with Cathleen and we went to undergrad at Cal State Hayward.

The whole concert included movements of 11 different pieces from members of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA (NACUSA).  Overall, the Avenue Winds did an amazing job presenting a variety of works.  It is not easy putting together 1 or 2 pieces of new music, but presenting a concert of new/recent works is an unbelievable feat!  My piece was 2nd on the program.  This performance ranks up there as one of the best performances of one of my pieces.  The only other performance that can compare is my cello piece Lines in the Sand performed by Gabrielle Arness at my doctoral recital in 2005.  That was an amazing performance.

I am excited and eager to hear this piece performed in its entirety on Saturday, July 18, 2009 by the Avenue Winds.  I was really excited when they performed the fast movement (5th movement) at the tempo I indicated.  In my experience the faster movements are usually performed slower than indicated and even then the performance is not always accurate.

This is a piece I am really excited about not only because it is being performed by an amazing group, but it is also a collaboration with a good friend of mine and Bay Area photographer Micheal Vickers.  A few years ago Micheal and I discussed the idea of collaborating; my music with his photos.  Visions of a Landscape is the resultant piece.  The five movements are based on five pictures of a similar theme: landscapes.  I enjoyed collaborating with Micheal and I hope we can do it again. 

Listening Journal: June 1-7, 2009

UC Santa Cruz Chamber Music Concert (the part I stayed for) - June 2, 2009

Stepan Rak - Rumba (?) for guitar quartet

William Boyce - Symphony No. 4 - 1st movement (1760) arranged for flute quartet (by Martin Melicharek III)

Brian Bice - Shadows of Dreams (2009) for flute quartet

Kaija Saariaho - New Gates - CD

Cendres (1991/96) for flute, cello and piano

Grammaire des Rêves (1988-89) for soprano, contralto. 2 flutes, harp, viola and cello

Solar (1997) for flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, 2 percussion, harp, piano/sampler, synthesizer, violin, viola and bass

New Gates (1996) for flute, harp and viola

NACUSAsf - Avenue Winds Concert - June 6, 2009 (woodwind quintet)

Nancy Bloomeer Deussen - Woodwind Quintet (1965) - Intermezzo; Waltz

Brian Bice - Visions of a Landscape (2008) - III. Foggy Landscape; V. Seashore

L. Peter Deutsch - Love in the Afternoon (2008)

John Beeman - Adagio and Dance for Woodwinds (?) - I. Adagio

Dale Victorine - Two Mountain Scenes (2008) - Allegro-Mount Hamilton

Greg Steinke - Wind River Country (1986) - IV. Sacagawea

Adrienne Albert - Animalogy (n.) (2007)

Anne Baldwin - Wind Quintet #1 (?) - IV. Allegro Moderato

Robert Stine - Three Pieces for Wind Quintet (2009): I. Allegretto

Stan McDaniel - Across the River (2009)

Sondra Clark - Postcards from Yosemite (?)

Performance blog: UCSC Chamber Music Concert - June 2, 2009

On June 2, 2009 the UC Santa Cruz Flute Choir presented the premiere performance of my Shadows of Dreams. The ensemble consisted of Cheyenne Montalbin, 1st flute, Sarah Hughes and Nick Ross 2nd flutes, Lisa Ryland, alto flute and Hilary Armstrong, bass flute. The ensemble sis a really good job with my piece. This is a piece that demands that the performers be versatile as it requires different playing styles in the various moods.

The whole concert was a mix of the different chamber groups on campus. The ensembles ranged from guitar quartet to a bass quartet. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay through the whole concert. My wife and I had to leave after my piece was performed because we had about a two and a half hour drive to get home.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the performance. In a previous entry I talked about the final rehearsal prior to this concert. The ensemble suffered from balance and intonation issues. Fortunately during the performance some of those issues were fixed. The ensemble sounded more balanced and phrases that stuck out in the rehearsal blended better in the concert hall.

All-in-all this was a very positive experience for me. I wish I could be there on June 5th as the ensemble is scheduled to play the piece again at the flute studio concert. I trust that they will do as good of a job. Greer has promised to get me a recording of both performances so we will see.

I would like to thank Greer Ellison for the opportunity to write Shadows of Dreams. I hope to work with her in the future.

Listening Journal: May 25-31, 2009

Edgard Varése - Intégrales (1925) for chamber ensemble

Frank La Rocca - Divertimento (1990) for 2 piano

Frnak La Rocca - Meditation (1991) for piano

Anton Webern - Four Pieces for violin and piano, op. 7 (1910)

Kaija Saariaho - Laconisme de l'aile (1982) for flute

Kaija Saariaho - Noa Noa (1991) for flute and electronics

Kaija Saariaho - Adjö (1982) for soprano/percussion, flute and guitar

Kaija Saariaho - Caliban's Dream (1993) for baritone, clarinet, mandolin, guitar, harp and contrabass

Kaija Saariaho - Du Gick, flög (1982) for soprano and piano

Rehearsal Blog: Shadows of Dreams - May 28, 2009

My wife and I made the 2-1/2 hour trek from Modesto to Santa Cruz for a rehearsal of my flute quartet Shadows of Dreams.  I really did not know what to expect from the ensemble.  The are a wide range of abilities and levels in the group.  I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised that by the end of the rehearsal the group was playing together as a cohesive unit.  I could tell that they are excited about performing my piece.

I was warned in advance by Greer Ellison, the ensemble director, that the tempos were going to be taken faster than indicated.  The tempos were being performed by about 20 beats.  Of course as the composer I was hesitant at such a dramatic change, but I figured that if it was going to give me a better performance, then it would be fine.  I would rather have a good performance at a faster tempo then a mediocre performance at the slower tempo.

When I arrived, Greer and the ensemble were excited to meet me.  I have to admit that this was the first time I came to a rehearsal as a "guest artist."  I was flattered by how nice everyone was and how receptive they were to my comments.

Like most rehearsals this one started off rough.  The ensemble did not have time to warm up and that was apparent.  After a while the group started to get better.  Balance and intonation were problematic at times, but that is the case with most young performers.  The group has been working with a student conductor.  Which is good because there are some timing issues that would be difficult for a young ensemble without a conductor.  Unfortunately, the conductor had to leave half way through the rehearsal.  At that point Greer took over the conducting duties.

While she was conducting, Greer inadvertently took the tempos slower than they had been rehearsing.  It was at this point when everything seemed to click.  Phrasing became smoother and the mood and feeling of the piece started to show through.  The students even commented on how they started to understand the piece better.

I wish there were one or two more rehearsals before the concert on June 2nd.  That is always the way.  Hopefully the group will communicate with the conductor about slowing the tempo before the dress rehearsal.  I am confident that they will do a good job with my piece.  I am looking forward to the concert.  I am also looking forward to possibly working with Greer on future projects.

Dream Cycle

In previous posts I mentioned that I am now working on the 3rd song for Dream Cycle for alto voice and piano.  I wanted to take the opportunity to give some background about the piece.

This piece began in 2002.  After I completed my master's thesis I needed something else to work on.  In a conversation I had with my friend Nicole Davis it was suggested that I compose some songs for her.  We decided on the following texts:

A Dream by Edgar Allen Poe

Echo by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley

A Dream was composed in Spring 2002.  Echo composed in Spring 2006 was completed on May 26, 2006.  Now it is Spring 2009 and I have started on Mutability.  I have a couple other texts in mind for more songs.  It all depends on how this one goes and how the cycle shapes up as to whether or not I compose more songs.  Either way, I will finally finish my Dream Cycle.

Working out the introduction

I spent some time today working on the introduction to the 3rd song of Dream Cycle.  The text I am using is Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  I have been stuck on the idea that I need to compose a song with a faster tempo.  The first song, A Dream, has a tempo of a quarter note = 56.  The next song, Echo, has a tempo of a quarter note = 68.  I tried working on some ideas with a tempo of approximately a quarter note = 108.  I could not envision how I would be able to develop these sketches.  

I ended up slowing the tempo down a bit to a quarter note = 90 and I was able to do more with the sketches.  I was able to compose the introduction to this song.  It took me a while to settle on the order of the ideas.  I tried the fragments out in different combinations to see which I liked the best.  My next task is to push forward and work on the vocal part.  I envision the melody using slower rhythmic values, sitting on top of the quicker moving accompaniment.

Shadows of Dreams: Composing the Final Section

Sketch page 5-1

Final Score page 7

Final Score page 8

Tomorrow, May 28th, I am invited to attend the final rehearsal for Shadows of Dreams at U.C. Santa Cruz.  So today I will spend some time looking at my score and notes.  I need to prepare to work with the ensemble tomorrow.  As I was looking at my notes I came across my initial sketch for the final section of the piece (Sketch page 5-1, above).  My goal for the finale was to combine the various melodies and themes into a distinct and cohesive unit.

The sketch consists of 3 staff systems.  The first is the opening alto flute melody (untransposed, measures 1-8).  The second system contains the melody from the 3rd section (measures 102-11) in the 2nd flute.  The 1st flute counterpoint from measure 103 is added to fill the rests.  This 2nd  flute melody is transposed down a half-step so that the two melodies will blend together.

The third system is the first attempt at combining the two melodies.  This happens to be the way it appears in the score beginning at measure 120.  The primary difference is that the 1st flute plays the melody, from the 3rd section, up an octave.  Measure 135 brings that melody back to the 2nd flute in the original octave and the combination of the two melodies is expanded to bring the piece to a more natural close.

I provided the final copy of the notated score illustrate how the sketches come together.  This section of the sketch score spans 4 pages due to various edits and deletions.

Listening Journal: May 18-24, 2009

Glenn Glasow Memorial Concert - May 18, 2009

Jean McKinley - Arise My Love, and Come Away (2007) for soprano, viola and piano

John Hildago - Three Rivers (2006) for string quartet

Frank La Rocca - Veni Sancte Spiritum (2001) for soprano, clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello

Brian Bice - Glimpses of the Moon (2001) for violin

Giancarlo Aquilanti - String Quartet No. 3 (2008)

George Crumb - Lux Aeterna (1971) for soprano, bass flute/soprano recorder, sitar and percussion (2 players)

Joseph Dangerfield - Zdravoye Zreniye (2002) for large chamber ensemble

Brett Dean - Komarov's Fall (2006) for orchestra

Witold Lutoslawski - Jeux Vénitiens (1961) for chamber orchestra

Allan Blank - Bicinium (1974) for clarinet and bassoon

Robert Newell - Spirals (1976) for mezzo soprano and percussion

Stuart Smith - Faces (1974) for clarinet and oboe

Change of direction

As I sat in the audience at the Glenn Glasow concert on May 18, 2009, I read the bio I sent to Jeff Miller.  I read something, a statement, that has been on my bio for at least the past five years, but probably longer.

"Other recent compositional projects are Off you go... a large scale, multi-movement composition for flute, cello and percussion and Dream Cycle for alto voice and piano, written for Nicole Davis." 

"Dream Cycle for alto voice and piano, written for Nicole Davis." is the statement to which I am referring here.  When I read that again I thought to myself, "I really need to finish that piece."  This thought has stayed with me for a few days.

I began working on Dream Cycle in 2002 while I was a student at Bowling Green State University.  During the 2001-02 school year I met Nicole.  She was a student in a class for which I was the graduate assistant.  We became friends during that time.  When I finished my master's thesis Obscured Ruminations for bass trombone and chamber orchestra I needed something else to compose.  I still had about a month and a half before the end of the school year and I was still taking lessons from Elainie Lillios.  In talking with Nicole the idea of writing some songs for her came up.  I figured why not, it would be fun.  Well, here we are 7 years later and only 2 songs have been composed.  Even then the 2 songs were composed about 5 years apart.  Nicole and I had agreed on at least 3 texts.  I am thinking the whole cycle will consist of up to 5 songs.  It just depends on how I feel about the cycle after I finish the original 3 songs.

During intermission of the concert I was talking with David Stein my former music history professor who is now retired.  He asked me if I have written any choral music.  To date, I have not, but I am now thinking about it.  In away to me this is also indirect encouragement to finish Dream Cycle.  Maybe this will lead me to compose my first choral work.

I have decided to put the brass quintet aside for now.  I do have some great ideas for the piece, but I think that I need to focus my energy on the song cycle.  This is far overdue and something that I am determined to complete.