Sketch completed for Trackings No. 2, movement 2

This afternoon I completed the sketch for the second movement of Trackings No. 2.  There are only one or two sections in which I am considering doing some revision.  Even then most of the revisions would consist of adding tones to the piano chords to eliminate some of the "hollow" sound created by the octaves.

The next step for this sketch is to finish adding the phrase markings and expressions and to enter the dynamics in all voices.

I like the approach I have taken for this movement.  As I wrote in a previous post, I wanted to draw out the pseudo-waltz feel that was present in the middle section of the original cello and double bass sketch.  I believe that I was quite successful in doing so.  I was able to compose two melodies that have similar contours, but a noticeably different feel about them.

Immersion Day

Today I will have a prime opportunity to get a lot of work done.  My wife, who unfortunately is unemployed, has temp work for a catering company at the University of the Pacific tonight! My plan is to dedicate five or six hours tonight to composing and related activities.  Here are my goals for today.

• Polish the 1st movement of Trackings No. 2
• Enter the revisions, into Finale, for the 2nd movement of Trackings No. 2
• Create more preliminary sketches for Time in Memoriam
• Start sketching the introduction for Time in Memoriam

These are not lofty goals.  They are ones that are easily attained.  I have learned to not create too many goals as there are always things that come up or some goals that take longer to achieve than originally thought.  Also, I still need to decide what other tasks I would like to accomplish with my time.  Likely I will push on and revise a sketch for one of the other movements of Trackings No. 2 or I may decide to expand the sketch beyond the introduction for Time in Memoriam.

Right now all I know is that it will be a good day because all can get some composing done and, most importantly, my wife will be working today!

Composing Session: July 29, 2010

Yesterday I was able to spend a couple of hours composing.  My time was split between two different projects.  First I began sketching ideas for my next wind ensemble piece, Time in Memoriam.  Then I spent time working on the second movement of Trackings No. 2 for cello, double bass and piano.

Part of my concept for Time in Memoriam is to use the Dies Irae sequence as the basis for deriving melodies and themes I will use.  Not all material will be derived from this sequence, because I feel that it would be too limiting.  However, the primary material will come from the derivations of this sequence.  Currently, I am only in the initial stage of composing this piece.  That means writing notes about what I want to accomplish and sketching various preliminary ideas.

In the original sketch for this movement of Trackings No. 2 there are two sections.  The first is a 3/4 meter in which parts have a quasi-waltz-like feel.  The second part is in a 4/4 meter and uses the material presented as long tones at the beginning of the movement as melodic fragments (in shorter rhythmic durations, of course!).

In working with this sketch I decided to take advantage of the pseudo-waltz and try to make that an integral part of the movement.  As a result I decided to cut the final ten measures since I felt as if they did not add anything to the movement.  I do plan on expanding the section prior to the measures I cut.  So I will regain those measures while filling out the movement.

Listening Journal: July 19-25, 2010

Camille Saint-Saëns - Concerto No. 1 for cello and orchestra in A minor, op. 33 (1872), Yo-Yo Ma, cello, Orchestre National de France, Lorin Maazel, conductor
Luciano Berio - Corale (su "Sequenza VIII) (1981) for violin, two horns and strings
Camille Saint-Saëns - Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra in G minor, op. 22 (1868), Cecile Licad, piano, London Philharmonic Orchestra, André Previn, conductor

György Ligeti - György Ligeti Edition, volume 1: String Quartets and Duets - CD
   String Quartet No. 1 "Métamorphoses Nocturnes" (1953-54)
   String Quartet No. 2 (1968)
   Hommage à Hilding Rosenburg (1982) for violin and cello
   Balada si joc (1950) for two violins
   Andante and Allegretto (1950) for string quartet

Sketch completed for Trackings No. 2, movement 1

Over the past couple of days I have finished the full sketch of the first movement of Trackings No. 2.  Like all of my sketches this does not mean necessarily mean that the movement is finished.  This means that I have finished a draft and there are sections in which I am going to look into making minor revisions.

One section in particular that I need to look at starts at measure 27 in the piano.  In this section, I need to look at the harmonic language I used.  I am thinking that maybe it would be better to used harmonies similar to those used in the cello and double bass beginning in measure 30.  This could tie the two sections together better.

Aside from that section there are some notes and rhythms here and there that could use some touch up, but I think this movement is pretty much set.

Stress can be a great demotivator

Stress.  In certain situations it can push greatness to the top.  It can even allow the unexpected to happen.  At this point in my life stress is demotivating me.  There are different types of stress.  There is stress from the pressure of deadlines.  Stress from being overwhelmed by work or projects.  In my case the stress is coming from a more personal level.  For the past week my cat, Fozzie, has been sick.  We have taken him to the vet, but they are unable to give us an exact diagnosis.  The possibilities range from an infection of some sort to a terminal illness that preys on the cat's immune system.  Of course the latter stresses me and my wife to no end.  Last we we gave him an antibiotic the vet prescribed.  It seemed to help, but not completely.  This week the vet has prescribed a stronger antibiotic.  We pray that this will help.

The stress from all of this has depressed me some and has made me unmotivated to compose.  I am going to dedicate time to composing this week so that my life does not get consumed with this stress.  Also, by doing so I will be able to stay on top of my projects and not fall too far behind.

Performance blog: 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - July 17, 2010

It has been just over seven years since I completed my last piano piece.  This past Saturday, July 17th, after waiting just over seven years this piece titled 4-5 finally received its premiere.  Stacey Barelos, a friend of mine from Bowling Green State University, performed the piece.

I have to say that I am happy with the performance.  Stacey did a great job performing a rather difficult piece.  4-5 is not an easy piece.  This is due in part to the fact that I am not a pianist.  In composing this piece I was unhindered by my abilities as a pianist.  At times I found myself asking "can a pianist do this...?" as opposed to "well, I cannot play this so I will not write it."  In many ways this is liberating, yet it is confining as I may compose sections that are doable, but very difficult.

Stacey stepped up and gave a wonderful performance of 4-5.  I feel as if she learned this piece quite well considering we were unable to work together in a rehearsal.  Some section were not as fast as I would have likes.  However, I would rather have a strong performance at a slightly slower tempo, than a sloppy performance at the marked tempo.

Listening Journal: July 12-18, 2010

Harrison Birtwistle - The Axe Manual (2000) for piano and percussion
Witold Lutoslawski - Interlude (1989) for violin and orchestra
Pascal Dusapin - Galim (2003) for flute and orchestra
Sergei Prokofiev - Lt. Kijé Suite (1934) for orchestra - Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
Igor Stravinsky - L'Oiseau de feu (1910) for orchestra - San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas
Ottorino Respighi - Pines of Rome (1924) for orchestra - Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner

8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - Concert #1
   Kyong Mee Choi - Reminiscences for piano
   Stacey Barelos - Letters from Jenny for soprano and piano
   Micheal Vickers - Home Movies (2010) for piano
   Richard Freese - Scattered Memories (2009) for guitar
   Sylvia Rickard - Three Cabaret Songs for soprano and piano
   Robert Denham - The Kraken's One Day is as Another (2009) for tuba and piano
   Alex Miller - Flatiron (2006) for guitar
   Tara O'Brien - Mirroir and L'abysse for piano
   Stephen Yip - Hundun (2008) for double bass and harp
   Brian Bice - 4-5 (2003) for piano

Ottorino Respighi - Fountains of Rome (1916) for orchestra - Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner

8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - Concert #1

Last Saturday was the first concert of the 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  Ten pieces by ten composers were masterfully performed.  This concert was focused primarily on acoustic chamber music.  This concert included four pieces for piano, two pieces for guitar, two sets of songs for soprano and piano, a piece for tuba and piano and a piece for harp and double bass.  While seven of the pieces involved piano the range of styles were dramatically varied.  The styles ranged from serious and abstract works like Kyong Mee Choi's Reminiscences for piano and my 4-5 for piano to more fun and somewhat simplistic works like Micheal Vickers's Home Movies and Sylvia Rickard's Three Cabaret Songs.

These concerts are great because they bring together old friends and create new ones.  Four of the composers on Saturday's concert have had music performed before on the FCM.  One of the composers Stacey Barelos, who also performed my piece, is a friend of mine from Bowling Green State University.  It was great to see her again.  I also enjoyed meeting the "new" composers and spending a little time getting to know them.

All-in-all these concerts are a lot of work, but they are fun to put on.  The reward and the enjoyment is definitely worth the effort.

FCM 8 - Concert #1 - Tonight

The 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. Tickets are just $10 general/$5 student, senior and ARTSCard. The Community Music Center is located at 544 Capp Street, SF, CA.

Tonight’s Program:
Kyong Mee Choi – Reminiscences for piano
Stacey Barelos – Letters from Jenny for soprano and piano
Micheal Vickers – Home Movies for piano
J. Richard Freese – Scattered Memories for guitar
Sylvia Rickard – Three Cabaret Songs for soprano and piano

INTERMISSION

Robert Denham – The Kraken’s One Day is as Another for tuba and piano
Alex Miller – Flatiron for guitar
Tara O’Brien – Mirroir and L’abysse for piano
Stephen Yip – Hundun for bass and harp
Brian Bice – 4-5 for piano

Program notes for 4-5

The title 4-5 is a reference to the intervals upon which the thematic material for the piece is built. This was the first piece I composed when I began working towards my doctorate in music composition at the University of Oregon. While composing this piece I experiment with the intervals and interval groups in the fourth to fifth prograssion. I combines the notes in various ways ultimately leading to the ppitch collection upon which the ostinato is built. Not being a piano player I was uncertain at time about what types of things are possible to play. At the same time I felt free try different things because I would not get caught up in my own limits had I been a pianist.

Until now this piece has fallen into the category of my music called “The Best Works Never Performed.” Unfortunately I have a couple of other pieces that fall into this category. Hopefully I can remedy that one day.

Addendum to Listening Journal: July 5-11, 2010

Looking through my notes I realized that I forgot to include a few pieces on last week's listening journal.  I have included this update in the original post.

Samuel Barber - School for Scandal Overture (1933) for orchestra
Samuel Barber - Symphony No. 2, op. 19 (1947)
Samuel Barber - First Essay for Orchestra (1938)

Upcoming performance of 4-5

This Saturday, July 17th I will have my first performance of the 2009-10 concert season.  4-5 for piano will be premiered at the first concert of the 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  This piece will be performed by pianist Stacey Barelos.  4-5 was composed in the fall of 2002 while I began work towards a Ph. D. in Music Composition at the University of Oregon.  The title 4-5 refers to the intervals of the 4th and the 5th upon which most of the musical material is built.

The 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music begins at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at the San Francisco Community Music Center.  The address is 544 Capp Street, San Francisco, CA.  Tickets are only $10 general admission and $5 students/seniors/ARTS card and are available at the door.

Choosing the sketches

When I began looking at the sketches of Birches I started to wonder just how long do all eleven movements last.  So I timed each of the movements.  The total duration of the sketches was just over twenty-five minutes.  This would be way too long.  So I decided to select what I consider to be the strongest sketches.

Right away I knew there were three sketches I wanted to keep: the first, second and eighth movements.  These three sketches provide some of the more interesting material.  I then decided to eliminate the aleatoric sketches.  There were three of these. I figured that it might be best to keep this piece within the boundaries of meter.  Also these sketches tend to be longer as the music takes more time to develop.

I had to take a close look at the remaining five movements to decide which I wanted to include in Trackings No. 2.  In the end I selected three more for a total of six movements.  The ninth movement, Dream of going back to be uses material from some of the previous movements.  I decided to keep this sketch because I felt that it tied some of the different movements together quite nicely.

The six movements I have selected for Trackings No. 2 are listed below.  The movements will likely be renamed to remove to direct references to the Robert Frost poem.

1. Birches bend to left and right
2. Sunny winter morning
5. Crystal shells
8. Trunks arching in the woods
9. Dream of going back to be
11. Not to return

Score for Night Sky is finished

Tonight I finished entering the dynamics, expressions and edits for Night Sky into Finale.  I have sent the completed score to Adam.  There may be some small changes that need to be made based on Adam's comments.  Otherwise the piece is done!  At this point, the only thing left to do is transpose the score and extract the parts.  This is something I will do later in the summer.

Listening Journal: July 5-11, 2010

Pierre Boulez - Eclat (1965) for 15 instruments

Bela Bartok - Violin Concerto Nos. 1 and 2 - CD
   Violin Concerto No. 1, Sz. 36 (1908)
   Violin Concerto No. 2 , Sz. 112 (1938)
     Gyorgy Pauk, violin and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, conductor

Zoltan Kodaly - Háry János Suite (1927) for orchestra - Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell

Iannis Xenakis - A Portrait - CD #2
   Ergma (1994) for string quartet
   Mists (1980) for piano
   Phlegra (1975) for large ensemble
   Plekto (1993) for sextet
   Epicycle (1989) for cello ensemble
   Dhipli Zyra (1952) for violin and cello
   Anaktoria (1969) for octet
   O-Mega (1997) for percussion and ensemble

Igor Stravinsky - Concertino (1952) for 12 instruments
Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring (1944, arr. 1954) for orchestra
Witold Lutoslawski - Chain II: Dialogue for violin and orchestra (1985)

July 15th update:

Samuel Barber - School for Scandal Overture (1933) for orchestra

Samuel Barber - Symphony No. 2, op. 19 (1947)

Samuel Barber - First Essay for Orchestra (1938)

These are pieces left off the original post.

About Birches

Birches is a piece that I sketched out in 2005 for cello and double bass.  This piece was based on the poem of the same name by Robert Frost.  I used lines or phrases from the poem as movement titles.  Each movement was composed to reflect the imagery or mood of the title.  Birches was going to be an eleven movement piece. The complete list of movement titles are listed below.  This piece was to be dedicated to a friend of mine as this is one of her favorite poems.

Shortly after completing the sketch of the score I decided not to finish this project.  There are a few reasons for this, but for the most part I felt as if the sketch needed substantial revision.  Since there was no time line for a performance and I had other projects with performance opportunities, I set Birches aside.

I have thought about this piece off and on for a while, trying to think of ways to revive and revise this piece.  However, I have never had that spark of an idea to motivate myself to resume work on this sketch, until now.  I think that this new collaboration with Micheal Vickers is a prime opportunity to revise and expand parts of this sketch.  The primary revision and expansion will come from the addition of piano to the ensemble.

Birches - movement titles
1. Birches bend to left and right
2. Sunny winter morning
3. After a rain
4. They click upon themselves
5. Crystal shells
6. Shattering and avalanching
7. Inner dome of heaven
8. Trunks arching in the woods
9. Dream of going back to be
10. A pathless wood
11. Not to return

Collaboration #2

Since last summer photographer Micheal Vickers and I have been tossing about ideas for our second collaboration.  The first was a woodwind quintet titled Visions of a Landscape.  In this collaboration I composed music inspired by five of Micheal's photographs.  We decided early on that in collaboration number two Micheal would take a series of pictures based on my music.

We have been kicking around a few ideas about the instrumental ensemble for which I would compose.  These ideas have ranged from a flute and viola duet to a brass quintet.  One ensemble that was particularly tempting was violin, clarinet, tenor sax and piano.  This is the same ensemble that Anton Webern used in his Quartet, op. 22.  I have since decided against it for this collaboration as I was not sold on the idea of using tenor sax.

I have decided to compose a piece for cello, double bass and piano.  The piece will be titled Trackings No. 2.  The "No. 2" does not refer to the fact that this is our second collaboration.  Rather, I have another piece titled Trackings that I composed in 2008.  This mixed ensemble piece was composed for flute, alto sax, violin, cello and percussion.  Trackings is going to be a series of multi-movement pieces in which each movement will be no longer than three minutes.  I have decided to make our second collaboration the second in this series of pieces.

I chose this ensemble because I have a series of sketches for a piece for cello and double bass called Birches.  Before completing this piece I had decided to abandon this project.  I have been wanting to use these sketches in another piece for some time now.  I decided to dust off this collection of sketches, select six of the eleven movements, expand the ensemble by adding piano and revise these sketches.

8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - Press Release

The 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music will present two concerts—on Saturday, July 17, 2010 and Saturday, August 7, 2010.  Both concerts will begin at 8:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street.  This year’s Festival will feature twenty works by twenty composers.  Audience members will be able to meet the composers as all will be in attendance.  Tickets for each concert are $10 general admission and $5 for students, seniors and ARTSCard members.

The first concert, Saturday, July 17, 2010 will feature ten compositions of acoustic chamber music.  The spectrum of ensembles will include solo piano, solo guitar, and duos including voice, brass, piano, and harp.  The concert will include two world premieres of works by Brian Bice and Micheal Vickers as well as the American premiere of Canadian composer Sylvia Rickard’s Three Cabaret Songs.

The second concert, Saturday, August 7, 2010 will feature ten compositions of acoustic and electronic chamber music.  The spectrum of ensembles will include solo violin and solo piano, as well as works for acoustic instruments and electronics including bassoon, alto flute, soprano, clarinet, percussion, and bass.  This year we are pleased to end the Festival with the final scene of John Bilotta’s new chamber opera Trifles.

The Festival of Contemporary Music is presented under the direction of Brian Bice and John Bilotta.  Founded in 2003, the Festival of Contemporary Music has, prior to this year, presented 10 concerts featuring 82 compositions by 61 composers.  Among those works 15 have been world premiere performances.  This year marks the 8th Annual Festival and we are excited to present 20 more pieces during this two-concert event.

Being consistent with the percussion

One aspect of Night Sky that I am trying to be consistent with is the doubling and the use of the percussion. In particular, how often do I use the instruments and which mallet instruments double which wind group.

In regards to the first question: "How often do I use the instruments?" I am primarily concerned with using the instrument multiple times.  I do not want to have the ensemble bring out, for example, a marimba if it is going to be used to accent just one note in the entire piece.  I have known composers who have done this and it is such a waste of time and effort.

In Night Sky I have found that I did this with the triangle at measure 9.  While it is a small instrument I do not think that it is imperative that measure 9 needs that sound.  Before I replace the triangle with another instrument I will search the score to see if there are other places in which I can utilize the triangle.

As for the mallet instruments, I am not interested in using only the vibraphone or only the glockenspiel with certain wind groups throughout the piece.  Rather, in addressing this second question I am referring to specific sections.  If the vibraphone doubles the clarinets in one section of the piece, then do not want it to double, for example, the alto sax in the same section.  When the music reaches a different section, then the vibraphone can double other instruments.  Often this is an easy problem to fix as I can shift the mallet doubling to another instrument.

These are all things that I try to focus on during the editing process in hope that my piece will sound better.

Composing Session: July 3 & 5, 2010

This holiday weekend I made a lot of progress towards finishing Night Sky.  As the piece stands right now, the form is complete and there are only a couple of sections to edit.  After that all that is left is to enter in the dynamics and expressions.

The primary thing that I am looking for at this stage of editing is consistency.  Am I being consistent with the doublings?  Am I being consistent with the register in which the instrument is playing?  To me there are  important questions because I do not want the piece to be "all over the place."  I am certain that band directors look at these types of things when shopping for a new piece.  In addition the piece will sound better when these elements are consistent.

While looking through Night Sky for inconsistencies I did find problems with the introduction.  The main problem lies within the doublings.  Throughout the piece I have tried to stick to the suggestions that were recommended to me by Adam Noel.  For example the bass clarinet, baritone sax and tuba tend to play together.  Also the bassoon, tenor sax and baritone tend to play together.  As Adam has told me these are only suggestions and not rules.  However, since I have been following these suggestions throughout the piece I wanted to make sure I apply them to the introduction.  This was an easy fix.

Editing the introduction is the last major issue that I needed to address.  The dynamics and expressions are pretty much complete.  They just need to be entered into Finale.  I am sure that there will be other little things I will want to tweak.  Otherwise the piece is in good shape.

Listening Journal: June 28-July 4, 2010

Pierre Boulez - Rituel in Memorium Maderna (1974) for orchestra in eight groups
Bela Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 1 (1926) Krystian Zimerman, piano and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, conductor
Samuel Barber - Violin Concerto, op. 14 (1940) Hilary Hahn, violin and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolf, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sonata in F Major K. 376 (1778) for violin and piano, Hilary Hahn, violin and Natalie Zhu, piano

Iannis Xenakis - A Portrait - CD
  Phlegra (1975) for large ensemble
  Anaktoria (1969) for octet
  Dhipli Zyia (1952) for violin and cello
  Eonta (1962) for brass and piano
  Medea Senecae (1967) for men's chorus and quintet (clarinet, bassoon, trombone, cello and percussion)

Bela Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2 (1931) Leif Ove Andsnes, piano and the Beliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez, conductor
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, op. 20 (1897)
Witold Lutoslawski - Novelette (1979) for orchestra
Aaron Copland - Rodeo (1942) for orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas
Bela Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 3 (1945) Hélène Grimaud, piano and the London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, conductor

Happy 4th of July

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July.  While this is a day to celebrate our freedom and the birth of America, it is also a day on which we should reflect and remember what makes this country great.

Cutting the fast section

Over the past few days I have been thinking about the scope of Night Sky.  In particular the section marked "lively, almost floating."  As I have been orchestrating the piece I have been starting to wonder how this fast section fits into the overall concept of the piece.  At first the fast section was going to be bookended by two ostinato sections, an ABA form.  After it became apparent that the ternary form would make for a very long piece I decided on a binary form, slow and fast (AB).  Now I am starting to think that Night Sky does not need a fast section.

There are a few factors to consider when looking to cut a whole section of a piece.  First of all is the scope. Will this piece sound complete without this section?  Or will this piece feel as if it is missing something?  Another factor is duration.  Will the piece be too short if cut?  Will the piece be too long if it is left in?  These are the two factors I have considered when making this decision.

I believe that the first half is strong enough to stand on its own.  The thematic materials are varied enough to not become monotonous.  There is also a part of me that feels as if this piece would be stronger without the fast section.

As for duration, up to the fast section the piece is approximately six and a half minutes.  If were to leave in the fast section then the piece would easily be eleven to twelve minutes in duration.  While this duration is not bad, this scenario assumes that I will not need to add any measures to revise the fast section.  At this point I know there is some substantial revision to be done in order for this section to feel balanced.  This could easily add two to three minutes to the piece, which I think is getting to be too long.

Another consideration I have is the life of this piece beyond the premiere.  My goal is to compose a piece that is marketable.  I would like to try to get this piece out there so that I can receive more performances and possibly get some commissions.

It is because of all the reasons stated above that I have decided to cut the fast section of Night Sky.  I think this is a good decision because now I have some strong material to use as the basis for another band piece.

New Music Forum website revamped

Yesterday, June 30, 2010, the new version of the New Music Forum website went live.  The primary change is that New Music Forum is now powered by Word Press rather than Dot Net Nuke.  The new site will allow for easier updates which in turn should allow for more frequent updates and information.

So come on over and check out the new New Music Forum.  The website address is http://www.newmusicforum.com