Concerning the Audience: Part 2

I have been thinking about the article I wrote about Górecki's quote about the audience.  One phrase has come to mind a few times that has some bearing on this subject.  That is: not wanting to choose is a choice. Quite simply, telling someone else to choose or refusing to make a decision is a choice.  The difference is that you are not concerned with the outcome of the decision making process.

When Górecki says, "I never write for my listeners" what he is really saying is that he is not writing what he thinks they would like.  He is composing what he wants.  Górecki further comments that, "I think about my audience, but I am not writing for them."  This statement is the key.  As composers we do think about the audience.  Our hope is that people will listen to the music we have composed.  The music should say what the composer wants and not what the composer thinks the audience wants to hear.

The point I am making here is that all composers are concerned about their audience.  We want the audience to listen.  Without them, there would be no reason to compose music.  The integrity of the music begins to be compromised when the composer concerns his or herself with what the audience may or may not want to hear.  My hope is that the audience will enjoy something new and take what they want away from the experience when they listen to my music.

New Release: Jukka Tiensuu - Orchestral Works

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Ondine released a new CD of compositions by Finnish-born composer Jukka Tiensuu.  There are three orchestral works featured on this CD.  Vie for orchestra and Missa for clarinet and orchestra were both composed in 2007 and False Memories I-III for orchestra was written in 2008.  These works are performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra with John Storgårds conducting.  Clarinetist Kari Kriikku for whom Missa was composed is the soloist on this recording.  All three pieces presented here are world premiere recordings.

This recording is New Music Forum's Pick of the Month for November 2010.


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Filling and Shifting

Over the past week I have had little time to devote to composing.  However, the time I have spent has been highly productive.  On Wednesday, November 24th I spent time filling out some harmonies and adding counterpoint in measures 51-74 of Time in Memoriam.  There are still some moments in which I need to add in a couple of voices for the harmonies.  However, the majority of the A section is sketched.

The biggest change comes at measure 75.  I initially composed an "introductory" motif that led into the flute melody.  After looking closely at this section I began to feel that it does not work.  So I cut it out.  I try to live by the advice once given to me: if it does not add anything to the piece, then why keep it?  This cut moves the flute melody up three measures and the transition seems smoother.

To complete the A section I need to add harmonies and counterpoint to the last part, measures 75-96.  After those voices are added, then the sketch of this section will be complete.  From there it is on to the B section.  My hope is to get a draft of the B section done by December 9th.  This draft only needs to consist of one to two voices containing the melodies and thematic material to be used in this section.

Listening Journal: November 22-28, 2010

Bela Bartok - Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (1937) Sir Georg Solti and Murray Perahia, pianos and David Corkhill and Evelyn Glennie, percussion
Toru Takemitsu - Quatrain (1975) for clarinet, violin, cello, piano and orchestra
Elliott Carter - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1965)
Einojuhani Rautavaara - Symphony No. 4 "Arabescata" (1962)
Frank La Rocca - The Pure Fury (1988) for tenor and large chamber ensemble
Magnus Lindberg - Corrente II (1992) for orchestra


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Concerning the Audience

As I was doing some research on Henryk Górecki, I came across a statement made by the composer.  In a 1994 interview Górecki discussed the audience and the potential influence on his music.  He said,

I do not choose my listeners. What I mean is, I never write for my listeners. I think about my audience, but I am not writing for them. I have something to tell them, but the audience must also put a certain effort into it. But I never wrote for an audience and never will write for because you have to give the listener something and he has to make an effort in order to understand certain things. If I were thinking of my audience and one likes this, one likes that, one likes another thing, I would never know what to write. Let every listener choose that which interests him. I have nothing against one person liking Mozart or Shostakovich or Leonard Bernstein, but doesn't like Górecki. That's fine with me. I, too, like certain things.

This quotation really resonates with me.  Often colleagues of mine would comment about how they would tailor their music to the audience's supposed likes and dislikes.  They would intentionally avoid composing certain things because they want the audience to like their music.

I believe that composing for the audience could compromise the integrity of the music.  As a composer I agree with Górecki.  I know and understand that there will be people who do not like my music.  That is fine.  I do not want to get caught up in composing "music for the masses."  I want to compose music that says what I have to say.

As an audience member, I truly appreciate Górecki's comments.  I enjoy listening to music that challenges me and expands my musical horizons.  I do not want to hear music by a composer who is concerned about his or her audience.  I have heard pieces like this and you can tell that the composer is trying too hard to please the audience.  These piece tend to be predictable, because there is nothing new that the composer is saying.

I believe that Górecki is on to something when he says "the audience must also put a certain effort into it."  An exciting aspect of music is interpretation.  Interpretation comes not only from the performer, but the listener as well.  Each member of the audience can take different things away from the performance.  Even multiple performances by different performers can elicit different responses from the same audience.  This is why it would be difficult to compose for the audience.  It is also what makes music enjoyable.

New Release: Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 on Blu-ray and DVD

On Tuesday November 30, 2010 Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 will be re-released on DVD and released on Blu-ray for the first time ever.  Now you will be able to experience the intertwining of music and animation as only the Disney animators, Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra and James Levine with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra can bring together.  With the new transfer to Blu-ray this timeless classic can now be experienced as Walt Disney in the brilliance of color and sound as he had originally envisioned.

As a bonus, included in the pack is Destino the 2003 Academy-Award nominated short.  Destino is an extraordinary collaboration between Walt Disney and artist Salvador Dali.  The four disc Blu-ray combo pack includes the Blu-ray and DVD versions of both movies.



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Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  The holidays are a special time for many of us as we travel to see our family and friends.  I hope everyone has a safe holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!


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Listening Journal: November 15-21, 2010

Kaija Saariaho - Terrestre (2002) for flute, percussion, harp, violin and cello
Kaija Saariaho - Monkey Fingers, Velvet Hand (1991) for piano
Tristan Murail - Territoires de l'oubli (1977) for piano
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 4, op. 30 (1903) Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
Pascal Dusapin - Aks (1987) for mezzo-soprano and seven players
Charles Ives - Symphony No. 4 (1916) Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op. 58 (1806) Emanuel Ax, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, André Previn, conductor
Iannis Xenakis - Jalons (1986) for 15 instrumentalists
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, op. 13 "Pathetique" (1799)

Kaija Saariaho - A Portrait: CD #1 - CD
   Du cristal (1990) for orchestra
   ...a la fumée (1990) for orchestra
   Nymphea Reflection (2001) for orchestra
   Unidentified* for large ensemble

Charles Ives - Symphony No. 1 (1898) Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Henryk Górecki - Piano Sonata No. 1, op. 6 (1956)
Henryk Górecki - Four Preludes, op. 1 (1955) for piano
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major "Emperor," op. 73 (1809) Emanuel Ax, piano, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, André Previn, conductor

*The recording of this piece is from a radio broadcast.  It was labeled as Solar by Saariaho, but it is not that piece.


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Listening Journal: November 8-14, 2010

Kaija Saariaho - Laterna Magica (2008) for orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, op. 81a "Les Aideux" (1810)
Olivier Messiaen - Rondeau (1943) for piano
Olivier Messiaen - Prelude (1964) for piano
Igor Stravinsky - Double Canon (1959) for string quartet
Kaija Saariaho - New Gates (1996) for flute, viola and harp
Pierre Boulez - Notations I-IV (1945) for orchestra

György Ligeti - Le Grand Macabre CD #2 - CD
an opera (1977)
Act II - Erste Arie des Chefs der Geheimen Politischen Polizei through Finale

Henryk Górecki - Symphony No. 3, op. 36 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" (1976) Dawn Upshaw, soprano, London Sinfonietta, David Zinman, conductor
Henryk Górecki - Symphony No. 1, op. 14 "1959" (1959)
Henryk Górecki - Three Pieces in the Old Style (1963) for orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, op. 31 no. 2 "Tempest" (1802)
Kaija Saariaho - Serenatas (2008) for piano, cello and percussion
Henryk Górecki - Choros I, op. 20 (1964) for orchestra

Between now and the end of the year

Over the past few weeks I have come to the realization that I have a lot to do between now and the end of the year.  I want to finish Time in Memoriam.  At this stage I figure that this piece is about forty percent complete.  Now that I have connected the A and B sections and have a couple of clear ideas for the last part of the piece it should not be too difficult to finish the sketch soon.

I need to make a couple of final edits for Night Sky.  This includes making sure all of the markings and dynamics are consistent and present.  I also need to transpose the score.  The most time consuming thing for this piece will be to extract and edit the parts.  This alone will take a couple of hours.

Ideally I would like to finish Trackings No. 2.   However, with three movements left to compose, I do not see this happening.  I do think that I can finish as least one more movement.  With my deadlines approaching I need to spend the majority of my composing time finishing Time in Memoriam and Night Sky.  So if Trackings No. 2 continues into the new year then that is not a problem.

I have also been thinking about what to compose next.  I have been enjoying composing music for younger ensembles.  I am excited to hear how these pieces will turn out.  I am debating if I want to compose another high school or junior high piece right away.  Or if I want to try to compose for a professional or college ensemble.  I need to continue to think about this and send out some "feeler" emails to people I know to see if there is any interest for me to write a piece for them.  There is still plenty of time to figure this out.

Connecting A to B

Yesterday I sketched the ending of the A section for Time in Memoriam.  Currently it is only a sketch as most of the twenty-seven measures are only one or two voices.  Over the next week I intend to fill out the section and finish the sketch score for the piece leading up to the B section.

It took me some time to figure out how to approach this part of the piece.  I tried a few different ideas including a gradual increase in the tempo or adding a rhythmic pulse in an attempt to increase the intensity. In the end what seems to work is a slight change in tempo and a couple of themes that are motivically and harmonically derived from the preceding material.

There is still quite a bit of work to be done, but at least progress is being made.

Henryk Górecki dies at the age of 76

Polish-born composer Henryk Górecki passed away on November 12, 2010 at the age of 76.  Górecki died in the cardiology ward of a hospital in his home city of Katowice in southern Poland.  He died from complications due to a lung infection.

Best known for his Symphony No. 3, op. 36 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" (1976) Górecki composed over 80 pieces.  Most recently he was composing his Symphony No. 4.  This piece was scheduled to be premiered on April 17, 2010, but was postponed due to health issues.

Górecki's music can be categorized into two periods.  The first is his avant garde period: 1950s to late-1960s.  His music was inspired by composers like Stockhausen and Varèse and took on a Boulez-like quality.  Górecki's Symphony No. 1, op. 14 "1959" (1959) is a good example from this period.  In the late 1960s Górecki began to compose his music in a more traditional and romantic mode.  This is typified in his Symphony No. 3, op. 36.  By the mid-1970s he was regarded by some as a composer who no longer mattered.

In 1992 Elektra Nonesuch Records released a recording of Górecki's Third Symphony performed by Dawn Upshaw, soprano and the London Sinfonietta, David Zinman, conductor.  This recording was released to commemorate the memory of those lost during the holocaust.  This recording brought Górecki international fame as it has sold over one million copies worldwide.

At the center of the second movement is the text of a prayer that was inscribed on wall 3 of cell number 3 in the basement of "Palace," the Gestapo's headquarters in Zakopane.
   No, Mother, do not weep
   Most chaste Queen of Heaven
   Support me always.
   "Zdrowas Mario." (Ave Maria)
Below these words was the signature of Helena Wanda Blazusiak and the words "18 years old, imprisoned since 26 September 1944."  Helena would eventually be freed and died in 1999.

In 1998 Górecki received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in Quebec, Canada.  Ten years later in 2008 he received another honorary doctorate.  This time from the Music Academie in Krakow (Poland).  In October 2010 about one month before he died, Górecki was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honor.  Not bad for someone who was regarded as a composer who no longer mattered.

   
  

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Lutoslawski's Last Concert

On Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Naxos released a recording of the last concert Witold Lutoslawski conducted.  The event took place on October 24, 1993 as a part of Toronto's New Music Concerts.  This concert features the trilogy Partita, Interlude and Chain No. 2 for violin and orchestra.  Fujiko Imajishi is the soloist on these tracks.  Chantefleurs et Chantefables as song cycle for soprano and orchestra is next on the recording sung by Valdine Anderson.  Chain No. 1 for fourteen performers finishes this concert.

This would be the last concert Lutoslawski would conduct as he would pass away almost four months later on February 7, 1994 at the age of 81.  This recording was released almost seventeen years after the date of the event.  This recording is New Music Forum's Pick of the Month for October 2010.


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Listening Journal: November 1-7, 2010

Witold Lutoslawski - Trois Poemes di Henri Michaux (1964) for choir and orchestra
Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata for Violin No. 2 in A major BWV 1003 (1720) Julia Fischer, violin
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, op. 53 "Waldstein" (1804)

György Ligeti - Le Grand Macabre CD #1 - CD
   Le Grand Macabre (1977) an opera
     Act I through Act II. Unterhalting der zwei Minister


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Composing Session: November 6-7, 2010

I did not get a lot accomplished this weekend; however, I was able to make some decisions and create a few sketches for Time in Memoriam.  I decided to move the eight measures in question to after the solo clarinet and woodwind section.  After listening to this passage a couple more times I realized that it is begging to be developed.  So I made the switch and will just open this section with the solo clarinet.

I spent some time yesterday sketching ideas to continue this section.  I was working on trying to give the tenor saxophone the melody.  While I have not come up with the right idea yet, I think that I like the shift in the timbre to a lower instrument.

I realized this weekend that in order to reach my durational goal for the A section (as a whole) I only need to compose 24-32 more measures.  While this is not necessarily a strict rule, this does change my approach a little.  The development towards the B section will not need to be drawn out as much as I had initially thought.  This does not cause any problems, it was just a good thing I realized this as it does alter my thought process on this section.  I am closer to finishing this section that I had thought.

Opera & Song - An Autumn Concert: November 13, 2010

On Saturday, November 13, 2010 the San Francisco Cabaret Opera and Goat Hall Productions will present Opera and Song – An Autumn concert.  The concert will take place at 8:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Community Music Center and will feature new chamber operas and song cycles by Mark Alburger, John Bilotta, Edward Knight and Sylvia Rickard.

The Community Music Center is located at 544 Capp Street, San Francisco 94111.  Tickets are $15 general and $10 students.  There is a $2 discount when ordering tickets online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/129847

Program:
Song Cycles:
John Bilotta – YEATS SONGS
Andrew R. White, baritone; Hadley McCarroll, piano.

Edward Knight – LIFE IS FINE on poems by Langston Hughes
Raina Simons, soprano; Hadley McCarroll, piano.

Sylvia Rickard – THREE CABARET SONGS on poems by Dorothy Parker
Elizabeth Henry, soprano; Keisuke Nakagoshi, piano.

Chamber Operas:
Mark Alburger – JOB: A MASQUE
Featuring Kate Bautch, Heather Klein,
Harriet March-Page, Maria Mikheyenko, Suzanna Mizell,
Marilyn Pratt.

John Bilotta – TRIFLES
Featuring Michael Desnoyers, Alexandra Jerinic,
Nathan Kondrat, Nathan Marken, Maria Mikheyenko.

CHAMBER ENSEMBLE for operas:
Susanne Rublein, flute
Nora Adachi, clarinet
David Ryther, violin
Stephen Moore, viola
Joan Hadeishi, cello
Keisuke Nakagoshi, piano
Martha Stoddard, conductor

Progress and shifting

Yesterday, I was able to develop and fill out the eight measure introduction for the former "Fate" melody in Time in Memoriam.  However as I began adding layers and filling out the harmonies I started to question the placement of these measures.  The way it is setup the music builds in density and tension.  I am now thinking this build up is too much for a lead in to the solo clarinet entrance.

To me this transition is a little disappointing.  My ear wants more unfolding and development of the material.  It is for this reason that I question the placement of these eight measures.  I am now thinking that these measures would be better served after the solo clarinet and woodwind section.  Too me the whole section could be seen as a gradual unfolding and build up.  I would then be allowed to continue to develop the music.  In a way this would reinforce my concept of the section that leads into the B section.  I had planned on increasing the tempo and intensity of the before the aggressive B section.

I still need to decide what I want to do with these eight measures.  It is likely that I will move them.  If that is the case, then I will start this section with the solo clarinet.  I do not think it would be necessary to try to compose another opening.

Listening Journal: October 25-31, 2010

Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue d'Oiseaux: Book 7: XIII. Le Courlis cendré (1958) for piano
John Cage & Lou Harrison - Double Music (1941) for percussion quartet
Henri Dutilleux - Symphony No. 2 (1959)
Gyorgy Kurtág - Songs to Poems by Anna Akhmatova, op. 41 (1997)

Anton Webern - Orchestral Music - CD
   Passacaglia, op. 1 (1908)
   Five Movements for Strings, op. 5 (1929)
   Six Pieces, op. 6 (1909, rev. 1928)
   Five Pieces, op. 10 (1911-13)
   Symphony, op. 21 (1928)
   Variations, op. 30 (1940)

Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 (1707) for organ


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Composing Session: November 2, 2010

At first I was not really sure if I was going to have the time or ambition to compose.  Since it was election day nothing I usually watch was going to be on TV so I planned on doing some composing.  However, there are times in which those plans can easily change.  Yesterday was almost a case in point.  I was indifferent about composing.  For fun I was messing around on my keyboard and I started to develop some melodic material.  I went ahead and notated it.  As it turned out this material ended up becoming what I had in mind for the opening of the second section of Time in Memoriam.  I orchestrated it using upper woodwinds and glockenspiel.  I still need to fill out some of the voices and add some counterpoint to the fifth through eighth measures of this section.

I also spent some time last night inputting the original harmonies and counterpoint to the melody I have taken from Fate of the Future.  Right now I have approximately four minutes and forty-five seconds of music composed for Time in Memoriam.  I am getting excited as this piece is starting to take shape.  I still need to compose probably around two more minutes of music before I can connect the beginning to the B section I have already started to sketch.