bicemusic.com: Page updated - Homage

I was going through the pages I have created and realized that the page for Homage was incomplete. It was lacking a PDF of the score and the program notes. Today I uploaded the score in an 11 x 17 format and wrote all-new program notes for the piece. I am considering posting a second recording from the performance at Stanford University in 2001, but for now the recording from CSU Hayward is the best one I have.

http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=30

Final edits for Flit completed

Yesterday afternoon I completed the final (for now) edits on the score for Flit for flute. After I finished entering the dynamics and expressions I listened to the piece through the basic MIDI playback. There were two sections in particular that I did not like.

One was the transition in the middle of the first section. These measures did not make sense to me, they did not fit. I cut out three of the measures and composed a transition the rhythmically and thematically made sense.

The next area that needed fixing was in the B section. In this case I mostly had to adjust the rhythms of certain measures. The rhythmic motion just seemed to stop.

So now the piece is finished. All that is left to do is send the piece to Greer Ellison and arrange a performance.

Sketch score for Flit is completed

Yesterday afternoon I completed the sketch score for Flit for flute. The piece ended up being just over six and a half minutes in duration. I think I like the way the piece turned out. The form is ternary with the sections of A B A’. There is a slight diversion in the A’ section going back briefly to B. This could be considered a form with in a form.

I am looking forward to entering the score into Finale and then being able to send it off to Greer Ellison. I hope she likes the piece.

Famous Composers

Found this picture in a desk calendar. Thought it was funny and worth sharing. My favorite composer on the list is Johann Sebastian BockBockBock.

bicemusic.com: Page added - Shadows of Dreams

Shadows of Dreams for flute quartet was composed for the University of California, Santa Cruz Flute Ensemble.  This piece came to be after I was put in contact with the ensemble director Greer Ellison.  She was very supportive during the composition process which made the writing of the piece much easier.  It is not often where you find someone who is genuinely excited about a piece being composed for their ensemble as Greer was.

Shadows of Dreams was composed between October 2008 and April 2009.  On the page you will find program notes, the score and the recording from the premiere on June 2, 2009.  You can view the page under the chamber music section of the Compositions page or by following the link below.

http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=475

bicemusic.com: Page added - Play Ball!

Play Ball! was my first attempt at encoding baseball statistics into music.  The process I developed was similar to twelve-tone music; however the primary difference is that not all twelve notes of the chromatic scale were used.  Essentially I selected two sets of fifteen of the “most important” baseball stats.  One set for batters and one set for pitchers.  Then I selected a player and a season upon which I would build my “tone row.”  For this piece I selected different players for the different instruments.  Similar to twelve-tone music the “row” would be played prior to the repetition of the “row.”

Even after all these year I am still uncertain as to how well the process works.  Play Ball! is a fun piece and there are moments that I really enjoy.  However without further exploration into this technique I really do not know if it is a viable method.

The recording available on the page is taken from the most recent performance in the Spring of 2004.  A score is also available as a PDF File.  You can view the page through the chamber music submenu of the Compositions tab or by clicking the link below.

http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=465

Listening Journal: June 20-26, 2011

Steve Reich - Double Sextet (2007) for 2 violins, 2 cellos, 2 pianos, 2 vibraphones, 2 clarinets and 2 flutes
Steve Reich - 2x5 (2008) for 2 drum sets, 2 pianos, 4 electric guitars and 2 bass guitars
Olivier Messiaen - Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine (1944) for ondes martenot, piano, chorus and orchestra

PDQ Bach - Music You Can't Get Out of Your Head - CD
   "Howdy" Symphony in D major
   Perückenstück (Hair Piece) from The Civilian Barber
   Suite from The Civilian Barber

First look at Flit

Here is a first look at my flute piece Flit. I realize the image is not the best, but I do plan on scanning the sketch and posting it at some point. This sketch encompasses the first 28 measures, about a minute in duration. Flit is almost complete and I hope to finish it within the next two weeks.

Listening Journal: June 13-19, 2011

Billy Joel - Invention in C minor, op. 6 (2001) for piano
Billy Joel - Waltz #3 (For Lola), op. 9 for piano
Witold Lutoslawski - Lacrimosa (1937) for soprano, choir and orchestra
Igor Stravinsky - Suite No. 1 (1917) for small orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Mikka (1971) for violin
Kaija Saariaho - Monkey Fingers, Velvet Hand (1991) for piano

Composing briefly takes a backseat

While I am close to completing Flit for flute I have decided to spend some time focusing on my website.  My intent was to compose Flit for this year's Festival of Contemporary Music.  However, I realize that even if I were to finish this piece today, it would be a difficult piece to learn in a few weeks.

I feel like some of my time is better spent adding content and trying to complete the website.  I am also considering moving this blog to bicemusic.com.  However, I am not certain if I want to combine both things.  My goal is to complete Flit within the next two weeks and send the piece to Greer Ellison.

bicemusic.com: Page added - Sleep's Journey

Sleep’s Journey is my first work for solo piano.  It was also the first piece I composed as a Master’s student at Bowling Green State University.  I distinctly remember the composition lessons with Burton Beerman.  I learned a lot from him and the rest of the composition faculty at Bowling Green State University, but that is a story for another time.

The following statement taken from the program notes sums up this piece quite nicely:
This piece represents a dream or a sequence of dreams one might have during the night.  Sometimes in dreams, ideas and streams of thought can be broken or interrupted without notice taking the dreamer to another place and time.

Sleep’s Journey was composed during September and October 2000.  I revised this piece in the summer of 2001.  On the page for this piece you will find the complete program notes, score and recording from the premiere of the original version.  I do not currently have a recording of the revision.  I am trying to locate a recording and will post it when (or if) I get it.

http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=457

Coming Soon: The Recital Hall

Coming soon to bicemusic.com is The Recital Hall.  This area will be your one-stop listening room for all of the recordings posted on the website.  Currently there are 15 composition pages with recordings.  In an effort to streamline the listening I have decided to create a Recital Hall where you can listen to recordings without switching pages.  There will also be links to the information pages for the compositions so you can read about the piece.

More information about The Recital Hall is forthcoming.

bicemusic.com: Page added - Age Of...

Age Of... is the second piece I had composed.  The pitch material comes from a twelve-tone row I constructed for a music theory class in Fall 1997.  The first three tones of the row are A-G-E, hence the title.  The ensemble for which the piece was composed is different: flute, soprano saxophone, horn and tuba.  I chose these instruments in part because of people I knew who could play the piece.  In addition, I chose this ensemble because I was not interested in writing for a more "traditional" ensemble at the time.

The page for Age Of... can be found under the Chamber Music heading at bicemusic.com.  On this page you will find information about the piece, a PDF of the score and a recording created at a recording session in October 1998.

bicemusic.com/?page_id=440

Listening Journal: June 5-12, 2011

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 53 (1939)
Anton Webern - Variations for Piano, op. 27 (1937)
George Crumb - Pastoral Drone (1982) for organ
Joseph Dangerfield - Ascent (2007) for wind ensemble

Composing Session: June 12, 2011

For the second time in two days I was able to spend a few hours composing.  During this time I completed the middle section of Flit and pushed through to sketch most of the final section.  My goal for this weekend was to finish the sketch of Flit.  While I did not reach this goal I am happy with the progress.  The underlying goal was to get myself motivated to compose more than I had recently.  I have a clear vision of the remaining section of this piece.  It will not take too long to finish the sketch for this piece.

bicemusic.com: Page added - The Winding Road

I have just added the information page on bicemusic.com for The Winding Road.  This piece exists in two versions: euphonium and piano and clarinet in A and piano.  The version for euphonium and piano is the first piece I ever composed.  When I first took composition lessons my teacher Jeffrey Miller suggested that I write a piece for a familiar instrument.  I selected euphonium because it was an instrument I played.  I did an arrangement of The Winding Road for my graduate recital in spring 2000.  I chose clarinet to bring out the light and playful aspects of the melody.

Both versions of The Winding Road are available for listening and viewing.  Feel free to listen to both versions and let me know which you like better.  You can access this page under the chamber music heading of the compositions tab or by going to this website. http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=419.

Working towards my goal

Today I feel like I have accomplished a lot.  I completed the first section and at least two-thirds of the middle section.  As it stands the piece is almost four minutes long.  My goal for this piece is about six to seven minutes, so I am well on my way to the goal.

The one issue I keep thinking about while working on Flit is the number of movements.  There will be three distinct sections in this piece.  I keep wondering if I should make this a three movement piece.  There are two fundamental reasons as to why I am leaning towards keeping Flit as a single movement piece.  The first is because that is what I want.  The other reason is that some of the thematic and rhythmic material of the first section will return.  To me this will tie the piece together making it more logical to keep it as a single movement form.

Listening Journal: May 30-June 5, 2011

Iannis Xenakis - Mists (1980) for piano

Composing goal for this weekend.

For this weekend I have set a composing goal for myself.  The goal is to finish the sketch for Flit.  This is a somewhat lofty goal, however it is a reasonable one.  Right now I would say that the flute piece is around thirty to thirty-five percent done.  I do have sketches for a middle section and some ideas for other parts of the piece.  If I were to include these ideas in the previous completion percentage, then this piece would be over fifty percent done.  Conceptually this is not a hard piece to compose.  It just takes time to sit down and write it out.  Regardless of the stage of the piece after this weekend, I do plan on getting a sketch of at least the first section to Greer Ellison by Sunday evening.

bicemusic.com: Page added - Dissolution

I have just added a page on bicemusic.com for Dissolution.  This is a piece I composed in 2003 for flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, chimes, violin and cello.  In Dissolution I began experimenting with time using a concept I call durative notation.  In this type of notation the time signature is abandoned as melodic and thematic fragments are repeated and different sections are marked by cues.

On this page there is a recording from the premiere performance on February 24, 2003 to which you can listen.  There is also a PDF version of the score so you can see how I notated this piece.  You can access this page in the composition menu under the chamber music submenu or by clicking here: http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=405.

Night Sky score and recording posted

Today I posted the complete score and recording of Night Sky.  The recording is from the premiere performance on May 31, 2011 by the Symphonic Band at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School.  More details about Night Sky can be found at bicemusic.com.  Click her for a direct link to the page for Night Sky: http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=35.

Performance Blog: Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School Symphonic Band - May 31, 2011

Last night the Symphonic Band of Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School premiered Night Sky.  This piece was commissioned by Adam Noel, the band's director, for the Symphonic Band.  The band did a great job performing the piece.  It is not an easy piece, but they managed to do it justice.

One thing I noticed about this band and performers of this age is that you can definitely hear when they are comfortable and confident about the music they are playing and when they are not.  This was apparent in the first couple of minutes in my piece.  I do not fault the band for this.  The section after the introduction is more exposed and somewhat difficult to play.  The confidence was not there, however they did a good job getting through it.  The rest of the piece was a lot more confident and they took control of it.

I am very grateful to Adam Noel and the Symphonic Band at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School for the opportunity to compose Night Sky.  This was a wonderful experience.  Adam and the Symphonic Band should be proud!

bicemusic.com: Page added - Disparate Influences

I have just added a page on bicemusic.com for Disparate Influences for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, violin and cello.  I originally composed this piece in 2001 for a different ensemble: clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet and trombone.  At the time there were four movements.  When I set out to revise this piece in 2004 I threw out three of the four movements keeping the first movement.

On this page is a link to the PDF version of the score and a recording from the premiere performance on April 15, 2005 to which you can listen online.  You can access this page under the compositions tab or by clicking here: http://bicemusic.com/?page_id=382

Listening Journal: May 23-29, 2011

Tristan Murail - Unanswered Question (1995) for flute
Horatiu Radulescu - Lux Animae (2000) for viola
Olivier Messiaen - Couleurs de la Cité Céleste (1963) for piano, 3 clarinets, 3 xylophones and brass orchestra with metal percussion instruments
Iannis Xenakis - Phelgra (1975) for chamber orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Plektó (1993) for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello
Alban Berg - Altenberg Lieder, op. 4 (1912) for soprano and orchestra


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To order mp3 album from Amazon.com click here: Messiaen: Des Canyons aux étoiles, Oiseaux exotiques, Couleurs de la cité céleste

bicemusic.com: Site update

Lately I have been looking at my composition website: bicemusic.com.  Mostly I have been looking at which compositions have pages and what information is missing from those pages.  Right now there are fourteen composition pages.  This means that there are still twenty-seven pages to create and post before my entire catalogue is available.  This number does include current projects.  All of my completed solo instrumental, collaborations and wind ensemble pieces have pages.  The bulk of the "missing" pages are under the chamber music category as there are currently only two pieces with pages.

In order to fill in the gaps my goal will be to post at least two new pages each week.  This will include all information, score and recording (if available).  I will post updates on added pages as they are finished.

bicemusic.com: Page added - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

A new page has been added to my composition website bicemusic.com.  This page features my trombone quartet Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow which I composed in 1999.  On this page you will find the program notes, performance history and a recording to which you can listen online.

You can access this page on bicemusic.com by click the Compositions header and clicking the link to the page under the Chamber Music section.  Otherwise you can click on the following link: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow.

Wrapping up the intro

Yesterday, I finished composing the introductory section of Flit.  This section consists of twenty-two measures and sets up the thematic and some of the harmonic language to be used in this flute piece.  I even composed out a transitional bridge of six measures that leads into the next section of the piece.

With just over a minute's worth of music completed I feel as if this piece is coming together nicely.  My goal is to have this piece completed within three weeks so that I can send it to Greer Ellison and give her enough time to learn the piece before the August 13, 2011 concert of the Festival of Contemporary Music.  Otherwise I will need to find a different piece to program soon.

Opening Strong

Yesterday I sat down and composed the first fourteen measures of Flit for flute.  When I started to work on this piece again I really thought about my concept of the piece.  What did I want it to convey?  What is the spirit of the piece?  When I think of the words flit or flitter I think about birds.  In particular hummingbirds and how they would suddenly change direction in flight or stop and hover.  This is similar to the spirit of what I am trying to capture.  I am not trying to create the imagery of hummingbirds, rather essence or lightness of their mannerisms.

With this concept in mind, I took another look at the sketches I had created and arranged fragments in various combinations.  This process focused on the motives that encapsulated the concept I wanted.  The piece starts off with some short figures connected to long notes.  I did not want too many notes at the beginning,  My intent is to build upon the motivic and harmonic material over time.

I am happy with the start of the opening section.  The figuration is a little more thought out and will hopefully lend itself to better development over time.

Upcoming Performance: Night Sky - May 31, 2011

On Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. the concert band at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School conducted by Adam Noel will premiere Brian Bice's Night Sky.  The program will also include Joseph Compello's Gypsy Dance, an abridged arrangement of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, a medley from Les Miserables and Corsage for Winds by John Cacavas.

Night Sky was commissioned by Adam Noel for the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School Concert Band.  This piece is Brian Bice's first journey back to composing wind ensemble music since he composed Homage in 1999.

Composing Session: May 24, 2011

I spent some time on Tuesday trying a different approach to Flit.  While is was my anniversary I found myself with about an hour of free time.  So I decided to work on a couple of things.  The approach I took this time was more lyrical.  There was a flute theme I dropped from Time in Memoriam that I thought I would like to try to expand.  I composed a four measure introduction and then moved into the melody.  The only issue I have with this melody is that I keep hearing it in my head as I had it orchestrated.  I am having a hard time hearing it as a solo melody.

While the lyrical approach was a good way to look at this piece, I feel like it does not capture my intent as an opening.  It is likely that I will use this lyrical material later on.  I do think that this piece will need a slower, more lyrical section.  I have not yet decided if Flit will be a single-movement or a multi-movement piece.  Nevertheless there will be a couple of distinct sections.

Trackings No. 2 - score completed

About ten days ago on Saturday, May 14, 2011 I finished editing the complete score for Trackings No. 2 for cello, double bass and piano.  In this process I edited the six movements for consistency of dynamic and  expression placement, articulations and other performance data.

I am interested to see the photos Micheal Vickers  creates to go along with the music I have composed.  I have seen a couple of the images, but not too many.  The goal for this piece will be to schedule the premiere for Spring or Summer of 2012.

Rehearsal Blog: Night Sky - May 25, 2011

Today I went to Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga, CA for a rehearsal with the concert band for my piece Night Sky.  This was a very interesting experience.  As a composer I have not worked with performers of this age group.  I did not know what to expect.  I did enjoy watching my friend Adam Noel lead the rehearsal.  Though we were classmates as undergraduates, it was the first time that I got to watch him conduct.

I feel as if the group is doing a good job with my piece.  They seem to have the notes down, so most of my comments were directed towards the group playing as an ensemble.  Playing together as a group can be difficult at any level.  This group seems a little ways off in this department.  This is something that will be learned as they gain more experience.  With some more rehearsal over the next week I believe that the piece will sound good at the concert.  I am definitely looking forward to the concert.

Taking a step back

The other day I wrote about my new flute piece titled Flit.  I think I may have put the cart before the horse when I talked about the light and quick nature of the motivic and thematic ideas.  As I am trying to work them out I am finding it more and more difficult to continue and develop these thoughts in a fluid and coherent manner.  I have decided to take a step back and look at this piece from different angles.  I am not necessarily abandoning the light and quick concept.  Rather I do not want to back myself into a corner that is hard for me to get out of.  One option I am considering is to start with some slower, lyrical material building into the light and quick motives.

Listening Journal: May 16-22, 2011

Kaija Saariaho - L'Aile du Songe (2001) for flute and orchestra
Kevin Hanlon - Second Childhood (1977) for chamber orchestra
Kaija Saariaho - Caliban's Dream (1993) for baritone and chamber ensemble
Anton Webern - Entflieht auf leichten Kähnen, op. 2 (1908) for choir
Milton Babbitt - Post-Partitions (1966) for piano
Anton Webern - Drei Volkstexte, op. 17 (1924) for voice and three instruments

Happy Anniversary, Melissa!!!

Three years ago today I married the love of my life.  I am thankful everyday that we are together.  The road ahead will be filled with challenges and potholes, but I know I can make it through with my wife by my side.

Happy Third Anniversary to my beautiful, pregnant wife.  I love you.

Night Sky rehearsal session

On Wednesday, May 25, 2011 I will be working with the concert band at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School.  We will be working on my piece Night Sky which they will premiere on May 31, 2011.

I am looking forward to this because it will be the first time I get to hear this piece performed.  My goal in this rehearsal session is to help fine tune the group's performance of my piece.  Based on what I have heard from the director, Adam Noel, the kids are doing a good job with this piece.  Hopefully I can add a little something to the performance.

Listening Journal: May 9-15, 2011

Billy Joel - Air (Dublinesque), op. 10 (2001) for piano
György Ligeti - Études pour Piano, Book 3, No. 16 "Pour Irina" (1997)
György Ligeti - Études pour Piano, Book 3, No. 17 "Á Bout De Souffle" (1998)
György Ligeti - Études pour Piano, Book 3, No. 18 "Canon" (2001)
Dmitri Shostakovich - Quartet for Piano and Strings, op. 57 (1940)


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Beginning a new piece

On Saturday I began work on a new piece.  I am composing this piece for Greer Ellison, a flautist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I met Greer a couple of years ago when I composed Shadows of Dreams for the flute ensemble she conducts at the University of California at Santa Cruz.  The title of the  piece is Flit and will be for solo flute.  I chose this title because of the light and quick nature of some of the motivic and thematic ideas I began to work with.

Starting a new piece is always fun.  There are so many possibilities for the piece.  There are lots of new ideas to try and old ideas to develop in a different way.  My hope is that this piece will come together more easily than Time in Memoriam.  That was a piece that underwent a few formal revisions before growing into its final form.

I am looking forward to getting into this piece.  This is definitely a more intimate piece opposed to the couple of wind ensemble pieces I have composed recently.

Trackings No. 2, movement 5 - score completed

On Wednesday I completed the 5th movement of Trackings No. 2 for cello, double bass and piano.  The title of this movement is Dream.  In this movement I worked with disjunct themes and ideas.  I tied them together with an underlying harmonic progression.

With the completion of the 5th movement this means that all six movements of Trackings No. 2 are complete.  At this time the only thing left to do is to edit the score in its entirety.  All of the movements are in one file, I just need to edit the six movements to make sure the formatting is consistent.

Over the next few weeks I will be shopping the piece around trying to see if there is interest in it.  I am not going to limit my search to cello, double bass and piano performers.  I will check out piano trios and if I need to re-orchestrate the piece then so be it.

Feasibility of Performance

As I have been working on Trackings No. 2 I have been thinking about the ensemble.  This piece is composed for cello, double bass and piano.  This is an uncommon ensemble and I have been wondering is it the right ensemble?  Like all composers my hope is that this piece will receive multiple performances.  With this instrumentation I wonder about that.  The thought of changing the instrumentation has crossed my mind, but to what?

I guess I could re-score it for a piano trio of either violin, cello and piano or clarinet, cello or piano.  Neither of these ensembles really excite me for this piece.  After some deliberation I wonder should I really care?  I mean of course I want this piece to be performed, but the instrumentation is not too off-the-wall.  I figure I will leave it as a cello, double bass and piano piece for now.

I am not ruling out any instrumentation changes.  I am just saying that right now I do not feel it necessary to take the time to make the changes.  However, if a performance opportunity arises for a different instrumentation that would work for this piece, then I will change the instrumentation.

Blogger issues

The past couple of times I have tried to long into Blogger it has been unavailable.  Not to worry, Blogger is back and I have a couple of posts from the past few days I can finally add later today.

Brian

Trackings No. 2, movement 3 - score completed

Today I completed the 3rd movement of Trackings No. 2 for cello, double bass and piano.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I opted to scratch the original sketch in favor of another sketch.  This new sketch came together easily.  I tried a couple of different orchestrations prior to settling on the grouping of cello and piano right hand and double bass with piano left hand.

Now that the 3rd movement is completed all that remains is the 5th movement.  My goal is to complete that movement in the next week or two.  I have already sent the score and MIDI realization of the 3rd movement to Micheal Vickers via email.

Listening Journal: May 2-8, 2011

George Crumb - Gnomic Variations (1981) for piano
Jukka Tiensuu - Arsenic and Old Lace (1996) for string quartet and harpsichord
Kaija Saariaho - Tag des Jahres (2006) for choir and electronics

Karol Szymanowski - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 - CD
   Symphony No. 2, op. 19 (1910)
   Symphony No. 4, Symphonie Concertante, op. 60 (1932)

Olivier Messiaen - La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ - CD #2
   Second Septenary (1969) for mixed choir, seven instrumental soloists and large orchestra

Esa-Pekka Salonen - LA Variations (1997) for orchestra
Harrison Birtwistle - Gawain's Journey (1991) for orchestra
Karlheinz Stockhausen - Klavierstücke, piece XI (version 2) (1956) for piano


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Scraping a sketch

Today I sat down to work on the 3rd movement of Trackings No. 2.  This piece is in collaboration with photographer Micheal Vickers.  Originally the sketch for this movement focused a lot on natural harmonics.  I had kept this in because I thought it would make for an interesting and colorful movement.  After spending some time with it today, I realized that it was not worth keeping.  I did not care for the harmonic world I created.

Sure, I could have salvaged some of the material and made it better.  I thought about it, but decided it was not worth my time.  Instead, I decided to bring back the sketch that was going to be the final movement until I decided to end the piece is a different style.

I think this other sketch will allow me to create some good, contrasting material to the movements that will be around it.

Should have double checked

So last Sunday I emailed parts for Time in Memoriam to Lee Morrison.  As I was creating the PDF part I did not double check to make sure that the formatting came out right.  Of course it was not right.  The original page size of the score is 11"x17".  When I extracted the parts I reduced the page size to 8.5"x11".  However this did not change the printer format size to 8.5"x11".  It was still set at 11"x17".  So all of the parts came out as 8.5"x11" on 11"x17" paper.  When printed to 8.5"x11" paper the printed area came out smaller.  Lee emailed me about the problem so I spent about an hour on Monday recreating the PDF parts, this time in the correct size.  Monday evening I sent the parts to Lee.  Now I know I should have double checked the parts.

Listening Journal: April 25-May 1, 2011

Kaija Saariaho - Grammaire des Rêves (1989) for soprano, contralto, 2 flutes, harp, viola and cello
Kaija Saariaho - Mirrors (1997) for flute and cello
Krzysztof Penderecki - Violin Sonata No. 2 (2000)
Franz Liszt - Hamlet (1858) for orchestra
Alban Berg - Violin Concerto (1935)

Olivier Messiaen - La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ - CD #1
   First Septenary (1969) for mixed choir, seven instrumental soloists and large orchestra

Einojuhani Rautavaara - Angels and Visitations (1978) for orchestra

Henryk Górecki - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 - CD
  Kronos Quartet
   Already it is Dusk, op. 62 (1988)
   Quasi una Fantasia, op. 64 (1991)


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Time in Memoriam: parts done and sent

Last weekend I finished editing the parts for Time in Memoriam.  At this point I feel like I am becoming a pro at extracting and editing parts.  Earlier this year I extracted and edited the parts for Night Sky for Adam Noel's concert band.  I still need to finish editing the parts for my Bass Trombone Concerto to send to Jonathan Warburton.

On Sunday night I sent the parts in PDF format via email to Lee Morrison, director of the New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble.  Lee said that they will read the piece sometime this week and he would let me know how it goes.  I am looking forward to hearing feedback about the piece.

Festival Submissions

This year the Festival of Contemporary Music celebrates its 9th season.  We received sixty-seven pieces submitted by forty-seven composers.  Each composer is allowed to submit up to two pieces.  Listening to each submission and making selections for the FCM is a long process.  This year there are three of us in the selection committee which helped to make the process a little easier.  After listening to all of the submissions the committee convened to discuss the submissions and make selections.

As with any open call for scores we received a wide variety of pieces in style and quality.  Fortunately it was not all "questionable" or bad.  We received many quality compositions.  Not enough, however, to justify opening a third concert date in the future, but plenty to make two high-quality concerts.

The 9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music is a two-concert event that will take place on Saturday, July 20, 2011 and Saturday, August 13, 2011 at the San Francisco Community Music Center.  For more information please visit: www.newmusicforum.com.

A busy month

April 2011 was a very busy compositional month for me.  Which is why I did not post as many entries here and my Listening Journals were short for a couple of weeks.  All-in-all it was a good month.  I finished Time in Memoriam including the editing of the parts.  I set up my next new composition, though I have not decided on the complete instrumentation yet.  I also received a request for a set of parts for my Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra.

In addition to all of that I had to review submissions for the 9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  This is a process that takes up a lot of my time.  However it is something I have enjoyed doing for the last nine years.  The program for this years FCM is set and more details will be made available in a future post.

I look forward to what May will bring.  I hope to stay busy, yet be able to spread out the projects.  It always seems that everything comes to me in bunches.  For once I would like a little breathing room between deadlines.

Time to turn out the parts

About ten days ago I sent Lee Morrison the score for Time in Memoriam via email.  He wrote to me today saying that the piece looks good.  As it turns out the ensemble has a concert on Friday and then they are going to start looking at new music.  Lee has asked me to email him the parts so the wind ensemble can read the piece next week.

This is great news.  So I guess now it is time to turn out the parts so that the New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble can read Time in Memoriam.  Unfortunately this adds a lot to my already busy work load.  I am working on re-extracting parts for my Bass Trombone Concerto to send to bass trombonist Jonathan Warburton.  I am also in the middle of re-orchestrating Off you go... for a possible performance in July.  For this piece I am changing the percussion part to a piano part.  I am going to be busy, but it is all good.

Listening Journal: April 18-24, 2011

Gabrielle Arness - Seeking (2005) for violin and cello
Billy Joel - Fantasy (Film Noir), op. 4 (2001) for piano
György Ligeti - Apparitions (1959) for orchestra
Edgard Varèse - Ionisation (1931) for thirteen percussionists


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To order the score for Varèse's Ionisation click here: Ionisation for Percussion Ensemble of 13 Players: Full Score

Time in Memoriam score is completed

On Saturday, April 16, 2011 I completed the score for Time in Memoriam.  This wind ensemble piece is composed for Lee Morrison and the New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble.

There were times in the compositional process in which I wondered if this piece would ever be completed. The form and direction changed so many times that this piece hardly resembles the diagrammatic sketch I created when I first started thinking about this piece.

I am excited to have completed this piece.  I am happy with the way it turned out.  I look forward to receiving feedback from Lee.  It is such a relief to finish a piece like this.  The next step is to extract, edit and print the parts.  That is when the whole package will be done.

Listening Journal: April 11-17, 2011

Marc-André Dalbavie - Concerto pour Violin (1996) for violin and orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - Le Réveil des Oiseaux (1953) for piano and orchestra
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 3, op. 23 (1898) Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

Pascal Dusapin - Chamber Music - CD
   Fist (1982) for eight instruments
   Hop' (1984) for eleven instruments
   Musique Captive (1980) for nine instruments
   Aks (1987) for mezzo-soprano and seven instruments
   Niobé (1982) for soprano, chorus and chamber ensemble

Magnus Lindberg - Orchestral Works - CD
   Feria (1997)
   Corrente II (1992)
   Arena (1995)



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A reason for revision

Yesterday I was talking to one of my friends and he mentioned that he is looking for music for a concert coming up in July.  The ensemble has an interesting instrumentation: flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. However, I do not have any pieces for that type of ensemble.  He told me that a subset of the ensemble would work as well.  I started thinking about Off you go... for flute, cello and percussion.

Off you go... is one of my favorite pieces that I have composed.  I have been thinking about expanding it into a large scale work for years now.  I have also considered changing the percussion part to a piano part.  This concert opportunity gives me a good excuse to take another look at the piece and change it to a flute, cello and piano composition.

This change is not at all difficult to do as most of the percussion part is for the vibraphone.  I would need to recompose the sections that use suspended cymbal and brake drums.  That should not be hard.  The main priority would be to keep the same or similar rhythmic ideas.  I do have a couple of ideas of what to do in those sections.

The ensemble director would need the score soon to decide if they want to program the piece.  So basically I have until the end of April, in other words this week, to get it done.  I am confident that I can have it done on Saturday to send to my friends so he could pass it along.

Happy Easter

I would like to wish all of my friends and family a Happy Easter.  This day is another reminder to me of how important friends and family are.  Happy Easter.

Listening Journal: April 4-10, 2011

Marc-Andre Dalbavie - Color (2001) for orchestra
György Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1974) for orchestra

We are having a girl!

My wife and I found out that we will be having a baby girl in September.  For the past month I have been anxiously waiting to find out the sec of our baby.  Last Thursday we got the news: We are having a girl!  We are very excited about this news.  We can now start planning the nursery and deciding on all the things we have been waiting on.

Our baby girl is due five months from today.  We cannot wait for her to be born.

Listening Journal: March 28-April 3, 2011

Kaija Saariaho - Six Japanesse Gardens (1995) for percussion and electronics
Jord Widmann - String Quartet No. 3 'Jagdquartet' (2009)
Kaija Saariaho - Verblendungen (1984) for orchestra and tape
Claude Debussy - Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor (1917)

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, Volume 8 - CD
   Dance Preludes (1954) for clarinet and orchestra
   Double Concerto (1980) for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra
   Grave (1981) Metamorphoses for cello and string orchestra
   Chain I (1983) for 14 performers
   Two Children's Songs (1948) for voice and chamber orchestra
   Six Children's Songs (1947) for voice and instruments

Witold Lutoslawski - String Quartet - CD
  Kronos Quartet
   String Quartet (1964)

Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, op. 4 (1899) for two violins, two violas and two cellos
Arnold Schoenberg - Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra (1910)


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Upcoming Projects

With the bulk of the work for Time in Memoriam completed I have begun to play my next composition.  I have been thinking about what piece I want to have performed on the 9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  I have been in contact with flautist Greer Ellison about writing a piece for her to play on the Festival.  She is interested, so that is a possibility.  Right now I am uncertain if it will be a solo piece or a duo or a trio (probably no bigger).  I will need to contact Greer to see what she might be interested in.

I am also starting to plan my next wind ensemble piece.  I have a couple of "feeler" emails out right now to a couple of friend of mine who conduct high school or junior high bands.  I am checking to see if they would be interested in a new piece for their band.  I am now waiting to see who responds to the email.  My goal is to compose two or three pieces in the next year.  At the point I will be able to create a flyer and try to market the wind ensemble music.

In the meantime my first priority will be to complete the two unfinished movements of Trackings No. 2.  Even if it is finished in time, it is unlikely that this piece will be performed until next year (hopefully at the FCM).  This is due to budgetary concerns.  However, the piece will be finished within the next month.

Busy times

I realized this morning that it has been over ten days since my last post.  Lately I have been quite busy with a lot of non-compositional things.  So my composition time has been drastically cut.  I guess I should get used to it with a baby on the way.  Like most people I say it will not affect my time.  However, I know it will all be about finding a balance.  Balancing family, work and composing will be a difficult task, but one I can do.  I guess that is why, in part, I have this blog.  I will use this blog to make me accountable for my composing.

As for the recent past, the little composing time I have had has been devoted to entering the dynamics and expressions for Time in Memoriam into Finale.  I am almost to the halfway point of entering these items.  Fortunately I have learned many shortcuts on entering these items and cleaning them up so my hope is that it will not take too much longer to finish editing the score.

Trackings No. 2, movement 6 - score completed

Today I finished the score for the sixth movement of Trackings No. 2 for cello, double bass and piano titled "Not to Return."  A couple of weeks ago I wrote that I had completed the sketch score for this movement.  Today I finished editing the score including the dynamics and expressions.  This leaves two other movements to complete.  My goal is to complete these two movements by the end of April.

Program Notes: Night Sky

Night Sky is an aural representation of the journey to night time.  The journey is from the perspective of the moon.  The opening chords signal the sunset where the moon breaks through the horizon to start its ascent in the sky.  This is followed by twilight, the time where the sunlight has almost faded and the mysteries of the night awaken.  The ostinato that rises out of the mysteriousness symbolizes the rise of the moon as it marches forward in its ascent of the sky.  The themes and motives that appear around the ostinato represent other aspects of the night-time sky such as stars, meteors and birds.  The piece ends with the moon reaching the apex of its journey in the night sky.

In a heartbeat

Yesterday my wife had an OB/Gyn appointment and being the supportive husband and excited father I went with her.  This was the appointment where the doctor checked the baby's heartbeat.  The doctor moved the device around my wife's belly until he found the baby's heartbeat.  We listened to it for about 20 to 30 seconds.  It was an incredible experience.  This is the moment where it really hit home for me.  Seeing my baby in an ultrasound picture is great, but being able to hear the heartbeat is a whole different level.  I now have further proof that the baby is alive.  For me it is an experience that I will never forget.  I cannot wait to find out the gender of my baby!

Program Notes: Age Of...

Age Of...
   for flute, soprano sax, horn and tuba
     I. Reflection
     II. Development
     III. Rebirth

Composed: Winter 1998
Premiere: 1998

Age Of... is my first mixed-ensemble piece.

Reflection - As the title suggests, this movement depicts an individual as they look back on their life.  The soloistic flute line depicts the thoughts of the individual.  The other three voices (soprano sax, horn and tuba) are designed to create a darker background to the somewhat “bright” Flute line.  These voices also represent the experiences and/or people whom the individual has encountered and been involved with in one way or another through out their life.

Development - This movement is technically more difficult than the first.  This movement is designed to show the individual’s growth and change period.  In the middle of this movement--measures 13 to 39--there is a conversation between the flute and tuba.  This conversation is between the left and right sides of the brain.  Within this conversation growth and change are born.  Meanwhile the soprano sax and horn keep a steady rhythm showing that even though times maybe turbulent, stability exists.

Rebirth - This is the fastest and most rhythmic movement.  The movement depicts a renewal of life.  In this movement the instruments play independent lines depicting the various new experiences and people that the individual will encounter.  While this final movement abruptly ends, it should be performed in a way in which the listener gets the sense that this is not the end of one’s life.  Instead it is only the beginning of a new life...

Composing Session: March 26, 2011

Most of my composing time on Saturday was spent editing the score for Time in Memoriam.  After completing the orchestration last week I printed off a copy of the score.  I have been marking the dynamics and expressions on this copy.  I still have one or two sections to mark before I begin entering these markings into Finale.

In this process I noticed a couple of inconsistencies in my score.  In the B section there are phrases that come back and I saw that in a couple of them parts were missing.  I will need to go over these sections again and fix the omissions.

Editing the score for dynamics and expressions is a tedious yet crucial part of the composition process.  While I am not looking forward to inputting them into Finale, I am excited about completing Time in Memoriam.

Listening Journal: March 21-27, 2011

Pascal Dusapin - Exeo (2002) for orchestra
Tristan Murail - Feuilles A Travers Les Cloches (1998) for flute, violin, cello and piano
Charles Ives - Three Places in New England (1914) for orchestra
Pascal Dusapin - Aria (1991) for clarinet and 13 players
Krzysztof Penderecki - Cadenza (1984) for violin
Kaija Saariaho - NoaNoa (1992) for flute and electronics
Kaija Saariaho - Petals (1988) for cello

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, volume 7 - CD
   Three Postludes (1965)
   Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings (1972)
   Mini Overture (1982)
   Fanfare for Louisville (1986)
   Fanfare for CUBE (1987)
   Prelude for G.S.M.D. (1989)
   Fanfare for University of Lancaster (1989)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Suites for Orchestra - CD
  Jean Martinon, conductor
   Bela Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin (1919)
   Paul Hindemith - Nobilissima Visione (1938)
   Edgard Varèse - Arcana (1927)

Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047 (1721) for flute, oboe, trumpet, violin and continuo


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A Follow-up Response

I recently sent the scores and parts to three of my bass trombone pieces to bass trombonist Jonathan Warburton.  Jonathan is someone who contacted me back in January asking about my bass trombone pieces.  I sent Jonathan Incursion for bass trombone, Concerto for Bass Trombone and Chamber Orchestra and Obscured Ruminations for bass trombone and chamber orchestra.

Jonathan wrote back to me a couple of days ago telling me he received the scores.  He seems to like my Bass Trombone Concerto.  He has asked me for the parts to this piece.  He also commented that he has almost learned the solo part.

I am excited about this.  Not only do I get my music into someone else's hands, but it sounds like there is a chance that the concerto will be performed again.  It may also lead to an opportunity to expand this piece by adding a couple of movements or the composition of a new piece for Jonathan.

My cats seem to know...

It is funny how pets seem to understand the emotions of their "parents."  The past couple of days have been busy and difficult for me.  I am sure that my cats sensed it.  Stewie, my orange tabby, is not normally a lap cat.  He will lay next to me or even cuddle up against me, but often he does not sit on my lap.  Last night Stewie climbed on my lap and he laid there for about two hours.  While he was there I was trying to write last night's blog entry in my notebook.  At one point Stewie stretched out and pinned down my arm so I could not write.  It was like he was trying to say, "Just relax and watch television."

Later that night Jasper, my brown (grey) tabby, did something he does not normally do.  I laid down to go to sleep and he jumped up on the bed and curled up next to my chest.  Jasper slept there, next to me, almost all night.

I really do think that our pets are really in tune with our emotions.  They seem to understand what we are feeling and they do things to help us feel better.

Another review, another opinion

After reading Robert Battey's some what negative review of Hilary Hahn's recital I decided to see if there was a review of the recital in San Francisco.  I found a review written by Joshua Kosman that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle.  Mr. Kosman's review had a completely different tone.  First off he praised Ms. Hahn's programming choices calling them "imaginative."  He even claimed that this recital was the "highlight of the still young year."

Similar to Mr. Battey's review the Antheil and Ives Sonatas was a primary subject.  Unlike that review Mr. Kosman enjoyed these pieces.  He called the Antheil Sonata "a fascinating example of the anxiety of influence."  The first movement is indebted to Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat.  In other movements Antheil moves into his "own inventive world, one marked by percussive rhythms quite different from the Stravinsky."

Mr. Kosman complements Ms. Hahn's versatility.  He called the performance of the Beethoven "Spring" Sonata graceful, yet sinewy.  He goes on to comment how Ms. Hahn embraces the virtuoso nature of the violin with Kreisler's Variations on a Theme by Corelli.  She played the piece with a "fearless exhibition."

Overall, it appears as is Mr. Kosman enjoyed the recital.  He did not consider the contemporary pieces as irritants.  Instead he embraces the diversity of the programming choices rather than rejecting them outright.  These two reviews provide examples as to why you cannot just listen to one critic or reviewer to formulate an opinion.  It is important to either experience the music or event or if you cannot be there consider multiple sources.

Time in Memoriam - score finished

I am pleased to announce that the score for Time in Memoriam is finished.  Today I completed the orchestration of the section between measures 156 and 182.  I also added four measures starting at 186 to smooth out the transition to the next section.

The score, however, is not one-hundred percent complete.  I still need to edit the score for dynamics, articulations and expressions.  I will start by marking them on the printed draft of the score I printed today.  The I can begin the laborious task of entering them into Finale.

I am really excited to have finally had the opportunity to complete the music for Time in Memoriam.  I cannot wait to send the completed score to Lee Morrison.

Listening Journal: March 14-20, 2011

Edgard Varèse - Tuning Up (1947) for orchestra

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Live in Paris, October 17, 2009 - CD
   Kreuzspiel (1951) for oboe, bass clarinet, piano and three percussionists
   Fünf weitere Sternzeichen (1974/2007) for orchestra
   Kontra-Punkte (1953) for ten instruments

Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" (1822) Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell, conductor
Marc-Andre Dalbavie - Axiom (2007) for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet and piano
Jennifer Higdon - Blue Cathedral (2001) for orchestra
Anton Webern - Fünf Lieder, op. 4 (1909) for voice and piano


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A Jaded Concert Review

It is disappointing when a concert or album reviewer/critic goes into a concert or a listening of a new album expecting things to be a particular way.  When things do not go as expected the reviewer obsesses on what he or she did not like and they end up picking apart the performance.  This is what I found when the other day I read a concert review of Hilary Hahn's recital at Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda, Maryland.  The review was written by Robert Battey and published in The Washington Post.  Upon reading the review it became clear that Mr. Battey is conservative and traditional in his musical tastes.  The headline says it all: Virtuoso violinist Hilary Hahn holds her audience rapt but adds some irritants.

It seems that Mr. Battey's review is all about building up only to tear down.  He talks about being in the presence of a rare instrumental talent only to turn around and say that Ms. Hahn "exudes little star power or charisma onstage."  I do not know about you, but when I go to a classical music concert I am more concerned with great technique and playing in tune than star power.  I have seen performers with great stage presence give mediocre performances.  That is not what I want, but apparently that is what Mr. Battey wants.

The biggest "irritant" to me in this review is his critique of the program.  He called it a program that "uncomfortably juxtaposed old standards with second-tier Americans.  Charles Ives and George Antheil are the two Americans on the program.  Does Mr. Battey infer that all American composer are second-tier or lower?  I wonder because I do not consider Charles Ives as second-tier.

It is obvious that Mr. Battey had hoped for a "more traditional" recital.  He spent about one-third of the review ranting about the Ives and Antheil pieces.  He even attacks the performance of the Beethoven saying that the duo's "accents were wan and Hahn's staccatos were sticky rather than spiky" and claiming that the range of expression was narrow in the slow movement.

In the end, Mr. Battey did give high marks to Ms. Hahn's encore of the Bach B minor Partita.  He called it "simply jaw-dropping in perfection."  Yet he could not leave it there.  True to his build up and tear down form he goes on to claim that a few of the tempos seemed slow and she was inconsistent with the repeats making the piece's structure incoherent.  Though I wonder incoherent to who?  Unless you know the piece backwards and forward, you probably would not even notice the "incoherent nature" of the structure.

All of this really makes me wonder what reviewers like Robert Battey want.

Listening Journal: March 7-13, 2011

Eric Ewazen - Colchester Fantasy (1987) for brass quintet

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, volume 6 - CD
   Symphony No. 1 (1947)
   Silesian Triptych (1951)
   Jeux Vénitiens (1961)
   Chantefleurs et Chantefables (1991)
   Postludiu, I (1960)

Edgard Varèse - Nocturnal (1961) for soprano, male chorus and orchestra
Frank La Rocca - Meditation (1991) for piano


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To purchase mp3 album from Amazon.com click here: Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 1 / Chantefleurs Et Chantefables

Composing Session: March 12, 2011

Yesterday was the first productive day for composing I have had in over a month.  I started by expending the orchestration of the section between measures 88 and 106 of Time in Memoriam.  I also had to double check the consistency of the brass orchestration between measures 80-83 and 88-91.  The intent is for these phrases to be repeats of each other.  However in the process of orchestrating measures 88-91 I tweaked the brass orchestration to make the voice leading better, so I needed to be sure the two sections were the same.

I then took a look at the section between measures 135 and 151.  This is a similar section to the one I was working on.  I spent time expanding the orchestration and developing this section.  Most of the orchestration and parts were similar to those at measure 88 so this was a fairly easy section to work on.

Later on Saturday night I was thinking about the section from measure 96 to 106.  In this section I developed the brass theme by fragmenting it and putting extra space in the phrase.  I started to think that it was a little too disjunct.  I thought that I should tighten it up a little and make it more of a secondary phrase to the melody rather than a development.

So I did just that.  I tightened up the phrase and it worked.  I placed it as the second iteration of the brass theme.  In the section starting at measure 135 there were, initially, two iterations of the brass theme, one a repeat of the other.  To create a better continuity between these two sections I added the secondary phrase at measure 143.

Most of what remains is to orchestrate the sections starting at measures 107 and 159.  These two sections have similar themes so the orchestrations will be similar, though not a direct repeat.  After these two sections are completed I will need to go through to tighten up a couple of other sections that may not be as strong and then add the rest of the expressions and dynamics.  There is a bit of work left, but at least now I can see the end.

Listening Journal: February 28-March 6, 2011

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, volume 5 - CD
   Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
   Three Poems by Henri Michaux (1964)
   Mi-Parti for String Orchestra (1976)
   Overture for Strings (1949)

Hilary Hahn - Higdon and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos - CD
  Hilary Hahn, violin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko, conductor
   Jennifer Higdon - Violin Concerto (2008)
   Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 (1878)

Kaija Saariaho - Orion (2002) for orchestra
Edgard Varèse - Integrales (1925) for 15 instrumentalists
Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005 (1720) for violin, Hilary Hahn, violin
Arvo Pärt - Für Alina (1976) for piano
Arvo Pärt - Variations zur gesundung von Annushka (1977) for piano
Luciano Berio - Sequenza X (1984) for trumpet in C and piano resonance



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Sketch completed for Trackings No. 2, movement 6

Yesterday, I composed what will be the sixth movement of Trackings No. 2.  When I began working on this piece my intent was to expand several movements of Birches for cello and bass.  However, yesterday I was looking at a short sketch for piano I composed for a counterpoint class a few years ago.  I thought that it would be an interesting basis for a movement of Trackings No. 2.  I easily saw how I could incorporate the cello and bass in to this sketch.  After working out the orchestration, I developed the rest of the sketch to finish the movement.

There are still two movements left to compose, the third and the fifth.  I plan on composing these other two movements after I have finished the score for Time in Memoriam.  My hope is to complete the rest of Trackings No. 2 by mid to late April.

Worth the wait

On Monday I was finally able to listen to a CD that I have been waiting to listen to since September: Hilary Hahn's new recording of the Jennifer Higdon and Peter Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos.  I have always been luke-warm to Jennifer Higdon's music.  Some is good, some is alright.  I have not heard a piece of hers that blew me away.  I do like her Concerto for Orchestra and Rapid Fire for flute, but I do not really remember much of her other music, though I know I have heard some.

This concerto, written specifically for Hilary Hahn, has given me a new appreciation for Jennifer Higdon's music.  I will be making an effort to listen to her music a bit more.

The Tchaikovsky Concerto is a beautiful and brilliant piece that has a much maligned history.  This piece is always worth the price of admission.

All in all I am happy that I finally was able to purchase and listen to this CD.  While I wish I did not have to, this album is definitely worth the wait.

A look ahead

With the sketch score for Time in Memoriam complete and the full score nearing completion I have started to think about what my next project(s) will be.  First and foremost I need to finish Trackings No. 2, my second collaboration with Micheal Vickers.

I have recently been thinking about revisiting a couple of pieces I compose a while back.  The first is Concerto for Bass Trombone and Chamber Orchestra.  As it is I have always considered this piece the final movement of a larger piece.  I have had various ideas overs the years for other movements.  However, without a performance opportunity there is no real reason to compose this other than for myself.  Lately, I have been thinking that maybe this is something I can work on with Jonathan Warburton, the bass trombonist who contacted me about a month ago.

The other piece is Off you go... my trio for flute, cello and percussion.  I have always liked this piece, but like the Bass Trombone Concerto I view it as a larger multi-movement work.  I have been talking with flautist Greer Ellison about composing a piece for her.  Expanding Off you go... is an option I may explore.

In keeping with my current compositional focus I do need to start looking for another high school or junior high school band to compose a piece for.  There are a couple of friends I am considering contacting, though I am unsure of who to contact first.  Maybe I will just contact both and see what happens.

An amazing experience

Last Tuesday my wife had her second doctors appointment for the baby.  It was the first one that I was in the exam room for.  The doctor performed the ultrasound and for the first time I was able to see our baby.  I was blown away.  While we did not get to hear the heartbeat we did see the "flutter" of the heartbeat.  We also had a good view of the umbilical cord and we were able to see it pulse with the heartbeat.  Even now it is hard to wrap my head around the idea that I am going to be a father.  I feel truly blessed.

Listening Journal: February 21-27, 2011

Anton Webern - Five Movements for String Quartet, op. 5 (1909)
Anton Webern - String Quartet, op. 28 (1938)
Toru Takemitsu - Distance (1972) for oboe and sho
Olivier Messiaen - Un Sourire (1989) for orchestra
Einojuhani Rautavaara - Cantus Arcticus, op. 61 (1972) for birds and orchestra

Olivier Messiaen - Visions de l'Amen (1943) - CD
   for two pianos, John Ogden and Brenda Lucas, pianos



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New Release: Einojuhani Rautavaara - Kaivos

On Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Ondine Records released the premiere recording of Einojuhani Rautavaara's first opera Kaivos.  The Finnish-born Rautavaara composed this opera between 1957 and 1962.  This recording was produced in conjunction with the first live performance of the opera in September 2010.  The thematic allusions to the Hungarian uprising in 1956 had impeded the original stage production.  In 1963 a made for television production of Kaivos was aired making it the first Finnish Television opera.

The opera is in three acts and tells the story of an uprising of European miners in the 1950s.  Rautavaara considers this opera to be "perhaps the best opera I have ever written.  A real thriller whose underlying theme - that a human being defines himself through his choices - is nevertheless universal."

The cast on this recording features Hannu Niemelä as Simon, Johanna Rusanen-Kartano as Ira and Jorma Hynninen as the Comissar.  Hannu Lintu conducts the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and the specially assembled Kaivos Chorus.

This recording is New Music Forum's Pick of the Month for February 2011.



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To order mp3 from Amazon.com click here: Rautavaara: Kaivos

Exciting News

I wanted to let everyone know that my wife, Melissa, is pregnant!  We are both very excited about the baby.   Her estimated due date is mid-September.  I am really happy and am looking forward to this new stage in my life.

Program Notes: Incursion

Incursion
   for bass trombone

Composed: May 22-27, 2002
Premiere: June 21, 2002 - 8th Annual NOW Music Festival, Goat Hall, San Francisco

Incursion – (in•cûr’zhun; -shun) n 1 : a sudden hostile invasion : RAID 2 : an entering in or into (as an activity)

Incursion was composed in the summer of 2002 for bass trombonist, Richard Lee and was premiered at the 2002 NOW Music Festival in San Francisco. Since its premiere, Incursion has under gone a few revisions. The intent of the piece is to introduce various melodic lines and fragments that speak out of turn or interrupt each other. Compositional and technical aspects of this piece were developed during the time when I composed two large-scale pieces for the bass trombone: Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra (2001), composed for Jeff Kurka, was read by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony in spring 2001 and Obscured Ruminations (2002), also for bass trombone and chamber orchestra. Obscured Ruminations has yet to be performed.

Influential Pieces: Kaija Saariaho - Cendres - Part 4

After listening to Cendres I knew that this was the type of piece that I wanted to compose.  When I was finished with the piano piece I was composing, I began to think about this Cendres-influenced piece.  I checked out a copy of the score from the university library and began to study this piece.

The primary focus of Cendres is timbral.  This means that texture and tone color are as important as harmony and themes.  After figuring out some of the primary techniques Saariaho employs to create her sound world, I began to think about how I could use these techniques in my music and make it my own.  Breath tones in the flute and vertical motion of the cello bow (up and down the strings rather than just across them) were two of the techniques that really stood out to me.

The piece I composed that was inspired by Cendres was Off you go... for flute, cello and percussion.  I used a similar instrumentation to that of Cendres which was alto flute, cello and piano.  I opted to use percussion rather than piano because of the large palette of sound available with percussion instruments.  The three primary percussion instruments I chose to use were vibraphone, suspended cymbal and brake drums.  The vibraphone was a logical choice as there are a few different ways to play the instrument.  These ways include with mallets, with a bass bow on the edge of the tone bars or with the hands.  Also this instrument can sustain pitches like a piano.

Inspired by Saariaho's exploration of the instruments she used I looked at some extended techniques for some of the percussion instruments.  I found that using a bass bow on the edge of the tone bars on the vibraphone creates a thin, sustained sound which complements the flute and cello tones.

The gradual unfolding of the harmonic language is another aspect of Cendres that I wanted to explore in my piece.  This was accomplished by using the extended techniques.  By changing the way in which the tone is played the sound will be different while the pitch stays the same.

Listening to and studying this piece has given me tools that I have used in my piece Off you go... and still use today.  This is one of the pieces that has really helped me to develop my compositional voice and one that I think deserves the label: Modern Masterwork.

Fantasia 2000 on Blu-ray

by Brian Bice
February 22, 2011

Rating: 10/10

Fantasia was conceived as an ongoing series combining music and animation.  Each new presentation of Fantasia would combine old favorites with new productions.  Unfortunately during World War II Disney Studios suffered many financial troubles and the project was subsequently canceled.  That is until 1999 when Disney revived Fantasia with Fantasia 2000.  Keeping true to the original concept this movie brought together seven new stories with Fantasia’s signature piece The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Disney seemingly pulled out all of the stops with Fantasia 2000.  They hired James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to play the masterworks.  Disney brought together some of the best animators and storytellers to bring the music to life.  They hired celebrities to introduce each segment.  The selection of music ranged from some of the most popular works such as the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67 to daring pieces like Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

My favorite segment is the arrangement of Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Marches Nos. 1-4. To me the concept of setting it to the story of Noah’s Ark is genius.  The contrast between the lightness and heaviness of Elgar’s music is perfectly paired with the variety of animals getting on to the ark along with the underlying story of the separation and eventual reunion of Donald and Daisy Duck.  The special arrangement combing the four marches is flawless.

It is a joy to see such a wonderful movie like Fantasia 2000 get the royal treatment on Blu-ray.  Like Fantasia on Blu-ray this movie is crisp and vivid.  The color, picture and sound really shine.  There is also a bonus short included on the Blu-ray version of Fantasia 2000. The Walt Disney and Salvador Dali collaboration Destino.  This short is a fascinating story set to the song Destino by Armando Dominguez.  The art of Dali in this piece is nothing short of captivating.

Walt Disney had once described the art of animation as a voyage of discovery into the realms of color, sound and motion.  With Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 Disney has encapsulated that description.


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Another rearrangement

I have said it before, but this time I know it will be the last.  I have changed to form of the piece yet again.

The other day I realized what was bothering me about Time in Memoriam: the opening.  It is not that the opening I had composed was bad, rather it did not create enough or an impact.  As it was the introduction consisted of long tones that slowly faded in.  It was more textural rather than thematic.  For a high school piece it was not the way I wanted to go.

I moved the clarinet solo and subsequent section to the beginning after a four measure chimes introduction. I did keep the textural section as it does what I want it to do.  I realized that it was just not suitable for the beginning.

With this shift the music seems to flow better.  The opening is stronger and that will help to make the piece stronger.  Of course, this is what I have thought with all of the changes I have made up to now.  Why is this time different?  No matter what happens I am going to push on and concentrate on finishing Time in Memoriam.

Time in Memoriam - sketch complete

I have been wanting to say this for quite some time.  The sketch for Time in Memoriam has been completed.  I had to rearrange the score (yet again) to make this happen, but those detail are for another post.  I really like the way the piece is now.  So the form is set and the themes and melodies are in line.  All that is left to do is fill out all of the voice and add expressions and dynamics to the score.  Maybe I can finish this piece within the next month.

Listening Journal: February 14-20, 2011

Olivier Messiaen - Oiseaux Exotiques (1956) for piano and orchestra
Leonard Bernstein - Serenade after Plato (1954) for violin and orchestra, Hilary Hahn, violin, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman, conductor
Igor Stravinsky - Song of the Nightingale (1917) for orchestra



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Click to order mp3 album from Amazon.com: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale

Addendum to Listening Journal: February 7-13, 2011

I realized this afternoon that I had left some music off of the previous Listening Journal.  The music I left off was from the movie Fantasia 2000.  I believe I had the same problem when I watched Fantasia, I had forgotten to include that on the Listening Journal.

Fantasia 2000 - movie
  Chicago Symphony Orchestra, James Levine, conductor
   Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67 (1808): I. Allegro con brio
   Ottorino Resphigi - Pines of Rome (1924)
   George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
   Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 102 (1957): I. Allegro, Yemif Bronfman, piano
   Camille Saint-Saëns - Carnival of the Animals (1886): Finale
   Paul Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1897)
     The Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski, conductor
   Edward Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1-4 (1907)
   Igor Stravinsky - The Firebiurd Suite (1919)
   Armando Dominguez - Destino

Listening Journal: February 7-13, 2011

Olivier Messiaen - Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine (1944) for piano, ondes martenot, women's chorus and orchestra
Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending (1921) for violin and orchestra, Hilary Hahn, violin, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, conductor
Billy Joel - Reverie (Villa D'Este), op. 3 (2001) for piano
Kaija Saariaho - Amers (1992) for cello and chamber orchestra
Reynold Weidemaar - The Tinsel Chicken Coop/Wiener (1977) for tap
Silvestra Revueltas - Ocho X Radio (1976) for orchestra



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Click to purchase MP3 from Amazon.com: Elgar: Violin Concerto, op.61 / Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music - dates announced

New Music Forum is excited to announce the dates for the 9th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  The annual two concert summer event will take place on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.  Both concerts will take place at the San Francisco Community Music Center.

The call for scores will be published in the near future so please stay tuned. For more details please visit www.newmusicforum.com.

First bits of feedback

I was happy to see an email from Adam Noel waiting for me when I got home from work on Monday.  He wanted to tell me that he had the band read through Night Sky and it was a success.  Some of the comments he heard from the students included "epic" and "cool."

I can imagine that playing this piece would be a special event for many of the students because they know it was composed for them.  There is a sense of pride that comes from such an event.  There will likely be a different energy behind the performance because the student might be more excited to play this piece.

I am very excited to hear Night Sky.  I know the students are going to put their all into the performance.  I am also looking forward to working with the students.  It is very encouraging to hear positive things after the first rehearsal.  There was one minor mistake in the score, specifically in the tenor sax part.  However, I will gladly take that minor mistake over a disastrous reading since it was a quick and easy fix.

Thank you Adam for making this possible!

My new website launched: bicemusic.com

On Sunday, February 6, 2011 my new composition website launched: bicemusic.com.  This website will feature information about my music, performances and related media.  On this site there will be information pages about each piece I have composed.  These pages will include program notes, performance history and composition dates.   Each page will have the ability to stream audio performances of each piece (if available).  In addition I plan to upload pdf versions of each score for browsing and downloading (some scores my be excluded from this).  Currently there are pages for seven of my pieces.

My hope is that this website will increase my online presence.  It will also help to create an identity for myself as a composer that is separate from New Music Forum.  I may even try to find a way to incorporate this blog into the website.

I invite you to check out bicemusic.com and find out more about my music.  Feel free to leave comments or drop me a line while you are there.

A forgotten feeling

Tonight I sat down to write in my blog and listen to a little music.  I decided to listen to a piece from the sixth volume of the American Society of Composers (now Society of Composers, Inc.) record series: The Tinsel Chicken Coop / Wiener for magnetic tape by Reynold Weidenaar.  It has been a long time since I have has such a strong urge to hit the stop button.  This piece is horrible.  It sounded to me like it was a bunch of sounds haphazardly spliced together.  Now, I realized that this piece was composed in 1977 and the genre and technology had its limits, but this piece makes no sense and not in a good way.  It took some restraint, but I was able to make it through the piece.  At least I was able to accomplish that.