American Music Pioneer Milton Babbitt passes away

On Saturday, January 29, 2011 avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt passed away.  He was 96.  Babbitt, born May 10, 1916, is best known for his work in incorporating the synthesizer into contemporary classical music.  In the 1950s Babbitt was hired by RCA as a consultant to help develop the Mark II synthesizer.  He was also the founder and director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center where the Mark II was installed.

Milton Babbitt's most famous composition is Philomel (1964) for soprano, recorded soprano and synthesized sounds.  The text for Philomel was written by John Hollander.  This piece was commissioned by the Ford Foundation for Bethany Beardslee.  Philomel is a milestone of post-war composition.  Babbitt's intertwining of the voice with the recorded and synthesized sounds is nothing short of phenomenal.

In addition to his work as a composer, Babbitt is well-known for a controversial and thought provoking article "Who Cares If You Listen?"  This article was published in the magazine High Fidelity.  Babbitt's original title was "The Composer as Specialist."  The title was changed by an editor at the magazine without Babbitt's knowledge or consent.  In 2006 Babbittt commented, "Obviously, I care if people listen; above all I care HOW they listen."

In 1992 Princeton awarded Milton Babbitt a doctorate.  This comes 46 years after his dissertation on the 12-tone system of modern composers was rejected.  This doctorate was awarded after he was given an honorary doctorate in the previous Spring.  Babbitt received the Pulitzer citation for his life's work in 1982.  In 1988 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

In the 2006 book Music Downtown, Kyle Gann wrote, "You can't outdo Babbitt, you can only become a watered-down imitation."  Gann would go on in his book to judge Milton Babbitt and Pierre Boulez to be as influential in their time as Palestrina and Bach were in their time.  Babbitt felt strongly that "music should be an advanced subject that's open to study and contemplation the way philosophy and mathematics is."  Babbitt embodied that spirit in his work.

The music of Milton Babbitt is as American as that of Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber.  Though Babbitt's music bears no resemblance sonically, it is the development and ingenuity of the music that embodies the American spirit.

  
  

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Listening Journal: January 24-30, 2011

John Adams - Grand Pianola Music (1982) for wind orchestra, three singers and piano
Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 7, op. 64 "White Mass" (1911) Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
Billy Joel - Waltz #1 "Nunley's Carousel", op. 2 (2001) for piano
Steve Reich - Vermont Counterpoint (1982) for amplified flute and tape
Steve Reich - Eight Lines (1983) for two string quartets, two pianos and two clarinets

20th Century Music for Flute and Orchestra - CD
   Aulis Sallinen - Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, op. 70 "Harlekiini" (1995)
   Toru Takemitsu - Toward the Sea II (1981) for alto flute, harp and strings
   Krzysztof Penderecki - Concerto for Flute and Orchestra da Camera (1992)

Robert Schumann - Symphony No. 1 in B major, op. 38 (1841) London Philharmonic Orchestra, Kurt Masur, conductor
Billy Joel - Aria "Grand Canal", op. 7 (2001) for piano
Sergei Prokofiev - Violin Concerto, op. 19 (1917) Hilary Hahn, violin, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Milton Babbitt - Post-Partitions (1966) for piano
Milton Babbitt - Phonemena (1969) for soprano and piano
Milton Babbitt - Phonemena (1975 for soprano and synthesized tape



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Click to purchase mp3 from Amazon.com: Milton Babbitt: Philomel

Outline of the ending

Last week I spent some time working out the details for the rest of Time in Memoriam.  I was able to sketch an outline for what I figure to be the end of the piece.  There are two primary themes in the B section: the brass theme and the saxophone theme.  In my outline I started to develop a way in which to intertwine the two themes so that there is a perceived accelerando.

The outline I have created add approximately ninety seconds to the piece which puts the total duration around eight and a half to nine minutes.  Now I need to put this outline into music and finish the rest of the piece.  My goal is to have the sketch done by mid-February.

Forgotten Treasure

On Saturday evening I was looking for something to listen to while I made dinner.  I came across a CD of 20th Century Flute Concertos.  I bought this a long time ago for the recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra da camera.  I pulled this CD out and looked at it.  I was surprised to see that the other two works were by Aulis Salinen and Toru Takemitsu.  I had forgotten about these pieces so I decided to listen to this CD.

Aulis Salinen is one of those composers whose music I would like to explore more, but I always manage to forget about him when I shop for something new.  His piece on the CD is Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, op. 70 "Harlekiini".  The piece by Takemitsu is Toward the Sea II for alto flute, harp and strings.  This is an interesting piece because the movement titles suggest an influence by the work of Herman Melville, but the sound world paints a much different picture.

I enjoyed listening to this CD in part because the music contain on it is good.  Also, I had forgotten that I had these recordings so it was like finding a forgotten treasure.



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Click to purchase mp3 from Amazon.com: 20th Century Music For Flute And Orchestra

Contemporary Techniques for the Bassoon

Composer and Bassoonist Jamie Leigh Sampson is working to compile a complete resource of contemporary techniques for the bassoon. This will be a valuable resource for composers and bassoonists alike. In order to help fund the research and creation of this book Jamie has organized a funding drive on kickstarter.com.

Here is a statement from Jamie Leigh Sampson about the project.

“This is truly an exciting project that will benefit many contemporary musicians. Composers will, for the first time, have access to a book that includes close to 200 reliable multiphonics for the bassoon, as well as the description, range, dynamic possibilities, notation suggestions, and execution instructions for about 15 other types of contemporary techniques. The bassoon is an extremely versatile instrument that has the potential to be incorporated into a variety of new works, especially chamber music. The aim of this project is to ensure that bassoonists everywhere can play each sound notated by contemporary composers by giving both a thoroughly tested and refined resource.

The Kickstarter.com project will raise funds to:
• Compensate the bassoonists participating in this research
• Cover cost of the initial printing
• Publicity
• The commissioning of a new work for bassoon and electronics
• Other equipment necessary for the completion of this book

Please watch the video at Contemporary Techniques for the Bassoon and check out the contemporary techniques page on the author’s website www.jamieleighsampson.com. If you have any questions please email contemporary.bassoon@gmail.com”

Listening Journal: January 17-23, 2011

Olivier Messiaen - Le Tombeau Resplendissant (1931) for orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen - Mania (2001) for cello and orchestra
Edgard Varèse - Tuning Up (1947) for orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - Les Offrandes Oublièes (1930) for orchestra
Alfred Schnittke - Fuga (1953) for violin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major (1791) Murray Perahia, piano, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Brian Bice - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: II. Today: Fantasy (1998) for trombone quartet

Composing Session: January 20, 2011

I had planned on taking yesterday off.  I had a lot of non-musical things to do.  However, I saw an opportunity to send two pieces of mine to an ensemble director at my undergrad school.  He had written back to me requesting score and parts for both pieces.  The two pieces in question are Trackings (No. 1, but not labeled as such) and Day Moon.

The biggest task for these pieces was that I had to rework the instrumentation.  Trackings was originally composed for flute, alto sax, violin, cello, piano and percussion.  For this ensemble I rearranged the piece for flute, alto sax, tenor sax, trombone, piano and percussion.  I am fine with this switch mostly because Trackings has yet to be premiered.

Day Moon was originally composed for clarinet, bass trombone and piano.  For this piece I re-scored the clarinet part for alto saxophone and switch from bass trombone to trombone.  This was primarily a simple transposition of the clarinet part.  I did have to change octaves on a couple sections of the bass trombone.  Otherwise the switch to trombone was negligible.  Day Moon was premiered on August 18, 2005 at the 3rd Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  I do like the change to alto sax.  I think it will add an interesting timbre to the piece.

I was able to get the score and parts for both pieces sent out last night.  So now I wait to see if either of these pieces will be programmed.

Finding Opportunities

Over the past week I have had a couple of potential performance opportunities come my way.  The first was almost completely random.  A bass trombonist in the U.K. contacted me asking for copies of my bass trombone pieces.  Of course I am always happy to oblige.  Any opportunity to get my music into someone else's hands I will gladly take.

The other opportunity I found while on Facebook.  An instructor at my undergrad school was looking for piece that fits a subset of the instrumentation of the ensemble he conducts.  After looking through my catalogue I found a couple of pieces that could work.  I contacted him to see if he was interested.  He agreed to take a look at them.  We will see if he is able to program one or both of these pieces.

It is funny to me how these opportunities seem to bunch themselves together.  Last year I had only one performance.  I spent most of my time working on pieces for performance this year.  Now maybe something will pan out with these opportunities.

Formal Decision

I have decided to drop the third section of Time in Memoriam.  The decision to change to a binary form was made because I wanted to give the fast (B) section time to develop.  While I could have stuck with my original formal design I think that doing so would have either made the piece too long with the development of the B section or the B section would have seemed rushed.

Ending fast is something that I have not done too often.  Many time in large pieces such as this I usually compose a recapitulation.  I think that ending at a faster tempo would give me the opportunity to have fun with the ending.

I think this is a good decision that will make the piece stronger.

Listening Journal: January 10-16, 2011

Igor Stravinsky - Concerto in D (1946) for string orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - La Ville d'en haut (1987) for wind, brass, piano and percussion
Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005 (1720) for violin, Julia Fischer, violin
Toru Takemitsu - Rain Spell (1982) for chamber ensemble
Luciano Berio - O King (1970) for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, Volume 3 - CD
   Paganini Variations (1979)
   Paroles Tissées (1965)
   Les Espaces Du Sommeil (1975)
   Symphony No. 3 (1983)

Edgard Varèse - Offrandes (1921) for soprano and chamber orchestra
Billy Joel - Soliloquy (On a Separation), op. 1 (2001) for piano

Michael Torke - One - CD
  works for orchestra
   Green (1986)
   Purple (1987)
   Ecstatic Orange (1985)
   Ash (1988)
   Bright Blue Music (1985)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 (1785) Murray Perahia, piano, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Composing Session: January 15, 2011

On Saturday I continued working on Time in Memoriam.  In the process I was able to sketch the rest of the B section.  I also began to outline the return to the A section.  This "return" uses a theme which I had initially sketched for the section leading into the B section, however I decided that the first half was getting long so I moved it to after the B section.

Now I have encountered a similar dilemma.  At the present rate Time in Memoriam will be a fourteen to fifteen minute piece.  I am considering cutting the third section and changing the form to binary.  This would mean that this piece would conclude in a fast tempo.  These changes will bring the duration down to approximately nine to ten minutes.


Honestly duration is something that I need to closely consider.  Two things can possibly happen if the piece is too long.  The students could become bored with the piece.  The other thing is that band directors may not program or purchase a longer piece.  Am I thinking about this too much?  Possibly. I am just trying to consider all of the angles before making a decision.


I think the underlying issue that I am struggling with is will a return to the A section make this piece more interesting or feel complete?  Will it add something to the piece?  I do not know.  Before I can decide this I will need to explore all of my options.

Composing Session: January 13, 2011

Ahhh... to be composing again.  The holidays were busy, but fun.  However, I am glad to get back to composing.  Yesterday, was a very productive day.  Often I find that my first day back is slow going.  I think I was able to get a lot done in part because I started off by editing parts.  In a way it eased me back into the right mindset.

I spent the first half of my day editing the parts for Night Sky.  After completing the parts I started to look at Time in Memoriam.  I began by looking at the B section.  Since I have some clear ideas of how to proceed it was a good place to start.  In the end I was able to sketch the first twenty measures of the B section.  Then I went back and finished orchestrating the final six measures of the A section leading into the B section.  In all I have composed about six minutes and fifteen seconds of music.

I am very happy with the progress I made yesterday and I am excited to continue to work on Time in Memoriam.

Night Sky score and part completed

This morning I finished editing the score and parts for Night Sky.  After I have them printed and copied I can deliver them to Adam Noel.  I am really excited to hear the results of my efforts and get feedback from Adam and the students.

2010 in review

Looking back at this past year I have come to see it as a year of transition.  I decided to compose more music for high school and junior high concert bands.  Rather than just composer the music and hope that someone will perform it I contacted people I know who direct concert bands and asked if they are interested in me composing a piece for their band.  I also felt that contacting the conductors was important because it gives me a goal and a timeline in which to compose this piece.  The plan is for me to compose four or five pieces and then create a mailer to try to market these pieces.  Of course I will still compose more wind ensemble pieces.

This past year I completed two pieces.  The most recent piece is Night Sky for concert band.  This is the first in the series I have listed above.  This piece is composed for Adam Noel and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School Concert Band.  Night Sky was a big undertaking for me as it had been quite awhile since I have composed for a large ensemble.

The other piece I completed was Book 1 of Ètude Scéniques for solo trumpet.  These ètudes started off as exercises designed to retrain me to compose in a more tonal style.  I needed to do this in preparation for composing Night Sky.  My typical compositional style would likely have not been appropriate for this age group.

There are also two pieces that I am currently composing.  The first is my next wind ensemble piece Time in Memoriam.  I am writing this piece for Lee Morrison and New World School for the Arts High School Wind Ensemble.  I have recently begun work on the second half of this piece.  The other piece is my second collaboration with photographer Micheal Vickers, Trackings No. 2.  So far I have composed three of the six planned movements: numbers 1, 2 and 4.  The third movement is currently in progress.

In 2010 I received only one performance (that I know of), but it was worth it.  My piano piece 4-5 was beautifully performed by Stacey Barelos at the 8th Annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  I composed this piece in 2002 and it finally received its premiere performance in 2010.

There are a few non-compositional projects that I have started or continued in 2010 that I am proud of.  First is this blog.  This has been a great outlet for me to organize my thoughts and keep myself accountable.  I have also revamped and kept current the New Music Forum website.  In November I started a new blog focusing on an area of research in which I am interested: Color Music.  Through this blog I hope to define color music and further my research.

2010 was a challenging year for me on so many levels.  However, I do see this past year as a transitory year for me.  I have made a lot of decisions as to my direction and I have been able to keep up with multiple projects while working full time.  I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings.

Listening Journal: January 3-9, 2011

Kaija Saariaho - Cendres (1998) for alto flute, cello and piano
Pierre Boulez - Multiples (1981) for 25 instruments
Pascal Dusapin - Ètudes Nos. 1-4 (1997-99) for piano
Pascal Dusapin - Ètudes Nos. 5-7 (1999-2001) for piano
Pascal Dusapin - Clam (1998) for orcheestra
Krzysztof Penderecki - Fluorescences (1961) for orchestra
Joseph Dangerfield - Piano Quintet (2006)



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Back to work

The holidays are always a terrible time for me to accomplish anything compositionally.  I get busy running errands, working or spending time with family.  Now that the holidays are over and I have had time to decompress I am going to get back to work.  My first priority is to extract the parts for Night Sky, get them printed and deliver the package to Adam Noel.  His concert band is scheduled to perform this piece in the spring so I need to finish the parts within the next two weeks.

After that is done I will resume work on Time in Memoriam and Trackings No. 2.  I would like to finish Time in Memoriam by the end of March.  Trackings No. 2 should be completed by mid-to-late-February.  At least this is the plan.

Complete Listening: Witold Lutoslawski

A while back I wrote about listening to the all of the recordings in my collection of one composer as a part of my listening activities.  I started that by listening to my collection of György Ligeti CDs.  Over a month ago I finished listening to these CDs.  I have decided to listen to Witold Lutoslawski's music next.  I own approximately ten CDs of music by him.  His music was important in the development of my compositional voice.  In particular Symphony No. 2, Chain I and Trois Poemes d'Henri Michaux are all pieces from which I have learned techniques and drawn inspiration.

Program Notes: Lines in the Sand

Lines in the Sand
  for solo cello
     I. Jagged
     II. Blurred
     III. Final Line

Composed: April 2004
Premiere: April 15, 2005 – Doctoral Recital: Eugene, OR

This piece was originally composed for a reading session with Third Angle, a contemporary music ensemble based out of Portland, during Spring 2004. The title, Lines in the Sand, represents a metaphor for where I was both professionally and creatively in the time just before and during the compositional process.

I. Jagged – This movement is a recomposition of a collaboration with dancer/choreographer Dominique Chartrand from fall 2003 titled Disjunction. The title of this movement refers to the jagged feel of the opening motive which is developed and manipulated throughout the movement.

II. Blurred – This movement continues work that I have been doing to deconstruct time. The music is composed “out of time” in a similar vein to Witold Lutoslawski's work in the 1960s, specifically Trois Poemes d'Henri Michaux. Notes are at times presented in bursts and at other times as long tones. Extended techniques such as natural harmonics and the use of bow pressure is something that I picked up from Saariaho's work with the cello.

III. Final Line – I really wanted to compose a final movement that sounds more challenging than it is to play. During the compositional process I worked with composer/cellist Chris Thomas to realize my intent. Some of the inspiration for this piece comes from Kaija Saariaho's Spins and Spells for solo cello. The rest of the inspiration comes from insanity!

Listening Journal: December 27, 2010 - January 2, 2011

Witold Lutoslawski - Orchestral Works, volume 2 - CD
   Symphonic Variations (1938)
   Little Suite (1954) for orchestra
   Symphony No. 2 (1967)
   Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1988)

Iannis Xenakis - Ikhoor (1978) for string trio
Kaija Saariaho - Laconisme de L'aile (1982) for flute



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Click to order mp3 recording from Amazon.com: Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 2 / Little Suite / Symphonic Variations / Piano Concerto

Influential Pieces: Kaija Saariaho - Cendres - Part 3

One of the aspects of Saariaho's Cendres that really drew me in is the harmonic language.  After my initial listening it seemed to me that the harmonic language was relatively static.  I had thought that there was little to no progression in the direction of the piece.  After repeated listening and a brief study of the score I found that is not the case.

The sonic world of Cendres is one of gentle unfolding.  Saariaho starts with a solitary note, an E-flat pizzicato in the piano.  A harmonic trill in the cello on E-flat in measure two introduces a G.  This gives the listener a hint at a possible major sonority.  Then at the beginning of measure eight the F-sharp is introduced dispelling the major notion.  Finally at the end of measure eight the B-flat is brought in.  An analysis of these eight measures indicate that the opening sonority shifts between E-flat major and minor.  The minor third in this case is enharmonically spelled as F-sharp rather than G-flat.

Why do I focus on the first eight measures of the piece?  This piece starts at a slow tempo of a quarter note equals forty-four.  Therefore these measures constitute almost forty-five seconds.  Which in a ten minute piece is substantial.  Also in looking at the rest of the piece it becomes apparent that these eight measures are indicative of the sound world Saariaho intends to create.

Another identifier of Cendres is the use of timbre and effects to color the piece.  Most of the uncommon effects I have described in part two of this series.  The way in which she combines these effects really adds a different sense of motion to the piece.  In the first eight measures Saariaho combines pizzicato inside the piano with the harmonic trill in the cello.  Both of these techniques produce a thin sound and yet the base of each sound is identifiable to its respective instrument.

In measure sixty-three Saariaho provides another example of using color as forward motion.  In this measure both the alto flute and the cello play a rhythm on a single repeated note.  In this case the alto flute plays C and the cello E-flat.  While the notes are stagnant the rhythm and motion is not.  Both instruments play a similar rhythm, but a sixteenth note apart.  The interesting part is the way in which each instrument produces the tone.  The alto flute gradually changes from a normal tone to a breath tone. The cello changes from a normal tone to a harmonic.  Saariaho thins out the sound creating a shift in tone color.

Quarter-tone and half-tone glissandi are utilized for two reasons.  This first is to slightly modify the character of the piece.  Much of the playing is straightforward and either highly rhythmic or static.  The glissandi add a slippery, almost bouncy feel to the sections in which they appear.  The second reason is that they also further illustrate the gentle unfolding that I described at the onset of this part.  Rather than just mechanically changing the fingering to create the new tone, the instruments slide into the new pitches.

Happy New Year

This is a day late, but...

I want to wish everyone a safe, happy and prosperous new year!  I look forward to all that is ahead of me this year.  Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to writing about my compositional journey and hearing from you this year.

Musically yours,

Brian