Musical Readings

For the past month and a half I have been reading Richard Steinitz's biography of György Ligeti.  This book was published in 2003, a few years before the composer's death.  Ligeti, a Hungarian-Jew was born in 1923 and it is fascinating to read how his life was affected by the rise of Hitler and the Russian invasion of Romania.  It is important to note that Ligeti did not develop into the composer he was until he was in his thirties.  It was during this time when his life became more stable.

From what I have read so far, Steinitz's text is well written.  He shows, albeit indirectly, how Ligeti's early-life experiences helped to shape his music.  Reading this book has been an eye-opening experience for me.  I have learned a lot of interesting and valuable information about Ligeti and his music.

After I have finished reading this book, I will post a full review.  Right now I will say that this book is worth reading.

First draft of sketch completed

Last Sunday, March 8th, I finished the first sketch of Shadows of Dreams for flute quartet.  This is only a sketch of the piece.  There are many sections that need to be filled in.  Some harmonies and counterpoint need to be added or expanded.  Articulations and dynamics need to be finished.  This sketch is however a huge step towards finishing the piece.

My hope is that over he next 2 weeks I can complete the sketch and begin notating the score in Finale.  I would like to get the score to Greer Ellison, director of the UC Santa Cruz Flute Ensemble for whom this piece was composed, by the end of March.

Right now Shadows of Dreams is just over 10 minutes in duration (approximately).  This could change as I complete the score.  There are one or two sections that I may wish to expand as I continue to work on this quartet.

Listening Journal: March 2-8, 2009

Pierre Boulez - Dérive 1 (1984) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone and piano

Pierre Boulez - Dérive 2 (1988/2002) for english horn, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, vibraphone, marimba, harp and piano

Witold Lutoslawski - Paroles Tissées (1965) for tenor and orchestra

J.S. Bach - Three-Part Inventions (1720) played by violin, viola and cello

Listening Journal: February 23-March 1, 2009

This week my listening journal is virtually non-existent.  This is because I have focused the majority of my studio time to composing and reading.  The reading will be the focus of a future post.  While there are only 2 pieces listed, they are both important and massive works, especially the Lutoslawski.  His Symphony No. 2 holds a great influence on my music.  I first heard this piece in 2001 while I was a student at Bowling Green State University.  This was the first piece I listened to and studied that employs aleatoric counterpoint, a technique I utilize from time to time in my own music.

Pierre Boulez - Livre pour cordes (1968) for orchestral strings

Witold Lutoslawski - Symphony No. 2 (1967) for orchestra