The Boys

As promised, below is a picture of the two cats my wife and I adopted last Saturday.  The orange tabby is named Stewie.  The brown tabby is named Jasper.  We do not know their exact age, but the shelter says that Stewie is two years old and Jasper is about a year and a half.  Though as I have watched then and gotten to know their personalities I think Stewie and Jasper are both close to a year and a half.  Stewie may be younger because he acts like a younger sibling.

Update to listening journal

I noticed this evening in my notes that I inadvertently omitted two pieces from the listening journal dated September 6-15, 2010.  Both pieces are listed below.  I am not surprised that I left a couple of piece off this journal.  This was from the week I was on vacation and I did a lot of listening.

Kaija Saariaho - Spins and Spells (1996) for cello
Krzystof Penderecki - Violin Sonata (1953) for violin and piano

Composing Session: September 28, 2010

Yesterday I spent some time working on the fourth movement of Trackings No. 2.  The main focus of this session was to complete the first twenty-eight measures.  For this section, the ground work was set, I mostly needed finish the ostinato in the piano.  I also had to rework the first half of the piano melody in measures twenty five to twenty eight.  I still need to compose the second half of the melody which picks up at measure twenty nine.

I like what I have done in this movement.  I eliminated a second layer of the accompaniment which starts at measure five.  It seemed to me that this did not add enough for me to keep it in.  The main thing that needs to be overhauled is the transition starting at measure thirty five.  This four measure transition will bring the piece back around to a recap of the beginning.

Kitty Decision

Things are going really well in the Bice household.  Both cats are adjusting well to their new home.  My wife and I have decided that the trial with the Brown tabby was a success.  We are going to keep both cats!  Tomorrow, I plan on posting a couple of pictures of the boys and introducing them to you.  I am extremely happy that this has worked out!

Goals for Composing: September 27-October 3, 2010

In a post last week I talked about getting back to basics.  So I decided to try something.  Long term goals just do not seem to work for me.  I often lose focus or the bigger picture makes me overwhelmed.  I find that for the most part the Listening Journal helps to keep me accountable for listening.  As a matter of fact I am listening to Xenakis's Palimpsest as I write this.  With this in mind, I thought I would make and post weekly goals for composing.

My goals this week are simple.  I want to finish the fourth movement of Trackings No. 2.  I will also sketch the "interlude" between the first two sound walls at the beginning of Time in Memoriam.

With things slowing down for me outside of work I believe that these goals are easily attainable.  The fourth movement of Trackings No. 2 is about fifty percent complete.  Most of the work that needs to be don is the transition before the return of the A section.  After that the rest will just easily flow together.

We shall see if this new approach will help to keep me on track and make me more accountable for composing.

Listening Journal: September 20-26, 2010

Pascal Dusapin - Galim (1998) for flute and orchestra
Kaija Saariaho - NoaNoa (1991) for flute and electronics

György Ligeti - The Ligeti Project I - CD
   Melodien (1971) for orchestra
   Chamber Concerto (1969-70) for thirteen instrumentalists
   Piano Concerto (1985-88)
   Mysteries of the Macabre (1991) for solo trumpet and chamber orchestra

Kaija Saariaho - Asteroid 4179 - Toutalis (2006) for orchestra


Click image to purchase The Ligeti Project I on CD from Amazon.com

Expanding the Family

On Saturday, September 25, 2010 my wife and I expanded our family.  We adopted two cats from the from the Stockton Animal Friends Shelter.  We adopted an Orange Tabby, creatively named Oragne by the shelter and a Brown Tabby named Ray.  We first met the pair on the previous Wednesday when we visited the shelter.  We went back on Saturday to adopt Orange since he really called to both Melissa and me.  We decided to adopt Ray as well since they were both in the same cage and seemed to get along.  We adopted Ray as a trail.  We wanted to see if the two cats would get along and see if he would be happy in our home.

So far things are going well.  We are still in a transition time as we are getting used to both cats and they are getting used to us.  Melissa and I do plan on renaming the cats to something more appropriate.  We are going to observe them for another day or so to really get to know their personalities before naming them.

Melissa and I are excited about adopting both cats.  The house has felt empty since Fozzie died and the whole situation feels right.  I am hopeful that both cats will be happy in their new home and right now it seem as if everything will work out.