As I’ve recently been enamored with dubstep, I’ve set out to create a few tracks of my own and leave a small stamp on the genre. Here is the first of many to come. (Thanks to Jennifer Kim for creating the CD cover art.)
During the first few seconds of my initial encounter with Al, I thought he might give me a ‘nice to meet you’ smirk with veiled annoyance and maybe a sentence or two about the rainy/snowy weather currently plaguing mid-Michigan. My experiences in travel have taught me that people are either genuinely interested in striking up a conversation or very uncomfortable about the thought of talking to a stranger for an extended period of time. To my surprise, there wasn’t even so much as a glance in my direction after I plopped myself down in the window seat. I soon realized that it was going to be up to me to make things interesting for this nearly five-hour train ride from East Lansing to Chicago. read more »
All of us music lovers have at one point imagined the perfect concert; a performance comprising the greatest works and heralded as the ultimate musical experience. In their recent Fantasy Program Contest, Spring for Music has come as close as you can get to making this come true – for one lucky submitter. There are a number of suggested programs (a journey of depression, a Williams-Strauss mashup, and a blitzkrieg of concerti just to name a few). Many of the pieces on these programs are extraordinary mammoths of the repertoire and it’s not everyday we can seriously consider putting them on the same piece of paper. For all their gumption, there is, however, a phantom hovering above many of these submitters, bringing their proposals into close proximity of rolling eyes.
The curse of a Top 40 program is not that it makes all other programs seem bad, it’s that its impracticality breeds intolerance for lesser-known works. There is no room for the great “underground” compositions that people don’t know about or have forgotten. This is seen today in the audience feedback from most professional orchestra performances. “Why play [insert “bad” piece here] when you could play [insert “good” piece here]?” is a mentality all too familiar with anyone frequenting the concert circuit. The question seems trivial if you regard the betterment of the experience relying solely on taste. However, I’d argue, for the flourishing of society and the ever-changing culture of art, the idea of %100 satisfaction shouldn’t dictate the course of performances. Don’t get me wrong, concerts should be enjoyable. A concertgoer should leave feeling good about his/her decision to attend a performance. But hearing the popular tunes over and over again doesn’t facilitate the need for composition today. Furthermore, a new piece of music (perhaps one that is quite inaccessible) gives food for thought. It inspires new ways of thinking and opens up discussion. It may even drive a specific audience in the direction of new works that are more appealing.
This is a game; one artistic directors must play very carefully. At the time of this writing, a program consisting of Also sprach Zarathustra and music to the Superman score (by John Williams) leads the herd. For however beautiful one may find this music, no effort is made to promote new or rarely-heard works. The best fantasy program is one of practicality. It contains a recognizable piece (the hook) placed immediately after intermission. This way, a concertgoer who is only interested in that piece will come to the concert and stay for its entirety because, “Hey, there’s only one piece left and I’m here anyway…” Also, the piece they came for is probably too good to pass up. I should mention the winner’s program will be played on Performance Today, not performed live. Considering this, I think it’s still best to think of this contest in practical terms (even with a name like Fantasy Program Contest). It’s not just a fantasy; it’s an exercise in promoting the future of art.
Oh, and vote for my program.
Alright, folks. My friends (Dave MacDonald, Sam Merciers, and Nate Bliton) and I have started a humble project with great aspirations. Last year, we floated around the idea of creating a podcast so that there would be a voice out there to talk about the current trends in new art music. I’m happy to say that this initiative has been realized and is going forward and onward and every other -ward (except back-).
As we like to put it, “SoundNotion is the weekly podcast for new music and music news.” (See that little play on words, there? Hell yeah.) We cover a range of topics currently at the forefront of the music world. News concerning recent compositions and commissions, the influence of the web and tech on music, and shakeups in the professional orchestra world are the kinds of things we like to address. So, if you’re interested in new music and don’t feel like you get your appropriate fill of news and discussion, head on over to soundnotion.tv and watch or listen! You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or through your favorite podcast catcher.
Many thanks to the island nation of Tuvalu.
Good news, Everyone! The poll that will determine the title of my master’s thesis is up. There were some great suggestions posted to my blog and Facebook page. In my attempt to make the voting process easier, I’ve taken seven of the proposed titles and enabled an option for the voters to select their favorite two. The poll will expire on November 18, 2010 at 4:00 am EST. So, make your choices and we’ll see what happens. Thanks for your participation!
Update: “An Approximate Measure of Two Years” is the winner!
Writing an academic document is, by no means, a task for the slacker side of us. The very thought of it keeps you awake at night, drives your attention elsewhere, and makes you whine about things you shouldn’t really whine about. Nevertheless, it’s a force to be reckoned with and takes up a lot of your time. You have to consider your professor’s stance on the construction of the piece – Is it worthy of defense? Is he/she as excited about it as you are? Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to try to incite the fire you feel about your own work in someone else’s emotions. When it is finished and has been successfully defended you can pretty much guarantee a night of ruckus will ensue.
Since early September, I’ve been doing work on my master’s thesis at Michigan State University. It’s had its share of ups and downs, but it’s starting to come together as a legitimate work for chamber symphony. The instrumentation is as follows: flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, 2 horns, trombone, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, and bass (a total of 14 players). For a while, I debated breaking the piece into separate movements to complement a rounded architecture, however, I’ve come to settle on creating one longer movement somewhere in the vicinity of 10 or 11 minutes in duration. A sizable portion of the work has already been composed and I’ve made decisions about every aspect…except the title. This is where you come in. read more »
After seeing “The Social Network” this weekend, I’ve solidified the long-developing conclusion that determining music’s effectiveness is much different than determining its sophistication. Throughout my compositional training (and perhaps everyone’s), the idea of development has rung with me as most crucial. A student in composition must learn to mold a line, motive, or harmonic texture into more than it is when first stated. These are good skills to have in your bag and are effective in many contexts. Beethoven was the ultimate craftsman; he could take a 5-note motive and create a substantial work from the scraps of a line (this technique resonates in nearly all of his works). Since Beethoven, the composition world has seen a bell curve of harmonic and rhythmic sophistication, however, the acceptance of different styles today is varied.
Depending on where you are or what school you come from, the perception of a composer’s music might range from simple and unworthy to glorious and meditative. It should be noted that the most popular and successful composers today come from the minimalist and fusion camps. John Adams, Steve Reich, and David Lang are still the talk of the composition world and one can frequently find their works being performed all over the world. These are composers who did not follow the extreme chromaticism of early Cold War writing and, yet, have found a great many admirers despite many academic institutions holding on to a sense of that past. Without diminishing the worth of highly chromatic and complex rhythmic music, we all could gain from minimalist influence. read more »
I often find myself trying to legitimize music composition as a worthy profession among the sea of others gracing our tax forms and other official documents we’re required to turn in to the Powers That Be every now and then. You might see ‘SELF-EMPLOYED’ from the drop-down menu (or ‘ARTIST’ if the people asking are really liberal). ‘MUSICIAN’ hits the spot, but how many avenues branch out from there? Quite a few.
I was having a discussion with a few colleagues a couple of weeks ago about living and working as a composer. It turns out that not one of us could count and surpass a dozen names of composers living today who write music for a classical concert setting, that being their only job. Most noteworthy composers today hold positions as professors at colleges and conservatories around the world. A lot of times, commissions for new works supplement the salary that a music school provides (“Oh, you’d like me to write a piece for you? Hmm… it would be nice to make a couple extra bucks – ya know, being a composer and all.”). Of course, the world needs teachers; and composers should be teaching composition. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t be seeing a host of talented young composers having their pieces played by our very fine orchestras (ZING!). read more »
Once in a while (what may seem like a great while), we get an opportunity to bask in the glow of a great song. The story usually starts off, “This song was written in the heat of an inspired moment…” but I like to think that incredible lyrics and musicality don’t come about by a random thought… or a producer’s formulaic hand, for that matter; someone took the time to sit down and commit to a truly musical idea (though, there are some extremely talented producers out there that have a knack for the “right sound” and should be commended). The songs I speak of usually have some interesting meter (anything other than simple duple gives me pause), dissonance (zomg did you hear that added ninth?), or lyrics that entice a listener through the whole track. These “pieces of music” show themselves in groups like the Dave Matthews Band, Radiohead, Muse, and whatever Bela Fleck is playing in at the time.
An artist to be added to this list of heroes is Vienna Teng. First of all, she’s a trained pianist. Knowing your way around an instrument (most practically, a piano) opens up so many musical options that you are already immediately in the top 10%. I’d like to think Vienna Teng has more input as to the final product than the average bear. Second, she’s got a voice to match. Singing out of tune can be easily remedied these days, however, losing respect (especially at a live show) cannot. read more »
Welcome! At the behest of my friends and colleagues, I’m finally putting a website up on the net. For a long time, it seemed like such a daunting task. “Ugh, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know anything about website design. What am I going to do? What is the first step? Where are my pants?” These questions plague most of us. Fortunately, I know a couple of extraordinary people who know what they’re doing.
Have a look around!
