Christmas Contrast

On Sunday, we sang "What Child is This" at church. As I considered how best to play the hymn, I noticed the constant contrast between the verses and the chorus. Each verse focuses on the humanity and lowliness of the Baby Jesus: "What child is this who laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping?" The verse emphasizes the glory of Christ's divinity: "This, this is Christ the King whom shepherds guard and angels sing."

As I thought on the contrast and paradox of God becoming human, I realized that this concept might be the most profound and poignant archetype with which many other contrasts resonate.

As a musician, I see this as a possible insight into the interpretation of sonata forms. Sonata forms are structured around the contrast of two themes. Traditionally, one theme is of an assertive quality while the other is more passive and lyrical. Perhaps these qualities suggest to us the majesty of God and the tenderness of the incarnation. And maybe the tumult of the development sections of sonata forms sound out the mysteries of God becoming human.

Juries

"Jury" is the ominous sounding name music schools have given to the end-of-semester exam for students studying to play an instrument or to sing.

I enjoy listening to juries, but they can be very stressful for the students playing them. Last Saturday, we held juries at the University of Richmond. This time around, most of the students seemed pretty relaxed, and most also did a very good job.

Part of the fun of listening to juries is to see what music teachers are assigning. Sometimes you learn of good material to use with students through this process.

This time, I heard several piano preludes by the composer Mompou. The first of these was for left hand alone, and sounded a little like Scriabin. Another had a very interesting shape, beginning in the upper to middle registers of the piano and descending ratther rapidly and unexpectedly to the lower registers towards the end.

I was also introduced to two pieces for saxophone and piano by Hartley. These pieces use what sounds like a twelve-tone vocabulary, and are constructed in such a way as to keep the listener closely engaged throughout. I was also struck during one of these pieces at how loud and beautiful sounding an instrument the baritone saxophone can be given the right acoustic.

Holiday Performances

I will be involved in several Christmas-related musical events this Decemeber that may be of interest.


12-4
11:00 AM
Woodland Heights Baptist Church - Richmond, VA

During the worship service a cantata I have been composing this fall will be presented. It is entitled "The Promise of a Child" and is based on passages in Genesis, Matthew, Luke, and Revelation. In addition to the choir and instrumentalists of the church, soprano Susan Meador and bass-baritone James Lynn will be singing.


12-15
7:30 PM
Woodland Heights Baptist Church

During this Christmas concert, I will perform arrangements of music from Handel's Messiah and will accompany hornist Kathy Hulin (my wife) and tenor and soprano Jeff and Tracee Prillaman in a varity of Christmas carols.


12-18
7:00 PM
Lasker Baptist Church - Lasker, NC

In this solo concert I will play a set of Christmas pieces by Mendelssohn, the Messiah arrangements, and arrangements of favorite carols.

Faure Songs

Last week we attended Richmond Ballet performances that incorporated songs by Gabriel Faure. Since then, I have been struck afresh by how haunting and exquisite the melodies of these songs are.

When we got home from the Ballet, we took out a volume of Faure songs and sang and played a few because we were both still thinking about them.

In the middle of that night, I woke from a dream to find myself singing Faure's "Apres un Reve" in my mind!

And in the days following, I have enjoyed strolling the leaf-scattered streets of my neighborhood in the autumn moonlight and humming more Faure songs to myself.

Third Practice

A major musical event that happens in Richmond each year is the Third Practice Electro-Acoustic Music Festival that takes place at the University of Richmond. This Friday and Saturday, there will be five free concerts of music by innovative composers who are visiting from around the country and beyond. There works incorporate aspects of performance using traditional acoustic instruments mediated in some way by electricity. This could mean anything from a piece of music that exists entirely on tape, to a duet between a violinist and a computer, to a work for a traditional instrument that the composer used a computer to compose. Eight Blackbird, the University's ensemble-in-residence will be performing five new commissions on these concerts. You can see a complete schedule and other information by clicking here.

Hulin Gallery

I have recently started a second blog. It is devoted to exhibiting my mother's art work. Some of you might enjoy taking a look. I'll be adding other works periodically.

Click here for Hulin Gallery.

Here's a photo I took in an ice cream shop in Sharpsburg, MD this weekend. Those who enjoy saxophone jokes should appreciate it. 

Student Canons

In response to remarks on my last post, I am posting the canons my three classes constructed. The process by which the canons were constructed was as follows:

1. Each student compiled a list of 20 works from any style, genre, artist, etc. I encouraged students to be very reflective in this process. For each work, they needed to articulate what made it canon-worthy in their mind. Also, they had to hypothesize about why that quality is important to them personally.

2. In groups of 5, students combined their individual lists and whittled the combined list down to 20.

3. In the final stage, we posted all of the lists that the groups generated in the classroom. This was followed by periods of questioning, debate, and advocacy regarding works on those lists. Finally, we voted for a new list of 20 extracted from the posted lists. Each student was allowed 20 votes. What follows is three lists of the top 20 from my three classes with the numbers of votes works received.

In discussion following this exercise, students noticed that most of the music in their canons is new in the whole history of music, but relatively old in the context of pop culture. This relative oldness suggests that a cultural filtering process has gone on with pop music from the 60's-90's and that certain works have achieved a sort of classical status, which is of course a typical phenomena in the building of canons.

Class 1

16 votes
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

14
Thriller - Michael Jackson

12
Mo Money, Mo Problems - Notorious Big

11
Stairway to Heaven
We Didn't Start the Fire
Changes - Tupac
New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

9
Hotel California - Eagles
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
Juicy - Notorious Big

8
Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Crash into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Born in the USA - Bruce Springstein

7
Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley
More Than a Feeling - Boston
What I Got - Sublime
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles
Respect - Aretha Franklin


Class 2

15
A Whole New World
Eye of the Tiger

14
Since You've Been Gone

13
Don't Stop Believin'
Carol of the Bells - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

12
Thriller
Free Bird

11
Brown Eyed Girl
American Pie
Summer of '69
Margaritaville

10
Proud to be an American

9
Hotel California
Stairway to Heaven
Changes - Tupac
Pachelbel Canon
Tears in Heaven
Baby Got Back
In the Air T'night

8
My Girl


Class 3

20
Thriller

15
Piano Man

14
Mrs. Robinson

13
Changes - Tupac
Georgia on My Mind
Tiny Dancer
Stairway to Heaven
American Pie

12
The Star Spangled Banner
Heard It Through the Grapevine

11
Buffalo Dancer
Let It Be

10
Don't Stop Believing
Juicy

9
Sweet Home Alabama
Margaritaville

8
New York, New York
White Christmas - Frank Sinatra

7
Black Magic Woman
Bohemian Rhapsody

Late September

I notice that my blog-writing friends are not writing much these days. Some are busy with work, some have crisis situations to deal with, and I imagine that some are not motivated. I haven't had any blog-inspiring musical experiences lately.

This might be a little interesting:

I have 84 Music Appreciation students divided into three sections. We have been studying the concept of canon as it relates to classical music. As part of this study, each of the three groups constructed its own canon of 20 works. They were free to choose from any style, era, genre, artist, etc.

The only classical work to even be considered was Pachelbel's Canon. It made it onto one of the group's canons with 9 votes.

The only other works that belonged to any sort of remotely classical genre were Carol of the Bells as performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the Star-Spangled Banner.

I wonder if the classical repertoire will consist primarily of Pachelbel's Canon and a few other favorites in a few hundred years.

Penderecki Viola Concerto

Last night, I heard Roberto Diaz and the Richmond Symphony perform Penderecki's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra. Also on the program was Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture and Tchaikowsky's 5th Symphony. Eighty of my students also attended this weekend's Richmond Symphony Concerts.

After class today, one student asked me about what he perceived as a lack of emotion in Diaz's playing. I responded with the following points:

1. A performer's emotional response to a piece they are playing is not the same every time. For various reasons, sometimes you might not feel much of anything that's relevant to the music at hand. The place of emotion in performance is an issue that many performers grapple with.

2. It may be possible for a performer to focus entirely on the musical details of a score, and thus to bring it to life for the listeners. Such a performer might be trusting the music to evoke the appropriate emotions in the listeners, not his or her own expression or charisma.

3. Maybe the meaning or application of a particular work is so universal that the injection of a performer's personal emotional emphasis might interfere with the work's true scale and power. I wonder if the overly emotional presentation of a large symphonic work might paradoxically weaken its impact.

4. Finally, a performer's appearance is not a trustworthy measure of his or her emotional engagement. Not everyone looks the same way when they are angry or sad or enjoying themselves. Also, a performer's emotional experience in performance may involve emotions we have never felt.

Looking towards the "Golden Plain of Sinai" - The Golden Plain was a secret worship site until the Shakers built their meeting house. 

The Meeting House - with separate entrances for men and women. 

Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill

On the way home from Missouri, Kathy and I spent the night at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Pleasant Hill is a half hour south of Lexington, and the village consists of thirty-three buildings that are operated as a living museum in the daytime and as hotels at night. The surroundings were charming, peaceful and inspiring, and the meal we ate there was tremendous. (To spend the night there only costs ten dollars more than the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed on the way out there.)

The Shakers were a Christian sect known for their commitment to living the way Christ did. They were celibate and pacifists. They were known for their great hospitality, their simplicity, and their hard work.

In the realm of music, they composed thousands of hymns. As far as I can tell, very few of these works were adopted by other Protestant groups. Some of their hymns were written as though they were dictated by spirits or angels who speak in unfamiliar languages.

There is a great CD of Shaker Music available on the Erato label. It is entitled "Simple Gifts" and features The Boston Camerata with the Shakers of Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Sabbathday Lake is the one remaining group of Shakers, or at least they were according to the CD liner notes in 1995.

Below I am going to quote the text from a Shaker spiritual written by Sister Polly M. Rupe at Pleasant Hill back in the 1860's.

What the dew is to the flower,
Gentle words are to the soul.
And a blessing to the giver,
And so dear to the reciever,
We should never withhold.

Gentle words,
kindly spoken,
often soothe the troubled mind,
While links of love are broken
by words that are unkind.

Then O, thou gentle spirit,
my constant guardian be,
"Do to others," be my motto,
"as I'd have them do to me."

Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra

This week I performed Poulenc's Two Piano Concerto with my friend Randy Schilb and the Columbia Civic Orchestra in Columbia, Missouri.

Lloyd Arriola had recommended the piece to us, and it was a very good recommendation. One reason for this is that Poulenc's style requires very little fluctuation of tempo, so it presents very few ensemble problems. This is important when there may not be a lot of rehearsal time available. Another reason that this was a good choice for this situation is that there's something interesting for everyone in the orchestra to play, and as Randy pointed out, in a volunteer orchestra, people want to play! The other piece that we seriously considered was by Mozart and wouldn't have provided the winds and percussion with so much to do.

The Concerto is packed with neat details regarding instrumentation such as a duet between the first piano and the principal cellist at the end of the first movement. The orchestral parts often seem to grow right out of the piano parts. This is a pleasure for the musicians. What's more, the two audiences for which we've played this piece really seemed to enjoy it.

Rhapsody

At Lloyd Arriola's concert, which I mentioned two entries back, an audience member asked me a very good question. She was wondering about the exact meanings of some of the titles on the program, "Rhapsody" and "Prelude" in particular.

These titles for short piano pieces came into frequent usage during the Romantic period. My first response was that these were short free forms, but that doesn't explain how to differentiate the two. I've done a bit of research, and here's what I came up with.

"Rhapsody" often connotes one of the following:
1. having the character of an epic tale - this idea has its roots in the Greek origins of the word "rhapsody"
2. having a national or regional character, as in the Hungarian Rhapsodies of Brahms
3. being episodic in structure

Preludes
In earlier periods, preludes were exactly what the term sounds like - pieces to preceed other pieces. These pieces were for the purpose of establishing the key of the piece that would follow, and they were often improvised.

In Romantic era preludes, the improvisatory mood is maintained. Also, it seems that an individual prelude usually presents a small number of ideas and has very little time for development. Thus, preludes still serve an introductory function. That is, they introduce a musical idea as opposed to developing it over an extended period of time.

Brother Roger

On August 16th, Brother Roger of the Taize Community in France was murdered during a prayer service. I'm sure this terrible event is saddening and sickening to anyone who knows about Brother Roger and Taize.

Brother Roger did the danergous work of helping Jewish refugees during the Second World War. After the war, he focused on working for unity among Christians and on helping the poor around the world. He has been joined by many devoted brothers and sisters who choose to live in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Thousands of people, particularly young people, make pilgrimages to Taize every year. Because of the diverse nationalities represented, the brothers at Taize found it necessary to compose a type of music that would make reverent corporate worship possible. Many Taize songs consist of a simple phrase that anyone can learn, repeated numerous times. Added to this phrase are other texts sung by soloists in many languages, as well as instrumental lines.

I have added two links to this blog regarding Taize. One is to the Taize site and deals with music, prayer, and meditation. The other ("Sabbatical Journeys") is the blog of a friend who has recently visited Taize.

Lloyd Arriola in Richmond

If you're in Richmond this weekend, I highly recommend going to a free concert by a good friend of mine, Dr. Lloyd Arriola. Lloyd is a graduate of Peabody and Juilliard, and was also the best man at my wedding. He currently lives in New York where he does all sorts of musical work from solo performances to coaching opera singers to directing musicals.

Lloyd's musical reach is very broad. He has had an interest in obscure Romantic repertoire of the years. He also performs Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata, which is the largest of Beethoven's Sonatas. In addition, he is an advocate for new music.

He has performed internationally in Greece, Austria and the Phillipines, and has pursued studies with great pianists such as Alexis Weisenberg, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Leslie Howard.

His program this Sunday will consist of many familiar favorites, including Gershwin's Three Preludes and Rhapsody in Blue.

The concert will be at 7:00 PM at Woodland Heights Baptist Church which is in the 600 block of West 31st St.

I hope to see you there!

Romantic Bach

On Wednesday, I played my recital at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church here in Richmond. Afterwards, a pianist friend mentioned that my Bach was a little bit on the romantic side. (I played the C Major Prelude from WTC I, the C Minor Two-part Invention, and the Minuet in G which is actually by Petzold.)

As my friend clarified what she meant by Romantic, she mentioned my use of rubato and the fact that my hands were not always together. The ironic thing
is that my use of rubato was a result of me trying to play this music in a more idiomatic fashion. I was trying to articulate the flow of the music through rhythmic fluctuations, just like harpsichordists do.

Yesterday, I listened to Gustav Leonhardt playing Goldberg Variations to refresh my concept of how harpsichordists play. The rubato was there, but probably more subtle than mine. What's more, his hands weren't always together. Perhaps that's a natural outcome of dealing with the harpsichord action, but it certainly helps differentiate melodic lines and accompanimental parts when playing multiple dynamics simultaneously is not an option.

Maybe the problem arises when a performer uses dynamic changes along with rubato to highlight phrasing in Bach on the piano.

A fascinating take on Bach playing can be heard on Vladimir Feltsman's recording of Goldberg Variations which is a Musical Heritage Society recording. In addition to varying dynamics and articulation, Feltsman achieves variety through changing ornamentation, registration and "inter-switching voices." This inter-switching of voices involves crossing the hands so that the soprano and alto parts are heard below the tenor and bass parts. It's a real sonic spectacular, and very different from what is frequently expected in a Bach performance.

What are you thinking?

Recently, Jeff Prillaman and I were talking about what we think about when performing. I thought it might interesting to explore that a little bit here.

There are at least two main streams of thought that go into my preparation for a performance.

First there is performance practice. By this I mean I make some effort to dialog with the composer's ideas, the score, history, and performance traditions for the music at hand.

The second stream involves attempts to bring my faith to bear on the performance of the music. I look for ways that eternal truths might be played out in the music I'm playing.

This morning I rehearsed at Grace Covenant Presbyterian here in Richmond where I am scheduled to play a concert Wednesday night. As I was trying out the piano, I was reminded that another important part of the thinking that goes into my playing is adapting to the specific instrument and the acoustics of the room where I am to play. Many times, my conception of how a piece should sound changes drastically when I search for what will work in the actual setting of a given performance.

Picture This

I recently attended the final performances of the Virgina State Baptist Youth Music Camp which was taking place at Eagle Eyrie in Lynchburg. I was impressed by the variety of disciplines the participants were exposed to during their week there: choral singing of course, but also orchestral playing, expressive movement, African Drumming, and my favorite - "Picture This."

The "Picture This" students had put together an inspiring powerpoint presentation including text, images, and movement that unfolded in sync with a choral performance of a song entitled "Above All." Reading the text on the screen and seeing the various images they had selected greatly enhanced my experience of the message of the song. These things seem to help the message reach more deeply inside of me.

I think this is a superb way to use technology to add another layer of meaning to worship. It would also provide a way for deaf or illiterate congregation members to particilate more fully in corporate acts of worship.

An Important Step

This week, Marin Alsop was appointed musical director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. This makes her the first woman to be appointed musical director of a major orchestra in the United States. ("Major" refers to orchestras in the top thirty U.S. orchestras in terms of annual budget.)

My alma mater, Peabody, is in Baltimore, and many Peabody faculty members play in the orchestra; so I'm proud that it was the Baltimore Symphony that took this historic step. I'm also glad to know that Marin Alsop believes in investing more time in her orchestra and its city than the average jet-setting conductor does.

For more on Marin Alsop see www.marinalsop.com.

Ruth Laredo

This week, I was very sad to learn that pianist Ruth Laredo had passed away on May 25 of this year.

I met Ruth Laredo twice. The first time she was judging a competition in which I played. She was warm and encouraging. Six or seven years later, I saw her give a masterclass here in Richmond. I never saw her perform.

Ruth Laredo was the first pianist to record the complete works of Rachmaninoff. That achievement will probably secure her memory for generations to come. She also recorded the complete Sonatas of Scriabin.

For more on Ruth Laredo's legacy, see my links.

David Esleck Trio

I enjoyed an authentic Richmond weekend. Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer's Market and strolled by some historic sites in Shokoe Bottom. That evening we played miniature golf out in Midlothian.

Sunday night, we went to Dogwood Dell to hear the David Esleck Trio. Dogwood Dell is a lovely venue for concerts on a breezy summer evening. Just outside the theater stands the memorial carillon, built in memory of soldiers who died in the First World War. Clouds float by above the stage, lit by the setting sun in pastel colors.

It was in this calm and casual setting that the jazz trio and their guest, saxophonist Don Faye, gave a gift of joy to the audience. 40 minutes into the concert, I glanced at my watch, and was shocked that more than 15 minutes had elapsed.

In addition to jazz standards, they treated us to jazzy versions of songs by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. David Esleck also played two solo numbers. First was a rendition of "Piano Man" that metamorphosed into a piano improvisation reminiscent of Berg and Stravinsky, then back to Billy Joel. I wondered if that might be too huge of an experimental curve to round with a relaxed Sunday night audience in the park. But it seemed that everyone stayed with him until he made it back to familiar territory. The other solo was the gospel song "He Touched Me" which he dedicated to a pastor from his church whose funeral had taken place earlier that day.

At the end of the two hours, I was refreshed and enlightened by the overriding sense that this performance had consisted not so much of asking the audience to invest of its focus and its self, but of transferring the energy and delight of the performers to the audience. What a great service to the public!

Dock Street Theater 

Spoleto

While in Charleston, we enjoyed seeing firsthand what the Spoleto Festival is like. I was amazed at the number and variety of performances from chamber music to dance to jazz to opera. In addition to the performances of people and groups Spoleto brings to town, numerous local organizations put on performances during the season as part of Piccolo Spoleto. It would probably not be exaggerating to say that there are hundreds of cultural events to explore in Charleston in the summer.

We saw an Italian marionette troupe called the Colla Marionettes perform Scheherazade and Petruschka. The marionettes were incredibly life-like, and the performance ranged from poignant to humorous. The music was performed by two pianists, one of which tended to conduct the other. This is usually irritating to the pianist on the receiving end!

The next night, we saw two local theater groups join together to perform Sondheim's Into the Woods at The Village Playhouse in Mount Pleasant. In this musical, Sondheim follows up on the problems that may have arisen after the "happy ever after" endings of stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk. This also ranged from poignant to humorous.

Some of the performances during Spoleto happen in Dock Street Theater, which is one of the nation's oldest performance spaces.

Bloch: Schelomo

This morning we listened to Bloch's Schelomo at breakfast. This is a work for orchestra and solo cello that conveys the tone of the book of Ecclesiastes. The cello plays the role of the preacher whose words we find in the book.

The most prominent structural features of this sweeping work are its three huge climaxes, each of which differs in character from the others. I was struck by the extended periods of time Bloch is able to sustain the intensity of these musical peaks.

I've always been stunned by the dissipation of the first climax which is about 8 minutes into the work. The frenzy of flutes and clarinets immediately following that climax suggest to me the flash of a flock of birds startled by a crash of thunder.

The first time I heard this piece was during Christmas break of my second year at Juilliard. A friend had given me the recording, and I listened to it at home in North Carolina. Around the same time, a family friend who was believed to be suffering from Parkinson's disease got confused driving home and became lost. After several days of searching, he was found on a dirt road in the woods, peaceful, but expired. Needless to say, that sad happening and those bleak winter days always come to my mind when I listen to Schelomo.

Musical Diet

Most conservatory students listen to a huge amount of music during their undergraduate years. It is a rich time of becoming aware of the vast feast of repertoire that exists.

I am more than ten years away from that rich time now, and occasionally I hear things on the radio that I recognize, maybe that I've even played (!), but can't quite place. Several of my friends have had the same experience.

Another idea I had while driving to Florida: As I thought of how slippery my musical memories have become, it occured to me that I could refresh my knowledge of repertoire by having daily meals of music. I sit down to eat three times a day. Why not add some music to the meals? If I listened to one piece per meal for 10 months out of the year that would be 900 pieces of music reviewed or heard for the first time!

So we started this new diet when we got home. We're working our way through our CD shelves. Whatever CD is next on the shelf, that's what we listen to. After the CDs, we'll move on to tapes, then records.

In a week of doing this we've already heard music by Poulenc, Satie, Tallefiere, Brahms, Sarasate, Mozkowski, Ben-Haim, Weinberg, Shostakovich, Liszt, Berg, Webern, Tailleferre, Honegger, and Paganini.

I highly recommend feeding on music in this way.

Practicing Violin

Several posts back I wrote about my occasional desire to compose and of how composing lies outside of the main focus of my training and talent. A friend commented about the possibility that composing might give me additional insight into playing the piano. It's my understanding that most pianists in the 19th century composed for that very reason, if for no other.

Speaking of supplementary musical activities that might strengthen a musician in his or her major area of work, I played violin in a little ensemble at a church talent night not too long ago. I studied violin for many years growing up, but I'm much better suited to the piano. I find the violin physically uncomfortable to play, not to mention the unpleasantness of all that friction that close to my ear. So while it is an incredibly expressive instrument, it's not much of a tool for me to use to express anything pleasant!

As I prepared for the talent night performance, I thought about how hard I'd have to work to sound very good on a violin. When I thought of the amount of discipline it would require, I wondered what would happen to my piano playing if I applied myself to it with the same drive.

It's unlikely that I'll ever try to maintain that type of drive with either instrument. It isn't necessary, and I have other responsibilities in life. But, the thought of working at making my violin playing sound good did invigorate my piano practice for a few days.

Another interesting note regarding performing on an instrument on which I do not excel is that when I do it, it seems like I encounter parts of myself that I don't frequently encounter at the piano. At the piano, more music and expression are present and somehow take the focus off of me; but at the violin, who I am in a non-musical way seems to be more present in my mind.

Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra

Earlier in the spring I heard the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra during "Herbs Galore" at Maymont here in Richmond. (By the way, if you are a gardener and interested in herbs, this event is fantastic.)

The Gourd Orchestra is based in the same general area where I live. They perform on instruments made from gourds which they grew, and their music reflects trends from around the world. Lighthearted, serious, and natural, all at the same time, their performance is intriguing and comforting.

I believe there's some truth to their claim: They put the "cult" back in culture and the "culture" back in agriculture.

For more information, recordings, etc., see my links.

Savannah: Independent Presbyterian Church

This is the Independent Presbyterian Church mentioned on the sign in the photograph below. 

Lowell Mason in Savannah

Here's a bit of American music history we came across while on vacation in Savannah. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) 

Artisan Before Artist

I've just returned from vacation, and I've returned home with a brain full of ideas for musical compositions I'd like to write. This usually happens when I don't have access to a piano for a few days. The problem with it is that I am primarily a pianist, not a composer.

In grade school, I sometimes wished to be a composer. Usually, I would get very frustrated when I tried composing. This helped me to see that my gifts were better suited to performing than composing. Today, I'm quite happy as a pianist.

But I still try to compose from time to time. I write for a while, then I judge my efforts. Not surprisingly, they always fall short of the great music that I study and perform. After all, without even considering my level of talent, I have spent next to no time really studying how to compose.

This brings me to the breakthrough I had while traveling. Something that should be quite obvious dawned on me as we were driving from state to state.

One usually has to spend quite a while becoming an artisan before becoming a mature artist. Maybe some of the creative blocks of musicians who want to compose might be cleared away by focusing on learning the skills of the craft of composition before judging the aesthetic or communicative value of our output.

"Live for Today"

NBC's Today Show has recently been featuring a segment entitled "Live for Today." In each installment of "Live for Today" someone is given the opportunity to live out a dream - to pursue an important experience that should not be missed. For instance, Matt took to the road on a Harley.


This has gotten me wondering about important musical experiences that ought not be missed. Two come to mind for me.

1. I think attending a live performance of one of the Mahler Symphonies that includes a chorus (like Nos. 2 or 8) can be a life changing experience.

2. When you have to act on a really difficult decision, try listening to Beethoven Eroica Symphony for a while to gain strength.


Would anyone else like to share their ideas of important musical experiences that are not to be missed?

Phantom of the Opera

I recently saw Joel Schumacher's film version of Phantom of the Opera. As an opera lover, I particularly enjoyed how attune this production is to the world of French Grand Opera. The emphasis on the supernatural and the Gothic monster show aspects are obvious. Also, the opera scenes show the emphasis on spectacle from the elaborate costumes and complicated staging machinery to the live animals on stage. Finally, the dancers and their relationships with the patrons add yet another touch of authenticity.

Pope John Paul II and Mozart

I have been very touched to hear Mozart and beautiful Renaissance choral music on network television news shows during the many reviews and reports on the Pope's life that have been aired during the last two weeks.

It seems like American culture accepts that classical music naturally fits state funerals, the Christmas season, sometimes the Easter season, and the ceremony of most weddings.

I wonder why it is that music that lends such a sense of nobility and celebration - even sacredness - to these occasions isn't permitted to make each and every day of our lives celebratory and special.

Mozart 40 and Holberg

Last week, I heard the string orchestra at my university perform Mozart's 40th Symphony and From Holberg's Time by Grieg.

Listening as a pianist, I was moved by the sense of longing that strings portray so well. I was reminded that some of the most moving piano playing seems to come from a sense of the musical tension of one note leading to another. Because of the nature of their instruments, string players usually demonstrate that sensibility.

Listening to the students play, I once again experienced the freshness and passion that are part of the efforts of good young ensembles. I often prefer the unjaded energy of a conservatory orchestra to the work of seasoned professionals.

Finally, certain slow passages of the Mozart seem to be filled with an atmosphere of impending judgement. Perhaps I hear the music in that way because of similarities in tone with portions of the Requiem or Don Giovanni. Nonetheless, I think the idea of God's judgement on our lives loomed much larger in the consiousness of most people in Mozart's day than in the minds of most modern listeners.

Talent Surplus

I recently attended a tremendous piano recital. Dr. Paul Hanson of Richmond, VA performed Boulez Notations, Stockhausen Klavierstuck IX, three Etudes by Ligeti, and Piano Sonata No. 1 of Charles Ives. Paul's poise, stamina, and musicality were amazing.

If you don't know these works, I believe they would all reward your investigation. The Stockhausen is particularly interesting for its approximations of electronic music effects of its day. Paul's program notes refer to its "famous opening, with its multiple repetitions of a single chord" that suggests "the feedback echo effects made possible by the tape recorders of the time."

After hearing this remarkable performance, I got really sad. Paul's talent is so terrific and he must have worked so diligently to be able to present this music with such grace and focus, yet it seems that very few people will ever hear him play it.

In lots of parts of our country, there are so few venues and dates to play, but so much talent. Frequently, famous names from somewhere else dominate most of those venues and dates. Also, few people have much exposure to classical music, and there are so few inexpensive opportunities to hear it.

It would be wonderful if more private individuals would open their own little recital halls. But most of us can't afford to do that. We can seek to use our homes as venues, though.

Granados: The Maiden and the Nightingale

Bloch Blog

A student of mine is working on "The Maiden and the Nightingale" by Enrique Granados. The piece features prominent bird songs towards the end. I have been very interested to notice that each time I hear the piece, I detect more layers of bird-like sounds woven into its overall texture.

I picture the maiden in this piece standing by an open window or on a bacony. Nature is very present in the picture. Beyond the bird sounds, I have also noted little turns and patterns that are heard first in the soprano or alto and are followed shortly thereafter in a lower voice. This seems to be another nature effect. On occasion, I have stood in the middle of a park and focused on the many layers of sound I can hear. Once, I noted the trickling of a stream passing near my feet. Then I noticed a very similar sound coming from another spot in the stream a good distance from where I was standing. The simultaneous and layered perception of similar phenomena is part of what we experience when listening to nature. The staggered turns and trills in this piece suggest that natural occurence to me.

Finally, my student played this piece in studio class last week. Only a couple of students were present, so we all sat on the stage near the piano as we discussed issues with the piece. At one point, as I was trying to address a rhythmic inaccuracy, one of my students chimed in with the correct diagnosis. When that happened, it struck me that some music may be so complex that six or eight ears may be required to figure out what's going in the piece and in the performance.

Ernest Bloch: Concerto Grosso I

Bloch Blog

I am playing the 1st, 2nd, and 4th movements of Bloch's Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra and Piano obbligato with the string orchestra at the school where I teach.

It seems like it would be a really good piece to use if many of your string players were not really strong. This is because many of the string parts are doubled in the piano part throughout much of the work.

The piece begins with a bombastic, romantic prelude. There is one tricky passage in the first movement. Between rehearsal numbers 4 and 5, during the five measures of 16th notes, I have found that the shifting of the strong beats between the hands can be a little rhythmically disorienting for the pianist.

The 2nd movement is a dirge that includes nice solos for violin and viola.The 4th movement is a fugue in which a bit of the material from the 1st movement returns.

Another performance issue regarding this piece involves the placement of the piano. I don't know if the conductor's score says anything about this, but it seems to work well to have the piano behind the second violins. In that location, it supports the strings better, and it doesn't interfere with the audience seeing what's going on during the more chamber music-like moments.