My colleagues and I taught a seminar on writing for piano last Friday. Referencing a wide range of thinking going all the way back to Cristofori, we focused mainly on innovations of High Modernism to the present. High Modernism came in the form of Webern, Copland, Sessions and Boulez, which established our baseline. From there we looked at Crumb, Ligeti and beyond. Over the course of this … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2015
American Festival of Microtonal Music
We have a very busy week here, with the American Festival of Microtonal Music coming to town. Curated by two of our alumni, the festival has three concerts in three different venues on consecutive nights. My interest in microtonality has been that of one surveying a lovely, distant vista, as opposed to someone tilling the ground in hopes of a harvest. But I love giving my students an opportunity … [Read more...]
a-musing
I’m off to Ann Arbor this weekend to work with violinist Danielle Belén for a recording session. Danielle is one of the newest faculty members in the School of Music at the University of Michigan. We have been collaborating since 2008, when she first contacted me about recording a disk of my music for Naxos. The experience of working with Danielle on that disk gave me tremendous respect for her … [Read more...]
Master Teacher
I’ve long been accustomed to using the word “master” in relation to music. I’ve driven myself to master certain aspects of my craft, I’ve recognized the hours required to attain mastery, I’ve encouraged my students to do the same. And, of course, I’ve ushered many a student toward a Master’s degree in the 30+ years since I received my own. Living in North Carolina, though, brought to my … [Read more...]
Politics and music
Some art engages the politics of its day. This happens when artists have both strong reactions to political environments and the freedom to express those reactions. It can also happen when artists feel discouraged by the limitations of art, the sense that art is inessential, a feeling they compensate for by tying their art to a larger political fabric. Both of these engagements between art … [Read more...]