Pierre Boulez’s passing last month brought back memories of what a giant he was in his prime.  He certainly gave the generations that followed a complex heritage.  I really can’t imagine what it must have been like to be one of his contemporaries.  A bit like running for president the same year Donald Trump decided to get his name on the ballot. Boulez was a terrific composer who exerted a huge … [Read more...]

The sixth movement of Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphonie presents an interesting lesson in melody, harmony and scoring, if we can step beyond the usual comments on birdsong, modes of limited transposition and the Ondes Martenot – important topics that are easy to write about but fall short of getting at a central essence of this musical experience. Taken alone, the melody has a 1940s pop … [Read more...]

I won't find myself in Columbia SC this week, but if you do, check out the Black Mountain Trio concert there this Wednesday evening.  They will be playing my piano trio from 1998, Dirges and Dances.  Nice to see an old work getting a new hearing.  I wrote about the piece here.  Details about the concert here. Though I can't make it, I understand Beethoven and Dvorák will be … [Read more...]

Many of the most interesting developments in musical form over the last few decades have featured explorations in non-linear progression.  Influenced in part by the implications of Relativity theory, but equally by the ease with which filmed narrative can shift us back and forth in time, composers have sought ways to manipulate notions of linear time, finding lovely juxtapositions and surprising … [Read more...]

Our Composition Department spent the last few weeks immersing ourselves in music by Kati Agocs, a wonderful Hungarian-by-way-of-American-by-way-of-Canadian composer.  We focused our energies on three works, at her suggestion: St. Elizabeth Bells for cello and cimbalom The Debrecen Passion for 12 female voices and orchestra Vessel for 3 female voices and 10 musicians After digging into … [Read more...]

Our nu ensemble had a fantastic concert last Saturday night: seven pieces from the last five years, all by composers between the ages of 23 and 45.  The program: Ted Hearne: But I Voted for Shirley Chisholm Derek Arnold: Cook’s Wall Cheyne Runnells: Mistakes Were Made Donnacha Dennehy: That the Night Come Caroline Shaw: Entr’acte Dak Van Vranken: Hag Stefan Freund: The Soldier Dances With … [Read more...]

It’s a truism that great poetry doesn’t always make for great lyrics.  Most composers who have set a lot of poetry can attest to the fact that some of the things that make a poem come alive on the page or when spoken are the very things that make it DOA when set to music. I haven’t heard much discussion, though, of the ways that poorly constructed poetry can make for effective music.  I’ve been … [Read more...]

Today is the 277th birthday of William Herschel, a man who shows us just how vast the change has been in the fortunes of the arts and sciences. Herschel has often been dubbed the Father of Modern Astronomy, the first person to discover a planet unknown to the ancients, a fellow renowned for building some of the finest telescopes of his day. But his day was not an optimal time for … [Read more...]

Between performances of Lo, her new quasi-violin concerto, Caroline Shaw paid a visit to our Composition Department yesterday.   Her visit came in two chunks: first coaching a graduate string quartet in her 2011 composition Entr’acte, then speaking with the composition students about her music and theirs. If you haven’t heard any of Caroline’s music, type her name into your favorite search box … [Read more...]