Moments in a Musical Mind

Today's Tunes

2010-01-27T15:25:00.002-05:00

Well, hello again! It's been a while, eh? Sorry 'bout dat...
What's in my CD player, you might ask?
1) Bach. Yes, I cannot tear myself away from Bach, but these days I'm listening to his four short Masses (Mass in F, Mass in A, Mass in g minor, and Mass in G). Mass in F is my favorite...particularly the 2nd and 3rd movements.
2) St. John Passion (Bach)
3) St. Matthew Passion (Bach)
4) Pierce Pettis. His album State of Grace is really great! Actually, all of his albums are really great. Check him out on iTunes.

Today's Tunes

2009-07-19T16:32:00.002-04:00

This is a culmination of more than just today (as this list usually is...). Go to your local library and ask if they have any of this:

1. Stravinsky, Rite of Spring...yes. Still. It's that good.
2. Shostakovich Symphonies...start with number 9
3. Poulenc choral music...recently I have listened to several secular a capella works.
4. Jean Sibelius symphonies...I took a fancy to number 2.
5. Some of the Stefan Wolpe. Different stuff...not sure I like these compositions.
6. "Richte mich, Gott" Psalm 43 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy. Ridiculously beautiful.
7. Rossini: Petite Messe Solenelle, as performed by the Leipzig Gewandhaus musicians in 2008.
8. 8 Geistliche Gesänge, Op. 138 by Max Reger. If your local library doesn't have this...buy it from iTunes. You cannot go another day of your life without hearing these 8 pieces.
9. Beethoven's 2nd, 6th, and 7th Symphonies.
and
10. Schoenberg's Violin Concerto, Op. 36. Fantastic writing!

Obviously, a classical list for you. I haven't listened to much music you might regularly hear on the radio...maybe a little bit of Radiohead and Damien Rice but only a little bit. I'll go through another radio music phase sometime...

In retrospect...

2009-07-09T21:00:00.005-04:00

I've had a few days to think about the experiences I've had the past few weeks, and all I keep thinking about is when I might be able to return. An overseas experience that lasts longer than a tourist's usual 4 or 5 days to go 30 different places to take 1500 photos is just beyond words, really. I was able to begin to get plugged into a culture in a different country and be able to experience it in it's fullness. Well, almost...the language barrier was a bit of a setback, but what I came to know and realize firsthand is that the normal Leipziger is a lot like me. The German works hard, earns money, pays rent and other bills, eats, sleeps, bathes, and has a good time with friends. If I spoke German fluently, I would look just like any other Leipziger.
My guess is that had I visited Hong Kong I would come to a similar conclusion about Hong Kong's culture. Granted these cultures have slightly different laws than to which I am accustomed, but it really is, from a broad perspective, the same: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Germans don't walk around kicking people not expecting consequences. At one small time in their history that may have been the case, depending on which political party or political/ military power the German held. It's sad, I think, that the German culture is stereotyped as steeped in the color black surrounded by crossness and some sort of fury. As I left the states, at least two people I know mentioned something snide and sarcastic about Hitler. How sad. The only thing that some people know about Germany is Hitler's authority. 1933 - 1945. 12 years. That's all. And I dare say that most of that assumption and sarcasm is based on what they know about World War II. That brings the 12 years down to 6 years: 1939 - 1945. Don't get me wrong; I'm not excusing the Holocaust or the anti-semitism Hitler embraced. That's not the point. The point is that there is so much more to the German people than that sour time of their thousands-of-years history. The Germans, from what I can tell after three weeks, are moving on from that era. And I just think some people should follow them. They are even moving on from the age of the Berlin Wall. Free commerce appeals to the formerly-East Germans. I was able to go into any business in Leipzig and purchase what my little heart desired.

...blah, blah, blah... I could go on and on about how a formerly East German city is becoming more stable within the definition of Democracy (rather, "People's Republic"), but I will spare you my ramblings.

The bottom line is that I cannot wait to return to see again the friends that I made, taste the food, attend the St. Thomas Church Sunday Service, speak with the Germans (maybe next time I can better understand them and they me), ride the street trains, and feel it's sehr schönes Wetter. Come with me next time.

Final Days and Travels Home

2009-07-05T14:02:00.003-04:00

The final days of my Leipzig adventures were engulfed deeply in my German class. My apologies for not keeping up to date with the blog. Besides learning the grammatical ways of the German language in the morning classes, I was with a group in the afternoons to study some of Leipzig's specialties, namely Leipziger Lerche and Gose. In order to learn about these two things, we were out in the community a good bit asking Leipzigers about them. What we found was that Leipziger Lerche is a pastry that dates back to the 18th century. (I'll leave you to follow the link to read a little about it if you's like.) Gose is a beer that actualy began being brewed in Goslar in the 11th century. It is now brewed in only a few places in Germany, and Leipzig is one of those places, namely the old Bayrischer Bahnhof. On Friday afternoon, everyone had to present their projects to the entire summer course group, and my group reenacted our tours of the Gose brewery and the Bakery in the form of a small skit. I was volunteered to be the brew-master answering all the Gose questions in order to inform the audience. So...I stood on stage with my little apron (as well as the rest of my clothes) and small script-prompt and acted like a German "braumeister." That's what held my attention most of the week. I did get a chance to be with people outside of an academic setting. I can say that I have made some international friends: 2 from Sydney, Australia and 3 from Leipzig. I was able to have dinner with them a couple of times, and each time we had the best time laughing and being together.
The Thomanerchor went on their annual holidays on Saturday 27 June, so I was not privileged this final week of getting to listen to them. As a matter of fact, I wasn't able to go to any concerts this final week, sadly. Bachfest ended with the Thomanerchor's final concert Friday 26 June, and the Gewandhaus Chor's final public performance was Mendelssohn's Paulus. There was not much after that...only the Ballett of Stravinsky's music. No concert reports in this post.
Yesterday's travels home were quite glatt (smooth). It was early, but my alarm awakened me at 3:45am, I caught my tram at 4:30 to the Taxi hang-out in front of the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), got to the airport by 5:15 and caught my plane to Munich at 6:00. I didn't have much of any layovers; just enough time to get to all of my connecting flights. From Munich I went back to Heathrow, which was much more stressful this time through. I only had 2 hours to get through border control, find my luggage (as Lufthansa only checked it to London instead of USA), check my luggage/ get a boarding pass and find my gate. I did a lot of speed walking. 2 hours might sound like a nice amount of time, but it really is not. Heathrow is way too large of a place...I'm pretty sure it's as large as a small town. When I got to the Passport/ Border control line, there were about 100 Saudi Arabians waiting in front of me. I paniced a bit, as I was sure such a long line would put me too far behind schedule. I finally got to the front of the line, and the Immigration officer asked me for my "landing card." I wasn't told of any such card, nor were there any large signs saying, "Landing cards, folks. Get your landing cards! Step right up!" So...I stepped out of line to fill out my little card that added a few grey hairs to my head. When I finished, the English were nice enough to me to let me go to the front of the increased line of immigrants. Below you will find the dialogue between me and the Immigration officer at Heathrow:
"Hello, sir." (as spoken with a THICK English accent...think "My Fair Lady" Cockney-ish)
"Good day."
"You haven't told me how long you'll be staying here."
"Ah. Sorry. I only will be here as long as it takes me to get on my next flight...maybe another 45 minutes."
"Too bad. London's a great place. Terminal three, please."
"Terminal fee?"
"Yep. Terminal three."
"Can I pay that here?"
And with confused eyes accompanied by a deeply furrowed brow, he leaned his big belly back in his chair. By then I figured out what he said...
"OH! Terminal THREE! I thought you said 'Terminal FEE'."
As I laughed, "You've never been to Heathrow before, have you, sir."
As I continued to laugh, "Only once, but I was not pressed for time like I am right now. You could have told me that I in fact DID have a terminal fee and that I needed to pay you."
He nobly answered me, "Nope. Wouldn't do that, sir. Good day to you."
After thanking him for his kindness, I hurried off to pick up my bag and get a boarding pass in Terminal three. I found my gate as people were boarding the plane, so all turned out nicely. To make it even better, I ended up with a seat to myself the entire 8 hour and 45 minute flight across the Atlantic and down USA's eastern seaboard.

Here I am at home. It's good to be here, but I do miss Leipzig already. I'll take Rachel soon.

The Ballet

2009-06-30T15:03:00.002-04:00

The Ballet was a good first experience. It featured the Music of Stravinsky, in particular Agnon, Les Noces, and Petruschka. Petruschka was the biggest and most well-known of the three pieces. The work is divided into four scenes:

"Scene I is set in the Admiralty Square, as it is the carnival fair. Men, women and children are taking delight in the attractions, walking around, quarrelling and laughing. Some drunks are showing off and two dancing girls are competing for the audience's attention. In one of the show booths, an old Charlatan plating the flute presents his three puppets - Petruschka, a Ballerina, and a Moor. Scene II is set in Petruschka's cell, with the walls decorated with stars and half-moons. Petruschka is forced back into his cell by the old Charlatan; he attempts to flee but the door is locked. Petruschka bemoans his fate, and when the Ballerina calls on him, he awkwardly confesses his affection for her. The Ballerina rejects his advances, however. Scene III is set in the Moor's room, decorated with palm trees and fruits. The Moor is lying on his bed playing with a coconut, which he tries in vain to open. Finally, he bows to it instead. The Ballerina enters the room with a trumpet and begins o dance; the Moor joins her. A jealous Petruschka then rushes in, and the two men start fighting, while the Ballerina runs away. Scene IV is set the same as scene I. In the evening, everyone is enjoying themselves on the square. Soon it starts to snow and masqueraders appear. Suddenly Petruschka, the Moor and the Ballerina run out of the puppeteer's show booth: the Moor goes after Petruschka and stabs him to death. Someone fetches the old Charlatan; he reassures everyone that Petruschka is not a real person but a puppet. Their minds set at rest, the people disperse. While the man is dragging away the lifeless puppet, Petruschka appears on the roof of the theatre booth, gesticulating wildly. The old Charlatan drops the puppet and disappears; Petruschka keels over."

Those are the program notes of the performance of Petruschka. Agnon and Les Noces did not have any program notes in English...so I have some homework when I get back to the states. These two performances were more in line with 20th century, avant-garde choreography. Interessting display of flexibility... The dancers were quite good...I never realized the human body could do the things they pulled off. Interesting, but hard to follow at times. Petruschka, on the other hand, was choreographed in a bit more traditional style...costumes, props, etc... I felt like I was at an opera without the singers. It was much easier to follow.
The music was performed really well by the Gewandhaus Orchester...except Les Noces. The director of the Ballet chose to play a recording of the music. Unfortunate, really, but Les Noces is quite a score to pull off...an orchestra with singers. That amounts to a lot of money toward performers' wages. Still, I was a bit disappointed with a recording in a professional performance. Besides the recording and the hard to follow choreography, it was a sucessful and uplifting experience. Those two things were minor in the grand scheme of the event.

I recommend that you find out where Petruschka (in English it's spelled "Petrushka") is showing and that you go see it. You will not be disappointed...unless the choreographer is not so good...

Das Mendelssohnhaus

2009-06-28T09:08:00.003-04:00

Hallo!

After attending service at the Thomaskirche this morning, I ate a bite of lunch and scrambled off to see the living quarters of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartoldy during his tenure here in Leipzig. The house is way cool! Very beautiful. A lot of space to stretch-out. I took a few pictures of the place, got a program of the Mendelssohn concerts taking place across Germany this year, as it is his 200th birthday (in February) this year; then I headed back home to get ready for a concert of Stravinky's music later tonight. I've never been to a ballet, so tonight will be a first. I'll tell you all about it soon.

Tschüss!

Leipzig Zoo

2009-06-27T13:01:00.005-04:00

This morning I took a personal field trip to the Zoo. I have pictures, and a small video to show for the much fun I had. It seems that the Zoo spends a substantial amount of time and money on studying monkeys. There were quite a few encaged from several species, and they showed a video of the studies that are being executed on some of the little guys. They do psychological studies...watching it reminded me of reading about Pavlov's dogs. They would put food in these hard to reach places and watch the monkeys get it out. One study was done on an Orangutan, where two glasses of juice were shown to it, and he was supposed to pick the one with the most liquid in it...he accomplished his little mission every time. Anyway...enjoy!

Gewandhaus Singen

2009-06-26T08:00:00.003-04:00

The Gewandhaus employs a good choir. Singing with them for the evening was really a pleasant experience. We were led through a warm-up by a student, and a lot of bodily kinesthetics were used...I noticed that last Sunday as well in the choir that sang Elijah. The Germans seem to be upholding the traditions of music education in Europe (natürlich!). There was, unfortunately, only one student conductor. Usually there are 3 or 4 I was told. We sang a piece by Scandinavian composer Knut Nystedt, Peace I Leave With You, from a set of 3 motets. Beautiful music! (Die Musik ist sehr schön!) We only spent our time on that motet, rather than singing through all of them...afterall, it was a masterclass not to see how many pieces we could sing, but it was for the student conductor. The conductor had good things and bad things...(like all conductors, I suppose). She had really good ears. She heard wrong notes, wrong pronunciation, etc... It seemed she had a musical idea for the piece. She didn't make much eye contact, and her gesture was all over the place and mostly unhelpful to the singers. Anyway... I could keep talking, but I'll spare you the conducting lesson. Overall, however, she was a normal conducting student working out her personal obstacles.
On to more exciting concert news... My Deutsch teacher found me a ticket to the "Stravinsky-Project" that is taking place on Sunday evening. It's a ballet the Leipzig Operhaus is doing consisting of Stravinsky's music. She got this ticket for me for 5 Euros. Only 5...tickets are going for much more than that, but she knows people at the Operhaus and is able to get great seats for cheap. So...off to theballet I go!
Here is information on Quedlinburg, if you are interested, and information on Thale. These are the places I went last weekend. I believe the Quedlinburg site has a different URL for the English translation, but I'm not so sure of the Thale site. In the upper right area of the Thale site, you should see a British flag. Click on it, and voila! you have the translation.
Class has been going well. Today was the Friday phenomenon, where people have mentally shut down academically. Today's class was a little frustrating, but this has been the only day like this. Hopefully it won't be a problem next week.
Tonight I attend the Thomaskirche for another Bach Motetten; tomorrow I go to the Leipzig Zoo and another Bach Motetten. Look for more pictures in a couple of days.

'wiedersehen!
Tschüss!

First day of Deutsche Klasse

2009-06-16T11:39:00.002-04:00

Last night there was a meet-and-greet party for all of the students, and most of them are from the states. It calmed my nerves a bit to know that a lot of them have had either no German, as much German as I, or only a little more than I have had...whew. After yesterday's wandering around Leipzig with all of my possessions, I felt a little overwhelmed. And after today's first class, I feel much better about this adventure. The teacher speaks ONLY German to us, so that's something around which to wrap my brain. Although it's hard today, it will get better I'm sure...I would even feel slighted the experience if she taught us in English. Afterall, I came here to learn German!

So...here is the itenerary for each week:
9 - 12:30...class everyday
Mitteltagsessen
2 - 3:30...class
Abendessen
5 - 7...evening cultural activity (different choices each night)

The cultural activities include going dancing, bowling (I like to bowl, but I think I'll skip this...I can bowl at home.), and you guessed it...concerts. Bach/ Mendelssohn concerts, not pop music. There is a Stravinsky concert sometime in the coming weeks as well.

Well, I have had to post this at Starbucks, as I still have no Internet in my room. I only have 1 hour here before my connection expires.

bis Morgen!

Long Post...

2009-06-16T11:29:00.001-04:00

Sunday, June 14
Leipzig's Music...
...ist sehr schön (is very beautiful). I heard at 9:30 this morning a Sunday morning service at the St. Thomas Church, where they performed Bach's Cantata, BWV 20 (Cantata number 20), some Mendelssohn and some more Max Reger...I'm beginning to feel like I missed something major in my Choral Literature class. Max Reger is all over the place. He lived from 1873 to 1916, and all I really know at this point is he composed very good music for choirs, also organ. I participated in the Lutheran service this morning, and I'm certain I am a fan of traditional liturgy...I just liked it a lot, despite my upbringings, as it was deeply moving...not just because it was Bach's music being played at the Thomaskirche but because it was Theologically correct and uplifting in every way. After the service, I sat down for some Mitteltagessen (lunch) and ordered what I thought was salmon soup with toast...instead I was brought liver dumpling soup. I have to say that it was very good. I'm not a liver and onions fan, but the last I checked I tasted that when I was somewhere in the neighborhood of ten years old. I might try it again... After looking at the menu again, I scolded myself on getting that completely wrong...lebenknödelsuppe (if I remember correctly) HAS to include liver. Leben=life, or when thought about creatively means "liver", knödel has to have something to do with dumplings and suppe = soup, pretty self explanatory. Ah well...new experiences are new adventures, which means I'm living and learning. After Mitteltagessen, I took a walk to the Nikolaikirche (St. Nickolas Church), where Bach also had some responsibilities during his 27 year tenure in Leipzig. There was a brass ensemble rehearsing when I walked in, and I recognized some of the music as some of the US's favorite jazz tunes- When the Saints Go Marching In und Old Time Religion. I'm not sure why they were playing those tunes, as it is the time of the summer when Leipzig engages in the Bach festival... I stayed for a little while to take some pictures of the church and listen to the rehearsal. Some folks clapped after one of the numbers and they were quickly informed that it wasn't a performance. After leaving Die Nikolaikirche, I headed back to the Thomaskirche for a concert of Chorwerke von Mendelssohn und Reger (Choral works of Mendelssohn and Reger). I also heard an organ piece by Reger (are you noticing a Reger pattern here like I am...?). The performers were some professional German soloists (Sopran, Alt, Tenor, und Bass), Gerhard Weinberger as the Organist, the Thomaskantor (Music director at the St. Thomas Church) Gerog Christoph Biller was the conductor, and I was so privileged to hear the Thomanorchor Leipzig (St. Thomas boychoir) combined with the Dresdner Kreuzchor (The Dresden boychoir). Great choirs, great singing, OH! and I failed to mention I heard the Gewandhaus Orchester (The orchestra of the professional concert hall of Leipzig) contributing to all of this great music making. After the concert, I headed back to the hotel. It was getting dark, and I didn't really want to be out late...plus my feet are pretty much killing me. It's quite worth it, however.

More pictures posted on my photobucket page under "Leipzig Day 2."

Monday, June 15
Hotel Checkout and Registration
Today was rather uneventful, but full of events…if that makes sense what-so-ever. I checked out of the Hotel, found the Herder Institute, where the German class is offered, and they told me a lot of information including the whereabouts of my room. After speaking with the registration assistants, I hopped on a couple of trams to the vicinity of my 3-week dwelling and of course got lost looking for the place. They didn’t give me an exact map but only described how to get there. But I found it eventually. Among that information they told me was how to set up an Internet connection…all the instructions were in German and for a Windows machine. Not so good. I asked for instructions concerning a Mac, and naturally it’s different. So no Internet all day… I tried to follow the Windows directions, but I was told I need another procedure to do the job. Hopefully I can have that fixed tomorrow.
And on a better note, I got to see more of Leipzig. I wandered the Hauptbanhoff, the main train station, and it is the largest one in Germany. Not only is it a large train station, but it is a large mall-like area with clothing stores, grocery stores, and cafés. I now know where to go get food and all that I need. I didn’t take pictures today, but there will be more to come.
As it is almost 10:15 and I have to get up early, I shall rest my weary English ears that have been exposed to so much German so that I can be ready for more German tomorrow!

‘wiedersehen! Tschüss!

Walking around Leipzig

2009-06-13T16:15:00.002-04:00

This morning I woke up around 10 to let my body rest after a long day and adjust to the 6 hours to which it isn't accustomed. I got up, ate a little breakfast, grabbed my Leipzig map and took to walking...a lot. The Lindner Hotel is about 4 or 5 miles from the city center, but it was a beautiful day of 65 - 72 degree weather. Walking was just fine with me. I headed toward the Zentrumnord (North central) portion of the city, where the Leipzig zoo is and the St. Michael church are located. I thought I might be able to hop on a train and get off at the St. Thomas Church, where Bach spent the last of his years (1723-1750). The Thomaskirche was the main objective for the day, and it was certainly the highlight. I couldn't find a train stop in the Zentrumnord, so I decided to snap a few quick pictures of the church before going south toward the Bachmoshere. Beautiful building. Adorning it is a grassy noll lined with roses...slight wind, chirping birds...beautiful day to see it. I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the interior, but I did get to go inside for a moment. Great acoustic...it was still set up from the previous evening's musical endeavors. I took a peek and headed toward Thomashof Straße to the musical Mecca. As I walked, I took photos of the city and it's old German architecture...I'm sure I looked like a tourist, but no one asked. I didn't really know what to expect on the journey, but I knew what the Thomaskirche looked like. I just kept my eyes open for the large white triangle between two spires. Then I saw it. At first glance it honestly took my breath away. It wasn't even the best view! I just saw it and instantly knew. I really couldn't believe I was looking at it with my own eyes. In fact, I don't think I really believed I was actually in Leipzig until that moment. Before I left the states, I looked up concert schedules for the Bachfest, which is happening now through the 21st, and I was excited to know that there would be a concert on the 13th, today. I was so involved in walking and looking for the place that I forgot all about the concert, and when I got there I realized I was in plenty of time to attend. I grabbed some lunch, and paid my two euros to listen to some timeless music. Lunch was interesting. The food was great, but it was the first time I actually had to speak to people who didn't speak English well. I walked up to the front of a restaurant behing the Thomaskirche, and inadvertently walked through a group of 20-somethings small circle. oops. It didn't really look like they were a group, as they were at separate tables, but as soon as I was in the middle of it, I quickly knew I wasn't welcome. I told them I was sorry and kept walking before they realized I was American and didn't speak German very well, and before they decided to put their large bicepts to use...Other than that, lunch was exquisite, and I paid and headed off to the church.
The concert brought me to tears. The organist was splendind and the choir was good, the Thomasorganist Ullrich Böhme and the Leipziger Oratorienchor. German professional musicians performing music by Germans in Germany...I was pretty much out of my skin. I was privileged to hear "Freie Phantasie" für Orgel on the Thomaskirche organ by Mendelssohn, "Der Mensch lebt und bestehet, op. 138 Nr.1" a piece for double choir by Max Reger (a new name for me...great music), "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" a cantata for soprano, choir, violin, viola, and organ. The congregation also participated in the final movement with the chorale melody, as is Baroque tradition in cantata performance. It was just awe-inspiring. We heard a seron of sorts, stood for prayer, recited the Lord's prayer (Vaterunser) in German, of course, sat and lastly listened to Bach's "Gott der Herr ist Sonn unSchild" cantata 79. This was a cantata written for Reformation celebration, and the text has ties to Psalm 84:12. A true jewel to hear inside the Thomaskirche walls. Then I walked back to the Hotel in complete silence...not because of the whole difficulty with the German language thing. I just couldn't bring myself to do anything but reflect as I walked.

I've posted pictures here.

So...ich bin hier!!

2009-06-12T17:09:00.000-04:00

And I really thought it would be SO much HARDER than it was. Before I left, Rachel asked me if I was excited, and I told her that I was but not "giddy excited," meaning I didn't have a smile plastered to my face like the day of our wedding...wait...I promise I was (and still am) happy about that! But I was excited about travelling to Leipzig, but I wasn't so excited about leaving her behind, going by myself, not really knowing where I'm goinging, and not really knowing enough German. Sounds like a recipe for disater. But I got here 10,000 times smoother than I ever imagined I would. The hardest part was going through London's Heathrow airport...uhg. What a drag that place is. Seems like it has taken organization lessons from America's public schools...I mean...oops. Did I just type that? Really? Well, not ALL of USA's public education systems are quite that bad...maybe only the ones in which I've had some stake...possibly only one particular school... Anywho, note to self: Avoid Heathrow at all costs; unfortunaltely you have to go back through it on the way home... But really, though I had plenty of time to work out the Heathrow ordeal. I had five hours to figure out how to get a boarding pass for my next two flights (changing airlines was a new adventure for me) and find my boarding gate...plenty of time to feel like I haven't felt since registering for college the first time..."No, sorry sir. You're gonna have to go across campus to this building here and have THEM tell you what to do next...(meanwhile- back-at-the-Hall-of-Justice kind of thing for all you long time Superman fans)..."I'm sorry sir. You're going to head across campus from where you started...blah, blah, blah..." Ah, c'mon. You remember registering for college the first day...especially back before the user-friendly online registration. (Pretty sure I just dated myself...Thank Heaven the Internet and online registration isn't very old! Thanks Al Gore!)
Anyhoo... I get through Heathrow, which is the first stop of this LANGER Tag, and I'm off to Düsseldorf. 4 hour layover. Seemed like an ETERNITY. No one goes to Düsseldorf much. Smaller population than Dresden, TN. Cross my heart on that one. Finally board the plane to Leipzig/ Halle, and we are shuttled out onto the tarmac. This can't be good. One bus load. One plane full. It was the smallest plane I had ever realized I was going to ride. Smallest. Hands down. But you know, it was the smoothest ride of which I have ever taken part! Smoothest take off..eh, a few turbulent patches...and the smoothest landing ever! It really was quite amazing, and I congratulate and deeply thank my capitan of that flight.
So I get off the flight wondering if my luggage actually made it straight from Rahleigh, NC to Leipzig, De. I'm here to tell you that these people are good at what they do! My luggage was right there. I wasn't even given a baggage claim/ deck number. Picked it up, and off to get some food in the Leipzig/ Halle airport.
I get food, and the entire time I'm eating I'm thinking, "How am I gonna get to my hotel. Can I even FIND it? Maybe I'll take the train...but it's getting late, and I might have to sleep on the street. Oh my. I've never been this uptight and in knots in my LIFE!" All the while eating a salomi sandwich, which was quite good! I did enjoy my sandwich in spite of all that second guessing and, dare I say, THINKING too much. So...it's been a long day of waiting...waiting...waiting...so I follow the Taxi signs. I'm here to tell you that the Taxi driver took me right to my Hotel. It only cost 30 Euros WITH the gratuity. I might have paid only the fare with that amount in the States. And here I am in my cozy little Lindner Hotel Leipzig room with a bed, an Internet connection, and a mini-bar. Now for some sleep to rid myself of jetlag and fatigue...

Today's Tunes

2009-05-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

John Adams' Harmonium. (The link is to an exerpt of it.) Nevermind the conducting...when you become as prestigious as Simon Rattle your gesture can be whatever, I suppose. Rattle is conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Today's Tunes

2009-05-17T09:13:00.000-04:00

Yes...I'm still alive. Even after my first year of graduate work, I'm still breathing. So today's tunes will be a culmination of several days, inasmuch that "several days" constitutes several weeks...

1) Beyoncé...she has been a recent voice in my headphones, and the girl has some pipes; her song "Halo" in particular.
2) Of course Bach...I've been practicing "Minuet in G," and I'll be the first to testify that practice REALLY DOES work!
3) Portions of Heinrich Schütz' Geistliche Chormusik is entering my brain as I write.
4) Alberto Ginastera's Concerto for Strings. 20th Century piece, and it's ridiculously good! ...even with it's 20th Century dissonances that folks don't line up outside of the theater to hear.
5) Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. I don't know how many times I've sat down to listen to this piece, but I finally listened to it with the full score. It's much more genius than I ever gave it credit.
6) The singer Bryn Terfel has sung to me a lot this semester...either through Schubert lieder or as a soloist in large choral works. Terfel is a staple in the document of vocal music...yes, he's that good.
7) The choral works of Mendelssohn, including the masterwork Elijah, which has become my all time favorite oratorio...even over Handel and all of his genius.
8) Arvo Pärt's Miserere
9) Henryk Górecki's Miserere
10) Mozart's Mass in c minor...my favorite Mozart work. Unfortunately, it wasn't finished before he died.
11) Stravinski was truly one of the world's most fascinating composers. Symphony of Psalms and Rite of Spring...incredible stuff.
12) Shamelessly..."Billie Jean" Because she's not my lov-uh...she's just a guhrl...

Today's Tunes

2009-01-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

So, I've been a little busy...ok, A LOT busy. But here's what's in the speakers lately:
1) Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
2) Bernstein: Kaddish Symphony
3) Bach: Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden
4) Schüz: Psalmen Davids
5) Shostakovich: String Quartets
6) Haydn: Piano Sonatas
7) Haydn: Paukenmesse
8) Mozart: Grand Mass in c
9) Damjian Mocnik: Christus est natus
10) Any of Mocnik's works should be given undivided attention.

And I just realized that all of these guys have something to do with Germany...and I'm taking German...and I'd like to go study in Leipzig sometime soon...and I have German heritage...
Coincidence? Nein! Es ist mein Schicksal!

Get thee behind me...

2008-12-14T08:44:00.001-05:00

Another semester come and gone. But this one was different. I've NEVER had a semester where I've not "ugh"-ed over assignments, except this one. Sure, Fall 2008 has had its moments of frustration with professor demands and deadlines too close to meet those demands with quality (but I guess we couldn't officially call this experience education if that were not the case...); but I have truly turned in each assignment (whether that be a paper or theory analysis or concert I conducted in) feeling like a better person for having spent the time doing it.

Next semester holds some challenges. Stars in the East is a new ECU event instated by Dr. Bara, and he has hired some conductors to come work with his grad students for the experience, education, and as a resume builder. 3 conductors are coming in January, and...drum roll...the first one is William Weinert (Director of Choral Activities at Eastman, and Dr. Bara's teacher), Craig Arnold (director of choral activities, conductor of the Nordic Choir, and professor of music at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa), and Dale Warland. Dale Warland is extremely well known, and I encourage you to read the bios on all three of these outstanding choral teachers. Also in the spring I get the opportunity to teach Bach to University Chorale: 1) Sicut locutus est from Johann's Magnificat (I think I get to call him by his first name now), and 2) Dona nobis pacem from his B-minor Mass. If you haven't heard these two works what in the world are you waiting for?! Stop reading Blair and go listen to Bach!

Orchestral Conducting

2008-11-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

Last weekend ECU Symphony along with Chamber Singers performed Mozart's Requiem. What a satisfying performance!! Dr. Bara conducted the amazing performane, and I observed him non compos mentis so as to pick up all I could from my teacher about how to teach and conduct an orchestra. It's a bit of a different language, as you can't turn to the violins and ask for things like, "Violins, could you guys put a little more breath in that sound," or "Cellos, could we find that dome-space resonance in that tone?" So if these tricks don't work, what does? Dr. Bara sang to them a lot, and actually Dr. Jorge Richter, the symphony's regular conductor, sang to them as well - "Trombones, I wonder if we can make your B-flat sound like [insert a b-flat pitch] taww, rather than taaa." Dr. Richter also demonstrated rhythms verbally - "DI-da-da-da, violas...Again!" And Dan gave the players the benefit of the doubt of being able to read music well, but that passage was just a mistake; so his response would go something like, "Careful that your dotted quarters aren't too long, clarinets."

Anyway...another geeked out post.

Today's Tunes...

2008-10-23T17:24:00.001-04:00

So, I've been engulfed in my Choral Literature class the past several weeks, and I've heard some amazing music.
Obrecht wrote some fantastic music, Missa Caput in particular.
Palestria...WHOA! Go listen to his Pope Marcellus Mass...at least the Kyrie. Fantabulastic!
Thomas Luis da Victoria...good stuff.
My favorite: Josquin. Absalon fili mi.

I'd heard the music of these guys before, but not in context of what I have learned about their cultural time period. These guys were rock stars!

alright...now that my geek self has passed, Rachel Yamagata has been coming through my speakers. Jazzy girl. Good stuff. Cold Play's X&Y album has been playing in my vehicle. I like his voice, even though he sings with little resonance and solely from his throat. I certainly wouldn't encourage my choir to sing like that, but his voice fits his music well.

Hmm...this is a geeky post, but I am, afterall in graduate school.

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Todays Tunes...

2008-10-15T19:21:00.001-04:00

Howard Helvey's arrangement of the spiritual The Time for Praying. Ooo...good stuff. I think I'm going to do this with our church choir.

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Today's Tunes...

2008-10-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

So this is a much more fitting title for this section of my blog, rather than confining me to a specific day; we all know how well that worked out.

Today I've listened to Stile Antico, a choir of young British singers which has gotten its name out of a Renaissance idea. I have been listening to their album "Music for Compline" while working on a research & bibliography assignment. You can preview the entire album on Amazon, and I have particularly enjoyed tracks 5, 10, and 16. I think you will particularly like 10.

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Choral Scholars and Chamber Singers

2008-10-03T23:38:00.002-04:00

Beautiful concert in a beautiful singing space! Here's the Ave verum corpus (William Byrd) I conducted. This is Choral Scholars, a small volunteer choir from Chamber Singers. You may not be able to readily tell that it's me, but rest assured that you aren't seeing some guy off the street and that it is in fact me...in that case, I guess it IS some guy off the street. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO, RACHEL!!

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Martin Luther

2008-09-30T16:46:00.001-04:00

Yes, the monk in the 1500s...not the King Jr., and both equally respectable. But I have been doing a lot of reading lately...comes with the whole grad. school thing...and I came across a Forawrd he wrote to Georg Rhau's Symphoniae, a collection of chorale motets published in 1538. Avid music lover, you might like this as I paraphrase a bit:

I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! ... The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them...In summa, next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits...A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.

I was eaing lunch in one of the dining places at ECU while I read this, and I burst out laughing. It was one of those moments where folks look at you and wonder...surely those moments are quite common for me. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed sharing!

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Concert FRIDAY

2008-09-29T16:46:00.001-04:00

...no this is not another attempt at creating a catchy title in order to help me blog. We have a concert Friday night at St. Paul's Episcopal Church - high ceilings, where the acoustic rolls around forever, stone floors, 52-rank organ that is breathtakingly beautiful, and a beautiful chancel. Great place to sing and be heard...and with that kind of acoustic, you can in some ways be your own audience...
Chamber Singers will sing Calvisius, Brahms, Schumann, Boyce, Paulus, Rutter, Poch, and Alwes. And Choral Scholars (the graduate lab choir for the conducting students) will do a plethora of pieces. I am conducting William Byrd's Ave verum corpus, and hopefully all will work out musically on my part - I'm not at all worried about the choir (and I never really thought I'd say that). Hopefully I can calm myself internally to trust my hands to do everything right and my ears to hear what every beautiful note they sing.
It's going to be a great experience!

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Tuneful Tuesday

2008-09-19T06:59:00.001-04:00

Matt actually gets the credit for this - Frank LaRocca's "O Magnum Mysterium"

Handel's Messiah, but only Part the First. I've listened to a few portions of Part the Second.

Poulenc's Gloria...again. I truly recommend getting this. See if your local library has it, and if it doesn't it is completely worth the bucks you'll use on it in iTunes. If at all possible, listen to it with the score (Dr. Simmons might be able to help you out; if you're really ambitious, J.W. Pepper.com can certainly help you.)

I brought back a little bit of the band Vigilantes of Love this morning, a band I started listening to in high school and had a crush on.

We continue our studies of Brahms in Chamber Singers, and more and more I see just how masterful, and surprisingly NOT dark, fatalistic, or sullen as might be the label he gets often.

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Workshopping middle and high school choral kids...

2008-09-13T17:52:00.001-04:00

I taught...well, really congealed/ solidified, middle school basses a Patrick Liebergen version of a Handel piece from Joshua (which is really a Liebergen score influenced by Handel), and Morten Lauridsen's Sure On This Shining Night. The kids did really well, especially the high school guys. It was good to get back into teaching high school choral kids again, and I'm excited about conducting the Greenville Choral Society Youth Chorale! Great kids!

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Rehearsal.

2008-09-10T17:26:00.002-04:00

Today in Chamber Singers, the group that's doing Rutter's Hymn to the Creator of Light and Brahms' Schaffe in mir Gott, we rehearsed the Brahms and the Boyce Ave Maria, which I completely undercut and diminished in a post a couple of weeks ago b/c it's fantabulastic. Rehearsal didn't go so well as far as revisited notes. Under pitched and in certain circumstances completely wrong: not-even-in-the-same-zip-code-as-the-correct-pitch wrong. I could sense that Dr. Bara was not well pleased, and he did a marvelous job of not adding his unhappiness to the equation of a bad rehearsal. And he sends an email to each performer to express his disapproval. The first sentence: "Dear colleagues, We are better than today’s rehearsal suggests...." Dagger to the heart. We understand he's disappointed, but this sentence in the context of the entire email tells us that we should be too. "New music [Ave Maria - we've rehearsed it two days] must be approached with zeal, energy, curiosity, and absolute fearlessness. Who’s going be the one to nail it first? To make the first mistake and fix it? Older music must be approached with mindfulness of all that has been learned before, musical sensitivity, a vigilant ear for intonation and tone, and a renewed commitment to make it better piece than when we left it." Aside from all that I learned about being a conductor in this email, this letter enlightened not only an approach to music but an appraoch to life. Translation/ correlation/metaphor for life: We're two weeks into the new school year, the giddiness of newness has subsided...or should have. When do we decide to move from there? Do we decide to move from there? If we don't decide to move on, there is a major problem. When we approach a piece of music, Scripture, marriage, or anything that we love that is of substance to us, anything that captures our emotional attention, when do we decide to move from the "giddiness," the on-the-surface of it into the exertion or excercise or application or utilization of it? Two weeks? Two years? Two days? Two hours? I think when we can answer something like the latter, we've found something profound.

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Tuneful Tuesday

2008-09-08T22:17:00.001-04:00

ON TUESDAY! (almost...but you're probably reading on Tuesday!)

Arvo Pärt - Missa Syllabica; Cantate Dominum Canticum Novum

Beethoven - Missa Solemnis

Norman Dello Joio - A Jubilant Song
Dan Davison - Shout for Joy
Stephen Paulus - Pilgrim's Hymn

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Tuneful Tuesday

2008-09-06T15:40:00.002-04:00

Have you had your daily dose of Poulenc's Gloria? What about Stravinsky's Symphony of Palms? Well, what are you waiting for??

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Tuneful Tuesday...

2008-08-30T10:02:00.001-04:00

Ok, I know it isn't Tuesday, but it's a "tradition" I started on this blog, and with my blogging habits...well, the two don't exactly mix well, and you're lucky to even be getting this post.

As, I've mentioned once or twice, graduate school is truly amazing; even after it gets busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. In Chamber Singers, we are doing a concert in October, which should be streamed on the ECU School of Music web page, and for that concert we are performing none other than Rutter's Hymn to the Creator of Light! I was ecstatic! If I get asked to conduct part of a Chamber Singers rehearsal, guess what I'm rehearsing... We're doing a Brahm's Motet (Schaffe in mir Gott), a Schumann Motet (Und ob ich schon wanderte) [after next semester or next fall I might be able to translate that for you], and a few other octavos - an Ave Maria and a couple of spirituals.

I am conducting William Byrd's Ave verum corpus in Choral Scholars, and it's many much fun. Along those lines of music listening, we have been talking about the early 1500s in choral literature class, so I am becoming more familiar with Palestrina. Whoa! Beautiful composer! I mean, I knew I liked his music before the class, but I'm becoming more aware of why I like it. Points of immitation, texture changes because of the music's text....blah, blah, blah.

In University Chorale we are doing a gorgeous Clausen piece, O My Luve's Like A Red, Red Rose and Sing Unto God by Paul Fetler. Great pieces!

In November, Chamber Singers will be performing Mozart's Requiem at least three times - once on campus, another time at a local church, and for the North Carolina Music Educator's Association. Oh! it's four times. once for some high school kids that come for choral festival...I hope they last 50 minutes and don't clap between movements...

That's about it for now. I have a feeling Tuneful Tuesday will become more random and ultimately will not link itself to Tuesday at all... Stay Tunedful Tuesday...er, something.

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...

2008-08-21T15:56:00.001-04:00

So I'm not a good blogger...at least I know it's not my calling in life.
However! Getting higher degrees IS, I believe, my calling. I didn't think school could possibly be any better than under graduate studies. Oh, no, mein freund! I absolutely LOVE graduate work. (At least for now.) You get paid to do what you're longing heart desires to do in academia. It truly is a beautiful thing...you should try it.

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New Whitacre piece

2008-08-04T11:26:00.002-04:00

Eric Whitacre has scored a Kipling text, "The White Seal's Lullaby," for piano and SATB (we'll probably see it scored for other vocal ensembles if it isn't already available). Mr. Whitacre titled his piece "The Seal's Lullaby," rather than keeping Kipling's original title...perhaps a copyright issue? But here's a link to his blog about the premiere of the piece complete with recording! Enjoy!

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Ode to the Male Ensemble

2008-07-30T21:25:00.002-04:00

So, I quickly felt bad about denigrating the male ensemble in my earlier post. Let me make it up to myself and to you. There's Cantus, The King's Singers, and a youth ensemble I have recently grown to love...it didn't take me long. Here's a link to a clip of The Prayer of the Children (Kurt Bestor) performed by the guys of Amabile Youth Singers of London, Canada.

And the Mormon Tabernacle Men are fabulous as well. Battle Hymn of the Republic video. This is an SATB piece, but there are sections where the men are glory, glory, hal-le-glorious...I don't care if they are mormon and pray to the angel Moroni or Joseph Smith.

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The female voice

2008-07-30T20:12:00.001-04:00

Why is the female voice impeccable? Especially in an ensemble. They just sound so great. I mean, I've heard some not-so-great female voices, like ones-that-can't-match-pitch-bad, but aside from those experiences, a female ensemble is just stunning. Guys don't, in my experience, make it sound so easy. It seems like it takes male voices a bit to get cranking. I've also heard my share of male ensembles that sound remarkably jaw dropping, but those experiences don't come from lazy learning environments.

I don't know...maybe this post comes from listening to The San Francisco Girls Chorus and other female ensembles lately. But they just make it sound so easy to do. And it's absolutely beautiful.

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Boyz II Men

2008-07-30T10:27:00.007-04:00

So I thought I'd take a second to expound on the marvelous musicianship of Boyz II Men. This is a clip of their arrangement (actually I don't know who to credit for the writing of it) of The Star Spangled Banner. This is only the end of it because of copyright, but this is enough to talk about their musicianship.

It's a capella. You have to know what you're doing to sing these harmonies a capella.
GREAT chord on "night."
I can live with two "T's" on the "night" cut off.
The word "that" in the phrase, "O, say does that star spangled banner..." is rhythmically out of this world. Hemiola! Bass voice and inner two voices are on triplets, and the upper voice is on sixteenth notes. Well done!
THEN after that rhythmic fiesta, they open up to this shimmery chord on "star" in that phrase, characteristic and very fitting of the word.
"Wave" of that same phrase is colored with some R&B stylistic beauties.
Nice chord building on the word "free," THEN they crescendo, which isn't easy to do with an ensemble, out of the beautifully built chord.
Nice bass ending.
All of this while singing with great vocal technique - nothing pushed or sounded tense. The first tenor has a great falsetto.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!!

Tuneful Tuesdays

2008-07-29T16:55:00.002-04:00

Well...it's been an eclectic week. I have the choral tunes, of course, but I have some things that perhaps will strike those who've known me a while as different.

First, I'll talk about a piece of Electronic music by Nico Muhly called Mothertongue. "Born in Vermont in 1981 and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Nico Muhly graduated from Columbia University in 2003 with a degree in English Literature. In 2004 he received a Masters in Music from the Juilliard School, where he studied composition under Christopher Rouse and John Corigliano" (http://nicomuhly.com/biography/). With those credentials, a music listener should expect something. I liked it, unlike a few reviews I read on iTunes about this piece. Of course, it IS iTunes, afterall, and how much validity can you expect in those other than opinons of non-music majors? Not to be egotistical or demeaning, but face it, most iTunes listeners expect things from composers, and if listeners don't get it from their music they click the "next" button.

I have also found a new respect for radio music. I have come to terms with the fact that if I am going to cope with the radio and most everything on it, then I have to separate it into another genre of art. And I shall call it...Recording Art. I'm sure it's already in the books as that, but I like to think that I have a few original thoughts... These guys, though not lyrically thought provoking and often sexually explicit and down right vulgar, they do work hard at what they do. I guess this side of me spawns from my recent interest in podcasting and that process, because I have tasted the flavors of that sometimes hard-to-swallow genre. Studio recording is hard. It takes a lot of listening, some difficult decision making, second guessing and often third guessing yourself...anyhoo...I'll jump off of this stump and get to what I've listened. I've been driven by some hip-hop: Ludacris is genius, Fergie, a little Beyoncé, and an Atlanta guy named Sam Rhansum (who I know personally, actually). In this same stage, but teetering toward vocal music more is the group Boyz II Men, who are really quite great musicians.

Enough appetizers. Meredith Monk's "Astronaut Anthem" from her opera Quarry (1976) was on the choral plate this week. Interesting. I listened to The San Francisco Girls Chorus' entire album entitled Voices of Hope and Peace. Stunning. The centerpiece of the album is Anne Frank: A Living Voice, by Linda Tutas Haugen, and it's written and performed altogether deftly. The composer commissioned this work for the organization's 25th anniversary. The album is simply amazing. These young ladies have been trained exceptionally well. They could certainly show up some college choirs, and I'm sure they have at some point in their 25 years of existence. The opening piece of the album, Vivos Voco by Joan Szymko, is a six-part (SSSAAA) vocal piece with piano and handbells, and well, it's quite an opener. Grandioso in every way, and it's spectacular. Completely worth your time and money. I sat down with some John Rutter scores today: 1) Te Deum, and 2) Magnificat. The Te Deum is a piece i have listened to a bit, as I bought the recording many moons ago, but I have not been introduced to his Magnificat until this afternoon. I used to sort-of like Rutter; he had some pieces that I thought were just ok, as I think they are on the Te Deum recording. Then I sat down with the score for Te Deum. Great stuff! THEN I sat down with the Magnificat score. Oh man. There's a reason it's "Magnificat," other than the liturgical reason - the canticle of the Virgin sung at Vespers. It is AMA-ZA-ZING! Truly great, and a torment for a young conductor (maybe a torment for an old conductor...)to conduct. If you are inclined to shy away from Rutter because you haven't heard his compositions beyond church anthems and his Gloria, not to say those are bad but I don't think they're the most exciting (except the Gloria...I like it a lot), you should most definitely listen to Rutter's Magnificat and if at all possible sit down with the score. It's about 40 minutes long, and you can get a score for about 8 bucks.

Well, this post has been long enough. TTYL, TTFN, BFF, or whatever text shorthand you wish to insert...

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The Pup-pups

2008-07-25T21:10:00.003-04:00

Tuneful Tuesdays

2008-07-22T12:40:00.001-04:00

This week I've listened to The King's Singers a bit. I listened to their album Street Songs, where they have recorded several multicultural pieces. One of my favorite pieces is "Horizons." However, I don't think this is a piece for them. I mean, I like the King's Singers; they've been a premier group for decades and earlier. But I think this piece needs a more beefy tone to it. The group has a wonderful sound for early music, they do 20th century pieces well, and overall they are good at applying certain tonal characteristics to the literature they do. Maybe "Horizons" is a piece for them, but the way they've recorded it on this album is not as primitive in color as I think this piece should be performed. It's a bit too proper...if that makes any sense...

I've also listened to a long time favorite band, Over the Rhine. Ah...good stuff. Particularly their album Good Dog Bad Dog.

Nessun Dorma was in the mix this week. I'm not sure what it is about that piece, but it brings me close to tears nearly every single time I hear Pavarotti perform it. It's just so vocally magnificent for his voice. Maybe this is a "Bandwagon" piece - one that you can talk about a little bit or nod your head saying "I know this piece" if you dont know much about music of this genre - but it truly is one that gets to me a lot.

Now get out there and be healthy by listening to music regularly!

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The Pups!

2008-07-19T20:17:00.003-04:00

Here's an update on our doggies!

All things musical...

2008-07-16T19:02:00.003-04:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

The FUNNIEST thing I've seen all day, possibly all month, debatably all year.

Tuneful Tuesdays

2008-07-15T18:06:00.002-04:00

I've listened to U of Miss. Gospel Choir - "Lift Him Up," and "Tell Somebody" in particular. The vocal technique is...well, I'm not sure it's healthy. But these two pieces have a rhythmic element to them that I just like. Good stuff.

I sat down with the recording and the score of Jenny McLeod's Childhood. Genius. Hard to get a hold of, but worth it if you can.

I continued my Bach and Mocnik obsessions as well.

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Tuneful Tuesday...except this is Sunday.

2008-07-13T18:11:00.001-04:00

Everyone in the world NEEDS to sit down and listen to the Bach Magnificat. You just haven't lived until you do.

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Choral sound...

2008-07-13T14:55:00.001-04:00

I don't like the word "blend." I think it's too cheap for what we do. I've heard the phrase "homogeneity of sound" lately, and I like this better; it has a better quality to it. But even this term, I think, bleeds too much - it doesn't really seem to allow each section to stand on its own. What if it's described as a conglomeration of SATB homogeneity of sound, meaning each section "blends," if you will, within itself while retaining its own identity that stands, not too distant, but in the next cubicle from the other sections.

I guess this is the wordy definition for combine, coalesce, mix, or meld.

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Tuneful Tuesdays

2008-07-08T19:48:00.003-04:00

So, I'm stealing the brilliant ideas my wife has and having a cute, catchy title for certain blogs...hey, it'll help me blog at least a little bit once a week. What I'm going to do every Tuesday is blog what I've been listening to a lot or a little during the week, and hopefully it will go beyond choral music...but not too far.

This week I've listened to a couple of pieces by Damijan Mocnik - The Prayer and The Beatitudes. He's a Slovenian composer, and these two pieces are amazing. He has written a lot more than these, but I only have recordings of these two by the Atlanta Singers on their album entitled Antiphonica. On that same album is Missa Antiphonica by Henk Badings, a Dutch composer. All three pieces are amazing.

I've also listened to John Adams' Shaker Loops. Great stuff! I recommend listening to these daily.

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Bach...

2008-07-01T22:38:00.001-04:00

I also recommend Bach's Mass in B minor, even if you can't get to it everyday. Once a week might fulfill the void for you.

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Beethoven...

2008-07-01T20:53:00.001-04:00

If you haven't had your daily skimming of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis score, or at least daily listening, I highly recommend you get right on that...

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East Carolina Conducting Institute

2008-06-29T15:24:00.001-04:00

This week I have been mesmerized and elated to have conducted a marvelous group of folks in a few pieces of music: 1) Rheinberger's Benedixisti, 2) Dan Forrest's A Basque Lullaby, 3) Robert Lau's Sing to the Lord a New Song, and 4) Ken Neufeld's arrangement of Morton Bay. The Benedixisti I have already talked about, so I won't say much. Though I liked the piece a lot, I think it could use a final bar line after the 3rd measure. A Basque Lullaby has a different text. It talks about fairies, silver wings, and flower buds, which is set to a GORGEOUS musical setting. Sing to the Lord a New Song is fantastic. I conducted it on our culminating concert on Friday. It's portions of Psalm 148, 149, & 150 set to mixed meter of 7/8, 3/8, 3/4 and it has a middle section of 4/4. It's way fun, and I will definitely be returning to that piece when I get a capable church choir. Morton Bay is a fermata frenzy...I didn't like it as much as I thought I might.

Dr. Bara is going to be a treat...I might not want this next two years to end if it's anything like this past week. He's brilliant and funny and an extremely good and patient teacher. Great combination for any kind of teacher...as a matter of fact, I don't think teachers should be anything BUT that.

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Rheinberger...

2008-06-23T20:50:00.001-04:00

stunning composer. I had the most pleasant experience conducting his Benedixisti with a group of musicians from all over the country - mostly North Carolina, but California, Illinois, and Connecticut were represented...and certainly represented well here at ECU's Summer Choral Conducting Institute. I spent my podium time thinking about what my hands and arms were doing. I am guilty of not spending much time in score study because I felt I would neglect my conducting gesture. Perhaps that's a cop out, but I really wanted to focus on delivering a comfortable and expressive gesture without having to stop the choir to explain my musical interpretation. I felt I would have spent more time talking to them rather than showing them.

Good stuff. It's going to be a splendid week!

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New Post? OMG!

2008-06-19T00:11:00.004-04:00

Congratulations Mr. Musical Mind, you've managed to not post for an entire semester. Maybe that means my mind is only musical...momentarily? Momentarily musical. That's probably it. My mind is quite momentary these days.

But it's off to East Carolina University to study choral conducting with Dr. Dan Bara, an Eastman School of Music DMA recipient as well as a graduate from the University of Michigan. It will be a challenging two years, but I've never been one to turn down too many of those. After three years of experiencing what teaching choral music is like in the rural high school, I am ready for a lot more guidance.

Reelfoot

2007-12-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

I am a believer in the idea that music is all around us all the time. Sometimes it's in the form of "noise," but noise can be musical...not necessarily lyrical or up to our standards, but musical. Music is evident in nature, and here I post not noise, but nature's music in pictures on a cold, rainy day.

Finally! Choral Music!

2007-11-13T21:27:00.001-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of conducting UT Martin's New Pacer Singers on Hymn to the Creator of Light. It was quite a different choral experience than I am used to. Usually I have to fix notes over and over and over and over...and over. Not so today! They actually allowed me to move beyond notes and make music. :::sigh::: I love my occupation.

Frisbee Day

2007-10-22T19:10:00.000-04:00

I know it isn't necessarily "musical," but it's in my mind and worth blogging...

What to say?

2007-10-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

Well...I guess it's about time I wrote on my Mom's condition. She's been diagnosed with cancer. I'm not certain as to how to take it, really. I am in firm belief that "all things work for good...," and I know where the good is in all of this. The good is, ironically, death. Seeing our Lord face to face. That's the easy part of the whole thing. Knowing that the end is easy is comforting. But knowing the process to the end is hard. Chemo. Surgery. Constant medication. Medical bills. On and on and on.
I think everyone believes somewhere deep down that their mother is invincible, as all of us reflect on, "sit up straight" and "don't eat that" and "don't touch that hot stove" and "if you're friends jumped off the empire state building, would you do it too?" I mean, knowledge like that is impeccable, so moms have to be stronger than the stoutest people living, right?
But if she could give me one more childhood piece of advice, I'm sure it would be something like, "don't cry over me, we know who's in charge so stop wasting time...there's a whole world of things to which to attend" (and she would say it EXACTLY like that, for she constantly corrected my grammar and still will as long as she lives).

But as I think on this process of cancer, of pains and sorrows, of bills and therapy, I can't help but remember, "where, o death, is thy sting..." And that's why I am at ease with this cancer issue and frustrated with it simultaneously.

Thomas Tallis

2007-09-30T17:15:00.001-04:00

I have recently flooded my ears with Tallis' O sacrum convivium, as recorded by The Tallis Scholars. I can't say that I am even slightly an expert on how Tallis should be performed, but this group has done exceptionally well. Though I don't know anything about the group - their education, experience, etc...- at this point in my life and experience, I'll take their word that they are who they say they are: "The Tallis Scholars," and I will learn from them. As I listen, each note does something dynamically...nothing sits or twiddles thumbs. It's very exciting to listen to, and I can only hope to learn to teach people to sing in such a manner as this group. Good stuff.

vibrato

2007-09-19T12:39:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one in the world who thinks vibrato can "hide" the voice? I mean, I like it...but I think I like it in moderation. If there is too much of it, I think it can really hide that true quality the voice possesses. If there is only a little, even no vibrato, I think it focuses on the quality. Sure there's the immature sound that comes with no vibrato, but I think a voice can certainly sound mature without vibrato as well. I listen to recordings of straight tone pieces of choral music, and I can tell that adults are singing. I can tell when solid children are singing as well. I may be wrong, but I still think that vibrato can cover up someone's true voice...something to be studied, I guess.

Statistics

2007-09-18T12:52:00.000-04:00

I never thought I'd find myself taking a statistics class...I guess as soon as a person doesn't "see themself" doing something, they find they are in the middle of it. So here i am in the middle of this stat. class, and we have talked about the natural phenomena of central tendencies (where most people are average). I in no way exclude myself from "central tendency," for there are a lot of things I have to learn and I cannot ever learn everything there is to know about anything. But since we have talked about central tendency, I have observed my classes differently. Esecially teenagers. Especially choir. Motivating adolesence to go beyond their tendencies is a full time job. Those tendencies so often don't even get to the pinnacle of the bell shaped curve...and sometimes their efforts don't begin to climb it. Now, don't get me wrong...there are teenagers who are motivated and who excell in their work, but I'm talking about the majority of them. It's hard work, but I like it.

I guess I wouldn't have a job if the theory of Central Tendencies didn't exist.

Pummeled

2007-09-15T19:12:00.000-04:00

59 - 20. UF - UTK football.

Man.

What's playing...?

2007-09-03T00:59:00.000-04:00

And it's been too long since I have laid bare some thoughts...you might start to get the idea I'm not to musical, or mindful...or not too mindful about musical things and vice versa. Yet, where to begin...?

I'll start with what's on my iPod. Recently I put a piece on it by Rene Clausen called Tonight Eternity Alone, I had the privilege of singing it in high school my sophomore year with the All-state Honor Choir. Yeowzers. Quite a piece of choral music. Unaccompanied. Serene. Ethereal. It leaves you with such a solid aesthetic of truly experiencing something beautiful. Not too many words to it, but there are so many fascinating chords that let you hear a great balance of dissonance and consonance. If there is a piece of music that I remember dropping everything else so I could learn it, it's this one. I don't recall exactly what it was that commanded my attention to the piece, but every time I listen to it a whiff of nostalgia passes through my senses. I would do people a disservice if I did not do my best to create memories such as these with choral music.

I also put a really fun piece on my iPod called Betelehemu. The piece is from Africa, and the arrangement is scored for SATB choir, begining with this instrument called a Rainstick. It really sounds like rain! Way cool! Eventually adds some drums as the basses and tenors sing about Christ's birth in Swahili. The altos and sopranos join the fun and it turns into a really fun celebration piece.

The next time you see me, you MUST ask me to let you hear these two pieces!

Minimalism

2007-07-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

Rachel and I were just watching a story that Nightline covered about this man and his family living in a minimalist fashion in New York City. The man calls himself "no impact man," and he does everything devoid of electricity, carbon monoxide emissions, and materials that require trees for their production. His life is changing in more ways than one; completely different behaviors and patterns to his everyday living.

Given the circumstances of global warming and environmental concern, we may think such a shift in life is a noble one. However, if the environment was not at the front of our minds we might think this guy to be ready for the loony bin. I think composers of minimalist music probably experienced something of the sort when they presented their ideas - this-stuff-is-crazy-and-whomever-calls-it-music-is-a-loon-too. (I'm sure they still get such sneers.) Why? Because it is against the grain. It causes people to think a bit differently about music, to look at it from a different angle, in a different light. It causes people to empathize with something new.

Why are some folks so apt to block certain things from their minds? Is it because they are afraid of empathizing with new things? Is it a narrow-minded environment from which they might come? (But if that's the reason, then people are enslaved to a way of thinking, and we know that slavery in America is unconstitutional...just thought I'd throw that in, I guess...) So what is it? Why are people quick to cast aside, and slow to consider?

Los Angeles, CA

2007-07-11T22:39:00.000-04:00

I've been in LA this week, and it has been such a good trip...it would be better with Rachel, though. Yesterday our group went to the Ronald Reagan Library and Santa Barbara. Today we went to the Richard Nixon Library, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills. Tomorrow, we go to a couple of Missions and San Diego.

On Reagan's tomb memorial is written, "I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life." This is one of the final messages the world has of former President Reagan, even from a man who was almost fatally shot and certainly severely wounded. Reagan wrote in his personal diary describing the shooter as "a mixed up young man" and did not seem to harbor any resentment toward that young man. Something worthy of respect.

Today is actually an historic date for the Nixon Library. Before we toured the facility, some staff members were cleaning up from a reception held in the main lobby, and we learned that the Library was being included in the National Presidential Library Circuit, which means the facility will now be eligible for federal funding, whereas before it had only been a museum and raised all of its own funding. Interesting to be a part of history so close.

Poppity pop music

2007-07-07T22:49:00.000-04:00

NPR does a segment entitled, "This I Believe," where they feature solid essays written by people who convey worthy-of-sharing beliefs. Like them, I have beliefs too, and right now they happen to be about mainstream music.

Some good. Some not-so-good. Some never gets old no matter how much it's played. Some just isn't old enough and will always be immature crap. Some folks ask me about my work, and I tell them that I'm a choral director at a high school who hopes to further pursue the field with higher degrees. After the conversation goes so far, they ask something like, "So do you listen to any country or rap or rock?" My response is, "If it's good."

I do know some who believe the radio is completely ridiculous these days because "music just ain't what it used to be." And to such statements I would have to agree that music certainly isn't at all what it once was. But I would be agreeing for a different reason, rather than in support of sulky, pouting comments. Music can't help but change. It always will, and you can lay a high bid on that.

I believe pop music can be good. Of course there is a lot that isn't because I can't help but notice how poorly the musical lines are written or how less than thought provokingly scratched down lyrics can come out, as if these folks were in a hurry to write the song, produce the song, and sell it only to drive the market to feed their green pockets. But sometimes it's done well. There are those out there who actually think about solid material to present to the public and actually fearlessly (perhaps fearfully) put it out there for people to enjoy and connect with. Some folks ask me what constitutes good music and want me to name off specific people for them to listen to, but I tell them to listen for those people who cause you to reflect on your life, your current mode of operation, or anything that makes you stop and say to yourself, "I truly enjoyed that because of what it communicated to me personally, and not just because it's what other people are tuned into." When you can say things like this about a singer or songwriter, it is then you have encountered a musician, an artist.

90 miles a minute

2007-07-06T00:03:00.000-04:00

So you're thinking, "a blog for recording aesthetic moments emoting from music"...who's this guy? Why would I want to read this emoting stuff, much less leave comments on posts?
The truth is, my mind runs, you guessed it, 90 miles a minute when it comes to "musical moments," and I need one more place to write them down so I don't forget them. I usually put them in a journal, but I thought why not put it out for the public so I can welcome thoughts of others and learn from you guys? Sounded pretty cool to me.

Being a conductor, though I'm quite young at it, comes with its nearly cultish ways. Constant thought about how to convey information to people in an understandable way through words and body language. But that's not the beginning of it all. A conductor primarily exists within his thoughts and communicates to the world first through a pencil, leaving its graphite (or colored pigments) on the musical score. First, the obvious work: marking the dynamics. These are the things that protrude from the page in black and white. The hard work comes in figuring out how to phrase the piece. Long phrase? Short phrase? What musical context works in conjunction with the text being sung? Now what are the heights of the phrase? Which parts of the phrase should be most important, and what makes the most sense with the entire work? What is it the composer wants people to learn or like about this piece? ...and on and on and on...

So, you see. A conductor's mind, at least mine, can go crazy. Thus I post to welcome comments, questions, and food for thought to apply a little breakage to the 90mph I often experience.