Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

For the Op.77b, I think I shall need to be a little creative with the accompaniment to the Gigue.  For the original, ease and speed of preparation were the important considerations, so that the organ accompaniment being light was not necessarily a drawback;  but clearly I do think I should make for better employment of the string choir as accompaniment.

Finished the arrangement of the Gigue!

[Karl Henning]

Some progress on the Op.107

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[Karl Henning]

Not sure about that latest chord in the brass;  otherwise, though, I think the progress all sound.

[Karl Henning]

I have an appalling bit of news:  I managed to record the entire concert, with the curious exception of my own piece.  I have no explanation, other than good old-fashioned stupidity.

I have found a moderately less-prejudicial explanation.

I had promised Charles Knox that I would record both the pre-service rehearsal, and the performance within the service, of his charming anthem, Wings for Our Soul, yesterday.  As I had done for the Mysterious Fruit concert, I fully charge the Micro-Trak, and brought the Jackery power source for when the battery's charge would yield.  That is, on both occasions I began by letting the Micro-Trak run on its own power, and planned to plug it into the Jackery later.

At our rehearsal before the service yesterday, then, I pressed the Record button, and let the device run through the entire rehearsal (and we managed to run the entire piece three times).  When I went to the device at the conclusion of the rehearsal, it had shut off.  I feared the worst, i.e., that the device had switched off before we got started actually singing.

During the service, I hooked the Micro Trak up to the Jackery, and feared no mechanical mischief.

At home afterwards, I surveyed the result.  On its own power, the Micro trak had recorded about 14 minutes of the rehearsal (and cut off mid-way through the third rehearsal take).  So I was able to furnish for Lux Nova Press two and a half rehearsal takes, and the performance (which, though not perfect, was indeed the best of the lot).

In hindsight, then ... I had in fact hit Record normally for The Mysterious Fruit;  but since it was the final number on the first half of the concert, the Micro Trak gave up before the music had even begun.

In future, just hook the Micro Trak up to a power source at the outset.

[Karl Henning]

The group is on an altogether higher musical plane than my own church choir, of course.  And the fact that I am apparently out of practice, in terms of requiring finer things, more musical refinements from a choir (since, without disparaging their earnest music-making, I cannot expect to do so with my lot at the church!) that I rather felt I was wasting time, searching in my mind for things to fix.  But the sound and the music-making were good, so as long as I had them singing, I gave the impression of doing good work.  And now, I can do informed homework with the score so that in my next rehearsal, I can work with complete self-assurance.

Another rehearsal tonight.  On the slate is my own Agnus Dei . . . it will be the first I hear any group sing the piece, so I am excited.

[Karl Henning]

I think this may be done.

I've hoist the MIDI onto SoundCloud.

[Karl Henning]

Another rehearsal tonight.  On the slate is my own Agnus Dei . . . it will be the first I hear any group sing the piece, so I am excited.

For only the second time that the group has sung the piece (I was out of town at the first rehearsal), the Agnus Dei sounds phenomenal.  And even if our first performance be as early as 1 May, we've an entire month to refine.  There are a number of other pieces we are singing which are harder work, and where we are still learning notes (the Harbison, in particular, is rather a dogsbody piece to learn).  I think my own piece holds its place among them;  and has the additional virtue that our work with the piece from here on out is refining the musicality, rather than learning the notes.

[Cato]

For only the second time that the group has sung the piece (I was out of town at the first rehearsal), the Agnus Dei sounds phenomenal.  And even if our first performance be as early as 1 May, we've an entire month to refine.  There are a number of other pieces we are singing which are harder work, and where we are still learning notes (the Harbison, in particular, is rather a dogsbody piece to learn).  I think my own piece holds its place among them;  and has the additional virtue that our work with the piece from here on out is refining the musicality, rather than learning the notes.

The last few years have been an exciting time for performances of "HenningMusick" !

I've hoist the MIDI onto SoundCloud.

I have lost track: have you offered the score in progress?

[Karl Henning]

The score from February is here, but I have made some minor alterations.

And I made a start on the third piece . . . between juggling the Studio, the Gloria, and this, they'll all get done presently . . . .

[Karl Henning]

My talent and work ethic have triumphed:  I have fixed that chord voicing which was nagging at me!

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[Karl Henning]

The chord in question was C - G - B - F# - G - D - F - B^b

When I first constructed that chord (built on second-ledger-line C below the bass clef), I intended a minor ninth between the F# and G.  But, I thought, I wanted to score the chord for the brass (continuing from the previous section), and that upper tetrachord would be much too high for the horns.  So what my ear did not like was the crowdedness of the chord, with the upper tetrachord transposed down an octave to suit the range of the horns.

Not surprisingly, that tetrachord, restored to where I had at first composed it, suits me just fine . . . at the original octave, it sits perfectly well with the "double-reed quartet" (three oboes and the corno inglese).  I had to do a little rearranging to clear that space for the material, and now I am entirely pleased with the result . . . and am ready to move ahead and wrap the piece up!

[jochanaan]

...it sits perfectly well with the "double-reed quartet" (three oboes and the corno inglese)...

And it's right in the sweet ranges for said double reed quartet!

[Karl Henning]

You see! It was Meant To Be! 

[Karl Henning]

The cellist for whom I wrote Nicodemus will play it at the church service tomorrow, following the reading of the Passion.

[Cato]

The cellist for whom I wrote Nicodemus will play it at the church service tomorrow, following the reading of the Passion.

Excellent and highly meditative work!   Will there be a recording?

[Karl Henning]

We shall see!

[Karl Henning]

Okay, maybe I'm just being a hot dog, but mm. 257 ff. comes from a sketch dated 11 Aug [2012], about which I had forgotten until rediscovering the papers earlier this month . . . and I think they fit in right here (which did not exist even in my imagination at the time) just fine.

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[Karl Henning]

Tomorrow my own choir will sing my arrangement of My Lord, What a Morning for choir & handbells.

[Cato]

Okay, maybe I'm just being a hot dog, but mm. 257 ff. comes from a sketch dated 11 Aug [2012], about which I had forgotten until rediscovering the papers earlier this month . . . and I think they fit in right here (which did not exist even in my imagination at the time) just fine.

There is some serious Schoenbergian DNA in that section, of which you should be very proud: the fading away of one note on the Bass Clarinet with the swelling and fading away of sound is most eloquent.

[Karl Henning]

I think it may possibly be done!