Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

A dectet for 2 cl (cl II = bass cl) saxophone quartet, 3 tn & ta

https://www.youtube.com/v/n-95rYkIbmE

[Uhor]

Am I hearing Adams slightly mad cousin? Also reminded me a bit of Mason's drawing tunes and fuging photos which I really like and lastly Stravinsky's Ebony concerto.

[Karl Henning]

I do believe that Snootful of Hooch is ready to sound abroad

I've just heard from the husband/wife duo for whom I wrote the piece:

Since we talked our son Liam was born on my birthday 3/5. We are all doing great but also adjusting to a new life. Ela and I wanted to share two things:

1) I just launched remotelymusic.com (rms)

2) a premier of this piece might fit for a future RMS session

If interested you can join the rms mailing list

As we are still defining the RMS series, we are making these events free, with the option to financially support us during or after the event. During each event, we'll let you know how you can support the series, the Orchestrotica and our guests if you wish.

[Karl Henning]

Now, as to the Rapido! competition . . . semi-finalist works are to be performed in the Fall of 2018, so I suppose that there, too, the decision must be fairly soon after the submission deadline.


There are five $500 prizes (four regional semi-finalists, and an "audience's favorite" prize);  a single national winner is subsequently selected, who will be awarded a orchestral commission to be played by the Atlanta Symphony.


Who knows?  If somebody still has a chance, it must be you . . . .

As I probably noted, my submission was not selected in the Rapido! competition, but I've gone ahead and registered for this year's cycle: heck, you never know.  Maybe my piece this June can seerve to finish my Opus 114 set.

[Karl Henning]

Our Man in Wisconsin has called for 20-second pieces for melodica so, of course, I am ready to oblige

[Karl Henning]

Micro-baby-steps, everyday activities division. Now that Mike and I have resumed our sessions, he has chosen to pick his battles, and he has mostly concentrated on the arm as we have begun to work again, to ramp up. These past couple of weeks, I have felt that my left arm does want to participate more and do more;  this is the first in a long time, for instance, that as I've been seated at table I have felt like resting my left elbow on the table almost as if I were going to arm wrestle. That seems like a small thing but it feels very big to me. I also feel more range in the arm as I cover the bird's cage at night and reach up with the blanket. One very pleasant downstream effect (as I will call it) since as I say, Mike has concentrated on the arm rather than the hand and fingers lately: one of my regular challenges has been to apply deodorant to my right armpit holding the deodorant in my left hand. Of course, this has gotten marginally better over the last several months, as my left hand grip very slowly cooperates more and more. But after my last two showers, although I still need to be attentive and deliberate, I do feel that the hand has done noticeably better. Again, it is very slow going, but I do sense genuine Improvement and I know I shall get there.

[André]

This is genuine and measurable improvement, Karl, even if it seems 'micro' for the moment. You are doing really well, my friend !

[Karl Henning]

Merci!

[JBS]

This is genuine and measurable improvement, Karl, even if it seems 'micro' for the moment. You are doing really well, my friend !

Indeed. Perhaps your next challenge might be using your left hand to deoderize your left armpit. Will your elbow flex that much?

[Karl Henning]

Indeed. Perhaps your next challenge might be using your left hand to deoderize your left armpit. Will your elbow flex that much?

My elbow is up to it, but not yet the left wrist and hand.

[Karl Henning]

Of course, the fact that I can work the elbow and arm thus, are a big gain, as well.

[Karl Henning]

My next steps (as it were) on the ballet entail two folders: My publisher requests soundfiles for the entire ballet, to shop it around.  And another conductor who is an old friend, I'll call him Jacques, who has actually known about White Nights even longer than Carl, has asked to review the entire score.

Heard from Jacques today, which, considering how substantial a score White Nights is, was astoundingly rapid response:

This really looks delicious! Is there choreography? How does one get a company interested in a premiere? I would imagine first you interest a choreographer who will place it.
I'll think about it.

Congratulations!!

[Karl Henning]

An old Wooster friend sent me the text of a camp song which is laced with many an amusing line/image.  I wanted to set it to music, but also figured that I should craft my own text to ensure unfettered copyright (though my friend feels sure it must be P.D.)

We of Triad, have been brainstorming ways to remain active in this time of isolation; one thought is a kind of improv-plus-serendipity strategy whereby I send the singers music (in parts, although not intended to be aligned in the sense of a traditional score;  each singer records oneself, and the parts are mixed creatively.  And I think an adaptation/adoption of this camp song is the perfect text for the project:


Best Get the Ax (Variation on a Doggerel

Peering at the beach through the knothole in Grampa's wooden leg,

Who parked the shore so hard against the ocean, the ocean?

Best get the ax, there's a hair on Baby's chest.

And my sweetheart's gone for I cannot say how long.

The cows made a sound, four feet upon the ground.

It isn't too late, honey, to wind your wristwatch.

Oh! Who will milk my cows when I'm gone, I'm gone?

Feed the baby garlic, to find him in the dark. Will Grandma's false teeth soon fit Lizzie, fit Lizzie?

While walking in the moonlight, the bright and sunny moonlight She kissed me in the eye with a kiwi, a kiwi.

A snake has no hips, so he wears no belt,

Nor shoulders, so no braces, neither,

No wonder, no wonder that he knots his cravat 'round his middle, his middle.

Leaning out a window, a second-story window, I slipped and sprained my eyebrow on the postman, the postman. Go get the mouthwash, sister's got a beau, and a kiwi, a kiwi.  That meddlesome boy's let the snake's wristwatch run down.

Best get the ax.

And. the Ur-text:

Go Get the Ax
While looking through the knot hole in Grampa's wooden leg, Oh, who has put the shore so near the ocean, the ocean? Go get the ax, there's a hair on Baby's chest. And a boy's best friend is his mother, his mother.
The horses stood around, four feet upon the ground. Oh! Who will wind my wristwatch when I'm gone, I'm gone? We feed the baby garlic, to find him in the dark. Will Grandma's false teeth soon fit Jenny, fit Jenny?
While walking in the moonlight, the bright and sunny moonlight She kissed me in the eye with a tomato, tomato. A snake's belt slips because he has no hips So he wears his neck tie 'round his middle, his middle.
Leaning out a window, a second story window, I slipped and sprained my eyebrow on the pavement, the pavement. Go get the Listerine, sister's got a beau, And a boy's best friend is his mother, his mother.
Titled variously "A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mother," The Horses go around," and best "Go get the Ax". Written By: Unknown, Copyright Unknown – From Folksongs of Britain and Ireland.

[JBS]

Hah!

Mention of Lizzie in a rhyme about an ax made me think the original had some reference to Miss Borden of the Forty Whacks. But I see was wrong.

[Karl Henning]

Hah!

Mention of Lizzie in a rhyme about an ax made me think the original had some reference to Miss Borden of the Forty Whacks. But I see was wrong.

That was a bit of misdirection on my part; thanks!

[Karl Henning]

My friend Peter found this;  I wonder now if I've ever seen this Bugs Bunny cartoon:

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/pondering-go-get-the-ax/

To our commutual amusement, Jeffrey, Bugs sings, "Go get the ax, there's a flea on Lizzie's ear ...."

[JBS]

My friend Peter found this;  I wonder now if I've ever seen this Bugs Bunny cartoon:

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/pondering-go-get-the-ax/

To our commutual amusement, Jeffrey, Bugs sings, "Go get the ax, there's a flea on Lizzie's ear ...."

Did the UK have a "Listerine" of its own that was not related to the American brand? The latter, from what I could find, seems have not been marketed heavily  outside the US until possibly after WWI, which would make that Urtext in fact a fairly modern transcription.

[Karl Henning]

Did the UK have a "Listerine" of its own that was not related to the American brand? The latter, from what I could find, seems have not been marketed heavily  outside the US until possibly after WWI, which would make that Urtext in fact a fairly modern transcription.

Indeed: my immediate source is my friend's boyhood camp singing, so the Listerine must have crept in . . .

[Karl Henning]

A personal matter distracted me from composing lately;  happily, it is now all resolved.  So I have resumed work on The Heart (mvt 2 of the Symphony for Band)  I'll tinker some more before offering a score.

[Karl Henning]

Well, after getting two days of what I thought was good work done on the contest piece, I found myself rather tired; so I took first one day, and then more to rest.  Today, I was feeling that I wanted to try to pick it up, even as (in principle) I am ready to let it go, and continue resting, if that is what my body is telling me.  Looking at the score, I see that back on Day 1, I must have had an errant mouse-click, screwing up the cello line.  I cannot reconstruct it (or, for that I certainly do not presently have energy) so I am taking the signs, and will leave it be the spilt milk o'er which I shan't cry.  I shall continue resting this week, and come Monday, will address a piece for my friend Janet Ross, for soprano and alto flute. setting a lovely new text furnished (at my request) by our Cato.