Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

I thought I posted about this, but maybe not: a month-ish ago, Ed Broms, with whom I worked when he was appointed Music Director at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston (after my almost-year as Interim MD) reached out to me to ask for my setting of the Nunc dimittis canticle, from the Evening Service I composed during my turn as Interim MD. I recently asked wrote to him:

Hi, Ed. How has your choir responded to the Nunc? The attached Kyrie is in somewhat the same manner, in case it may be of interest.

The Kyrie was the first number of what eventually became a complete Mass for unaccompanied choir.

Ed replied:

Thanks Karl! Happy Easter! This will make a nice pairing with the Nunc - I was going to ask too if you had any Magnificat's in the offing for future Evensongs? I can't remember...
We tabled the Nunc until after Easter and went with the Howells Collegium Evensong setting for Lent, but will take up your Nunc now for sometime in the Easter season.  I'm sure the choir will love it as do I, but will need to sit with it a while to sing it well.

I replied:

Ed, the Magnificat paired with the Nunc is quite a rhythmic challenge for a choir (and I don't need to tell you how relatively disadvantaged rhythmically the average singer is, as against a comparably experienced instrumentalist. I attach it (not wishing to seem to refuse you.) If you don't mind mixing languages (the Latin Nunc with an English Mag) Lux Nova carries a Song of Mary which is significantly less stressful for the singers: https://luxnova.com/lnpwebstore/catalog.php?pcode=LNP-0162

[Karl Henning]

In October pianist Beth Levin, with whom I am in contact via social media, kindly told a friend of hers, the cellist of 8 Strings and a Whistle (fl/vn/vc) about me, and that the cellist invited me to send him some music. I adapted and sent:
A Snootful of Hooch
Boston Harbor Heave-Ho (Tea Party Dance)
Revere's Midnight Reel (War Dance)

I pinged him a week ago, and he replied yesterday:

Hi Karl,


My apologies.  I completely dropped the ball on this.  I had gone as far as forwarding your original e-mail (with the attached music) to Suzanne (flute) and Ina (viola), but never picked it up after that.  We're currently focused on preparing for a concert in Ridgewood, NJ this Saturday, April 6th, but are looking for programming ideas after that. Your pieces will definitely be on the "read pile" after April 6th.

Terribly sorry for this delay.  I knew I was forgetting something....

Thanks for your patience.  Hope you're well.

[Karl Henning]

I found a call for choral scores, so I submitted both my Kyrie and the attached, an Antiphon for the first Sunday of Advent which never got sung.

[Karl Henning]

I thought I posted about this, but maybe not: a month-ish ago, Ed Broms, with whom I worked when he was appointed Music Director at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston (after my almost-year as Interim MD) reached out to me to ask for my setting of the Nunc dimittis canticle, from the Evening Service I composed during my turn as Interim MD. I recently asked wrote to him:
The Kyrie was the first number of what eventually became a complete Mass for unaccompanied choir.

Ed, the Magnificat paired with the Nunc is quite a rhythmic challenge for a choir (and I don't need to tell you how relatively disadvantaged rhythmically the average singer is, as against a comparably experienced instrumentalist. I attach it (not wishing to seem to refuse you.) If you don't mind mixing languages (the Latin Nunc with an English Mag) Lux Nova carries a Song of Mary which is significantly less stressful for the singers: https://luxnova.com/lnpwebstore/catalog.php?pcode=LNP-0162

To my delight, Ed responds:

Excellent - thanks for these Karl - will add them in the mix and give a read through with the choir this Spring.  They are eager for challenges and I'm sure would enjoy this.  More soon,

[Karl Henning]

I found a call for choral scores, so I submitted both my Kyrie and the attached, an Antiphon for the first Sunday of Advent which never got sung.

As to I Look from Afar, the call specified that some divisi was acceptable, but in the soprano (and considering my own church choir, I gets it.) However, my original (here attached) had divisi in the bass (I had composed it with the St Paul's choir in mind) so I had to prepare an edited version for the call, hence the work creating a Sibelius file yesterday. You understand why I wished to restore the bass part.

[Karl Henning]

I also found a call for scores for 4-6 trumpets. I thought I had a trumpet quartet in the can, but in fact the quartet I had in view was 2 tp/2 tn. However, I had arranged the Sanctus for four tubas (two euphonia and two tubas, actually.) Here adapted and re-dubbed.

[Karl Henning]

I also found a call for scores for 4-6 trumpets. I thought I had a trumpet quartet in the can, but in fact the quartet I had in view was 2 tp/2 tn. However, I had arranged the Sanctus for four tubas (two euphonia and two tubas, actually.) Here adapted and re-dubbed.

I'm bouncing it off a fellow composer who is also a trumpeter, as I'm mildly concerned that the tessirura of the first part lies rather high. If he feels that is the case, perhaps I could transpose it down a minor third (though that results in a sepulchral F# in the fourth part. Th obvious compromise being to drop it only a major second.

[Karl Henning]

I'm bouncing it off a fellow composer who is also a trumpeter, as I'm mildly concerned that the tessirura of the first part lies rather high. If he feels that is the case, perhaps I could transpose it down a minor third (though that results in a sepulchral F# in the fourth part. Th obvious compromise being to drop it only a major second.

As with the choral call, one can submit more than one piece, so i'm whippig up a kind of fanfare for six trumpets.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

As with the choral call, one can submit more than one piece, so i'm whippig up a kind of fanfare for six trumpets.

What are you doing to that poor pig?!   

[Karl Henning]

What are you doing to that poor pig?!   

Hah! Me and my tyos! 

[DavidW]

Hah! Me and my tyos!

Yes, the Tallahassee Youth Orchestra (TYO) salutes you!

[Karl Henning]

I also found a call for scores for 4-6 trumpets. I thought I had a trumpet quartet in the can, but in fact the quartet I had in view was 2 tp/2 tn. However, I had arranged the Sanctus for four tubas (two euphonia and two tubas, actually.) Here adapted and re-dubbed.

I've submitted it to the call, and sent it to my old school mate who is an excellent trumpeter.

[Karl Henning]

At Boston Conservatory @ Berklee for Judith's Canta la Sal
(Boston Conservatory co-commission with Juventas New Music Ensemble and Anne Howarth)

Anne Howarth, horn
Rhonda Rider, cello
Haram Kim, piano

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I've submitted it to the call, and sent it to my old school mate who is an excellent trumpeter.

Karl, sorry but I don't know what 2tp/2tn means.  Two trumpets?....?  Tenor something or other?

[Karl Henning]

Karl, sorry but I don't know what 2tp/2tn means.  Two trumpets?....?  Tenor something or other?

2 trumpets and 2 trombones, PD. Sorry I was elliptical. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

2 trumpets and 2 trombones, PD. Sorry I was elliptical.

Thanks!

[Karl Henning]

At Boston Conservatory @ Berklee for Judith's Canta la Sal
(Boston Conservatory co-commission with Juventas New Music Ensemble and Anne Howarth)

Anne Howarth, horn
Rhonda Rider, cello
Haram Kim, piano

Excellent piece (as anticipated) and very nice to see Judith again!

[Karl Henning]

I've submitted it to the call, and sent it to my old school mate who is an excellent trumpeter.

And now, a second piece for the call ...

Fanfare: Entrance of the Mid-Level Managers.

My working title was I Literally Had No Idea! but I didn't want the title to taint the jury pool, so to speak.

[Karl Henning]

Had a  very nice catch-up phone call with fellow composer-conductor Kevin Scott. He'll be conducting the Rockaway Five Towns Symphony Orchestra in a concert soon (11 May).

He asked me to send him some orchestral scores for consideration in future, and so I've sent him For You, Fuchsia and the "Henning First." You never know.

[Karl Henning]

Here is Triad singing a Friday Tenebrae motet by Kevin Scott: