Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

The new Boulez is dead!

The main framework of the expansion does not borrow from the Symphony, exactly, but uses raw pitch material from which I also drew for the Symphony.  Possibly because I had recently visited the South, I found myself employing "Swanee River."  (And here I seem to have violated my intentions of not revealing the melodic objets trouvés whereof the clarinet line consists.  Otherwise, though, I remain mum.)

[Karl Henning]

Other as-yet-only-mental work which I have yet to report . . . the presentation of two numbers from the Op.114 in the Game of Tones program has me thinking of specific material for the third piece in that set, for flute and vibraphone/glockenspiel, Bicycling Into the Sun (Feel the Burn).  And, as to the next piece for Triad . . .

I have been thinking of arranging Castelo dos Anjos for us to sing.  The original, composed for Tapestry, is three soli women's voices and percussion.  As the thought of adapting the piece for Triad started to take shape, my thoughts were to decide which passages should remain for solo voice, and which may be reassigned to a section, and to render the percussion as "vocal percussion" for the men.  Recently, though, I wonder if the percussive element will work better (entirely? partly?) as fixed media accompaniment . . . and in fact, I am quite taken with the notion of enlarging the palette in that way.

[Karl Henning]

Good progress on the third movement. I'm juggling some of the elements of my outline (more on this later). Most notably (and, why I do not as yet post the score) I have realized that it is silly for me to hew unyielding to the notion of this movement being clarinet unaccompanied (for one thing, I've written plenty of music for clarinet unaccompanied already). In fact, I feel like adding very light piano "traces."

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[Karl Henning]

As to juggling, my original outline was as follows:

i. Another Think Coming [ Allegro ]
ii. Boulez est mort [ Adagio ]
iii. Ambiguity & Overlap (Something or other, if not something else entirely) [ Vivo ]
iv. Unanticipated Serenity [ Allegretto grazioso ]
v. After a reading of "The Mysterious Stranger" [ Andante — Vivace assai — Andante ]

(I have mislaid the scrap of paper on which I included tentative timings for the five movements, and too bad.)

The third movement was meant from the start — well, from the start of work on the second movement, which begins with an extended piano solo — to be clarinet solo.  However, as I started composing the material for the third movement, my marking was Grazioso.  So:  mvt 3 will be Unanticipated Serenity, and a further change is that the piano will be light, very light, and not absent.

One "problem" is that, as John had requested a March, and I was thinking of having such music in the fourth movement, that runs athwart the idea of Vivo.  (We may observe that it arguably jars with Allegretto grazioso, as well, so some adjustment in The Plan was already indicated.)  The March is a welcome idea, additionally, because given the space I want the fourth mvt to occupy, and the recasting of the fourth as the Vivo movement, making the fourth mvt a hybrid Vivo + March is both an excellent solution to my time requirements, and lo! fits very nicely the subtitle upon which I had long ago settled (Something or other, if not something else entirely).

I am (allowing for the discreet addition of piano) about done with the third movement, and have the musical ideas for the fourth ready.  I'll see to the fifth, when I get there.

The present state of the outline, then, is:

i. Allegro (9:45)
ii. Grave (9:45) [as in the original plan, the two movements of roughly the same duration]
iii. Grazioso (2:30) – attacca
iv. Vivo – Marziale ma amabile (3:45) – attacca
v. Andante — Vivace assai — Andante (6:45)

The breakdown of the 4th mvt will be 60 seconds of darned Vivo, and 2:45 of relaxed march.

The breakdown of the 5th, 1:30 + 2:30 + 2:45

[Karl Henning]

(I have mislaid the scrap of paper on which I included tentative timings for the five movements, and too bad.)

Amusingly, I've now located the errant scrap of paper, and . . . apparently to counter the braking of the second movement down to Grave from Adagio, I intuitively shrank the overall duration of 3/4/5 a shade, although the fifth movement itself stretched out some.

Jan 2017 outline: 3:00 + 7:00 + 6:00 = 16:00

Present outline: 2:30 + 3:45 + 6:45 = 13:00

Of course, as I actually do the composing, it's anyone's guess whether we do not expand naturally to the original 16', or keep to the 13'.  I can hardly wait to see how it all shakes out . . . .

[Karl Henning]

I may strike the attacca between movements 4 and 5 . . . we shall see.

[Cato]

Good progress on the third movement. I'm juggling some of the elements of my outline (more on this later). Most notably (and, why I do not as yet post the score) I have realized that it is silly for me to hew unyielding to the notion of this movement being clarinet unaccompanied (for one thing, I've written plenty of music for clarinet unaccompanied already). In fact, I feel like adding very light piano "traces."

How about having the pianist strum a few of the wires? 0:)  From Boulez to the lyres of Ancient Greece and Rome!

[Karl Henning]

How about having the pianist strum a few of the wires? 0:)  From Boulez to the lyres of Ancient Greece and Rome!

Nice idea!  I may have it optional for the pianist to pluck notes from the interior . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Probably the most interesting thing to happen to me yesterday was, that I have been hired (not that the pay will be much, but of course it is something) to play some oddment percussion for Pictures at an Exhibition in Arlington this weekend.

This morning while rolling on the Red Line, I made my way to the final double-bar of Unanticipated Serenity.  Of course, it will not really be finished until I have added the piano, a task which I just may be able to fulfill this evening.

How about having the pianist strum a few of the wires? 0:)

What slice of the royalties would it be right to offer you?  0:)

On a mildly serious note, ideas come from everywhere, is the music really mine?  How much of it is really mine?

[Karl Henning]

In the event, I did change the ending [of Another Think Coming]; very slightly, really, but I think it an enormous improvement.

A few other comparatively minor changes;  and added rehearsal letters.

Happy to say that, the more I live with the first movement of the Sonata, the more I feel it is some of my very best music.

[Karl Henning]

On a mildly serious note, ideas come from everywhere, is the music really mine?  How much of it is really mine?

But none of it is Golijov's, Jack.

[Karl Henning]

Probably the most interesting thing to happen to me yesterday was, that I have been hired (not that the pay will be much, but of course it is something) to play some oddment percussion for Pictures at an Exhibition in Arlington this weekend.

Well, and there is a rehearsal tonight, so it has rapidly become rather a full week.

[Sergeant Rock]

Well, and there is a rehearsal tonight, so it has rapidly become rather a full week.

What instrument/instruments will you be playing? I always wanted to be a professional ratchet player   but I don't think Ravel used that in the Pictures.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Well, when I responded to the conductor, "What percussion insts?," he replied, "The easy ones."

However 😎 the chap he put me in touch with said they're looking to cover "xylophone, snare drum, gong and chimes" ... I don't consider myself as having any snare technique, but if it's something I can learn between tonight and Sunday afternoon ....

We shall see. When I get home, I'll root out my study score, and get the bird's-eye on the percussion scoring.

[Karl Henning]

Made a start on movement 4 at lunchtime.

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[Sergeant Rock]

Well, when I responded to the conductor, "What percussion insts?," he replied, "The easy ones."

However 😎 the chap he put me in touch with said they're looking to cover "xylophone, snare drum, gong and chimes" ... I don't consider myself as having any snare technique, but if it's something I can learn between tonight and Sunday afternoon ....

There's that prominent snare part in "Bydlo" that has a crescendo and diminuendo. I would think that tricky to play. Good luck!

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Definitely need to defer to someone else in the section, there!

[Karl Henning]

Almost miraculously, I managed quickly to locate my pocket B&H score. I can manage the xylophone parts fine.

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[Karl Henning]

So last night my duty was partly to play the xylophone part (in two numbers) and the glockenspiel part on the xylophone – it's a community orchestra with limited resources (in two other numbers), partly to make sure I did not block the harpist's line of sight to the conductor – we're playing in the sanctuary of First Parish in Arlington, and we're doing what we can in the space.  For Saturday morning's rehearsal, there will be a tam-tam, so I shall be part of the Big Noise at the conclusion of "The Great Gate."

[Karl Henning]

Happy to say that, the more I live with the first movement of the Sonata, the more I feel it is some of my very best music.

These past few days, I have both chipped away at making progress with the third and fourth movements, and I have revisited the first two movements at least once a day.  The composer remains thoroughly pleased with the first movement.  Since completing the 'expansion' of the second, beginning with that degree of critical skepticism which I find necessary to Quality Control, I have gradually 'eased into' a state of unalloyed satisfaction with "le tombeau de Pierre";  I may (or may not) yet act on Cato's suggestion of un peu de plus of this or that material, but at press time I am rather inclined to leave it be, let it continue to 'cure' in my inner ear.  As to the third and fourth movements, between the material I have actually been committing to paper, and clear mentation viz. the piano accompaniment/participation, it would not much surprise me if I "suddenly" have two newly completed movements ready to post this weekend.