Henning's Headquarters

Karl Henning · February 02, 2018, 10:32:01 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 23, 2018, 06:37:44 AM
I keep meaning to "reduce" Nun of the Above for cl/pf.

Oh! I have done. Some little while ago.

Revisiting this . . . I have the ears of two different conductors (so, four ears total):

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSMo90L5xJA

Karl Henning · February 03, 2018, 08:25:05 AM

This morning, I've prepared a fl/pf version of Nun of the Above, for Peter Bloom; and created a fresh (optional) harp part for the Alleluia in D.

Rons_talking · February 12, 2018, 07:05:34 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 02, 2018, 10:32:01 AM
Oh! I have done. Some little while ago.

Revisiting this . . . I have the ears of two different conductors (so, four ears total):

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZSMo90L5xJA

Nice! I hope this comes to light...

Karl Henning · February 13, 2018, 09:31:24 AM

Quote from: Rons_talking on February 12, 2018, 07:05:34 AM
Nice! I hope this comes to light...

I should make a phone call . . . .

Karl Henning · February 13, 2018, 09:32:05 AM

Not much in the way of news, really: I am still on the mend from one of the bugs which has been going around. We had a Triad rehearsal last night, for a community outreach project: a joint concert with a couple of school choirs on Saturday the 24^th. We have a 'solo' portion of the program in which we shall revive items we've already sung, and fairly recently – this will include the Gloria. And we are singing two numbers as a massed choir, including one Alleluia from Triad's inaugural concert, back when.

I had no voice for singing last night. (I am hoping, God willing, to have voice enough to sing a chant along with my church choir at tomorrow's Ash Wednesday service.) But with the short timeframe, I had to put in an appearance.

What else? I have been thinking about the Clarinet Sonata a great deal. A pianist in Rochester who has played music of mine before is game; logistics need to be worked out. I've reached out to my publisher to see if we can interest an Atlanta clarinetist in the piece. (On my last visit down yonder, I was introduced to two clarinetists who play with the ASO.) To that end, I prepared (afresh, I suppose) audio files of the MIDI extrusions . . . so I have been listening to this, probably each day for a few days now.

Karl Henning · February 19, 2018, 07:23:18 AM

I have had to rethink the April program at King's Chapel, pushing A Heart So White out to October. My "new work burden" for the concert has been down-pedaled to a 6-ish minute piece for four winds.

And here is the start.

Edit :: old version deleted

Cato · February 19, 2018, 09:55:40 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 19, 2018, 07:23:18 AM
I have had to rethink the April program at King's Chapel, pushing A Heart So White out to October. My "new work burden" for the concert has been down-pedaled to a 6-ish minute piece for four winds.

And here is the start.

Hi Karl: in your chamber piece here I find much more to intrigue the ear - in the opening section alone - than in 25 pages of the recently posted Violin Concerto of Professor Tison Street.

0:)

Karl Henning · March 03, 2018, 05:14:48 AM

Well, it has been quiet here (thanks, Cato, for the kind thought!)

We had a workshop-cum-joint concert with two college choirs last Saturday, Curry College Sing! performed a piece written by their director, Triad's Julian Bryson, and then Sing! and the Merrimack College Concert Choir (with director Hugh Hinton) together sang a choral arrangement either by Pentatonix, or an expansion of one of their arrangements. Then Triad sang Charles Turner's Sing Child in senssurround (i.e., we choristers spread out around the audience), the ladies of Triad sang Glee, we men of Triad sang Greg Brown's arrangement of The Dying Californian, and we closed our set with mine own Gloria. Then we three groups all together sang a graphic notation piece called Demon (which was an easy sell, since the pitch was "it's like the creepy soundtrack to a horror movie" — I loved that our own Jeremy was scornful of this sort of cheap musical gimgrackery) and the Alleluia from Triad's inaugural concert (sort of a "poor man's Randall Thomson" Alleluia). It all went well, and was great fun.

One conductor (the chap for whose orchestral winds I wrote I Sang to the Sky, and Day Broke, back when) has written to say he likes Il barbiere ladro. Not sure if/when his band might play it, but the conversation is resumed.

And Paul Cienniwa is playing a concert down yonder in Delray Beach with a violinist of the Delray String Quartet, in August. They will revive my duet, Plotting (y is the new x). I need to ring him afresh and confirm date and venue.

Karl Henning · March 06, 2018, 05:29:06 AM

Triad will indeed sing my Agnus Dei anew this June; and the group has taken the huge step of at last paying the singers (i.e., paying ourselves) for the June concert. Not a great deal, but being paid at all is an improvement upon nothing.

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 06, 2018, 05:19:49 AM
Not at present; but I do think the piece [Saltmarsh Stomp] shoppable

However . . . at the risk of a "Transfigured Nightfall" . . . if I beef up the scoring (so that all the members of the ensemble under consideration have employment) I can make the case to a local conductor. Yes, this I may just do . . . .

I had sent probably In the Artist's Studio (There's a wide world in there) and probably Ear Buds to the conductor of a local community wind ensemble, but he advised me that he can only consider scores which have every member of the group playing – it is for this group that I set to composing The Nerves. Well, maybe I shan't wait until I finish writing the ambitious large-scale work – I shall expand the scoring of the Saltmarsh Stomp, and offer him that.

Rons_talking · March 07, 2018, 07:26:29 AM

Karl, where's the best place to hear whatever recordings or sound files of your recent music (the music you talk about). Is it on youtube?

Karl Henning · March 07, 2018, 07:29:58 AM

Yes, Ron (and thanks!)

Also:

Henningmusick at ReverbNation.

Henningmusick at Instant Encore.

About an hour's worth of Henningmusick, too, at SoundCloud

But the more recent work is indeed on YouTube.

Karl Henning · March 08, 2018, 03:50:54 PM

Finally, I have acted (been able to act) on the partially-indeterminate handbell choir piece for Easter.

Six ringers, in three pairs. Each pair has essentially the same five passages, but transposed to their respective bells, and in a different order. So, the material itself is semi-fixed (I'll leave it to the players to improvise when they may synchronize tempo with this or that other pair (the slight mixing of meters will assure that the six ringers do not proceed in lockstep), but no two performances will be the same. I have composed an ending, so we have the appearance of ending all together.

Unnotated is my wildcard notion of myself as director (since I do not need to conduct, in any traditional sense) having some bells of my own and adding the occasional improvised gesture within the texture. I suppose I really ought to state that, somewhere. Probably have a title page and a page of instruction.

Karl Henning · March 12, 2018, 01:12:57 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 08, 2018, 03:50:54 PM
Finally, I have acted (been able to act) on the partially-indeterminate handbell choir piece for Easter.

Six ringers, in three pairs. Each pair has essentially the same five passages, but transposed to their respective bells, and in a different order. So, the material itself is semi-fixed (I'll leave it to the players to improvise when they may synchronize tempo with this or that other pair (the slight mixing of meters will assure that the six ringers do not proceed in lockstep), but no two performances will be the same. I have composed an ending, so we have the appearance of ending all together.

Unnotated is my wildcard notion of myself as director (since I do not need to conduct, in any traditional sense) having some bells of my own and adding the occasional improvised gesture within the texture. I suppose I really ought to state that, somewhere. Probably have a title page and a page of instruction.

We rehearsed this for the first time yesterday. As I anticipated, it both sowed some confusion, yet stimulated imagination . . . expanding their consciousness of what performing music might be. (I do not necessarily claim that the piece is "great" for that reason

) It was a bit of a mess yesterday, as we address the confusion abovementioned; but we have a couple of weeks for more rehearsal.

Karl Henning · March 13, 2018, 02:12:18 PM

I've been watching the gloriously extensive featurettes on the making of Alien and Aliens. Why I'm posting that here is, I found it fascinating how both Goldsmith and Horner (albeit in different ways) found it frustrating, working with their respective productions. And I had forgotten that it was decided to use Hanson at the end of Alien ....

Cato · March 14, 2018, 10:30:38 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 13, 2018, 02:12:18 PM
And I had forgotten that it was decided to use Hanson at the end of Alien ....

NOOO!!!

https://www.youtube.com/v/IwQwufEfvWs

Karl Henning · March 14, 2018, 10:32:51 AM

In Space, No One Can Hear You Croon

Cato · March 14, 2018, 04:10:22 PM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 14, 2018, 10:32:51 AM
In Space, No One Can Hear You Croon

In many cases, that is a blessing! 0:)

Karl Henning · March 15, 2018, 01:00:44 AM

Forsooth!

Karl Henning · March 16, 2018, 07:08:37 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 11, 2017, 03:03:09 AM
Long day, yesterday. Winter storm Saturday evening into Sunday, perhaps 5" of wet snow; so, two cars to clean off ere I might head off to church. Needed to be at church early to set up the handbells. Good service. Grabbed a warm sub for lunch, counting on a long joint rehearsal. Good rehearsal, and ran as long as (but no longer than) I had anticipated. Executed the three-stop grocery run requested. Delivered the goods, in time to turn around and head to the four o'clock Master Singers concert. The highlight, which indeed opened the program, was my dear friend Pam Marshall's Shepherds & Angels, a 12-number suite for choir accompanied by harp, violin & tambourine. After the concert, met with the director, who apologized for not yet listening to the music I sent. I assured him that I am alive to the busyness of the season; he in turn affirmed that he doesn't mind my reminding him. I think I shall wait, either until after New Year's, or when we have the latest Triad concert hoist up to YouTube. On the way home, picked up the mono RCA cable (the miracle of Amazon locker), which proved exactly the thing wanted to get the sound from the telly to the sound bar. Quite an impressive difference. It was too late to start up Godfather III, so I contended myself with some of the videos from Genesis and We Can't Dance.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 23, 2018, 06:37:44 AM

[snip]

And it was probably time to ping Adam again, viz, my choral music. So I did.

[snip]

Act I of this quiet anti-drama has come to a pleasant conclusion. My Man on the Inside of the chorus applied diplomatic pressure, simply to listen to my work. I decided that, even though it was a choral Pops concert and therefore not my first choice, I should attend their 3 March concert. (It was good fun.) I got there early enough, that I figured I would step in the back (the parish hall of the church, that is) and greet my friend (thanking him for his pains, and for the comp). I found (barged in upon, I might say, without exaggeration) both Eric and the M.D. finishing with their suitings-up. Eric and I withdrew (for I really did not mean to engage the conductor in conversation, so shortly before a performance), and I heard to my delight that Adam has, indeed, listened to my work, and likes it. The plan is a bit longer-scale, to allow for a commission fee.

So, I await the opening of Act II . . . .

Karl Henning · March 16, 2018, 07:18:14 AM

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 03, 2018, 05:14:48 AM
And Paul Cienniwa is playing a concert down yonder in Delray Beach with a violinist of the Delray String Quartet, in August. They will revive my duet, Plotting (y is the new x). I need to ring him afresh and confirm date and venue.

19 August, and I am planning to be there in Delray Beach for the concert.

Ever the impertinent composer, I found the violinist on Facebook, logged a Friend request, and sent a brief introductory message. Shortly after she accepted, and replied with her phone number, making me welcome to call to talk about my piece.

For a dozen small reasons, but thankfully no great horrible reason, 1Q18 has been no friend to my musical activity/work. I had not meant for so long an interval before trying Mei Mei, but I did at last call this morning. (A little bird told me to have my music under my gaze during the call.) She had some layout/page-turn requests – and only reasonable. (Offhand, I am not sure how EmmaLee worked around the part . . . probably printed it all out at a reduction.) The call went swimmingly. Paul had told me that Mei Mei heads a string quartet, so I naturally went on to ask if I might send some music for the SQ, specifically (of course – pretty much the only quartet music I have Game Ready at present) the suite of short pieces, It's all in your head (not that that's a bad place for everything to be). She warmly accepted, and as the quartet have a September concert, and my pieces are short, she is already considering using one as an encore to their program.