Henning's Headquarters

Karl Henning · January 25, 2012, 10:18:10 AM

My nodding-off music this week has been Tallis. I think I must be itching to compose, because I find myself composing the start of a Kyrie in my inner ear.

Bad news, Cato, but I need to re-think (or, may need to re-think) the Cantata. The harpsichordist I was thinking of has removed himself from availability on a volunteer basis (can't blame him, really). So whether I think of altering the scoring, or perhaps find another player of the jangly instrument . . . .

I may test out the idea of another harpsichordist, by inviting a chappie to try Lunar Glare in October.

Karl Henning · January 26, 2012, 04:16:00 AM

No real news, but I have started jotting some actual notes, starting off a Kyrie. At the least, there's a fellow willing to have his choir give it a go.

Karl Henning · January 26, 2012, 06:20:39 AM

Even before my comment on Sarge's post here, I was thinking of writing a choral work with a nonsense text. (Really.)

Karl Henning · January 30, 2012, 03:29:01 PM

Some time ago, now, I showed a conductor chap some music from White Nights (probably about 35 minutes' worth).

Got a message to-day: he's not forgotten!

Cato · January 31, 2012, 02:32:01 PM

Quote from: karlhenning on January 30, 2012, 03:29:01 PM
Some time ago, now, I showed a conductor chap some music from White Nights (probably about 35 minutes' worth).

Got a message to-day: he's not forgotten!

Yay Team Henning!

So how much more do you need to compose in order to finish the ballet?

Karl Henning · January 31, 2012, 05:13:57 PM

I have to look. 40 minutes? 45? . . .

Karl Henning · January 31, 2012, 05:15:05 PM

This could be the public demo of the string pastoral from Night the First . . . which in turn could lead to . . . who knows? Maybe even . . . completion!

Cato · January 31, 2012, 05:50:24 PM

Quote from: karlhenning on January 31, 2012, 05:15:05 PM
This could be the public demo of the string pastoral from Night the First . . . which in turn could lead to . . . who knows? Maybe even . . . completion!

...which in turn will lead to... 0:)

Where would the concert take place? Ann Arbor?

Karl Henning · January 31, 2012, 06:18:12 PM

Saith Agent 86: Would you believe, backwoods New York state?

DavidW · February 01, 2012, 02:20:16 PM

Karl your inbox is full.

Karl Henning · February 01, 2012, 02:59:49 PM

Oh, my subscription has fallen off again ...

Karl Henning · February 02, 2012, 11:22:19 AM

Just had a nice chat on the phone with one of my musical mentors from back when, fellow who led the choir at St Michael's when I was in high school. So many fond musical memories of those days! I'm going to send him a recording of the Passion.

Karl Henning · February 03, 2012, 07:36:39 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on February 02, 2012, 11:22:19 AM
Just had a nice chat on the phone with one of my musical mentors from back when, fellow who led the choir at St Michael's when I was in high school. So many fond musical memories of those days! I'm going to send him a recording of the Passion.

Just mailed off both the Passion and the Viola Sonata.

Separately, Henningmusick will come to a new Boston venue on 27 April!

Karl Henning · February 20, 2012, 03:58:50 AM

About to head out of town for a spell. Planning to get some work done on the quartet (non archi). May get back to work on the Kyrie, too. Thinking idly of a vn-&-pf bon-bon, too.

Karl Henning · February 23, 2012, 10:17:53 AM

So — how to get back into the groove, right?

I've brought my three-ring binder. I open it up, and what should I see, but several sheets scrawled with the work from early December on the fourth clarinet duet.

The A section is a rhythmic canon which, try as I might (and I certainly did) I never sorted out to my satisfaction in December.

It was not that the musical task defeated me (I don't think). It just wanted more space and consideration than I could devote to it at the time.

The first problem (again: concentration & space) was, that I miscounted the rhythm of the answering voice. Sorting that out probably took me three days, nor is it as if we're talking about a huge musical canvas. Another problem was working out at which interval the pitch canon should answer. I kept getting "the wrong sort" of octave or unison.

When I approached the page fresh, yesterday, I set out with a "new" interval for the answer, which cooked along nicely ... but again, and well into this draught, a "wrong" octave loomed. I fudged out of it by inverting two or three intervals.

I suppose I'm writing this post, because I don't like that compromise, in this case.

My first go at it to-day was, to mentally try out two, three other intervals.

To cut to the chase: I decided to find a solution which at least generates the "right sort" of octave (two of them); it's a rotation of a transposition.

Cato · February 23, 2012, 10:54:59 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on February 23, 2012, 10:17:53 AM

I suppose I'm writing this post, because I don't like that compromise, in this case.

My first go at it to-day was, to mentally try out two, three other intervals.

To cut to the chase: I decided to find a solution which at least generates the "right sort" of octave (two of them); it's a rotation of a transposition.

This is where having options like C^¼ or C^¾ come in handy!

Karl Henning · February 24, 2012, 11:34:28 AM

Quote from: Cato on February 23, 2012, 10:54:59 AM
This is where having options like C^¼ or C^¾ come in handy!

: )

Karl Henning · February 24, 2012, 11:37:32 AM

That idea, yesterday, that the A' section was already done, was only partially in error: rhythmically, yes, it was done (which fact of itself must have felt like an improvement upon the A section, so long in the correcting/refining). Looking back (in order to look forward), I must not have finally addressed pitch matters for the A' section, while they remained up in the air for A.

There was probably just enough of a degree of frustration, back in December, in the apparently eternal incorrigibility of the A section, that even had I succeeded in knocking it into shape, mayhap I should only have felt an exasperated sort of relief. On some level, I expect that I knew that — and thus the abandonment of N° 4 at that time was less artistic laziness, and more a wish to remain on the best of terms with the nascent piece.

My work on the piece now is with an entirely fresh mind, and with the pieces falling into musically tidy place, I like the piece better now than ever — and that, of course, is driving enthusiasm to get more work done.

I began work on the B section to-day. My thoughts for this part remain very flexible, partly so that I remain receptive to my memory being jogged, that I might recall whatever I was thinking earlier (if indeed I ever thought on it more than I'm doing now), partly because, now that the "mechanical" work of "repairing" the outer sections is done, I feel that my touch now is more artistic, and a little more work may yield large benefit.

madaboutmahler · February 24, 2012, 12:07:05 PM

Quote from: karlhenning on February 24, 2012, 11:37:32 AM
My work on the piece now is with an entirely fresh mind, and with the pieces falling into musically tidy place, I like the piece better now than ever — and that, of course, is driving enthusiasm to get more work done.

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Like me and my violin sonata! As soon as I had a fresh mind for it, I have hardly been able to stop myself composing it...

Glad to hear it is all going well for you Karl, I look forward to hearing more of your work.

Karl Henning · February 24, 2012, 12:11:07 PM

Thanks, Daniel!

... In a pocket of this three-ring binder, I find a slip of non-MS. paper with a few verbal notes about N° 4 on one side, and a string of pitches and rhythmic values which must refer to the Viola Sonata on the reverse.

Of course, I took it for a sign, and I used those pitches (and their transposed inversion) in the sketch I made of the B section this afternoon.

Now, having sunbathed and cavorted in the surf, I may well expand upon this.

Henning's Headquarters

DavidW