Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

In the event, I did expand significantly upon that initial stub of a B section (14mm. in that first sketch; now 26mm. plus a 4-mm. retransition into the A'). Although the B section has its design/process elements, too ... and the expansion is itself mostly a strict canon at the semitone ... it's got an agreeably spontaneous feel which contrasts well with the cooler, ritualistic tone of the outer sections. The tight canon has a good quasi-Romantic stretto vibe. And I've written blurry borders between the sections. All in all, pleased with the result.

[Karl Henning]

Building a groove for Latest whispers. Nor will it be an especially Latin groove, though there be a certain environmental temptation thither ...

[Karl Henning]

 Quote from: karlhenning on February 25, 2012, 06:26:28 PM >In the event, I did expand significantly upon that initial stub of a B section (14mm. in that first sketch; now 26mm. plus a 4-mm. retransition into the A'). Although the B section has its design/process elements, too ... and the expansion is itself mostly a strict canon at the semitone ... it's got an agreeably spontaneous feel which contrasts well with the cooler, ritualistic tone of the outer sections. The tight canon has a good quasi-Romantic stretto vibe. And I've written blurry borders between the sections. All in all, pleased with the result.
 
(* clears his throat *)

Consider this not the final draught, but an approach to the final draught . . . I expect I shall add some detail, especially to the A' section.

Again: this is the fourth of a series of clarinet duets collectively titled These Unlikely Events.  I have ideas (long-gestating ideas) for the fifth . . . only it's time to get the quartet (Latest whispers) a-workin'.

[Karl Henning]

The texts which I have (probably entirely too ambitiously)  selected for the Cantata are:

I.  “The Crystalline Ship” — Leo Schulte

And so the crystalline ship has sailed,
Where you feasted on the soul’s hard bread,
With the winds in league
With the seas calm or gale
The crystalline ship must sail
Somewhere
You rested in the soul’s long bed,
And dreamed you were alive
On the crystalline ship
With the fish and the birds
And the cook in the galley
Sings to her ears
That water is a three-edged sword,
One for the skin and one for the bone
And one for the spirit all alone,
Who is tempted to splash and thrash
The Pacific of your mind’s distress
That the crystalline ship has sailed
Somewhere
You bested the sea and split the shell
With a three-edged sword
Of pain and smiles and a wondering blue,
And now launch a vessel found only in you
Left behind by the crystalline ship.

II.  from “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity (Hymn)” — Milton

No War, or Battails sound
Was heard the World around:
The idle spear and shield were high up hung;
The hooked Chariot stood
Unstain’d with hostile blood,
The Trumpet spake not to the armed throng,
And Kings sate still with awfull eye,
As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by.

But peacefull was the night
Wherin the Prince of light
His raign of peace upon the earth began:
The Windes, with wonder whist,
Smoothly the waters kist,
Whispering new joyes to the milde Ocean,
Who now hath quite forgot to rave,
While Birds of Calm sit brooding on the charmed wave.

III.  “A Cradle Song” — Blake

Sweet dreams form a shade,
O’er my lovely infants head.
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams,
By happy silent moony beams

Sweet sleep with soft down.
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet sleep Angel mild,
Hover o’er my happy child.

Sweet smiles in the night,
Hover over my delight.
Sweet smiles Mothers smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes,
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep sleep happy child,
All creation slept and smil’d.
Sleep sleep, happy sleep.
While o’er thee thy mother weep

Sweet babe in thy face,
Holy image I can trace.
Sweet babe once like thee.
Thy maker lay and wept for me

Wept for me for thee for all,
When he was an infant small.
Thou his image ever see.
Heavenly face that smiles on thee,

Smiles on thee on me on all,
Who became an infant small,
Infant smiles are His own smiles,
Heaven & earth to peace beguiles.

IV.  “My Symphony” — Wm Henry Channing

To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly,
Talk gently,
Act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully,
Do all bravely,
Await occasions,
Hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony.

V.  “These, I singing in spring” — Whitman

THESE, I, singing in spring, collect for lovers,
(For who but I should understand lovers, and all their sorrow and joy?
And who but I should be the poet of comrades?)
Collecting, I traverse the garden, the world—but soon I pass the gates,
Now along the pond-side—now wading in a little, fearing not the wet,
Now by the post-and-rail fences, where the old stones thrown there, pick’d from the fields, have accumulated,
(Wild-flowers and vines and weeds come up through the stones, and partly cover them—
Beyond these I pass,)
Far, far in the forest, before I think where I go,
Solitary, smelling the earthy smell, stopping now and then in the silence,
Alone I had thought—yet soon a troop gathers around me,
Some walk by my side, and some behind, and some embrace my arms or neck,
They, the spirits of dear friends, dead or alive—thicker they come, a great crowd, and I in the middle,
Collecting, dispensing, singing in spring, there I wander with them,
Plucking something for tokens—tossing toward whoever is near me;
Here! lilac, with a branch of pine,
Here, out of my pocket, some moss which I pull’d off a live-oak in Florida, as it hung trailing down,
Here, some pinks and laurel leaves, and a handful of sage,
And here what I now draw from the water, wading in the pondside,
(O here I last saw him that tenderly loves me—and returns again, never to separate from me,
And this, O this shall henceforth be the token of comrades—this Calamus-root shall,
Interchange it, youths, with each other! Let none render it back!)
And twigs of maple, and a bunch of wild orange, and chestnut,
And stems of currants, and plum-blows, and the aromatic cedar:
These, I, compass’d around by a thick cloud of spirits,
Wandering, point to, or touch as I pass, or throw them loosely from me,
Indicating to each one what he shall have—giving something to each;
But what I drew from the water by the pond-side, that I reserve,
I will give of it—but only to them that love, as I myself am capable of loving.

While I am not yet at the stage to actually resume composition — I need yet to sit down and talk with Héloïse, learn of her different recorders — I’ve now made rudimentary architectural decisions:

I.  “The Crystalline Ship” — Leo Schulte :: soprano & mezzo; recorder; alto flute

II.  from “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity (Hymn)” — Milton :: soprano; piccolo; recorder; harpsichord (frame drum?)

III.  “A Cradle Song” — Blake :: soprano & mezzo (generally, alternate stanzas; together on stanzas 3 & ; harpsichord (frame drum?)

IV.  “My Symphony” — Wm Henry Channing :: mezzo; recorder

V.  “These, I singing in spring” — Whitman :: tutti

There's a tale which will take some unfolding, but I see a possible future for the Cantata, though quite different to my original conception. Grander, actually . . . maybe even . . . edgier.

[Karl Henning]

This is just a re-post . . . long due for a re-fresh:

26 February De profundis [ Jaya Lakshminarayan & friends ]

15 March Passion rehearsal A [ Sine Nomine ]

15 March Passion rehearsal B [ Sine Nomine ]

15 March Passion rehearsal C [ Sine Nomine ]

12 May recital [ k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble (Bloom/Henning/Cienniwa) ]

18 May recital [ Bloom/Henning ]

23 May pre-concert rehearsal [ Sine Nomine ]

22 June recital [ N. Chamberlain/B. Chamberlain/Henning ]

Score of The Wind, the Sky, & the Wheeling Stars, Part I

Score of The Wind, the Sky, & the Wheeling Stars, Part II

Score of Fair Warning [Viola Sonata, mvt 1]

MIDI of Fair Warning [Viola Sonata, mvt 1]

Score of Suspension Bridge (In Dave’s Shed) [Viola Sonata, mvt 2]

MIDI of Suspension Bridge (In Dave’s Shed) [Viola Sonata, mvt 2]

Score of Tango in Boston (Dances with Shades) [Viola Sonata, mvt 3]

MIDI of Tango in Boston (Dances with Shades) [Viola Sonata, mvt 3]

[Karl Henning]

And (not that I've had a chance to listen to it, yet) there's now a recording of the latest go by the St Paul's Boston choir to sing the Nunc dimittis from the Evening Service in D.

[madaboutmahler]

More audio samples!
Will find some time at the weekend to listen to these, Karl. Thanks for the repost.

[Karl Henning]

Recording (mp3) came in yesterday, the choir of ye Cathedral Church of St Paul here in Boston singing the Nunc dimittis from the Evening Service in D which I wrote for the Cathedral, back when I served as Interim Choir Director. Was able to listen this morning ... sounded good. Meant to post it here as an attacciamento, but (short piece though it be) the file's too big. Will load it up to SoundCloud, by and by.

[Lisztianwagner]

I've listened to the Viola Sonata, what an excellent work! It impressed me, especially the first movement,  it's quite beautiful, expressive and dynamic, with a great, bold harmony.
Were you influenced by Stravinsky or Schoenberg maybe? I could perceive something of their styles.
I will listen to more in the weekend.

[Karl Henning]

Very pleased that you like it, Ilaria! Stravinsky and Schoenberg have long been musical models for me, to be sure, though I think the lessons are largely internalized by now : )

[Karl Henning]

 Quote from: karlhenning on March 02, 2012, 08:23:52 AM >Recording (mp3) came in yesterday, the choir of ye Cathedral Church of St Paul here in Boston singing the Nunc dimittis from the Evening Service in D which I wrote for the Cathedral, back when I served as Interim Choir Director. Was able to listen this morning ... sounded good. Meant to post it here as an attacciamento, but (short piece though it be) the file's too big. Will load it up to SoundCloud, by and by.


 
Here it is.

[TheGSMoeller]

Quote from: karlhenning on March 02, 2012, 08:23:52 AM >Recording (mp3) came in yesterday, the choir of ye Cathedral Church of St Paul here in Boston singing the Nunc dimittis from the Evening Service in D which I wrote for the Cathedral, back when I served as Interim Choir Director. Was able to listen this morning ... sounded good. Meant to post it here as an attacciamento, but (short piece though it be) the file's too big. Will load it up to SoundCloud, by and by.

 
Here it is.


Lovely, Karl. Thank you for sharing.

Had to move to Out In The Sun for another listen, such sweet energy, always been one of my favorite Henning works.

[Karl Henning]

And: new link for the Passion (thanks to Johan!)

[Karl Henning]

As I wuz saying to a couple of the lads offline . . . Good news here in Boston, even if none of it Headline calibre.

Lunch to-morrow with thechap who asked me to complete, and who then directed the première of, Out in the Sun . . . in the balance is a possible performance of the string choir number from White Nights by a regional orchestra in upstate New York.

Eric Mazonson (the pianist who played, among other Henningworks, Gaze Transfixt) is now the m.d. at a UCC parish in Natick . . . so he has now got use for some of the easy-choir music which I wrote in such abundance for First Congo in Woburn (and if you see echoes of Haydn, who is to fault you?)  Looks like he will use a two-part choir & piano anthem (an arrangement of Kingsfold, one of Vaughan Williams's folk-tune-based hymns) of mine on Palm Sunday (and it's a text which is really only suited to that feast day, so while the piece is . . . oh, 14 years old, this is only the second-ever performance). And although I am not sure if his choir can handle the piece, Eric has taken a liking to the Nunc dimittis (the link one finds here). So, hey: you never know!

[Elgarian]

Quote from: karlhenning on March 02, 2012, 08:23:52 AM >Recording (mp3) came in yesterday, the choir of ye Cathedral Church of St Paul here in Boston singing the Nunc dimittis from the Evening Service in D which I wrote for the Cathedral, back when I served as Interim Choir Director. Was able to listen this morning ... sounded good. Meant to post it here as an attacciamento, but (short piece though it be) the file's too big. Will load it up to SoundCloud, by and by.


Here it is.

I'm a hopelessly inadequate listener when it comes to this sort of thing, Karl. I feel I ought to be able to understand, comment intelligently on the structure, recognise where it's all going and where it came from. I can't do any of that. So I have to stick to what I can say. I can say that I think it's beautiful even though I don't understand it, even though I feel uneasy about it; that I think I might burn it onto a CD so my wife and I can listen to it together; that it leaves me conscious of a curious mixture of beauty and puzzlement that I can't quite resolve. I have no clear idea of where I've been, or where I was going, or where I arrived at the end. The journey was a strange one, with glimpses of something like numinosity - a hint of something 'beyond' that fades in, and fades out (several times), without being graspable.

To grapple with this requires adjustments not easy to make, for a guy whose flavour of the month is Scheherazade, and who is in search of Big Tunes, but it didn't leave me unmoved; and I know I shall listen to it again. Thanks for pointing me here.

[Karl Henning]

As I read so thoughtful a post, Alan, there can be no question of any inadequacy as a listener. Thank you indeed for listening . . . and for grappling!  I am touched by your kind words, and by your kind sustenance of effort with music which is a bit (only a bit, I think) outside your zone.

[Elgarian]

As mentioned above, I burned it onto a CD, and have now listened to it a few more times.

The peculiar thing is that I don't feel I 'know' it at all, after four listenings, even though it's so short. I don't get any feeling of familiar ground being re-traversed, of landmarks being recognised. It's almost as if each time it comes across as a 'new' piece of music.

I don't say this is a good or a bad thing - just reporting the experience. I think this may be because my limited musical brain is searching for a repeated pattern of a particular sort, but not finding one that it can recognise; that seems the most likely explanation, I think.

[Bogey]

Have not posted in a while....like any other composer I enjoy, I go through listening spurts where I emmerse and then leave for a time.  Your music is no different than LvB, Miles. Coltrane, or Genesis, Karl.  I enjoy it on my timeline.  So, having tapped The Passion According to St. John and Mousetrap (today) I have two requests....since you are a living composer and you have my address

1. Is there a place to pull up the lyrics to the Passion.  I would very much like to carry them into Church on Good Friday.  I will use them for reflection if you do not mind and then follow up the service with a listen to your Passion again.

2. With Mousetrap, please tell me that you have found a conduit to get this piece out to independent foilm makers.  Especially animated.  It is outstanding.  It brought to mind this short, which has the look of Duke from Genesis:

The Lost Thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xYShgMZ23I

[Karl Henning]

Alan, I am grateful for your thoughts and your report of your experience, pay no mind to good or bad thing. (I don't mean to be curt . . . must get ready to push off for the train.)

Bill, thanks again! The text for the Passion is the easy part: it's on line here.  Animation would be a most interesting project for The Mousetrap!  An old friend over in Ulm was saying something about choreaography to the piece . . . I should ping him, see if that thought took anything like root somewhere . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Alan, if I might be of assistance, I am keen to assist . . . but I don't want to deluge you with stuff that may be of no particular service to you in your journey.  I could post a score, and write up a few guideposts, if you'd like.  But on the whole (and even though I's the composer, and take some pride in the nuts & bolts), I don't think that conscious awareness of the mechanism(s) is any sort of pre-req for comprehension of the piece.

(There, Karl: that post must have been helpful . . . .)