Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

Okay, done at last.

Timbrel & Dance, Op.73 is on SoundCloud.

The piece is carried by Lux Nova Press, and a sample page can be seen here.

[Mirror Image]

Hey Karl, just out of curiosity, do you write your compositions out by hand or do you use a notation software program?

[jowcol]

Okay, done at last.

Timbrel & Dance, Op.73 is on SoundCloud.

The piece is carried by Lux Nova Press, and a sample page can be seen here.

Tres cool!  Thanks for sharing!

[Karl Henning]

Dude! Howdy, and thanks!

[TheGSMoeller]

Okay, done at last.

Timbrel & Dance, Op.73 is on SoundCloud.

The piece is carried by Lux Nova Press, and a sample page can be seen here.

Wonderful. I love the pairing of percussion and choir. And the choral middle section is truly mesmerizing.
Awesome, Karl! Thanks for sharing.

[Mirror Image]

Okay, done at last.

Timbrel & Dance, Op.73 is on SoundCloud.

The piece is carried by Lux Nova Press, and a sample page can be seen here.

Ritualistic and primitive, Karl! Very cool work. The middle section is especially haunting. Being a former percussionist, I'm a sucker for a hard-driven rhythm.

[Karl Henning]

Not much news. I had a great time playing clarinet as a guest in a church service this morning: The Prayer of St Gregory by Hovhaness (which this organist and I have played before); a chorale prelude by Healy Willan (not a bad little piece, although there are some parallel fifths in one measure, which he tried ineffectually to kick sand over); and a frankly trite Trumpet Prelude (of a jaunty character, so we actually played it as the postlude) by Gordon Young.

The choir of First Church Boston will sing the concert in (I think) October; and the program will include a piece of mine, which they have song some three times before, the motet which I composed for that choir.

[Lisztianwagner]

Okay, done at last.

Timbrel & Dance, Op.73 is on SoundCloud.

The piece is carried by Lux Nova Press, and a sample page can be seen here.

It sounds very brilliant, I will surely listen to it later this afternoon.

[TheGSMoeller]

Not much news. I had a great time playing clarinet as a guest in a church service this morning: The Prayer of St Gregory by Hovhaness (which this organist and I have played before); a chorale prelude by Healy Willan (not a bad little piece, although there are some parallel fifths in one measure, which he tried ineffectually to kick sand over); and a frankly trite Trumpet Prelude (of a jaunty character, so we actually played it as the postlude) by Gordon Young.

The choir of First Church Boston will sing the concert in (I think) October; and the program will include a piece of mine, which they have song some three times before, the motet which I composed for that choir.

The Prayer for St Gregory is a very nice piece. Did you record this performance at all?

[Karl Henning]

The service was recorded; don't know when a copy will reach me. Watch This Space : )

[Karl Henning]

It sounds very brilliant, I will surely listen to it later this afternoon.

I do hope that you like it, mi amica

[Lisztianwagner]

I do hope that you like it, mi amica

Excellent piece, Karl, I appreciated it very much! The combination of chorus and percussion is rather particular, but also rather impressive and brilliant. Hat off!

[Karl Henning]

Mille grazie!

[Mirror Image]

Karl, what's the idea or story behind Timbrel & Dance, Op.73?

[Karl Henning]

Short version: it's a piece I wrote for use at the Cathedral, John.

[Karl Henning]

Medium-length version:

For November of 2003 (cor, that long ago?) the then music director at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston, Mark Engelhardt (wonderful choir director, and equally wonderful organist) invited me to furnish music for an Evensong.  The Cathedral Choir had already sung (and enjoyed singing) a setting in English which I had composed of the Song of Mary, so Mark wanted that Canticle as a starting point.

At this point, I don't rightly recall either why I was inspired to compose a setting of Psalm 150 (as opposed to the choir singing the Psalm to a Psalm-tone, which is customary at an Evensong . . . and the choir may have done both on that occasion, i.e. singing one Psalm to a Psalm-tone, as well as Timbrel and Dance . . . it's all a bit foggy at this remove), nor why I decided to include percussion in the setting (apart, I mean, from the fact that I had already written a few pieces for various percussion ensemble groupings, so that I find the medium entirely congenial).  And I may just have shown the piece to Mark, for his general response, where in the event he so took to the piece, that he decided he wanted to include it in the Evensong, and thus hire a few percussionists to supplement the service.

[Mirror Image]

Medium-length version:

For November of 2003 (cor, that long ago?) the then music director at the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston, Mark Engelhardt (wonderful choir director, and equally wonderful organist) invited me to furnish music for an Evensong.  The Cathedral Choir had already sung (and enjoyed singing) a setting in English which I had composed of the Song of Mary, so Mark wanted that Canticle as a starting point.

At this point, I don't rightly recall either why I was inspired to compose a setting of Psalm 150 (as opposed to the choir singing the Psalm to a Psalm-tone, which is customary at an Evensong . . . and the choir may have done both on that occasion, i.e. singing one Psalm to a Psalm-tone, as well as Timbrel and Dance . . . it's all a bit foggy at this remove), nor why I decided to include percussion in the setting (apart, I mean, from the fact that I had already written a few pieces for various percussion ensemble groupings, so that I find the medium entirely congenial).  And I may just have shown the piece to Mark, for his general response, where in the event he so took to the piece, that he decided he wanted to include it in the Evensong, and thus hire a few percussionists to supplement the service.

Interesting, Karl. It's certainly a cool sounding work.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks for listening, John.

[Karl Henning]

Re-post . . . long due for a re-fresh, not least because — eek! — is that . . . MIDI of the Op.102? — ghastly!

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]

I've not yet resumed actual writing, but I find my musical mind increasingly turning to . . . the Cello Sonatina, in particular.