Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

There is a 9^th Ear performance approaching, one-quarter of a shared program at the Church of the Advent on Friday evening, the 18^th.  The idea (from my view) is to play the trio arrangement I prepared of just what everyone was expecting.  I've played it before, and I practiced yesterday, so I will be fine;  I wonder if we have time enough to rehearse as a trio.  We shall see.

I learnt yesterday that a Triad Nono rehearsal has been scheduled for Thursday, in conflict with my HTUMC choir rehearsal; so this morning I shall see if m choir will consent to shift our rehearsal to Tuesday.

I rehearse Triad in two of the five Kenlon Bach fantasies tomorrow evening, the first Triad rehearsal for our May program(s);  so I had better do some studying.

[Karl Henning]

Orlando Cela wrote Monday to the effect that he's started practicing Neither do I condemn thee, and he finds it "nifty."

Mark Gresham and I have been powwowing on Lux Nova editions of the Hodie Christus natus est and O Gracious Light (the setting which was part of the "Henningmusick service" at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit, back when), in which a notable Georgia choral conductor has expressed interest.

Small Musical World in Boston Dept.

On the same concert at the Church of the Advent on which the 9^th Ear (allegedly – I still haven't heard word of any actual rehearsal) will perform, is the very program on which Orlando Cela (& friend) will perform the première of Neither do I condemn thee.

[Karl Henning]

Mark Gresham and I have been powwowing on Lux Nova editions of the Hodie Christus natus est and O Gracious Light (the setting which was part of the "Henningmusick service" at Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit, back when), in which a notable Georgia choral conductor has expressed interest.

This O Gracious Light setting (the second I undertook, and written through rather an emotional motivation) is quite an antique, the Op.50, so it's all Finale files (in the days before I made sure to generate PDF alternates), and I've got hard copy only of two versions, out of four.  (At this temporal distance I can only account for two of the four.)  I could not read the Finale files, so when Mark and I talked, I could not tell which version was what scoring.  (The conductor who is presently interested, has asked for a version for which I did not have hard copy.)

To my relief yesterday, I discovered that Finale still (or, again) has a stripped-down free download version, called NotePad . . . so I can both read all the Finale files of my "back catalogue," and print to PDFs.

I now discover that the versions are as follows:

Op.50 :: SATB, piano, optional harp
Op.50a :: SATB, harp & strings
Op.50b :: SA, harp & strings
Op.50c :: SATB, piano & organ

The original version is what we performed in Detroit.  There must have arisen a case where I wanted to present the women's chorus, harp & strings version (of which nothing ever came), and the Op.50a must have been an intermediate stage.  We performed the Op.50c at St Paul's (no recording, alas), so I probably prepared the Op.50c ad hoc.

After I had the car inspected yesterday afternoon, I got about a third done with a new Sibelius version of the Op.50c, which is what is presently desired.

[Karl Henning]

Still do not have an actual rehearsal in the books for just what everyone was expecting.  The performance is a week from tonight, and we might want more than one rehearsal.

Very enjoyable rehearsal of the Nono last night with Triad.

[Karl Henning]

Still do not have an actual rehearsal in the books for just what everyone was expecting.  The performance is a week from tonight, and we might want more than one rehearsal.

Very enjoyable rehearsal of the Nono last night with Triad.

Today's bombshell, which doesn't hit so hard partly because I've already experienced l'affaire Evelyn Griffin, partly because we are only responsible for about 15 minutes of the 18 March concert—one member of The 9^th Ear has to back out of the concert, and here we're finding out about it one week before showtime.

So I place a mysterious emergency phone call . . . Peter H Bloom is available and willing to revive the Op.97 duos for (you dig?) one week from tonight.

We get together to rehearse at 3pm this Sunday afternoon.

[Karl Henning]

This is a genuinely revised edition.  In some places I tied notes across the bar (where, probably, back when I first created the score in Finale, it may have been a nuisance);  there are more rehearsal letters (which I seem to remember, would have been helpful when we rehearsed the piece in Detroit);  modified or added notes in the keyboards here or there where it would be a particular aid to the voices (another lesson learnt from the Detroit performance);  there are more dynamic markings & hairpins;  and lastly, in a couple of places I either gave the voices a bit more to do, or altered a passage so that a unison become a two-part event.

Anyway, it's a piece which, revisiting it this week, I still liked pretty much as it was, and now like yet better.  Oh!  And I ratcheted down the metronome marking.  The duration should thus be modified to 7"00.

[Karl Henning]

Today's bombshell, which doesn't hit so hard partly because I've already experienced l'affaire Evelyn Griffin, partly because we are only responsible for about 15 minutes of the 18 March concert—one member of The 9^th Ear has to back out of the concert, and here we're finding out about it one week before showtime.

So I place a mysterious emergency phone call . . . Peter H Bloom is available and willing to revive the Op.97 duos for (you dig?) one week from tonight.

We get together to rehearse at 3pm this Sunday afternoon.

Confirmed, that we're playing all three pieces of the Op.97 this Friday.

I had best get practicing.

[Karl Henning]

Small Musical World in Boston Dept.

On the same concert at the Church of the Advent on which the 9^th Ear (allegedly – I still haven’t heard word of any actual rehearsal) will perform, is the very program on which Orlando Cela (& friend) will perform the première of Neither do I condemn thee.

Today, Orlando writes:

[The] duet is awesome! We love it!

[Karl Henning]

Confirmed, that we're playing all three pieces of the Op.97 this Friday.

I had best get practicing.

PHB & I practiced the Op.97 yesterday.  First, he is genuinely enthusiastic for the pieces, he's playing them because he wants to, and not merely dutifully, because I made the request.  Second, yesterday and tomorrow's rehearsals will suffice well, and Friday will be a smash.

[Karl Henning]

Funny story:  Peter and I were rehearsing Swivels 'n' Bops on Sunday, and (what is why we rehearse) we stopped to fix a place where he had drifted apart, and in proposing a place which needed a little attention, Peter said, "About this 11/16 measure ..."

Well, I could not resist.  I knew he was not seeing things, but I could not help asking in an only-slightly-exaggeratedly-cello-register voice, "What 11/16 measure?"

Turns out Peter had printed out fresh parts (as I did) for this performance (neither of us seemed able to lay hands on our performance copies from five years ago); and he had printed out the part from an outdated copy which had 11/16 measures—something which (with a nod to Nono) I soon considered an unnecessary complication in that passage, and I found an easier way to notate what I wanted . . . with no 11/16 measures.  A draft so long ago in my composing history, that I had completely forgotten I had ever used that meter in this piece . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Word is that the Troy University Clarinet Choir will indeed play the Saltmarsh Stomp both 28 March and 2 April.

[Karl Henning]

Word is that the Troy University Clarinet Choir will indeed play the Saltmarsh Stomp both 28 March and 2 April.

2 April is . . . Clarinet Day!

[Karl Henning]

Excellent rehearsal late yesterday afternoon of the Op.97 duos.  Both Peter & I still find them great fun to play, and that may be variously the touchstone, or all that really matters.  When we began the revisitation, this Sunday past, at first Peter suggested (naturally) that we might begin under-tempo . . . but then when he checked the metronome, we felt that both the Heedless Watermelon (at the breve = 110) and Swivels 'n' Bops (at the crotchet = 120) are perfectly manageable for us at tempo.  (That is not to say that we have not needed to practice to make sure various passages fit together properly; we certainly have.)

There's a certain aspect of the Watermelon just rather rambling on its course, but I find that I do like the course.  Mondrian's Cage has an austere purity to it which I find very appealing.  And the Bops are their own best argument.

[jochanaan]

Word is that the Troy University Clarinet Choir will indeed play the Saltmarsh Stomp both 28 March and 2 April.

Sweet!

[Karl Henning]

Grazie!

[Karl Henning]

HTUMC choir rehearsal last night.  On "the eve of Holy Week" (we might almost say) there's a bit of a catching of the breath, after all these weeks of preparation, this Sunday my choir face practically the greatest musical challenge I have yet presented them, in the form of the de Victoria motet.

When I first considered it, I was remembering having the St Paul's choir sing it;  I remember the piece being relatively easy, but of course, they were a professional choir.  So I knew Pueri Hebraeorum would be a stretch for my Danvers group, but I also felt it was attainable.  There were rehearsals when I thought, "Was I just flat-out mistaken?"  It took some work, lots of repetitious practicing, simply because the musical idiom was such a total novelty for most of them.  It was a good stratagem, to have them also prepare the significantly easier Benedictus from the Byrd Mass for three voices – we thus had two pieces in the same "foreign" idiom, and the Byrd came together rather quicker, so that there was positive reinforcement for all their efforts.

We are very close with the de Victoria.  Of course, we are singing it this Sunday, however it plays out;  but since we've invested so much effort into it, we'll sing it again on Sunday the 17^th . . . it will give us more rehearsal time after the "baptism by fire" performance experience which fast approacheth.  Both the fact that it is such a challenge for the group, and the nature of the piece, a second performance will be a substantial gain upon the initial airing, the "dress rehearsal as part of the service."

Playing tonight at the Church of the Advent.  I am rested, and in fairly good practice.  Matt Samolis, curator of the series, will record video (!), and I have my device ready to record audio.

[Cato]

b]Church of the Advent[/b].  I am rested, and in fairly good practice.  Matt Samolis, curator of the series, will record video (!), and I have my device ready to record audio.

Great news!  I will look into the text as a possibility for my Latin students: when the recording is ready, your performance then could be something for my classroom.  0:) 

Always on the look-out for a change of pace for the little darlings! 

[Karl Henning]

Oh, I misled you by my shifting gears;  tonight is just chamber music for two players.

On Sunday, when my choir have a go at the de Victoria, they will sing in English . . . I didn't want the language to be one of the barriers    0:)

[Cato]

Oh, I misled you by my shifting gears;  tonight is just chamber music for two players.

On Sunday, when my choir have a go at the de Victoria, they will sing in English . . . I didn't want the language to be one of the barriers    0:)

Aha!  The recording is still something to anticipate! 

[Karl Henning]

Orlando Cela & Wei Zhao gave a smashing and sweet performance of Neither do I condemn thee.  Peter H Bloom & I played the Op97 duos the best we have yet, though perfection continues to elude me.  I am counting on Matt's audio being better (his mic was up at center stage, and mine was back behind the audience . . . the occasional bit of audience noise);  and there is video.