Henning's Headquarters

[Karl Henning]

All that said, this is really a thank-you note to Yoichi.

[Cato]

All that said, this is really a thank-you note to Yoichi.

Scroll down!!!

http://yoichiudagawa.com/premieres.php

[Karl Henning]

And that seems practically to average to a première every month, which is commendable (and why we needed to scroll down rather).

[Karl Henning]

Carol is on the busy side, but she is still considering hopping aboard on the 18 Oct concert;  I sent her all the music so that she can weigh everything.  The flute duet, Neither do I condemn thee, would perhaps be a lot of work for a five-minute piece.  Yesterday (that is to say, right away) I took care of arranging the seven Tiny Wild Avocadoes for two flutes and clarinet . . . since these are "teaching pieces," and the idea is that all three players read from the two-page scores, I am hoping that at least Carol will find these manageable, in which case I just need to find another substitute for Neither do I condemn thee . . . or, really, we may be all set:  the Op.97 duets run 15 minutes, and the Avocadoes all together run perhaps 10, and that fulfills the capacity for a lunchtime program at King's Chapel.

I need to write a paragraph about the experience of writing The Young Lady as a support document for a grant proposal whereby Kammerwerke hope to raise a commission honorarium.

And tonight is the first Triad rehearsal for our November program.

[Karl Henning]

And tonight is the first Triad rehearsal for our November program.

Somehow this snuck up on me, and I have only now printed out hard copy of the piece I am to conduct, and I am first in tonight's rehearsal order.  And I suppose I am not worried because I am sure I will find it easy to learn.  For me, anyway.

From its earliest appearance in print in the late 19th century as a dialectal and probably uneducated form, the past and past participle snuck has risen to the status of standard and to approximate equality with sneaked.

[Cato]

Somehow this snuck up on me...

Quote from: Merriam Webster

From its earliest appearance in print in the late 19th century as a dialectal and probably uneducated form, the past and past participle snuck has risen to the status of standard and to approximate equality with sneaked.

(Only partially mollified, Cato drops The Rod for Correcting Grammar, but still keeps it in his hand!) 

[Karl Henning]

On the Elevation of the Dialectal and Probably Uneducated

[Cato]

On the Elevation of the Dialectal and Probably Uneducated

Great title for a bassoon quartet! 

[Karl Henning]

Ouch!

Tough.  But fair.

[Karl Henning]

Good Triad rehearsal last night.  We were all sight-reading (well, the choir all were; the conductor had studied and prepared, and so was ahead of the herd), so we worked under-tempo;  broke the ice, both with this piece (Paper Boats) and for the new Triad season.

When it came time for my own piece, Song of Remembrance, Charles started by reading through the lot (with, in the event, perhaps two let's start agains), and then we went back to improve a couple of passages.  The piece was written for a choir with less chops than Triad, so it sight-read quite well.  (And, to be honest, the last concert was such a bear, in terms of so many pieces which were something of a challenge to work up, that having some easier music on this program was The Idea;  as well, of course, as my interest as the composer in having a convincingly musical and polished performance as a future reference.)

On my drive back home from Cambridge, e-mail came in from Carol.  In a message earlier, she wrote that she remains interested in playing the 18th, agrees that the Avocadoes are all readily playable, is just a little concerned about getting Neither do I condemn thee up to tempo between now and the concert.  I wrote back to assure her that Neither can bear to be performed a little slower than marked.  (I did not tell her, but this weekend when I revisited the piece, I was, erm, a little surprised to find that the piece is meant to be played in only about 5 minutes.  The reason for my surprise is, that the performance at the Advent ran about 8 minutes . . . the piece carried all right for the audience, though I do remember a little unease as a composer sitting in the audience.  Anyway, if Peter and Carol play it in, say, 6 minutes, it will be both a relaxed tempo for Carol, and a closer realization for Karl.)  So the last message of hers was to accept the assignment for the duet, with tempo relaxation.

[Karl Henning]

New for the solemn anniversary (though it's still only MIDI):

http://www.youtube.com/v/als-l2BI0xs

Listened to this twice again today.  The quirks in the MIDI are flaws I don't mind listening through, though it may be much to ask of anyone who is not the composer   


It is not The Great Orchestral Work of My Generation, of course;  but it is a few notches better than mere Gebrauchsmusik.

[Karl Henning]

Last night I revisited a short sacred choral piece from 1998, and man, it stinks on ice.

FWIW, I have pieces I wrote before that one, which I still think perfectly fine and musical . . . .

But one of my relieved takeaways from that experience is, the contrast to the genuine enjoyment I take in the Op.46:

http://www.youtube.com/v/als-l2BI0xs

Now, I think that this composer would have no business writing more than one piece like this.  But, for the one piece like this which I permit myself to write, I find it well made, and respectable music.

[Cato]

Now, I think that this composer would have no business writing more than one piece like this.  But, for the one piece like this which I permit myself to write, I find it well made, and respectable music.

Oh yes!  The "Americana" feel is nicely done, and the "conversation" among the instruments is excellent, a reminiscence - but not an imitation - of the best works of e.g. Copland, Herrmann, and Moross.

[Karl Henning]

Thank you!

[Karl Henning]

I have known for a while that part of today's business would be to arrange some Christmas music for my church choir.

But I did not know until this morning that it would be In dulci jubilo.

[Cato]

I have known for a while that part of today's business would be to arrange some Christmas music for my church choir.

But I did not know until this morning that it would be In dulci jubilo.

One of my favorites!  Such a happy melody!

[Karl Henning]

As an aside . . . what I might have done with $625K.

I saw one tweet which announced the name of a piece and the composer, who was one of the Genius recipients.  And the title of the piece gave off that If your art can be used as activism, there's funding for you! vibe.

[Karl Henning]

One of my favorites!  Such a happy melody!

Dan Wagner (who, back in the deeps of Time, hired me to do some arranging for his church music program's Christmas gala) asked for a MIDI;  so there is no reason I should not share it here.

Meanwhile, here is the score.

[Cato]

Dan Wagner (who, back in the deeps of Time, hired me to do some arranging for his church music program's Christmas gala) asked for a MIDI;  so there is no reason I should not share it here.

Meanwhile, here is the score.

Nice echo effect in C, and the bass line in the final pages is an elegant idea! 

We await the recording after Christmas!  0:)

[Karl Henning]

You know, I could have predicted this.

The ease of the organ accompaniment falls within a practice which my great friend and redoubtable colleague Peter H. Bloom drily calls contextual orchestration.

And last night, our accompanist complained about the organ writing, and even used the phrase if you want to write for organ, Karl.

The impression was, where I had written a part for a fourth-grade organist, the complaint was that it was too hard for a second-grader.

I'm not going to change a thing, and she'll just learn the music.  It is what she is paid to do.