Henning's Headquarters

[Cato]

You remind me, somehow, that I've not yet heard the Bernstein Mass . . . .

I wonder how it holds up, because I remember my impression at the time of its first performance that it was very much a child of the 1960's, perhaps too much, and might sound dated in later decades.

[kishnevi]

I wonder how it holds up, because I remember my impression at the time of its first performance that it was very much a child of the 1960's, perhaps too much, and might sound dated in later decades.

I've heard it one time only, c. 1980, and felt it to be too much an artifact of c. 1970 to be anything more than a historical curiosity.  However, I suppose a relisten thirty years after the first might be due, and it is true I've found my opinion of Bernstein's music overall has gone up slightly in the intervening years.

[Karl Henning]

I feel sure that I must have heard (or even seen video) of some small snippet from the Mass, while I was at Wooster.  I don't necessarily trust my impression of that time, even if I were certain to report it aright.

Bernstein's own recording is fully 28.5% of the Sony reissue box Lenny Conducts Lenny, and I even went so far as to load it onto my player two months or so ago, but I've not yet summoned the will to listen.

[Karl Henning]

Curiously, I found my thoughts to-day turning to my Viola Sonata, even though (!) all my listening so far as been Dmitri Dmitriyevich.

[kishnevi]

Curiously, I found my thoughts to-day turning to my Viola Sonata, even though (!) all my listening so far as been Dmitri Dmitriyevich.

Not curious at all, given that what is perhaps the most famous viola sonata of all time was written by DSCH

[Karl Henning]

There is that mental pivot point, though I didn't listen to the Sonata yesterday . . . .

Wonder if Dana is still thinking of playing the two on a single program?

[Cato]

Curiously, I found my thoughts to-day turning to my Viola Sonata, even though (!) all my listening so far has been Dmitri Dmitriyevich.

The Viola Sonata is one of your best works, so if you are contemplating an Organ Sonata, it is reasonable that the mind would focus on an excellent ancestor.

[Karl Henning]

'Tis true (and I hope it be no vice), the Va Sonata is a piece I am mighty proud to have written.

[ibanezmonster]

I could see the title driving the three movements:

1. Eritis sicut Deus...
2. ...scientes bonum...
3. ...et malum.

That sounds like it would be some good stuff. 

[Karl Henning]

Meerenai updated her blog post viz. the Call. Not surprisingly, she received more than a hundred submissions! Brave soul . . . .

Meerenai still has not had a look at Airy Distillates. She assures me that it will happen.

Of course, I am not expecting her to take any particular interest in the piece.  Enthusiasm for this project is now DOA.

[Karl Henning]

Re-post, and quite a significant 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

The Passion According to St John, Op.92 (on MediaFire, courtesy of Johan)

Lutosławski's Lullaby, Op.96a № 1 (string quartet)

Marginalia, Op.96a № 2 (string quartet)

Après-lullaby, Op.96a № 3 (string quartet)

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]

Johan's MediaFire folder, including the whole of Dana's première performance of the Viola Sonata

These Unlikely Events, Op.104 № 4

These Unlikely Events, Op.104 № 5

Kyrie, Op.106 № 1

In the Artist's Studio, work-in-progress

Airy Distillates, Op.110

Henningmusick at ReverbNation.

Henningmusick at Instant Encore.

And about an hour's worth of Henningmusick, too, at SoundCloud.

[Karl Henning]

That sounds like it would be some good stuff. 

The Viola Sonata is one of your best works, so if you are contemplating an Organ Sonata, it is reasonable that the mind would focus on an excellent ancestor.

Thanks, lads . . . I think I must keep the Organ Sonata simple to a degree.  I made a point to write a challenging organ work, in the Toccata, and we all know where that went: nowhere, apart from the one performance gamely arranged by my publisher.

In fact, Mark Engelhardt claims that he considered (yet again) preparing the Toccata for his (October, was it?) recital, but (I am paraphrasing here) it was again just too much effort.

If an organist asked me to write a heavens-storming organ sonata, I'd lay to like a butcher. (And the fact is, I wrote the Viola Sonata at such a high technical level, because Dana pretty much invited me to, and we both agreed on that goal for the piece.)  If I were to write such an organ sonata, it might never get performed; not that this means I should never write such a piece, but there's no reason for that to be a priority this year.

So I take the cue both from the contemporary pieces which Mark did select for his program (written by organists in both cases), and from the few pieces of mine which Paul Cienniwa has (flatteringly) kept in his ready repertoire . . . and in this instance, I shall write on the model of the "church sonata," three movements of modest scale and only mid-throttle technique, which can either serve easily to interleave a sacred service, or be fairly readily folded into a recital.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, lads . . . I think I must keep the Organ Sonata simple to a degree.  I made a point to write a challenging organ work, in the Toccata, and we all know where that went: nowhere, apart from the one performance gamely arranged by my publisher.

In fact, Mark Engelhardt claims that he considered (yet again) preparing the Toccata for his (October, was it?) recital, but (I am paraphrasing here) it was again just too much effort.

If an organist asked me to write a heavens-storming organ sonata, I'd lay to like a butcher. (And the fact is, I wrote the Viola Sonata at such a high technical level, because Dana pretty much invited me to, and we both agreed on that goal for the piece.)  If I were to write such an organ sonata, it might never get performed; not that this means I should never write such a piece, but there's no reason for that to be a priority this year.

So I take the cue both from the contemporary pieces which Mark did select for his program (written by organists in both cases), and from the few pieces of mine which Paul Cienniwa has (flatteringly) kept in his ready repertoire . . . and in this instance, I shall write on the model of the "church sonata," three movements of modest scale and only mid-throttle technique, which can either serve easily to interleave a sacred service, or be fairly readily folded into a recital.

I subsequently blogged a lightly edited version of this post, and Paul commented:

But the real truth is to keep it simple, because I don't like to practice the organ.

[Cato]

Quote from: Paul Cienniwa

   

But the real truth is to keep it simple, because I don't like to practice the organ.

Well, brutally honest, at least!   

[Karl Henning]

And yet, the chap is not lazy!  He's the fellow who is bucking decades of Planet Harpsichord dogma, by . . . memorizing his music! ; )  As soon as I saw his comment (and thanks to you, too, for being a reader of the blog!), I thought, he has so much rehearsal time in his weekly routine . . . choirs here and there, harpsichord & organ . . . I cannot fault him at all for, well, not even looking at the Toccata, e.g.

The good news is:  if I write an organ sonata that lies readily under the fingers — boom!   I can be sure that Paul will carve some space for it.

[Karl Henning]

Well, maybe November this year just wasn't a composing month by me. Trundling on a bus, I've put some notes to the page for the organ sonata.

[Karl Henning]

Sunday, January 27, 2013 1:30 pm
The Choir of First Church in Boston in concert
First Church in Boston: 66 Marlborough St., Boston, MA, USA (MAP)
The Choir of First Church in Boston performs:

Emersonia, Op. 113: Larry Thomas Bell (concert premiere)
Leaves of Grass, Op. 100: Paul Creston
Three Songs for Chorus a capella: Philip Glass
and short works by Cienniwa, Henning, Palestrina, and Schubert


$20 suggested donation to benefit The Music of First Church in Boston

[TheGSMoeller]

Sunday, January 27, 2013 1:30 pm
The Choir of First Church in Boston in concert
First Church in Boston: 66 Marlborough St., Boston, MA, USA (MAP)
The Choir of First Church in Boston performs:

Emersonia, Op. 113: Larry Thomas Bell (concert premiere)
Leaves of Grass, Op. 100: Paul Creston
Three Songs for Chorus a capella: Philip Glass
and short works by Cienniwa, Henning, Palestrina, and Schubert


$20 suggested donation to benefit The Music of First Church in Boston

Glass, Schubert and Henning billed together. My kind of show.

That's great, Karl. Wish I was closer to Beantown to attend.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, Greg!

I should think that the event will be recorded.

[madaboutmahler]

Looking forward to the recording, Karl. Hope it goes well!

If ever Henningmusik comes to England, I would certainly love to be there!