tag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:/blogs/blink-magazine?p=2Blink Magazine2024-01-09T16:32:50-12:00Sonic Crossroadsfalsetag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/73312492024-01-09T16:32:50-12:002024-01-09T16:32:51-12:00Creativity at the Piano! Summer Course in Vienna, June 24-28<p>For students ages 12 to 18, a week-long exploration of performance, improvisation and composition at the piano in the cultural capital of Vienna, Austria! Join us for a week full of new sounds - your own! - and new sights, with visits to Schönbrunn Palace, Albertina Museum, the State Opera and more! Students will have the opportunity to perform at the end of the week, including their newly created work! Check out the <a class="no-pjax" href="/vienna" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Vienna">full course description</a> and complete the interest form to secure your spot today! </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/393911/6ee0e754ce99ae8187275c94e96e69b9a2df08eb/original/img-0578.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/66198032021-05-02T12:16:22-12:002022-05-17T01:01:46-12:00Surprises All Around<p>I was in the neighborhood hardware store the other day (I looove going to neighborhood hardware stores) and it struck me - this is kind of what this Listening class is like. It may not be super fancy-tech - sometimes the internet is glitchy or the zoom sound isn't great (just like the dusty aisles of a local store) - but there's always a surprise around the corner, and sometimes it's just exactly what you're looking for and you didn't even know it.</p>
<p>This was particularly true for the clips I pulled up in the last class, featuring Pyi Kyauk Sein ensemble from Myanmar:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="SjcbkaozxXs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/SjcbkaozxXs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SjcbkaozxXs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Looking and listening to instruments allowed me to introduce general categorization terms such as aerophone and membranophone, but the elaborate rotund instrument in the center left the students as baffled as I was upon first hearing. They came up with about as accurate a description as to what they thought was producing the sound as I did, which was pretty far off the mark for all of us. Luckily I already had this clip ready to go:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="a2rQaZ7RXuY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/a2rQaZ7RXuY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a2rQaZ7RXuY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I couldn't gauge every student's reaction, but I was happy to admit that I am completely blown away by this instrument! What a find, and what a phenomenal player!</p>
<p>This is probably the most valuable lesson I teach in the entire class: I can be equally in the dark when venturing to a new place and music culture - there is simply too much music for any one person to know - no one is a general expert in <em>all</em> music - and isn't the journey fun?!</p>
<p> </p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/66142242021-04-26T06:44:16-12:002023-12-10T04:58:28-12:00Speaking African Rhythm at the Piano<p>This post shares content from the <strong>Listening Around the World </strong>class and also a piece included on the <strong>Piano Exams</strong> repertoire list. After listening to the bell rhythm and feeling that rhythm in both duple and triple groupings, we also listened to this piano piece by Joseph Uzoigwe from the set "Talking Drums":</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="fZgIvLZiMsI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/fZgIvLZiMsI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fZgIvLZiMsI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>The piece was performed live in the class, which enabled me to demonstrate some patterns in a variety of tempos. But we appreciate the ability to share <strong>Kevin Madison</strong>'s performance here! Like so much of the music included in the list for the <strong><a contents="piano exams" data-link-label="Piano Exams" data-link-type="page" href="/piano-exams"><span style="color:#8e44ad;">piano exams</span></a></strong>, it doesn't look technically challenging when considering aspects such as scalar and melodic patterns or thick chordal textures, but executing the <em>rhythm</em> is much more challenging than it first appears. In a similar way that slow, lyrical pieces require a certain understand of phrasing and pedaling, so too does this piece require a dexterity for rhythmic pulse and a stamina to maintain one's focus on the rhythmic repetitions and sudden shifts in subdivisions. </p>
<p>~KW</p>
<p> </p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/66017142021-04-12T04:29:47-12:002021-08-08T04:26:49-12:00Visual Cues<p>In the most recent class we followed up with some rhythm drills to practice patterns heard in some of the listening examples. This class focuses on listening but one of the most important strategies for conveying elements of a style or piece of music is through experiential learning. And so there was a lot of slow repetition of patterns and also experimenting with how to group the patterns into regular beats. Specifically we worked with this bell rhythm of Agbekor music (in Ghana):</p>
<p>X - x - xx - x - x - xX - x - xx - x - x - x ...</p>
<p>That graphic representation offers two cycles of the pattern which repeats as a constant underlying structure for the ensemble. I also used Western notation in the class with eighth notes and rests to convey the same pattern but without time signature. It's not that notation is necessary or even desirable to learn this and other patterns, but it allowed me to discuss what might challenge students' perceptions when we listen to this kind of beat cycle. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZP4lo2QOK74" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZP4lo2QOK74/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZP4lo2QOK74?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Even without notation visual cues are very important for listening and learning music. If one is familiar with a particular scale or instrument then listening to a melody may be enough to grasp it and reproduce it. But if the style, rhythm, or instrument is completely <em>unfamiliar,</em> then watching a player's movements as one listens significantly enhances perception of the music. </p>
<p>Visual cues will be an ongoing subject for upcoming classes. In the meantime one example that we watched as a stand-alone introduction to a new instrument is this performance on the Javanese gender by Barry Drummond available at <strong><a contents="Instruments of the World" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.instrumentsoftheworld.com/instrument/80-Gender.html">Instruments of the World</a></strong>. </p>
<p>Look for more gamelan music in upcoming posts!</p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/65942642021-04-04T14:48:21-12:002021-04-04T14:52:23-12:00Polyrhythm<p>I'm used to presenting listening material like this as geographically distinct modules, but I'm enjoying the freedom of making connections between musical attributes rather than adhering to any geographical borders. And so, it doesn't seem like much of a leap to switch from Parisian polyphony (see the last post) to the polyrhythm (layers of rhythm) of West African drumming. </p>
<p>The following short but informative film introduces the complex organization of music of the Malinke in Baro, Guinea (West Africa) and places it within the context of daily life, tracing specific rhythms to work activities and spoken phrases.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="lVPLIuBy9CY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/lVPLIuBy9CY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lVPLIuBy9CY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Actually the impetus for searching for just such an introductory video came from a student's interest in learning piano transcriptions of music he knew that exhibited grooves of unequal beats (3+3+2, for example).</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="4lXBHD5C8do" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/4lXBHD5C8do/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4lXBHD5C8do?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>It is a <em>long arc</em> to trace bell rhythms of West African ensembles to grooves and clave patterns of more popular music, but the post from <a href="https://soniccrossroads.com/blink-magazine/blog/gankogui-becomes-clave">January 2015</a> provides some introductory listening. </p>
<p>~KW</p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/65874802021-03-28T10:20:16-12:002022-05-17T18:35:10-12:00Parisian Polyphony<p>Actually the impetus for this latest listening class was to provide some additional content for some theory lessons I was teaching. I thought Why not spend some time online listening to different kinds of polyphony rather than just learning chord inversions and voice-leading rules? This approach also provides many opportunities to look at maps and learn some social and cultural context. </p>
<p>So the first links I pulled up were actually from the 12-century Parisian masters, Leonin and Perotin. They are so often neglected until college-level history but are the logical starting point for any discussion of polyphony, i.e. "many voices." </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="_p9WQlyVPrA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/_p9WQlyVPrA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_p9WQlyVPrA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This example provides not only the fabulous recording of David Munrow and the Early Music Consort but also a rendering in modern notation of the original notation. The next example sets the same text but by a later composer, Perotin, and so the students can hear exactly what the next step was in early polyphonic writing:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="KA6oq_UYbyA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/KA6oq_UYbyA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KA6oq_UYbyA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>These stunning examples led to discussion of where the text came from and why it was set the way it is (to long sustained notes), which led us to the first fork in the road: </p>
<p>Do we look up more information about the notational practices of the Middle Ages or do we listen to more examples with melodies over sustained bass lines?</p>
<p>And the answer is - YES! Of course, we do BOTH.</p>
<p>One fork you've already travelled with Mongolian throat-singing (but we listened to other things too...)</p>
<p>For the other fork I can highly recommend the channel Early Music Sources with Elam Rotem:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="G1F2FSLakVA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/G1F2FSLakVA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G1F2FSLakVA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/65818032021-03-22T11:21:12-12:002022-03-23T21:44:55-12:00Rainbows of Sound<p>I usually like to start a class like the <strong>Listening</strong> class with some introduction to sound qualities. What are we listening to when we hear and recognize different instruments? How do instruments - and the human voice - produce sound? These questions lead one to a consideration of timbre, or tone color, and the physical properties of sound based on what is dubbed the Harmonic Series. </p>
<p>I recently found this wonderful performance by Batzorig Vaachig and his daughter, demonstrating Mongolian throat-singing:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gAua3u3DXfU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/gAua3u3DXfU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gAua3u3DXfU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Students are usually blown away by the possibility of producing more than one note with the voice, and so it allows me to work in a bit of physics in order to explain the phenomenon. The most basic explanation is that it is much like producing rainbows by refracting light. In this case a single sound using a certain technique can be heard as a spectrum of notes, just like the spectrum of colors in a rainbow.</p>
<p>This video explains the harmonic series - but it goes by fast! It's worth pausing and pondering some diagrams and searching for more resources.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="OATjHiOuc70" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/OATjHiOuc70/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OATjHiOuc70?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>It's also great to get students to try and produce harmonics with their own voice! Whether successful or not, the process of listening for the components of a single note in their own voice heightens students' awareness of sound qualities generally. Of course, it helps when I can demonstrate (!) and convince them that it can be done...</p>
<p>Sometimes students are already familiar with this style and sound quality, and in a recent class I had one student compare it to didgeridoo, the aboriginal wind instrument of Australia. So we went searching for some examples and came up with <strong><a contents="this thorough site" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.didgeproject.com/free-didgeridoo-lessons/what-is-a-didgeridoo/"><span style="color:#16a085;">this thorough site</span></a></strong> that explores a lot of different techniques for playing the instrument and highlights some performers as well. Did you know you can buy a collapsible, travel-ready didgeridoo?</p>
<p>Thanks for tuning in! See you next time...</p>
<p>Kathryn Woodard</p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/65735012021-03-14T06:53:49-12:002021-09-09T05:39:57-12:00Organ, Harmonium, and Snake Bites<p>In conjunction with the new <a contents="online classes" data-link-label="Online Classes" data-link-type="page" href="/online-classes"><span style="color:#8e44ad;">online classes</span></a>, I am providing a brief synopsis of some material covered each week here in these posts. </p>
<p>In yesterday's group class we took a tour of various keyboard instruments with stops in Poland, India and the UK.</p>
<p>Continuing our exploration of early European polyphony (compositions with more than one melodic line), we took a turn from Paris of the 12th century into Italy in the 14th century with a work by the blind Italian master, Francesco Landini. Landini is often depicted playing the portative organ, and this performance recorded in Glogow, Poland provides an example of his music.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="lWhx6YKKWeU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/lWhx6YKKWeU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lWhx6YKKWeU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>
<p>Because the video doesn't identify the instrument initially and it's not a well known instrument for students, I invited students to try to identify the instrument by listening, and then we listened for the mode(s) and dominant intervals used by Landini. </p>
<p>From this introduction to an early keyboard instrument, I decided to share a clip of students from an academy in India performing on the harmonium, a similar type of portable keyboard instrument with bellows operated by the left hand. Although a more recent addition to Indian classical music, the harmonium is now considered a standard instrument in those traditions. Students were able to compare the timbre (tone color) of the harmonium vs. organ and also the different scales and modal structures of the music. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="01v_NQCHnE0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/01v_NQCHnE0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/01v_NQCHnE0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This type of comparison and exploration is what I enjoy most about these classes. Any given topic doesn't have to be limited to one region or follow a historical trajectory. The immediacy of online content allows us to follow any and all possible connections that we hear. In this particular case, we found the website for the school that produced the video - <a contents="Sargam Sangeet Vidyalay" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sargamsangeetvidyalay.in/">Sargam Sangeet Vidyalay</a> - and discovered they offer online instruction! </p>
<p>Next I shared a unique music video that synchronized a run of the video game Snake with an original piano composition by <a contents="Yshani Perinpanayagam" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://yshani.co.uk/">Yshani Perinpanayagam</a>, a composer of Indian descent living in the UK.</p>
<p>Watch and listen to "I only bite because you make me."</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="yoJ55hR5ceo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/yoJ55hR5ceo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yoJ55hR5ceo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Have fun exploring on your own but remember keywords and algorithms aren't ever going to provide this kind of content when surfing on YouTube! Joining a class discussion gives you access to multiple perspectives and allows you to share your own! </p>
<p>~Kathryn Woodard</p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/64901602020-12-02T07:00:12-12:002023-12-10T04:53:37-12:00Haiduceasca<p>Knowing how much my students like to watch piano video tutorials, I thought I'd share a unique one that was posted on a new music community site recently. "Haiduceasca" is a traditional song form from Bessarabia (Moldova/Romania) and is translated here as "Outlawry Song."</p>
<p>UPDATE: Unfortunately the aforementioned piano tutorial has been taken offline. But here is the rest of the blog post.</p>
<p>Below seems to be the exact inspiration for the piano arrangement (even the same tonal center):</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="tJ15kn8Kdt4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/tJ15kn8Kdt4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tJ15kn8Kdt4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>As one can imagine, many different recordings and interpretations of Haiduceasca can be found, many in a free, unmetered form. The signifiers "Doina" or "Balada" in the examples below seem to distinguish these examples from the dance song above.</p>
<p>Performed on shepherd's flute:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-ZfbLcU9VmQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/-ZfbLcU9VmQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ZfbLcU9VmQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>And on cimbalom by Toni Iordache:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3OuZOTehMWo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/3OuZOTehMWo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3OuZOTehMWo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I also found this notated example, though of a substantially different melody:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xfU6CT7k41o" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xfU6CT7k41o/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xfU6CT7k41o?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/64854062020-11-25T03:55:29-12:002021-10-19T07:42:07-12:00Piano Lessons with Big Red Bird<p>The newest publication from Sonic Crossroads is a beginning level lesson book for piano by Kathryn Woodard that doubles as a children's song book. <a contents="I'm A Big Red Bird" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/i-m-a-big-red-bird-children-s-song-digital-sheet-music/21812357" target="_blank"><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>I'm A Big Red Bird</strong></span></a> is a simple, pentatonic tune that can be played on the black keys, and the first lessons in the book explain how without the need for notation. Further lessons explore starting on different keys - "How do you make it sound the same? And how many keys can you start on?" It even encourages the student to play a duet with a piano partner - a parent, sibling, or friend. The book includes fun song verses for the melody, each describing a specific animal. </p>
<p>The book can be purchased here as a digital download (reading from a device or color printing is needed to follow the fingering instructions). </p>
<p>Listen to Lisa Neher sing the song! </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3F1EnFOx3gg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/3F1EnFOx3gg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3F1EnFOx3gg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>And here are some demo videos to get you started: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="YawOwGZZ908" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/YawOwGZZ908/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YawOwGZZ908?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wuVDt1Fbz4g" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/wuVDt1Fbz4g/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wuVDt1Fbz4g?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="8mNS4u-xOm0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/8mNS4u-xOm0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8mNS4u-xOm0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Additional lessons include learning to play the melody with one hand and adding an accompaniment in the other hand!</p>Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123712016-04-01T12:00:00-12:002022-04-22T12:00:55-12:00Solo Set II from the Cicada Consort Marathon Benefit Concert
<p>The second set I performed at the Cicada Consort Marathon Benefit concert featured a short piece I composed in 2014 as part of the set <em>Royal Portraits</em> entitled "Count Belisarius (The Basilica Cistern)," in between <em>Diary of a Madman </em>by Pavel Kopecky and <em>Petites Variations </em>by Nicolas Verin. As with the previous set selections from literature were provided at the concert as a substitute for program notes. They are included below. In the case of Verin, I've included the composers and/or styles he is referencing in his different variations.</p>
<p><strong>Pavel Kopecky </strong></p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DTV8Rwt7DO8" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><em>Diary of a Madman</em> by Nicolai Gogol</p>
<p><strong>Kopecky</strong> begins his piano piece based on Gogol’s short story with the pivotal diary entry, “April 43<sup>rd</sup>, 2000,” when the protagonist finally goes around the bend. I provide the preceding entry as a contrast and because Kopecky’s opening seems to evoke the ponderous nature of this entry, which is then followed by the ‘epiphany’ of April 43<sup>rd</sup>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Excerpt: "December 8<sup>th</sup></p>
<p>"I was about to go to the office but various reasons and considerations held me back. I couldn’t get that Spanish business out of my head. How could a woman inherit the throne? They wouldn’t allow it. Firstly, England wouldn’t stand for it. And what’s more, it would affect the whole of European policy: the Austrian Emperor, our Tsar, … I must confess, these events shook me up so much I couldn’t put my mind to anything all day. Mavra pointed out that I was very absent-minded during supper. And, in fact, in a fit of distraction I threw two plates on to the floor, and they broke immediately. After dinner I walked along a street that led downhill. Discovered nothing very edifying. Afterwards I lay on my bed for a long time and pondered the Spanish question.</p>
<p>"April 43<sup>rd</sup>, 2000</p>
<p>"Today is a day of great triumph. There <em>is</em> a king of Spain. He has been found at last. That king is <em>me</em>. I only discovered this today. Frankly, it all came to me in a flash. I cannot understand how I could think or imagine for one moment I was only a titular councilor. I can’t explain how such a ridiculous idea ever entered my head. Anyway, I’m rather pleased no one’s thought of having me put away yet. The path ahead is clear: everything is as bright as daylight.</p>
<p>"I don’t really understand why, but before this revelation everything was enveloped in a kind of mist. And the whole reason for this, as I see it, is that people are under the misapprehension that the human brain is situated in the head: nothing could be further from the truth. It is carried by the wind from the Caspian Sea. …"</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Kathryn Woodard </strong></p>
<p></p>
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<p><em>The Secret History</em> by Procopius</p>
<p>I had imagined excerpting <em>Count Belisarius </em>by Robert Graves for this short piece I composed in 2014, but then I came across the perfect passage in Procopius’ <em>Secret History </em>to capture the sense of intrigue and deception so central to palace life in sixth century Byzantium.Procopius was the trusted secretary and advisor to General Belisarius and as such he chronicled and glorified the achievements of the Byzantine Empire in <em>History of the Wars </em>and <em>Buildings</em>. However, in this “Secret History” he unleashed a torrent of criticism on the Byzantine rulers, Justinian and Theodora, and laid bare the most unseemly plots and intrigues.</p>
<p>Excerpt: "It was not long before Belisarius suffered another blow. The plague that I described in the previous narrative was rampaging through the population of Byzantium. Among those struck was the Emperor Justinian, who became very ill indeed; it was even stated that he was dead. The story was spread about by rumor and carried right to the Roman camp. There some of the officers declared that if the Romans in Byzantium set up someone else of his sort as Emperor over them, they would never put up with it. But the unexpected happened, and before long the Emperor recovered; thereupon the officers of the army flung accusations at each other. Peter the general and John, nicknamed ‘The Guzzler’, insisted that they had heard Belisarius and Bouzes talking in the way I have just mentioned. These criticisms, the Empress Theodora alleged, had been directed by their authors against herself, and she could not contain her indignation. She instantly recalled them all to Byzantium and held an enquiry into the report. Then without notice she summoned Bouzes to her private apartment as if to consult him on some matter of the utmost importance.</p>
<p>"There was a system of cellars beneath the Palace, secure and labyrinthine, and suggestive of Tartarus itself. In these she habitually kept locked up any who had incurred her displeasure. Into this hole Bouzes was flung in his turn, and there, though the descendant of consuls, he remained, forever oblivious to the passage of time. For as he say in darkness he could not himself make out whether it was day or night, and he was never allowed to speak to anyone else. The man who tossed him his daily ration of food met him as beast meets beast, neither saying a word. Everyone took it for granted that he had died at once, but to mention his name or to say a word about him was more than anyone dared to do. Two years and four months later, stared at him as if he had come back from the dead. For the rest of his life the unfortunate man suffered from bad eyesight, and his general health was very feeble.</p>
<p>"Such was the treatment meted out to Bouzes. Belisarius, although none of the charges was brought home to him, was at the instigation of the Empress deprived by the Emperor of the command which he held and replaced by Martin as General of the East. Belisarius’ guards and men-at-arms, together with those of his personal retainers who were trained fighting men, were, on the Emperor’s orders, to be divided up between some of the officers and Palace eunuchs. These drew lots for them and shared them, arms and all, among themselves, as each man happened to be lucky. Many of his friends and other old helpers were forbidden to associate with Belisarius any more. A pitiful, private citizen in Byzantium, almost alone, always gloomy and melancholy, in continual fear of death by a murderer’s hand. Learning that he had accumulated great wealth in the East, the Empress sent one of the Palace eunuchs to bring it all to her."</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Nicolas Verin </strong></p>
<p></p>
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<p>Verin links the theme to Thelonius Monk, but I hear Leonard Bernstein (specifically "Cool" from West Side Story)</p>
<p>Variation I: Boulez</p>
<p>Variation II: Two-voice canon</p>
<p>Variation III: Boogie-woogie</p>
<p>Variation IV: Mussorgsky</p>
<p>Variation V: Chopin etude</p>
<p>Variation VI: Schoenberg/Webern</p>
<p>Variation VII: Bach chorale</p>
<p>Variation VIII: Steve Reich</p>
<p>Variation IX: Nino Rota (composer for Fellini films)</p>
<p>Variation X: free jazz improv</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123702016-03-30T12:00:00-12:002022-04-14T11:22:02-12:00Solo Set I from the Cicada Consort Marathon Benefit Concert
<p>I had the great privilege of performing recently on the <a href="http://www.cicadaconsort.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><strong>Cicada Consort Marathon Benefit Concert</strong></a> at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The purpose was to raise money for the <strong>Michael J. Fox Foundation</strong> to support research into Parkinson's Disease and other neurological disorders. The concert featured over 40 performers and composers and I performed two solo sets as well as "Vox Balaenae" by George Crumb. </p>
<p>For this blog entry for Spring 2016, I'm including video of the performances along with the excerpts from literature that I shared at the performance as a way to contextualize and further elucidate the pieces.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Keiko Fujiie</strong>:</p>
<p></p>
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<p><em>Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</em> by Haruki Murakami</p>
<p>Though not specifically about a bird on a pond, I find this passage from Murakami’s novel pairs well with the narrative quality of<strong> Fujiie</strong>’s pieces and her sonic evocations of nature.</p>
<p><strong>Excerpt</strong>: "The boy heard the hard-edged sound in the middle of the night. He came awake, reached out for the floor lamp, and, once it was on, sat up and looked around the room. The time on the wall clock was just before two. The boy could not imagine what might be happening in the world at a time like this.</p>
<p>"Then the sound came again—from outside the window, he was sure. It sounded like someone winding a huge spring. Who could be winding a spring in the middle of the night? No, wait: it was <em>like</em> someone winding a spring, but it was not really a spring. It was the cry of a bird. The boy carried a chair over to the window and climbed up onto it. He pulled the curtains back and opened the window a crack. In the middle of the sky hung a large white moon, the full moon of late autumn, filling the yard below with its light. The trees out there looked very different to the boy at night than they did in the daylight. They had none of their usual friendliness. The evergreen oak looked almost annoyed as it trembled in the occasional puff of wind with an unpleasant creaking sound. The stones in the garden looked whiter and smoother than they ordinarily did, staring up at the sky impassively like the faces of dead people.</p>
<p>"The cry of the bird seemed to be coming from the pine tree. The boy leaned out the window and looked up, but from this low angle, the large, heavy branches of the pine hid the bird. He wanted to see what it looked like. He wanted to memorize its color and shape so that tomorrow he could find it in his illustrated encyclopedia. His intense desire to know had brought him fully awake now. Finding birds and fish and other animals in his encyclopedia was his greatest joy. Its big, thick volumes lined one shelf of his room. He had yet to enter elementary school, but he already knew how to read.</p>
<p>"The bird fell silent after winding the spring several times in a row. The boy wondered whether anyone else had heard the cry. Had his father and mother heard it? His grandmother? If not, he could tell them all about it in the morning: a bird that sounded <em>just</em> like the winding of a spring was sitting in the pine tree last night at two o’clock. If only he could catch a glimpse of it! Then he could tell everybody its name.</p>
<p>"But the bird never raised its cry again. It fell silent as a stone, up there in the branches of the pine bathed in moonlight. Soon a chill wind blew into the room, as if giving him some kind of warning. The boy shuddered and closed the window. This was a different kind of bird, he knew, not some sparrow or pigeon, which showed itself to people without hesitation. He had read in his encyclopedia that most nocturnal birds were cunning and cautious. The bird probably knew that he was on the lookout for it. It would never come out as long as he waited for it to appear. The boy wondered if he should go to the bathroom. That would mean walking down the long, dark corridor. No, he would just go back to bed. It was not so bad that he couldn’t wait until morning.</p>
<p>The boy turned the light out and closed his eyes, but thoughts of the bird in the pine tree kept him awake. The bright moonlight spilled in from beneath the curtains as if in invitation. When the wind-up bird cried one more time, the boy leaped out of bed. This time he did not turn on the light, but slipping a cardigan over his pajamas, he climbed onto the chair by the window. Parting the curtains just the tiniest bit, he peered up into the pine tree. This way, the bird would not notice that he was there."</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Hasan Uçarsu</strong>:</p>
<p></p>
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<p><em>Memoirs of Hadrian</em> by Marguerite Yourcenar</p>
<p>Phaselis was an ancient Greek and Roman city in Lycia (now in present-day Turkey) and an important trade port on the coast of the Mediterranean. <strong>Uçarsu</strong>’s piece is one of four that were inspired by his visits to ancient sites in Turkey in the summer of 1996. The ancient ruins include several ceremonial structures erected in celebration of Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 131 A.D. For this reason I chose to excerpt a favorite novel that is not as widely read as it should be in my view.</p>
<p><strong>Excerpt: "</strong>The route of return crossed the Archipelago; for the last time in my life, doubtless, I was watching the dolphins leap in that blue sea; with no thought henceforth of seeking for omens I followed the long straight flight of the migrating birds, which sometimes alighted in friendly fashion to rest on the deck on the ship; I drank in the odor of salt and sun on the human skin, the perfume of lentisk and terebinth from the isles where each voyager longs to dwell, but knows in advance that he will no pause. Diotimus read me the poets of his country; he has had that perfect instruction in letters which is often given to young slaves endowed with bodily graces in order to increase further their value; as night fell I would lie in the stern, protected by the purple canopy, listening till darkness came to efface both those lines which describe the tragic incertitude of our life, and those which speak of doves and kisses and garlands of roses. The sea was exhaling it moist, warm breath; the stars mounted one by one to their stations; the ship inclining before the wind made straight for the Occident, where showed the last shreds of red; phosphorescence glittered in the wake which stretched out behind us, soon covered over by the black masses of the waves. I said to myself that only two things of importance awaited me in Rome: one was the choice of my successor, of interest to the whole empire; the other was my death, of concern to me alone. …</p>
<p>"… I have no children, nor is that a regret. To be sure, in time of weakness and fatigue, when one lacks the courage of one’s convictions, I have sometimes reproached myself for not having taken the precaution to engender a son, to follow me. But such a vain regret rests upon two hypotheses, equally doubtful: first, that a son necessarily continues us, and second, that the strange mixture of good and evil, that mass of minute and odd particularities which make up a person, deserves continuation. I have put my virtues to use as well as I could, and have profited from my vices likewise, but I have no special concern to bequeath myself to anyone. It is not by blood, anyhow, that man’s true continuity is established: Alexander’s direct heir is Caesar, and not the frail infant born of a Persian princess in an Asiatic citadel; Epaminondas, dying without issue, was right to boast that he had Victories for daughters. Most men who figure in history have but mediocre offspring, or worse; they seem to exhaust within themselves the resources of a race. A father’s affection is almost always in conflict with the interests of a ruler. Were it otherwise, then an emperor’s son would still have to suffer the drawback of a princely education, the worst possible school for a future prince. Happily, in so far as our State has been able to formulate a rule for imperial succession, that rule has been adoption: I see there the wisdom of Rome. I know the dancers of choice, and its possibly errors; I am well aware, too, that blindness is not reserved to paternal affections alone; but any decision in which intelligence presides, or whether it at least plays a part, will always seem to me infinitely superior to the vague wishes of chance and unthinking nature. The power to the worthiest! It is good and fitting that a man who has proved his competence in handling the affairs of the world should choose his replacement, and that a decision of such grave consequence should be both his last privilege and his last service rendered to the State. But this important choice seemed to me more difficult than ever to make."</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Ivan Bozicevic</strong>:</p>
<p></p>
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<p>Bozicevic takes the title of his piece from this haiku by Basho: <strong><br></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>summer in the world</p>
<p> floating on the lake</p>
<p> over waves</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Follow the Cicada Consort YouTube page for complete video of the ten-hour concert!</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123692015-10-10T12:00:00-12:002022-04-14T11:20:54-12:00October 2015 Issue
<p>The final issue of 2015 is here! We start with a work that actually does refer to the season (as the culmination of our previous post about various "Falls"), <em>Autumn Music</em> for woodwind quintet by <a href="http://www.jenniferhigdon.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Jennifer Higdon</a>. <a href="http://www.jwpepper.com/10308027.item#.Vhq_5cbFs9c" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Purchase score here</a></p>
<p></p>
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<p>We feature two additional chamber works - <em>Traces</em> for clarinet, piano and string quartet by <a href="http://www.kr-music.com/concert-music/chamber-music/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Kareem Roustom</a>:</p>
<p>(<a href="http://www.canticledistributing.com/traces-full-score.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Purchase score here</a>)</p>
<p></p>
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<p>And <em>Okeanos Breeze</em> for oboe, clarinet, viola, sho and koto by <a href="http://daifujikura.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dai Fujikura</a> </p>
<p>(Score can be obtained from the composer at his website.)</p>
<p>The video provides a full glimpse of the score (as do all videos posted by incipitsfy). With its extended techniques and non-traditional instrumentation, including sho and koto (Japanese mouth organ and zither respectively), following the full score is very helpful to those less familiar with Fujikura's aesthetic.</p>
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<p>And finally we are pleased to feature a work that came to us from the composer, Tuba Concerto No. 3 by <a href="http://www.leroyosmon.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Leroy Osmon</a></p>
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<p>We like to keep the blog posts concise for easy perusal. For more information about the works, clicking on the links provided and accessing the full video sites are recommended. And of course, subscribe to the magazine!</p>
<p>Another feature of this issue was a discussion of the UIL Submission Process for composers as well as the reading sessions at the Midwest Clinic. Visit these two sites to learn more - <a href="http://www.uiltexas.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">uiltexas.org</a> and <a href="http://www.midwestclinic.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">midwestclinic.org</a> - (the Texas prescribed music list is one of the largest in the country and used by many other states as a default.) And if you'd like for Sonic Crossroads to promote an orchestral, band or jazz ensemble score of yours at the Midwest Clinic in December, please contact us at office [at] soniccrossroads.com!</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123682015-09-21T12:00:00-12:002015-09-21T20:33:12-12:00The Great Fall
<p>As we head into the fall and prepare for our next print issue, we thought we'd share a compilation of works that address "Fall" in all its varied meanings. Actually none of them represent the season, Autumn, although <em>The Fall of the House of Usher</em> by Philip Glass is definitely an appropriately spooky selection for the month of October. And so we'll start there:</p>
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<p>Understandably it's difficult to find more than a short excerpt of the opera on YouTube, but this from the opening provides a glimpse of the excitement of the orchestral writing, which as a chamber ensemble of about 18 instruments also more than suitable for a student production (with three main vocal roles).</p>
<p>Other works listed here come from our collective musical/mental archive except for Schelle's work and the song by The Firm, which were found through various Internet searches related to our topic. </p>
<p>It's not difficult to make the jump from Poe's spooky story to a setting of Al Capone's final days in prison where he suffered from mental illness due to untreated syphilis. "The End of Al Capone" by <a href="http://www.schellemusic.com/11.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Michael Schelle</a> is a monologue opera accompanied by chamber ensemble and was recently premiered at Butler University.</p>
<p></p>
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<p>"<a href="http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572554" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Fall of Constantinople</a>" by <a href="http://www.kamranince.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Kamran Ince</a> provides us with a musical interpretation of the fall of a city, which brought about the end of the Byzantine Empire when the Turks conquered the city in 1453.</p>
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<p>"Bye-Bye Butterfly" (1965) by <a href="http://www.deeplistening.org/site/content/pauline-oliveros" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Pauline Oliveros</a> is an iconic work in the realm of feminism in music. Borrowing from the familiar nursery rhyme, Oliveros turns the phrase to bid farewell to Madame Butterfly and other similar operatic roles that portray women as helpless victims with no other option but death. (from the YouTube post: It is a 2 channel tape composition made at the San Francisco Tape Music Center. It utilises 2 Hewlett Packard oscillators, 2 line amplifiers in cascade, a turntable with record and 2 tape recorders in a delay.)</p>
<p></p>
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<p>"All the King's Horses," by the British band The Firm is from its second (and final album "Mean Business") borrows from another nursery rhyme. (Do I really need to spell out the lyrics for you to find the Great Fall?) The question that arose in my mind when I went searching for more information about the band was, How is it possible that such a successful premiere album was followed by only one other (this one) and that the band folded shortly after its release? Is it something about the interpretation of this or other songs on the album? Perhaps a phenomenally poor choice for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firm_(disambiguation)" target="_blank" data-imported="1">name of the band</a>, if it intended to verge into this territory? Or did this in fact conclude what it had to say to the world?</p>
<p></p>
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<p>And finally "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_Her_Face" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Powder Her Face</a>" by Thomas Ades sets the story of the Duchess of Argyll, She did in fact take a tumble, which some claims account for bizarre changes in behavior most notably her promiscuity. Racy photos of the Duchess were made public, which led to her divorce and financial ruin. <a href="https://youtu.be/j8OCuAfIO2g" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here for a video excerpt.</a> And no, the title isn't just a fashion statement.</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123672015-08-14T12:00:00-12:002021-10-03T08:37:06-12:00La hija de Rappaccini at Vulcan Lyric
<p><a href="http://www.vulcanlyric.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Vulcan Lyric</a>, a new opera theater company in Philadelphia led by music director Andrew Kurtz, has launched an exciting summer festival. Intended to 'fill a gap' in the summer months' programming in Philadelphia, the festival presents new or recently premiered opera theater works, including musical theater. This year's offerings included the world premiere of Maren of Vardø: Satan's Bride, The Heathers (musical), Glory Denied, and La hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini's Daughter).</p>
<p>I attended the last work by Daniel Catan, which was performed in the chamber version (with 2 pianos, harp and 2 percussion). The performance definitely captured the lyricism of Catan's score and for the most part held the dramatic tension as the story unfolded. Marco Panuccio gave a particularly riveting performance as Giovanni, and duets with Jennifer Braun as Beatriz were the musical highlight of the performance. The production design with video projections on a set of movable scrims combined with lighting evocative of Renaissance painting made for a stunning production overall even with limited performing forces. The chamber version of the orchestra would not have detracted from my experience of the opera if it had not been for the substitution of acoustic pianos (grand or otherwise) with electronic keyboards. No matter the reason for this choice - was it space in the pit? constrained budget perhaps? - acoustic instruments would have added color and resonance to the performance and provided a sonic realm suitable to the visual realm created on stage.</p>
<p>In keeping with our aim to promote the printed scores of new music, here is a <a href="http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/26752" target="_blank" data-imported="1">link to a synopsis</a> of Catan's opera with ISSUU links for score viewing at the bottom of the page.</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123662015-06-12T12:00:00-12:002022-03-25T10:53:33-12:00Moondani: Black (July 2015 Issue)
<p>As promised we move into the realm of larger ensemble works in this issue, beginning with <em><strong>Moondani: Black</strong></em> by <a href="http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/attachment/id/454" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Taran Carter</a> of Australia. (Excerpt starts 2:00. Description of the work is provided on the YouTube page.)</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/work/carter-taran-moondani-black" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here to purchase</a></p>
<p>We also provide a short feature on the wind arrangements available for free download as part of the <strong>U.S. Navy Band's Carl Fischer Project</strong>. These arrangements were published in journal fashion (much like <em>Blink) </em>as a way to promote sales by the publisher. Visit the <a href="http://www.navyband.navy.mil/carl_fischer_library.shtml" target="_blank" data-imported="1">website</a> for links to all 13 scores currently available as well as streaming audio.</p>
<p>In typical contradictory fashion for composer <a href="http//www.huangruo.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Huang Ruo</a> (b. 1976), his choral work <em>Without Words</em> does actually set poetry, that of Li Hou-Zhu (937-978)</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/36181" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here to purchase</a></p>
<p>In this issue we've provided the full score for Argemarillo Fantasie No. 2 by <a href="http://garynash.musicaneo.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Gary Powell Nash</a>. Each of the three fantasies explores a particular influence from popular music, in this case the tango.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwfYSmjPlR8" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p>Contact the composer to obtain a score for <em>Three Argemarillo Fantasies</em></p>
<p>And finally we feature one song from<em><strong> Parable - a song cycle</strong> </em>by <a href="http://www.robertscohen.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Robert S. Cohen</a>, "Ah Me! I am the One." The cycle of 10 songs sets poetry of Japanese masters, mostly Basho but also Issa and Wafu. Streaming audio can be heard here, and the composer's <a href="http://www.robertscohen.com/listen.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">website</a> also provides audio of the orchestral version of some songs. Contact the composer to obtain the score for the cycle.</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123652015-03-02T12:00:00-12:002021-09-25T09:36:15-12:00April 2015 Issue
<p>In addition to our foray into North Indian Classical rhythm (see previous post for January 22), we feature the following composers in our second issue:</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.sigh-ackmusic.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Brian Ciach</a></strong></p>
<p>"Kentucky Folk Pieces" are available for sale both from <a href="http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/brian_ciach" target="_blank" data-imported="1">ScoreExchange</a> and <a href="issuu.com/brianciach/docs/ciach_kentucky_folk_pieces__score_a/1" target="_blank" data-imported="1">ISSUU</a>. You can also preview the entire score from the ISSUU link! Listen to the entire work on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/brian-ciach/sets/kentucky-folk-pieces-2013-for" target="_blank" data-imported="1">SoundCloud</a>.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jeanchristopherosaz.eu" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Jean-Christophe Rosaz</a></strong></p>
<p>View a performance of <em>Three Wise Monkeys </em>here:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGDKzwdLl4o" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.orlandojacintogarcia.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Orlando Jacinto Garcia</a></strong> - Listen to a full performance of <em>horizontes imaginados </em>on our new <a href="/blink-audio" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">audio page</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.libbylarsen.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Libby Larsen</a></strong> - Purchase <em>Try Me Good King </em><a href="https://wordery.com/try-me-good-king-libby-larsen-9780193864184?currency=USD&gtrck=V2RUTUloY0VOTDBjdnBKL3JQUDFOYXRvRWVneklQcldHWE9idkRPcHdtSlFuUWZ4VkdXNDNLUFZKZjhLRlZFaFZ6a1UyZmtmRmpoWHVHZFJHclB5K0E9PQ&gclid=Cj0KEQiA1NWnBRDchObfnYrbo78BEiQA-2jqBer_x5uo7MbZEPpol1P7EtOoVl9D0FYwbsqSvHL-izgaAteS8P8HAQ" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a></p>
<p>You can find a few interpretations of the song online; we recommend:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vFf1pEoAGak" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.georgengianopoulos.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">George N. Gianopoulos</a></strong></p>
<p>Listen to a performance of "Fughetta on Monk's 'Well You Needn't'," followed by a recording of Thelonius Monk, playing his own theme:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-tfGF9l7-vg" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOvKLvWuZjg" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p>You may notice that Gianopoulos' tempo is marked "Moderate Swing" and with the complexities of contrapuntal writing, it would indeed be an exercise in frustration to try and match Monk's original tempo in the Fughetta version.</p>
<p>And finally, our <strong>"Look Back"</strong> feature is an arrangement of <strong>Bach's Fugue in B-flat Minor</strong> as a study companion to the Fughetta above.</p>
<p>Here is a recording by Svatislav Richter. The fugue starts at 2:25.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CL00B8TQMBQ" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123722015-01-31T12:00:00-12:002021-10-31T04:56:57-12:00Gankogui Becomes Clave
<p>The Gankogui marks the beat in drum ensemble music of Ghana and other parts of West Africa. The beat is not a steady pulse but a particular rhythm that the ensemble is following or linking up with. This post and presentation provide examples of the 'bell rhythm' in West African drumming and how the rhythms can be heard in Caribbean traditional music such as Santeria and popular Latin music. </p>
<p>Listen to an example of Agbekor music from Ghana:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qOlgMgZkAQQ" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><a href="http://www.richardhodges.com/ladzekpo/Foundation.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><strong>Click here</strong></a> for specific information about the <strong>gankogui</strong> (And click on "Drums & Drumming" at the link for additional information)</p>
<p>Listen to another example of Agbekor. The bell rhythm is very clear in this example:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xHDvwWBJ0NQ" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p>Notation example -</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.slavevoyages.org/assessment/intro-maps" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here</a></strong> for information about the routes slaves travelled from West Africa to the Caribbean.</p>
<p>Listen to an example from Santeria practice:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MKX81DDBsAM" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.aboutsanteria.com/rituals--drumming.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here</a></strong> for information about Santeria</p>
<p>Now listen for the 'bell rhythm' (called clave here) in this example from Cuba:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VYYn8Wtr6qQ" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p>You can even hear the rhythm we learned in this performance with Celia Cruz!</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TxRWQHCSmUg" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123612015-01-21T12:00:00-12:002022-04-27T19:48:43-12:00Counting Tintal in Indian Classical Music
<p>As a supplement to the workshop at TMEA in February, I provide some visual aids, descriptions and helpful links here for you to consult and study! These are only the basics and we will go much further with counting and improvising at the workshop! Much of the material here appears in a short article in the April issue of <em>Blink</em> along with additional exercises notated in syllables.</p>
<p>So we start with the clap-wave counts for Tintal:</p>
<p>Remember beats 1, 2, 3, 4 are +, 2, 0, 3. </p>
<p>+ is 'sum' for the 'downbeat'; 0 is the 'wave' and denotes the unvoiced/silent beat</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/393911/f2ea33c306c2315612bece2467fcce11ff6f20ec/original/tala-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDE4MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="181" width="200" /> </p>
<p>+</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/393911/57ef845edeaaa940a6163a773994cc3c34b24fb9/original/tala-2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDE2NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="166" width="200" /></p>
<p>2</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/393911/4d92620f4067c90ad8f539d4b206322665e35ef0/original/tala-3.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDE0OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="149" width="200" /></p>
<p>0 (wave)</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/393911/4ade044c5b6d74ef518b62a3c5cadba53c62c1e7/original/tala-4.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDE2OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="168" width="200" /></p>
<p>3</p>
<p>While you may not see these specific hand claps taught on the videos, they are useful for beginning students to keep track of the larger beats in the 16-beat cycle. Remember 'tintal' means 'three cycle' for the three sounded beats or claps, plus one unsounded wave. </p>
<p>The syllables for the sixteen beats are:</p>
<p>(+) 1-Dha 2-dhin 3-dhin 4-dha</p>
<p>(2) 5-Dha 6-dhin 7-dhin 8-dha</p>
<p>(0) 9-Dha 10-tin 11-tin 12-ta</p>
<p>(3) 13-Ta 14-dhin 15-dhin 16-dha</p>
<p>In sequence without the beat numbers: Dha dhin dhin dha Dha dhin dhin dha Dha tin tin ta Ta dhin dhin dha</p>
<p>The gestures for counting the inner beats - the subdivisions as we would call them - involve joining the thumb with other fingers.</p>
<p>So, for the first four counts: CLAP (Dha), thumb to pinky (dhin), thumb to ring finger (dhin), thumb to middle finger (ha). Then these inner beat gestures are repeated after each clap or wave. </p>
<p>Practice the entire cycle several times!</p>
<p>The syllables correspond to specific drum strokes on the tabla with specific sounds. Just as with Western solfege, which serves as a guide to learning pitches and melodies, these syllables, or thekas, are an instructional method for tabla playing. In conjunction with 'bols' other syllabic patterns used for study, tabla players can fashion (and often perform) entire syllabic compositions apart from drumming. </p>
<p>What you may have already noticed is that the third beat syllables (on the wave) change to reflect the 'silent' nature of that beat – from voiced ‘dh’ sounds to unvoiced ‘t’ sounds. However, the switch is not immediate as if the wave is a <em>cue</em> to switch to ‘tin’ with the unvoiced 't' on beat 10. Again, these syllables and their sounds are intended to teach drum strokes, so listen to the first track on this site <a href="http://kksongs.org/khol/chapters/lesson08.html" data-imported="1">http://kksongs.org/khol/chapters/lesson08.html</a> "Audio Clip 8" demonstrates the tabla strokes. You’ll also notice the change from ‘dha’ to ‘dhin’ and the shift to ‘tin’ (no bass stroke for the unvoiced ‘t’s).</p>
<p>The patterns and syllables we will present at the TMEA workshop are based on those compiled by tabla player <a href="http://www.rhombuspublishing.com/biography.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Jerry Leake</a> in his instructional books published by <a href="http://www.rhombuspublishing.com/percussion_books.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Rhombus Publishing</a>, specifically in "<a href="http://www.rhombuspublishing.com/relating_sound_time.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Relating Sound and Time - Chapter 7</a>"</p>
<p>You can find plenty performances of 'tintal' on the tabla on the Internet, but not too many explaining the syllables and counting of the tal. We did find this excellent <a href="http://youtu.be/thTtZekYiKo" target="_blank" data-imported="1">introduction by Mihir Kundu</a>. The syllables are different for the basic tal than those used above, and the purpose of the instructional video is to translate them immediately to the tabla strokes, so it goes by pretty quickly! But there are multiple videos in the series with useful notation of the syllables and patterns. We hope you'll learn and appreciate more from these and other videos.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/thTtZekYiKo" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p>And finally (on this post at least) here is a tabla solo in tintal by Jerry Leake to give you an idea of the virtuosity and the potential for new interpretations within this rhythmic tradition:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpF0e1NNpJ0" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123572015-01-16T12:00:00-12:002015-01-16T22:42:57-12:00Subscribe to Blink!
<p>We are excited about our first issue and want to encourage new music fans to subscribe - both to our RSS feed for regular updates and to the print magazine. Our initial subscription fee is $25.00 (for four issues per year). Please consider subscribing! if you are a composer, you receive one free score submission to be considered for publication in <em>Blink </em>once you subscribe.</p>
<p> </p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123632015-01-14T12:00:00-12:002021-10-03T23:05:23-12:00January 2015 Issue
<p>Our January Issue has gone to print! </p>
<p>Here we list all contributors with links to their websites, score purchase sites and videos of their featured works:</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.garretthope.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Garrett Hope</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.valeriecapers.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Valerie Capers</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://engine.alansentman.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Don't Idle Engine</a> </strong>(Alan Sentman) - check out additional arrangements <a href="/don-t-idle-engine" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">here</a>!</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.ivanbozicevic.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ivan Bozicevic</a></strong></p>
<p>Also featured in this issue is "Canto de la ave rapiega" (Song of the Bird of Prey) for cello and piano by <a href="http://www.ivanbozicevic.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ivan Bozicevic</a> of Split, Croatia. You can purchase the score either as PDF download or in print from Abundant Silence Publishing (<a href="http://abundantsilencepublishing.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">click here</a>).</p>
<p>Here is a performance of the work in Denver, CO on January 31:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-3FId7_JJc" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong>Caroline Xiong (Young Composer)</strong></p>
<p>Watch her performance of "The Lonely Fairy" at NAfME here:</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PWrN2_msSic" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.danielcarrcomposer.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Daniel Carr</a></strong></p>
<p>We are pleased to include "The Nurse's Song" from Three Blake Songs by <a href="http://danielcarrcomposer.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Daniel Carr</a> in our first issue of Blink.</p>
<p>Click on the links to listen to Carr's new recording of this <a href="https://danielcarr1.bandcamp.com/track/nurses-song-william-blake" target="_blank" data-imported="1">song</a> and of several of his other <a href="https://danielcarr1.bandcamp.com/album/daniel-carr-volume-1-songs-and-solo-piano-works" target="_blank" data-imported="1">works</a>.</p>
<div><em>Carr has this to say about Nurse's Song:</em></div>
<div>"Nurse's Song" is the first in a set of three songs to the poetry of William Blake. These were my first attempt at composing "classical" songs for voice and piano. Having grown up listening to far more pop music than classical, these songs tend to have a Pop, Folk and even Broadway influence -- wrapped in the cloak of Classical Music. These simple songs are to be sung with minimal vibrato and ask for a pure, clean tone.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>You can also purchase the score, at <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/three-william-blake-songs-for-soprano-and-piano-opus-2-digital-sheet-music/20000509" target="_blank" data-imported="1">SheetMusicPlus </a>and<a href="http://www.jwpepper.com/10487979.item#.VG43Of10yUk" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> JW Pepper</a>.</div>
<p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Adnan_Saygun" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ahmed Adnan Saygun</a> </strong>(Listen to audio tracks <a href="/adnan-saygun" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">here</a> and learn more about his music on our <a href="/research" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">research</a> page)</p>
<p> Here is the short teaching piece "Masal":</p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oA6ATaQCFqc" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Adnan_Saygun" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Karl Blench</a></strong></p>
<p>"Dreams and Hallucinations" is a substantial (30+ min.) work for cello and piano by Karl Blench that lives up to its title with several movements exploring varied moods and states of consciousness. In the print issue we feature the movement "Altered Reality."</p>
<p>Purchase the score! <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/dreams-and-hallucinations.../20043616" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here.</a></p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3EcBS5H9pQU" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Purchase this issue for $5.00 (plus S&H)</p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123642014-12-19T12:00:00-12:002014-12-20T00:54:36-12:002014 Midwest Clinic
<p>We're just back from an invigorating trip to the <a href="http://www.midwestclinic.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Midwest Clinic</a> held every December in Chicago. This international conference for band and orchestra ensembles and educators features clinics by leading educators from around the world as well as numerous performances by student and professional ensembles, including many of the U.S. Armed Forces ensembles.</p>
<p>Highlights for us at the Clinic include ... </p>
<p>The U.S. Navy Band's clinic on the "<a href="http://www.navyband.navy.mil/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Carl Fischer Journal Project,</a>" which offered a glimpse of their efforts to republish online wind ensembles scores first published in the journal about 100 years ago. Currently available for free download are 13 full scores and parts from over 400 originally published in the Journal! And attractive arrangements these undoubtedly are. While we don't usually find wind arrangements of original orchestral masterpieces appealing, the Egmont Overture arrangement (as performed by the Navy Band, of course) did not disappoint. We were also interested to learn of the Journal's existence as an interesting parallel and precedent for what we aspire to do with <em>Blink</em> - get new sheet music into the hands of as many players as possible! </p>
<p>We also thoroughly enjoyed the performance of one of the featured ensembles at the Clinic - the Saitama Sakae Wind Orchestra of Japan. This high school ensemble founded by Minoru Otaki wowed the audience with their expressive and virtuosic performance of a wide variety of repertoire and styles, including: the U.S. premiere of Julie Giroux's "Paprikash" (yes the American premiere of an American composer's work by a Japanese ensemble touring the U.S.); an arrangement by Toshio Mashima of Vittorio Monti's popular "Csardas," here for marimba and band with student Yae Aso as the stunning marimba soloist; and a moving performance of Hirokazu Fukushima's "Eternal Memoir - Saga of the Lucky Dragon," which recounts in music a series of paintings by Ben Shahn that preserve the memory of the Japanese fishing boat and crew (the Lucky Dragon) contaminated by U.S. nuclear tests in the Pacific in 1954.</p>
<p>Our initial interest in the Clinic was to attend the new music reading sessions - for Orchestra, Jazz and Concert Band ensembles. While we may contact composers and publishers of some titles about submitting to future issues of <em>Blink, </em>we also think this is a unique opportunity for composers to consider promoting their own work. The current system is that every publisher exhibiting at the Clinic can feature a selection or two from their catalog on the reading session. While major publishers were certainly represented, there were smaller publishers and even independent composers exhibiting at the Clinic. While the U.S. Air Force Jazz Band - "Airmen of Note" - certainly 'sold' the showcased jazz selections as well as any ensemble could, we were particularly drawn to the nature of the reading Orchestra, which was solely made up of educators from the Chicago area. imagine not only promoting your music to attendees of the session, but also having 60-70 teachers actually play your music and make programming decisions based on their readings! One caveat: 'new music' in this case could mean any new publication, such as a new arrangement of a standard classical piece. But again, if composers are promoting their own music (and work with their publishers to promote their music), then they too could be featured on the reading session.</p>
<p>In addition to these three 'official' reading sessions, one invited clinician, Ingrid Martin, presented her own session "Secrets from Down Under," featuring new band music by Australian composers. -An interesting alternative to consider for promoting music from a specific region.</p>
<p>The time may also have come for 'orchestra' or 'band' to be interpreted broadly to include world music ensembles, such as Japanese gagaku, Indonesian gamelan, or West African drumming ensembles. The deadline for clinic and performance proposals is March 9, 2015.</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123622014-12-13T12:00:00-12:002022-04-24T20:05:50-12:00Ivan Bozicevic - Canto de la ave rapiega
<p>Another feature in our first issue is excerpts from "Canto de la ave rapiega" (Song of the Bird of Prey) for cello and piano by <a href="http://www.ivanbozicevic.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ivan Bozicevic</a> of Split, Croatia. You can purchase the score either as PDF download or in print from Abundant Silence Publishing (<a href="http://abundantsilencepublishing.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">click here</a>).</p>
<p>Here is the promised recording of the performance in Denver, CO on January 31!</p>
<p></p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123602014-12-04T12:00:00-12:002014-12-03T00:58:01-12:00Daniel Carr - Three Blake Songs
<p>We are pleased to include "The Nurse's Song" from Three Blake Songs by <a href="http://danielcarrcomposer.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Daniel Carr</a> in our first issue of Blink.</p>
<p>Click on the links to listen to Carr's new recording of this <a href="https://danielcarr1.bandcamp.com/track/nurses-song-william-blake" target="_blank" data-imported="1">song</a> and of several of his other <a href="https://danielcarr1.bandcamp.com/album/daniel-carr-volume-1-songs-and-solo-piano-works" target="_blank" data-imported="1">works</a>.</p>
<div><em>Carr has this to say about Nurse's Song:</em></div>
<div>"Nurse's Song" is the first in a set of three songs to the poetry of William Blake. These were my first attempt at composing "classical" songs for voice and piano. Having grown up listening to far more pop music than classical, these songs tend to have a Pop, Folk and even Broadway influence -- wrapped in the cloak of Classical Music. These simple songs are to be sung with minimal vibrato and ask for a pure, clean tone.</div>
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<div>We are also excited to include links to purchase the score, at<a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/three-william-blake-songs-for-soprano-and-piano-opus-2-digital-sheet-music/20000509" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> SheetMusicPlus </a>and<a href="http://www.jwpepper.com/10487979.item#.VG43Of10yUk" target="_blank" data-imported="1"> JW Pepper</a>.</div>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123542014-12-02T12:00:00-12:002021-09-23T04:49:06-12:00Karl Blench - Altered Reality
<p>"Dreams and Hallucinations" is a substantial (30+ min.) work for cello and piano by Karl Blench that lives up to its title with several movements exploring varied moods and states of consciousness. In the print issue we will feature the movement "Altered Reality."</p>
<p>Purchase the score! <a href="http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/dreams-and-hallucinations.../20043616" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here.</a></p>
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<p>Look for the score in our first issue of Blink!</p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123592014-11-19T12:00:00-12:002022-05-25T22:29:18-12:00Incipitsfy
<p>Our next channel suggestion is Incipitsfy. It features more recent works. It should be obvious that a great benefit to this channel is the accompanying scores as the video stream! Enjoy perusing the wide variety of composers and genres.</p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123582014-11-19T12:00:00-12:002021-10-13T06:18:19-12:00NewMusicXX
<p>An interesting component of the NAfME Young Composers Concert was a talk back with the composers led by Daniel Deutsch. He asked them what they had been listening to, for inspiration or simply for reCreation. Several answers pointed to an interest in early twentieth century masters, such as Shostakovich and Stravinsky. As a supplement we thought we'd post links to new music YouTube channels - an easy way to access and learn about new and slightly older music! NewMusicXX run by Max Ridgway in Oklahoma is our first choice. Check out his substantial list of posts!</p>
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Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123562014-10-31T12:00:00-12:002021-10-23T08:50:19-12:00The Lonely Fairy by Caroline Xiong
<p>We are pleased to feature a young composer who came to our attention at the NAfME Young Composers Concert in Nashville recently.</p>
<p>"The Lonely Fairy" is by Caroline Xiong, a third grader at PS 188 in Queens, NY and the youngest winner in the group. Her teacher is Vivian Fang Liu.</p>
<p>Look for an excerpt of her music in the first issue of <em>blink</em>!</p>
<p>Watch her performance at NAfME here:</p>
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<p>Other composers featured on the program:</p>
<p>Dax Brockington</p>
<p>Daniel Collins</p>
<p>Max Friedman</p>
<p>Christopher Landy</p>
<p>Grace Ann Lee</p>
<p>Shuying Li</p>
<p>Nicholas Politi</p>
<p>Brandon Thibodeau</p>
<p>Jacob Wilkinson</p>
<p>Jade Wong</p>
<p>Vaibhav Mohanty's work was performed on All-National Concert Band concert.</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123552014-10-28T12:00:00-12:002014-10-29T06:52:08-12:002014 NAfME Young Composers Concert
<p>A highlight for us at the 2014 National Association for Music Education Convention was definitely the Young Composers Concert on Monday, Oct. 27. It featured 11 composition competition winners ranging in age from 8 to 20. An additional winner was featured on the All-National Concert Band performance. We look forward to featuring the winning compositions as they come to us along with recordings. Stay tuned!</p>
Sonic Crossroadstag:soniccrossroads.com,2005:Post/61123532014-10-15T12:00:00-12:002014-10-16T07:01:37-12:00Coming soon!
<p>Sonic Crossroads is planning a journal devoted to new music called <em>Blink. </em>The print version will feature new works selected through a review process with links to complete scores (for larger, multiple-movement works) and to audio/video. Stay tuned for more about our first issue!<em> </em></p>
Sonic Crossroads