Repertoire for Saxophone and Wind Orchestra
Session Abstract
Illustrated with recordings and scores, this discussion will include reference to the commissioning process, specific technical challenges and significance within the repertoire in general.
Considerations in Composing for Voice & Winds
A panel discussion chaired by Michael Ball and including Martin Bussey, Adam Gorb, Michael Haithcock, Keith Kinder, Joseph Phibbs, Timothy Reynish, and Phillip Scott.
Unfortunately Stephen McNeff and Jacob de Haan were unable to attend the session (along with the scheduled chair Sally Groves), although both provided some written thoughts through Michael Ball. McNeff questioned the choice of literary sources and whether words are just a vehicle for notes, while de Haan was concerned about choosing the right repertoire, especially for amateur choirs and bands. de Haan also raised the biggest concern, and often most discussed topic, when discussing writing for voices and winds, overcoming the inherent balance problems.
Adam Gorb began by briefly explaining his most recent piece,Thoughts Scribbled on a Wall composed for solo male (bass), mixed chorus, brass quintet, and organ. He concluded that the choice of text is absolutely vital to the composition; in the case of Gorb’s new piece, John McCarthy’s response to his prison experience as a six-year political prisoner. Gorb also provided a simple answer to the inherent balance problems, simply alternate ensembles, first the winds play alone followed by the choir singing alone. A humorous response, but one also espoused by McNeff during his pre-concert lecture for Image in Stone, performed by the Irish Youth Wind Ensemble on Sunday afternoon. McNeff supported this statement by explaining that if the text is important then it is appropriate to have the vocalist repeat it with minimal accompaniment, and if it is really important then have the winds drop out all together.
Joseph Phibbs, whose Rainland was performed by Chetham’s School of Music Symphonic Wind Orchestra and Chamber Choir Wednesday evening, said that his difficulty is in being given text rather than finding his own. Obviously a text immediately suggests certain music, some slow, some fast, etc., and if a composer if given a text then the concerns include having enough variety within the text and its overall pacing. Phillip Scott had earlier described his first reading of the text for Rainland saying that one of his favorite lines in the original text ultimately was cut, most likely by the librettist Stephen Plaice possibly due to the above reasons.
Michael Haithcock described his experiences with commissioning works for voices and winds. His interest has been in pieces for solo voice and mixed chamber ensembles and used works by Mahler and Wagner as examples for scoring and use of the voice. He talked about his experiences with Susan Botti’s Cosmosis and Matthew Tommasini’s Three Spanish Songs, as well as the CBDNA commission of Daron Hagen’s Bandanna. He praised Hagen’s orchestration and the way in which he handled the inherent balance issues.
Keith Kinder mentioned one of his favorite pieces as a model for writing for chorus and winds, Franz Liszt’s C Minor Mass, and discussed Liszt’s masterful use of motives and themes in the Gloria,Credo, and Dona Nobis Pacem. His discussion was a follow up to his earlier research session on the best music for chorus and winds.
Tim Reynish mentioned six pieces that need to be examined and performed more often: Csaba Deak’s Momento Mare, Bernard van Beurden’s Song of Skyloom and Boulevard des Misères, Daron Hagen’s Bandanna, Anthony Hedges’s A Manchester Mass, and Philip Wilby’s A Passion for Our Time. In addition Reynish provided an addendum of works for chorus and winds that should be included when considering the current repertoire.
Bussey reiterated that composers should not be afraid of the balance issues, especially when writing for chorus and large wind band. He explained that there are many times when it is not vital to hear what the chorus is actually singing. Many times composers have the texture in mind rather than individual words. Reynish also pointed out that contrary to what many might think, it is sometimes easier to obtain soft accompaniments with section playing rather than solo playing. Asking an amateur or young musician to perform the softest dynamics takes extraordinary control and is often extremely difficult.
Although no specific answers were given during the session, both conductors and composers discussed many ideas and their thoughts regarding writing for chorus and winds. From a practical standpoint, Michael Haithcock and Tim Reynish, along with Keith Kinder’s mention of Liszt’s C Minor Mass, provided some additional suggestions regarding repertoire for these combined forces. As an observer with an interest in performing such works, it was clear that the most important aspect of this session was the ongoing conversation regarding the commission, composition, performance, and scholarship regarding works for voices and winds.
Varèse, Duchamp and Richardson
I am fascinated with the connection between music and the other arts, in particular the visual arts. I often have images pass through my head during performances of pieces of music. When I first read about Colleen Richardson’s discussion of the relationship between Varèse and Duchamp, I was excited.
Now, I’m not knowledgeable enough in art history or even in the life of Varèse to be able to critique her research, but her talk was well thought out and provocative. Her comments on the links between the Futurist, Cubist and Dadaist movements with Varèse’s music were stimulating in the way they gave me a new angle on his compositional output.
She discussed the connections between Simultaneity, the use of space and technology with compositional methodology — how Varèse’s use of intervals, rhythm, dynamics and the sometimes coldness of his writing related to the same concepts that Duchamp was using in his work.
The brief discussion that ensued was equally stimulating. One of the more interesting questions asked was regarding the link between Varèse and Ives — more specifically, if there was one. Although geographically and aesthetically they are very dissimilar composers, it was noted by an audience member that they did seem to come to a very similar place in terms of their writing.
Thank you Colleen for one of the more stimulating and better-presented sessions of the week.
Open Rehearsal — International Youth Wind Orchestra
In this session, Markson focussed on some of the more challenging aspects of the music that was to be performed on the IYWO concert on the following Saturday. Most notably, he deconstructed then reconstructed a section from Ian Wilson's Miranda, Ariel, Umbrielwhich had two groups of instruments entering in canon a half-beat apart.
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