Will you dance my young child,
With your light and graceful step?
For though the winds blow fierce and wild,
We'll fill the night with merriment...
And 'twere no pity if, beguiled
By music, you should dance a jig.
'Tis merry the heart of a child.
I am no child, and my step is not light.
I am afraid I cannot dance tonight.
Go find someone happier, prettier, thinner...
Another girl who doesn't need to skip dinner.
Can't you see I'm fat. Why do you rub it in?
It's as plain as can be I'm too big for my skin.
Go have fun without me. I'm a terrible sight;
And if I were to dance, I would ruin the night!
Why don't you dance my young child,
With your light and graceful step?
For though the winds blow fierce and wild,
We'll fill the night with merriment...
And 'twere no pity if, beguiled
By music, you should dance a jig.
'Tis merry the heart of a child.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
I really should blog more often.
So I thought of something at least noteworthy, though maybe not remarkable, from my séjour in Nova Scotia. This is an interest in new music, particularly music composed for either me specifically, or for an ensemble in which I end up taking part.
One element of the Scotia Festival was a program for young composers. The composers ended up being all still in school - one just starting his undergrad, another at the end of hers, and one doctoral student. Fiona, the doctoral student, was the one for whom I ended up playing. Having been a clarinet performance major for a little while during her undergrad, a good deal of her composition is birthed out of her fiddling around on her clarinet.
Now, this piece was written for a rather unusual instrumentation: soprano, clarinet, and cello. In fact, circumstances at the festival (all the cellists were too busy) brought about an even odder instrumentation: soprano, clarinet, and double bass. Travis, the bassist at the festival, was looking for things to do, so Fiona adapted the cello part for double bass, and it worked remarkably well, especially with the different tone color that the bass has - a bit less warm than the cello. What also worked well was that with this new member of the ensemble, our trio of personalities meshed very nicely. Suré (pronounced soo-RAY) is a dear of a soprano, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but now living in North Texas with her husband, and Travis is a nice young man from Toronto who attends university in Montréal.
It was a great experience working on a brand-new piece with people who were great colleagues and new friends, and also being able to be a part of the composer's refining of the work. Called "The Crooked Child," Fiona wrote it in response to learning about stories of anorexic ten year-olds. The text is a poem that she wrote, and she decided to set it to music for this festival. It was a great setting, and the audience response was great - it was a powerful work. I'll see if I can get her to send me the text soon so I can post it here.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with Suré, and we were talking about how we should get together and perform something since we will be living just over an hour and a half's drive from each other in less than a month. While we were discoursing, she mentioned that she had talked to Fiona, and that she mentioned the possibility to Fiona about writing a song cycle for our trio. How wonderful would that be -- having a song cycle written for your ensemble that was assembled at a music festival, and then performing it in a doctoral recital in Toronto! In any case, this is why new music is exciting to me. Eventually, as you learn music, you will work your way through all the styles, genres, and periods up through your era. Don't get me wrong -- you can rework those pieces, finding something new and wonderful in them each time -- but there's still something even more exciting about performing the music of our time, especially when it's written for you.
So, friends, this is something that excites me as much as the prospect of trying to learn as much as I can of the music already written for my instrument, in the recent or distant past. Indeed, it is what keeps music alive.
One element of the Scotia Festival was a program for young composers. The composers ended up being all still in school - one just starting his undergrad, another at the end of hers, and one doctoral student. Fiona, the doctoral student, was the one for whom I ended up playing. Having been a clarinet performance major for a little while during her undergrad, a good deal of her composition is birthed out of her fiddling around on her clarinet.
Now, this piece was written for a rather unusual instrumentation: soprano, clarinet, and cello. In fact, circumstances at the festival (all the cellists were too busy) brought about an even odder instrumentation: soprano, clarinet, and double bass. Travis, the bassist at the festival, was looking for things to do, so Fiona adapted the cello part for double bass, and it worked remarkably well, especially with the different tone color that the bass has - a bit less warm than the cello. What also worked well was that with this new member of the ensemble, our trio of personalities meshed very nicely. Suré (pronounced soo-RAY) is a dear of a soprano, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, but now living in North Texas with her husband, and Travis is a nice young man from Toronto who attends university in Montréal.
It was a great experience working on a brand-new piece with people who were great colleagues and new friends, and also being able to be a part of the composer's refining of the work. Called "The Crooked Child," Fiona wrote it in response to learning about stories of anorexic ten year-olds. The text is a poem that she wrote, and she decided to set it to music for this festival. It was a great setting, and the audience response was great - it was a powerful work. I'll see if I can get her to send me the text soon so I can post it here.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with Suré, and we were talking about how we should get together and perform something since we will be living just over an hour and a half's drive from each other in less than a month. While we were discoursing, she mentioned that she had talked to Fiona, and that she mentioned the possibility to Fiona about writing a song cycle for our trio. How wonderful would that be -- having a song cycle written for your ensemble that was assembled at a music festival, and then performing it in a doctoral recital in Toronto! In any case, this is why new music is exciting to me. Eventually, as you learn music, you will work your way through all the styles, genres, and periods up through your era. Don't get me wrong -- you can rework those pieces, finding something new and wonderful in them each time -- but there's still something even more exciting about performing the music of our time, especially when it's written for you.
So, friends, this is something that excites me as much as the prospect of trying to learn as much as I can of the music already written for my instrument, in the recent or distant past. Indeed, it is what keeps music alive.
Friday, July 11, 2008
In my last post...
I lied. I read through it, and after having a couple weeks to let it all settle, I realized that I only wanted to recount every little detail of the summer music festival because I was so excited about the new experiences. At this moment, I have realized that I'm still very much the same Jesse, but my eyes have been opened a little bit more, my horizon is now a bit broader, and I made new friends through these experiences.
This is the same Jesse who now is preparing to shove as many of his most important belongings into a 1996 Subaru Legacy station wagon as will fit in order that he might make the three-hour trek back to Brunswick, NY, continuing on (with father) for another 27 hours thence to Waco, TX.
Recently, I have begun realizing how fast time really does pass, and that its pace only quickens as I age. One freaking month until I hold residence in freaking Texas?!? For sure, this seemed so far away to me as my real conversation with Baylor University started back in March. Five months? That's ages! Four weeks? That's right around the corner! But then, I have to think of all that has happened since March to make this time fly by:
I made a visit to the University of Georgia.
I applied to two summer music festivals and Baylor University.
I was accepted to two summer music festivals and Baylor University (this with an assistantship).
I accepted the offers from two summer music festivals and Baylor University.
I gave my senior recital.
I visited Waco, TX, and Baylor University.
I signed a lease long-distance on an apartment in Waco, TX.
I took my last round of undergraduate final exams and also achieved my highest-ever clarinet jury score.
I graduated! (And my diploma arrived at my parents' house today!)
I attended the Scotia Festival of Music.
I was a fellow (student) at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Chamber Music Institute.
I recommenced working, and commenced much working out and practicing of the clarinet.
Wow! That is a lot to have done in the course of three months! Now, working, working out, and practicing are basically all I do. I need to begin studying for the Music History and Music Theory graduate placement exams, though, so I can hopefully not have to take the remedial course for either of them (especially as the assistantship will not cover the tuition for these courses).
And since I started the body of this post with a comment about how fast time flies, at this time next year, I will quite possibly be about to embark on another round of trips! This will be to audition and audition at other schools for the purpose of pursuing a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts), a graduate performance diploma, or an artist diploma (depending on how much progress I make this year, of course). Talk about time flying! This is also not to mention the fact that preparation for next summer's festival auditions has to start this semester. Oi!
This post is now officially too long, especially as it has been talking about the rapid passing of time, and it possibly took too many moments out of one's day to read this (if it gets read at all :-) ).
Until I don't know when,
Jesse
This is the same Jesse who now is preparing to shove as many of his most important belongings into a 1996 Subaru Legacy station wagon as will fit in order that he might make the three-hour trek back to Brunswick, NY, continuing on (with father) for another 27 hours thence to Waco, TX.
Recently, I have begun realizing how fast time really does pass, and that its pace only quickens as I age. One freaking month until I hold residence in freaking Texas?!? For sure, this seemed so far away to me as my real conversation with Baylor University started back in March. Five months? That's ages! Four weeks? That's right around the corner! But then, I have to think of all that has happened since March to make this time fly by:
I made a visit to the University of Georgia.
I applied to two summer music festivals and Baylor University.
I was accepted to two summer music festivals and Baylor University (this with an assistantship).
I accepted the offers from two summer music festivals and Baylor University.
I gave my senior recital.
I visited Waco, TX, and Baylor University.
I signed a lease long-distance on an apartment in Waco, TX.
I took my last round of undergraduate final exams and also achieved my highest-ever clarinet jury score.
I graduated! (And my diploma arrived at my parents' house today!)
I attended the Scotia Festival of Music.
I was a fellow (student) at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Chamber Music Institute.
I recommenced working, and commenced much working out and practicing of the clarinet.
Wow! That is a lot to have done in the course of three months! Now, working, working out, and practicing are basically all I do. I need to begin studying for the Music History and Music Theory graduate placement exams, though, so I can hopefully not have to take the remedial course for either of them (especially as the assistantship will not cover the tuition for these courses).
And since I started the body of this post with a comment about how fast time flies, at this time next year, I will quite possibly be about to embark on another round of trips! This will be to audition and audition at other schools for the purpose of pursuing a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts), a graduate performance diploma, or an artist diploma (depending on how much progress I make this year, of course). Talk about time flying! This is also not to mention the fact that preparation for next summer's festival auditions has to start this semester. Oi!
This post is now officially too long, especially as it has been talking about the rapid passing of time, and it possibly took too many moments out of one's day to read this (if it gets read at all :-) ).
Until I don't know when,
Jesse
Thursday, June 26, 2008
So much to digest!
Okay, so there's lotslotslotslotsLOTS to talk about, and so much to digest from the past month. I just don't have time to write about it all now, so another, much more extensive blog entry will be coming shortly.
The concise version: ScotiaFest and the UNL Chamber Music Institute were wonderful experiences that have inspired me to work harder and shoot higher. I gained a little confidence from them, met wonderful musician friends that are scattered across the continent, and gained insight into who I am as a player. Also, I think I improved more as a musician and a clarinetist since graduation, through these festivals, than I did the entirety of my senior year.
There you go. Not very detailed, but all the important stuff is there. Details later.
:-)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Nova Scotia, continued.
I am now at roughly the midpoint of my trip to Nova Scotia, and it has only gotten better. My quintet is performing the first and last (fourth) movements of the Brahms at a noon hour recital tomorrow, and I will be playing the final movement of the Weber Grand Duo Concertant on Tuesday's noon hour recital. Our quintet will also be playing the third movement of the Brahms quintet in a master class on Wednesday, and we hope to be able to get at least some work done on the second movement before the festival comes to an end, even if we don't get a chance to "perform" it. It's still great to get a chance to study this work. I think it is particularly great among the rest of Brahms's oeuvre a) because it is a major clarinet work, and b) because it is a later work, meaning that Brahms's compositional style had reached a wonderful maturity by the time this piece was written.
Nova Scotia is still beautiful, though it is a bit chilly. Yesterday we had a lobster boil, and I decided that lobster meat isn't worth the trouble of getting it out of the shell, and certainly not worth the money that you would have to pay for it if it weren't provided to you for free (as it was yesterday, though I guess it may have come partially from my festival tuition).
The other cool thing about this festival is this: we are given the opportunity to make friends with other folks of the same age who are serious about music, and these are friendships that I anticipate to welcome a reestablishment of whatever relationship was formed here at any time in the future. Also, it shows me that string players and wind players can get along (or at least clarinet players, anyway :-) ).
And on the location in general: my host family is the nicest one ever. I couldn't ask for anything more. They're so helpful in any way they can be, and it has been great getting tips from them about local restaurants, geography, and things to do. I've decided that if given the right opportunity to move to this area, I would probably do it. I actually prefer the chilliness to what I'll have to experience for the next two years in Waco. :-)
That's about all I have for now. More later, if you're lucky.
Nova Scotia is still beautiful, though it is a bit chilly. Yesterday we had a lobster boil, and I decided that lobster meat isn't worth the trouble of getting it out of the shell, and certainly not worth the money that you would have to pay for it if it weren't provided to you for free (as it was yesterday, though I guess it may have come partially from my festival tuition).
The other cool thing about this festival is this: we are given the opportunity to make friends with other folks of the same age who are serious about music, and these are friendships that I anticipate to welcome a reestablishment of whatever relationship was formed here at any time in the future. Also, it shows me that string players and wind players can get along (or at least clarinet players, anyway :-) ).
And on the location in general: my host family is the nicest one ever. I couldn't ask for anything more. They're so helpful in any way they can be, and it has been great getting tips from them about local restaurants, geography, and things to do. I've decided that if given the right opportunity to move to this area, I would probably do it. I actually prefer the chilliness to what I'll have to experience for the next two years in Waco. :-)
That's about all I have for now. More later, if you're lucky.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Do people wonder?
So I realized that people might want to know what or how I'm doing here in Nova Scotia. I have been here a full two days and a half. In short: it's awesome.
In long:
(Haha, I know that's not grammatically correct, so why is "in short" accepted?)
I got here Sunday afternoon and was told to skip registration since I got through a long customs line at the end of the registration period anyway. Nova Scotia is beautiful. I was brought by a Scotia Festival staff member directly to my billet family's house, where I got settled in and met the other festival participant they are hosting. His name is Jared, and he's quite a nice fellow. He's a young composer, here from Canada's west coast. I am one of no more than three or four Americans in a contingent of thirty-two Young Artists. I am surrounded by Canadians, and I like it very much. Since being here, I have thought on more than one occasion what it might be like to live in this country, Halifax or elsewhere. The text of this post is green in honor of Nova Scotia's greenness.
Most of the young artists have started rehearsals for the several chamber groups in which they are involved. My primary group is playing the piece I wanted most to play at this festival: the Brahms Klarinettenquintett in B Minor, Op. 115. Three of the members of the string quartet with whom I am playing are from the same quartet at Dalhousie University, where they attended last year and also where much of this festival takes place. They are Mark, a violinist, Paul, also a violinist, and Alejandro, a cellist. Alejandro is transferring next year, and Mark and Paul are going to be very sad. The other member of our quintet is Caren with a "C." She just got her master's degree in violin, but she is in the process of turning into a violist, and thus is playing viola in the quintet. She will also be beginning a performance diploma in viola in the fall so that she can get some viola repertoire under her belt.
I am literally quite ecstatic about this group, as we just finished a large chunk of work on the first movement in only our second day of rehearsals, so that it is now almost performance ready. What helps in this matter is that our personalities get along quite well. Paul and I have pretty strong personalities (I think he is more "type A" than I am), Mark is crazy in a lovable way, but a wonderful musician, Caren is mostly quiet but very musically perceptive and comes out with wonderfully zingy-one liners, and Alejandro is very laid-back. Actually, Mark, Paul, my roommate Jared and I have become quite comfortable with one another in these first two days. I'm very mush looking forward to the rest of these two weeks.
There. Now those of you who were wondering know what and how I'm doing.
In long:
(Haha, I know that's not grammatically correct, so why is "in short" accepted?)
I got here Sunday afternoon and was told to skip registration since I got through a long customs line at the end of the registration period anyway. Nova Scotia is beautiful. I was brought by a Scotia Festival staff member directly to my billet family's house, where I got settled in and met the other festival participant they are hosting. His name is Jared, and he's quite a nice fellow. He's a young composer, here from Canada's west coast. I am one of no more than three or four Americans in a contingent of thirty-two Young Artists. I am surrounded by Canadians, and I like it very much. Since being here, I have thought on more than one occasion what it might be like to live in this country, Halifax or elsewhere. The text of this post is green in honor of Nova Scotia's greenness.
Most of the young artists have started rehearsals for the several chamber groups in which they are involved. My primary group is playing the piece I wanted most to play at this festival: the Brahms Klarinettenquintett in B Minor, Op. 115. Three of the members of the string quartet with whom I am playing are from the same quartet at Dalhousie University, where they attended last year and also where much of this festival takes place. They are Mark, a violinist, Paul, also a violinist, and Alejandro, a cellist. Alejandro is transferring next year, and Mark and Paul are going to be very sad. The other member of our quintet is Caren with a "C." She just got her master's degree in violin, but she is in the process of turning into a violist, and thus is playing viola in the quintet. She will also be beginning a performance diploma in viola in the fall so that she can get some viola repertoire under her belt.
I am literally quite ecstatic about this group, as we just finished a large chunk of work on the first movement in only our second day of rehearsals, so that it is now almost performance ready. What helps in this matter is that our personalities get along quite well. Paul and I have pretty strong personalities (I think he is more "type A" than I am), Mark is crazy in a lovable way, but a wonderful musician, Caren is mostly quiet but very musically perceptive and comes out with wonderfully zingy-one liners, and Alejandro is very laid-back. Actually, Mark, Paul, my roommate Jared and I have become quite comfortable with one another in these first two days. I'm very mush looking forward to the rest of these two weeks.
There. Now those of you who were wondering know what and how I'm doing.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
It is finished.
And the sky turned black as the night.
I think that's from an old Petra song... I'm not exactly sure. You know, 80s Christian rock?
Well, actually, my undergraduate education is finished, and that's far better than any 80s Christian rock song you could ever think of. I handed in my last paper yesterday. You have no idea how annoying it is to walk across that stage on commencement day, get your case for your diploma that they will send you in the mail -- if, after checking on your grades, you have actually met all your requirements. I still had a paper outstanding for a 2-credit elective course. However, this elective course was one I needed to fulfill my graduation requirements, so I didn't have that oh-so-desirable sense of finality as I sat listening to Rick Warren go on forever and ever about things that will last forever, like his sermon did.
By the way, I didn't want a sermon for graduation. Oh well. I probably would rather have listened to Hillary Clinton for those 20 to 30 minutes in her strained, monotonous, half-yelling sort of oration. While we're on the topic of graduation speakers, I will only say this of the Baccalaureate address: talk to me if you want to hear my opinion.
So I found out for sure that I'm playing the Brahms clarinet quintet (clarinet + string quartet), Op. 115, at the Scotia Festival. If you have not listened to this piece, you need to do so. I'm also going to bring a bunch of other chamber music for clarinet, strings and piano as well, because we can probably work on more than just that one piece. I'm very excited for this opportunity - not only because we get to be coached by world-class musicians, but also because I'll be playing with other young people who are serious about their craft. In addition, while the wind program at Baylor is very strong, doing a festival like this one with a large string component will be good, since the strings at Baylor (from what I understand) aren't quite as strong as the winds, and there's not a ton of collaboration between strings and winds for chamber music.
I think that's from an old Petra song... I'm not exactly sure. You know, 80s Christian rock?
Well, actually, my undergraduate education is finished, and that's far better than any 80s Christian rock song you could ever think of. I handed in my last paper yesterday. You have no idea how annoying it is to walk across that stage on commencement day, get your case for your diploma that they will send you in the mail -- if, after checking on your grades, you have actually met all your requirements. I still had a paper outstanding for a 2-credit elective course. However, this elective course was one I needed to fulfill my graduation requirements, so I didn't have that oh-so-desirable sense of finality as I sat listening to Rick Warren go on forever and ever about things that will last forever, like his sermon did.
By the way, I didn't want a sermon for graduation. Oh well. I probably would rather have listened to Hillary Clinton for those 20 to 30 minutes in her strained, monotonous, half-yelling sort of oration. While we're on the topic of graduation speakers, I will only say this of the Baccalaureate address: talk to me if you want to hear my opinion.
So I found out for sure that I'm playing the Brahms clarinet quintet (clarinet + string quartet), Op. 115, at the Scotia Festival. If you have not listened to this piece, you need to do so. I'm also going to bring a bunch of other chamber music for clarinet, strings and piano as well, because we can probably work on more than just that one piece. I'm very excited for this opportunity - not only because we get to be coached by world-class musicians, but also because I'll be playing with other young people who are serious about their craft. In addition, while the wind program at Baylor is very strong, doing a festival like this one with a large string component will be good, since the strings at Baylor (from what I understand) aren't quite as strong as the winds, and there's not a ton of collaboration between strings and winds for chamber music.
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