Last week was the start of a new semester. I'm glad to be in the new year with a new semester as the last one was good but kept rolling along. The weather in Denton the last few weeks has been great, mostly sunny and in the 60's or higher. This really makes me happy and I've been taking some walk which have been nice.
I'm starting a new piece and I'm still undecided on what to do. I don't have a consistent teacher this semester as my lessons are going to be covered by the numerous guest composers we have this semester including Harvey Sollberger, Libby Larsen, Pauline Oliveros, Claude Baker, and more. With the weeks of no guests I'll be with Dr. May. So it will be pretty cool I think.
I am going to write a piece with many short movements instead of one long one. I don't have many (really any) works that are multi-movement and I really want to work on that. I want to write a chamber piece, <=7 players, and my initial instrumentation is flute, clarinet, alto sax, 2 trombones, piano, percussion. But after talking to Dr. May I am not so sure as it may be cool, but not pragmatic. The 'standard' mixed ensemble is called 'Pierro' after Schoenberg's 'Pierro Lunaire' which is flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano. This is pretty standard and if I did that with a percussionist that would be pretty standard. I guess I could get a trombone involved which would make a 7 person ensemble. Anyways, I'm still thinking.
I am going to quasi-model it off of Messiaen's 'Quartet for the end of time' which is for violin, clarinet, cello, and piano. It has 8 movements which I think will serve as somewhat of a model for my piece. At least it will give me a starting point. I want it to have to do with the bible, but I don't know what aspect I want to bring out, which stories, which truths. I've been spending a lot of time in Genesis and that would be obvious with creation and all, but I want something less obvious and trite, something more original, not that this will in any way add to the bible, it's just my take and expression of it.
