The long posting hiatus, and the products thereof…

I swear, to the 3-4 of you who read this blog (ie – mom, lauren, and you two who got here accidentally), my lack of posting in no way reflects my character, especially as regards commitment to my other relationships. That said, I HAVE been busy (on things other than this). Back in the fall I completed and attended the premiere of a new commission by the incomparable Wild Rumpus New Music Collective. The resulting work, Rapscalian Tendencies (yes, that is my intended spelling – my own “adjective” form of the word, and also gives it a subtle “modal” quality…or not), received a wonderful performance by the ensemble in San Francisco (recording can be found here).

Since then, the new semester has begun, bringing with it all the lesson plans, syllabus making, name learning, grading, etc that would be expected. But amidst the fray I managed to crank out the next piece in the queue, a work for the Talujon Percussion Quartet, who will be in residence at Brandeis this March to perform grad student works (March 17th!!). That piece ended up being titled …from the brazen lungs… - a generous use of punctuation that I typically avoid, but in this case it signifies that it is an excerpt from a work of literature, namely Edgar Allan Poe’s The Mask of the Red Death. I actually found the passage late in the game, but it seemed to fit pretty perfectly with my ideas of the piece:

“It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before.”

Thus the ellipses. I also like the title because it mentions lungs, but is for percussion instruments, not winds. Maybe years from now some musicology grad will debate the meaning/ deep sense of musicality/ irony/ etc in this…I just think it’s funny. And unexpected. Perhaps “funnexpected”. Anyways, I’ve included a diagram of the “arsenal”, as well as a “teaser” from the score. I know you’ll just be dying for the rest.

Chapel Music Recording Session

Last month (July 18 to be precise) marked my first professional recording session, at the fabulous Fraser Studio at WGBH in Boston (putting me in good company – like Yo Yo Ma and Duran Duran). The session was for a (hopefully!) upcoming web series spotlighting young composer-performers, being pitched by producer-extraordinaire David Peth. It was a fantastic experience all around, from my extremely talented co-performers – Tanya Kalmanovitch (viola) and Borey Shin (piano) – to the über-professional and patient recording engineers. The session was filmed, and also included a video interview, so if the show takes off, people will unfortunately be accosted by my physical appearance. Hopefully we’ll all survive.

Fraser Studio, WGBH, Boston, MA

The musical content for the project was a set of pieces written last summer and this, titled Chapel Music. The idea for the piece had been brewing for some time, the inspiration being my experience with and love of sacred spaces. My personal background is in various protestant evangelical settings, but my thoughts were (and are) much broader. The deliberate setting aside of any space for prayer, reflection, devotion, meditation, or inspiration is a beautiful thing – and an increasingly rare one, as urban areas expand and time becomes shorter. From large cathedrals, to small stone chapels, to peaceful gardens and wooded sanctuaries, sacred spaces have always been a source of clarity, humility, and tranquility for me, and it’s this sense of solace that I wanted to capture in the music.

I decided to make the pieces improvisatory (rather than through-composed/ fully notated) because the idea of a collaborative creative process, to me, is something akin to the experience of communal prayer or devotion. The written notes and pre-described form create an environment – a space – in which to play, while the improvisations are very personal and spontaneous – like prayer. I was very fortunate to have Tanya and Borey – two very talented and accomplished improvisers – with me on this project. Their insight and splendid realization of the piece deserves as much credit as I do for its creation.

Stone chapel in Stow, VT

Hopefully the video will be ready soon! In the meantime, here are the audio tracks from the session. Enjoy!

Chapel Music (2010-11)
I. Invocation
II. Questions
III. Stone and Glass (Reverence)

The Dangers of Free Time and Auto-tuning

With the semester finished and a sudden, infrequent period of free time upon me, strange things are bound to happen. Couple this realization with the discovery of auto-tuning abilities in Garageband (and the fact that I’m so very, very white), and the results are inevitably dangerous(ly nerd-tastic):

Auto-tune Ringtone 1

Auto-tune Ringtone 2

ECCE/ L’arsenale Concert

This coming Tuesday, May 3rd (7:30pm) at the Fenway Center in Boston, the combined forces of two incredible groups – the East Coast Contemporary Ensemble and L’arsenale – will be performing my work Self, Analyzed (2010) for flute, bass clarinet, percussion, guitar, and toy piano. It’s one of two works chosen for their 2011 Call for Scores. Concert will also include works by Nicolas Tzortzis (other CfS winner), L’arsenale members Filippo Perocco and Lorenzo Tomio, and Elliott Carter.

April 1st Concert/ Premiere, seriously!

2011 ECCE-L’Arsenale Call for Score Winners announced!

ECCE-L’Arsenale Call for Scores Winners:

To be performed May 3rd, 2011, at the Fenway Center, Boston, Massachusetts, and June 23rd, 2011 at the Auditorium Sede Museale di Santa Caterina, Treviso, Italy.

Nicolas Tzortzis
What the Wave Meant (2007)
for flute (doubling alto flute and piccolo), Bb clarinet (doubling bass clarinet),
violin, viola, cello, and piano.

Travis Alford
Self, Analyzed (2010)
for flute/alto flute, bass clarinet, percussion, guitar, and toy piano.

http://www.eccensemble.com/

Many hats…

As the semester comes to a close, and things begin to wind down for the year, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief…and actually update this blog.  I give my last exam tomorrow (Ear Training), I’ve submitted most of my grades, and best of all, I just finished a piece!  And 2 whole days before the deadline, I might add.  It has been a busy year, to be sure, but I can’t help but look back with a sense of accomplishment.  I’m one more year closer to getting my PhD, I’m now teaching at two different schools, I completed 2 1/2 major pieces (hey, that’s a lot for me), the music program at Park Street is really taking off, and life in general is beginning to feel more grounded.  I still have those days where I can’t imagine why I ever decided to go into music, or why I ever thought I’d be a good composer, or, or or…but overall, I feel more certain than ever that this is what I’m supposed to do, and that maybe, just maybe (maybe), it may be, you know, important.

But aside from my own personal revelations or reflections (or ramblings), I’ve been thinking how very varied the life of a musician actually is in this day and time.  This was especially evident the last couple of weeks, when I had a practice (and gig) with my Ska/Reggae band, a rehearsal and several performances with my brass ensemble (Christmas music out on the streets!), a performance with the church orchestra (Mendelssohn’s Christus and Bach Christmas Oratorio, one movement of which I conducted), a parade with my Italian marching band, and a performance for my electroacoustic music class at Brandeis (which mainly involved free improvisation with way too much reverb and ping pong delay).  And all of this, of course, was on top of my own classes (currently electro-music and 19th century song cycles…not together of course), teaching at Brandeis (ear training), Gordon (comp and ctrpt), and MIT (piano lab), and composing a vocal sextet.  And my experience is not uncommon, or even as busy as some of my colleagues!  Gone are the days of the “specialist”, and blind are the students who think they’ll be able to do nothing but compose all day for a living, or play nothing but pieces from the classical repertoire their whole career.  The modern musician can’t afford not to have at least some knowledge of jazz, popular music, baroque performance practice, improvisation, music technology – sometimes all in the same week!

This is not to say that a “classical education” is not still an important and vital part of a musician’s training – in fact, it’s more important than ever!  With the musical world expanding and redefining itself every day, musicians have to be sure they have both a solid, practical, applicable grounding in theory and performance, and the dedication to continuously supplement their training with knowledge of new trends, new advancements, and a constant reforming and re-contextualization of their musical philosophies.  However, it is not possible to rely solely on the relatively narrow teachings of any one area of study.  I would love to sit at home receiving commissions every other day (or every other year, for that matter), but that’s not happening (nor is it likely to).  So instead I play Ska gigs, I play church gigs, I teach piano (which is really funny, for those who have ever heard me try to play the piano), I do arrangements, I conduct volunteer ensembles, and all the while I become a more well-rounded and experienced musician.

Maybe one day I’ll get lots of commissions and do nothing but compose.  But I’d probably just get bored.

Journaling

This year at Brandeis, I’ve had the privilege of studying with Melinda Wagner, who is filling in for Davy Rakowski while he’s on sabbatical.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and her music, and getting a fresh perspective on my own work.  (If you don’t know her music, you should!)

One thing she has asked us to do is to keep a “composition journal”, writing a few short thoughts at the end of each day about our progress, how our session went that day, any frustrations or distractions, etc.  I’ve kept journals in the past (usually not for very long, or in any consistent manner), but I’ve never thought of keeping one specifically devoted to my compositional process.  It’s been 3 months, and I have to say I’ve found it to be extremely rewarding and insightful.

First and foremost, it holds me to task: forcing myself to write an entry each day I compose makes it all the more obvious when I don’t get time for a session, or forces me to confront disappointing or unfocused sessions.  It’s also a way of examining my compositional process, both musically and environmentally.  I can see, over time, what spaces are more conducive to productivity, what times of day I’m most focused, where and when I’m more/less likely to get interrupted, etc.  I can also work out, in prose, my thoughts and ideas for the piece I’m writing.  I’m a visual learner, so it’s good for me to be able to “see” what I’m thinking for the piece, and how it lays out on paper.  Forcing myself to answer questions about my work also helps solidify and confirm my overall vision, and reassures me that I do indeed know the piece.

Aside from these professional/creative benefits, there is something truly therapeutic about writing.  I love finding the right paper, the right pen, and watching the words form as I put them down (despite my horrendous handwriting).  It almost doesn’t even matter what I’m writing, just that I’m taking time to write something. It can be a sort of meditational experience – a time to sit quietly and reflect on the day, focusing on just this one task, which is not something that comes naturally to most of us, myself included.

In short, I’m a fan of journaling.  It’s something I’ll definitely continue in my own life, and I’ll encourage my own students (and blog readers!) to do as well.  In fact, I should probably stop blogging right now, so I’ll have time to write an entry…

Maybe there is such a thing as too much…

The Short Guide to Composing?

I recently received my monthly BMI newsletter, which normally I would glance over and then trash, but this time one of the articles caught my eye:  ”Composing for Orchestras and Other Ensembles, Part 1: Getting the Gig“.  Now I’ve been a student of composition in higher education for almost a decade, and have been actively composing for as long.  I have a number of well-respected colleagues, many of whom are more decorated and experienced than myself, yet only a handful of whom have had the honor of getting commissions at all, let alone orchestral ones.  Those I know who do write for orchestra – very well, I might add – are lucky to receive a reading by a school or mid-level ensemble. There are a few exceptions, of course.  A few have had the privilege of receiving performances and commissions by well-known performance organizations, for which they worked long and hard – a culmination of the talent, technique, experience, and networking they have cultivated through the years.  Perhaps it’s my admittedly long experience in the arts and academia, but the idea that it’s good to have a quality product before being able to “sell” it seems to be a necessity – or rather, it should be a necessity.

Of course, this is the idealistic side of me talking.  The other – the 21st-century realist/cynic – is not surprised.  The world of marketing and advertising has been changing our perception of “quality”, “talent”, “opportunity”, and even “fact” for a long time.  It’s no longer about actually having talent – though it of course still helps – but rather the ability to market yourself as someone that other people need to pay attention to.  Your “brand” has to be in front of people all the time, wherever they go.  Quality and reliability are no longer the criteria for which we chose our products, but rather name-recognition, or what packaging catches our attention, or “special sales” – where a manufacturer or store seems to do you the favor of lowering the price on an item (down to only 3-4 times the cost as opposed to 5-6), making it impossible to resist buying three or four of them.  Quantity over quality, recognition over reliability, and popularity over talent – this is the new credo, whether conscious or not, by which the Powers That Be seem to operate.  Therefore, having a “quick-guide” to composing, and beginning that guide not on study or practice, but rather marketing, seems to be in line with the state of the industry.

And why not teach marketing?  Personally, I have no problem with the idea of getting your name out there.  How else will people know you exist?  If you are a sincere and devoted artist, then presumably you have something to say to the world.  So what good does it do for your art to remain on your hard drive, or in your studio?  And with the ever-increasing body of resources available, marketing yourself and your work is easier, more achievable, and more affordable than ever (for example, lowly blog sites like this one).  Perhaps those who champion this new technological landscape are right to do so.  After all, isn’t this wonderful for the arts?  The freedom to express yourself without hindrance is a triumph of democracy and populism – right?

The easy answer is, of course, yes.  It is easier than ever for anyone with artistic ambition at any level to record and disseminate their work.  The concern, however, is this:  what does that mean for trained, seasoned, professional artists?  Now admittedly one can hear a bit of the panic for my own livelihood in this question, but there are greater, valid consequences at stake for the art world in general.  With literally millions of “artists” and “musicians” online, each with their own sound clips, jpegs, and streaming video to peruse, how do we sift through it all?  What are our criteria for critique and judgment?  One could say we’ve moved beyond the need for such stale requirements, and that our own personal taste is judge enough.  But is art really capable of surviving for generations to come solely on the whim of our own fleeting opinions?  Would the artistic “greats” of the past – the Rembrants, Michelangelos, J. S. Bachs, Beethovens, Picassos – have transcended their own time if the only artistic measure was the taste of the day?  And more important still: would there still have been the same drive and motivation toward excellence, if all they had to do was complete a piece and upload it to their Youtube and Flickr accounts?  Even within the profession today, there is the constant pressure to produce new material and remain in the spotlight, which has its own pros and cons.  But when quantity and recognition become the only standards for success, the river of mediocrity breaks its banks and floods the market, drowning a lot of potentially great art in the process.

Starting out…

Well, I’ve finally decided to write my thoughts down, giving in to what I assume is my inherent egotism as an artist.  Whether or not anything I have to say is useful, coherent, or entertaining will be up to the readers (i.e. – me, my wife, my mom).  Most likely it won’t.  However, it will be me, which is all I can honestly say about it right now.  So enjoy, dear reader, and please return!