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Gary Settles: Schlierin Photography

Focus

My father called me on the matter of my blog not being terribly focused. I think that was true a few years back when I had a lot more time for blogging and reading other people’s blogs. There was a HUGE range of stuff I couldn’t resist passing on to the readers of this blog. After he made this comment, I tried to stick to my blog’s byline — RB writes about music and life — which gave me a fairly wide latitude. Too wide for some: some would prefer that I stick to classical music; other wish I focused only on Rufus Wainwright; some love peering inside my diary, while others find that tedious.

I posted and then removed a cranky little diatribe against a fellow blogger who disqualified my blog for not being focused enough on classical music. After thinking about it, I realized he can make whatever lists he wishes, just as I can start my own religion if I wanted to. Freedom is a great thing, and we should never ding another person for exercising that freedom.

Daniel Wolf wrote in a smart comment about my cranky post:

While ACD’s ranking method (reverse Google links) might well be questioned, especially as it is a measure that favors his own blog, I don’t think that his criteria for inclusion are too far off the mark, as the goal is a list of blogs with a mostly classical focus. I believe that my own blog is somewhat on the edge of this, going off to the experimental corner of the ranch, while Alex Ross, who sometimes mentions his popular music interests, writes a blog that is quite clearly classical in focus. [...]

My father’s solution for having a variety of interests has been to keep three different blogs going. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time these days, so maybe later.

DW pointed out my propensity to post middle-brow pop music from the 60s. An amusing assessment and not entirely true, but close. Why do I do this? I guess it’s the same impulse one gets when you say: “Gee, I haven’t heard the Hammerklavier in years, I think I’ll see whether there is a video on YouTube and share it with my readers.” I know there are some readers who appreciate discovering new musicians through my posts.

I’m not resolving to change anything drastic, but the blogosphere can handle an infinite variety of formats, including this one.

Dead gangsters next door

Susan pointed out that my neighborhood was in the news yesterday. The article is from a series about gangsters in LA and this picture is from a gangster killing that happened in 1951 in front of the house just south of ours.

[The photo is by Bill Murphy/Los Angeles and the article appeared in the LA Times on Oct.29, 2008.]

The gangster squad
Detectives and reporters surround the car containing the bodies of the Two Tonys: Tony Trombino, 31, and Tony Brancato, 36, slain on Ogden Drive, half a block from Hollywood Boulevard. Both were shot through the back of the head, August 1951.

Stylistic references

A colleague commented to me yesterday that he can’t teach Charles Ives anymore because the students don’t know the musical quotes or the stylistic references. I was struggling to explain the nota cambiatain species counterpoint, and describing what was done at the time and what wasn’t. They just take my word for it as hardly any of them know Renaissance polyphony. Then an analogy popped into my mind:

“In metal music, it is stylistically not appropriate to stop a flow of power chords and entertain a sweet little flute solo; it’s just not done. Likewise with melodic tritones.”

Importance of orchestral music for a young composer

I was chatting with a student about the notion of becoming “famous” as a composer. I occurs to me that most “famous” classical composers gain fame in the late 20th early 21st century through writing orchestral music. Chamber music can have regional impact but orchestral music is more crucial. Who am I thinking about? John Adams of course. Philip Glass and Steve Reich to some extent. Elliott Carter who is the godfather of American composers, has lots of orchestral music, but it’s not as attractive to general audiences as John’s is.

In the universities, we have our students write a lots of chamber music. It is pedagogically a good idea and costs less. But we should never undervalue the importance of having young composers HEAR their orchestra compositions, whether through readings, and ideally through performances. Books can only teach you so much. Hearing what works and what doesn’t is vital.

The record bombed

I read from time to time about a recording artist issuing a record that “bombed.” Even singles that get to number 45 in the top 100 chart can be seen as “bombing” but usually meaning that this single didn’t do as well as the artist’s previous “hits.”

Classical composers should be so lucky to “bomb” like pop artists do. Last time I checked, a major orchestra releasing a great performance of a popular classical composition will do extremely well if they sell 5000 copies. [I will update this figure when I find statistics.] Sales on this level will not likely attract producers of POPULAR music.

When I read that Gene Clark’s first solo album after leaving the Byrds “bombed” I was disappointed. I LOVED that album, so it surely didn’t “bomb” for me.

So, the word bomb is a commercial description for “didn’t sell” that does not necessarily imply an inferior product.

Joni Mitchell: Amelia (1976)

Three very different live performances of “Amelia” by Joni Mitchell. It’s not just the hair. Pat Metheny plays in the second one.

LA Fall

Although not as colorful as a New England fall, Los Angeles is having its fall. Santa Ana winds and hot dry weather together with fires along Sepulveda Blvd alongside the 405 have added color to the sky and particulate matter for we breathing types. Jenny and Matias are down for a wedding and staying with us. They have 4 month old Katherine with them. Katy has been a beautifully behaved infant with lots of personality. But she, her mom, dad, and my husband are all suffering from the dry skin from this weather. I guess I’m acclimated to it.

I finished excerpting the numbers from HOMER IN CYBERSPACE yesterday. I’ve decided to not slavishly put the songs up on this blog in their original order, but bounce around. The next song I’ll post is one of the most beautiful: “I used to be beautiful” which turns into “you are so beautiful” in the final duet of the show “My one thing.”
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With the economy in turmoil as it is, and the election coming up, and friends and family in tough times, I still find much to be happy about and am feeling generally happy these days. I still have not written a note of music since May and am building up a huge momentum. Starting a new piece today would likely give rise to an UP piece. It’s an exciting build up, like looking forward to a date.

I’m reading a book called THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS about the album by the same name. This is one of my favorite Byrds albums, but it was a rocky time for the group. Rick Menck paints an interesting backdrop to the album that adds a new dimension to appreciating that great band.

Mark O’Connor gave a second talk in my theory class on Thursday, and spoke about his music as being “American Music” (I think that was the phrase). He beautifully illustrated various passages in his own music that showed influences from a wide variety of countries.

His evocation of a train was charming. There was the violin as the chuga chuga chuga faster and faster aspect, and the woo wwooooo whistle. This, according to Mark, is American.

I could barely go to sleep the other night after his concert. His breakneck speed on the violin is exhilarating.

Grading 1st species counterpoint

I’m back into super teacher mode: correcting 70 assignments every week, a job I will eventually have the TAs help with, but for now, I want to get to know each student’s work habits and musical abilities. Tonight I have 200 more 1st species counterpoint exercises to look at. (1st species just means note against note. You and I sing together on different notes but with the same rhythm, and in this case, all the beats are the same: 1 1 1 1 .) It’s whole note against whole note. Good basis of counterpoint and harmony.

It’s been a while since I’ve graded counterpoint assignments, but my mind grabs onto the task, and it goes very quickly.

The students will all have to do 3rd species counterpoint exercises in their desks for their midterm exams. It seems like a magical ability — writing down music by thinking about it, rather that accessing a musical instrument — but it is one that can be learned, and teaching that ability to students is satisfying.

Mark O’Connor visits UCLA

I’ve finally shaken off the nasty flu that has kept me grounded for the past week. Today in my theory class, violinst/fiddler Mark O’Connor will be visiting us to talk about his life as a musician. He is our School’s first Artist-in-residence and is in many ways a symbol of the kind of musician we are adding to our career models for students — someone who straddles popular and classical musics.

Here is James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor playing the classic Stephen Foster tune “Hard Times.”