Thoughts and Decisions

Beginning the thought process for moving to a new city is a difficult task. I don't feel that overwhelmed, to be honest. I used to live in Chicago for a year - granted, that was 10 years ago. My choices now are whether to live on campus or off campus, whether to get a part time job or perhaps apply for work study, and what equipment am I going to need to get to ensure that I do my best at the university. The on campus/off campus decision is a hard one - largely because it's like weighing to evils. Off campus housing in Chicago can be cheaper BUT it can also be more costly when bills and food costs weigh in. On campus housing in Chicago can be pricier BUT it can less costly considering your not paying for utilities! Transportation isn't an issue as the school requires students to have a CTA pass - so that is at least one factor that is alleviated. I'm kind of bent on the job issue. A music major degree, I've always known, requires a LOT of work. Rehearsals, practicing, composition time, study time, etc. can eat away at any amount of free time that I might have available to me to work a part time job. Work study, however, appears to be the best fix for that as the school would work around MY schedule! Finally, I'm going to need to get a new macbook or mac pc to make sure that my computer and software are in synch. Ah, so much to think about. It's exciting!

Accepted!

I am very pleased to announce that I have been accepted to the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University! I plan on accepting close to the end of April AFTER I get up the $1,000 tuition/housing deposit! I was so excited to receive the news and am extremely thankful that I have been given the chance to pursue my career goals at such a fantastic institution AND a great city! Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me to apply! <3

A Friends Work

It's not my habit on here to share many works by my peers on Young Composers Music Forum, but this work I felt deserved a little plug. The work is by Justin Tokke.

Piano Sonata No. 1: Movs. 2, 3

The work is a wonderful compendium of various styles BUT it doesn't quite show upon first listening, which I find to be a wonderful thing that draws me into a work. The playfulness of the 3rd movement got stuck in my head while waiting for World Religions today.

Sofia Gubaidulina - A new role model!

I've been becoming increasingly more aware of the work of Sofia Gubaidulina. I was perusing YouTube to hear famous violist, Yuri Bashmet, and came across a viola concerto by Sofie Gubaidulina. Instantly, upon hearing, I was mesmerized. The work was in a basic ritornello form but was amazing in scope and intensity. After spending months listening to nothing but Gubaidulina, I have gained an amazing respect for this modern composer! If only I could study with her!

Here is her Piano Concerto:

Lisztian Gems

I was perusing the vast amount of videos on YouTube and came across this amazing gem by Liszt. I knew Liszt had experimented with quasi-atonality and other things, but this work really took my breath away. I think I might arrange this some day for strings - it'd be gorgeous!

A Beautiful Tuesday

I have a bit of free time today. I think I might be able to get some more work done on 'Story of the First Butterflies'. I may also make some amending to Imprintations. I received a lot of VERY positive feedback on the work. Lots of recordings to pour over! I didn't really expect that much response on the work - especially considering most of my other works seem to fall on deaf ears/eyes. Needless to say, I'm greatly enjoying the attention it's receiving!

New Solo Viola Work

Was talking to a friend of mine who is taking pre-college courses at Julliard and he wanted to know 'when' I would write a piece for him to play. He's a young man, I think only 13 or so, but is an amazing prodigy at music. On top of playing viola, he is also a wonderfully talented young composer! Needless to say, I was taken aback at him asking me for a piece - I hadn't even heard him play! So, in talking with him, I tailored a short viola piece of about 135 bars. I focused on exploring one of my favorite intervals: the minor second. The work's form is in abridged sonata-allegro AND is one which I purposefully work with climactic points. The work is viewable on Young Composers, link provided below. Enjoy! Once he gets the piece practiced he promised he would play it at his next recital!

Imprintations for Solo Viola

Beautiful Day and a Wonderful Discussion

First, I want to say that I am going to be making a more conscientious attempt to keep regular with my blog postings. I was kind of discouraged in myself yesterday when I saw that I hadn't posted in well over a month! Shame on me! Second, today was such a beautiful day. The birds were out, spiders were starting to make their nests, and the temperature was a nice fifty five degrees! I loved it. Third, I LOVED having the windows open!!!

Lastly in today's installment, I got into a wonderful discussion on Young Composers Music Forum regarding imitation of older composers work. By imitating another composers, one member posited, a young composer can learn how to write music AND do so after the initial learning phase. I argue, however, that no one can 'truly' imitate the work of another. While you may be able to imitate some aspects of the work, you are not able to imitate others. Namely, you cannot imitate how the composer wrote the work, the reasons why the composer chose one form and structure as opposed to another in terms of development, the reason why the composer focused on certain material instead of other material, and finally you can't imitate the composers frame of mind while writing the work. So, the idea that one can fully imitate a musical style of a composer from the past is virtually impossible.


Just my two cents.

You can read the discussion here.

Waiting patiently...

So, I have been waiting patiently for my letter of acceptance or rejection. I applied at Roosevelt's CCPA in Chicago. It's my #1 choice. It's been a very nerve wracking experience. Hopefully, it's good news!

Update on things

I have been extremely busy with school this past few weeks and have severely neglected my readers here on the blog. I've had a little bit of time to compose and have begun work, as I think I may have already mentioned, on a work inspired by a Native American myth I received as a handout in my World Religions course. I will not post this just yet - as I want to make it a surprise to everyone on its completion! The work, though, is amazing to say the least and I have labored intensely on it - in fact, I've probably spent more time on this work then any other large scale piece in the past few years!
I do have something I can share with my readers here. Two of my videos on YouTube have achieved important milestones for me! About a year ago, I composed a set of three bridal processionals for a friend. He was going to propose to one of my dearest friends - and asked me to pen the processionals for that day. Sadly, the relationship didn't even last 6 more months! So, I posted the three processionals on YouTube where they have been receiving ample views! One of them is up to 3,000 + views and the other has broken 1125 views. I consider this a milestone largely because there are MANY classical works on YouTube that have received far less than 1000 views - with a large majority under 500. That two of my works have received so many views is something I'm extremely happy with.
So, to celebrate this milestone I have uploaded 3 new videos to YouTube and plan to create and upload more of my work to the site. One of my works, for two pianos, is currently being rehearsed and will be recorded for YouTube. I already made the video for it - and now someone wants to play it! I'm so excited. As a treat for those who read this blog - and especially for those who view it regularly and have put up with my ramblings - I am including a link to my YouTube Channel and links to all three of the new videos! Happy Valentines Day!!!!

My YouTube Channel
Fire and Ice
Solemn Dance
Unnamed for Two Pianos

Juggling School and Composition

Been extremely busy with schoolwork BUT I have had a little bit of time (mainly weekends) to start a new composition. This work is inspired by a myth I read in my current World Religions class. The story is a Native American myth centered around the First Butterflies. I've become rather enamored with the text. The story relates how the Great Spirit created the Earth and how he wished humanity would love his creation. He came to realize, in the myth, that the mountains he created were cold and therefore he worried that humanity would not love them. To fix this, he created stones of all colors and placed some within/on the mountains. After sometime, he realized that the stones themselves weren't doing the job - then he transformed them into butterflies so that they could lead man up to the mountains. Beautiful story! The work takes this story and attempts to transform it into music - obviously. The opening is what I have completed so far. I'm rather impressed at this work of mine, not only has it been painstaking to gestate and write BUT it has also been something I have been taking great attention to the minute details of it.


The work can be viewed in process here: Story of the First Butterflies

Extremely busy... again!

School started a week ago and I have been EXTREMELY busy this semester. I haven't posted a post here in almost a month - largely due to going to Indianapolis to see family during the Christmas holiday and school starting up last week. Haven't really had much time to do composition sadly. I partook in a wonderful discussion on Young Composers Music Forum regarding the organization of the various 'periods' of music in a timeline. Fascinating hearing how younger composers and musicians feel on this topic. I never really had a problem with the common timeline (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, etc.) I always felt that grouping composers in any manner is difficult due to overlaps existent in each epoch. Certainly, there are some rather Classical moments in Handel and some rather Baroque moments in Beethoven. Bach, and his sons, at times had rather Romantic moments as well! Beethoven's Grosses Fugue, to use a unique example, is strikingly modern in content and scope - truly a work centuries before it's time! Ah, thank God I'm not a musical historian. :P

New Work

Been extremely busy this holiday season buying gifts and working on schoolwork/finals. With grades finally in, presents all bought, and things simmering down in the days before X-mas, I decided to start a new work. The result? Unnamed for Two Pianos.

My idea behind the work was to create a sort of polytonal texture (not really polytonal though) utilizing modality and serial technique. I kind of like the way it worked. Going to have a friend of mine check the piano part to see if it's doable. Really enjoyed working on it!

Unnamed - Young Composers

Feeling REALLY good!!!

Went to see if my grades were posted on IRIS. To my surprise, they were there, here is a rundown:

Intermediate Algebra: A
Understanding Music: A
Composition II:          A
Western Civilization:   A

Cumulative GPA: 4.0 - a perfect 4.0!!!
Current Academic Standing: President's List!!!

I am so proud of myself. This means I will have to work to maintain this GPA throughout the Spring Semester and during Summer Semester (unless I decide to take a break off to prepare me for my move to a University!!)

End of Semester

Thursday was my last final and signified the end of Fall Semester. I learned a lot this past semester. Acquired a wonderful friend, who is an amazing teacher and composer herself, and have taken the next steps in moving forward in my life towards a goal that now is more attainable then ever. It's amazing, at times, to think how much things change in life. That someone can go through so much over a short period of time is just simply astounding. This semester ended on a very good note. In my World Civilization and Intermediate Algebra courses I got an A. I do not yet know what I received in Understanding Music and Composition 121. I'm fairly certain in U.M. I got an A. I can only hope, however, I got an A in Comp 121! That would make another semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA!! Thanks!

Ideas from Practicing!!!

I was practicing piano this evening while waiting for Mark to get done with his Photography class and came up with AMAZING ideas for a new work. I knew I should have brought the manuscript paper today, BUT NO... I completely left it at home. Thank GOD for my miniature staff paper notebook. I LOVE YOU!!

Arrangement

So, I worked on an arrangement of a Bach Invention today. I actually really enjoyed it - despite it being Bach! The semester is nearly over, only 2 weeks left. I'm hoping and praying that I maintain my 4.0!!! If not, 3.8 will suffice. I'll be a little disappointed BUT I think I'll survive.

Lots of Homework and an arrangement

I have a multitude of homework to get caught up on before tomorrow's long day at school! I'm working on my essay for Understanding Music, preparing for an exam in Algebra, AND I have World Civ reading to do! On top of all that, somehow I still have to begin my arrangement of a Bach Invention - needless to say, since that is only an exercise piece, it's not the top of my list!

Wonderful Thanksgiving!!

So, I had a great Thanksgiving today. Lot's of new family around! It makes me realize how happy I am now and how far I've come in the last 12 years of my adult life. Woke up this morning to a wonderful person laying next to me in bed so peacefully. Then walked to get my first cup of coffee of the day, and saw a wonderful family that I'm now a part of. Ate a wonderful meal then went to see Burlesque! Wonderful movie. Once I got home, I played Santa Claus to my nieces and nephews. This is a good life - and it's only going to get better! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanksgiving

Well, I've survived the night before Thanksgiving, somewhat. My mind keeps going to my father and hoping that he's in a good place. I miss him a lot. I can't wait till Friday, when I go see my stepmother (his widow). Then I'll be with family - always a good thing.