Getting New Classical Music Heard

By -

Earlier I wrote about Kenneth Fuchs, a modern classical music composer, and the struggles he has getting his music heard.

William Weir, of the Chicago Tribute has written about Mr Fuchs again, with more information on his struggles. Mr Weir mentions after writing a piece, there is a great deal more work to be done - so much so it's almost a full time job. A number of interesting ideas are presented on other avenues people use to get their works heard, but it all boils down to this - getting one's music played is the composer's responsibility.

That said, there are a dozen symphony orchestras currently looking at my first symphony and a half dozen quartets looking at my string quartet music. This doesn't mean I'll get played, but so far the responses have been mostly positive if not yet ready to make a commitment.

Steve Heitzeg, an Emmy Award winner, has composed a new piece, Songs without Borders. It will be performed by the Daedalus Quartet at the 19 August ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York. Writing music for a topical issues is another way to get new music performed.

Megan O'Neil of the Metro Times writes about New Music Detroit and their upcoming concert of Strange Beautiful Music II on September 6th. So, one suggestion is for composers to find a group or a festival dedicated to new works.

It's not necessarily a new piece, but Bernstein's Mass is going to be performed by Marin Alsop for Carnegie Hall's ninetieth-birthday tribute to the late master. Composer Nico Muhly has this to say about this piece. By posting this article I'm not sure whether I am suggesting that if you die a great composer your works will get played, or whether writing on a variety of topics relating to music (and getting those writings read) is another way to get your name (and potentially your music) known.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

The Art of String Quartets by Brian Ferneyhough

By -
Image
When an artist sets paint to canvas, there are brush strokes used for different effects. Sometimes those strokes are subtle, imperceptible; they produce works of art like the Mona Lisa . Other times the very obvious nature of the stroke is the art, as in works by Van Gogh. With some composers of music, the notes on the page are their craft. How those notes translate into an aural experience is what defines some composers as great artists. Brian Ferneyhough has a masterful command of the techniques of putting notes on the page. These techniques are sometimes so subtle, even though written in black and white, they escape detection. Some of what he attempts with his music is just that, to escape detection, to bury the framework, diverting the ear away from the structure, so only the music is heard . The subtlety is so fine it is almost imperceptible. Even though he studied at several institutions, he is considered self-taught, studying scores from Boule
Read more