Well, I haven't even had time to load the new operating system on my MAC yet.I need a time when I don't have anything pressing to do as I worry that all my software may not be compatible with the new operating system. Maybe next week will be a better time to try things out.
Over the weekend, my publishing company was doing the judging for our 2007 Chamber Music Recording Competition and as a result, we have selected three excellent recordings of my chamber music as prize winners. We are planning an April 2008 CD release of the third volume of my solo and chamber music that will include these recordings as well some others on our subsidiary, Emeritus Recordings. If you haven't checked out our previous releases, go to http://www.cooppress.hostrack.net/emeritus.html
I have heard back from Meggie Aube regarding the marimba piece I am planning for her. Here is her response:
Hi Sy,
Thank you very much for writing me and filling me in on the process so far. I am very excited that you will start writing soon. To answer your question, I am able to play other percussion instruments, and I also have access to other percussionists if you would like to write two separate parts. I would also like to let you know how the rest of the recital is progressing. As you know, I will be playing your piece on my Masters Degree recital. I really like to create themes for recitals and try to connect the pieces together in interesting ways. The theme of my recital is going to be "primal urges" which is an interesting concept for percussion because it is so natural and is found in every culture. I think that your piece being based around Guatemalan ideas will fit nicely in the program. I look forward to working with you on this project. Thanks!
Meggie Aube
It is exciting when my creative ideas fit so nicely with what the performer is looking for. I still have more research to do regarding Mayan and Guatemalan music before beginning this piece. But I miss composing, as it has been about a week without writing a new note. There are times where I need to spend most of my time planning for new projects and working on details of previous projects. I did start to work on transcribing the viola sonata for clarinet. Most of what I am doing with that piece is working on articulation and adjusting the range as needed. There were a few spots where the viola part went lower than what a clarinet can do, so I was finding the most appropriate spot to bring the clarinet line up an octave. In string music, the slur line is often used to indicate what notes are to be played in a down bow or up bow. I am changing the use of the slur to indicate what notes are to be played without the use of the tongue on the clarinet part. It also indicates places for possible breaths. As you can see, the nature of the instrument changes the way the part is notated. When I finish this process, I'll post links to the viola sonata and the transcribed clarinet sonata so that you can compare the versions. This is almost a 20 minute piece, so it will be a while before I complete the transcription.
As you can see, the life of a composer is spent doing many other things besides writing music. And all this is besides my personal life that gets hectic at times. It is always a challenge to find time for all the things that are important. I am certainly not unique in this regard, but fortunately I am blessed with excellent organization skills, without which, I would probably only get half as much done.
Dr. B.
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