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Dear Guests, Welcome to my blog which I treat like a creative garden where I regularly plant and change this and that be it poetry, philosophy, an Oboe Brilliance lesson, an essay of some kind, or a journal about composing. Visit every Monday for oboe coaching which is also helpful for many melodic instrumentalists. Musically yours, Kathryn
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"How do you compose?" That is the most commonly asked question I hear.
This blog is a window into my creative process and philosophies as a composer and instrumentalist. At times it may contain music, photos, and poetry as well. May you enjoy, return, and benefit!   My Archives  September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010
A Rose for Freya
Music Lessons Sergei the Beta Fish My oboe reed design Rat Race to Extinction Bass Suite April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 |
Dear Guests,
I composed the 5 mvmnt bass suite back in 2004 after I fell in love with Eliot Wadopian, who is now my husband. These movements were recorded by Dick Kowal back in May of 2005. They are for sale now for about a month, (not part of the Composer Courtesy subscription) then I may take them down as I am always futsing with my music page and website - which I treat like a garden. Movemnt I: The Legend of how Water Learned to Fly All the 5 movements are dream like (not to be mistaken with calm) and the first 4 can be performed out of context of the suite. This one is a fantasy taking the listener on an adventure for several minutes and tells a story sonically. It shows off the various registers and colors of the double bass - a magnificent instrument which I refer to as the purring bottom feeder of the orchestra - and shows off bowing and pizz. I think of this movement as being in C chromatic. Even now, years later after having composed it, I still really love it and although my compositional skill has become much stronger, it is a keeper and a piece I am proud to share. Of all the movements, it's a great piece to add to one's 21st century portfolio and if you ask me nicely and send a check, I'll be happy to mail you a copy of the first movement complete with Eliot's markings. It's not easy to play, so unless you're professional or good enough to audition for a scholarship at a conservatory, don't trouble yourself with trying to play the piece. It's the first solo work I wrote for bass before I knew what bass players do and don't want to see on the page, so it has all the great sounds bass lovers want to hear that don't exists elsewhere, but it is a bear to play those double stops! I intended for the double stop areas to be softer in dynamics - before I knew more about the nature of this beast. I chose to not alter it contrary to the nature of the instrument via editing in the studio. Movement II: The Drunken Bishop This movement is a short crowd pleaser and makes a great encore piece to any repertoire. Eliot likes to use it when he wants to play something fun and accessibly modern like when he's visiting schools or showing off the bass. I got the idea for this piece during a piano lesson I was teaching. It is my custom to play "pick one of the following three" with my students. I give them three choices and they secretly pick one and turn that choice into a sonic improvisation. During one of Robbie Mangone's lesson, who is Catholic, I gave him the choice of a drunken bishop which delighted him. It inspired me to write this fun movement while Eliot was off in Chicago buying his to die for Prescott bass from one of the bassists in the Chicago Symphony. I wrote it for Eliot to celebrate this instrument - In fact, I can hear him practicing it right now. It's HAPPY, because it is spring, the season it was created, and its just humid enough to close it up so it sings, purrs, and roars magnificently. Movement III: Joy I want this movement to be played as quickly as possible and now as I think of it, more like a tarrentella. Good luck! Movement IV: Spiral Labyrinth It's also a lullaby and is played, as you can hear, in a contemplative walking pace. I repeat sections and extend them over and over creating the form of a spiral labyrinth. This movement could make a good meditation. Come to think of it, I wrote an accompanying oboe part to this movement the following summer, hmmmm, I'm reorganizing my filing system this week, so I'll keep an eye out for it. Movement V: Finale This movement is a mosaic of all the preceeding movements. This movement sounds better the more you hear it, and the entire suite - it grows with your understanding of the suite and wraps up the various diverse movements creating a story, an adventure, or a journey/quest/pilgrimage as I like to think of it. One thing I LOVE about the music of Bach, is that his suites all sound like pilgrimages. I teach my music students how to discern Bach from other Baroque composers by asking themselves if it sounds like a journal entry about a pilgrimage. If the answer is yes, it's probably Bach. Being VERY fond of that, I aspire to compose some of my unaccompanied solo music as if it is a journal entry of a quest. In terms of unaccompanied solo instrumental composing, I like to rate my music in terms of skill level required to play it. I intentionally keep certain skill levels in mind when I'm composing a commission, or any work. This suite is what I'd grade as a level 5 or 6. Here's the breakdown: level 1 = beginner level 2 = advanced beginner level 3 = intermediate level 4 = semi pro level 5 = professional level 6 = virtuosic This bass suite as a whole is a generous level 5 - by my standards. Some might grade it as a 6. Thanks for visiting my blog. Musically yours, Kathryn |
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