Henning's Headquarters

[Cato]

As to that, now:

Satori in Woburn

Was Dean Martin the crooner of the song in question?   

[Karl Henning]

Was Dean Martin the crooner of the song in question? 

I suspect so!

[Karl Henning]

Before rolling up my sleeves for the Ossman setting, I felt like finishing the recorder RR Kirk Fantasia, Op. 198

The "either it's crazy or it's genius" notion which flashed upon me is, adapt this to serve as a calmly and sinuously imitative setting of the Ossman poem. I believe I'm making it work.

[Karl Henning]

The "either it's crazy or it's genius" notion which flashed upon me is, adapt this to serve as a calmly and sinuously imitative setting of the Ossman poem. I believe I'm making it work.

I got lots of [probably] good work done today. Not yet finished (nor need it be) but enough work for one day. I'll let it "cure" overnight. Tomorrow is a Henning Ensemble rehearsal, and Friday is PT, so chances are, I leave this rest until Saturday.

[Karl Henning]

I got lots of [probably] good work done today. Not yet finished (nor need it be) but enough work for one day. I'll let it "cure" overnight. Tomorrow is a Henning Ensemble rehearsal, and Friday is PT, so chances are, I leave this rest until Saturday.

Not surprisingly, the game is, "hold to the source where it serves the text. Where it does not, do otherwise." One especially good thing is, the final cadence serves very nicely. So nicely, in fact, that where I was originally thinking of having the trombone close the piece out (as it introduces the piece) that choral cadence will be the end.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Well, I did wind up listening to the entire "Henning First" and dadfrazzanabit, I like it!
Not this month, to be sure, but I see myself writing a Fourth Symphony. I'd prefer that it it not be "on spec" as all the first three have been, but bugger 'em, at some point I am just going to write that "Henning Fourth." for orchestra? For band? We shall see.

Ladies and gentlemen, lock up your wives and daughters, we have a full-fledged symphonist in the midst!     This is great news, Karl!

[Cato]

Concerning A Fourth Symphony...

Ladies and gentlemen, lock up your wives and daughters, we have a full-fledged symphonist in the midst!     This is great news, Karl!

Amen!  Excellent News!

One of Karl's orchestral works which really needs to be given a chance...

...his ballet based on a Dostoyevsky story, White Nights.

[Karl Henning]

The "either it's crazy or it's genius" notion which flashed upon me is, adapt this to serve as a calmly and sinuously imitative setting of the Ossman poem. I believe I'm making it work.

I've reached the final double-bar and I'm combing through and adding dynamics. I'm at the "Is this really as good and as musical an idea as I fancied?" stage.

[Kalevala]

Go for the symphony Karl! 

K

[Karl Henning]

Not surprisingly, the game is, "hold to the source where it serves the text. Where it does not, do otherwise." One especially good thing is, the final cadence serves very nicely. So nicely, in fact, that where I was originally thinking of having the trombone close the piece out (as it introduces the piece) that choral cadence will be the end.

I'm at the "Let the final draught rest overnight" phase.

[Karl Henning]

Excellent rehearsal today. My brain is done. I posted earlier that I probably wouldn't finish Retreat until Saturday. Well, I got up earlier than normal today because my musical mind was ready to soldier on to the end. So between that accomplishment and today's rehearsal, well: my brain is done.

[Karl Henning]

Engraving job update. Just called the Wichita Symphony to follow up. Check #2 soon to hit the mailbox.

[Karl Henning]

Kind of feeling that I should adapt Surfing an Earthquake for four bass clarinets for Improbable Beasts. Not until tomorrow, though. PT did with my brain what it ought.

[Karl Henning]

Go for the symphony Karl! 

K

When I was a significantly younger composer, I speculated that I might have 12 symphonies to write. I was ambitious, but also felt that I ought not to invite any comparison to Shostakovich by stretching to 15, say. In those early days I still enjoyed naïve fantasies of actual commissions for orchestral works. I set to work on the ballet because I thought, What if a commission comes to me, but I have too little experience writing in that idiom? I saw it (secondarily) as a necessary portfolio builder. Dimly similarly, I felt it would be a denial of myself not to write a Symphony until I was asked to. (Nobody has as yet, of course.) But I set to writing the First Symphony when I was ready to tackle such a project, and because that was what I wanted to write at that point.

[Karl Henning]

In Full Retreat

[Karl Henning]

Revisiting this:

[Karl Henning]

Breathe It and Weep

[Cato]

Breathe It and Weep

Bass clarinets - especially 4 bass clarinets - are tight!   

[Karl Henning]

Surfing an Earthquake for Improbable Beasts

https://audio.com/karl-henning-1/audio/op-190c-surfing-an-earthquake

[Rons_talking]

Concerning A Fourth Symphony...



Amen!  Excellent News!

One of Karl's orchestral works which really needs to be given a chance...

...his ballet based on a Dostoyevsky story, White Nights.

Wow! That's beautiful. The voicings are splendid. The melodies really soar. It makes me want to want to attempt composing a similar piece. I hope there's a performance in the future!