Henning's Headquarters

[Cato]

The MIDI caveats are if anything a little heavier in the present instance;  but for any who can bear it 
.

Love that Tuba part!  I told Karl earlier that the movement gave me "a vision of peaceful profundity," or at least the sense of a search for it.

[Karl Henning]

The tuba at the third measure of [K], do you mean?  That was a sudden inspiration.  You had requested a return of the glissando gesture passage, and that made excellent musical sense, and I felt it would sustain the slight expansion of being turned into a trombone duet.  In turn, since the piccolo was thus made a superfluous "partner" to the trombone, but I did not at all wish the picc to be left out, making a sort of piccolo/tuba counter-duet, above and below the trombones, felt wondrously right.

[Karl Henning]

This is from the Saturday concert, though the Sunday performance was better.

http://www.youtube.com/v/kU682jFNG4w

[Cato]

The tuba at the third measure of [K], do you mean?  That was a sudden inspiration.  You had requested a return of the glissando gesture passage, and that made excellent musical sense, and I felt it would sustain the slight expansion of being turned into a trombone duet.  In turn, since the piccolo was thus made a superfluous "partner" to the trombone, but I did not at all wish the picc to be left out, making a sort of piccolo/tuba counter-duet, above and below the trombones, felt wondrously right.

Yes, and the results are excellent!

Let's hope that an orchestra somewhere will give it a chance!

[Mirror Image]

The MIDI caveats are if anything a little heavier in the present instance;  but for any who can bear it 

http://www.youtube.com/v/JpI9Zr8rqW4

Earlier, I was belatedly busy seeing to management of the Triad YouTube channel;  but somehow my Muse does insist that I notate the first few measures of the third movement . . . .

I listened to this movement a bit earlier and I was mightily impressed with what I've heard. The ending of this movement, in particular, had a lasting effect on me. A lot of times, even in my juvenile music, the last note that's played and that kind of lingers on can have a haunting effect. If I were a serious composer, like you are, leaving people hanging onto the last note is something I'd love to achieve. Great job, Karl!

Special note: I noticed you titled this work Symphony No. 1, is it possible that you will compose another one once you've got this one in the bag?

[Karl Henning]

Thank you, indeed!

Special note: I noticed you titled this work Symphony No. 1, is it possible that you will compose another one once you've got this one in the bag?

I admit, it felt a bit presumptuous to label it, right off, as N^o. 1.  In my defense, this piece has felt like exactly what I want to do at present, so that the work has gone very smoothly, and I feel a powerful motivation driving me through to the symphony's end.  And I have also felt confident that, once I have broken the ice with a completed N^o. 1, it is more than mere presumption to reckon on at least one more . . . .


Having said that, I did write the first few measures of the third movement, and I am pausing to take a little musical stock, and determine exactly what shape I want that inaugural phrase to take.  Once I settle on that, I feel, the remainder of the movement will pretty much spring forth.

[Mirror Image]

Thank you, indeed!

I admit, it felt a bit presumptuous to label it, right off, as N^o. 1.  In my defense, this piece has felt like exactly what I want to do at present, so that the work has gone very smoothly, and I feel a powerful motivation driving me through to the symphony's end.  And I have also felt confident that, once I have broken the ice with a completed N^o. 1, it is more than mere presumption to reckon on at least one more . . . .


Having said that, I did write the first few measures of the third movement, and I am pausing to take a little musical stock, and determine exactly what shape I want that inaugural phrase to take.  Once I settle on that, I feel, the remainder of the movement will pretty much spring forth.

You're quite welcome, Karl. I enjoyed your symphony a great deal so far. Looking forward to the third movement.

[Sergeant Rock]

The MIDI caveats are if anything a little heavier in the present instance;  but for any who can bear it 

http://www.youtube.com/v/JpI9Zr8rqW4

I somehow missed this yesterday    I'll reserve a spot...or two...on this night's listening schedule.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Thank you, sieur.

[Karl Henning]

So . . . here is the survey of 2016 in Henningmusick:

2016 Compositions:

Things Like Bliss, version 1, Op.137 № 1; cl, 2 gtr, cb; duration: 4'30. Jan 2016
Things Like Bliss, version 2, Op.137 № 1a; cl, 2 gtr, cb; duration: 9'00. Jan 2016
Brightest and Best, Op.139 № 1; mixed choir; duration: 3'00. Jan 2016
Liv Plays Scribble, Op.137 № 3; shakuhachi, toy piano; duration: 2'30. Jan 2016
Another Think Coming, first mvt of the Clarinet Sonata, Op.136; cl, pf; duration: 12'00. Jan 2016
Paschal Carillon, Op.139 № 5; handbell choir; duration: 4'00. Feb 2016
What Wondrous Love, Op.139 № 6;  mixed choir and handbells; duration: 4'00. Feb 2016
Sound and Sight, Op.140; 2 fl, cl, hn, fixed media; duration: 25'00. June 2016
The Young Lady Holding a Phone in Her Teeth, Op.130; 2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn, 2 hn; duration: 12'30. June 2016
Gloria, Op.106 № 2; choir SATB unaccompanied; duration: 5'00. June 2016
Out From the Unattended Baggage, Op.137 № 4; fl, cl, bn; duration: 1'00. July 2016
sand dance, Op.137 № 5; fl, hp; duration: 1'00. July 2016
Oxygen Footprint, Op.138; fl, va, hp; duration: 7'00. Aug 2016
In dulci jubilo, Op.142 № 1; fl, hn, handbells, choirs, org; duration: 3'00. Sep 2016
First movement of the Symphony  № 1, Op.143; duration 8'30. Oct 2016
In dulci jubilo, Op.142 № 1a; choirs, chamber orchestra; duration: 3'00. Nov 2016
New Year's Carol, Op.142 № 2; choir & org; duration: 3'00. Nov 2016
Second movement of the Symphony  № 1, Op.143; duration 11'45. Dec 2016

. . . and the fixed media for Mistaken for the Sacred, Op.141

2016 Performances:

10 Jan 2016 Brightest and Best, Op.139 № 1 (première); HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
18 Mar 2016 Neither do I condemn thee, Op.132 (première);  Duo Zonda;  Boston, MA
18 Mar 2016 Three Duos, Op.97;  Peter H. Bloom & Karl Henning;  Boston, MA
27 Mar 2016 Paschal Carillon, Op.139 № 5 (première); HTUMC Handbell Choir;  Danvers, MA
27 Mar 2016 What Wondrous Love, Op.139 № 6 (première); HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
21 June 2016 Sound and Sight, Op.140 (première);  The k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble;  Boston, MA
24 July 2016 Canzona & Gigue, Op.77;  Karl Henning & Paul Cienniwa;  So Dartmouth, MA
30 July 2016 Sound and Sight, Op.140 (twice);  The k a rl h e nn i ng Ensemble;  Boston, MA
30 July 2016 Heedless Watermelon, Op.97 № 1;  Peter H. Bloom & Karl Henning;  Boston, MA
17 Aug 2016 Beach Balls (Red), Op.126 № 5 (première);  David Bohn;  Appleton, WI
18 Sep 2016 Love Is the Spirit, Op.85 № 3; First Church in Boston Choir;  Boston, MA
16 Oct 2016 What Wondrous Love, Op.139 № 6; HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
23 Oct 2016 Alleluia in D, Op.48b; First Church in Boston Choir;  Boston, MA
17 Nov 2016 The Young Lady Holding a Phone in Her Teeth, Op.130 (première);  Kammerwerke;  Brookline, MA
18 Nov 2016 The Young Lady Holding a Phone in Her Teeth, Op.130 (première);  Kammerwerke;  Bedford, MA
19 Nov 2016 Song of Remembrance, Op.123;  Triad: Boston's Choral Collective;  Boston, MA
20 Nov 2016 Song of Remembrance, Op.123;  Triad: Boston's Choral Collective;  Boston, MA
20 Nov 2016 Oxygen Footprint, Op.138 (première);  Ensemble Aubade;  Stamford, NY
7 Dec 2016 Bless the Lord, O my soul, Op.32a; Memorial Church Harvard Choir;  Cambridge, MA
11 Dec 2016 In dulci jubilo, Op.142 № 1 (première); HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
11 Dec 2016 New Year Carol, Op.142 № 2 (première); HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
18 Dec 2016 In dulci jubilo, Op.142 № 1a (première); Grace United Methodist Church Choir;  Naperville, IL
18 Dec 2016 In dulci jubilo, Op.142 № 1; HTUMC Choir;  Danvers, MA
24 Dec 2016 The Snow Lay on the Ground, Op.68c; Karl Henning & Paul Cienniwa;  Boston, MA

[Karl Henning]

Even allowing for the fact that I composed most of The Young Lady in 2015, last year must be the twelve months in which I have written the most music, to date, with Things Like Bliss (9'00), the first mvt of the Clarinet Sonata (12'00), Sound & Sight (25'00), Oxygen Footprint (7'00) and the first two movements of the Symphony (20'00) totting up to 73 minutes of music.

[Karl Henning]

So, New Year's Day (IIRC) I started the third movement, had composed the first four measures (though I had not yet added the picc, oboes, bassoons or double-bass to mm. 3-4), and let it rest.  Today, I've moved on, and am pleased that the movement has pretty much found its footing.  (The idea is a kind of adaptation of the opening of the first movement.)

[Karl Henning]

And since it is as yet short enough that an mp3 can be attached . . .

[Sergeant Rock]

And since it is as yet short enough that an mp3 can be attached . . .

Sounds promising!

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Thank you, indeed.

[Karl Henning]

A bit more work on the third movement, since it will be Friday evening before I can do much more.

[Karl Henning]

A little tinkering this morning—about to hop out for a spot of tea with an old friend, a fellow former St Paul's chorister, who is in Boston only for a day and a half, it seems—in anticipation of hunkering down to some more substantial work, while the snows come in.

[Karl Henning]

With the attachment limit of 500kb, it's a juggling act . . . the longer the piece, the larger the file, and the question is, how much can the mp3 be "dialed down" without the sound (which, being MIDI, is already a disadvantage) suffering irrecoverably . . . .

[Karl Henning]

Today's progress.

[Karl Henning]

Inching forward.