Having a great time catching up with an old mate from Wooster, whom I hadn't seen for [ quickly does math ] 26 years. Went last night (with fellow composer/clarinetist Mark Simon) to a concert at the Library of Congress, Peter Serkin & the Brentano String Quartet. The chewy dissonant center of the program consisted of Wuorinen’s Second Piano Quintet, and Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon. Moondi held up very well, and fact is, we’re all probably still processing.
[ Stepping away to add hot water to tea. Right back. ]
Rude sketch of puttering around with counterpoint for an ensemble of violoncellos. Maybe on a principle similar to 51% share means controlling interest, I seem incapable of more than 51% certainty on the precise phrasig of a favorite Brahms quote, running something on the lines of When I don’t feel up to composing, I write some counterpoint. Had fun writing “at” a piano, which I have not done for several years. Thursday, I had made my way a bit more than half-way across the first line, was reasonably happy with it as a start, but (a) didn’t quite know which way I wanted to go from there, and (b) wasn’t quite sure I should like wherever I went.
Yesterday, “discovered” where I wished to go, made my way (in two sessions, with a pause at the third measure from the end of the second line) to the end, and surprised myself with how (modest enough bit though it is) content I am with it.
It’s “only” an interlude, so it needn’t be any earth-shaker of a page, and sometimes I just like writing this sort of thing.
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