Eleven Years Ago Yesterday

 More people are misspelling the falls “Niagra;” wonder where that comes from?

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

The spirit of freedom is not buried in the grave of the valiant.

— Dr Martin Luther King, Jr

From the archive ... 23 Feb 2015:

A growth story: added 28 measures (40") to Discreet Erasures, Op. 99
More tomorrow!

After the passing of Charles Wuorinen, I retroactively designated him the piece’s dedicatee. For his spirit presided over my work on the piece. Not necessarily in its musical material or operations, but as I fondly remembered how he encouraged me to push beyond whatever insufficiently-perceived musical barriers might have hemmed me in. Fun fact: I submitted the Op. 99 to a call for scores. It was not selected, of course, but the episode stands out for being the rare instance when I got some specific feedback. One of the judges pronounced the piece ‘unplayable,’ (which at the least justifies my belated dedication.) I am not convinced that this is at all true, and the incident may just illustrate the limitations of the judges empaneled for such calls.

The photo was taken by Maria Bablyak.

Rain Check Issued

 Occasionally someone asks me, “Do you dream music?”

Last nightI dreamt that The Addams Family and Mission: Impossible had swapped theme songs. Your mission, Gomez, should you decide to accept it ... the Secretary will deny any knowledge of Uncle Fester. And the IMF team? — they’re creepy and they're kooky.

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

... my, and probably your, son.

— Madeleine Kahn, straightening Graham Chapman out on a detail in Yellowbeard

As reported here, one of the pieces written by colleagues for the April concert at King’s Chapel was Frank Warren’s Opus 119 Quartet. Frank and I have been in touch regarding the fact that we shall be a trio for this concert, and he is setting to write a duet for Alto Flute and Bassoon by way of a substitution.

nearly a poem

 Lawd, I done cracked my iPhone’s screen,

Dang, but it’s the wust trouble I ever seen,

If’n I kin git it fixed, mebbe I won’t feel so mean....

— Postcards From Red Squirrel Trail

Maurice Chevalier: Your maman was a married woman.

Audrey Hepburn: I’m SO glad ....

he wrote it and he called it a poem

he wrote a poem about the things he sees

the hair of the person sitting before

the toes of the shoes of the person sitting behind

both black and with its own particular shine

the black cat crouched beneath the rose-bush the cat running from the sound of his voice

the green of the leaf the red of the single blossom

the green of the tag at the black cat's neck the sound of the tag in the collar as the cat runs

the black of the laptop of the person sitting beside

the gentle black of his suit the cut of the suit

the black of his hair the black of his turban

the smell of the green leaf the scent of the red blossom

the feeling in his ears as he walks into the silence of the small backyard

for there is a feeling that is a special feeling

apart from the silence itself

and if he could get at that feeling why

he would write a poem

and the sky would weep

and the tears would be joy

and that black cat would wish it had stayed indoors

(...nearly a poem)

9.vi.99

Looking Forward

 Some dance to remember, some dance to ... some dance to ... something or other ....

— Postcards From Red Squirrel Trail

I was playing a lot of bad guys at that time, doing a lot of westerns — which was interesting for a kid from Brooklyn....

— Martin Landau

I have an addendum to my recent post about what a lucky bloke I am: It is wonderful that our ensemble and indeed my musical work generally has found such a place of warm welcome as Woburn’s Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and their partner congregation, First Lutheran Church in Malden. We love playing in the space, and the parishioners make us feel enormously welcome.

Friday’s concert now in the rearview mirror, we concentrate on preparing for the 21 April concert at Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. The program will be titled Love Song & Ruin.

Repertory to include: The seven Op. 201 Offertories (Flute duet) The Dance on Ruin’s Edge, Op. 209 (Picc, Bass Fl, Bn) Chris Forbes’ Pi Meson, Op. 70 (C Fl, alto Fl, Bn) Dennis Báthory-Kitsz’ Just Another Love Song (C Fl, alto Fl, Bn) And, the third of the Op. 178 flute duos, Janky Juke Joint, to be completed. Concert order t/b/a

Charms and Offertories

 Classical Music Radio for the Short of Attention Span

— Postcards From Red Squirrel Trail

This is a bunch of grown people fighting a rubber chicken, basically.

— director James Cameron discussing a scene from Aliens

The heart of last night’s concert—with which I am heartily pleased—was the redemption of an implicit promise I made internally to Robt Gross and Kevin Scott. We first played their pieces —Four’s  the Charm and Min'khah (Offertory)—In remembrance Shoshanna C. Winson, respectively, on our October program at King’s Chapel, but, in a freak hiccough on the Universe’s part, that was the day when the YouTube feed was glitchy and failed, so that (A) the composers could not hear the performance and (B) there was no document of the event. Partly for that reason, but especially because we like the pieces a lot, I chose to reprise those works this month. Kevin was especially warm in his appreciation of last night’s performance. And I was delighted with the presentation of the Henning pieces. We shall have video and audio documents of last night. And now: to prepare for April at King’s Chapel.

Eve of the Concert

 Everything changes, but the linens don't change themselves.

— Postcards From Red Squirrel Trail

Audrey Hepburn: Well, aren’t you going to kiss me, Charlie?

Albert Salmi: Ain’t he kinda close?

Audrey Hepburn: You’re going to kiss me, not him.

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Woburn is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Karl Henning Concert

Time: Feb 13, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89177940592?pwd=XkA37QpacUaIgELoCXeeDJr9XZe2ir.1

Meeting ID: 891 7794 0592

Passcode: 566768

Reflecting on Luck

 I’ve seen smarter analyses on impulse tattoos.

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

It was a special quality, among the many admirable qualities possessed by Mr Pecksniff, that the more he was found out, the more hypocrisy he practised. Let him be discomfited in one quarter, and he refreshed and recompensed himself by carrying the war into another. If his workings and windings were detected by A, so much the greater reason was there for practicing without loss of time on B, if it were only to keep his hand in.

— Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit

We had an excellent Henning Ensemble rehearsal on Friday, 6 Feb. We intended another rehearsal on Saturday, but Mother Nature had other ideas, largely in the of of fresh snow and bitter cold, so we chose instead to work a bit later Friday. I probably repeat myself, but I am a fortunate composer in having colleagues who carried on with rehearsals in January when I was indisposed, and also in having a colleague who has stepped forward graciously to assist with various admin tasks. Our concert at Redeemer is this Friday, February the 13th.

Very separately, I have been slightly unfair musicologically to Pierre Boulez for decades. At this point there is no knowing the source, nor the degree to which I have deviated therefrom, but I had this idea that he had made a pronouncement to the effect of “No music written before 1952 is worth listening to.” It appears that this is not anything  Boulez (whom, be it noted, I will always respect as both composer and conductor) said, and I have no notion of where I failed there. But fail I did.  What he did write, which is no whit less inartistic and wrongheaded, was: [A]ny musician who has not experienced — I do not say understood, but truly experienced — the necessity of dodecaphonic music is USELESS. For his whole work is irrelevant to the needs of his epoch. Fortunately, as with Wagner, the rubbish Boulez pronounced does not alter the fact that he was a great composer.

The Return of the Brave

 I recently misspelled “Punxsutawney.” I wish to apologize to groundhogs, wood-chucks, nutria, wallabies, & three-toed sloths everywhere.

So if the groundhog watches the super bowl, there’ll be nine weeks more of dumb beer commercials?

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

If a nobler waits for thee,

I will weep aside,

It is well that thou shouldst be

Of the nobler, bride.

— Geo. MacDonald

Some time ago, my friend Olivia Kieffer composed a set of 55 short pieces for toy piano, The Texture of Activity. I am the dedicatee of a piece titled The Brave, whereof our mutual friend Carson Cooman just uploaded a performance:

A Time of (Mostly) Non-Doing

 My music never lies, but at times it may wink roguishly.

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

... and today when the satellite net is crammed with the stupid drivel of the Hot Humorous 100, where can a gone cat like yourself get the laughs that we were making then just for you?

— David Ossman as Dexter Fong

Mostly what I have not been doing is, finishing composition of Janky Juke Joint. It’s one of those times when I seem simply not to feel motivated to write. Before my stroke, I simply worked on at least one composition, and I was not concerned with motivation. I lived motivation. Is it my brain behaving differently since my stroke? Lassitude resulting from most of the Universe’s indifference to my work? It’s unclear and I don’t seek clarification. I know that I shall write more, but not today. (For one thing, I plan to include the piece on the April program.)  The q. of the Universe’s non-need for my work does not occupy my thoughts one way or another at present. I am simply at musical rest.