Seven Flute Duets in Seven Days: Day Eight

 I could swear that Chris Sarandon says, “Form a fruit squad!”

And, a headline on YouTube:

“You’ve been rolling your yoga mat the wrong way.”

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

I told the truth, Lord. How can I learn any moral lessons, if you keep confusing me like this?

— Matthew Broderick in Ladyhawke

First, the bad news: A fresh e-mail message informs me of another Call for which my submission was not selected. Yes, congrats to the selectees.

On Friday, as reported, I composed not one, but two of the duets. But I wrote too glibly when supposing that I would complete the seventh the following day (which is to say, yesterday.) I did indeed set faithfully to work, and composed some 16 measures. I seemed to reach a kind of impasse. Probably I was just tired. I wasn’t sure where to go thence, wasn’t sure I liked what I had written. Certainly was not in a position to press myself to finish. The sensible thing was to sleep on it and decide the next day whether I knew how to proceed, or would need to start afresh.

This morning, I was still unsure whether I cared for what I’d written. I’ve repeatedly endorsed the wisdom that the eraser is the composer’s friend (often at times when I seldom sought out that friendship) and, having slept on it, I resolved that a fresh start was called for. Before actually creating a Sibelius file for “a new number Seven” (“You are number Six”) I listened anew to the 16 measures I had composed yesterday, and found that whatever artistic hostility I had conceived against it was completely uncalled for, and I got back to work. The record will show, however, that I did not scorn to consider erasure.

Opus 201 Duets

№ 1: In the Shade of the Almighty, 1:40
№ 2: He Who Shall Free You From the Snare, 2:00
№ 3: Under His Wings You Will Find Refuge, 2:15
№ 4: You Will Not Fear the Terror of the Night, 2:00
№ 5: Nor the Arrow That Flies by Day, 1:40
№ 6: Upon You No Evil Shall Fall, 2:30
№ 7: When He Calls I Shall Answer “I Am with You,” 2:15

So partly I was recalling to myself the rapid composition of the Visions fugitives de nouveau for Scott. Partly, the times I composed pieces for the Rapido! competition. Partly, I enjoyed the discipline of writing in a deliberately simple musical language. And largely, I remembered a remark of my late colleague, Ivan Moody’s (I forget what piece I was working on at the time) when I wondered if I needed to add a new musical idea, and he said, You have enough material here already.