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.