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Merkel Day 1

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! While everyone was out celebrating, Jaime and I were working on our program for our concerts this weekend. We still have some polishing to do, but here is a little teaser so you can see a little of what happens when two people sit down at the organ.

Naji Hakim – The Apostles

Because our concert in Winter Park is the same weekend as the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, we chose to include as many art-inspired music selections as possible. While looking for repertoire, I discovered a set of pieces for organ duet by Naji Hakim inspired by wood carvings by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The Apostles presents a series of short movements based upon the artwork but also making use of Gregorian chant and other chorale themes. As the composition was only written in 2011 and not that many people perform organ duets, I recently contacted Dr. Hakim and was informed that we would be doing the US premier! We are super excited to be the first American performers and hope you will be able to come hear it at one of the concerts on Friday or Sunday!

Wishing you all the luck of the Irish!

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 17 – 2014 03 18
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Music doesn’t exist on paper

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worksgrafThe Printed Page

For hundreds of years, people have been searching for ways to write music down on a piece of paper. While there have been great advances from the squiggles above the text in early chant manuscripts, enabling us to become more and more precise about how to replicate music, I believe that it is not possible to confine music to black and white notation.

While everyone generally acknowledges that information, thoughts and feelings can be conveyed in written words, how many people have had the joy of having an email or text message misunderstood? Even with the spoken word, tone, volume, inflection, and even body posture can add or completely change the meaning of a group of words. One of my favorite stories is about a language teacher who is explaining that in some languages double negatives make a positive while in other languages, a double negative remains negative, but there is no language where two positives make a negative. From the back of the room, a student pipes up, “Yeah, right.”

Tone and inflection can make a huge difference in the message conveyed with words. I even understand there are some languages where the same combination of sounds pronounced with different inflection become completely different words! While our music notation has become more precise over time, I do not believe we will ever manage to capture all the intricacies of tone and inflection on the printed page.

Interpretation

Since it is impossible to capture all the details of a piece of music and put them on a piece of paper, we have to make some form of interpretive judgment. This is where performance practice applies, but also where taste and personal judgment enter the scene. In the realm of classical music, we have scholars who research the instruments and writings of the era in order to offer opinions and guidance about how a performer of that time period would have interpreted the page of a musical score. We can choose to follow their guidance, or choose our own path. Leopold Stokowski adapted Bach for orchestra. Did he follow proper performance practice? No, but did he make music? Yes. One of the organists causing a bit of controversy with his use and view of the organ is Cameron Carpenter. He just unveiled a new touring instrument at Alice Tully Hall earlier this month. While I haven’t yet seen a video of him playing the new instrument, you can watch him play the Bach Toccata and Fugue:

Making Music

Regardless of how you might feel about Cameron Carpenter’s interpretation of J.S. Bach, he uses the printed page and the instrument available to him to convey his artistic decisions. Would these be the choices I would make? If I had his technique, maybe. Will he always play it this way? I doubt it. One of the points I believe I’ve heard him make in an interview is that often organists are more concerned about the instrument they are playing than about how they are playing the instrument, and this may be the reason why so many people have lost interest in the organ. If we pay more attention to getting off the printed page and actually conveying thoughts or emotions through music, perhaps there would be more enthusiastic supporters of organ music in the world.

I’ll be doing my part over the next few weeks to make music and keep up interest in the organ. Coming up next are a set of two organ duet concerts. The same program featuring art-inspired organ music will be performed in both Winter Park and Daytona. After that, there are several choral concerts with prominent organ parts. If you are not able to come and hear one of these concerts, I hope you will be able to enjoy some live music making in your own neighborhood!

Wishing you all the best,

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 16 – 2014 03 12
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Launch Time

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108078-nasa-space-shuttle-atlantis-sits-on-launch-padLaunch preparation

One of the advantages of moving to Central Florida almost seven years ago is the proximity of the Kennedy Space Center. While I may not be as big of a fan of the space program as my wife Karen, it was still neat to know that people and satellites left for the far reaches of space just a few miles down the road. We could even see the launch trails from home when there were not too many clouds. Sadly, this week will be the last week to visit the Vehicle Assembly Building before they begin its transformation for the new launch systems.

Launch Experience

Seeing a line of smoke in the sky from 50+ miles away, even if impressive, is no where near the thrill and excitement of actually going out to Titusville to see a launch. Attending a launch meant leaving several hours in advance with lots of waiting in a crowded park. Eventually, there would be a few minutes of excitement when you could not just see the shuttle launch, but eventually hear and feel it too! Then it was back to being patient again as we took one of the two options for returning to Orlando from the coast – the local road or the highway – neither one of which moved much more than at a snail’s pace because of the high volume of cars.

FlatStanleyNightLaunchNight Launch

Once when we participated in my cousin’s Flat Stanley project, we went out for a night time launch. As you can see in the picture (iPhone pre-flash photo), it became as bright as day when the shuttle took off. Even if the traffic was particularly bad that evening, it was worth the effort. The marvels of science, the creativity and inventiveness of humankind using the resources of the world around us and less computing power than I had in my iPhone sent people off the earth (to the moon!) and brightened the night time sky. While I can’t currently afford to book my flight to space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, I do hope that I live to see the day when space travel becomes a regular occurrence.

New Web Sites

While I don’t expect to be traveling into space any time soon, I do have a couple of websites rolling out on the launch platform that you can begin to explore. First up is organimprovisation.com. Here is information on improvising at the organ. While I intend to offer some instructional support for those who would like to master the skill, right now the website mostly contains information about other well-known improvisers with links to their performances on YouTube or resources that they have available.

The second site I just began to set up yesterday. Consider it still in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Audubon Park Music is the name I registered as publisher of my music when I joined ASCAP this week. My plan is eventually to move all the sales of my compositions over to audubonparkmusic.com so that wmglennosborne.com can focus more on upcoming performances. Have a look at both of the websites and let me know what I could add that would be of value to you. While they may not be ready for take off, this is your chance for a pre-launch tour.

Wishing you all the best,

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 15 – 2014 02 18
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From Mastery to a Master

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Morten_Lauridsen72dpiA Master

This past week Morten Lauridsen was composer in residence at Rollins College. On Sunday afternoon, the Rollins College Choir and members of the Bach Festival Choir under the direction of Dr. John Sinclair presented some of Lauridsen’s most famous choral works: O Magnum Mysterium, “Dirait-on” from Les Chansons des Roses, Nocturnes, and Lux Aeterna. In addition, Dr. Julia Foster sang his song cycle A Winter Come. Aside from hearing the splendid music, one of the highlights of the afternoon was hearing the composer speak about the pieces and even sit at the piano to play for a couple of them. Following the concert presentation, Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout conducted a delightful conversation with Lauridsen that shed even more light on the works and Lauridsen’s compositional style and processes.

Calm

If you have never heard Morten Lauridsen’s setting of O Magnum Mysterium, then click here to listen to a performance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale with Paul Salamunovich as conductor. Lauridsen served as composer in residence for the ensemble for several years. About ten years ago, I had the pleasure to attend a rehearsal of the LA Master Chorale under Salamunovich while they rehearsed this piece and/or Lux Aeterna. Both pieces always leave me with a deep sense of calm when I listen to them. On Sunday, I found out part of the reason for that: Lauridsen lives and composes on an island off the northern coast of Washington State. Less than 100 people live on the island, and there is no electric service there. He had a $70 used piano brought over on a barge to the former general store that became his island residence. With such a quiet backdrop for composing, it becomes clear to me that the environment where he writes is represented in his output.

leafblowersNoise Pollution

Perhaps because of his island home, Lauridsen is highly sensitive to noise pollution. During his interview Sunday afternoon, he encouraged everyone to do what they can to eliminate extraneous noise from their life. At the University of Southern California, after several years of protesting, Lauridsen successfully convinced the school to no longer use gas-powered leaf blowers on campus! I remember back when I was in high school, as soon as I came home, the stereo was turned on and stayed on through the night until I left the next morning. How many of us do that with the radio or TV now? How about when we are driving? Are we really listening to the radio or is it just road noise?

We often pay attention to the food we give our body, but do we spend any time whatsoever considering what sounds we feed ourselves? We know our body feels and functions better when we give it proper nutrition and avoid the junk food. How much better might we feel if we cut out the junk noise?

One of the items on my to do list last year (that didn’t happen) was to spend a week on a silent retreat. After hearing Morten Lauridsen’s music and comments this week, I am recommitting to making that happen this year. What will you do to find some quiet time?

Wishing you peace and quiet,

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 14 – 2014 01 30
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Practice, Practice, Practice

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Mastery

carnegie3I forget the exact setup, but the standard joke is a musician on the streets of New York asks, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” and the reply is, “Practice, practice, practice.” From the research widely publicized by Malcolm Gladwell, we know that in order to become an expert at just about anything, it requires 10,000 hours of practice. While I’m sure I’ve put in at least that much time at the organ, I’m still looking for opportunities to improve and learn more.

Rice University

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the symposium on French music and improvisation at Rice University. Featured on the schedule were performances by Ken Cowan, George Baker, Tom Trenney, Johann Vexo, and Philippe Lefebvre. Because I had worked with Philippe Lefebvre previously, I was very excited to see him again and to see what new tips and tricks he might have to share with us this time.

Fisk109RiceThe instrument for the class was C.B. Fisk, Inc. Opus 109 / Rosales Organ Builders, Inc. Opus 21. When I was looking for someone to build a French-style instrument for the Cathedral in Albany while I was music director there, I heard a great deal about this instrument, so was delighted to finally be able to see and hear it. It is decidedly well-suited for the French repertoire and offered many tantalizing sounds for the concerts and masterclasses. One of the elements that Philippe Lefebvre shared with us in the final improvisation masterclass was how he searches for new and different sounds at the organ. Most organ stops have very traditional uses and functions, however, he encouraged us to consider non-standard uses and registers. Instead of using the 8′ Harmonic Flute as the solo, why not try the 2′ Octavin played two octaves lower? Or the Quint or Tierce by itself as a solo stop? I have always been attracted to the organ because of the variety of colors available, but Philippe showed us an even wider palette of possibilities!

Improvisation Practice

While many musicians are accustomed to practicing repertoire (after all, how else will they get to Carnegie Hall?), many seem confused at the idea of practicing improvisations. Aren’t improvisations supposed to be “instant music” created on the spot? How can you ever practice such a thing? The truth is that to do it well, those same 10,000 hours of practice are required.

Any one who has attempted to learn a foreign language should recognize the difference between being able to read or pronounce what they see on the page and being able to carry on a conversation. For me, musical improvisation is being able to carry on a conversation. We have to learn the rules of grammar and be able to apply them spontaneously to convey our thoughts in a way that is meaningful to the listener(s). Just as a child learns to spell, we must learn how to spell musically. Which notes will follow in what order to create what words? How do we fit the words together to make sentences and paragraphs? These are all items that we must study and practice if we are to improvise well.

The concert by Philippe Lefebvre at Rice was one of the best organ recitals I have heard in quite some time. He took us through a Sunday at Notre Dame, sharing both improvisations and repertoire that reflected the typical activities of the day. Having heard him play there, I truly felt like I had been transported to Paris for the evening! Thanks to the marvels of YouTube, we can all visit Notre Dame from the comfort of our own homes without any jetlag! Below is a fugue that Philippe improvised for Communion at Notre Dame.

Enjoy the music and keep practicing!

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 13 – 2014 01 16
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Goals: Old and New

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2014GreenHappy New Year!

I hope the Christmas holidays brought you much peace and joy with a chance to rest and recover amidst all the celebrating! As 2014 is approaching quickly, it seems appropriate to reflect on 2013 and consider how to make the best of the new year.

Review

Last January, I made a few New Year’s resolutions. I was very intentional about choosing goals in different areas of life: health, social, professional, and spiritual. I regret to say that I didn’t accomplish all that I set out to do in 2013. The one area where I had the most progress and met my goal was in health: I successfully completed a half-marathon. I believe part of my success in this area was the public accountability that I established through my regular workout postings to Facebook. If you want to make sure you achieve something in 2014, be sure to find an accountability partner or a public forum that will keep you on track and encourage you to keep going.

Orlando2013FinishRaising the Bar

Even though I was never much of an athlete, after meeting my health goal for 2013, I have decided to raise the bar for 2014. Because I like a challenge, I have decided not simply to go for a full marathon, but to complete the Dopey Challenge in January 2015. Because this requires running a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and then a full marathon over four days, I want to make you a challenge to come and run one of the races with me. Doing them all is probably nuts, but surely one of them could be your health goal for 2014!

Professional and Social

Honestly, I’m not 100% certain what my professional goal was for 2013. (Maybe that’s why I didn’t make it….) This year, my goal is to get my psalter printed and available for sales and distribution. I’m hoping there will be many other compositions that will follow along as well, but the psalm settings have been sitting on the back burner long enough that it’s time they went public! As a secondary goal for 2014, I’d also like to have my own CD available. I have ideas for over a dozen recording projects, so feel free to let me know what you think I should record first.

I’m going to include travel as a social activity this year. My long standing travel goal is to make it to all 50 states before I reach age 50. In my college days on choir tour and auditions, I was ahead of schedule (at one state per year), but then I left the continent to live in Europe, and so now, I’m behind. I’d really like to knock two or three more states off my list this year. Below is a map of where I’ve been so far. Only in airports in the red states, overnight in the orange ones, at least twice to the blue ones, and I have lived for extended times in the green ones. Alaska and Hawaii aren’t shown because I haven’t been there yet…. Create your own version here: http://www.defocus.net/visitedstates/

USAStateMap2013Spiritual

While I’ve had some wonderfully moving spiritual experiences during different worship services in 2013 (most notably at the RSCM Course in Tulsa, Advent Lessons and Carols, and The Messiah), my goal for 2013 was to go on a week long silent retreat. Because I was not able to do that in 2013, I am going to try again for 2014. I know now that I must schedule the time in advance on my calendar before other activities make it impossible for me to get away.

And what about you?

I’ve shared some of my goals and plans for 2014 with you. Will you share your plans now with me? Choose a couple of different areas in your life where you’d like to change or do something new and exciting. Let me know what they are, and if I can do anything to help you out or keep you on track, I’ll do my best to work with you so that we may all have a happy and prosperous new year!

Wishing you all the best for 2014!

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 12 – 2013 12 31
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Merry Christmas!

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ChristmasMallMerry Christmas!

Last night, we finally put up and decorated our Christmas tree. As my schedule keeps me out of the house for concerts and rehearsals quite often before Christmas, and then we have typically been traveling to visit family immediately afterwards, decorating a tree has not been a common occurrence since I left the parental household. In fact, last night, we almost didn’t get a tree either as the lots where we have bought trees before have been replaced by a Dunkin Donuts and a WaWa! It also appears that in this more temperate southern climate, people put up their trees earlier, so the selection was slim. But now that most of the concerts are over, and because I’ll be here for Christmas, I look forward to enjoying our tree.

Concerts Galore, Part 2

The last two weekends have been absolutely packed with wonderful events: the Christmas concert at the Basilica, Advent Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral of St. Luke, Messiah at North Orlando SDA Church, and a Carol Sing at Holy Redeemer. The most challenging part, however, was going from the Orlando half-marathon straight on to rehearsal for Lessons and Carols. Luckily, I was in much better shape at the end of this race than Nashville. Even so, I think I know why Ben Lane and the choir stayed at the other end of the building that morning:
11158_AdventRehearsal

The Angels Sing

The Basilica Choir is one of my favorite groups here in Orlando. In addition to playing and conducting for them, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to compose for them as well. Included on their latest CD, Christmas with the Basilica Choir, is my setting of the text by John Dalles, “God, We Would Hear the Angels Sing.” And if you’ve heard the Basilica Choir sing, I hope you’ll agree with me that they indeed sound like angels. If you haven’t heard them, then you’re in for a treat below. I was able to record the performance of my carol at the concert and put it up on YouTube for your listening pleasure. May the angels bring you lots of Christmas cheer!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Glenn

Newsletter Issue 11 – 2013 12 17
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