Klarinet Archive - Posting 000779.txt from 2002/01

From: Bear Woodson <bearwoodson@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] my Duo, Trio and 2nd WW Qnt.
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 13:45:08 -0500

Hello, Klarinet List, et al.

I am DAYS behind in answering E-Mails, because
I've been so busy with so many things lately! I know
I have answered a few of you, but I'd like to fill in
some gaps, so I will write to all of you at the same
time.

As some of you know, I was never a woodwind
player, and stopped playing piano many years ago due
to nerve damage in the right arm. However I am a big
believer in the Hindemith Philosophies of writing good
Counterpoint, controlled use of dissonance, and to write
Unaccompanied and Chamber works, Accompanied
Sonatas, Konzertstücke and Full Concerti for each major
orchestral instrument.

I originally trained as a composer 30 years ago, got
out of music during the 1980's and came back to do
Graduate work since the Mid-1990's. Well, in just the
last 7 years, I've written sonatas that can be soloed by
flute, violin, viola, cello, and all the orchestral brasses.
Now I'm focusing on woodwinds, and frankly I'm
having fun with this!

In the last 3 years, I've joined over 25 of these
Instrument Lists, and therefore store and/or answer
about 40 E-Mails a day, for the last 3 years. (Lately
it's been about 90 daily, while also writing and editing
music, etc. I occasionally cheat, and even get a little
sleep.)

In the 1980's I wrote a "First Woodwind Quintet"
and "Bassoon Sonata" both of which were WAY too
long, and had the winds playing almost non-stop, with
few places to really rest the lungs. Neither will be use-
able without weeks of re-structuring, and I'm juggling
too many new projects right now.

In 1997 I wrote my "Second Woodwind Quintet"
which solved the problems of Breathability, but the
writing is still Hard to Play, but acceptable for Pro-
fessional Level Players. We recorded it in May 1999.

"Second Woodwind Quintet" (Sept. 1997, 5 mvts,
18' 28") It was recorded in May 1999 by Lisa
Maree Amos, Flute; Kimberly Potter, Oboe; Holly
Haddad, Bb Clarinet; Victor Valenzuela, Horn in F;
Enid Blount, Bb Bass Clarinet. (This is a profound
work, that equally shares the spotlight between the
5 players. All movements have complex Motivic
Development, while some have Canons. The Horn
leads the Fifth Movement, as if it were a Harmonized
Variation of the Third Movement "Theme and 7 Var-
iations" from the "Sonata for Unaccompanied Horn"
that was written at the same time.)

I Maestoso 4' 44"
II Adagio 3' 00"
III Allegro: Fortspinnung 2' 48"
IV Adagio 5' 06"
V Allegretto Maestoso 2' 50"
Total Time: 18' 28"

I am completely re-editing the "Second Woodwind
Quintet" now. It's taking a lot longer than I had planned,
but it will look a lot better, when it's done. It was WAY
too small of a print size before, so now I have enlarged
it, and have to do so for 5 movements in the Full Score,
Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Horn in F, Bassoon and op-
tional Bb Bass Clarinet Part Books.

(Since then I wrote a Flute Sonata that some people
call the New Poulenc Sonata, because it's so lyrical.)

I then did a number of brass works (Horn Concerto,
Sonata for Horn and Piano, Sonata for Trumpet and
Piano, some virtuoso unaccompanied pieces, etc.), and
now have come back to woodwinds.

Since December 2001 I wanted to go directly into
work on the Sonata for Bb Clarinet and Piano, and
Quintet for Bb Clarinet with violin, viola, cello, and
string bass, but the intended dedicatee is swamped with
other duties for the next few months.

Then, here on the Klarinet List, you guys got to
talking about different scorings of Trios. Therefore I
got interested in the idea and quickly wrote this:

"Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Bb Clarinet"
(Jan. 2002, 5 mvts., 15 min.)
(Composed from December 30, 2001 to January 12,
2002.)

I Vivace 3' 10"
II Andante: Fugue 3' 40"
III Pastorale 2' 10"
IV Adagio: Aria 3' 25"
V Capriccio 2' 40"
total: 15' 05"

The Second Movement of the Trio is a genuine
Fugue, in 7/8 Meter. I've already had an Oboist friend
in the Tucson Symphony look through it. She will not
have the time to play through it for a few weeks, but
she says this whole Trio is "Stravinsky Hard", as far
as fingerings goes, but the Breathability is "OK", and
the ranges are "conservative".

In this Trio, the Flute rarely goes down as low as the
E above Middle C, and rarely as high as the G, 4 lines
above the Treble Clef. The Oboe rarely goes down as
low as the D above Middle C, and rarely up to the D, 2
lines above the Treble Clef. The Bb Clarinet is usually
in the Low Range, but in a few spots goes up to the C
and E, 2 and 3 lines above the Treble Clef.

Then, somehow, I got fixated on the idea of writing
a large Duo for winds. On the several Brass Instrument
Lists, they keep asking for Duos, but instead I kept
thinking of the Shostakovich use of 2 Bassoons.

(Do any of you know the Shostakovich "Second
Cello Concerto"? He scored it for a large orchestra, but
usually only uses One or Two instruments against the
Solo Cello, in duos and trios with: the Bass Drum, Flute
and Harp, 2 Horns (in a series of really neat, snarling
"rips" and fanfares), and 2 Bassoons! The 2 Bassoons
have an energetic passage of rapid figures, that outline
chords accompanying the Solo Cello, in parallel Thirds
and Fourths. They sound like a frantic Quack Attack,
but it's a very fun spot in this work, and inspired
phrases in the first movement of the resulting duo.)

"Suite for Two Bassoons" ("Duo Suite")
(Jan. 2002, 5 mvts., 18 min.)
(Composed from January 13 to January 25, 2002.)
(to be transcribed for 2 Bb Bass Clarinets, 2 Bb
Soprano Clarinets, 2 Celli and 2 Viole.)

I Vivace Serioso 1' 55"
II Andante 2' 25"
III Scherzo - Salsa - Salsa 4' 40"
IV Adagio 2' 00"
(Canon at the Major Seventh, in
Retrograde-Inversion for the whole
movement.)
V Theme & 5 Variations 6' 48"
total time: 17' 48"

First of all, this is NOT a work, where the first player
is the star and the second accompanies. No, no, no. In
this work, one plays the Lead Melody for 2 to 4 bars,
and then they switch. They therefore share the spotlight
equally, and, in fact, the few highest notes are usually
in the Second Bassoon, (which in the First Movement,
is a brief Concert Cb in the Middle of the Treble Clef).

Usually, the highest note in the entire Duo Suite, in
the Bassoon Version is Concert A in the Middle of the
Treble Clef, which will be Written a Major Ninth higher,
as the B above the Treble Clef in the Bb Soprano Clar-
inet Version.

There are complex compositional devices in each
movement of this Duo Suite. The First Movement is
an ABA Coda Form, with a 12-Tone Melody (used
ONLY as a melody) in the B Section. (Just to be clear,
I NEVER did like, nor use 12-Tone Formulae. I
always write in a Chromatic Modal System, but using
a Fully Chromatic Melody, now and then, is OK.)

The Middle Movement of the Duo Suite is a
Scherzo in Changing Meters, with the Middle "Salsa"
Section being the traditional 3+3+2 Meter. (Instead of
a Scherzo-Trio-Scherzo in my Flute Sonata, I used a
Flamenco-Salsa-Flamenco Form. That's when I found
out that a "Salsa" is NOT just "1980's Tex-Mex Teen-
ager Music", but rather is "an Afro-Cuban Dance
Rhythm, that goes back as far as Spanish Colonial
Time, and always has the 3+3+2 Meter"!) The use of
Salsa Meter in this work, is also as much fun, as if was
in the Flute Sonata.

The Fourth Movement of the Duo Suite does some-
thing completely RARE in all Music History! The
upper instrument plays a Through-Composed Melody,
which I then dropped down a Major Seventh, in Retro-
grade Inversion (Backwards and Upside-Down) and
wrote it out, as the Lower Instrument and Harmony
to the Upper Instrument. (I did that for a 4-bar Phrase
in the 4th Movement Fugue of my Trumpet Sonata,
but to do it for an entire TWO Minute Movement, may
be the First Time in All Music History, or at least, One
of the Few!)

I try to put similar, uniquely rare feats of counter-
point in many of my works. Too many people assume
that because I have a nickname like "Bear", and am
still an "unknown" composer, that I write simple music.
Actually, many scholars keep pointing out that these
kinds of feats of counterpoint have led a few other
20th Century Composers to Pulitzer Prizes, and suggest
that the same fate could await me.

Many professional players, who only play Traditional
Tonality (Popular) Music can not cut my music. (I have
never written 12-Tone, but have also never stooped so
far into the past, as to use a Key Signature. Let's face
it. Many 20th Century Composer have never used a
Key Signature, certainly not me; even though I know
that Popular Music has never left 18th-Century-Based
Tonality.)

But if someone plays a lot of 20th Century Masters,
then they can play my music. This is not ego, it's simply
a fact of the style of difficulty of my writing. I'm am
deeply touched by the kindness of some young players,
who have written me, but I had been told that unless a
clarinetist can cut the Nielsen Concerto, they won't
have an easy time of my "Second Woodwind Quintet".
I'd have to guess that the same holds true of these
newer works.

The Fifth Movement of the Duo Suite starts with
a quirky, Allegretto, Prokofieff-styled Theme. The 5
Variations are then slow, fast, slow, fast, slow, with a
fast Coda. I hope it will be a valued work, but then
only YOU performers have the true right to judge!
Too many 20th Century Composers have written
Complex Junk, that had all kinds of clever explana-
tions, but had No MUSIC in their writings! The only
way to keep from deluding myself in the same way,
is to send a few free copies to some of you, and let
YOU decide what to tell the Klarinet List!

Meanwhile, we are having one of the coldest times
in Tucson Weather History, where it has been snowing
in the mountains around Arizona. We are a state with
Hot, Low Deserts, and high mountains. We only get
about 12 inches (30 cm) of rain a year, and are about
5 inches (13 cm) behind on rain in the last 12 months!
It's gray and cloudy outside, and that only rarely hap-
pens here! (As if right now, 2: 25 p.m., Wednesday,
January 30, 2002, it's SNOWING in Tucson! It's not
collecting on the ground, but at least it's falling as
snow!)

I gotta get back to other work. I hope this answers
some questions. Right now, Dr. Kent Moore, the Bas-
soon Professor at NAU, (Northern Arizona University),
is looking over this Duo Suite that I wrote for him. As
I get time in the coming days, I will be very happy to
transpose, edit and mail off a few free copies of these
new, difficult, works, because I want to see what you
will think of them. (Which reminds me, could someone
please E-Mail me a new Lobotomy!?! I'm long overdue
for a new one!)

Also, I'm having trouble with my Internet Connection,
and could end up being off-line in the coming days. I
will therefore include my phone number.

Bear Woodson
Composer, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Please note that I have a back-up E-Mail Address at
HotMail, in case "Home.Com" goes out of business.
Please ONLY use my HotMail Address if your messages
to "Home.Com" are returned to you, as I rarely check
the HotMail account.

"Bear" Thomas C. Woodson
3636 N. Campbell Ave.
Apt. 3119
Tucson, AZ, U. S. A.
8 5 7 1 9 - 1 5 4 5

Home: 520 - 881 - 2558
Voice-Mail and Digital Pager:
520 - 575 - 2077
"Bear Woodson" <BearWoodson@-----.Com>
"Bear Woodson" <BearWoodson@-----.Com>

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