UNT position

My UNT position comes from the modification of a couple positions due to retirements: Henry (Hal) Gibbons retired last year and from him I've inherited the 2nd UNT choir, now called the UNT Chamber Choir, plus teaching choral literature and conducting in alternate years. Lyle Nordstrom, who heads the early music program, retires at the end of this year--he'd founded the Collegium Singers, a chamber choir that sings on their own or with the baroque orchestra (period instruments). Lyle's job has grown greatly, so it was decided to include Collegium Singers in what is now my job.

The Chamber Choir is 32 singers this year and is predominantly undergraduates, with three grad choral conducting students and 2 graduate vocal students. Collegium has a more even mix of undergrads and graduate students. Since it rehearses at a different time than the other choirs, it also includes members of Jerry McCoy's A Cappella Choir and grad students in either Vocal Performance or Early Music.

I certainly enjoy both choirs and also the teaching I'm doing: this fall that's a conducting class for the master's students in conducting (although I have a few DMA students taking it, too), plus graduate students for whom choral conducting is their minor (I have two theorists, a tuba player, and DMA student in Wind Conducting). Next semester I'll teach the second (last) course in the undergraduate conducting sequence.

This plus the usual committee work that makes up an academic's life, is my life here in Denton and I'm glad to be doing it. I also continue to conduct Pro Coro Canada, my professional chamber choir in Edmonton, Alberta.

It's a good life!

Long time, no write!

Too much time has gone by without posting to this (moribund) blog! I'll change that.

It's been a busy, exciting time (not that that's an excuse!), but much has happened:

Kathryn and I made a trip to Denton, TX the first week of July to look for housing there--my new job at the University of North Texas would begin in August. We stayed with Jerry and Julie McCoy and had a great time visiting in the evenings (exploring a bit of Fort Worth and Dallas, too), while driving our rental car into Denton during the day and looking at rental houses and a few apartments. We finally found a place, a comfortable rental with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in a quiet little group of garden homes, about a 10-12 minute drive from the University and convenient to shopping of all kinds.

Back to Tacoma, for lots of packing and arrangements to move--all the usual dealings with post offices and utility companies, moving companies, etc. Also planning for a new car (since our 1993 Honda Civic with 225,000 miles and no working air conditioning wouldn't really work in Texas). Our actual move was at the end of July, using ABF, who drop off a trailer for you to load, then pick it up a day or so later. We'd hired a local moving company to pack and (naturally!) it was the hottest day of the year, with a high of 106 F. But it got done, and then flew to Dallas August 4, where we were met by another colleague, Alan McClung. We stayed with Alan for several days while our stuff got moved in, we picked up our new car (a Honda Fit), got my office organized at school, sorted out things with utility companies, and began the work of getting administrative things done at UNT (and as you can imagine, there's a lot to do!). In mid-August we had two days of faculty orientation, auditions began the 24th and classes the 27th.

Next time I'll say a bit more about what I'm doing at UNT.

England Study Tour 1975 - 14

Here's my final post about this study tour organized by Bob Scandrett in 1975.

Unfortunately, my journal broke off here--I must have gotten tired or behind with posts, so took no more notes. Too bad, as what followed was certainly interesting and I don't have detailed memories of any of it (it's a distance of 34 years, after all!)--and the notes I made earlier in the tour have certainly kicked off other memories for me as well. However, I did write down what happened and what I attended:

July 5 - to Cambridge to hear the London Bach Choir under Willcocks doing some Bach motets and the Britten Hymn to St. Cecilia -- we would also have visited the various Colleges

July 6 - a communion service with a Haydn mass at St. Pauls and in the evening a performance with the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Riccardo Muti of the Verdi Stabat Mater and Te Deum, along with Mussourgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

July 7 - last official day of the tour -- free during the day, party in the evening

July 8-12 -- went to stay with Roy and Chris Wales -- in that time made a trip to Cambridge to take in Evensong at King's and St. John's, plus hearing the Southend Festival Choir (Roy's old choir)

Once again, I have to thank Bob Scandrett for arranging such an amazing tour. It was truly an extraordinary experience and made a big impact on me as a musician and conductor. Many, many thanks!

Just to get a sense of what went into the planning and Bob's preparatory work for this, here are some excerpts from his letter to us from April 10, which began with a good part of the itinerary (although it still changed after that):

This already seems to me a very busy and exciting schedule. However, this is not all by any means. To quote Jill again, "Much of the itinerary in London is blank since at this time there are almost no definitive programmes and the various concert halls will not commit themselves even to printing their provisional programmes."

We have also yet to schedule our conferences with Louis and Eve Halsey, which will include a listen at his tape library, a session with John Elliot Gardiner, director of the Monteverdi Choir [unfortunately, this didn't happen], and probably a session with the composer John Gardiner. If Gemini opera is performing, we are invited. We have bad news from King's and St. John's, who are on vacation from June 8 until July 9 . . .

What do you think of some ballet performances? The Royal Ballet will be in session, as well as Sadler's Wells. Visiting are the Tokyo company which is classical and the Netherlands Dance Theatre, which is modern ballet, and often very controversial--I seem to recall they did the first all nudie production -- which sounds risky, at the very least!

We had some moments of anxiety with the Southlands, but all seems to be well now. Their invitation was not all that enthusiastic and I am sure we have Eve Halsey to thank totally for their eventual acceptance . . .

I would like to encourage those of you who have any recording by any of the people we will meet to let me know. I will be sending a discography of my own library out and will make some cassettes of these for those who would like to listen to them in advance. I am anxious that all of us are prepared to take part in discussion with these men. Gardiner and Norringthon are, for example, leading authorities on the performance practice of baroque music, particularly that of Schütz and Monteverdi. It is a curious coincidence that Gardiner is performing the Monteverdi Vespers at the Bath and Brighton Festivals, and Norrington at Aldeburgh and I believe later on the continent. With a little bit of preparation we should be able to find some interesting contrasts between their ideas. Norrington said in his letter, "You and your group will be welcome to visit my home at 14.30 on the 11 June to spend the afternoon in discussion. On the 12th you are free to attend rehearsals of Monteverdi's Vespers in the version I have based on the forces available at St. Mark's Venice . . . Perhaps these few days should give us an opportunity to know one another. If you think you need more time I might be able to manage another session on the tenth or the thirteenth . . . Just let me know exactly what you would like, and if the suggestions above suit you." I can't imagine a more cordial invitation, and I personally want to be ready to take advantage of his experience. Of course, the best way is to get acquainted with the music thoroughly. I think there are several recordings available, although I could not find one by either of them.

I have recently acquired several records by Norrington and his choir. All are on Argo [he then lists 6 recordings].

I was only able to locate on record of John Elliot Gardiner [Monteverdi and Gesualdo motets and madrigals].

Gardiner seems to belong more to the traditional, refined King's sound of choir, where Norrington seems to cultivate a more robust, individualistic sound, which is somehow more appropriate in my ears to Schütz than to Monteverdi. I was initially more impressed by Gardiner than Norrington, but in re-listening, my feelings are less strong.

There is a beautiful recording of Walton's Music for Choir recorded by Simon Preston and the choir of Christ Church College, Oxford. Preston is a world famous organist, but his work at Oxford is attracting much attention and seems to be rivaling King's as a prestige organization, particularly since Willcocks has left King's and has been replaced by Ledger . . . I have several recordings by Halsey: a recent one which he gave me last summer, not yet available here: motets by Monteverdi, Gabrieli and Schütz, with James Bowman, and would make an interesting comparison with Norrington and Gardiner. I think it is also instructive to compare these versions with those of [Wilhelm] Ehmann and [Gunter] Graulich [chief editor/owner of Carus Verlag], particularly the works of Schütz , which are somewhat different in concept, both in tone and dynamic vigor. I still am very partial to some of the Ehmann version, but Norrington gets closer than most (this incidentally is the view of Graulich, who knows Norrington) . . .

Now is also a good time to read travel books and study Gothic architecture in popular paperback versions.

You can tell a good bit about Bob's extraordinary mind in reading this--his is not a narrow knowledge or set of interests! Again, so many thanks for this opportunity.

England Study Tour 1975 - 13

Thursday, July 3

In the morning we had a rehearsal with Louis Halsey -- he is a charming man with some excellent ideas -- I enjoyed the morning and was stimulated to think again about the importance of text -- Halsey obviously knows a lot, but he still doesn't excite me -- his music-making is tasteful, but sometimes a bit dull, with no drama -- this is certainly an area where I, too, need improvement.

It seems to me to be one of the major problems of interpretation: how far to go in the direction of drama and excitement without distorting the form, structure, and balance of a piece -- how best to synthesize these elements - detail versus overall structure -- all are polarities that in a really good performance of a really good piece should disappear -- the details should make the overall form more obvious and vice-versa -- the impact of the total piece should first be felt, but individual details and beauties should not be sloughed over -- this is more than ever true in a piece like Bach's Mass in B Minor -- how do you do all the little things in such a way that people hear them and yet you don't lose a sense of the whole? So that the piece "pushes" from beginning to end logically and dramatically? How to sweep people along into another world for a short time??? All needs thinking about.

This evening: The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie's play in its 23rd year -- very enjoyable.

Friday, July 4

to a rehearsal at Tiffin School -- interesting -- musically very accomplished (kids their age don't do music anywhere near as difficult at home), but vocally very bad -- I think about what Neil cold do, sound-wise, with a choir like this -- I'm sure he would astound people -- it's a different emphasis than we have at home [given what children's choirs in the US and Canada have done since that time, that's no longer true, of course--they do some astounding things and difficult music]

Evening: Neil Simon's Sunshine Boys -- not one of his better plays

England Study Tour 1975 - 12

Sunday, June 29

High (and I mean high) Mass at Westminster Cathedral -- amazing pageantry , vestments, etc. -- music not outstanding (choir was also very far away) -- very bright boy's sound -- rather ugly building inside and out -- awful organ (tubbiest of the tubs) playing Widor Toccata as postlude

Monday, June 30

To Covent Garden for Death in Venice -- once again, due to being in the upper slips (where you could not see easily) it took me a while to get "into" the opera -- once I did, however, I thought it was fantastic -- I like the opera (and enjoyed the production) very much -- Pears is really incredible -- he's on stage practically the whole time at age 65 (we heard he turned 65 the day we were in Aldeburgh) -- he's still marvelous -- Steuart Bedford (conductor) not terribly impressive -- things occasionally got a bit away from him -- overall this was another "occasion" -- Pears will retire soon, so this may have been the last times in that role (which he fills so well) [orchestra in the pit was the English Chamber Orchestra--also in the cast were Thomas Helmsley as The Traveler, James Bowman as the Voice of Apollo]

Tuesday, July 1

In the morning we met with composer John Gardner, composer of A Latter-Day Athenian Speaks -- [Gardner is probably best-known in the US for his Christmas carol, Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day or perhaps his Five Hymns in Popular Style -- A Latter-Day Athenian Speaks is a stunning large, a cappella setting that I first heard Bob Scandrett do with his choir at Western, then got to know through the John Alldis recording (no longer available) -- I then did it with my Choir of the West at PLU in 1986 -- I'd love to do it again!] -- Gardner's still alive and (apparently) composing at age 92

The New Philharmonia Orchestra with Barenboim -- unfortunately we were very far back, so we couldn't see Barenboim too well -- Berlioz Romeo & Juliet not overly impressive -- didn't seem to hang together too well -- Overture to Coriolan -- but then Janet Baker singing Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer was outstanding -- gorgeous voice and a personality that really projects -- too bad we couldn't see her in opera or recital! [another "occasion" to hear her live]

Wednesday, July 2

We went to Winchester to hear Britten's War Requiem -- this is in part a student performance, as well as members of the Bournmouth Sinfonietta (pro) and various teachers -- combined orchestras of Bedales and Winchester College, the Bedales School Choral Society and Winchester College Glee Club, with the Winchester Cathedral Choristers (Martin Neary preparing), conducted by William Agnew and Angus Watson -- Soprano Alison Hargan, Tenor Neil Jenkins (again!), and baritone Julian Smith -- the performance overall was disappointing, largely due to our placement on the side: balances were not good (too much percussion, soloists couldn't be heard as well as they should have) -- also, the acoustic really muddled things up: in the "quam olim Abrahae" the second time around (when it was soft) you could hardly hear the individual lines -- neither of the conductors was outstanding and things did not always hang together well (ensemble problems) -- the orchestra played pretty well, with the exception of the brass, who were very disappointing -- I thought the chorus sang very well: a generally good sound, very well prepared -- even though overall disappointing, much better than a comparable student group would do here [although with the perspective of hindsight, I think our PLU production in 1987 was far better -- our University Orchestra was strong that year, with particularly good brass (and faculty additions), the professional NW Chamber Orchestra provided the chamber orchestra that accompanies the tenor and baritone soloists--I conducted the big orchestra and choir and Jerry Kracht (PLU Symphony conductor) conducted the chamber group--our soloists (Felicia Dobbs, Aelred Woodard, Robert Peterson) were superb--and the choir (my Choir of the West and Choral Union plus the University Chorale) did beautifully, as did the Northwest Boychoir under Joe Crnko -- particularly the performance at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle was outstanding, with the boys up in the gallery]

England Study Tour 1975 - 11

Friday, June 27

St. Alban's Festival again -- a recital by James Bowman, countertenor -- some strange flatting, particularly in the first part of the concert, but the singing gorgeous -- an absolutely incredible voice -- easy-sounding no matter what the range -- some of the music wasn't extraordinarily interesting -- the gambist wasn't all that good -- Robert Spencer (whom we'd heard with the Deller Consort--I wasn't so impressed then) played very well -- really a good concert [our itinerary mentioned that Christopher Hogwood was to play harpsichord--if so, I didn't mention it and I don't have a program] -- Scandrett and others who knew Bowman from before said his singing was less aggressive, more refined, than three years ago.

The 10 o'clock Special [the King's singers were on at this time the previous evening as well] was James Tyler's ragtime group -- very good, but the novelty (after hearing Munrow's stuff at Stour) had worn off -- Tyler's just as good as with Munrow, however -- Tyler played Brahms' Hungarian Dance #5 (on the banjo!) which was amazing.

Saturday, June 28

In the morning a rehearsal of [Paul] Patterson's Requiem -- Roy Wales conducting the London Chorale and London Mozart Players -- I liked the piece very much -- much of the writing is Penderecki-style -- lots of percussion (5 players) -- the choir and orchestra, unfortunately, didn't seem very interested in the music -- the end of the piece very beautiful, boys entering with a very nice theme -- the boys not very good (from Coventry--some politics there, I'm sure).

Afternoon: to St. Albans with Rick [Asher] and Neil [Lieurance] -- a Gerard Hoffnung exhibit -- he's absolutely brilliant and they had all his originals there -- incredible!

Evening -- the English Chamber Orchestra with Meredith Davies conducting -- for the first time I had trouble getting excited and listening attentively -- I hope it isn't downhill from here! Enjoyed Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for strings very much -- but after that it's mostly a blur -- absolutely boring performance of a boring piece: Franck Organ Chorale [I don't know which one, but I don't think they're boring now] -- even the Poulenc Organ Concerto seemed fragmented -- we were also too far back this time to watch players or conductor [remember, longest nave in England!] --

10 o'clock Special -- Too cold to listen to [Peter] Hurfurd's madrigal group outside, so a bunch of us went to the nearest pub for Irish coffees -- in my mood tonight, very much more enjoyable!

England Study Tour 1975 - 10

Wednesday, June 25

Back to London -- to Southlands College of Education -- nice campus -- very cordial greeting by Eve Halsey and the Bursar, etc. -- in the evening to Cosi fan Tutte, Colin Davis conducting [Covent Garden again] -- we enjoyed it very much, although the combination of heat and the upper slips made it difficult -- Colin Davis' conducting was excellent -- as with Solti, he has excellent control at all times -- his conducting very clear and expressive -- it was particularly interesting to see him balance things in the many ensemble numbers: very actively controlling singer dynamics -- the two female leads [Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Fiordiligi and Anne Howells, Dorabella] were a bit disappointing: voices a little too wobbly and unagile to make the lines really sound "Mozartean" -- "Come scoglio" did't quite come off -- the triplet runs sounded like an arpeggio because you could only really hear the first note of the three -- the other singers [Rudiger Wohlers, Robert Kerns, Richard Van Allan, Judith Blegan as Despina] were good - the tenor was very uneven (he was a replacement that evening) -- at times he sounded marvelous and sometimes he had strange intonation problems.

Most everyone else went to hear the Saltarello Choir -- mostly a blase or negative reaction -- Neil made a tape for us, however, and they really sounded quite good -- perhaps there were some non-musical things that affected everyone's attitude

Thursday, June 26

We would spend the next three days at the St. Alban's Festival:

To St. Alban's (organ festival) to hear the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the King's Singers -- St. Alban's is an interesting little town -- lots of newer buildings, but not too tacky -- the Cathedral is huge (longest nave in England) -- very interesting both inside and out because you can see where older parts of the building were added on -- beautiful dark-stained wood ceilings -- all around the altar, beautiful stone carvings -- an absolutely ugly sculpture of a white bird (or gull?) hanging above the organ console -- the Academy gave an absolutely beautiful concert: Telemann's Don Quixote Suite beautifully done (they need no conductor--a conductor would just get in the way) -- 7 violins, 2 vlas, 2 celli, & bass -- a Vivaldi cello concerto played by the 1st cellist -- marvelous playing of a Handel Concerto Grosso -- particularly the double-dotted things in the opening movement -- Bach's 3rd Brandenburg Concerto started with not quite as good ensemble as in the other music, but soon settled in -- written out 2nd movement for violin and continuo: not interesting, didn't seem to go anywhere or really develop anything -- the last movement marvelous -- they used only two cellos, the bass playing the 3rd cello part -- last thing on the program was an early Haydn organ concerto, not a very interesting piece -- not played particularly well (not enough variation in articulation) -- a chamber organ was used -- orchestra overall played marvelously: gorgeous tone, they seemed involved and as if they were really enjoying it (maybe the lack of a conductor!) -- I wonder if the leader takes over the interpretive duties, or if that is a group effort.

King's Singers were excellent -- all are extremely good showmen -- their "act" is very well worked out and very funny -- musically they are excellent: good ensemble and pitch -- excellent voices (although I got tired listening to the blond countertenor) -- most impressed with the bass of the group (2 countertenors, 1 tenor 2 baritones, 1 bass) -- his voice was very full and open-throated -- a perfect bass line for the group to build upon -- [Paul] Patterson's Time Piece is amusing -- I'll have to ask him if it's all right to adapt sometime for another group [Bob Scandrett did exactly that] -- a highly enjoyable day

This was early in the King's Singers' careers, at least as far as Americans were concerned. The note on our itinerary said, " The King's Singers are graduates of King's, Cambridge, who sing a wide variety of repertoire for small male ensemble, from 16th century to the Hi-Lo's"