This Sunday, I will be joining thirteen musicians in Kerns Chapel at Capital University for a presentation of composer Michael Pisaro's work, The rain of alphabets.
Dr. Joe Panzner, adjunct-professor of Music at Capital University invited friends and students to join the performing ensemble this week, and I decided it was time to add a new dimension to my repertoire.
Panzner is currently teaching Music History at Capital, and upon asking his students about their interest in studying and performing 21st Century music, he was met with excitement from a number of students:
"I figured that if this kind of enthusiasm existed, we ought to take on a big project - something that was suitably ambitious would be hard not to notice."
The Piece and Its Rehearsal
Pisaro's The rain of alphabets is number 19 of 34 in his Harmony Series. It is an aleatoric work, a piece of music that requires the decisions and improvisations of its performers, and it lasts 133 minutes, precisely.
If you were lucky enough to have attended California Mavericks last month, you might recall the techniques of indeterminacy and aleatoric composition made famous by 20th Century composer John Cage. This is along that line of thinking; the musicians are gathered together, assigned a letter of the alphabet, and asked to make clear, soft tones for a certain number of minutes without restrictions for pitch or duration. The instrumentation is also left to the choice of the performers, and the piece is shaped by how many musicians musically enter and depart.
One of the interesting facets in this piece is the use of various instruments. Each instrument is quite different and yet, much like an alphabet, they work cohesively and strive for an amount of uniformity in dynamics and timbre. I will be vocalizing along with another young woman, there is also an array of electronic instruments and a few prepared instrument surprises. My favorite: bowed crotales played by Ryan Jewell.
This is music that revolves around tension, release, and anticipation. There are minutes solely reserved for silence, but that silence is truly part of the music; over the course of our rehearsal last night there were moments of meditative silence, moments of inexplicable tension, and often a sense of play. It's lovely. You cannot experience it on a recording, and I deeply encourage you to come if only for the unique experience of silence between music.
In short: Don't expect a symphony, do expect an experience.
Our Alphabet
The individual musicians involved are extremely important in the sound and energy brought to this type of music. I knew that Joe Panzner would gather a group of talent, but I was not expecting such a variety of tastes and perspectives. I can assure you, the more diverse the better. All members of the ensemble are volunteers, and the students are performing for no credit or pay other than the experience of playing in an ensemble of unique talent.
For more information or to invite others to the performance, check out the event's Facebook page.
To listen to and learn more about various works by Michael Pisaro, check out his Blogspot called Gravity Wave.
