April 9 - Begging Thursday Cold Comfort

Further orchestration of King David: XXV. Census and Plague, followed by Quiz 12 for the Theoreticians (harmony from the 1960's and 70's) and the lab to finish and record the former, plus KD: XXIV. Rock and Strength.



Decamp anon to U.C. Davis, with two calls to Bette and George, research re G.F. Handel's Solomon, then returning begin orchestration of the analogous (the word always looks suspect), the first movement of which is actually troped instead on Ralph Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 7 ("Sinfonia Antartica"): V. Epilogue finale, frozen music for an aged King David who can only warm up with the help of a new handmaiden... (Solomon: I. Let's Find a Young Woman).

April 8 - Light in the Dark

Finish the orchestration of King David: XXIV. Rock and Strength and the composition of Psalm 18 before late pilgrimage to DVC, via Eden clouds, for dictation on Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms: II. Psalm 23 / Psalm 2,


then in the lab to record KD: XXIII. XXIII. Absalom, Absalom! (Absalon Fili Mi) (Sibelius) and XXIV. (Encore).


It's a Marin day, with benefits, beyond Mt. Tam, to Celia's paper grading,



then San Francisco for Lisa Scola Prosek soiree (music of Lisa, Loren Jones, + King David: O for the Wings of a Dove, The Witch of Endor, and Song in the Forest of Ephraim) and SF Composers Chamber Orchestra Board Meeting, where Moses Sedler joins us at the home of Erling Wold (above). Home finally, beginning instrumentation of KD: XXV. Census and Plague.

April 7 - The Stoned Gist

A couple more pages of King David: XXIV. Rock and Strength orchestration and the composition of Psalm 18 before a DVC encounter with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar: Hosanna for dictation and keyboard solfege.



Samantha Garvey plays her harp to the delight of all, then we break for lunch at Elephant Bar, a quick trip home for the Dioclesian/Diocletian postcards, and return



through violent light for the evening class from Jan Sibelius through Igor Stravinsky.



Steve Sage gifts an Encore program for the Macbook,



and leaving DVC (including initial quick divert to Left Bank with Doug, Owen, David, and Colin), it's time to jump ship on the Sibelius learning curve, immediately abandoning it for the joys of the earlier format -- better sound quality, easier control of more parameters, less "fastidious butler," more intuitive, faster, c. 16 years of files.... Rewrite the pages thus far of KD: XXIV. / Psalm 18 and produce several more.

April 6 - Hanging Around in Black and White

Continue working on the orchestration of King David: XXII. Song of the Forest of Ephraim (The Death of Absalom), and getting some Journals out, before riding out to DVC for much of Act III of Alban Berg's Wozzeck (the Claudio Abbado / Vienna Opera version) and dictation/voice-leading harmony on Paul McCartney's Yesterday.

After, in the lab, recording the orchestrations / compositions since last Thursday --

XVII. Song of Appraisal (Nathan's Prophecy)
XVIII. Song of Survival (David and Bathsheba)
XIX. Song of Repentence (Misere, Psalm 51:1-4)
XX. Passacaglia of Sex and Death (Psalm 51: 5-19)
XXI. I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (Psalm 121)
XXII. Song in the Forest of Ephraim



-- then home to orchestrate (the orchestration is the composition) XXIII. Motet: Absalom! Absalom!



(Absalon Fili Mi) and begin orchestrating XXIV. Rock and Strength and composing Psalms of David: Psalm 18.

April 5 - Palmy Balms and Bombs

While Harriet is at a Fresh Voices rehearsal, finish the orchestration of King David: XX. Passacaglia of Sex and Death and the composition of Psalm 51, Part 2, the former including the death of David and Bathsheba's first son, the birth of Solomon,



the rape of Tamar by Amnon,



and the death of Amnon by Absalom -- an awful lot of content (and arguably a fair amount of awful content) in a piece that, at present, clocks in at slightly under a minute.



Onward with the maximal miniatures: completely orchestrating XXI. I Will Lift Mine Eyes and Songs of Degrees: Psalm 121, with the first including Absalom sleeping in a rooftop tent with 10 of David's concubines; and beginning instrumentation of



XXII. Song in the Forest of Ephraim. At last, Harriet returns, and we have further reasons to celebrate.

April 3 - Le Roi s'Amuse

Finish the orchestration of King David: XVIII. Song of Survival (David and Bathsheba),



do same for XIX. Song of Repentance, and begin that of



XX. Passacaglia of Sex and Death, as well as composing Psalm 51: 1-4 (Miserere) and beginning of Psalm 51: 5-19), the latter two as parts of Psalms of David, Op. 172.

April 2 - First Day View

Well, it was 52 years ago today (and almost two years since Halfway Mark), so call Bette and George and thank them, on the snail's pace to DVC thanks to the temporary mini after the AAA work.



Quiz 11 -- excerpts from Duke Ellington, Olivier Messiaen, Bela Bartok, Jester Hairston, Richards Rodgers and Berry -- for the Theoreticians, with many whimsical "happy birthdays" as folks leave for the day, before chugging as fast as able to San Rafael, for two new back tires at Cain's (in preparation for the Wisconsin trip) and shepherd's pie and paper grading with the Irish at the Mayflower.



Up against Puerto Suello wall on 101,



beyond Big Rock Ridge and Terra Linda,



with Sears Point Hill Red Barn and the



Vallejo



Cliffs beckoning, there is time to finish the orchestration of King David: XVII. Song of Appraisal (Nathan's Prophecy) and begin that of XVIII. Song of Survival (David and Bathsheba).


Right, and cake, ice cream, champagne, and flowers with Harriet upon return, with further treats ahead (here we are in a related jocular moment, with Kristin Jones, in the San Francisco Cabaret Opera / Goat Hall Productions 2007 presentation of my opera after J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World)

April 1 - La Folia

Write up two Music and the Enlightenment quizzes in the middle of the night -- perhaps not a stellar idea, particularly when alarm will not sound, printer cartridge needs changing, but somehow make it to St. Mary's anyway, the bright sun blinding amongst the palms.



More Do Re Mi in Theory and reality, record King David: XVI. Before the Arc in the lab, and begin the orchestration of XVII. Song of Appraisal upon return through the stark Poverty Hills.



Oh yes, and a flat tire beyond the North Lagoon Mountains, just a few blocks from home, so limp in and call AAA, writing above while waiting in the comfort of home, rather than some lonely outpost, on this prankster/trickster date.

March 31 - Cold and Warm Comfort

Finish the orchestration of King David: XVI. Before the Arc, during the morning and the last minute before the evening class. Afternoon is The Sound of Music: Do Re Mi (Part I) for dictation, complicated banking problems at Westamerica and Fry's, and al fresco lunch and paper grading at La Pinata.



Music History class habaneras along from Bizet to a grim Sibelius; followed by Left Bank libations, lingering, and liberty.

March 30 - Making the Grade

Morning class finishing up Handel (including three sing-throughs of Messiah: Hallelujah to recordings early, Mozartean, and Proutish), afternoon with dictation from Duke Ellington's Concerto for Cootie, lunch at China Garden finally catching up with grading, and another saunter on the Lafayette-Moraga Trail -- this time on the old railroad grade semicircling the last northern vestige of Las Trampas Ridge.



Home again, beyond Mt. Diablo, finishing the orchestration of The Death of Ishbosheth section of King David: XVI Before the Arc and beginning that of The Ark Dance.

March 29 - Transfigurations and Transformations

Back at Chamber Arts with Harriet, continuing the casting for Fresh Voices IX,



which has continued, like many endeavors, to be a work-in-progress seemingly since early in the year.


Before and after this, finish orchestrating the Abner portion of King David: XVI. Before the Arc, and begin the Death of Ishbosheth section.

March 28 - Quarterstaves for Your Thoughts

Another day of




music drama at Chamber Arts,



Dioclesian and Diocletian shaping up, communally and



individually (Annemarie here, with the amazing Alex Katsman marvelously sight-reading his way through both operas at the keyboard).



Folks seem pleased with the postcard, and with Durand leading the fight rehearsal,



Harriet and I set off through a phalanx of quarterstaves



to Wood Tavern, and afterwards another walk on Pleasant Hill Road, while touching base with John Browning via phone.



Homeward bound, there are further pages of orchestration for King David: XVI. Before the Arc (The Death of Abner) awaiting.

March 26 - Es Is Genug

VLADIMIR:

This is becoming really insignificant.

ESTRAGON:

Not enough.



Finish the orchestration of King David: XIII. The Lamentations of Gilboa, and record that plus



XII. March of David and the Philistines after class.



But first, have to get there, so off we go again to Diablo Valley College Music Theory, for Quiz 10, with excerpts from George Gershwin, Sergei Prokofiev, Anton Webern, and Louis Armstrong. Tutorial with a few students after, including Scott, set up with his reader adjacent to lab computer, which makes for an efficient use of time. Somehow there's also a sufficient interval to take in the sunshine from adjacent to Las Trampas Ridge and



Creek,



before blasting back to Marin, between San Rafael Hill and



San Pedro



Ridge,



over the Pacheco Grade for car maintenance, then home to gather instrumental forces for beginning of KD: XV. Feat Song.