Violet's... 100 Meter Dash?

I found this video of Violet's Tango on YouTube recently:

JEEZY CREEZY!

Was the building on fire and they had to get through the piece as fast as they could before they evacuated?  Why in the world would you take this piece at breakneck speed?  It's a tango  - it says so in the title, for goodness sake.  A tango is a dance that requires a moderate tempo.  There's no way anyone could dance to this tempo.  Besides, I clearly wrote a tempo marking right there in the music:

Moderato.  As in "moderately."  As in "not fast."  Clear as day in black and white.  I even specified a metronome marking just to be even more clear - 120 beats per minute.  Consider that a speed limit sign.  This conductor was doing the equivalent of 70 in a school zone.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: just because you CAN play the notes fast, doesn't mean that you SHOULD play fast.  When you take music - especially dance music - too fast, you lose all the nuance and emotion, and you waste the opportunity to give the music expression.  Violet's Tango is a character piece with bold contrasts, nuanced harmonies, and a sly, flirtatious style.  All that is thrown out the window when you plow through it like a panicked cheetah.

When you race through a piece like that, you're not only playing it wrong, you're showing disrespect for the music, your audience, and your own growth as a musician.  So I once again beg conductors and orchestras everywhere: please please please please please pay attention to the tempo markings.  I put them there for a reason.

It should sound like this. 

New Submissions

It's that time of year again!  I just got back from the post office where I shipped nine new pieces of music and a CD to Alfred Publishing for consideration in the 2012-2013 String Orchestra catalog.  My fingers will remain crossed for approximately the next three months while I wait to hear back from the selection committee.

This year I sent in nine original pieces, none of which were re-submissions.  Three beginner pieces, three intermediate-level pieces, and three advanced-level pieces and a good mix of styles and keys.  My hope is that by giving them a broad range of music to choose from will increase my chances.  In the past, they've chosen one piece from each ability level and each of a different style and .  Here's what they chose last year, for example:

Sneaking Suspicion: beginner level, minor key, all pizzicato, scherzo style
Storm Trail: intermediate level, minor key, unusual time signature, "Gauntlet-esque" style
Star of Valor: advanced level, major key, part independence, shifting, heroic style

I have a few favorites among this year's submissions, but I'm proud of everything I've done and would be happy just to have something selected.

Saga of the Broken Arm

I haven't written in a while, but I have a good excuse: I was in a serious bike (as in "bicycle") accident and have been mostly out of commission.  I'm much better now, but here's how it went down:

April 5: The weather was nice so I decided to go for a bike ride in the park. My neighborhood links up to a great local park with a hike/bike trail, but I didn't even get that far.  On the little sidewalk that connects to the trail I took the hill too fast and hit my front brake harder than the back brake and tumbled forward.  My right elbow hit the pavement with my full weight.  I was sure that my arm was dislocated.  I managed to get to my phone and call the Parents, who live only a few miles away.  They found me and got me to the hospital, where I was drugged up, gave my medical history to at least four people, and got some x-rays taken.  After about three hours a doctor finally came to talk to me.

"Pieces.  It's just in pieces."

The force of the impact had shattered my humerus (upper arm bone) just below the ball socket.  And it was also dislocated. The muscles, tendons, and surrounding bones were fine, but the one bone was shattered.  Unfortunately, because of the location, they couldn't set it, cast it,  or really do anything but put it in a sling to immobilize it and give me lots of pain meds.

By the way, I've not seen the x-rays to this day, as I have a tendency to get queasy and black out at such things.

April 6: I went to see an orthopedic surgeon, who told me that I would need an operation.  he said it would be a very routine outpatient procedure and I'd be home before noon on the same day.  Unfortunately, he needed to wait for the swelling to go down, which means I'd have to walk around with a broken arm for a week. Upon hearing the news, I nearly passed out. 

April 13: Early morning surgery.  Before taking me in, they gave me four shots in my neck to numb the arm.  It was not pleasant.  The anesthetic really did a number on me and it took all day to wear off.  By 9:00 PM the feeling was returning in my arm and thus began The Most Horrible Night Of My Life.  The pain was relentless and no dose of percoset could stop it.  The pain was so much that the percoset didn't even knock me out like it usually did.  The next few days were better, but then, anything else would be.  To close the incision that runs from my armpit to the top of my shoulder, they used staples.  Literally - metal staples.  Thirteen of them right in my skin. 

April 19: Follow-up appointment with the surgeon.  We took more x-rays and I actually looked at this set.  They had pinned the shattered bone together with a metal plate and nine screws.  It's an impressive piece of engineering. At this point I was doing fine - until they decided to remove my staples.  The nurse got about nine of them out before I started to pass out. 

That same day, I signed up for physical therapy and have already had three sessions.  My therapist gave me a bunch of exercises and I've already seen some improvement.  I can now get dressed by myself, tie my own shoes (all of which are major improvements).  I cannot sleep in a bed, drive a car, put on a t-shirt, or reach above shoulder-height, but it will come.  I may never do yoga or swim freestyle again, but I'm working towards conducting and playing the piano.  It's a slow process, but I'm improving every day.

Rejected

Oh, interwebs.  I'm so dissappointed today. 

Remember back in November when I mailed music to Kjos Music for consideration in their next String Orchestra catalog?  No?  Well, I did.  I'm not upset that you don't remember - it slipped my mind until I got a big package in the mail today. 

Yes, that's right the big package.  Unlike college letters where the big package means you're accepted (full of information packets and meeting times), the big package from a publisher means that they're returning all your stuff and they don't want to publish it.

Yep, I've been rejected.  Which is to say that my six submissions don't "fit into their current catalog."  Some other publishers discourage any further submissions by adding something like "we're not looking for submissions outside of our current stable of composers."  Ouch. 

Anyway, it gets me thinking that it's about time to get my submissions ready for Alfred.  I have a lot of music to choose from and I need to make recordings, write up descriptions, choose which eight or nine to submit/  Lots of work.  No time to feel sad. 

Doug Spata's iPod - 2010, Part 2

Here are five more songs to finish off my playlist:

6. Blame It On the Boogie, The Jacksons.   When Michael Jackson died in September, I was one of the many people who was shocked by the news.  And when the radio was flooded with Michael's songs, I discovered this little gem.  I think it's been overlooked because it's not a Jackson 5 song and it wasn't on a solo album. It was by The Jacksons - an in-between project that didn't get as much recognition.  Still, it's a fun disco tune with a great bass line and fun harmonies.  And you can really hear the joy in Michael's voice as he takes the lead on this one.  He really had fun with this song.

7. Human by The Killers.  I first heard this on the radio and thought I had discovered a new song by The Cure, but was surprised to learn that it was from The Killers, for whom I previously did not care.  That soaring melody got me first but the ambiguous and cryptic lyrics really drew me in.  "Are we human or are we dancer?"  My interpretation is that he's talking about the cathartic moment where an artist transcends the physical and becomes indistinguishable from his or her art as a pure force of creativity.  I've been fortunate to experience that several times and it's the goal for any musician, artist, dancer, poet, or performer.  To witness it as an audience is amazing as well.

8. Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello.  Speaking of really good lyrics, here's Elvis Costello.  He's comparing being in love to writing a book and keeps coming up with clever ways to spin the metaphor further and further.  I like that the music doesn't compete with the lyrics - it's just a cool, simple groove that isn't over-embellished or over-produced.  The music is great and the lyrics are great and they come together to make something really special.

9. It Must Be Love by Madness.  This half of the list is really leaning on the oldies.  Kids, Madness was a ska band from England back in the 80's.  They were a lot of fun and influenced people like Gwen Stefani and Dave Matthews.  This wistful, romantic song is one of their best, with honest, sincere lyrics, a strong backbeat, and a really fun arrangement.  I adore the pizzicato strings (via keyboard) and that fantastic bass line with the triplets just brightens my day.  In fact, all the elements - piano, bass, drums, horns, xylophone, keyboards - are such wonderful elements independently that it gives the whole song a loose, improvisational feel while still holding together as a whole.  Just like two people in love - separate but one, independent but working together.

10. Speakers Funk by Giant Panda. These guys made my list last year and I had to include them again.  They have a great flow, a strong focus on the music, and they keep the old-school style alive.  And it's a song about music - about the joy of finding a great new song and listening to it in your car at high volume.  And really, that's a great summary of this list.  I hope you've found some of that joy for yourself!