Published: Mass for Brass Quintet, by Steven Williams

Every once in awhile, you meet a lifelong friend. One such friend of mine is trombonist/composer, Steven Williams.

Steven James Williams

We played in the same brass quintet at the University of Southern California while we pursued our Masters' degrees in performance. When we toured the US playing the show "Bugs Bunny on Broadway," he instigated discussions on the philosophy and meaning of Chuck Jones' 1955 Warner Brothers' cartoon, "One Froggy Evening," including the central question of whether Michigan J. Frog was consciously evil or merely had bad timing. And his exacting work as tonmeister for my CD of original music for brass quintet, Watercolor Menagerie, was essential to its success. Good times. Good guy.

Steve ponders things deeply, not that he makes it obvious. He's an easygoing Southern gentleman, of a refined Tennessee variety, and he goes through life with a light touch, a helping hand, and a cheerful smile. He has a terrific sense of humor. We've had many a good chin wag over the years.

He's also a composer of considerable depth and quality.

This blog announces the publication of Steve's "Mass for Brass Quintet." I find it to be profoundly intellectual, yet immediately appealing – highly satisfying to both player and listener. It is carefully based on centuries-old contrapuntal techniques, yet it is always fresh and interesting. It makes you think (or at least, it makes me think), which is an admirable achievement – one not universally attained by composers of concert music.

The work is in five movements: I. Compassio; II. Bellitat; III. Fides; IV. Sacer; and V. Ephemer. Its duration is about 25 minutes total. The work calls for two trumpets in B-flat, horn, trombone, and tuba (the tuba part may be performed on bass trombone). It is well scored and eminently playable by advanced players. He calls for mutes more often than many composers do – even requiring "practice" mutes, which are traditionally not intended for use in concert – and the sound world he achieves ranges from bold to ethereal. I have loved the work since I first heard and played it, and it is the first original composition other than my own works that I have published.

You can hear excerpts of the five movements of Steve's Mass for Brass Quintet on YouTube.

Please visit this page at the Premiere Press site for more information and to place an order.

Published: Isle of Colours

Isle of Colours, my new composition for brass quintet, is now published. You can read my blog about its March 2012 premiere HERE.

Logo by Emilie Pallos Graphic Design

Britain has a long history of great artists. In this regard, it's truly an island of colors. I have recently been inspired by the art of David Hockney, and as I worked on this composition, the theme of British art kept coming to my thought. It seemed perfect to draw upon great British artists as muses for my three movements.

The first movement of Isle of Colours, named for J.M.W. Turner, employs strong themes and harmonic colors. The second movement, which honors John Constable, is a meditative and expansive theme and variations. The third movement is a bossa nova, inspired by the energy and modern appeal of David Hockney's art. There's just something about the subtle hipness of the bossa nova style – its unhurried creativity and freshness – that strikes me as a good musical match for Hockney's work.

To order Isle of Colours, go HERE. It's easy to order through Paypal.

HBS Makes HIstory in NYC

The Historic Brass Society -- "an international organization of amateur and professional brass musicians and scholars concerned with the entire range of early brass music, from Antiquity to 20th-century jazz" – held its Second International Historic Brass Symposium this month in New York City. The attendance at the symposium far outpaced expectations, and by giving a paper there, I am proud to have been part of the history-making.

New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art

I gave my paper, "American Women's Brass Quartets before 1900: 'Clever, versatile, and fair to look upon'," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an afternoon session devoted to the 19th-century. The early history of American women's brass quartets is essentially unknown, and the audience seemed to take a keen interest in the research I have done on Georgie Dean Spaulding's "Ladies Cornet Quartette," the Park Sisters Cornet Quartet, and the "Ladies' Brass Quartette" of the Boston Fadettes. I was pleased to share the session with Don Larry, whose presentation on brass bands in Arizona was exhaustive (but not at all exhausting), and with the highly esteemed British scholar, Trevor Herbert, who spoke on "British Military Culture and Music in the Long Nineteenth Century."

The Park Sisters (courtesy of Special Collections,

University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa)

I enjoyed the symposium tremendously. There were too many great performances and scholarly papers to list here. My faves included papers by Trevor Herbert, Herbert Heyde, and the inimitable Don Smithers, the interview of Gunther Schuller, and the sessions on cornetto and African trumpets; also the concerts by trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins, cornettist Michael Collver, the sackbut ensemble Sacabuche, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Trumpet Ensemble, the Caecilia-Concert, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, and Les Sacqueboutiers. Jaroslav Roucek's performance of the Hummel concerto on keyed trumpet was a gem among gems, and Gil Cline's Trumpet Consort von Humboldt (from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California) set a new standard for creativity in the world of early music.

The full title of the symposium – in true bipartite scholarly fashion – was, "The Second International Historic Brass Symposium: Brass Instruments, Repertoire, Performance, and Culture." The majority of the symposium was held at the Greenwich Village campus of The New School. There was also a full day of papers and concerts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by a concert held at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields. Most days offered informal playing sessions for groups of cornettists, natural trumpeters, natural hornists, and perhaps even some unnatural brass instruments, the existence of which is known only to brass literati. Makers of period reproductions – including Egger, Seraphinoff, Munkwitz, and others – were present and showed their wares. Rainer Egger received the HBS Christopher Monk Award in the closing session.

If you have an interest in historical things of a brassy nature, I highly recommend joining the Historic Brass Society and attending their events, which include festivals and conferences and – every 25 years or so – historic symposiums like this one.

Premiered: "Isle of Colours," A New Composition for Brass Quintet

Isle of Colours, my new composition for brass quintet, was premiered on May 19, 2012 in Stanford, California, practically in the very shadow of Stanford University. It was a wonderful event, and I thank the many people who contributed to the success of its first performance.

Logo by Emilie Pallos Graphic Design

Isle of Colours is a three-movement suite for two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. The title is a reference to the great art of Great Britain. Each of the movements is titled for one of my favorite British artists: JMW Turner, John Constable, and David Hockney. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the work of these wonderful artists, and if they're already familiar to you, then you know what fun it will be to renew old acquaintances. Many of their finest paintings can be viewed online, if you can't get to the right museums right away!

The first movement of Isle of Colours ("Turner") is vigorous and heroic music. None of my movements were composed in response to specific paintings, but I feel that many of Turner's works embody the bold qualities I present in my first movement. See his "Sunset," "The Slave Ship," and "The Burning of the Houses of Parliament," for instance. The second movement ("Constable") is a set of variations on an original chorale tune. Its peaceful, warm nature comes the closest of the three movements to evoking a specific painting. I hope its grand and timeless feel brings Constable's scale to mind, and while Constable is not known particularly for his religious scenes, this music seems to fit well his "Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds." The third movement ("Hockney") is a bossa nova that features solos for trombone, horn, and trumpet. David Hockney is a living artist who has divided his life largely between England and Los Angeles, and the cool, hip feel of the bossa nova seemed a perfect fit for his highly popular style.

(L-R) Kevin Brown, Loren Marsteller, Sam Gubins, Raymond Burkhart,

Beth Zare, Richard Zare, and David Holben

Isle of Colours was commissioned by the non-profit scientific publisher, Annual Reviews. I thank Sam Gubins, Annual Reviews' President and Editor-in-Chief, and Richard Zare, Chairperson of Annual Reviews' Board of Directors, for their generous support of this commission. Richard and Susan Zare were most gracious hosts for the event. And I'm deeply grateful to my friend, hornist Beth Zare, for offering the idea of the commission!

The Premiere Brass Quintet premiered Isle of Colours on a concert devoted entirely to my compositions. Naturally, I hope it was but the first of many such concerts! The Premiere Brass Quintet has performed in California since its founding in 1984. The members for the premiere of Isle of Colours were trumpeters Ray Burkhart and Kevin Brown (co-founders of the quintet), hornist Beth Zare, trombonist Loren Marsteller, and tubist David Holben.

The program opened with my palindromic fanfare, TOOT, followed by Sophie's Waltz, The Y2K Bug Blues, Italian Postcards (another three-movement suite), and Isle of Colours. Isle of Colours will be available soon in print for purchase. The other compositions are already published. See my website, RaymondBurkhart.com, and navigate to my Online Store to find my brass quintets and other music publications.

The online store also features Watercolor Menagerie, a CD of the Premiere Brass Quintet playing many of my compositions, including those above (except Isle of Colours).

You can see some photos from the event at my Facebook page. Some videos might become available soon on Youtube, also!

Roper Remembers

The Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, once said, "Musicians talk of nothing but money and jobs. Give me businessmen every time. They really are interested in music and art." My experience has been different.

Sibelius was not entirely wrong; he just made a statement that's more absolute than I have found the truth to be. Every so often in the music world, one runs into a deep-thinking artist. I think of my friend, William Roper, as one of those.

William Roper

Roper (he much prefers 'Roper' over William or Bill) is a composer and tubist in the Los Angeles area. At least, those are two sides of the man. He's also a chef and a painter. Visit his website HERE.

I have worked with Roper many times. Currently, he's a regular member of my brass quintet, and his participation is always valued, both for his musicianship and for his various perspectives on things, including music and life. He has the wry and dry sense of humor often found in deep thinkers. This comes out in his compositions, of course. His musical aesthetic and mine differ a good bit, but I enjoy his music very much and find it interesting and thought-provoking. I think the latter point might please him most. He'll let me know. When there's time, we'll talk about it. In fact, I always enjoy talking to Roper, because he's just so interesting. He says he likes my music, too, which – coming from an artist and thinker like him – means a lot.

I blog about Roper because he's the latest subject in a series of short documentaries by Los Angeles filmmaker Joe Santarromana. You can find some of Santarromana's work HERE at Vimeo. The video about Roper is the fourth in a series entitled, "The Rememberers." It runs about 17 minutes, and I think it's very well done. He shares important observations on his life, cooking, composing, and racism. It interests me, of course, since it reveals much about a colleague. I think you'll be interested, too, because Roper is a fascinating person.

My favorite element of the video is his paintings. Roper doesn't talk about painting much, but I think his paintings are terrific. I think he should paint more. For me, his visual art has that blend of ideas and craftsmanship that signifies greatness and enduring value. Or maybe I just like the colors.

If you get the opportunity to talk with Roper – really talk, not just meet-and-greet or chat – do it. He's definitely interested deeply in music and art. I'm pretty sure Sibelius would have changed his tune (at least one of them), had he met Roper.

Premiered: A New Hymn of Mine

On Monday, June 4, 2012, a new hymn of mine was performed during the Annual Meeting of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. I am very pleased and honored that my music was selected to be part of this important event. 

The new hymn is an original setting of the poem, “Feed My Sheep,” by Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the worldwide Christian Science church. The music was performed as a vocal solo with piano accompaniment by Seattle (WA) jazz musicians Jay and Tessa Frost. 

In recent years I have devoted more time to composing sacred music, including solos, hymns, and Christmas music. See RaymondBurkhart.com for more about my work and to access the sheet music and recordings in my online store. Click HERE for my three sacred solos: "Psalm 23," "Whither Shall I Go?," and "Come Unto Me." "Come Unto Me" is also available for SATB and solo trumpet (or other solo instrument). Click HERE for links to my Christmas music, which includes my Christmas cantata, "The Little Child," and other choral and brass works. 

My compact disc, Watercolor Menagerie, includes my "Easter Fanfare on Llanfair" (for brass quintet) and instrumental versions of "Psalm 23" and "Come Unto Me." The CD is available for purchase on my site and at CD Baby and iTunes. Other compositions, "Fanfare Processional" and "Rejoice!" (both for three trumpets and organ), are suitable for church (sheet music HERE – recordings at CD Baby and iTunes).

Young Musical Talent Commences

I have much to blog about. My new suite for brass quintet, Isle of Colours, was recently premiered and will soon be published. My publishing company, Premiere Press, will also soon publish Mass for Brass Quintet, a masterfully crafted, stunningly intellectual, and deeply musical five-movement composition by my longtime friend and colleague, Steven J. Williams. And in July I'll be giving a paper entitled, "American Ladies' Brass Quartets Before 1900: 'Clever, versatile, and fair to look upon'," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as part of the Second International Historic Brass Symposium. Blogs on these items will appear soon.

But first, at this season when the brass music of college commencements sounds thick in the air, I must write about this year's delightful Pomona College Brass Quintet and – somewhat evocatively of nineteenth-century music criticism – introduce an important young composer.

The Pomona College Brass Quintet performs at the California Club, January 2012.

The brass chamber music program at Pomona College is a phoenix that arises whenever a group of like-minded musicians agrees to form an ensemble. Before this year, I've coached brass quartets and various trumpet ensembles, but this past year we had an honest-to-goodness brass quintet, and a fine one, too. The enthusiasm and talent of these five college musicians was a thing to behold, and – in a somewhat rare and wonderful case – their temperaments and ability levels matched beautifully.

Like other musical groups at the Claremont Colleges, the members of this brass quintet were drawn from various Claremont Colleges. Trumpeter Alex Groth and hornist Will Savage attended Pomona College. I use the past tense, since they both just graduated to new things – surely great things – and I hope they continue to find time to be part of the honorable (or at least, mostly honorable) lineage of chamber brass players. Trombonist William Chen and trumpeter Carling Sugarman represented Harvey Mudd College handsomely, and trombonist Rachel Fidler attends Scripps College. All five musicians were members of the Pomona College Orchestra last year. William Chen has also graduated, which leaves Carling and Rachel to carry on a fine new tradition next year with the addition of new players. Their fine musicianship and good humor should be the backbone of another great group in the Fall.

This ensemble got from zero to 60 in a very short time. At first when I coached them, the silence between my comments was such that I had occasionally to check their pulse. (Note to colleagues who coach string and woodwind chamber ensembles: A quiet brass quintet is not a normal thing.) I appreciated the respect, but formality in a brass quintet can only be endured for a brief time, and it wasn't long before their collective good upbringings relented enough to let their keen and incisive wit and humor shine through. They took my coaching to heart and practiced seriously. I have rarely enjoyed a brass quintet more than these five young musicians.

In what seems like a very short musical year, they performed for several Student Recitals, one or two informal concerts around campus, provided entertainment for a very refined ARCS (Achievement Rewards for Young Scientists) Foundation luncheon at Los Angeles' very private California Club (see photo above), and gave the world premiere of a new composition for brass quintet by now-Pomona-College-graduate, Scott Jesperson.

I first met Scott when I conducted the Pomona College Orchestra in 2009. He sat among the first fiddles, and we had little direct personal interaction. Even now, I've only had one meeting with him of any length, when he attended a rehearsal of the Pomona College Brass Quintet that focused on preparing his new brass quintet work, Overture to Middle Earth, for his senior recital. I became a fan of his music immediately.

Scott has composed for full orchestra, string quartet, solo piano, and surely other ensembles, but it is his brass quintet with which I am most familiar. It is boldly thematic, refreshingly harmonic, and richly rhythmic. It will appeal to many players and audiences alike. One of his orchestral works was performed this year by the Pomona College Orchestra, so the faculty there clearly has confidence in his work.

Scott Jesperson, recently of Pomona College, is a highly talented young composer whose art music already evidences a level of refinement and maturity rarely found among fresh college graduates. His works deserve repeated hearings by a growing audience. I hope he publishes his new work for brass quintet and, as his catalog grows in the future, that he revisits the chamber brass genre frequently.

To hear a live recording of Scott's Overture to Middle Earth, as played by the Pomona College Brass Quintet, click HERE. Dr. Ray reminds you that, as a live recording of a student ensemble with not a single music major among them, some performance imperfections will be apparent, but so, too, will be much successful ensemble playing and, more importantly, the spirited and uplifting ideas of a noteworthy young talent.