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WSJ Article on Private Commissioning Projects - Even Bach Needed Goldberg
By CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM
When audiences at Telluride MusicFest are introduced to Philip Glass's violin sonata Thursday night in Colorado, many will admire the lush expressiveness of the music. Some may note a recent preoccupation with chamber music on the part of a composer best known for film scores and operas. But few will know that this latest work by America's most famous living composer was a private commission by an amateur violinist in Harrisburg, Pa., looking for an original birthday gift for his wife.
Such small-scale commissions by individuals are becoming increasingly popular as new types of networks link composers with potential patrons. While many of these commissions arise out of private occasions, the resulting music is set to revitalize the concert repertoire for generations to come.
[Even Bach Needed Goldberg] Martin Kozlowski
Martin Murray had been married less than two years when he decided to commission a violin sonata for his wife Lucy's 70th birthday. She is a pianist and concert presenter; they met playing chamber music together. "I only had the idea of it being a piece for violin and piano to say I enjoy playing with you, as well as I love you," recalls Mr. Murray. "A piece for violin and piano that would be a sonata in three movements with a length of 15 minutes. And I wanted it to be a piece that would be playable by middle-level amateurs -- whatever that is." He turned to Meet the Composer (MTC), a nonprofit organization that acts as matchmaker between composers and commissioners. The connection to Mr. Glass came through Maria Bachmann, the violinist whom Mr. Murray had enlisted in his project.
The sonata had its premiere at a private party last September in the presence of about 60 of the Murrays' friends. "When I told the audience the rationale of what I had done and then named the composer, everyone really gasped -- especially Lucy," recalls Mr. Murray. "Her comment was 'I expected a set of mixing bowls!'"
Miles Kahler, a professor at the University of San Diego, wanted a new piece of music to celebrate the 50th birthday of his partner, Steven Schwarz, a talented amateur pianist. "I wanted a piece for solo piano," recalls Mr. Kahler. "Something that he could play. He is a big fan of the 19th-century Russian and French Romantics, so if it was something extremely atonal, or minimalist, it was not going to suit him." Mr. Kahler approached MTC and decided on Christopher Theofanidis, a composer at the Peabody Conservatory. MTC arranged for the contract and payments, and helped find a professional pianist, Tanya Bannister, to perform the piece. It had its premiere in February 2007 at a "small but splashy" party for Mr. Schwarz, in the presence of the composer.
"It was an event that our friends are still talking about," says Mr. Kahler. "Even friends who are not particularly interested in modern music. Chris was able to speak about how he composed it and the different components of the piece. People said they had a real sense of what the process of composition was like."
Mr. Theofanidis, a Grammy-nominated composer mostly associated with large-scale works for ballet and opera, says the intimate nature of the commission -- and its premiere -- made for a moving experience. "It was the closest thing to the 19th-century salon I've ever been involved in. There were 30, 40 people. The guy for whom it was commissioned has this amazing gift to sight-read. He sat down and played the slow hymn-like movement beautifully. That moment will stay with me forever." Since then, Ms. Bannister has recorded the piece on CD and performed it 20 times.
Daniel Asia, a composer at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says the direct connection to a private patron makes the composition process more personal and more meaningful. His piano trio, written in 1996 and last year released on CD, was commissioned by an acquaintance in honor of his wife who had died of cancer. Borrowing a technique from Bach, Mr. Asia wove her name, translated into notes, into the score. "When somebody commissions a piece it becomes like the Goldberg Variations," says Mr. Asia. "Mr. Goldberg is known because he paid Bach. There's something selfless about it. It honors the commissioner, yet at the same time it's a gift to the public at large. That's what's so lovely."
The growth of private music commissions is a country-wide phenomenon. At a club in Minneapolis-St. Paul, for example, friends pool their resources to enable new music, gathering to debate and reach consensus on what to commission and from whom. Some groups resemble book clubs, providing a forum for listening to, performing and discussing contemporary music as well as meeting with composers. Others are linked to established chamber music associations, such as the Commissioner's Circle of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, which commissions one or two new pieces a year through individual contributions of $2,000 to $7,000. In New York, the People's Commissioning Fund has fostered dozens of new musical works since its creation in 1997 by bundling contributions from hundreds of members and each year bestowing commissions on two or three composers. The works are first performed by the contemporary music ensemble Bang on a Can.
"I have no doubt that the future of commissioning is in the hands of individuals," says MTC's president, Ed Harsh. "And you don't have to be fabulously rich." While, according to MTC's brochure, a full-length opera from an established composer can cost as much as $500,000, short chamber works for one or two players begin around $2,000. When channeled through a nonprofit organization such as MTC, music commissions are tax deductible.
Mr. Glass agrees that there is a growing willingness to fund new music. "There's more money for young composers than when I started out," he says. "It's extremely important for composers to get commissions -- not just for the money. Even more important is the knowledge that someone wants their music. Not that many of us live off of commissions. I get half my money from playing the piano. The real thing about commissions is to be in a cycle of demand and supply."
Mr. Asia advises young composers to get in the habit of talking to people outside the music world -- to lawyers, doctors and hedge-fund managers -- to foster a culture of patronage. "The arts by definition are about one person's understanding of the world and the universe. What better way to support the arts than to enable one person to express that vision?"
"To bring a new piece into the world is a great privilege," says Mr. Glass, noting that if it had not been for Mr. and Mrs. Murray, he would never have written this violin sonata. "You live your life on the edge of the unknown. Some people don't want to go there. This couple, they've wandered into this world."
When audiences at Telluride MusicFest are introduced to Philip Glass's violin sonata Thursday night in Colorado, many will admire the lush expressiveness of the music. Some may note a recent preoccupation with chamber music on the part of a composer best known for film scores and operas. But few will know that this latest work by America's most famous living composer was a private commission by an amateur violinist in Harrisburg, Pa., looking for an original birthday gift for his wife.
Such small-scale commissions by individuals are becoming increasingly popular as new types of networks link composers with potential patrons. While many of these commissions arise out of private occasions, the resulting music is set to revitalize the concert repertoire for generations to come.
[Even Bach Needed Goldberg] Martin Kozlowski
Martin Murray had been married less than two years when he decided to commission a violin sonata for his wife Lucy's 70th birthday. She is a pianist and concert presenter; they met playing chamber music together. "I only had the idea of it being a piece for violin and piano to say I enjoy playing with you, as well as I love you," recalls Mr. Murray. "A piece for violin and piano that would be a sonata in three movements with a length of 15 minutes. And I wanted it to be a piece that would be playable by middle-level amateurs -- whatever that is." He turned to Meet the Composer (MTC), a nonprofit organization that acts as matchmaker between composers and commissioners. The connection to Mr. Glass came through Maria Bachmann, the violinist whom Mr. Murray had enlisted in his project.
The sonata had its premiere at a private party last September in the presence of about 60 of the Murrays' friends. "When I told the audience the rationale of what I had done and then named the composer, everyone really gasped -- especially Lucy," recalls Mr. Murray. "Her comment was 'I expected a set of mixing bowls!'"
Miles Kahler, a professor at the University of San Diego, wanted a new piece of music to celebrate the 50th birthday of his partner, Steven Schwarz, a talented amateur pianist. "I wanted a piece for solo piano," recalls Mr. Kahler. "Something that he could play. He is a big fan of the 19th-century Russian and French Romantics, so if it was something extremely atonal, or minimalist, it was not going to suit him." Mr. Kahler approached MTC and decided on Christopher Theofanidis, a composer at the Peabody Conservatory. MTC arranged for the contract and payments, and helped find a professional pianist, Tanya Bannister, to perform the piece. It had its premiere in February 2007 at a "small but splashy" party for Mr. Schwarz, in the presence of the composer.
"It was an event that our friends are still talking about," says Mr. Kahler. "Even friends who are not particularly interested in modern music. Chris was able to speak about how he composed it and the different components of the piece. People said they had a real sense of what the process of composition was like."
Mr. Theofanidis, a Grammy-nominated composer mostly associated with large-scale works for ballet and opera, says the intimate nature of the commission -- and its premiere -- made for a moving experience. "It was the closest thing to the 19th-century salon I've ever been involved in. There were 30, 40 people. The guy for whom it was commissioned has this amazing gift to sight-read. He sat down and played the slow hymn-like movement beautifully. That moment will stay with me forever." Since then, Ms. Bannister has recorded the piece on CD and performed it 20 times.
Daniel Asia, a composer at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says the direct connection to a private patron makes the composition process more personal and more meaningful. His piano trio, written in 1996 and last year released on CD, was commissioned by an acquaintance in honor of his wife who had died of cancer. Borrowing a technique from Bach, Mr. Asia wove her name, translated into notes, into the score. "When somebody commissions a piece it becomes like the Goldberg Variations," says Mr. Asia. "Mr. Goldberg is known because he paid Bach. There's something selfless about it. It honors the commissioner, yet at the same time it's a gift to the public at large. That's what's so lovely."
The growth of private music commissions is a country-wide phenomenon. At a club in Minneapolis-St. Paul, for example, friends pool their resources to enable new music, gathering to debate and reach consensus on what to commission and from whom. Some groups resemble book clubs, providing a forum for listening to, performing and discussing contemporary music as well as meeting with composers. Others are linked to established chamber music associations, such as the Commissioner's Circle of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, which commissions one or two new pieces a year through individual contributions of $2,000 to $7,000. In New York, the People's Commissioning Fund has fostered dozens of new musical works since its creation in 1997 by bundling contributions from hundreds of members and each year bestowing commissions on two or three composers. The works are first performed by the contemporary music ensemble Bang on a Can.
"I have no doubt that the future of commissioning is in the hands of individuals," says MTC's president, Ed Harsh. "And you don't have to be fabulously rich." While, according to MTC's brochure, a full-length opera from an established composer can cost as much as $500,000, short chamber works for one or two players begin around $2,000. When channeled through a nonprofit organization such as MTC, music commissions are tax deductible.
Mr. Glass agrees that there is a growing willingness to fund new music. "There's more money for young composers than when I started out," he says. "It's extremely important for composers to get commissions -- not just for the money. Even more important is the knowledge that someone wants their music. Not that many of us live off of commissions. I get half my money from playing the piano. The real thing about commissions is to be in a cycle of demand and supply."
Mr. Asia advises young composers to get in the habit of talking to people outside the music world -- to lawyers, doctors and hedge-fund managers -- to foster a culture of patronage. "The arts by definition are about one person's understanding of the world and the universe. What better way to support the arts than to enable one person to express that vision?"
"To bring a new piece into the world is a great privilege," says Mr. Glass, noting that if it had not been for Mr. and Mrs. Murray, he would never have written this violin sonata. "You live your life on the edge of the unknown. Some people don't want to go there. This couple, they've wandered into this world."
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shane W. Cadman on -
Thanks for posting this Jeff. Very cool article.
A few thoughts for anybody wanting/planning/hoping to go down this road:
The key to this (along with finding it in the first place) is making sure the person commissioning you shares your aesthetic. They should know what they're getting into before you start writing. Fortunately I have not been in a negative situtation with this, but I always make sure I am being hired for being "me."
One other thing: make sure you clarify if this is a "work for hire" ahead of time. This will be an issue if you're going to copyright the piece.
Also, I love Phil's quote at the end:
"To bring a new piece into the world is a great privilege," says Mr. Glass, noting that if it had not been for Mr. and Mrs. Murray, he would never have written this violin sonata. "You live your life on the edge of the unknown. Some people don't want to go there. This couple, they've wandered into this world."
Now, to find that next commission . . .
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Bathory-Kitsz on -
As many of you know, my project We Are All Mozart was premised on the private commission. Almost all the commissions came from performers, many of whom thought the project was a good idea, and others who wanted to expand the nonpop repertoire for their instruments (including Theremin, mandocello, Jew's harp, accordion, tenor guitar, ukulele, natural horn). Three wanted birthday presents for performers. Only a half-dozen came from folks who simply wanted to commission a piece, hoping that someday it would rise past the demo version into the real air. (One only wanted a Midi version!)
But what Shane said about 'sharing your aesthetic' is interesting, and taps into the discussion of Jeff's quartet. What if they don't share your aesthetic? Why not meet their expectations to some degree as they are expected to meet yours? [Edit: That's why I did.] How far would the commission have to go before you would reject it? (What if they raised the price?) In general, how much can the commissioner ask of the composer? They're already asking for instrumentation and usually time and difficulty and, how you say, value-for-money. What would you reject, and what would have to change to get you to accept?
Dennis
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Bathory-Kitsz on
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This discussion also took place two years ago at Chamber Music America, where cash-dripping patrons had privately commissioned composers. Everybody was all smiles. Not so sure about the reality, though.
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Permalink Reply by Shane W. Cadman on
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Back in the 90's I was offered a commission to write a piece for 1 piano 18 hands. I turned it down because I didn't think it was something I could do with the style I work in. After a long car ride home (from Albuquerque to L.A.), I came up with a solution to the problem. I called the guy to see if he was still interested, he was, and so I did it. My first real commission, and I got $500, so not too bad.
This is where I might get mysef into trouble here . . .
One of the main reasons I purposefully stayed out of the tv & film industry is that I'm only interested in writing the style of music I write. The business doesn't work that way. You write what's needed - could be a classical cue, a dixieland cue, a reggae cue, whatever. Some people are brilliant at this (such as Alf Clausen). I am not. Also, making music is a very personal thing to me, so I only make what I want to hear.
In another post, I said that to me, the only duty of the artist is to be sincere. I could not write a twelve-tone piece and be sincere. I could probably pull off a good one, but it would be b.s. on my part.
My approach has always been making sure that the person commissioning me knows what I do and hires me for that. I may not get as much work as others, but I'm willing to accept that.
I hope I didn't ramble too much.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz said:But what Shane said about 'sharing your aesthetic' is interesting, and taps into the discussion of Jeff's quartet. What if they don't share your aesthetic? Why not meet their expectations to some degree as they are expected to meet yours? [Edit: That's why I did.] How far would the commission have to go before you would reject it? (What if they raised the price?) In general, how much can the commissioner ask of the composer? They're already asking for instrumentation and usually time and difficulty and, how you say, value-for-money. What would you reject, and what would have to change to get you to accept?
Dennis
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Harrington on -
Cool story. And ramble all you want. We'll just make make more web pages. ;)
So how did you do it? Strumming, banging, etc.?
Shane W. Cadman said:Back in the 90's I was offered a commission to write a piece for 1 piano 18 hands. I turned it down because I didn't think it was something I could do with the style I work in. After a long car ride home (from Albuquerque to L.A.), I came up with a solution to the problem. I called the guy to see if he was still interested, he was, and so I did it. My first real commission, and I got $500, so not too bad.
This is where I might get mysef into trouble here . . .
One of the main reasons I purposefully stayed out of the tv & film industry is that I'm only interested in writing the style of music I write. The business doesn't work that way. You write what's needed - could be a classical cue, a dixieland cue, a reggae cue, whatever. Some people are brilliant at this (such as Alf Clausen). I am not. Also, making music is a very personal thing to me, so I only make what I want to hear.
In another post, I said that to me, the only duty of the artist is to be sincere. I could not write a twelve-tone piece and be sincere. I could probably pull off a good one, but it would be b.s. on my part.
My approach has always been making sure that the person commissioning me knows what I do and hires me for that. I may not get as much work as others, but I'm willing to accept that.
I hope I didn't ramble too much.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz said:But what Shane said about 'sharing your aesthetic' is interesting, and taps into the discussion of Jeff's quartet. What if they don't share your aesthetic? Why not meet their expectations to some degree as they are expected to meet yours? [Edit: That's why I did.] How far would the commission have to go before you would reject it? (What if they raised the price?) In general, how much can the commissioner ask of the composer? They're already asking for instrumentation and usually time and difficulty and, how you say, value-for-money. What would you reject, and what would have to change to get you to accept?
Dennis
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Permalink Reply by Shane W. Cadman on
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Well, seeing as I deal primarily with repetitive tonal music, the problem was how do I make a piece of music I like, considering the novel aspect of the piece. What I did was give each person a piece of the keyboard and then orchestrate from there. The piece is called "The Noise of a Multitude" - I start it with everybody playing every key at the same time. How often does that get to happen live, right? As that fades out, the "music" appears. Then, it's a slow build to the end. Due to certain physical limitations to the performance, it is only a few minutes long, on a few pages, with no page turns (if I remember correctly). It's quite amusing to watch it be performed, with people sitting, standing, leaning and crouching.
Here's the best part of the story: It premeried in China, and they had to change the title due to the "political nature" of my title. I was political without even trying!
Jeff Harrington said:Cool story. And ramble all you want. We'll just make make more web pages. ;)
So how did you do it? Strumming, banging, etc.?
Shane W. Cadman said:Back in the 90's I was offered a commission to write a piece for 1 piano 18 hands. I turned it down because I didn't think it was something I could do with the style I work in. After a long car ride home (from Albuquerque to L.A.), I came up with a solution to the problem. I called the guy to see if he was still interested, he was, and so I did it. My first real commission, and I got $500, so not too bad.
This is where I might get mysef into trouble here . . .
One of the main reasons I purposefully stayed out of the tv & film industry is that I'm only interested in writing the style of music I write. The business doesn't work that way. You write what's needed - could be a classical cue, a dixieland cue, a reggae cue, whatever. Some people are brilliant at this (such as Alf Clausen). I am not. Also, making music is a very personal thing to me, so I only make what I want to hear.
In another post, I said that to me, the only duty of the artist is to be sincere. I could not write a twelve-tone piece and be sincere. I could probably pull off a good one, but it would be b.s. on my part.
My approach has always been making sure that the person commissioning me knows what I do and hires me for that. I may not get as much work as others, but I'm willing to accept that.
I hope I didn't ramble too much.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz said:But what Shane said about 'sharing your aesthetic' is interesting, and taps into the discussion of Jeff's quartet. What if they don't share your aesthetic? Why not meet their expectations to some degree as they are expected to meet yours? [Edit: That's why I did.] How far would the commission have to go before you would reject it? (What if they raised the price?) In general, how much can the commissioner ask of the composer? They're already asking for instrumentation and usually time and difficulty and, how you say, value-for-money. What would you reject, and what would have to change to get you to accept?
Dennis
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Harrington on
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That's a cool story. Music as a band-pass filter. :)
Shane W. Cadman said:Well, seeing as I deal primarily with repetitive tonal music, the problem was how do I make a piece of music I like, considering the novel aspect of the piece. What I did was give each person a piece of the keyboard and then orchestrate from there. The piece is called "The Noise of a Multitude" - I start it with everybody playing every key at the same time. How often does that get to happen live, right? As that fades out, the "music" appears. Then, it's a slow build to the end. Due to certain physical limitations to the performance, it is only a few minutes long, on a few pages, with no page turns (if I remember correctly). It's quite amusing to watch it be performed, with people sitting, standing, leaning and crouching.
Here's the best part of the story: It premeried in China, and they had to change the title due to the "political nature" of my title. I was political without even trying!
Jeff Harrington said:Cool story. And ramble all you want. We'll just make make more web pages. ;)
So how did you do it? Strumming, banging, etc.?
Shane W. Cadman said:Back in the 90's I was offered a commission to write a piece for 1 piano 18 hands. I turned it down because I didn't think it was something I could do with the style I work in. After a long car ride home (from Albuquerque to L.A.), I came up with a solution to the problem. I called the guy to see if he was still interested, he was, and so I did it. My first real commission, and I got $500, so not too bad.
This is where I might get mysef into trouble here . . .
One of the main reasons I purposefully stayed out of the tv & film industry is that I'm only interested in writing the style of music I write. The business doesn't work that way. You write what's needed - could be a classical cue, a dixieland cue, a reggae cue, whatever. Some people are brilliant at this (such as Alf Clausen). I am not. Also, making music is a very personal thing to me, so I only make what I want to hear.
In another post, I said that to me, the only duty of the artist is to be sincere. I could not write a twelve-tone piece and be sincere. I could probably pull off a good one, but it would be b.s. on my part.
My approach has always been making sure that the person commissioning me knows what I do and hires me for that. I may not get as much work as others, but I'm willing to accept that.
I hope I didn't ramble too much.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz said:But what Shane said about 'sharing your aesthetic' is interesting, and taps into the discussion of Jeff's quartet. What if they don't share your aesthetic? Why not meet their expectations to some degree as they are expected to meet yours? [Edit: That's why I did.] How far would the commission have to go before you would reject it? (What if they raised the price?) In general, how much can the commissioner ask of the composer? They're already asking for instrumentation and usually time and difficulty and, how you say, value-for-money. What would you reject, and what would have to change to get you to accept?
Dennis
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