“Forgotten” Work by Famed French Composer Jacques Ibert Comes to Light
A short work for bassoon and piano by famed French composer Jacques Ibert has been published for the first time after laying nearly silent for 97 years. Written in 1921, likely as the preliminary sight-reading portion of the Paris Conservatoire’s annual solo competition for high-achieving young bassoonists, the sixty-measure Morceau (“morceau” being French for “piece”) appears to have been almost completely ignored after it served its initial purpose, the only publicly available reminder of its existence being a terse listing on Oxford Music (formerly New Grove) Online: “Morceau de lecture, bn, pf, 1921.” To any casual reader, this listing could very easily have been confused with Ibert’s one other work for bassoon, the 1953 Carignane (sometimes titled Arabesque) for bassoon and piano. But the two works are indeed different, as Associate Professor of Bassoon and Music Theory Ryan Romine, D.M.A., found out this past May.
“It was wild,” says Dr. Romine, who had secured an invitation to visit an immense private music collection while on a two-week vacation in the United Kingdom and Ireland. “I had arrived in the afternoon, but I didn’t have a chance to really go through the collection until late at night. So, as I was going through piece after piece, seeing all of these things I had never knew existed, I was the regular kind of tired but also completely jet-lagged. I found this piece, thought ‘Well, that’s interesting. It must be some sort of arrangement,’ and then just took a few scans with my phone. It wasn’t until a few days later, when I was going back through the scans, that I realized what I was looking at!”
Even before returning to the states, Romine emailed the scans to his good friend, Trevor Cramer of TrevCo Music Publishing. “Trevor has a great eye and immediately saw the value—both musical and historical—of getting this piece in front of the public,” said Romine. “He very quickly began working on preparing a modern engraving and securing copyright permissions from Ibert’s family. Ibert’s grandchildren were fantastic and I feel beyond lucky and honored that they have trusted us to share this work with bassoonists everywhere.”
With a typical performance clocking in at just under one-and-a-half minutes, the piece is indeed tiny, but it is all Ibert—a clockwork accompaniment at the beginning, graceful melodies in the bassoon, and a melancholy yet detached air throughout. At times, one can see the composer trying to trip up the bassoonist. For example, the third line of the melody demands that the bassoonist make some awkward fingering combinations (in four sharps) sound effortless. A few lines later, the piano begins a new musical idea, playing in what is really 3/4 time while the bassoon must stay in 2/4.
“The piece really is a joy to play—though a touch trickier than you think it’s going to be at first,” said Romine. “I am really looking forward to hearing players put their own spin on it in years to come.”
This impromptu public performance and recording (perhaps the first such performance since 1921) features Romine and pianist Allison Shinnick at the 2017 International Double Reed Society Conference held in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Ibert’s Morceau for bassoon and piano is now published under agreement by TrevCo Music Publishing and is available for purchase through several retailers.
Zoeter Performs World Premiere of Boehler’s Song Cycle, Marginalia
Anna Lee Van Buren Chair in Clarinet, Coordinator of Winds and Percussion and Professor of Clarinet Garrick Zoeter, M.M., performed the world premiere of Matt Boehler’s 50-minute song cycle “Marginalia” for three singers, clarinet, cello and percussion on Feb. 18, at the University of Virginia, under the auspices of Victory Hall Opera and in conjunction with the University of Virginia’s Book Traces project. The piece was written specifically for Zoeter and the other performers. Learn more at victoryhallopera.org/marginalia.
Chapter Co-written by Salley Published in Book, “Over and Over Again”
Coordinator of Music Theory and Associate Professor of Music Keith Salley, Ph.D., co-wrote a chapter in the book “Over and Over Again: Exploring Repetition in Popular Music” (Bloomsbury Press, 2018). The chapter, “Standard Jazz Harmony and the Constraints of Hypermeter: Some Thoughts on Regular and Irregular Repetition,” was co-authored by Daniel T. Shanahan and deals with nuanced, yet restricted ways that phrase-rhythmic irregularities arise in jazz standards, given their recurrent harmonic schemas and metric periodicity. This is Dr. Salley’s second publication on this topic, and arose from his participation in a conference on repetition in popular music held in Liège, Belgium, in June 2015. Learn more at bloomsbury.com/us/over-and-over-9781501324888.
Recording of Music by Roskott and Featuring Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni, Faculty and Symphony Orchestra to be Published by Centaur Records
A recording of music by Carl Roskott featuring Old Dominion University Assistant Professor Paul S. Kim ’12, and Victor Brown Chair in Violin and Associate Professor of Strings Akemi Takayama, M.M, and the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, was recently published by Centaur Records. In addition to Roskott’s Concerto for Violin Solo and Orchestra, the recording also includes Roskott’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, as recorded by Takayama and alumnus Silvan Negruţiu ’13 (D.M.A. in Performance, Piano). Centaur Records has set an official release date for May 5, and will be available on iTunes, HBDirect, and ArkivMusic.
“It has been a joy making this album happen with Akemi and Silvan, along with Jan Wagner’s invaluable help,” said Kim. “Akemi and I have been collaborating closely ever since.
Kim received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Conducting) and studied with Director of Orchestral Studies, Conductor and Professor of Conducting Jan Wagner, Diploma and Korrepetitions Praxis.
Chen to Present Workshop and Research at Voice Foundation’s 47th Annual Symposium
Through competitive adjudication, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Professor of Dance Ting-Yu Chen, M.F.A., will lead a “Body Awareness for Singers” workshop and present her research study, “The Effect of Body Awareness Training on Singers’ Vocal Function and Performance,” at the Voice Foundation’s 47th Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice, that will be held from May 30 to June 3, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Voice Foundation is committed to advancing understanding of the voice through interdisciplinary research and education.
Meyer Invited to Speak at Sing to Beat Parkinson’s Symposium in Australia
Director of the Janette Ogg Voice Research Center and Associate Professor of Voice (Baritone) David Meyer, D.M., was invited to speak at the “Sing to Beat Parkinson’s Symposium,” at the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre at Griffith University in Australia on Feb. 1. The presentation, “Effects of a Therapeutic Singing Protocol on Voice Characteristics of Adults with Parkinson’s Disease,” is the product of work that he did with Richard Lewellen and Dr. Eva van Leer, which investigates the use of a singing voice intervention on people with Parkinson’s disease. Results suggested that singing may help people with this disease preserve their speaking voices to some extent and offer a psychosocial benefit.
In December, Meyer traveled to the west coast to sing the baritone solos in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ oratorio “Fantasia on Christmas Carols,” with the Port Angeles Symphony and Symphonic Choir under the direction of Jonathan Pasternack.
Book Chapter and Article by Meadows Accepted for Publication
Director of Graduate Music Therapy Studies and Associate Professor of Music Therapy Anthony Meadows, Ph.D., had a book chapter and article accepted for publication. The book chapter, “Guided imagery and music in cancer care,” was co-written with Debra Burns, Ph.D., and is included in the book, “Guided Imagery and Music: The Bonny Method and Beyond, Volume II” published by Barcelona Publishers. The article, “Differences between supportive music and imagery and music listening during outpatient chemotherapy and potential moderators of treatment effects,” will be included in the Journal of Music Therapy and was co-authored with Dr. Burns, Susan Althouse, Susan Perkins and Larry Cripe.
Pierson Wins Excellence in Scenic Design Award by Columbus Theatre Roundtable
Scenic and Lighting Director and Associate Professor of Theatre, Scenic and Lighting Design William Pierson, M.F.A, won the Excellence in Scenic Design Award from the Columbus Theatre Roundtable in Columbus, Ohio, for his set design for “Hand to God.” The show was produced at Short North Stage in Columbus, last year. He also designed the set for “The Performers,” at Short North Stage in Columbus, which opened on Feb. 1.
Keating Serves as Clinician and Conductor at District XIV All-District High School Women’s Chorus Festival
Professor of Choral Conducting and Choral Music Karen Keating ’02, D.M.A., served as the clinician and conductor of the District XIV All-District High School Women’s Chorus in February. The festival was held at Millbrook High School. Eighty-eight young female students from 14 different schools participated in the festival.
Niess Travels and Performs with U.S. Army Bands
In December, Adjunct Associate Professor, Classical and Jazz Trombone Matthew Niess, D.M.A., performed with The U.S. Army Blues at the Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference in Chicago, Illinois, and directed the Army Blues performing “A Stan Kenton Christmas,” to a full house at the closing concert of the event.
The week prior he also presented “A Stan Kenton Christmas,” with The Capitol Bones Big Band at The Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Virginia, to a sold-out house. With The U.S. Army Brass Quintet, he toured South Carolina and Georgia, visiting several schools, including The University of North Georgia, University of Georgia, University of South Carolina and others. He was a featured soloist and clinician performing “The Blue Bells of Scotland,” and other selections, including his arrangements for the group.
In January, Dr. Niess traveled with the National Jazz Workshop Big Band to the Jazz Education Network in Dallas, Texas. Students performed and attended the conference with hundreds of other students, educators and performers from across the nation.
Sokol Publishes on RVTravel
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Production and Recording Technology Mike Sokol, A.A., started a monthly newsletter about RV Electricity on rvtravel.com. The second issue is available at rvtravel.com/electricity2/. His weekly RV Electricity column in RVtravel is read by 60,000 RVers every Saturday, and his new RV Electricity newsletter already has 6,000 opted-in readers.
Sokol is also developing a database of musicians and singers in campgrounds across the country, including instruments and musical preferences. The idea is to help facilitate “jam bands” of random musicians who happen to be in the same campground. The survey is available at rvtravel.com/jam-band/.
“Lowering the Boom” Article by Sokol Ranks High on ProSoundWeb.com
“Lowering the Boom,” an article on bass management written by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Production and Recording Technology Mike Sokol, A.A., for the Semi-Silent Stage made it to the #12 position of the most-read articles in 2017 on ProSoundWeb.com.
Article by Edelman and Green-Flint Published in ENCATC Journal
“The mind of the artist/the mind of the leader: what neuroscience can teach us about the training of arts managers and leaders,” an article by Director and Associate Professor of Performing Arts Leadership and Management David Edelman, M.F.A., and Assistant Dean of Administration, Director of Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Performing Arts Leadership and Management Jennifer Green-Flint, D.Prof., was published in the European Network on Cultural Management and Policy (ENCATC) Journal, Volume 7, Issue 1. The article explores the intersection of neuroscience with performing artist cognitive traits and the training of arts leaders. Read the article at www.encatc.org/media/3720-2_encact-vol-7_david-edelman-jennifer-green.pdf.