Do artists really outgrow what they were taught?
Or, Can something new be said in an old style?

I've previously offered one of my favorite quotes from my mom about the arts. Many years ago, we were viewing a retrospective of Picasso's paintings from well before his better-known cubist period - a Picasso period my mom doesn't like. The paintings were very representative, conforming to traditional perspective and imagery. Even by age 15, Picasso was painting stunning works such as The Altarboy. My mom looked at these earlier works for a few minutes, and then quietly remarked, "Picasso used to be such a good painter."

In my mind, there is no doubt that any artist, beit visual, musical, or otherwise, must master the styles and techniques of their predecessors before they can successfully forge new styles that will stand the test of time. Through mastering the crafts of their elders, artists develop two key elements necessary for creating any great art: a fluency in the medium and an understanding of the human response to art. Picasso had to be "such a good painter" before he could successfully craft a new and highly influential style called Cubism.

We tend to imagine that artists will permanently throw out the old rules and work only within their "voice", i.e., their new rules. Certainly, in my schooling, that was what we were taught: only compose in "newer" styles. I've since concluded that this is a fallacy, as if nothing new could be stated in older styles. As a composer who has invented plenty of new rules (that may or may not stand the test of time!), I still enjoy composing and improvising in the styles that influenced me, styles ranging from the Romantic era to Rhythym and Blues.

The last piece on the upcoming Sonoran Winds concert is written by Ferenc Farkas, a Hungarian composer who lived practically the entirety of the 20th century. He also was influential as a professor of composition at the Franz Liszt Music Academy of Budapest. One of his most famous students is György Ligeti, who is best known for the very tense music in Stanley Kubrick's films 2001, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut.

Even though much of what Farkas wrote was firmly grounded in the edgy 20th-century harmonies of Eastern Europe, he also was a master of earlier styles. The Farkas work on our upcoming concert, Early Hungarian Dances from the 17th Century, reflects Farkas' interest in Hungarian folk music, a common thread among 20th-century Hungarian composers, and a politically safe theme within a then Soviet-controlled Hungary.

Unique here is the era of this sourced folk music: the 1600s. Perhaps "further unique" is that Farkas resists significantly imprinting his 20th style on the music: many of the movements strongly employ stylistic and harmonic elements from the 17th century. Yet, the work is engaging and fresh, partly because it is written for woodwind quintet (which didn't exist in the 1600s), and partly because the work reflects Farkas' mastery of composing.

Below is a video of the piece's third movement, called "Shoulder-Blade Dance". Listen to the lovely and "older" treatment of the dance melodies. You will easily be able to imagine some stately folk-dance from the Baroque era.

I'll be covering the other three composers on the program later this week, one of whom has a strong connection to Arizona! While you're waiting for that, you can get your tickets for this weekend's Sonoran Winds Quintet concert in Scottsdale at the charming and intimate ASU Kerr recital hall on Saturday, November 18, 7:30, or in Prescott's acoustically amazing hall, the Ruth Street Theater, on Sunday, November 19, at 3:00. See you there!

- Henry Flurry, Artistic Director

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