How do composers write for their audiences?
The subtle way these two composers buck the norm.

I have been discussing composers "bucking the norm" on the upcoming Sonoran Winds Quintet concert on November 18 & 19 at Scottsdale's ASU Kerr and Prescott's Ruth Street Theater. The "bucking the norm" of today's two composers is slightly subtle.

The first work of the concert is by Anton Reicha, who practically popularized the woodwind quintet on his own. This was a bit of a feat, since the instruments themselves were still evolving and not consistent between countries as inventors continued to tweak the fingerings and capabilities.

Reicha, a lifelong friend of and influence on Beethoven, and a teacher of other great composers such as Liszt and Berlioz, was known by his peers for his advanced and often experimental music. As a music theorist, Reicha was even writing about ideas that would not become common until the 20th century, including 12-tone and quarter-tone music.

Despite his forward-looking body of work, many of his woodwind quintets engage a more conservative style. This was intentional. Farkas stated that his goal was to create an accessible yet still technically-challenging body of literature that would help grow the popularity of the woodwind quintet.

Below is a recording of the fourth movement of Reicha's Wind Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 88, No. 2, which will be played at our concerts. It is fun and charming. Yet it doesn't reflect the increasingly Romantic music around him: Beethoven had already written 8 symphonies and all of his piano concertos, John Field was writing his Nocturnes, and Chopin was writing his first Polonaise (albeit, at age 7!). Take a moment to enjoy the charm of this work. After that, continue reading about today's second composer.

Robert Muczynski is the second composer presented on our program. Of particular interest is Muczynski's connection with Arizona: he served on the composition faculty at Arizona State University from the 1960s until his retirement in 1988.

Muczynski lived in an era when composers were encouraged to write music in artificially technical styles that, in my opinion, had little to do with creating beautiful or emotionally-moving music. Yet, as NewMusic USA writes, Muczynski composed with an "authentic musical expression, without hiding behind any of the compositional smokescreens to which so many composers resort." For his bucking that norm, I think that Arizona can be proud of her connection to Muczynski.

The Sonoran Winds is performing Muczynski's Quintet for Winds, Op. 45, a work representative of Muczynski's "friendly modernism". He employs rhythms and meters that gently avoid what we would most easily expect, counterpoint that creates almost-familiar harmonies, and lyricism written for nimble abilities unique to wind instruments. His music achieves what my composition teacher Marianne Ploger once said is a composer's greatest skill: to surprise the listener, and then have the listener remark, "Oh, but of course!"

Below is a video of the work's middle and most introspective movement, Andante. I particularly like the opening section, where the instruments are gently layered over the repeated bass line. Listen to how each instrument maintains an independent melody, and where the combined effect (the "counterpoint") creates a gentle undulating harmonic motion. Also, watch for the bassoon solo about two minutes into the video. Not only are bassoon solos fairly rare, this solo nicely evokes a cello playing soaring, lyrical lines.

If you weren't aware of the styles prevalent during these composers' lifetimes, you might not have realized that there was a little bit of "bucking the norm". Come and enjoy Reicha and Muczynski on one of Sonoran Winds' two concerts: Saturday, November 18, 7:30, at Scottsdale's ASU Kerr recital hall, and Sunday, November 19, 3:00 at Prescott's Ruth Street Theater. And if you need one more reason to come, in my next and last email about this concert I'll introduce an exciting composer who is new to me.

- Henry Flurry, Artistic Director

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