________________________2024_______________________________________________
December 16: Last
January, Eric Pritchard proposed a big concert at Duke to celebrate my
70th birthday (January 15, 2025). Plans were to stage it in the biggest
concert hall on the Duke campus, Baldwin Auditorium, with a list of
superb musicians. I spent most of the year preparing scores, Eric got
the musicians together, and we had the date set and completed the first
rehearsal--but Eric's son Aaron is terribly ill, and so we had to
postpone the concert. (Aaron has been fighting leukemia for three
years, and is due for a bone marrow transplant at Duke on January 8.)
Look for the concert sometime in the '25-'26 season, most likely
January '26. It will have the chamber versions of my Symphonies No. 1 and No. 3, and the chamber version of Strange Songs.
November 25: And now for yet another symphony. I revised a string quartet first written in 2008 as Ananda Dances, and performed in 2013. Most of the new material is in the first movement. I gave it a new title (American Dances), and orchestrated it from Sept. 8 until yesterday. Check out the brand-new Symphony No. 4: American Dances.
Unlike the first three symphonies, this is for a smaller orchestra
without trombones or tuba; winds in pairs, four horns, two trumpets,
timpani, and strings. As of now, I have finally kept and posted as many
symphonies as I have thrown away over the years. (There is also a version for violin and piano.)
October 15: More
adjustments to the website. I eliminated the mandala background that
was on most pages, which since the beginning in 2004 has made the words
harder to read--but the pages did look nice! And I added dates of
composition to the Music Page for each of the pieces.
September 6: Once Symphony No. 3: Protest Poems was done, I had a chance to renovate this website,
which I set up in 2004. Back in those days, people did not access the
internet on smart phones, so this site was designed to be seen on
computer screens. I have increased the font sizes and adjusted the
layout to make viewing on phones easier, although it is
still not perfected. Before, in order to hear my music, it was
necessary to navigate first to the Music
page, and then click the link to the web page of a specific piece.
There one could find links to MP3 recordings for each movement, and if
available a YouTube video link. This was inconvenient, especially since
most of my music is in several movements. Now, on the Music page, each
piece has both the link to the web page for that piece, and also a
recording link (MP3) and a video link when possible. On each piece's
web page, those that have recordings will include a WAV file that is CD
quality, and both that and the MP3 files play the whole piece.
The WAV file is easy for radio stations to download and play as-is.
Also note that the menu at the top of each
page is much larger than it was before, and thus far easier to use and
read. The Music page works best on a smart phone held sideways.
There is more work to do; the Pictures page is
unchanged since 2004, since the program I used to set that up went out
of business shortly afterwards and so it is frozen in time. I'll put up
more pages for a more complete gallery. If you see something that
doesn't work, or is hard to use, please let me know.
August 24: After completing Protest Poems, as mentioned in the last entry, I orchestrated it for narrator and orchestra. I have just posted the score and parts for Symphony No. 3: Protest Poems.
June 9: Yesterday I finished Protest Poems,
a new work for narrator, violin, clarinet, cello, and piano. This will
be performed January 19 next year at Duke on a concert for my 70th
birthday. Today I will start orchestrating it, which will keep me busy
for two or three months most likely.
I mentioned my new Yamaha hybrid digital
piano, and this has been exactly the best piano for me. The
technology is superb, and I'm just delighted. Thanks to Ruggero Piano here in Raleigh.
May 13: I
visited my old stomping grounds in north Texas from April 3 to April 8
to see the eclipse and visit with old friends. It was a lot of fun, but
travel is difficult for me these days, and at some point there I picked
up COVID. It was just a bad cold, but I have bronchiectasis, so I'm
still recovering from lung congestion.I won't know if there's permanent lung damage until getting tested in six months.
I've been working on the piece mentioned
in the previous post, a setting of five protest poems that I hope to
narrate on my January concert at Duke. It is quite emotionally
draining, but it's something I need to do. I decided to get my courage
together and bought a Yamaha NU1XA hybrid digital piano that will
arrive tomorrow.
The American Recorder Society was kind enough to post my Art of the Recorder on their online library, where members can download the score and parts.
March 15: I have just finished a chamber version of Strange Songs,
originally for baritone, SATBariB chorus, and orchestra, for baritone,
SATB chorus, and piano quintet. While doing so, I made extensive
revisions and corrected errors in the original orchestral and vocal
scores. Plans are to perform this new chamber version on a big
70th birthday concert at Duke next January, along with the piano
quintet version of Symphony No. 1 and a new piece I'll start composing
now for narrator, violin, clarinet, cello, and piano.
February 15: Here comes yet another new score, Symphony No. 1: Popular Music of Planet X, orchestrated
from the piano quintet completed last December. I have also posted
freshly edited, revised, and corrected scores and parts for the band
pieces Burlesque and Polytonalmodalyodel.
While it is curious that Symphony No. 1 is finished after Symphony No.
2, actually it had to be that way, since the various ideas have been
under development since 1990. Full details on the web page and also on
the title page of the score.
________________________2023_______________________________________________
December 12: Just posted a new score, Popular Music of Planet X for
piano quintet. This is a new version (with an entirely new third
movement) of a symphony I wrote in 2015 for concert band, which was
never performed. I will now start orchestrating this chamber version
for full orchestra as Symphony No. 1: PMPX. I now offer the four movements of the original band piece only as individual short works for band.
November 1: Just posted the latest orchestral score; Symphony No. 2: From God's Back 40, based on the chamber piece FGB40 for clarinet, viola, and piano, written in 2017. I started the orchestration July 28 and finished it today.
October 4: I
have added CD-quality wav files to all the recordings posted on the
Music page. This means that those who need MP3 for streaming can do so
as before; those who would like higher fidelity can either stream the
wav files or download. This includes radio stations who need the higher
quality for broadcast.
September 9: The I have posted the video and MP3 recording from the August 8 premiere of Cubic Deviations. Here is the review from Cultural Voice of North Carolina (CVNC).
August 12: The concert at Duke Gardens August 8 went very well; I will post the recording and video when they are available.
In 2015, I wrote a chamber piece
for clarinet, violin, cello and piano to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther
King, with whom I share a birthday; it was titled Birthday Quartet, and I also did an arrangement for piano quartet. This was intended to be a symphony, and I orchestrated it as Birthday Symphony.
The last movement was performed by the Durham Symphony in January 2016,
and the whole piece by the Raleigh Symphony that spring. However, I was
displeased by my orchestration, and felt the whole piece was weaker
than my normal output. After many years of discontent, I finally
withdrew the orchestral version today. This is the fourth symphony I
have disposed of in my career, and the eighth orchestral work.
July 26: I just finished the orchestration of Cubic Deviations.
May 25: Here's something to look forward to. The second of four Ciompi Summer Series concerts at Sarah Duke Gardens will feature Cubic Deviations from Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel for
Piano Quintet. The concert will be Tuesday, August 8, at 7 PM. Buy
tickets early if you want to come, because these shows sell out.
April 9: I just posted the video of
the premiere performance of Violin Concerto No. 2 with Eric Pritchard,
violin, and Jim Waddelow, conductor, and the Raleigh Symphony
Orchestra. There are technical issues with the recording, as the mic
placement was back in the balcony, and the video resolution is low. But
I hope you can get the idea of the piece, and in time we'll have a
better recording.
April 5: On April 1, I finished the latest composition, the first I've completed since 2018; Cubic Deviations from Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel for
Piano Quintet. I've started a long process of orchestrating it for full
orchestra. The curious name comes from this being variations on
variations on variations, hence "cubic".
March 18: The concert on March 11 went very well; here is the review from CVNC.
February 24: A wonderful concert coming up March 11 at Meredith College, Raleigh NC; the Raleigh Symphony is performing my Violin Concerto No. 2 with Eric Pritchard as the soloist. Here is information about
that concert, 7 PM at Jones Auditorium. Orchestral performances
of my music are very rare, with the last one being in 2018 with the ECU
orchestra. There's no substitute for the real thing, so come if you can.
________________________2022_______________________________________________
September 2: Another couple of free concerts coming up next week; Tuesday September 6 at Croasdaile Village in Durham NC, 7 PM, and Wednesday September 7 at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill at 7:30. On the program is music by Menotti and Robert Kahn, and my Grand Serenade for clarinet, cello, and piano, performed by Fred Jacobowitz, clarinet, Bonnie Thron, cello, and Carl Banner, piano.
Just finished a long and difficult process to create a new edition of the Chamber Concerto in all three of its versions, now available on its web page.
August 13: The concert at Duke Gardens on August 3 went just great. I have posted the video and recording links on the Three
Kinds of Music page. You will now have the chance to try both the premiere performance of 2011 and this new rendition.
June 22: With
my exhausting conversion of many of my legal-size scores and parts to
letter size, suited for electronic music readers (and tweaked for
better copy work), I have posted new shiny editions of Art of the Recorder, and its two arrangements, Art of the Violin and Art of the Flute.
Violinist Eric Pritchard, with cellist
Elizabeth Anderson and pianist Brandt Fredriksen, will have a concert at Sarah Duke Gardens in Durham NC on August 3. They will perform Three
Kinds of Music. If you are interested in attending, get your ticket soon as such concerts sell out.
April 30: Change in plans. Eric Pritchard will be
performing my piano trio, Three
Kinds of Music,
in August at Duke Gardens. To do this, he requested a letter size score
for the pianist, who will be using one of these new-fangled tablets
instead of a paper score. That led to a new edition of the trio with
updated format, all of which is posted on the web page. Also I have
completed the cello and piano version of the Cello Concerto.
Assuming all goes well, the
Raleigh Symphony Orchestra will perform Violin
Concerto No. 2
next March with Eric as soloist. More details
to come.
March 25: As
you can see, retirement means a lot less is happening, at least
externally in worldly matters. I am preparing for the first
performances of my music in three years coming up in August. Eric
Pritchard asked me to make an arrangement of the Violin
Concerto No. 2
for violin and piano, since the existing chamber version for violin and
two pianos is difficult to perform--and he would like to play the slow
movement at Duke Gardens in August. I realized that this was a very
good idea, and that this was also needed for the Cello Concerto,
which also has a chamber version for soloist and two pianos, but not
for one piano. I have just completed the arrangement for the Violin Concerto No. 2, and in a
little bit will get to work on the Cello
Concerto. I no longer write new music, as
my hearing and general health is just not up to it, so performances are
quite rare.
________________________2021_______________________________________________
November 16: Turns
out I probably caught COVID very early on, first felt the effects March
2, 2020. A moderate case, but felt effects for several months. Got my
vaccines starting in late January this year, booster September 11,
lived very cautiously. Lost some dear friends to the disease.
As you can see from the rare
entries here, my life has wound down to the basics. I'm out to pasture,
having quit composition in 2018, and not having the energy to do much
of anything else. Most of my time is taken up by doing my medications,
exercise at the local wellness center, trying to eat enough, getting
together with friends when possible, and attending to spiritual
practice. My lung problem (bronchiectasis) and arthritis (ankylosing
spondylitis) with associated complications mean I can't do what I used
to enjoy, like travel, camping, and boating. The COVID pandemic has
shut down any possible performances of my music, but since I'm not
writing new pieces, there is little possibility even in good times. So
I just have to accept life the way it is and try and live in love and
light.
________________________2020_______________________________________________
July 13: Great news--I now have permission to post the
full recording of the October 12, 2012 performance of Mantra Cantata
by Rodney Wynkoop, leading the Chamber Chorus of the Choral Society of
Durham, with the Ciompi Quartet as section leaders of a string
orchestra and with Randall Love, piano. This was a scaled-down
arrangement of the original for full orchestra and chorus. Do please
sample either the MP3 files, or (which I prefer) the videos on YouTube,
which are slideshows of suitable images.
March 13: What
with the COVID-19 scare, and my own frail health (with a broncoscopy
coming up next week), I thought it prudent to give a little hustle to
the process of making the grand Second Edition of my immortal Autobillography,
something it has sorely needed in the nine years since its first
printing. The extraneous material in the first chapter is no more, and
I've added the story of the years 2000 through 2010. The balance, from
2010 to 2020, takes up only the last three pages. Enjoy!
________________________2019_______________________________________________
November 16: WCPE
(89.7 FM) will broadcast Cello Concerto
on Wavelengths at 9:30 PM, Sunday November 17. This is a recording of
Bonnie Thron, cellist, and the East Carolina Symphony conducted by
Jorge Richter on March 17, 2018.
I flew to San Antonio TX on Friday
November 1, spent a couple of days there, then an overnight at a home
on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country. Then up to
Denton and Dallas, returned November 9. Quite enjoyable most of the
time, only the one chigger bite. I turn 65 next January 15, which opens
up much more in the way of medical benefits, including some coverage
out of state. That will translate into a good deal more travel.
Currently I'm eyeing an instant tent that I can set up myself without
undue labor, unlike the conventional tent I now have (and never use).
June 30: WCPE
(89.7 FM) will give the broadcast of From
God's Back 40
another shot tonight at 9:32. This will be after a composition by
Joseph Schwantner, whom I studied with my freshman (and only) year at
Eastman School of Music (1973-4).
June 15: WCPE
(89.7 FM) will broadcast From
God's Back 40
tomorrow, Sunday June 16, at 9:08 pm on their Wavelengths new music
program. (Update; there was a technical glitch and the broadcast
didn't happen.)
April 13: I moved to Chadwick Apartments
in Garner on April 6, with the help of some
fine friends. Exhausted
still, but getting better by the day. I'm all set now and am very happy
with the new place.
March 25: Three concerts are now completed; Duke's
premiere of the chamber version of Violin
Concerto No. 2 on March 3, the premiere of From
God's Back 40
in Takoma Park MD (right next to Washington DC) on March 16,
and just yesterday my concert with four pieces at
Meredith College in Raleigh, as described below. Here is the video of the concert, and the CVNC
review. And here's the
program.
Now, after the usual touch-ups of
scores and parts that comes after first performances, and some needed
rest, I will start packing for my move to Garner NC (a small town that
borders Raleigh to the southeast) on April 6.
February 17: Great news came a couple days ago.
Got a call from Chadwick Apartments
in Garner, NC, a small town on the southern border of
Raleigh. This is a very nice senior apartment
building with 40 units, next door to a senior center and
park, and very close to everything I need. It's been my
first choice of the many places I've applied to since spring 2016
when I started scrambling for a place to live that I could afford on
SSI. I'll probably be moving shortly after Easter, which
this year is April 21, but the date has not been fixed.
January 26: I
turned 64 on January 15, and I'm sure feeling the years. As you can
tell from the few entries over the last half year, I have had a great
deal of fatigue, and since last July have not written any music.
Perhaps I am truly retired now.
In early September, I spent
four days in Nashville with my uncle and aunt (David and Lenore
Vanderkooi), and visited electric violinist Tracy Silverman. I'm hoping
that he will record a bit of my music sometime, as I have a number of
pieces for 6 string violin that I cannot play due to arthritis.
Actually I am offering my fine 6 string violin on long-term loan to any
violinist who is interested in playing my music.
My good friend who most generously
has been letting me stay in his house here in the little town of
Cleveland NC is now 88, and sold the home and property to our next-door
neighbors. He moved to a retirement community south of Charlotte with
his partner; she retired recently and bought a house there. So now
instead of having the place to myself half the week, I'm here by my
lonesome. The new owners have agreed to let me stay until I can move
into a rent-assisted senior apartment. My name is first on the list for
a good place in Garner, just south of Raleigh, and fourth on the list
for a place in Cary. Either one would be great. I'm eager to go, but
will have to wait my turn.
It has been raining bigly for months,
and the result here is a driveway made of impassable mud. After two
tows to get out, I'm having to park at the neighbor's until somehow it
dries out.
March will be big, a year since the last
performance (the Cello Concerto at ECU). On March 3, Eric Pritchard will perform Violin
Concerto No. 2 with pianists David Heid and Randall Love in
the Nelson Music Room, Duke University, 5 PM, free.
Next, on
March 16, Eric along with clarinetist Fred Jacobowitz and pianist
Carl Banner will perform From
God's Back 40, in Takoma Park
MD, admission $20 in advance only. Information here.
And finally, with sponsorship from
Meredith College and pianist Kent Lyman, I am having the Sixth Concert of Music by Bill Robinson at
Carswell Concert Hall, Raleigh NC, Sunday March 24 at 4 PM, free
admission. There we will have four works on the program; From God's Back 40, Faith
No Fear for cello quartet, Miniatures
for woodwind quintet and piano, and Violin
Concerto No. 2. It will be recorded, videotaped, and (should all
go well) live-streamed.
________________________2018_______________________________________________
July 24: Just finished Faith
No Fear, a work written for the Chapel Hill Philharmonia
Cello Quartet.
I
attended the 45th class reunion at Phillips Academy Andover in early
June, quite a fun trip. They were kind enough to rent a mobility
scooter for my three days there, and it was so refreshing to ride a
modern unit that I replaced my 13 year old model with a brand spanking new one, delivered last week, and
I'm a happy camper with that.
The needle stick noted below took about five
weeks to resolve, and I still have a bit of arthritis left over
in a finger joint. Then on June 9, at the reunion, I got a little
scrape on the little finger of my right hand. That took six weeks
to heal, and that was scary too. Getting old ain't for
sissies.
May 15: I have completed Violin
Concerto No. 2, and I've posted its web page.
Eric Pritchard will perform the violin with two pianos version at Duke
on October 28.
May 13: Just
got an email from the recording engineer at ECU saying that he had
found the previously misplaced video recording of the orchestral
premiere of Cello
Concerto from March 17. I have now posted
that on my YouTube channel, and the link is on the Cello Concerto page as well.
Eight days ago, I was sewing
repairs on my summer hat in preparation for the warm season, and jabbed
the needle into the forth finger of my left hand. Although I treated it
promptly, some kind of bug got in there, and I had to start a round of
antibiotics (Doxicillin) starting yesterday. It is an annoyance at the
moment, but I am afraid of infections, as you might imagine. A friend
of mine lost a leg to MRSA. But I have every reason to believe this
should heal in a few days.
April 21: On
April 22, WDAV
(89.9, Davidson NC) will broadcast between 3 and 5 PM
two selections from a concert of my music in 2014. One is the Chamber Concerto in its version for piano
quintet; the other is two of the three Robinsongs. There is good streaming available on
the WDAV website. This is part of the Carolina Live program.
April 17: On March 17,
cellist Bonnie Thron performed the Cello Concerto
I wrote for her with the East Carolina Symphony, conducted by Jorge
Richter. I have posted the recording. Please note that there are some
technical limitations
to the recording, but the performance itself was fine, and Bonnie
played with great passion and mastery of her instrument.
I have been working on
Violin Concerto No. 2 for Eric Pritchard since last fall, and am
nearing completion in the next month. We will perform the chamber
version for violin and two pianos at Baldwin Auditorium, Duke
University, on October 28, with pianists David Heid and Randall Love.
Last summer and early fall, I had
a lot of fun playing the 6 string electric violin mentioned below (see
July 7), especially at two small local Episcopal churches helping out
with the service music. A cortisone injection I got last March did
quite well, but by October, my shoulder was getting sore again. I got
another shot in a different place, but this time it did not work. I
have not been able to play since then, and am giving my violin and
electronic equipment to Eric Pritchard to see if he finds it of
interest. If so, then maybe it can be heard on a possible concert I am
starting to set up at Meredith College in Raleigh next March.
________________________2017_______________________________________________
October 7: I've just posted
my latest piece, started in late June; From
God's Back 40 for clarinet, viola, and piano.
August 16: I have finished
the proofreading of the second edition of the 10 Sonatas for Solo
Violin or Viola, as well as the version for 6 string violin.
This new edition (which has some important improvements) is now posted
on its web page.
It
is astonishing to see the news every day. Out here in rural western
Rowan County, and especially as I am too cheap to spring for cable TV,
it is possible to avoid the constant barrage of insanity; but it takes
some doing. Our Dear Leader of a president is forcing us to look long
and hard at the seamy underside of the American experiment, just as
other psychopathic leaders have done in their societies. Eventually,
lessons will be learned, then forgotten, and the cycle will
continue.
I am too tired, poor, and old to be politically or socially active
about these matters; my time is consumed by trying to stay healthy, and
make as much music as I can manage.
July 7: Many
things have happened! I retired from NCSU, as described below, and now
live in Cleveland NC. It is a charming and quiet little town, and I am
enjoying it so far. My blood pressure went from 125 to 94 in three
weeks. In Raleigh I was having real problems getting the composition to
flow, but here music is progressing quickly.
Last week, I got my 6 string violin from
Tom Reiter, and it sounds very good. After only a couple of days of
playing it I took it to a little country church and gave it a go for
the congregation, and it worked out pretty well. Today, after several
months of work, I have posted the 6 string violin version of my 10
Sonatas for Solo Violin or Viola. This edition is considerably
different from the 4 string version. Shortly I will post a fresh
edition of the original sonatas as well, since by going over them I
made quite a few corrections and some new additions and improvements.
My big fear on leaving employment
has been income and housing. With the generosity of my Cleveland friend
who is renting me a couple of rooms in his home for very generous
terms, I have for now at least some peace of mind on that regard. A
couple of days ago I got my first SSI check since 2010 deposited in the
bank; the folks at SSA were most cooperative and friendly, and put me
immediately back on the rolls for benefits. That is extraordinarily
fortunate, especially in these bizarre political times. In addition,
friends in Raleigh were most generous in passing the hat, which
covered both my moving expenses and the new violin and all related
musical gear.
My 5 year old computer got fried a
couple of weeks ago in a storm, as I had plugged it into a vulnerable
outlet in all the confusion of the move, instead of my very stable
uninterupted power supply. It was time to upgrade anyway, and so now I
have a much better computer to spend far too much time on every day.
May 11: Word on the
street has it that WCPE broadcast Govinda
Sonata on its Wavelengths program Sunday May 7. Many
thanks to the station for its support for new music.
April 23: I
will be moving from my current apartment in Raleigh (I have been living
at E. S. King Village, which is university housing for NCSU for grad
students, families, and some faculty) where I have lived since 2001. My
move date is Monday May 16, with a packing party Sunday May 14 in the
afternoon. I am moving, as mentioned below in the post for August 13,
2016, to the little town of Cleveland, 136 road miles west of here. My
new address will be 2480 Old US HWY 70, PO Box 266, Cleveland NC 27013.
So far, the cortisone shot in my shoulder
has worked well, and I have been able to play my cheap Chinese violin,
now rigged for 5 strings and played in the cello position. As a result
I have ordered an Alien
II 6 string violin
made by Czech violin maker Tom Reiter, with frets and a little custom
work. It should arrive a couple of weeks after my move to Cleveland.
This is the only affordable 6 string violin I could find that promises
to be of sufficient quality. My hope is that I will be able to get
enough skill back to be able to perform and record the 6 string version
of my 10 Sonatas for Solo Violin. So far I have arranged the first
seven for 6 strings.
Our physics
department, and specifically our department head Paul Huffman, was
gracious enough to allow me a few minutes at the last faculty meeting
of the semester to say my goodbyes. Along with my appreciations of the
many kindnesses and wonderful friendships I have had with my colleagues
over the last 16 years at NCSU, seven of which have been on the faculty
as a part-time lecturer, I mentioned a little something about our
budget crisis. I am losing my job because there is no way for the
department to pay me; the entire College of Sciences is having a ten
percent cut this year, and more to come in the future. Meanwhile, as I
pointed out, our basketball coach makes $2.5 million a year (100 times
my take-home pay); and may I add the Chancellor is getting a handsome
raise. The school is certainly not serious about teaching and research.
The real priority is winning games. People would rather be entertained
than study. If we had more money to spend, it wouldn't go to us, since
we are in competition with the likes of Duke, which spends $10 million
a year on Coach K. If he taught students with the same efficiency that
I do, he would teach 28,000 students. I suppose it is time for me to
retire.
March 25: Just posted a
new edition of an arrangement of J. S. Bach's Sonata No. 1 and Partita No. 2
for 6 string violin. Pretty intense and virtuostic music, we'll see if
they ever get played. I will have to try a cortisone injection in my
right shoulder to see if that makes violin performance possible for me;
that's probably my only shot, so to speak, at being able to physically
tolerate moving my bow arm around enough to practice.
March 8: I've
started a new attempt (that I do every decade) to play violin again,
with new instruments and adaptive equipment. I got an extremely cheap
Chinese electric violin that termed itself as a 6 string violin, with
frets; but it basically simply crammed 6 strings onto a 4 string
violin, and with other deficiencies, was unplayable as-is. After a
couple of weeks of work I've changed it to a 5 string violin, but its
electronics are not sufficient. I have 4 string and a 6 string Barbara
pickup bridges of very high quality from many years ago, and will try
the 4 string on this violin. I am hoping to figure out an economical
way to use my 6 string bridge on a 6 string violin, but they tend to be
quite expensive. Anyway, this all depends on how well my right shoulder
holds up. I support much of the weight of my bowarm with a sling, shock
cord, and overhead pulleys, but pain in the shoulder has stopped my
playing in years past. We'll see.
As there is little literature for 6 string violin, and few
performers of classical bent playing them, I have taken on the task of
arranging my ten solo violin sonatas for 6 string violin. (I arranged
the first three back in 2002 when I tried playing last time.) I have
listed the first five of these arrangements on the 10 Sonatas web page,
and hope to get the last five done in the next couple of months. Best
thing is that this recent effort has broken my break in composition
that has been in force since last May.
The end of my job as lecturer in physics at NCSU looms as the
semester ends in mid-May. I am trying to not worry about my
transition to living in rural western Rowan County (described below).
My health is such that normal employment is really not practical, and
so I am hoping that SSDI and SSI, with food stamps and Medicaid, will
be enough to get by. The new Trump administration is not friendly to
the aging, disabled, intellectuals, artists, and other "losers" like
me. This too shall pass.
January
26: I'm delighted to
announce that Bonnie Thron, cellist, and Carl Banner, pianist and
leader of Washington
Musica Viva, will perform Gayatri Sonata on Friday, March 31, 7:30 PM, at
the Church of the Ascension
in Silver Spring, MD. Note that this is the same weekend as the cherry
blossom festival in Washington DC, as well as kite-flying at the
Washington Memorial. I will be in attendance. Performances of my music
outside Raleigh or Durham is very rare, so this is a welcome
opportunity.
January
11: Pat Marriott
will broadcast Govinda
Sonata for violin and piano on Monday January 16 at about
9:30 PM Eastern Time, at WHQR
Classical, 92.7 in Wilmington NC.
I have still not been able to write any new music
since last May, and have been concentrating instead on establishing
good health, physical and mental. 2016 was a record year for
performances, with a good 2015 as well; but the calendar has dried up
now, and I am struggling to find a place in various programs somewhere.
With my COPD situation and arthritis, it is difficult to get the energy
up to do this, especially as there is no financial support for my
music. As I face retirement from my delightful physics job in May, that
is all the more crucial a consideration.
While 2016 was great for making music, it was
rough in the health department; my medical bills came to over $48,000,
all covered by insurance. That is about twice my taxable income.
_________________________2016_______________________________________________
December
25: Had
delightful Christmas celebrations with two families; the Pritchards on
Dec. 24, and the Weisses on Christmas Day. Those of us living alone
have to borrow families for the holidays! Many thanks.
November 9: Numb with shock.
Time to adapt to the new reality.
September 29: I have posted
YouTube videos of the Cello
Concerto on its web page,
from the Baldwin Auditorium premiere at Duke University September 18.
September 20: Just finished
three concerts featuring my Cello
Concerto
in the chamber music version for cello and two pianos. These were with
Bonnie Thron as the soloist, joined by David Heid and Deborah Lee
Hollis on pianos. These were September 11 at ECU in Greenville,
September 15 at ECU in Greensboro, and September 18 at Duke. I will
post the recording and video of the Duke performance as soon as it is
available. Here is the review
of the Duke performance from CVNC.
August 25: Last
week was a rough one! On Tuesday Aug. 16, the day before classes at
NCSU started up, I started passing two kidney stones. After several
agonizing hours in the emergency room at Rex Hospital, they sent me
home to pass the stones on my own--go figure! I couldn't hold any water
down, so it was unclear how I was going to get the water to help en
route out. Early Wednesday morning I showed up at my urologist, who
decided that surgery was necessary, and scheduled it for Thursday
morning. Back to Rex Hospital, where I proceeded to catch pneumonia;
however I did, fortunatly, pass the stones that following night, so no
surgery necessary. Another day to check on the lung situation, and out
on Friday night with legs and ankles ballooned with IV water. I've
finished with the antibiotics today and am on the mend. Life with COPD
and ankylosing spondylitis is complicated.
August 13: I
was informed late last April that this coming school year might be my
last, due to budget cuts in our NCSU physics department. It now looks
even more likely that this is the case. As I have not worked long
enough to earn sufficient Social Security, I will have to plan on going
back on SSI after my paychecks stop. This is a very big challenge, as
the SSI check is small, with severe restrictions on what you can own or
earn. After a lot of scrambling around all summer looking for
rent-subidized housing for elderly and disabled, and getting on quite a
few very long waiting lists, I was facing the likelyhood that I
would lose my job in May 2017 and not have a place to live.
I am most fortunate that an old friend living in the
little town of Cleveland, NC, where I used to reside from 1988 to 1991,
very graciously will let me live in his home. He is a highly
intelligent, cultured, and interesting fellow, a retired engineer and
bibliophile, who spends half his time in Cleveland and half in
Charlotte. I will be able to afford this on SSI. That means moving 110
miles west, away from the urban life I've led for the last 16 years,
and away from the musicians who have made it possible to bring my music
to life. I expect that I will be on the road back here frequently, and
will do my best to make new connections in my new environs. Cleveland
is a very pleasant place to live, and 11 miles from Salisbury, which
has all the medical facilities I'll need going forward. Also there is a
good cultural scene in Salisbury, and also at Davidson College. This
puts me about an hour drive from Winston-Salem, where I have not
explored yet, and if I can stand the traffic, about the same distance
to Charlotte. The environment is delightful in Rowan County and
environs, with woods, rivers, hills, and wildlife, and is not far from
the mountains.
July 1: It
has been quite the medical adventure once again this summer. My eyes
have been very dry for years, but this spring my tear ducts just
decided to quit, for the most part, and I now do a lot of gel eyedrops.
Also have had plugs put in the tear drains in the inner corners of my
eyes, which helps a lot. Kudos to my opthamologist, Dr. Albert Munn.
More ominously, after many years of bronchitis that has
come and gone and never really resolved, I've recently been diagnosed
with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is especially
dangerous given the kind of arthritis I have which makes my ribs
immobile, and which gives me cardiac complications. I will be focusing
my activities on maintaining health and staying active, especially with
regard to my teaching job at NCSU. Thanks to BCBS and Medicaid, I have
all the insurance that I need for the considerable medical care
required. (I know that millions of others are not so lucky.)
My best guess is that this was initiated by
secondhand smoke while I was a guest of the state, from 1991 to 1996.
(You may see my Autobillography
for all the details.)
After completing Miniatures
in May, with its new first movement ("Farewell Overture"), I have not
been able to write new music, despite some efforts for a second violin
concerto. My priorities right now have to be health and employment;
music will have to wait in line, as resources and vitality allow. It
would appear that for the near future at least, any new compositions
will probably be chamber music that does not require the labor involved
in larger forms, both in the score and part production and in getting
performances and recordings. My energy now is very limited, and I have
no income from music--which, at this point in my life, makes a very big
difference.
May 29: Lloyd Sitkoff
will broadcast Govinda Sonata for violin and piano today on KNTU,
in Denton, Texas.
May 8: I've added Miniatures
for piano and woodwind quintet to my collection of music pages; it is
listed under "Music for Winds and Brass".
May 5: Pat Marriott
will broadcast E Pluribus Unum for two horns and strings on WHQR Classical, 92.7,
in Wilmington NC, on Monday May 9 at about 9:30 PM. You can listen via
their internet stream.
March
31 and April 1: I have added the
recording of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra performance of Birthday Symphony to its web page [note; years later this work was withdrawn], and a video and recording of the premiere of E Pluribus Unum for two horns and strings to
YouTube.
March
7: The Ciompi Quartet, joined
by hornists Christ Caudill and Rachel Nicketopoulos (from the NC
Symphony) and bassist Robbie Link, performed E
Pluribus Unum on a Sights and Sounds concert
to a sold-out audience at the NC Museum of Art, Sunday March 6. The
pianist that was to be on this
concert, Greg McCallum, died unexpectedly on Monday, February 8; the
concert was dedicated to his memory. Here is the CVNC
notice about the concert. (I will post the review when it is
available.)
February
28: The Raleigh Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by Jim Waddelow, performed Birthday
Symphony
twice; first on Friday, February 26 at the Meredith
College Aria
Concert, and then on Saturday February 27, at the Rising
Stars
concert. Both were in Jones Auditorium,
Meredith College, Raleigh NC. The Aria Concert featured the winners of
Meredith College's annual Aria Competition. The Rising Stars
Concert had winners of the RSO's annual statewide concerto competition.
Here is the glowing CVNC
review of the Saturday concert by John Lambert.
The January 16 Durham Symphony performance of the
last movement of the Birthday Symphony
at the Sounds of Justice and Inclusion concert is now available on YouTube. There is also a video of the entire concert.
February
16: I have posted a new
web page for my new Cello
Concerto,
composed for cellist Bonnie Thron. This includes the orchestral score,
the score to the chamber version for cello and two pianos, and
recordings of the first and third movements in the chamber version.
February
13: WCPE
will broadcast Three
Pieces for Violin and Piano
tomorrow (Sunday, February 14) at 9 pm on their Wavelengths program.
This is to honor the memory of Greg McCallum, who performed this work
with violinist Eric Pritchard on January 11, 2015 at Duke
University.
January 23: WCPE
will broadcast a short selection of my music tomorrow (Sunday, January
24) at 9:53 PM Eastern Time. They have chosen the third movement (Slowest Waltz; Where Wings Take Dream)
from the violin and piano version of Ananda Dances.
You may tune in to 89.7 FM locally, or on the web here.
The full
recordings of both the violin and piano version and its parent version
for string quartet are available on its web page, as well as a video of
the quartet performance.
January
18: Had
a wonderful concert at the Sounds of Justice & Inclusion concert
with the Durham Symphony on Saturday January 16. They premiered the
last movement of my Birthday
Symphony.
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________________________2015_______________________________________________
December
6: A
technical glitch prevented the broadcast of the Previews interview on
WCPE, but you can listen via the link below. The performance on
November 22 went well. It is great to work with enthusiastic talented
young people, and I hope to do so again.
Classes ended two days
ago, and I wish my students well going into final exams.
November
6: I'm
off this afternoon to WCPE to tape a Previews interview (link is to the recording) with
Tara Lynn
and Margaret Partridge about the upcoming El Quixote Festival concert.
The winds, brass, and percussion of the Triangle Youth
Philharmonic will be performing Tilting
at Windmills at
the El Quixote Festival Concert, November 22, 2015, 7
pm, at Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh NC.
October
1: Just posted a physics paper published today
by the American Journal of Physics on an experiment I did back in 2003
up at the University of Michigan, a fun little diversion with colliding
droplets. It's also posted on my physics page.
September
27: OCTOBER CONCERTS:
The Meredith Sinfonietta will perform the chamber orchestra
version of Diatonic
Phrygian Tetrachord
with violin soloist Xi Yang on their Fall
Concert, Thursday, October 22, at 8 PM in Jones Auditorium,
Meredith College, Raleigh NC, directed by Jim Waddelow. Admission is
free.
Conundrum
(Soprano
Mary Elizabeth Southworth, flutist Danielle Hundley, clarinetist
Marianne Breneman, pianist Philip Amalong) will perform Robinsongs
at The Shed, 7
PM, Tuesday October 27, 807 E. Main St. Durham NC. You may order
tickets here.
August 29: I've just posted a new version of Robinsongs for
mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, and piano, as well as a second edition
of the original for mezzo, oboe, and piano.
August
16: Students
return on August 19, so it's a good time to sum up the summer break and
start some news for upcoming events in the fall.
After finishing the PMPX (noted
below), I wrote Tilting
at Windmills
for Hugh Partridge and the winds, brass, and percussion of the Triangle
Youth Philharmonic. There is also a version for concert band.
Pat Marriott
will broadcast Clarinet Sextet on WHQR
Classical 96.7 (Wilmington NC), Monday September 28, at about
8:06 PM. (WCPE has broadcast this piece twice.)
The Cypress Symphonic Band in Houston, TX, will
perform A Little Poem on September 27 at 3 PM.
The Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, also conducted by
Jim Waddelow, will perform Birthday
Symphony
on February 26 (7 PM) and 27 (8 PM), 2016, in Jones Auditorium,
Meredith College, Raleigh NC. It will have a brand new final movement.
The Ciompi
Quartet, joined by hornists Christ Caudill and Rachel Nicketopoulos
(from the NC Symphony) and bassist Robbie Link, will perform E
Pluribus Unum on a Sights and Sounds concert at the NC
Museum of Art, Sunday March 6, 2016, at 3 PM.
I've been wanting to get away and do some travel this
summer, but I had to deal with some stubborn illnesses, and so stayed
close to home.
May 28: The semester successfully ended--it really is
a great privilege to teach at NCSU, and I never, ever take that for
granted. As my courses improve with all the tinkering over the years,
the students appear to be more pleased each time, and only a few
think I should be run out of town on a non-elastic rail. Physics is not
necessarily the favorite subject matter for my non-majors, so I try and
make it as painless as possible.
BIG new piece finally completed; Popular
Music of Planet X: A Symphony for Concert Band. It is a
four-movement piece with each movement offered
as a separate work. Now to see if it can get actually performed...!
There are some very good concert bands in the region. After a moment to
catch my breath, on to the next project; a 10 minute piece for winds
and brass on the theme of Don Quixote, to be performed by the Triangle
Youth Philharmonic next fall. (Thanks to Hugh Partridge for the
request; it is always a delight when someone asks for some music.)
April 24: My poor physics students are preparing for
their final exams. Today was the last day of "class", although with my
online course that's a rather abstract concept.
So far
this year I have been composing exclusively for concert band. So far I
have finished For Those Who Fell,
mentioned below, and two movements of Popular Music
of Planet X: a Symphony for Concert Band. Each of
the four movements will stand alone as an independent piece, reflecting
the reality that in band concerts, the repertoire is dominated by quite
short works. The two movements completed so far are A
Little Poem and Bump and Grind;
you can find both on my music page listed under Music for Winds and
Brass.
March 24: Pat Marriott
will broadcast Three Pieces for Violin and
Piano on WHQR
Classical 96.7 (Wilmington NC), Monday March 30, at about
8:06 PM.
The Sights &
Sounds concert date for E Pluribus Unum
is Sunday, February 21, 2016, at 3 PM. More info closer to the concert
date.
February 9:
Just finished For Those
Who Fell: a War Memorial for Concert Band. It is
listed on the Music page under "Music for Winds and Brass".
January 29:
The videos of Three
Pieces for Violin and Piano now have the Duke audio
recordings for the sound track (when first posted these were just from
my camcorder); sounds good! Thanks to VoChor and Rob Musser for doing
that splicing. Check out the Violin Sonatas playlist in my YouTube
channel.
Great, if very preliminary,
news from Eric Pritchard; it appears that sometime in the 2015-16
season, the Sights & Sounds concert series given at the NC
Museum of Art will include a program featuring the Ciompi Quartet, two
horn players (Rachel Niketopoulos and Chris Caudill), and bassist
Robbie Link, who will play my E Pluribus Unum
for two horns and strings. More details when they are available.
January 14: Thanks to all
who came to the January 11
concert. Full house--standing ovation. Can't complain!
Recordings are on my Music page and videos on
YouTube. (Until further editing, the audio quality is better with the
Music page's MP3 files than on the videos.) It is listed under Three
Pieces for Violin and Piano in Music for
Strings--alphabetical order with the other music.
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________________________2014_______________________________________________
December
22: Just posted the
latest orchestral work on the
Music page, Curious Interlude,
an orchestration of the third movement of Clarinet
Sextet.
December
16:
Please
come if you can to Eric Pritchard and Greg
McCallum's concert at Baldwin
Auditorium, Duke University. This is the first concert
featuring my music since last February. It will include Mozart's
Twelve-Tone Row, Diatonic Phrigian Tetrachord, and
Waltz For Our Time, all for
violin and piano. The scores are listed on my music page, along with
the orchestral versions of all three.
October 31: Just
got word from Tara Lynn that WCPE (89.7
FM) will broadcast Clarinet Sextet
on their Wavelengths program on Sunday, November 2, at about 9:35 PM
Eastern Time. This is one of my best recordings; you can see it on my YouTube
channel or on its listing on my Music page under Music for Strings.
October 10: The
GoFundMe campaign has morphed into a fund
to help other musicians include my music on their programs, and to make
recordings and videos of these performances. I have cancelled plans for
a sixth annual concert next February.
I finished three works for violin and piano for Eric Pritchard's
January 11 recital at Duke (Mozart's Twelve-Tone
Row, Diatonic Phrigian
Tetrachord,
and Waltz For
Our Time). Following that I orchestrated the first
two, now posted on the Music page under Music for Orchestra, and am
about to start orchestrating the waltz.
July 21:
The Kickstarter
campaign got a little over
halfway to the goal, so...it is defunct. However I have started a
GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $1000. In this case, the donations
work even if the goal is not met. While this might not be enough for a
Sixth Annual Concert, it would be enough to encourage the performance
of some of my pieces on other musician's concerts.
Just
finished Mozart's Twelve-Tone Row
for violin and piano, written for Eric Pritchard's recital at Duke next
January 11. Check out the score on my Music page, listed under Music
for Strings.
June 15: Today
I started a Kickstarter
campaign ; it failed...
From May 14 to June 9 I took a long road trip (my first really long
drive since 2005), visiting (1) old friends in the little town of
Cleveland where I lived 1988-1991; (2) a night in the Great Smoky
National Park; (3) a nice visit with my uncle and aunt in Nashville;
(3) four days in Denton Texas; (4) a stop in Mason; (5) visits to the
museums in Fredricksburg and Johnson City, and a stay with a friend in
Buda; (6) several days in San Antonio; (7) hanging out in Houston with
a dinner party with old friends from Bruce Hall, NTSU, circa 1974-77;
(8) a night in the swamps of Louisiana; (9) an overnight at New
Talavana in Mississippi; (10) two nights with friends in Niceville,
Florida; (11) an overnight in Charlotte before heading back to Raleigh.
Exhausting, and just barely within my physical abilities, but good to
do while I still can. However now I am certainly motivated to fix the
AC in my car, which has been out for 2 or 3 years...!
My dear friend Deborah Dorland
suffered a stroke on May 1 and is now undergoing rehab in a nursing
home in Richwood WV.
April 27:
Pat Marriott
at WHQR 91.3 FM in Wilmington NC will broadcast Ananda
Dances for string quartet at 8 pm Monday April 28.
April 17:
Lloyd Sitkoff will
broadcast the February 18th
performance of the Chamber Concerto
on his show And
Seldom Is Heard, KNTU 88.1, Denton Texas, on Sunday
April 20 at 8:20 AM CDT.
I have
now added the Fifth
Annual Concert as a playlist on my YouTube channel.
April 3: Lloyd
Sitkoff will broadcast John Noel's
performance of the piano edition of Goldbug
Variations on his show And
Seldom Is Heard, KNTU, Denton Texas, on Sunday
April 6 at 9 AM CDT.
March
18:
I have posted the
recordings (MP3) on the Music page; look for the red [NEW recording] to
locate the music. CDs are available on
request.
February
20: The concerts went
very well, and I will be
posting the recordings here and on my YouTube channel as soon as they
are ready. Many thanks to the musicians who put in such a lot of work,
and to Rob Musser for his expert recording. Here is the review in
CVNC.
January 19:
Concerts; February 9,
UNC
performance of slow movement of Violations on viols
and baroque violins, at A Cello Opera,
8 pm, Hill Hall Auditorium, Chapel Hill. Free admission.
Fifth Annual Concert of Music by Bill Robinson,
Tuesday February 18 7:30 Carswell Auditorium Meredith College, Raleigh
NC. Free. Program
Fifth Annual Concert of Music by Bill Robinson
(same as above except for no Art of the Violin),
Carol Woods Retirement Community, Chapel Hill NC, Wednesday February 19
at 7:30 pm. Free.January 19:
I've finished work on my Birthday
Symphony--on my birthday, January 15. It is now
listed on my music page, along with its chamber edition (for violin,
clarinet, cello, and piano) which will be performed on my upcoming
recitals in February. This symphony's first, second, and fourth
movements are based on speeches given by Martin Luther King Jr.; as
these speeches are copyrighted, I have used only the rhythms and
inflections, not the actual words.
Next post I will include information about my upcoming concerts.
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_________________________2013_______________________________________________
October
24:
The Raleigh
Symphony Orchestra performed
Violations for string
orchestra (poster),
conducted by Jim Waddelow, on Sunday
October 20, Jones Auditorium, Meredith
College, Raleigh NC. (You can see the score and hear a synthesized
rendition on my Music page; I will post
the concert recording and video when that is ready.) Here is
the review in CVNC by John
Lambert. The concert was a delightful experience and the RSO played quite well. This work will
be performed
in its incarnation for viol consort at UNC
on February 9
by Brent Wissick's
viol consort.
I
have completed Birthday
Symphony, Chamber Edition and posted the score and
parts on the Music page
under Music
for Mixed Chamber
Ensembles. Now comes the grueling process
of orchestration...This
chamber version, for violin, clarinet, cello and piano,
will be performed on my next
all-Robinson concert at Meredith on February 18, and again at Carol Woods Retirement Community on Feb.
19.
Just heard
yesterday that Clarinet
Sextet (not sure yet if the whole piece--maybe only
two movements) was accepted for
performance by the New
Music Conflagration in St. Petersburg,
Florida. This is the first positive result in 41 years after a
submission to a composition
contest. [Note from the future--they
changed their mind and revoked the acceptance for performance. So, my
perfect record of four decades of contest failure remains intact.]
September 20:
Time for an update for sure. In
June I attended the 40th reunion of my class
at Phillips Academy, Andover Mass. Quite an
interesting bunch; I've posed our yearbook on my Biography page, as
many classmates have lost that precious tome over the years.
I
wanted to do some travel this summer, but while at the reunion
I came down with a pesky case of bronchitis that lasted
many weeks; and when I got back, my
apartment had been burglarized--I lost about $1000 in cash and possessions. So, not much travel besides
the
reunion! I concentrated all summer on composing a new symphony;
this will be performed in chamber format
(violin, clarinet, cello, and piano) on my
annual February concert, to be announced shortly.
March
23:
I have just posted
the recordings and videos for the
Fourth Annual Concert on the Music page
and on my YouTube channel. Do please
have a look and listen. Thanks to VoChor
Digital Recording
for yet another great job.
February 2WHQR
91.3 in Wilmington NC broadcast my Mantra
Cantata last night, thanks to Pat Marriott for his
very generous and kind words. The local AFM union will allow broadcasts
on radio, but only the first two minutes on this website and my YouTube
channel.
The fourth
big annual concert, this time done in
two locations, went very well; first a short version at Carol Woods
Retirement Community on Feb. 20, and then
the full version including vocal music at
Meredith College on Sunday
Feb. 24. Many thanks to all the musicians involved and to those who came. I will post recordings and links to videos on my YouTube channel of the Meredith
concert in about three weeks. Here
is the program
for the Meredith concert.
January
14:WCPE
89.7 broadcast my Birthday Trio
on Sunday, January 13, the last piece on their new music program Wavelengths.
You can see the score and all details, plus of course the recording,
listed under Music for Strings on my Music page. This is the biggest
stage for classical music in the state, and it is wonderful to have the
opportunity to make a contribution there.
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_________________________2012_______________________________________________
December 23:
I have had to pull the complete
Mantra Cantata
recording from this website pending approval from the AFM local 500 to
use the recording for non-commercial
purposes. Until a decision comes,
I have posted the first two minutes of each of the three movements here
and on my YouTube channel. If you would like to hear the complete
recording, please send
me an e-mail.
On a happier note, I just finished E
Pluribus Unum,
a work for two horns and strings written for Chris Caudill and Rachel
Niketopoulos, a couple who are hornists in
the NC Symphony. I have posted the score and its exotic cover on my music page under Music for Orchestra.
November 9: I've posted the recording from the
premiere
performance of Mantra Cantata on
the Music page under Music for Voice. Find a quiet place, get
comfortable, plug in and play. This is not
background music. Enjoy!
October 23: On Sunday
October 21, Rodney Wynkoop and
the Chamber Choir of the Choral Society of Durham, with a string
orchestra with principal players from the Ciompi Quartet plus Randall
Love on piano, performed the premiere performance of my Mantra
Cantata at the First Presbyterian Church in
Durham. (Here is
the program.) I will post the recording when it is available.
See the brochure for the Choral
Society's season here.
September
29: On
Sept. 11 I finished Robinsongs,
for mezzo-soprano, oboe, and
piano. This is a setting of two poems by Lewis Carroll and one by Ogden
Nash, composed for Joseph and Mary Kay Robinson to play with their diva
daughter Rebecca. It is on the Music page under Music for
Voice.
June 16:
WCPE
will broadcast the Clarinet
Sextet on their new music program Wavelengths, hosted by
Kenneth Bradshaw, on Sunday June 17th. The show starts at 9 PM EDT, and
my piece is second on the program. You can catch the broadcast here
if you are outside eastern NC, or you can watch the video or listen to
the MP3 recording via the Music page.
April 24: Just posted the new version of Strange Songs
for chorus, bass-baritone soloist, and orchestra, with its spanking new
movement, Math
Class: or, Does the Zero Have Buddha-NatureTM?
March
27: I've now posted the
audio and
video recordings of the three pieces from the Third Annual
Concert of Feb. 28 on the Music Page (Grand
Serenade, Ananda Sonata, and Clarinet
Sextet).
March
3: The concert last Tuesday
at
Duke went very well, although attendance was quite a bit smaller than
I'd hoped; next time I will try very hard to schedule on a weekend. You
can read the review by Ken Hoover on CVNC.org here. The
videos are up on my YouTube
channel (the first three pieces).
Violations
for viol consort, string quintet, or string orchestra is complete and
posted on my website.
January 21: Rehearsals start soon for the Third Annual
Concert of Music by Bill Robinson in Nelson Music Room,
East Duke Building, Duke University, Tuesday February 28, 8 PM. Here's
the program. Please come and enjoy!
Bonnie
Thron, Principal Cello of the NC Symphony who has
performed my music starting in 2008, broadcast a segment of WCPE's
My Life in Music on Monday, February 7, from 7
to 8 PM.
This series highlights members of the NC Symphony as they discuss their
careers and compositions that are particularly meaningful to them.
Bonnie included the Romantic
Interlude movement from the Grand Serenade
I wrote for her and her husband Fred Jacobowitz.
The concert on January 8 unfortunately
did not include the visiting artist Latifa Noor, who had to go instead
to California to attend to her ailing father. The concert went very
well and was videotaped; I will post the video and recording of the
middle movement of the Mantra Cantata
here, and on my YouTube channel.
January 15
(57th Birthday): The
concert on January 8 went
very well. Latifa Noor couldn't come due to the grave illness of her
father in California. Here
is the video on
my YouTube channel of my piece on the program, with links also on the
music page.
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____________________________________2011______________________________________________
December 9: Working on Violations,
for viol consort (2 treble, 1 tenor, and 2 bass viols) for my uncle
David Vanderkooi who plays viols in Nashville, TN. It also has versions
for string quintet and string orchestra. I have posted the first (?)
movement I've completed with a synthesized recording.
Cellist
Latifa
Noor
is
visiting
our
area
in
early
January,
and
will put on two events. One is a concert in my customary digs, Nelson
Music Room at Duke, on Sunday January 8, 4 PM. This will include the
premiere performance of the second movement of my Mantra Cantata
by Jewelsong,
five strings, and piano. (information)
November
14: Just completed The Big Note,
for clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba. The first movement is
entirely new and just composed; the second and third come from an old
brass quintet that has never been played, primarily because the first
trumpet part was too high. This should solve that problem. It's now on
the Music
page listed under "Music for Winds and Brass".
October 25: Yesterday
I finished the Goldbug
Variations, mentioned below, and have posted the score in
both Finale and PDF formats on the music page. There is also a
synthesized recording, but of course that will be replaced as soon as
possible with the real thing.
September
28: Two
days ago, Pat
Marriott broadcast the Birthday Trio
for strings on WHQR
radio,
the classical station in Wilmington, NC. You can hear his introduction
and exit on the Music page listed with the recording. Thanks Pat!
September 21: Finished
the Autobillography
recording, all 16 hours, now posted on my Biography page. You can buy
the softcover edition of the book via my CreateSpace
store, $12 plus shipping. Also now on Amazon. Cheap!
My next recital will be once again in
the Nelson Music Room at Duke, February 28 at 8 PM. I'm about to post
videos of last February's concert on YouTube.
And now, back to composition--this time
a completely new version of the Goldbug
Variations, this time for harpsichord...I first did this
in 1980 for a couple of years, wrote a big piece for two pianos later
arranged for orchestra, but then scavanged it for the middle movement
of my violin concerto. This new version is done from scratch.
August 3: Despite the daunting length of
the project, I've started recording my book and have posted the first
chapter on the Biography
page. More to follow soon.
July
23: Posting my new book, Autobillography,
for your review. Written January 1--July 22. Let me know what you
think. Since it's not printed on paper yet it can be easily changed.
Now comes the search for a literary agent, publisher, etc. etc....Stay
inside out of the heat and give it a read!
March
14: Got a review in the CVNC (Classical
Voice of North Carolina) of the February 22 recital, you can read it here.
The reviewer didn't quite get my jokes, had a preconception that I was
a musical "outsider", and would prefer I wrote in a style more typical
of contemporary academic composers. But other than that it was not a
bad article.
Reviews of non-commercial art
events, not just classical music, have vanished from the scene in print
journalism here. Please support CVNC online as the only viable
alternative here in the Triangle.
February 26:
Had
a great concert, An Evening
of World Premiers last
Tuesday Feb. 22 at Duke. We had an all-star cast playing four new
pieces. Here's
the program. It was videotaped, and when the recording is
prepared it will be posted here, as well as availabe on DVD and CD.
January 17,
MLK Day: Turned
56 on Saturday the 15th; spent the afternoon with Eric and Laura
Pritchard in Durham.
I came down with a
bad case of bronchitis last Thanksgiving, complete with an ambulance
trip and some hours in ER. I was sick for six weeks. After finishing
the string trio in November, I just couldn't think of any new music, so
I figured, let's just go with the flow. I started writing, or rather
drastically re-writing, my Autobillography
on January 1. This is a big project which will take several months.
You'll see the final product right here, so stay tuned. To old
friends--if you have any stories however tangential to the plot, do
please drop me a line. When necessary I will change names to protect
the guilty.
Had my first student in my distance education class, PY 211.
This is a non-calculus course for people with majors requiring a
physics course, like biology, pre-med and the like. Only 12 students in
order to work out the bugs, since it's still under development. Next
comes PY 212, the second of the two-semester series.
|
____________________________________2010_______________________________________________
November 8: Spent Oct. 22-Nov. 1 in Texas,
my first trip back to my home state in 5 years. Saw friends in Houston,
San Antonio, hill country, Dallas and Denton. Once again a bunch of
travel with William Swift. KNTU broadcast the Gayatri Sonata
with Bonnie Thron, cello, and Nancy Whelan, piano in Denton while I was
there, thanks to Lloyd Sitkoff.
Very busy with my
job in the physics department here at NCSU, it's working out very well.
I've
completed the first two movements of a string trio, haven't decided on
a name yet, and am hoping to include it on the big Feb. 22 (Tuesday) 8
PM concert in Nelson Music Room at Duke. Another all-Robinson bash.
Since
moving into a two-bedroom apartment, I've had a chance to start playing
violin again. I had to stop in 1981 due to arthritis; played with
adaptive gear for six months in 1991; and again for about a year in
2002-3. That last time the adaptive gear was more extensive, and I held
the violin in the cello position. I built four-string and
six-string electric violins (one each) and played with both a standard
straight bow and a curved bow made by Michael Bach-Batista. After
stopping play due to pain in my shoulder, I sold the curved bow. Now
I'm starting up again (just on the six-string since the four-string
needs repair to the very sophisticated Barbera pickup); but as the
Bach.bogen curved bows start at 1500 euros, I am building my own.
Almost done, needs a little tweaking, will publish pictures of this
latest adventure in engineering soon.
September 16: More
Radio Play--on Monday, Sept. 20, tune in to WHQR-FM, Wilmington NC, at
8:06 Eastern Time for a broadcast of my Govinda Sonata
in its version for violin and piano, performed by Eric Pritchard and
Randall Love. Pat Marriott, the programming director at the station,
broadcast an earlier recording in 2008; this new recording we did last
October at Duke on one of their new Steinways.
September 12: An
eventful summer. Current news: Kenneth Bradshaw, on WCPE
(89.7 FM) will play the third movement of Ananda Dances
in its violin and piano version tonight, third piece on the new program
"Wavelengths" that starts at 9 PM Eastern Time. Performers are Eric
Pritchard, violin, and Randall Love, piano. You can listen on your
computer from anywhere.
I moved to a
two-bedroom apartment and traded in my upright piano for a 1942 Baldwin
5'1" grand piano, a very nice instrument from Ruggero Pianos here in
Raleigh.
Just finished Strange Songs,
and I will post a special page linked from the Music page with the
score and information. It is for chorus, baritone solo, and orchestra;
as such, synthesis is frustrating and misleading, so for now I will
simply show the score and hope for performance.
 May
19: Graduated on May 15, got
my DOCTORATE in PHYSICS
after a total of 10 years of study in universities and many more
outside. Now I have been employed by the NCSU physics department as a
half-time lecturer in physics, designing distance education versions of
our PY 211 course (University Physics). The job starts in July.
My good friend
William Swift came out from Texas for a week and added greatly to the
flavor of the festivities. Click on the picture to see the video he
shot of my trip across the stage.
I have just posted
the scores to the first and third movement of a new piano trio in
progress, The
Three Kinds of Music, on the Music
page under
Music for Strings.
April
24: Please check out the
Music page
for videos of all four pieces performed at the Memorial
Concert for Akanda, (program
here), shot by Dwight Robinett and edited by Roy Verges. Soon
I will have a DVD in very good resolution available, doing last tweaks
now (thanks to Roy Verges back in Denton TX).
March
24: Yesterday I defended my
thesis--passed! So now it's just some paperwork between me and the
sheepskin. I graduate on May 15 with a PhD in physics. (I took my first
physics course at Andover in 1969, and first in college in 1981.) Next,
after some much-needed travel to parts unknown, I start my first real job
as a Lecturer here at NCSU designing two web-based distance learning
courses for the physics department. It is a half-time appointment,
which is well-suited to my health and musical activities; it does mean
my financial situation remains difficult due to severe debts. So, I'll
continue to troll for grants, composition prizes and commissions.
March
21: Happy Bach's Birthday,
#325.
Last night was a wonderful evening at a fund-raiser for Mallarme Chamber Players,
where Eric Pritchard and Fred Raimi played the Ananda Duet.
Here's the
review from Classical Voice of North Carolina.
MCR Classics has
released the first commercial CD featuring my music, titled Ananda Dances,
with Eric Pritchard on violin and Randall Love on piano. This, as well
as the CDs of the Memorial
Concert for Akanda and the Recordings of
January 2009 are now available on the Store page.
March
3: Added recordings from the
Memorial Concert forAkanda
to the Music page for the Ananda Duet,
Ananda Songs, and the Quartet for a
New Beginning.
Feb.
23: Been having serious
problems
with my hearing for the last month due to autoimmune hearing loss; did
6 days of cortisone and now am using Itis-Care, an herbal
anti-inflammatory that has beneficial effects. Much of my hearing has
returned, but the loss appears permanent in my right ear. I have been
using hearing aids since 2002.
Just competed the Clarinet
Sextet yesterday, did most of the parts and finished
recording the synth version of the last movement today. Find it all
posted on the Music
page under Music for Strings.
Wednesday,
February 10, 8 PM, Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building,
Duke University, Durham NC;
was the
Memorial Concert for Akanda (my sister who died June 3,
2009). Akanda
requested a party in her memory to celebrate her transition; but since
I give concerts, not parties, we had this event instead. Music; Ananda Duet
(premier) with Eric Pritchard, violin, and Fred Raimi, cello; Gayatri Sonata
with Bonnie Thron, cello, and Nancy Whelan, piano; Ananda Songs
(premier) with Penelope Jensen, soprano, Eric Pritchard, violin, and
Randall Love, piano; and Quartet for a
New Beginning with the same players as for January 10
except with Izabela Spiewak, violin. I will post both video and sound
recordings here after they are prepared. Here's
the program.
February 3: My prep school (Phillips
Academy, Andover) printed a mutilated and highly truncated version of a
letter I
wrote to the alumni magazine for the class of 1973 notes,
along with a vociforous rebuttal...so I thought I would include the real letter here.
I'll let you judge for yourself how fair and balanced--or how much like
Fox Noise--the class notes are these days. Back in the day we could be
hippies, now seems like the right wing is triumphant. Such is the power
of money.
Sunday
January 10, 3
PM Aurora Musicalis
premiered my Quartet
for a New Beginning for violin, clarinet, cello and
piano; at the Weymouth
Center, Southern Pines, NC. Performers: Brian Regin, violin
(concertmaster, NC Symphony); Jimmy Gilmore, Principle Clarinetist
NCSO; Elizabeth Beilman, Associate Principle Cellist NCSO; and John
Noel, piano.
____________________________________2009_______________________________________________
December
30: I've finished my dissertation, pending editing, review
with my advisor Dr. David Aspnes, formatting and other details. I will
probably defend it in March and will graduate next May. I've started
writing a Sextet
for Clarinet and Strings (that's the working title at
least), and have posted the first movement on the Music page.
November
25: Finished the Mantra Cantata,
both orchestral and chamber versions. You can see the scores under Music for Voice on
the Music page.
Yay!
November 5: Bonnie
Thron and Nancy Whelan
will perform my Gayatri
Sonata for
cello and piano at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 PM.
Also on the program will be Shostakovich's
Cello Concerto No. 1.
I
just
finished
the
pencil
draft
of
the
piano
quintet
and
chorus
version
of
the Mantra
Cantata, a 32 minute Very Big Piece. The first two of the
three movments are already complete in both chamber and orchestral
versions (you can see the scores on the Music page); I
expect to have the final movement orchestrated and ready to pass around
well before the end of the year.
September
30: Pardon my absence, had computer reshuffling etc...
Eric Pritchard had a great recital on Sept. 13 at
Duke and again Sept. 16; played Sonatas for Solo Violin #1 and 10, as
well as the violin and piano transcription of Ananda Dances
(originally for string quartet) with Randall Love. We are recording
this music at Duke along with the Govinda Sonata
in its version for violin and piano for an upcoming CD.
The Carolina
Brass will perform High
Metallicity for brass quintet at some point during the
2009-2010 season.
See
the
new
score
and
synth
recording
on
the
Music
page
of Ananda
Duet for violin and cello, written in June for Eric
Pritchard and Fred Raimi to play early next year
After many adventures, I have
(for the most part) shut down the active experimental phase of my
physics project and am concentrating on starting the thesis, with
planned defence next March and graduation in May 2010.
June
20: My sister Akanda died on June 3 peacefully in her sleep
in Estes Park Colorado (obituary).
She was 62.Here is the obituary
from denverpost.com.
I've added a recording of my
Sonata
for Solo Violin #4 in a bravura performance by
Mary Kay Robinson at Brevard NC on February 15 2009, thanks to
engineering help by Pat Marriott of Wilmington.
April
14: Just added two videos to the Physics
page. One at the top is an interview
I
recorded yesterdaywith my photographer friend Jim McGuire
describing in general terms myphysics experiment and why it is of
interest. At the bottom of the pageis a short
movieJim made in 2003 (very funny by the way) on his family
history, whichincludes a short bit with me in a horribly tasteless
Stephen Hawking parody; don't view on a full stomach.
March
6:I have moved my experiment to Duke, at the Triangle
UniversitiesNuclear Laboratory (TUNL), starting Feb. 12, and am hard at
workgetting it ready to go. This will make it possible for me to
findleaks, get lower pressures, then fill with deuterium and see if
anyneutrons come out. If so, the World Is My Oyster. See the pictures
on the tenth gallery of photos on the Physics page.
I'm
finishing up the orchestration for the first movement of my nextpiece,Mantra
Cantatafor either orchestra or piano quintet with
chorus. Also I have a CD available that has all three recordings done
in January; the Grand Serenade, Gayatri
Sonata, and the Variations on
the Grosse Fuge.
January
28: Great concert on Sunday the 25th at the NC Museum of
Art; Ciompi Quartet with Randall Love on piano played my Variations
on the Grosse Fuge to
a
sold-out audience. You can hear the recording on the Musicpage.
The hooting and hollering at the end was too tempting, andcontrary to
usual practice I left some of it in after the end of the piece. I'm
sure you will forgive my indulgence.
January
18: Just added a great new recording on the Musicpage
done Friday Jan. 16th at St. Mary's School here in Raleigh withFred
Jacobowitz, clarinet; Bonnie Thron, cello; and Nancy Whelan, piano, of
the Grand Serenade. This makes
up for the mistake I made at the premier, and with the extra time, is a
better performance.
_________________________________2008________________________________________________
November 26:
Had a great concert
with Eric Pritchard playing the Ananda Concerto
I wrote for him with the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra conducted by
Randall Foy here at NCSU. The recording is on theMusic
page and on my 5th CD in its lates edition. See the review at
Classical
Voice
of North Carolina.
November 18:
Bonnie Thron, Fred
Jacobowitz, and Nancy Whelan played all four movements of the Grand
Serenadeat the Carol Woods Retirement Community on
November 12. Went very well,but I pushed the wrong buttons somehow on
the recorder so the live performance will have to be done at a later
date.
October 31: Just
finished and
posted on the music page A Major Piano Sonata*
(*not actually in A major) in sythesized form. The first pianist to
play it gets the dedication.
On
October
10 I made a presentation of my plasma project to theTriangle
Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) at Duke, and I'm hopingto move
my reactor there at the end of November...should they say yes.It's very
important since it's the best way to safely put in deuteriumand see if
neutrons come out. They have excellent facilities forneutron shielding
and detection, and can help with my difficulties with leak detection
and control.
August 16: Fourth
movement of
the Grand Serenade (see just
below) now done and listed on the Music page. Also
there's a recent photo gallery from the lab on the Physics
page; I'm working on new antenna designs.
July 11: Had
a great concert at
Glenaire
retirement community in Cary NC on Thursday July 10. Fred
Jacobowitz,clarinet, Bonnie Thron (Fred's wife), cello, and David Thron
(Bonnie's brother) played my Grand Serenade. It
went very well; do please listen to the recording on the Music
page under Music for Mixed Ensembles. I'm going to write a fourth
movement for this piece shortly.
June 1: Couldn't
write music
for 6 weeks after April 1, but now back in the swing of things; just
completed the first movement of A Major Piano Sonata(not
really in A major) and have the score and synthesized recording onthe
Music page under Music for Keyboards (bottom right column). Haveavoided
writing for piano solo for many years but finally getting around to it.
The
project
has
focused
on
getting
low
pressures
since
late
January,and
finally
I've
achieved
12
mTorr,
the
limit
of
the
mechanical
pumpI've
been
using.
Now
I'm
painting
the
inside
surface
of
the
reactorwith
ceramic
paint
(a
very
difficult
job
and
not
sure
it's
workinguntil
it's
pumped
out
again),
and
about
to
add
a
turbomolecular
pump
tosee
how
far
down
I
can
go
in
pressure.
This
is
essential
for theexperiment to test for fusion reactions. Also I'm working
oninstrumentation, which is another great challenge. Pictures will come
in a few days....
April 1 (no
fooling!): Now
posting the completedAnanda Dances
for string quartet, score and synthesized recording, on the music page.
March 8: On
March 1, Eric
Pritchard and Randall Love, a pianist on the Duke faculty, played the
entire Govinda Sonata for the
first time, at the Nelson Room at Duke. Great success! Many smiles!
Had
a
great
visit
late
last
month
by
Dr.
George
Miley
of
the
NuclearEngineering
faculty
at
University
of
Illinois
Urbana-Champaign.
Veryencouraging.
Being
bedeviled
by
leaks
and
must
figure
out
how
to
get
low
pressures
before
I
can
make
any
progress.
February 14:
Just posted the
third movement of a new string quartet, score and recording.
Eric
Pritchard
and
Barbara
McKenzie
played
the
middle
movement
of
the Govinda Sonata in its violin
and piano incarnation, and Eric played the Sonata #11for
solo violin in Morehead City last Friday. Then the followingafternoon
the three of us had a delightful salon near Wilmington todrum up
interest in the upcoming concert at UNCW on Sunday Feb. 17 with the
same program (also including Beethoven's Spring Sonata
and a violin sonata by Faure).
February 2: Just
recorded the
first movement of the next piece, the Ananda Dances,
see it on the Music page. More music for Eric, and the Ciompi Quartet.
January 20: Finished
the Grand
Serenade--take a listen on the Music
page in Music for Mixed Ensembles.
On
Tuesday
I
take
the
two
aluminum
hemispheres
to
the
physicsdepartment
machine
shop
for
a
major
upgrade.
After
getting
them
backI'll
take
a
few
weeks
to
refit,
then
should
be
able
to
get
to
rather
low
pressures
and
start
the
really
interesting
part
of
my
experiment.
January 1: Posteda
new gallery
of photos from my lab. Also, have just completed andposted the synth
recording and score for the first two movements of my new Grand
Serenade for clarinet, cello and piano. Hope you
like it!
_________________________________2007________________________________________________
December 13:
Finallyhave solved
some big problems with my reactor (running it was settingoff loud
alarms and the video camera was freaking out); now can getsome great
pictures and will post some shortly. However until thephysics
department machine shop works on my sphere in late January I'm stuck at
only 2 torr instead of 1 to 10 mtorr...
November 15:
Had my preliminary
exam today, went very well. You can see the PowerPoint presentation
at the Physics page.
November 1: Finished
Ananda
Songs,and now have score and synth recording on the
Music Page. Thiscompletes the Sixth CD which I've started to burn; it
includes the songs along with Ananda Concerto
and Ananda Sonata.
Made
a
conceptual
breakthrough
in
the
physics
project;
who
knows
ifit's
good,
more
symbol
shuffling
to
double
check
best
I
can.
Now
I
needto
get
the
sphere
capable
of
much
better
vacuum
(currently
at
a
dismal
3
torr!).
More
when
I
have
something
figured
out.
October 10: Just
posted two
things. One is the second of the Ananda Songs
for violin, soprano and piano, Hare Krishna
Mahamantra; see it on the Music Page.
Then
there
is
the
new
paper
on
my
ball
reactor
experiment,
sort
of
awarm-up
for
my
thesis.
Although
there
are
no
diagrams,
you
can
get
good
text
explanations
of
what
I'm
up
to
that
go
along
with
the
galleries.
October 5: Lost
my camera in
August but got another one, finally have posted a new gallery
of lab shots on the Physics page, along with--the
FIRST
VIDEOof the ball reactor inoperation. (This is .mpg
and won't play on Quick Time, use WindowsMedia Player or Real Player.
Still frames from this video are in thelatest gallery.) No ball
lightning or analog yet, but it is exciting tohave things working. Much
tweaking, refinements, and many many experiments yet to go over the
next two years.
September
30: Hada wonderful
concert at Smedes Parlor at Saint Mary's School here inRaleigh on the
25th, met some great people; Eric Pritchard and Mayron Tsong from UNC
played the first movement of the Ananda Concerto.If
you want all 20 minutes instead of just the first 6, there will be
apresentation of whole thing in Durham and Wilmington next
February.
New
recording
and
score
on
the Music page! A work in progress, the first
installment of Ananda Songs for
violin, soprano and piano (more music for Eric), A
Sufi Song. The lyrics are by Rumi and you may see
the words on the Spirituality page. Just the
synthesized version for now but just you wait.
The
physics experiment is getting very interesting. I've had the firstreal
complete operation of the reactor last week, and it actuallyfunctions!
No ball lightning yet, but I do get a generalized dischargethroughout
the chamber for about a tenth of a second at 3 torr. There'sa long way
to go; will have a new paper and photos in a little bit.It's a relief
to see that my handmade microwave engineering actually functions, and
rather dramatically.
August 21: Have
been working on
the Variations on the Grosse Fuge
since completing the Ananda Sonata,changing
it from a work for 5 synthesizers into a concerto for stringquartet and
orchestra, and also a piano quintet. Both are now on theMusic page
in synthesized recordings. The two versions cover pretty much
the same notes but in very different ways.
School starts tomorrow....
The
physics
project proceeds apace. Had the first full-scaleeverything-turned-on
test last week. The sparker filled the sphere witha flash of light;
that thing has been very difficult to get to workcorrectly but now
after several remakes and redesigns is reliable anddoes a good job.
However powering the twenty magnetrons is moredifficult, and the 4000 V
pulse blew up several resistors inspectacular fashion, leaving our ears
ringing. Now I've got HV 500 ohmresistors en route shipping here and
when they arrive, I'll fit theminto the circuit and flip the switches
again. Let's hope next time theonly explosions are INSIDE the sphere!
More pix after I buy another camera, lost mine during a trip to West
Virginia recently.
June 18: Completed
Eric Pritchard's Ananda Sonata for
violin and piano in 32 days, now you can hear the synth recording and
see the score on the Music page in the Music
for Strings section. Quite a wild little piece. Looks like
Eric will play the violin and piano version ofAnanda
Concerto on his recitals next February, best guess
at the moment.
May 12: Finished
Eric's Ananda
Concertoon May 4; completed the piano reduction of
the orchestral scoreyesterday and the recording of the second movement
today. You can findthe complete new concerto on the Music page. Now on
to a violin sonata, again for Eric, which will take most of the summer.
Progress
in
physics;
completed
the
semester
with
a
presentation
oncosmic
ray
detection;
working
on
control
circuitry,
cameras,
and
thevacuum
system
for
the
plasma
experiment
now.
I
hope
to
start
firing
off
the
first
shots
within
a
month.
Still
a
lot
of
work
to
go.
April 30: Terrific
concert on
April 28th at the 40th anniversary concert of the Duke
University String School. Dorothy Kitchen conducted the first
movement of theChamber Concertofor
piano and small orchestra, with student soloist Joseph Shim. Thenext
two movements will follow on the two fall concerts. Big crowdfilled
Baldwin Auditorium, by far the biggest audience ever for my music.
Also,
on
April
20
the Chamber Concerto for piano,
string orchestra and timpani was performed by the Virginia
Youth Symphony Orchestra in Hampton Roads, VA, conducted by
Robert Ian Winstin.
I've
made
arrangements
of
the Govinda Sonata for violin
instead of flute, and of the Gayatri Sonatafor
bassoon instead of cello. You can see the new scores on the Musicpage.
Also I've added a new recording of the freshly finished third movement
of the Ananda Concerto for
violin and orchestra; all that's left is to compose the end of the
second movement.
The
physics
progresses--will
go
a
bit
faster
now
that
classes
are
over
for
the
summer;
should
start
making
BIG
SPARX
within
a
month.
April 3
:
Finally figured out how to adjust a recording of The
Elements of Wind and Woodfor woodwind quintet; it's
from a rehearsal in November 2005 by membersof the Nashville Symphony,
but the second and third movements were toofast. Also I had to change
the file format. Using Sonar 6 I changed thetempi and the recording is
now posted on the Music page, do please givea listen. The first
movement has an error in the horn part abouthalfway through due to a
copywork mistake that lasts for some time, but...hope you don't mind!
Nobel
Laureate
Dr.
David
Lee
from
Cornell
took
a
tour
of
my
lab
yesterday
and
found
it
quite
interesting.
April 2: Infinite
Energy magazine published the SMC
reactor research proposalin the March/April 2007 issue. I'm
afraid I can't believe anything elseI read in that magazine, but I
can't really publish in a more standardjournal until I actually have
results instead of severe speculation.Not far from starting to blow
things up--hoping for May! Need to finishup some control circuits and
rig the video, as well as pressure gauge, vacuum systems etc. But most
of the grunt work is done.
February 22:
I've posted the
recordings of Sonatas 1, 10, and 11 from Eric's January 14th recital;
sounds good!
Currently
I'm
composing
Eric's
concerto,
as
noted
below,
and
also
a
reworking
of
the Variations on the Grosse Fugefor
string quartet and orchestra. This is requiring some newcomposition but
in general, the synthesizer original from 1987 falls easily into the
new format.
January
16: The
concerts went VERY well. Also I've updated the proposal paper
on the Physics page. AND! On Christmas Day I started the Ananda
Concertofor violin and orchestra, more stuff for
Eric to play someday...andfinished the first movement a couple of days
ago. See the score and listen to the synth MP3 on the Music page.
_________________________________2006________________________________________________
December 22:
Not quite in time
to mail out for Xmas, BUT! Now have finished The
Fifth CD: Chamber Music, the best yet. Also, now
the recording of Der Jammerwocknow
has the vocal track included thanks to the singing of ThomasJaynes,
baritone, who lives in Durham. Makes all the difference. AndI've
freshened up recent recordings and scores to reflect recent tweaks. A
strong end to a year that produced about an hour of music.
December 17:
Finished the new Quartet
for a New Beginning for violin, clarinet, cello,
and piano. Any resemblance to Quartet for the End of Timeis
purely coincidental. The complete recording and score now on theMusic
page. Come give a listen! This is the final piece for the new 5th CD
that will come out very shortly.
November 3: Onthe
next convenient Saturday I venture to the Raleigh landfill for afresh
crop of microwave oven transformers. And early next week I getparts
from the physics department machine shop that will make itpossible to
start putting together the microwave circuit from the magnetrons to the
pressure sphere. Ifyou want to see more done faster,
better, and with more style, feelfree to contribute to this unfunded
research. Currently it depends on my taking out student loans.My
current debt is considerably more than the total I've ever earned.OUCH!
This does make it possible to give the idea away into the commondomain
in the manner of pure
research.
August 15: Now
the complete
score and synth recording of the newly completed Aditya
Hridayam for oboe, violin and piano composed for
Joseph and Mary Kay Robinson is on the Music page.
I've
taken up lab
space with Dr. David Aspnes here at NCSU at the Centennial Campus and
will post pictures soon on an SMC lab page.
July 14: Muchprogress!
44
capacitors are en route, big-ass sparks to follow. Twoaluminum
hemispheres are on hand now, 22" across and 3/8" thick, hit'em with a
stick and they ring for a couple of minutes. If the physicsdon't work
then I'm a percussionist. Also have started stockpilingpower supplies,
have been coating 20 helical antennas with ceramic, andam crunching the
numbers on the big complex magnet I'll be winding. Thank God for eBay.
May 14: Now
have the complete
synthesized recording of a new piece for flute and piano, the Govinda
Sonata, on the music page. And yes, the Govinda
in question is the Ideal Flute Player of all time, Sri Krishna.....This
new piece was written between early March and May 11.
May 7:Exams
finished(May 5 for
me). Today added the live performancerecordings from the Duke recital
of March 31 to the Music page. I havethe synth recordings of both the
nonet and orchestral versions ofDer Jammervockon
the Music page, not including the baritone part yet. My singingisn't
quite up to the challenge so still looking for a good vocalist. This
may be my best piece yet, give it a listen.....Oh, and see the Cure
for War and my favorite mantras on the Spirituality page.
April
4: Had a wonderful
concert at Duke Friday March 31, the first all-Bill recital in 22
years. Here's
the program. Met some interesting people from the audience
and if all goes well,there will be more of my music heard at Duke. The
program was five of my 11 solo violin sonatas.
October 25,
2005
Just
got a letter from Social Securitydisclosing
all my reported wages from the first in 1970 to the end of 2004: I
think you will find it amusing. Please to click on the link!
October 1,
2005:
Oh, and I just wrote a sharp-tongued letter
to my alma mater PhillipsAcademy, Andover (the
same prep school that George HW, GeorgeW, and Jeb Bush
stained with their presence) that the alumni Bulletin didn't dare
print....
background
mandalas by Taj Massood
|
hOMe
page 
Eric
Pritchard performing my 10th Sonata for Solo
Violin on January 14, 2007.
