We Apologize for the Interruption...

Too busy packing... regular activities will resume shortly (once I've moved all my worldly possessions to an unknown town and re-enter academia).

How Cliché

Cliché is such a part of modern music. Listen to any radio jingle or TV commercial and it becomes grossly apparent. But it's not just the mass media that has co-opted a widespread use of cliché. I personally enjoy seeking out cliché in all its forms. People say music is a language, and if musical cliché can quickly communicate ideas I think it demonstrates just how sophisticated that language is. Just for a quick example, tonight I popped in Clue and heard the same suspenseful strings used in Psycho (and just about every suspense film since). Nice, concise, and immediate sets the tone.

In other news, the recording session went very well today. I look forward to listening to it tomorrow and it will soon be available to share!

Activities Calendar - Week 1

Hoorah! Tomorrow is a studio day, and more importantly it'll be an open recording in front of friends! We'll be recording a run-through of my wind quintet Four Caricatures. The recording session will be at 5pm at

Calliope Music Studios
2600 S Parker Rd # 170
Aurora, CO 80014

The final cut from tomorrow will, of course, be posted to Deemo Melody Labs.

Monday will be a rehearsal with a great singer - John Wollan. He's agreed to look at my new song cycle for Bass-Baritone, The Day's Passing. His feedback is more worthwhile than any of my own observances (probably because he is a better singer).

There won't be time for many musical activites after next week, with the impending move, but once in Hartford there is a great concert being sponsored by Hartford New Music to benefit the South Park Inn homeless shelter. Definitely looking forward to the concert as a way to finish up the month and learn about the music scene in Hartford!

A Little Music with that Reality

Reality TV shows can be a hoot to watch at times, especially the overly dramatic series. I'm not overly fond of most TV, but quite a few reality shows do an amazing job of heightening emotions with their music. Some of the background arrangements have more raw power than a full staging of Orff's Carmina Burana (with the dancing and fireworks).

There isn't much original to these reality TV scores (mostly the main themes recycled again and again) but I wonder how often people pay attention to the swelling strings during emotional upheavals or massive percussion during bouts of tension. Somehow, I think reality TV would become a little to mundane without a live symphonic score. Too bad we can't have our own orchestral accompaniment in real life.

Concerts in Allenspark

Attended a wonderful concert in Allenspark, CO, last night. It was an evening of flute and piano music in the most unassuming of concert locations - a semi-remote cabin not too far from Rocky Mountain National Park. The hosts (Margie and Glenn Patterson) built their cabin with performance in mind. The view from the main hall certainly trumps any concert hall I've seen yet! And to top it off, the concert was for a great cause - benefitting the area's community center.

The Hannigans were in full force last night, giving a great concert. Barry and Mary Hannigan are an amazing duo. Their combined aptitude for grace and nuance is just as great as their respective technical capacities. The evening started with Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata for Flute in B minor (BWV 1030), the most striking part of which were the Hannigan's skillful trade-offs in melody as it moved from flute to piano and back. Neither overpowered each other, and yet each made their presence known. It was a technical marvel and, considering the altitude, Mary appeared to perform with great ease (and enjoyment!).

The program followed with William Bolcom's Ghost Rag. It was an apt choice, adding levity and lightening the mood before another major work - Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata in A Major, Op. 101 (the first of Beethoven's late piano sonatas). The entire sonata is incredibly dense, harmonically, and brilliant in its treatment of melodies. Particularly in the case of the March and final fugue, Barry demonstrated great care and technique in highlighting the incredible melodic movement.

Mary returned and the two of them played Paul Taffanel's Grande Fantasie (Mignon), a delightfully virtuosic piece that (according to Mary) doesn't do justice to the myriad contributions Taffanel made to advance flute playing in the 19th century. After the Grand Fantasie, the Hannigans ended the concert with one of Edward Elgar's Chansons (I believe Chanson d'amour). It was light and the Hannigans again displayed their capacity for nuance. It was very apparent in both the Elgar and Taffenel pieces that they have played together for so long. I appreciated hearing how easily they balanced each other.

In all, it was a great evening, and proves again (to me, at least) that music can be found in the most unsuspecting of places. The Hannigans have played concert halls everywhere from Russia to New Zealand, but they also play to enthusiastic audiences in Allenspark, CO, in a hillside cabin just off Highway 7.

We're Live... Again!

Two steps forward, one step back... After too much delay, I have re-started Music By Morel, this time with purpose, and I hope those reading it find it interesting.

Music is all around us. I am continually fascinated by our active and passive relations with music as a whole. Our day to day interactions shape that relationship. Music By Morel is just one brief glimpse into my experiences. I certainly encourage everyone to go out and make their own.

Coincientally enough, this blog is re-starting right before my biggest musical experience so far - attending Hartt School of Music to obtain a Masters in Music, with a focus in Composition. The Hartt School of Music is an amazing institution. It will be a pleasure to listen, observe, and participate in the overabundance of music, hopefully becoming a better musician and composer in the process. Hartford, situated between Boston and NYC, also promises to be an exciting environment, with opporunities to hear and participate in all types of music.

Lastly, my own website, Deemo Melody Labs, is finally updated (version 3.0!). You can find recordings of recent works or information on current projects.