Ligeti Conference March 2012: some reflections

I organised a conference of Ligeti's later music on 30th March at Senate House (in association with the Institute of Music Research - and with their support) which has taken up a fair bit of my time over the last few months. This is the first major confernce I have organised and it seemed to be a success judging by responses received. I was particularly pleased to see the number of speakers and delegates that had travelled from US, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Holland, Hungary, and Norway. The conference was mainly a series of papers plus a lecture recital by Ian Pace, a parallel analysis session for composers (led by Peter Wiegold) and a chamber 'performance' of Ligeti's Poeme Symphonique (we didn't quite manage 100 metronomes but there were two that seemed particularly persistent at the end).
    What was valuable at the conference was making contact with Ligeti scholars who one had read but not met, and being socialise with them before and after the conference. On reflection I think there should have been a round table session at the end (there wasn't time in the schedule) and it would have been good to have had questions after each speaker. I had allowed 30 minutes for each speaker to include 5 minutes for questions, but the reality was that the full 30 minutes was usually taken up with the papers (which is quite understandable) - and there was little slack in the day. There were also technical issues which soaked up time - almost inevitable when so many different computers were being used (our technical support was excellent and it is absolutely essential to have someone good to cover this). I liked the range of our speakers which showed many different approaches to the nature of the conference paper. At previous conferences I often feel that the papers were not really designed to be read out, but rather needed to be read as an article which can be quite tedious.
    There is a general orthodoxy to read papers at conferences which can be quite a challenge for the listener (I whish I had the confidence not to do this myself - our keynote speaker Richard Steinitz avoided reading out a paper, which made what he had to say very engaging). If I had to do this again I would allow more time for the papers and include a round table session at the end. I didn't do a general call for papers (on helpful advice from a colleague) and simply invited who I thought would have the most interesting things to say about Ligeti's music. I think this worked well - student researchers have plenty of other opportunities to present their work. One final thought is that it does take a lot of time and energy to organise - so bear that in mind if you feel the urge.
see Ligeti Conference London 2012  for full details - the papers will be published in Contemporary Music Review shortly.

A Week Teaching Music at Oldenburg University

The week of 31st October I was at Oldenburg University as part of the Erasmus Scheme. This all occurred because the Professor of Music there Violeta Dinescu approached and invited me to go and teach. This was my first such trip and I was not really sure what to expect. It was a most enjoyable week during which I learnt much about the system in Germany and their approach to teaching music - the lecturers there were very welcoming (especially the composer Roberto Reale who was a great help). The following observations may not be precisely correct but they are what seemed to be the case to me at the time.
   It seems to me that lecturers at Oldenburg are much more independent than is the case the UK - there seemed to be a greater autonomy in the courses and what was offered by lecturers. In some of the courses/modules there were student from all years which is quite different from what happens at Kingston (although some 3rd year classes are taken by MAs). The students at Oldenburg seemed to be very serious and committed students, although this might be because they were all planning to become music teachers. The course has 3 years for the BA and a further 2 years for the MA. Before they can teach in schools they also have to undertake school observations. Students at Oldenburg have a good theoretical background and all seemed to have some ability on the piano. They seemed a little reticent and reserved in my classes but that may have been because they had to speak in English.
   It was good to see lots of practical music-making going on to a good standard (I heard the Wind Ensemble and Choir). I particularly enjoyed playing 'Katzen Musik' (Cat music) with Axel Fries - it was a really inspiring class exploring improvising with bottles and wine glasses. One quirk of the German system caught me out and that was the 'academical quarter hour' - all classes start 15 minutes late and finish 15 minutes early - no-one had told me that because it is so ingrained in Germany. I thought this was an excellent idea, as in UK there is often no time between classes. However they do start at 8 am (or 8.15) which would be less popular. It was also odd to see chalk still being used and I was pleaseed to see some OHPs. The German students are also very polite and at the end of classes all knock on the tables in approval. The food in the canteen was also excellent and apparently all organic - I really enjoyed eating at the Culinarium where the food was cooked in front of you. All in all, Oldenburg is an excellent place to visit.

The Basics of Composing Music: a Personal View

I have just spent a week music teaching at Oldenburg University which was both enjoyable and rewarding. It took me a while to realise that there is an academical quarter hour - all sessions start 15 minutes late and end 15 minutes early - an excellent idea I think. As part of my teaching I decided to think up a beginners' guide to composing as some of the students had done little (although they were excellent students). In fact I didn't have time to cover all the elements below in the class.

A Very Brief Beginners' Guide to Composing Music:

Stage 1

1. Listen to lots of different music - live and recorded.

2. Decide what music you really like.

3, Analyse in depth the music you really like - find out how it is put together in detail.

4. Try to create your own versions of the music you like - perhaps mixtures of different music.

5. Get your music played.

Stage 2

6. Before starting a piece think about what the concept (idea) of the work might be - what are you aiming for?

7. Think about the structure you need - look at possible other models.

8. What instruments  are you going to use? Make sure you find out about them.

9. Try to make the most of your musical material - use improvisation to help your ideas grow.

10. Try to avoid being too repetitive or too fragmented - find a balance between these two extremes.

11. Always be self-critical of your work.

12. Compose music because you want to  - not for any other reason.

13. Get a thick skin as you will need it - but do listen and consider criticism.

14. Don't just try to please your teacher- that is always a dangerous path. What happens when your teacher changes or you stop being a student?

15. Never write complex music for the sake of it - simple music can be more effective.