Le Grand Tango Reviewed in ASTA Magazine

Thanks Blair!

The following review appeared in the February, 2013 issue of the American String Teacher Magazine. Many thanks to Blair Williams for a thoroughly positive assessment! Blair is a Ph.D. student at Ohio State University, a brief bio is down below.

The only further detail worth mentioning - my arrangement comes in a fully orchestrated version as well as the Viola/Piano version mentioned.

More on Brett Allen's arrangement of Le Grand Tango

The Southern Theater, Social by Design

My favorite performance space in Columbus, Ohio, is the Southern Theater. The Southern opened in 1896 and is housed in the Southern Hotel. Southern refers to the Southern Railroad, now part of Norfolk and Southern. South of Broad St, Columbus, where North begins to give way to South, that's pronounced "suthun."

There are a couple things I like about this theater. It's a medium size space, seating a little over 900 souls. And it was built prior to the age of electronic amplification. The acoustics are superb. Great care was taken to enhance natural sound in terms of design and choice of materials. But there is something else about the place that's very curious. It is designed in such a way as to foster social interaction.

This is true both back stage and front stage. For performers the back stage dressing rooms, water fountains, coffee pots, restrooms, etc, are all on the lower level. To get there everyone must use the same staircase. There is only one. I have noticed in the course of a production that I will rub elbows with every other performer while using this staircase. By design it encourages social interaction. It's amazing to witness all the business that gets settled as the performers go up and down this staircase.

It's a similar situation for the audience. There is one main public entrance. Ticket holders for the main floor or any of the balconies must funnel through this one entrance. It is not completely airtight however, there is a side-entrance from the hotel lobby, but the social friction is largely the same as that of the backstage staircase. Many thanks to the architectural firm Dauben, Krumm, and Riebel for giving us the incomparable Southern Theater. And many thanks to CAPA for their 1998 restoration of the place, giving it a new lease on life.

The Ohio Theater in Columbus is not nearly so social. There are two staircases down, dressing rooms are on both upper and lower levels, and there are multiple exits both stage-left and stage-right. It's much more diffuse.You can slip out of there without rubbing elbows with anyone.

There is one distinctly anti-social footnote to add about the Southern. Under Jim Crow law there was segregated, not-so-equal seating in the top balcony. Blacks and poor whites bought tickets at a separate box office on the ally side of the building, and then took a staircase straight to the top balcony. There they sat on hard benches. All of these aspects were erased in the 1998 renovation.

The virtues of social design have come to the Statehouse Underground Parking Garage as well. It used to be that there were live parking attendants at Columbus' many parking garages. Then automation came into play. Inevitably, tempers would flare among waiting drivers when an individual at the exit gate didn't have correct change, or their credit card failed, or they simply didn't understand the process. With the new system, you get your ticket as you drive in. Then, when it's time to leave, you pay at a walk-up kiosk before getting into your car. This is brilliant. When people are sealed up in their automobiles they're in a bubble. No one talks to anyone else and no one knows what's going on. That's why tempers flare. But you get those same individuals to gather at one of those kiosks, and, voila, instant socialization. People greet each other, crack jokes, and help each other out. I can't count the number of times I've seen one individual explaining how it works to another. I've done it myself. The effect of this social contact does wonders to calm people down.

Three cheers for social design!

On Universality in Music: Mozart and The Beatles

Recently I played two vastly different concert programs all in one weekend. One was a Columbus Symphony pops concert, and the other was a classical program by the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. The CSO featured "The Fab Four," a Beatles tribute band. ProMusica programmed two Mozart Concertos, plus Martinu and Bartok. What struck me most about the two programs was the quality of universality in the music of Mozart and The Beatles.

Music with Universal Appeal, Ten Characteristics:
In no particular order...not true in every case...

1) It is inter-generational in its appeal.
2) It has appeal from day one.
3) It displays genius in a covert way.
4) It is memorable (easily memorized or singable).
5) It is impersonal.
6) It is not too committed in terms of its political or social message. 
7) It belongs to the world.
8) It goes together easily, does not require exceptional effort to produce.
9) It is idiot-proof.
10) It is easily adapted for other instrumental or vocal combinations.

Inter-generational appeal. I was surprised to see the Ohio Theater nearly sold out for the Beatles show. And it was not just the generation that screamed and fainted for the Beatles in 1964 that filled the place. Every generation was present, from the white-hair set down to their great grandchildren. I witnessed the staying power of the Beatles as my own kids were growing up. This was not the music of their generation. Yet, they found the Beatles, listened to the Beatles and loved the Beatles in their turn, all of their own initiative. Likewise, my father was more a Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra kind of guy, yet it didn't prevent him from whistling Penny Lane and other Beatles tunes as they came along. That's true universality. Similarly, Mozart produced warhorses of the repertoire which have appealed anew to each passing generation. 

Instant appeal. The Lennon/McCartney hits were hits from day one. Likewise, their British predecessor, George Frederick Handel wrote day-one hits we all know. Handel's Oratorio, Messiah, and his Water Music and Royal Fireworks Suites were popular and successful right from the start. The Messiah has been performed every year since it was first written in 1742. And I would venture a guess not a day goes by when his Water Music Suite doesn't play on the radio. 

Covert genius. Some composers try to impress you with how brilliant they are - and it sounds that way. Mozart was a genius of higher order. To most listeners Mozart is just pretty music flowing by. But, under the hood, amazing things are going on. Few composers of any era equal him. He accomplishes all his with the greatest aplomb. No one suspects. Likewise, people are generally unaware of the musical ingenuity that makes a Beatles tune fly. All they know is that they like it.

Memorable, singable. It is no small thing when a listener hears music and comes away humming the tune. What constitutes a successful and memorable melody is an elusive thing and the topic of endless debate. A great tune develops a life of its own, sticks fast to our memory, and has a capacity to become an annoying ear bug. It's not something a composer just decides to do one day, it comes of inspiration. Mozart was equally capable of writing unmemorable music as well as the riveting, exciting stuff, depending on the occasion. Some of his long divertimenti were purposed as background music for use at royal banquets. Though having his usual degree of technical perfection, it is evident he did not wish it to draw too much attention.

Impersonal. This is a little hard to explain. In one sense, music of an impersonal quality is music that goes down easily, because the listener is comfortable with it. It is about somebody or something other than themselves. At least on the surface. This would be John Lennon telling you about "all the lonely people." It's not about "you," but, it may well be about you all the same! In another sense, it is music expressive of spiritual aspirations. It is removed from issues of time and place and personality and earth. I think the music of J.S. Bach fits the definition in this case.

Not too committed politically. Composers may have strong political opinions but the ones in search of broad appeal will hesitate to go too far out on a limb. A general consensus on the break-up of the Beatles is that John Lennon's subsequent solo albums were too edgy and made listeners uncomfortable, where Paul McCartney's solo albums had his trademark musical drive but lacked the former wit of Lennon's lyrics. The two talents together struck a right balance and produced hit after hit. Many consider Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the "Ode to Joy," the greatest musical masterpiece of all time. The poet, Freidrich Schiller, originally entitled it, "Ode to Freedom," but substituted the word "joy," because the word, "freedom," was too politically overt for its time. Leonard Bernstein famously changed the wording back to the original idea in performances celebrating the opening of the Berlin Wall.

Belongs to the world. Music that has universal appeal stands on its own without association to its regional origins. It almost never occurs to me that the Beatles are British. I'm listening to the words, the music, any number of things, but not the fact that their music represents, speaks for, or is the product of Great Britain. Nor does it occur to me much that Mozart is Austrian. You don't have to be Austrian to love and understand Mozart. (Austrians would disagree!) In both cases the music has qualities that are universally understood.    

Goes together easily. The proliferation of Mozart festivals across the world speak to his ability to accurately judge the limits of musicians and the demands of production. Limits on rehearsal time, the volume of music professional instrumentalists can handle, their technical limits - he gave all these factors due consideration, in addition issues of musical construction. His repertoire is easy to produce.

Idiot-proof. Professional ensembles will always do a fabulous job with Mozart. But semi-professional and amateur groups can also pull it off admirably well. The spirit of the music shines through even when subjected to less-than-perfect conditions. Many of the vocalizations and instrumental interludes on Beatles albums seem elementary by today's standards, but it does not diminish the effectiveness of the music. And makes it all the more attainable by others.

Easily adaptable. While not so true of Mozart, music with universal appeal tends to be easily adaptable for other instrumental and/or vocal combinations. This is true on both sides of the Classical-Popular divide. For instance, tuneful selections from Bizet's opera, Carmen, have been arranged for every conceivable combination of instruments. Likewise, George Gershwin tunes have been appropriated in an untold number of ways. This indicates that the original combination of instruments or vocals is not so specialized or exacting that the music cannot work equally well with other instrumental or vocal combinations.

Bach Double for Two Violas - New Arrangement!

I'm please to announce the release of Concerto for Two Violas in A Minor, a new arrangement of the Bach Double Violin Concerto (BWV 1043) transcribed for two violas. This is the first of four Bach viola concerto transcriptions I am currently working on.

Concerto for Two Violas is suitable for the concert stage, and makes an excellent stand-up concerto. The arrangement also fills an urgent need for Baroque concerto repertoire for the viola, for which there are scant choices: The Telemann Viola Concerto in G Major and the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 are about it. The Handel Concerto in B Minor is quite good -- but not by Handel. Vivaldi composed over 600 concertos -- but not one of them is for viola! The reasons for this are varied, but it is not because the viola was considered useless. It just had yet to come of age. Many artists of the time still embraced the viola d'amore, a holdover from the Renaissance period. Others debated the utility of the larger "tenore" versus the smaller "alto" viola. By the time of Mozart, the alto had won has since become enshrined in chamber and orchestral writing. The alto is what we call the viola today.

The new Bach Double Viola Concerto is available in two forms: a full Ensemble Version ($50), and a version for Two Violas and Piano ($25). The Ensemble version was written for the combination of instruments commonly used to perform Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6., that is: Solo Violas I & II, Tutti Violas I & II, Cello, Double Bass and Cembalo (typically harpsichord).

Here is a link to a  live recording of the ensemble version, recorded in 1999 at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Columbus. The concerto was performed as part of the Sundays at Central chamber music series and this concert featured the viola section of the Columbus Symphony. The soloists are myself (Brett Allen) on Solo Viola I, and the late David Schmookler on Solo Viola II. David was Principal Viola of the Columbus Symphony from 1986-2010.

Part of this event was a pre-concert lecture, a brief history of the viola, given by CSO violist Ken Matsuda. He ended his talk with one of his notorious quips: "If you leave today with a deeper appreciation of the viola it will give us the greatest happiness. On the other hand, if it displeases you and you never wish to hear it again - please keep it to yourself!"

Sheet music samples are available here, including the full Solo Viola 1 part.

Sheet Music for Solo Viola 1:

For ordering information, visit the Brett Allen Music Store.

In the works: Four Bach Viola Concertos

I am currently at work on four viola concerto transcriptions. These are arrangements of the violin concertos of J S Bach. This is something I hammered out in rough form more than a decade ago, and am now getting around to putting in a finished form.

When it comes to viola transcriptions of violin music, the conventional approach is to simply transpose the original down a 5th. I have not taken this path. Two of the concertos are transposed down a 4th and two are down a 3rd. This puts the viola in a higher tessitura than the original violin parts, and actually makes the concertos more demanding to play than their violin counterparts.

The concertos will be available in two forms: 1) Solo violas with piano accompaniment, 2) Solo violas with an ensemble of instruments commonly used to perform Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. The latter makes these works suitable stand-up concertos for symphonic programming.

Not available yet, but coming soon:

J S Bach, Concerto for Two Violas in A Minor --- Now Available.
An arrangement of the Bach Double Violin Concerto (BWV 1043).

J S Bach, Concerto for Viola and English Horn in G Minor
An arrangement of the Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor (BWV 1060).

J S Bach, Concerto for Viola in C Major
An arrangement of the Concerto for Violin in E Major (BWV 1042).

J S Bach, Concerto for Viola in F Minor
An arrangement of the Concerto for Violin in A Minor (BWV 1041).

--Shoot me an email if you would like to be kept in the loop!

4amici: Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello & Bassoon

As unusual as the quartet combination of Bassoon, Violin, Viola and Cello may be, there does exist an ample body of repertoire for it. Out of the Classical period composers Franz Anton Pfeiffer,  Johann Christoph Vogel, Francois Devienne, and Franz Danzi all wrote for the combination. Though not household names like Mozart or Haydn, their output remains significant today for both showcasing the bassoon and tracing the development of bassoon technique.

In more recent times, and in like manner, composers Villa-Lobos and Vaughn Williams have works setting solo bassoon against a bed of strings, though not the exact combination under discussion. But, Bernard Garfield, long-time Principal Bassoonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, now retired, has no less than three Quartets for Bassoon, Violin, Viola and Cello in his catalog, in addition to reams of other bassoon-centric chamber works.

When Betsy Sturdevant, Principal Bassoonist with the Columbus Symphony, invited me to play and compose for her Amici Quartet, I saw it as an opportunity to break the bassoon-showcase mold in some respects. I thought, "Bassoon, plus Violin, Viola and Cello. How likely is that? It sounds like a wedding gig where the 2nd Violinist became indisposed and the other quartet members went out and grabbed the first instrumentalist to come along - a bassoonist!" Such suspension of disbelief is possible only in music videos, but I retained the idea of this being some kind of pick-up group.    

That, plus I had just seen the movie, The Visitor. I won't give the plot away except to say that a burned out college professor gets hooked on hand drumming and starts showing up at community drum circles. The phenomena of drum circles is of huge interest to me because it is quite the opposite of my classical, tightly structured training in music. What I am saying is - it explodes my whole musical universe! No one brings music. No one comes "prepared." It doesn't matter how "good" you are. No one knows what's going to happen. There's no leader. It's entirely spontaneous. As the drumming rises in intensity, people start dancing and singing. All the while new and interesting drumming patterns are rising to the surface. There's no distinction between audience and performers. No one "performance" can be written down or recreated. No one owns it. No one says, "I invented this, I am a great genius." It seems to reach down deep in the human soul and call forth some primitive, essential need to express. Everyone goes away quite satisfied, the same as if they had just listened to Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

I went to work on my "4amici" quartet with all these things in mind. I had a vision, like a stage play. Four buddies (four friends, "quattro amici"), wandering about the city, decide to gather in a public spot for a jam session. In this vision each instrumentalist is an equal participant, it's not just the bassoon on display. Each one throws in a musical idea. One is thinking about half-steps. Another throws in a forceful downward third. Another takes that and turns it on its head. Before long some semblance of music takes shape. Suddenly, there is an interruption, ceremonial music, as if the mayor is passing by. Later, the same material is transformed into something that sounds like a war song from the old country. Then the strings decide to cut the bassoon out and do their own thing. But the bassoonist won't have it and crashes the party. And so it goes, on and on. Each section spins out new ideas and new sections. Where it is headed and where it ends is anyone's guess. Eventually though, as with drum circles, the high energy dissipates and everyone calls it a night.

Sample parts are available on Scribd.com. Sheet Music is available for purchase here.