A tribute to our own Karl Henning

jbuck919 · Post by **jbuck919** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:08 pm

This was a little more publicized on the other board, but is completely relevant here. Karl wrote an Evensong for the Third Sunday of Advent in his capacity as the Interim Director of Music at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. He posted a couple of excerpts and when I complimented him, he offered to send me the complete CD, which also includes his choir performing other choral works including Byrd, Tallis, and Victoria.

His CD arrived today and I put it on immediately. It is a very beautiful musical realization of what is certainly one of the most beautiful services in all of Western religion. Filled with variety, but still unified (a great rarity in art of today), and totally within tradition. Faithful to its models, but still with just the right touch of modernity. Imaginative and expressive, and utterly inspiring. A magnificent effort, worth what were doubtless many, many hours of work just to get the inspiration let alone the working out. Congratulations, Karl. And thank you for thinking of me on this one.

Ralph · Post by **Ralph** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:31 pm

I also received a CD from Karl and I've been remiss on reporting on it. Karl is a very talented composer and his music is moving and strongly evocative of spirtuality. It's a special pleasure to hear the work of a fellow CMGer.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:46 pm

Thank you, gentlemen both.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:26 pm

jbuck919 wrote:It is a very beautiful musical realization of what is certainly one of the most beautiful services in all of Western religion.

A couple weeks ago, I listened to the two tracks Karl Henning posted and was very impressed. The trombone duo was particularly haunting, I found myself playing that piece over and over again and even transferred it to my portable Walkman. With my notebook plugged into my main sound system, the mp3 sound quality was pretty amazing--it picked up the ambiance of the church beautifully--Ive been in that church a few times, it was evocative of the sacred and holy--and now it has a composer who can do it justice.

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 3:07 pm

Thank you, John, for posting such an insightful and interesting report on Karl's opus, and congratulations, Karl, on your success.

And if you can record a performance of your work that inspired such comment, regardless of any other factors, that's a success!

Mark Antony Owen · Post by **Mark Antony Owen** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:42 pm

I have been promised a CD by Karl - having commented on how much I enjoyed his posted samples - and I now await an opportunity to congratulate him in due course.

Harvested Sorrow · Post by **Harvested Sorrow** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:25 pm

I haven't been able to hear this samples that were spoken of. I suppose it's on the GMG thread about Karl? (in the composer section, I mean)

Post by **Corlyss_D** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:38 pm

Harvested Sorrow wrote:I haven't been able to hear this samples that were spoken of. I suppose it's on the GMG thread about Karl? (in the composer section, I mean)

Harve, here they are on the second page
http://classicalmusicguide.com/phpBB2/v ... 473#115473

Teresa B · Post by **Teresa B** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:56 pm

Congrats, Karl! I would love to hear it. I tried to listen to those two excerpts, but for some reason my computer would not download them.

All the best,
Teresa

Harvested Sorrow · Post by **Harvested Sorrow** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:06 pm

I just heard the two excerpts...excellent stuff!

Jack Kelso · Post by **Jack Kelso** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:04 am

Please accept my best wishes for this and other successes in the future, Karl. As a writer I know that wonderful feeling of (occasional!) recognition---and I hope that others will continue to derive pleasure from your work, both in listening to, and performing it.

Best regards,
Jack

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:05 pm

Just bringing these links here to the "new year":

Preface to the Nunc dimittis (two trombones)

Nunc dimittis (choir SATB)

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:34 pm

"Elegance and Beauty"indeed! The two links are lovely, Karl. More of the same!

paulb · Post by **paulb** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:59 pm

Hi Karl I did give a listen to the 2 clips offered from your site. You know how good I am with clips

Listening to Preface to the Munc dimittis , interesting interplay of instruments rarely given their due. As you knwo I have difficulty identifying individual instruments on recordings, especailly when all brass is playing together, hard for me to identify trombones separately from rest of brass. This link may help. Hearing the preface brought to mind my neighborhood back in New Orleans, Lakeview, post-katrina. Could make for an interesting backdrop to a video of the houses left as they stood post storm, with things left in destructive state where life once flourished, but also images of the slow reconstruction, anyway this is the image that came to my mind.
On your chorus piece Nunc dimittis, I hear influences of Baroque along with possibly second viennese, Schonberg. Nicely blended.
Congrats to your works.
I was wondering if you are influenced by Rachmaninov's Vespers, , Janacek's Glagolitic Mass, and also another suggestion would be Schnittke's 2 great choral pieces. These may act as further inspiration in future endeavours.
Look forward to your other scorings.
Paul

paulb · Post by **paulb** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:30 pm

Am i not hearing alittle influence from Copland in the opening trombone preface. Well if Copland is mostly images of landscape your trombone piece does fit the images I witness as I drive down streets in lakeview that were once rihly adorned with tall pines and wide arching southern oaks, now left partially stripped of their past glory.

Gurn Blanston · Post by **Gurn Blanston** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:39 am

The equali preludes, interlude and postlude are delightful, with just a touch of dissonance to give them a modern feel, but enough consonance to make them truly classic. I was delighted with this set of works, my only reservation is that the composer didn't autograph the disk for me.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:54 am

Heartfelt thanks to you all for your thrice-gracious reception of these small works of mine!

Best,
~Karl

Mark Antony Owen · Post by **Mark Antony Owen** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:56 pm

Well, I'm delighted to say that, having today received a CD of Dr. Henning's composition, 'Evensong', I find myself rather well disposed towards it. In fact - and bear in mind, I've heard the work in its entirety but once - I'd describe the sound thus, if I were talking with someone who hadn't heard it:

Imagine that Stanford (or, perhaps, Parry) and Copland were alive today and had been commissioned to collaborate on a small-scale choral work with two brass instrument accompaniments. I would wager that, drawing on the experiences and traditions of these men's past, and the musical language and frames of reference of today, they would've produced something not a million miles away from Dr. Henning's composition. A distinctly Anglo-American work, if it's not insulting to say this of it.

Karl, thank you again. It was a pleasure to listen to.

karlhenning · Post by **karlhenning** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:26 am

Thank you kindly, Mark!

Current project, now that I've played my recital at King's Chapel this Tuesday past, is adapting the twenty-minute clarinet solo, Studies in Impermanence, for cor anglais solo . . . .

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A tribute to our own Karl Henning

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