November 30 - Tossed As It Is Untroubled

"It was a howling day, I remember, a hundred by the anenometer."

The fog gives way to blustery winds and gorgeous bluestery skies, taking in a couple classic kid's movies in the early hours (Jule Styne's Mr. Magoo's Christmas, Johnny Marks's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Moose Charlap's Peter Pan), and over the Benicia Bridge for the third day of student teaching with the Diablo Valley College Music Theoreticians, and beginning in earnest the fourth round of compositions.  Home again, quite a number of papers graded, and back again for the

evening class, proceeding from Sergei Prokofiev through Dizzy Gillespie

looking ahead (lamentably) to our last week of content, in a slightly truncated semester.  Return late for more suspicious musical activities: Pdf of Street Songs, system 4, and composition of The Cop and the Anthem (page 60) and Psalm 81 (M6).

November 16 - Will Wonders

Early dispensing of new pages composed for The Cop and the Anthem and Psalm 80 (50 and 4), before proceeding along the paradoxical summer-fall corridor to Diablo Valley for dictation / keyboard-solfege / board harmony on John Williams's Star Wars: The Force (plus Main Title video of film, followed by audio of Roger Waters et al Dark Side of the Moon: Breathe).  Schedule student teaching responsibilities, with still time for a couple ensuing fine scholar compositions, and head home thereafter in the fourth summer-temp environement of the moth to grade papers.  Halfway through, however, get seduced by the notion of updating the Performance: Analysis, Keyboard, and Solfege volume by beginning a table of contents / index for it.  As such, there are fewer grades passed out in the evening class, but plenty of music heard as we play catch up from Charles Ives through Alban Berg and King Oliver, looking ahead to two weeks from now for a repertory roughly centered on the

1940's and 50's.  Second return of the day to polish off pdf for Mary Variations: X. Blue Chrome Mary.

November 2 - How Sweet

Heroically down the freeway towards Diablo for yesterday's Music Theory content today (on what may be the last day of summerlike temperatures for the season, given the weather report): to wit, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story: Cool as intervallic and tone-row demonstration, Mark Alburger's San Fernando Hub: I. Fresno to round out round 2 of compositions, and Jester Hairston's Elijah Rock for Dictation / Board-Harmony.

Home to grade papers thereafter, then

back

over

80

and

and 680 for the

evening class, proceeding from Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto: Act III, Storm to Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme: Act II, with South African and Native American Music along the way -- at the same time looking ahead to the

Early 20th Century and back to past weeks via

make-up quizzes.  Home again for typical late-night musical actvities re Aerial Requiem pdf page 2 and composition of The Cop and the Anthem (36) and Psalm 78 (2).

October 19 - Ever Aglow

Finally take the plunge and book the Philadelphia / Swarthmore trip online, then blast to Diablo for more Kurt Weill, more review, and more creative student compositions.  Type up required follow-up form for the Teacher Evaluation meeting with Glen, which follows (have evidently passed once more with flying colors, despite the black-and-white garb), print up the week's quizzes, then head out for mid-afternoon paper grading at Yan's Garden

and

Elephant

Bar,

returning to the

evening class's roster of music from Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto: Act III Quartet. (nevertheless quizzing through Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag).  Will miss teaching the class next week, with make-ups and more 19th-Century Music two weeks hence.  Return in the late evening of more musical madness... the next pdf page (16) of Aerial Requiem and pages (11 'n 27) composed for Psalm 77 and The Cop and the Anthem.

October 12 - Up

Page 9 pdf for Aerial Requiem, plus composition of 4th sheet Psalm 77 and 20 re The Cop and the Anthem, heading off to DVC for Early 20th-Century Harmony review and engaging student compositions with the Theoreticians, home again to correct a multitude of papers, and

back

for

the

evening

class,

under

dramatic

skies,

down

the

80 /

680

corridor. 

Music Literature proceeds from J.S. Bach through

Ludwig van Beethoven,

looking ahead to the Romantic Era. 

Retire for the day, finishing a reading of Margaret Atwood's Two-Headed Poems.

September 21 - Renaissance Plan

Evening class with the Music Historians covers from Giles Binchois and company through Josquin des Pres, Costanzo Festa, Henry VIII, and the Spanish expulsion of the Muslims, with several world-music wanders and 

make-up quizzes, while the morning Theoreticians (after home endeavors producing new pdf parts for Suite "Sol[ar]": I) leap ahead to the J.S. Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor as Dictation and Board Harmony (intriguing student compositions all week, plus a bit of Job: A Masque).

In between, there are papers to grade at Yan's Garden and Elephant Bar, plus fourth-page pdf produced for Sinfonietta: II.  Late after classes, fifth page of Psalm 73 is composed.

September 14 - For the Mix

More fog

and

blue skies, down 680 again, for review and a fair number of fine student compositions from the Theoreticians (at least we've gone through last names A-F by now).  A double paper-grading day at Yan's Garden (Theory) and Elephant Bar (Music History), then back to DVC to compose the fourth page of Psalm 72 and produce final pdf (IV) for Stolen Students, Op. 25. 

Evening class right on schedule through the Guillaume de Machaut La Messe de Nostre Dame: Kyrie and

Quiz 4, with make-up quizzes next week.

September 7 - Ta Da!

In the evening, Music Literature proceeds from the Latin Lyric Song of the Ass (Orientis Partibus) through Perotin's Hec Dies, via music of India, the Middle East, and Pre-Columbian America -- with

Quiz 3 towards departure.

The day begins with 21st-Century Music work and the Music Theory folks (Conrad Paumann's Mit Ganzcem Willen and student compositions), double-paper grading (thanks to Xavier's assistance again) at

Yan's Garden

and

Elephant Bar.

Return and

record

Acid Loops, Op. 195
XLI. New York Dance
XLII. New York Dance Pro
XLIII. On the Jazz
XLIV. Opium
XLV. Orchestra

After the evening class, do the pdf of part 2 Orpheus Cycle: VI and compose a fourth system of Psalm 71.