Think of it as someone using your headshot for a campaign you don’t approve or endorse. Audience members unfamiliar with the composer’s work will assume that the composer made the choices that you made. You tried to shoehorn the music to fit into your program, but see it from the composer’s point of view. You love the composer’s music and want to play it, but you have certain limitations, whatever they may be. For example, did you perform the piece with different instrumentation than set in the score? Did you change the articulation, form, structure, dynamics, omit extended techniques, or change words in the text of the vocal part? Did you know that was actually illegal? That’s considered an arrangement, and you actually need the composer’s, and possibly the publisher’s, permission to do so. Sometimes a salty response may be the consequence of perceived lack of respect of the composer’s music. Besides, what if this starts a collaborative process? And if it’s a salty response, then you’ve dodged a bullet by not working on a bigger project with that composer. Still have questions? Contact that composer, and get the answer from the horse’s mouth.
#Nicole chamberlain composer how to
If you have questions about how to perform a piece, start with recordings provided on a composer’s website. Make sure you support your composer by purchasing their sheet music legally through the composer, publisher, or reputable retailer. At the very least, letting a composer know you have plans to perform their piece will give them a way to get paid performance royalties by their performance royalty organization, not to mention a much needed emotional boost knowing people care.īe genuinely supportive and make every effort to give an informed performance. A composer will let you know how involved they can or want to be. Ask questions about the music, invite them to the performance, rehearsal, or send them recordings to listen to in order to get feedback. Reach out, let them know you are performing it. We all know that one way to work with a composer is by commissioning new music, but did you know we like to hear about our pre-existing music getting performed as well? If you buy music from a retailer or a publisher, the composer probably has no idea. By the way, when you reach out to a composer – open with that. But I assure you, they are not going to be upset about hearing how you are interested in their work.
You will never be bothering a composer when you reach out, they might be slow to respond or busy. The benefit to working with living composers is the opportunity to bring the complete truth of the music to the performance. Without the performers, the music would just sit on a shelf – lifeless. Composers can have many personalities, but we get a bad rap for being eccentric hermits. Composers do need, and sometimes love, collaborating with others in order to bring music to life.
The comment I get the most from performers is the surprise that I am so “normal”. I’ve witnessed the process through both lenses, and I would like to share what I’ve learned from working on both sides of the fence. So let’s start fresh shall we? I’ve been fortunate that I have professionally experienced creating music both as a composer and a flutist. Working with a living composer may not be something everyone got to experience in school, and if so – it may have been with a student composer who was still learning and stumbling along the way just like everyone else going through the learning process.
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