Thursday, October 9, 2008

October 9 - What's the Buzz of Hanging Around


Finish the orchestration of VIII. I Am Joseph before heading off to give Quiz 8 (with examples drawn from 19th-century music) to the theoreticians. In the lab eventually, recording

Amazing Joseph, Op. 57

VII. Take My Youngest Son
VIII. I Am Joseph

and

The Passion According to St. Matthew, Op. 55

XIVa. When Judas, His Betrayer
XIVb. Judas Went Out and Hanged Himself



On the way home, while driving the back roads, get nailed by a Fairfield bee (often these days I read the Sacramento Bee, but this is unprecedented) which has decided to hang around the back of my shirt -- yowzah! Survive the rest of the trip not further scathed, finishing instrumental labors on Amazing Joseph with IX. Now I Can Die (in reference to Jacob and sons -- not the insect sting), and continuing with text underlay of The Ten Commandments, Op. 58 (which somehow never was finished earlier), before Harriet arrives home from a job.



After a bit of hang-out time together, decide that these Biblical epics need to continue getting orchestrated, etc., so buzz out to U.C. Davis to loiter with the score of Arnold Schoenberg's Moses und Aron for awhile (the G.F. Handel Israel in Egypt will also be of service). Back again, doing one page of Moses and Aaron, Op. 63 (a recitative accompanied by a pseudo-baroque swing-rock trio), as a stinger before buzzing off to bed.