Over the past few years Joseph Herbst has busied himself with a variety of projects including his sextet’s debut album, This is Our Environment - a fourteen-track LP combining original compositions, spoken word, and an acute awareness of one’s social/global environment. The album is in turns joyful, fiery, heartfelt, fun, and moral, but above all it is a celebration of creativity. Read on!
Read MoreDuring the past two decades, I have composed over sixty pieces (and several more during my youth that I later removed from my works list). In that time, I have definitely cultivated a compositional process that works for me. I absolutely concede that everyone composes differently but in this issue of The Theisen Journal I share three aspects of my compositional practice that I believe lead to positive results.
Read MoreIn this issue I am going to discuss a sensitive topic, an attitude that I believe plagues those of us in creative fields. I call it Perpetual Underdog Syndrome and it can have long-term negative effects on one’s mental health, creative work, and career. Read on!
Read MoreEntering 2021, I have spent a lot of time recalibrating my creative energies and in doing so have refined certain mindsets that work positively for me. In this issue of The Theisen Journal I would like to share some interrelated musings on creativity that you may find empowering, useful, or intriguing.
Read MoreThis week marks the one-year publication anniversary of the NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music for Alto Saxophone, Volume 1, curated by yours truly. To celebrate this occasion, I am dedicating Issue No. 13 of The Theisen Journal to reflecting on this project’s inception, goals, composers, launch recital, and further developments!
Read MoreIn the previous issue of The Theisen Journal, I outlined how we could combine traditional triads in ways that would complete twelve-tone aggregates. In this issue, I will explore merging two or more of the same traditional seventh chord type - fully-diminished, half-diminished, minor-minor, major-minor (dominant), and major-major seventh chords - into total chromatic structures.
Read MoreI am fascinated with how we may combine triad types (major, minor, diminished, and augmented) with non-overlapping pitch class content into total chromatic collections for aggregate harmonies or twelve-tone rows. In this issue of The Theisen Journal, I will be outlining ways we can combine triad types that exhaust the equal-tempered twelve-note aggregate.
Read MoreThis week my review of Quinsin Nachoff’s album Pivotal Arc was published through Megan Ihnen’s Sybaritic Singer. You’ll definitely want to go over and read my review and, while you’re there, explore all of the other musical goodies that Sybaritic Singer has to offer!
Read MoreComposers have long utilized placement of sounds in specific registers to define larger formal shapes in their works. In other words, it matters not just what musical materials are heard but where in pitch space they occur. In this issue, I provide a brief analysis of the coda of Elliott Carter’s Cello Concerto to show this principle in effect…
Read MoreI was recently interviewed by collaborative composer Adam Kennaugh for an episode of his Making Noise Podcast. What resulted was an intense 150 (!!!) minutes of discussion about purpose, empathy, creativity, psychoactive substances, the power of self-imposed discomfort, meditation, and “following dumb ideas.” Listen here!
Read MoreI have a deep admiration for artists who seem inexhaustible in their creative energies, vision, and ambition. Stephanie Lamprea is such an artist. Imagine my delight when Stephanie solicited composers to write brief unaccompanied pieces for her that she would record for a multi-volume set of self-produced albums. I jumped at the chance and, thankfully, she agreed to collaborate with me! Read about the result…
Read MoreIn this issue, I ask composer/artist Everette Minchew a few questions about the development of his compositional technique, his series of Open Pieces, the impact of his disability on his creative output, his process, and the relationship between his compositions and his paintings…
Read MoreThis past week was a joyous one. My sister got married on Saturday and two compositions of mine were performed on opposite ends of the United States: Sleep Now O Sleep Now for clarinet/piano and Planetesimal Bump for jazz ensemble. If you want to listen to the streamed recordings and discover a little about these pieces, read on!
Read MoreOver the course of a three-hour Zoom hangout, deVon Russell Gray and I discussed various creative endeavors while drinking mezcal and watching Mel Brooks’ classic spoof Spaceballs. The conversation began on the lighter side then gradually increased in intensity. Here are some highlights presented in twelve short movements.
Read MoreThe filmed version (directed by Spike Lee) of David Byrne's concert/stage show American Utopia debuted on HBO this past Saturday October 17. Here are my thoughts...
Read MoreI struggled with serious performance anxiety for several years. In this issue, I tell my story, describe common cultural causes of performance anxiety, mention advice that did not help me, then outline three healthy management tactics that did (including my theory about the importance of inhabiting the present moment).
Read MoreComposing and arranging for wind ensemble/concert band can be a daunting task if one is not accustomed to working with this unique and monstrously sized large ensemble. Having written several pieces for wind ensemble over the years (and performed in them from my earliest experiences as an instrumentalist), I have learned a few hacks along the way that can improve the overall quality of a composer/arranger’s work for the medium.
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