Composer at Work

Joseph Schwantner explains how he began to compose and wrote so often for the flute
By Jennie Brown

oseph Schwantner (b. March 2, 1943, Chicago) is a

prolific American composer who has been a member of the Academy of Arts and Letters since 2002
and has served on the faculties of the Eastman School
of Music, the Juilliard School, and Yale University.
His compositions have received accolades, beginning
with three BMI Student Composer awards, through to
a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Charles Ives
Prize from the Academy of Arts and Letters, four National
Endowment of the Arts Grants, the Kennedy Center
Friedheim Competition First Prize, two Grammy nominations, and most notably, the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for
his orchestral work Aftertones of Infinity. He has received
numerous major commissions by foundations including
the Ford Made in America Consortium, the Naumburg
Foundation, the Fromm Music Foundation, and more.
He has also received commissions from virtually every major American orchestra, including the New York
Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony, and numerous
elite chamber ensembles including Chicagos own Eighth
Blackbird. Schwantner is simply one of the most respected and beloved composers of this generation, and his
works are frequently performed by ensembles around the
globe.
What a thrill to note that such a celebrated American
composer has also written a substantial amount of repertoire for flute that is worthy of our consideration as
performers and teachers. His short solo pieces Black
Anemones and Soaring are frequently paired together.
Black Anemones for flute and piano, can be described as a
song of the soul, lyrical and hauntingly beautiful. In contrast, Soaring for flute and piano is a virtuosic work, exuding confidence and a bold artistic spirit. Looking Back
for flute and piano is a retrospective work, quoting material from Schwantners past works and even looking
back on musical material introduced within the work itself. It is brilliantly complex, pushing the technical limits
of the instrument and flutist within a beautifully colorful
musical language.
Two chamber works that feature the flute prominently
are Silver Halo for flute quartet (including piccolo, flute,
alto flute, and bass flute) and Taking Charge for flute/piccolo, percussion, and piano, both of which are compelling
works for any flutist looking for an exciting and dramatic
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Joseph Schwantner

addition to their concert program. The virtuosic character

of these pieces is further enhanced by engaging visual
elements. Schwantner instructs the performers to alter
lighting in Taking Charge, and in both Taking Charge and
Silver Halo he creates choreographed stage entrances that
bring the sound of the alto flutes or piccolo wafting from
backstage to onstage and back again. These works are incredibly fun (yes, fun!) and masterfully crafted. I hope
they may quickly become your favorite chamber pieces
for these ensembles, as they have for me.
Schwantner has also composed many beautiful works
for flute within a chamber music context. These include: A Play of Shadows and Canticle of Bells, both
for solo flute and chamber orchestra, Modus Caelestis
for 12 flutes, 12 strings, percussion, and piano, and numerous works for mixed chamber ensemble including
Rhiannons Blackbirds, Consortium 1, Consortium 2,
Distant Runes and Incantations, Music of Amber, Elixir,
and Diaphonia Intervallum. Consortium 1 in particular
is a concise example of his serial writing, still within
Schwantners signature tonal language. For further inSummer 2016

sights into Schwantners music, I highly recommend the JB: What piqued your interest in the flute and inspired
you to write so many works for the instrument?
writing of Cynthia Folio, Professor of Composition at
Temple University, whom Schwantner considers to be a JS: While I was a graduate student at Northwestern,
my music was performed and recorded by the
foremost scholar on his compositions for flute.
Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a professional
It is easy to see why I felt inspired to create my reNew York-based ensemble that was considered one
cently released CD entitled Looking Back: Flute Music of
of the preeminent new music groups in the United
Joseph Schwantner (Innova Recordings) together with
States during the 1960s. Two flutists who frequently
wonderful Chicago Flute Club friends and more. I invited
performed with the CCE were Thomas Nyfenger
Joe to share a few thoughts on his flute music in hopes
and Paul Dunkel. Their playing was an extraordinary
of highlighting his music for our CFC community, espedisplay of technique, skill, and agility. Each
cially since he was born in Chicago, raised in the south
possessed a seemingly effortless ability to engage
suburbs, and graduated from the Chicago Conservatory
the most difficult and challenging new music. Their
of Music (1964, bachelors degree) and Northwestern
performance standards and those of many of the
University (1966, 1968, respectively, masters and docmembers of the New York new music community set
toral degrees).
a very high bar that clearly enriched and expanded
my compositional palette and affected the music I
JB: Youve spoken about the influence of your stellar
wrote during that period.
high school music department and guitar teacher,
Robert Stein. How did those teachers help to create In 1970 I began teaching at Eastman, and in 1972
wrote my first work for flutes, Modus Caelestis,
the foundations for your work?
Celestial Melody for 12 flutes, 12 strings, piano,
JS: For as long as I can remember I have been deeply incelesta and three percussionists. It was performed by
terested in music, and I fondly recall my private guia contemporary chamber ensemble at Eastman called
tar lessons with my teacher, Robert Stein. He was a
Zeitgeist in Musik. The work, partly inspired
kind, thoughtful, and understanding man who taught
by some of the fine flute students in Professor Joe
a variety of instruments including the guitar, piano,
Marianos studio, was a multilayered antiphonal
and violin. As my lessons progressed, I would someexploration of shifting flute, string, and percussion
times add additional melodic passages and phrases
textures pitting the flutes against the strings with
to the studies he would assign in an attempt to adthe piano and percussionoften linking the other
vance my technique on the guitar, much to his initial
instrumental choirs.
displeasure, of course.
While he urged me to be faithful to the printed Throughout my career, Ive had the pleasure of
working with many superb flutists including Paula
page, the instinct to create music continued to exRobison, Ransom Wilson, Jacob Berg, Fenwick
cite me, and I was drawn further into a world where
Smith, and Sue Ann Kahn, to name just a few.
those embellishments and embryonic musical ideas

While Ive not yet had the opportunity to write a
became more elaborate, extended, and fully formed.
flute concerto, I look forward to that possibility one
Finally, I would bring him entire pieces that I had
day.
composed. He understood the peculiarities of my
musical personality and was generous and helpful in JB: Two of your major commissions for flute were written
in honor of legends in our field. Looking Back was
offering clear and incisive remarks about my pieces.
a commission from the students of Samuel Baron.
School music teachers Adeline Anderson and Lyle
Taking Charge was a commission by Northwestern
Hopkins also had a significant impact on my musical
Universitys Bienen School of Music for Walfrid
development, and looking back many years later, I
Kujala.
realize the importance of their support to my future
Continues on page 16
commitment to a life in music.
Pipeline

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Schwantnercontinued from page 11

JS: I was delighted to accept the invitation to write pieces
to honor two legendary musicians, Samuel Baron and
Walfrid Kujala. Both enjoyed long and distinguished
careers as performers, teachers, and mentorseach
displayed a passion, devotion and commitment to the
highest standards of their craft. The clear evidence
of their success is that many of their former students
now hold prominent professional and academic
positions in our country and around the world.
JB: What do you enjoy most about composer/performer
collaboration?
JS: Over the years, Ive learned so much from the
musicians that have performed my music. A work
can only truly become alive in performance, when
the players engage the music with the full measure
of their skill and experience and have the freedom to
draw upon that deep pool of musical understanding
that brings them to a place where they can lift the
notes off the page and begin to soar.
JB: Apart from music, what do you enjoy most?
JS: Despite my age, my other passion outside of music
is playing racquet ball!

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Calling All Students!

The Chicago Flute Club is excited to announce the date
and location of the 2016 Student Competition.
North Park University
Sunday, November 6, 2016
8:00AM 5:00PM
Repertoire can be found in the Spring Pipeline or
on the CFC website. The competition application
will be sent to all members; you also can register on
chicagofluteclub.org at any time. Space is limited in
each division, so send in your application as early as
possible!
Each contestant will have the rewarding experience
of competing at a high level with other top student
flutists from the Chicago area and playing for judges
who are well known professional flutists and university
flute professors. All competitors receive the judges
comment sheets. The winners in each division receive
monetary prizes and certificates suitable for framing.
First prize winners in each division will also receive the
honor of performing at a Chicago Flute Club Members
Showcase recital during our 2016-2017 season.

Special Projects Fund

Did you know that the Chicago Flute Club has a
Special Projects Fund?
We established the fund to pay for long-term projects
beyond ordinary operation of the CFC, as specified in
the Bylaws. Money in the fund may only be used to
support special projects approved by a supermajority
(75%) of the Board.
At the end of each fiscal year the treasurer transfers
$1 per member from the general account to the fund.
We also deposit in the fund gifts designated for special
projects. The transfers and gifts are invested so that
they grow steadily over time.
So far, money from the Special Projects Fund has
been used to commission works for the flute, which is
part of our mission.
You can participate. Make a gift to the CFC and
specify that it is to be directed to the Special Projects
Fund. You will be part of our effort to commission new
works for the flute and to undertake other projects of
lasting importance to flutists everywhere.
Summer 2016