2024 Summer Collaborative Piano Opportunities

I'm looking for paid gigs or (mostly) subsidized learning opportunities.  I will update as I find more:

Paid Stuff:

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp  

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp - Hires collaborative pianists for vocal, instrumental, choral and musical theatre areas.  Pay is not great, but room/board is included, and it can be worthwhile under the right circumstances

Places that are Mostly Paid For If You Get Accepted/Scholarshipped For These Positions:

Aspen - Collaborative Piano Fellowship (Orchestral, Instrumental, Vocal and Opera Coaching Tracks)

Atlantic Music Festival - Piano Fellowship Programs    

 

Bayview Association - Collaborative Piano fellowships (Opera and MT rep)

Berkshire Choral International - Apprentice Program 

 

Bowdoin Festival - Collaborative Piano Program Fellowship

Classic Lyric Arts - Piano Fellowship 

Colorado College - Summer Music Festival (Instrumental rep) - scholarship includes tuition, room, board

Eastern Music Festival - Piano Fellowship  (Orchestral and Instrumental rep)  Age requirement: 23-33, $1000 stipend, shared housing and meal plan

Fellowship of the Song - Collaborative Piano Fellowship

Festival Napa Valley's - Manetti Shrem Opera Program

Glimmerglass - Young Artists Program - Opera

Hawaii Performing Arts Festival - Collaborative Piano/Assistant Music Director Professional Fellowship Program  Two piano fellowships (Opera and/or Musical Theatre) include a full-tuition waiver, shared housing accommodations, and on-campus meals while in residence

Lake George Music Festival - Piano Fellowship (Orchestral and chamber rep)

Miami Music Festival - Vocal Collaborative Piano Fellowship (Full scholarship with housing)

Muny Theatre, The Music Direction Internship   (Starts at $575/week, no housing provided) 

Music Academy Fellowship The - Collaborative Piano Fellowship (Age requirements: 18 year minimum/34 year maximum for pianists)  (Vocal and Instrum rep)

Music Theater Bavaria Collaborative Piano Fellowships (Opera and Musical Theatre rep) Age limit 35 yrs. 

NATS Collaborative Piano Internship

National Repertory Orchestra - Piano Keyboard Fellowship (Orchestral and chamber rep) (age range 18-29 years)

Opera in the Ozarks - they hire 2 Coach Accompanists Apprenticeships and one Coach-Accompanist

Opera San Antonio/Classical Music Institute Summer Voice Program - Vocal Collaborative Piano Teaching-Artist Fellowship

Ravinia Steans Music Institute - Collaborative Pianist Fellowship (Age requirement: 35 year maximum) (Chamber rep)  

Songfest Singer/Pianist Duo Fellowship

SongStudio Collaborative Pianist Program (Recommend ages 18-35)

Toronto Summer Music Emerging Artist Program Collaborative Pianist Fellowship (Chamber music or Art song rep)   

Trentino Music Festival - Collaborative Piano Scholarship (Opera and MT repertoire)

25th Annual Putnam Bee Research, Part 2

Eccentricities, typos and more!  Feel free to add anything I missed.

Vocal Scoring Quirks

Throughout the musical score, singers are referred to by their initials or first names (with occasional changes).  

CT - Chip Tolentino

LC - Leaf Coneybear (Except when he is labelled CB)

LS - Logainne Schwarzandgrubenierre, aka Schwarzy (Except when she is labelled Sch)

MP - Marcy Park

OO - Olive Ostrovsky

WB - William Barfee 

RP - Rona Lisa Peretti (Except when she is labelled RL)

MM - Mitch Mahoney

Everything is written in the treble clef, so you will need to transpose Chip Tolentino, Leaf Coneybear, Mitch Mahoney and William Barfee consistently down the octave. Exception - William Barfee often has (8va) written next to his part - presumably meaning 'sing in written octave' when present.  There are casts that can perform it exactly as written - other times you may need to adjust octaves for who you are working with.      

Note: Several of the songs use the vocal part designations 'Boys' and 'Girls' - plan your pronouns with care when working with non-binary casts.  

General Notes By Song

#1 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Leaf C's entrance in m.93 was a bit tricky with the asymmetry caused by m. 92a.  I (and Leaf) found it easier to cut m. 92a, and change the last 2 beats of m. 92 (a la OBC recording) to indicate the vamp is moving on.   

#2 My Friend the Dictionary

M. 97-end:  remember Olive is written an octave above where she sounds.   

#6 Pandemonium Reprise

Piano/Vocal score doesn't have voice designations for m. 21-24

#7 Prayer of the Comfort Counselor

Neither scores have song vocal assignments for m. 29-36 

Libretto/Vocal score is missing m. 38-39 E minor Oohs 

Oohs and Aahs harmonies have no vocal indications to the end of song

#9 My Unfortunate Erection

This song has alternative lyrics available: My Unfortunate Distraction.

#11 Spelling Montage

Spoken cues in the PV score/Vocal score differ from the actual libretto.  

Libretto version cues (pg 49):

"Please spell indicant" = m. 1   

"Please spell vulpine" =  m. 3 

"Hallux" = m. 5

... after that its a judgement call (we used "Palaver" at m. 7), tempo quickly increasing in gibberish until Olive steps up to the mic - then sudden slow motion.  

Correlating the music and dialogue in m. 11-25 is somewhat tricky, definitely practice dialogue with the music during blocking.  

#11B Coneybear Goodbye (instrumental underscoring)

The synth piano score is waaaay easier to read from than the PC score.

#12 I Speak Six Languages

TMD and PMD research revealed the following information (sorry I can't credit the specific people who provided the info, feel free to credit in the comments)

Foreign language sections are almost a literal translation of the first verse:

Je peux parler six langues (French): “I (can) speak six languages”

Cada idioma es simple (Spanish): “Every (each) language (is) easy”

Jerro o yo no reshipe no yasashi desu (Japanese): “(It’s) easy as the recipe for (making) Jello”

Ya gavaryu shest yaziki (Russian): “I speak six languages”

V'ani yodat shalom (Hebrew): “And I (can) say hello”

Im Noch mindestens sieben mehr (German): “In at least seven more”

   *Note that the PV and vocal scores have a misspelling ("seiben" instead of "sieben") - it's spelled correctly in the script, though.  

#13 - Jesus

Have the cast sing their most operatic random note in any range until cut off.

#13a  Three Spellers Remain!  

Play approximately 2 measures before cut off by phone ringing (they provide 14 measures of underscoring for some reason).  

The cutoff in m.22 is not specified anywhere other than [Sudden stop on cue]: your director's choice.  

#16 and 17B - Second Part I and Part II

Teach these early, they're hard.

#20 Finale

No vocal assignments m. 34-end

#21 Bows

No vocal assignments in final goodbyes m. 32 - it just says 'all'.  I think they just didn't care by this point in the show.

25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee Research, Part 1

All of the things to get you started with Spelling Bee:

[Be careful with online vocal ranges, btw - some of them are suspect.  I'm 99% certain the following is correct]

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Chip Tolentino

An athletic, social, boy scout and champion of the 24th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he returns to defend his title, but he finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment. Male, teen, Range: C3 – B4. 

Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere (Schwartzy)

Logainne is the youngest and most politically aware speller, often making comments about current political figures. She is driven by internal and external pressure, but above all by a desire to win to make her two fathers proud. She is somewhat of a neat freak, speaks with a lisp, and will be back next year. Female, teen, Range A3 – F5

Marcy Park

The ultimate overachiever, Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected and so simply produced. A parochial school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself as a mass of problems but she keeps them to herself.  Female, Teen, Range C4 – E5.

Olive Ostrovsky

A young newcomer to competitive spelling. Her mother is in an ashram in India, and her father is working late, as usual, but he is trying to come sometime during the bee. Having found comfort in its words and vastness, Olive made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition. She starts enormously shy, and slowly blossoms. Female, teen, Range B3 – F5.

Leaf Coneybear

The second runner-up in his district, Leaf gets into the competition on a lark and finds everything about the bee incredibly amusing. He is home-schooled and comes from a large family of former hippies. He spells words correctly while in a trance. Male, teen, Range A2 – A4

William Barfee

A Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts and is back for vindication. His famous “Magic Foot” method of spelling has boosted him to spelling glory, even though he only has one working nostril

and a touchy, bullying personality. He develops a crush on Olive. Male, teen, Range E2 – B4.

Rona Lisa Peretti

The number-one realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion herself, and the returning moderator. She is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch and his feelings for her. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. Female, Adult, Range B3 – F5.

Mitch Mahoney

The Official Comfort Counselor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the Bee, and hands out juice boxes to losing students. He has no idea how to offer comfort, but does find himself wishing he could find a way to make the kids feel better. Male, Early 20s, G3 – A4.

Douglas Panch

The Vice Principal. Frustrated with his life, he finds the drive of the young spellers alien to him. After five years’ absence from the Bee, Panch returns as judge. There was an “incident” at the Twentieth Annual Bee, but he claims to be in “a better place” now, thanks to a better diet. He is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, who does not return his affections. Male, Adult, Range N/A. 

OTHER CHARACTERS (may be doubled by actors playing parts listed above)

Carl Dad: Schwarzy’s main trainer, the more intense and competitive of Schwarzy’s fathers. Range C3 – E4.

Dan Dad: Dan is the more laid back and ineffectual of Schwarzy’s fathers. Range C3 – G4.

Jesus Christ: Deity invoked by a speller in need. Range N/A. 

Leaf’s Mom, Dad, and Siblings: All more academically gifted than Leaf, they are even more surprised than he is by his success. Range N/A. 

Olive’s Dad: A fantasy version of Olive’s dad coming to the bee from work. Range E3 – B4.

Olive’s Mom: A fantasy version of Olive’s mom at her Ashram in India. Range D4 – E5.

ORCHESTRATION

Piano/Conductor 

Cello (NO bass book)

Synthesizer/Keys 2  

Percussion 

Reed 1 - (Alto Sax, Bb Clarinet, Flute, Oboe)

I performed this show solo, so I cannot fully comment on the programming experience.  I've read comments that have noted the Keys 2/Synth book is the biggest challenge to program.  

CALLBACK POSSIBILITIES

Chip Tolentino - #9 My Unfortunate Erection  m. 86-end 

Schwartzy - #10 Woe Is Me  m. 69-end   

Marcy Park - #12 I speak Six Languages  m. 24-51

Olive Ostrovsky - #14 I Love You Song   m. 94-137

Leaf Coneybear - #4 I'm not that Smart   m. 47-end

William Barfee -  #5 Magic Foot  m. 87-end

Rona Lisa Peretti - #6B Rona Moment #2 or #3

Mitch Mahoney - #7 Prayer of the Comfort Counselor  m. 38-56

Douglas Paunch - #1a The Rules or #11 m. 25-end  

Carl Dad - #10 Woe is Me m. 95-end

Dan Dad - #10 Woe is Me m. 95-end

Olive Dad - #14 I Love You Song m. 171-end

Olive Mom - #14 I Love You Song m. 159-180

Another TMD/PMD suggestion for picking callback music: try a Google search for "auditions [or "callbacks"] 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee".  With any luck, you may find a theater or school's callback material available online. 

Choral Food Theme, P.S.

Noone was expecting this: an avalanche of random food-related choral music posts*. Featured here are the lesser known (well, as far as I can tell) and less performed pieces that somehow caught my attention.  I acknowledge this is a frivolous subject for serious choral music [and let's face it, not my typical reader] ... but Covid.  So I'm writing about what I want to. 

We'll start with an odd one, called Cooking School, written by Glenn Meade and rescored for Chicago A Cappella.  It is unique, period - a piece devoted entirely to the craft of cooking - but very jazzy and a lot of fun, splitting into 8 parts at the end.  Next, listen to a song about Creole cooking, which gets the spotlight in Stephan Chatman's What's Cookin'?(SATB) (Text by Tara Wohlberg), from his set Due South.  A slow and sultry swung song, it speaks of every southern dish on the planet, savoring every dish as it is named.  For those seeking dishes from other cultures, check out Laylay Agulaylay, a Philippine folk song about the delicious foods served at a couple's wedding feast for all to enjoy.  

Several tributes have been made to the song-worthy spud, but Little Potato, (arranged by Carol Barnett, text by Malcolm Dalglish) is the most adorable.  He used to sing it to his first infant, and it grabs the heart while making you smile.   Even the lack of potatoes gets a song in the Irish Famine Lament (SA) set by David Mooney, a mournful lament over potato blight.   Also lamentably (I mourned), Garrison Keillor does not print his music (4:27 time mark): if he did, Hymn to Potatoes (arranged by Paul Brandvik) would be made available to all.

Corn isn't really a sexy vegetable**, but still has a major place in several cultures' culinary traditions.  Native American Zuni women often sang while grinding corn, which brings us to Excier Rodriquez's arrangement, Ockaya (SATB)***.  Also called a 'rain song', it features an ear of corn that notices the clouds nearing and invites a flood.  From Venezuela we have Canto de Pilon(SSA), a corn-grinding song set by Cristian Grases.  The singers convey grinding throughout the piece by using percussive sounds and motions.  Charles Davidson's choral setting (SATB) of Israeli folk song Shibolet Basadeh is a joyful celebration of a gorgeous crop of corn and its coming harvest.  Another work song about grinding grains is Wendy Stuart's setting of a Japanese folk song song, Toshima Mochi Tsuko Bushi.  It is a celebratory song, and may be sung as a work song while pounding rice into rice balls (aka mochi).  

Since it hasn't happened yet, let's focus on fish [a sentence I never expected to type, ever.]  I've found a fishing folk song from Cuba, then a cultural study of fishing on the east coast in North America, and lastly, more of a 'what are we doing here in a boat' song.  The Cuban folk song, A Pescar Camaron (SSATB or SSA) was set by Caldwell & Ivory, and is accompanied by a lively piano part and percussion.  It is a lighthearted representation of folksong, singing about their chosen trade, as well as incorporating Afro-cuban dance rhythms into the song. Next is Stephen Chatman's piece, Fishing (SSATBB), which is a more visceral and evocative depiction of the sensations of a sailor at sea.  The piece belongs to a series of four choral suites [Due East, with North, South and West] that examine the cultures and landscapes in the different regions of North America.  They're quite stunning.  For a contrasting depiction of North American fishing, check out Bob Applebaum's Recipe for Fishing (SATB) (first song of his set, Bah! Wilderness: Two Songs in Praise of the Indoors).  For some, clearly, tuna should be 'caught' at the grocery store.   

As a closer, I'll focus on the enjoyment of food (and food wordplay) found in May Swenson's delightful poem "Summer's Bounty".  It is a whimsical meandering through several different-yet-similarly-named foods (ending with 'puppies of hush'), and was used for Paul Carey's Summer Bounty (SATB) in Play With Your Food (Part 1) and Bob Applebaum's Summer's Bounty.   And finally, for a food-themed encore, I loved Chicago A Capella's genius choice of arranging Lyle Lovett's Church [No music, sadly}.  

The End****.

*Clearly, I need to start practicing more.  And I'm a geek when I come to research and music.

**Except for 3 seconds during the song "Sexy" from Mean Girls, the musical (skip to 2:13 and wait for the mention)

*** JWPepper has two listed spellings for this song (Okaya and Ockaya).  The internet seems to favor 'Ockaya'.   

****Except for these Honorable Mentions:

Jamaican market song, Honey, Pepper, Leaf-Green Limes (SATB), arranged by Alice Parker (text from "Jamaica Market" by Agnes Maxwell-Hall)

In Béla Bartók's Six Children's Choruses we find Brotbacken (SA), a whimsical tale of 14 animals doing different tasks of the bread-baking process.

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's children's cantata, Our Garden (SSA), with text by Eno Raud.

Couple more transcriptions ...

(Just FYI - these are in Lead Sheet form, rather than sheet music) 

Heart Like You by Love & The Outcome

Multiplied by Needtobreathe

Who are we?

Probably the weirdest thing about the pandemic [for musicians, I mean] is the lack (OK, COMPLETE DISAPPEARANCE) of performance opportunities.  Yes, you can perform streaming online, etc (and outdoors, maybe with the right set up and people who can support the situation technically) - but honestly, the whole draw for (apology for the apostrophes) 'collaborative folk' was the idea of performing with others.  Like, Live*.   

This month, I've had to opt out of my choral gig (private school), because singing and Covid 19 don't go well together (ultimately, a personal decision).  I still do have my church gig, where circumstances are very distanced and safe/non-choral.  But wow, is it jarring emotionally to be so musically separated from my usual "normal'.  I haven't done a show since February.  I have no future concerts planned (not really), and everything feels like I'm planning from week to week.  

I've compensated with other activities (i.e. more experiments in the kitchen/trying out recipes/baking, my dogs are ECSTATIC about how many hours I can devote to them, and I'm developing a backyard gardening/landscaping scheme, etc).  But the hardest thing, overall, is not connecting with people on a musical level.  I think I'm trying to say, the pandemic screws with many things, but for a musician - we almost lose the sense of who we are.  Practicing is more of a chore when there's no performance in sight.  How do we spend our evenings when we aren't in rehearsals?  

Ultimately - I know everything will be fine (and wow, do I know a lot more about baking now).  Compare life to the last pandemic, I believe it was around 1918 - at least now we have the internet, Kindle, Zoom and countless musical score resources online available for practicing ... things could be worse.  But musicians (performers, conductors, educators, etc) are mourning the loss of musical connections and the sense of self we found in them.  May 'normal life' return soon.  

In the meantime, I'm trying Ina Garten's Cheddar Biscuits next ...

*It's just not the same otherwise.  And really feels kind of pointless, tbh.  Sorry.  Not trying to be a buzzkill.  Just sayin'.  

Groups Singing About Food (or The Choral Food One)

I admit that I tend to fall down rabbit holes (like Alice, I suppose).  I start looking into something that interests me and get sucked in, deep (much like Doctoral students and pop culture fanatics).  For example, who knew there is a stunning amount of pieces written for choirs about food?  I've put together a Sampler Plate* of the ones I enjoyed the most**: a gastronomic journey trekking through a multitude of dishes and cultures.

In a sense, Coffee IS a food group, so of course we start with J.S. Bach's miniature comic opera, the Coffee Cantata (BWV 211).  It is about a young woman named Aria who loves coffee, and  her disgruntled father's attempts to ban her from the drink. Here's a snippet showing her devotion:

Father sir, but do not be so harsh! 

If I couldn't, three times a day, 

be allowed to drink my little cup of coffee, 

in my anguish I will turn into 

a shriveled-up roast goat, 

Ah!  How sweet coffee tastes,

more delicious than a thousand kisses,

milder than muscatel wine.

Coffee, I have to have coffee, 

and, if someone wants to pamper me,

ah, then bring me coffee as a gift!

Eventually, the father agrees she can have three cups of coffee a day and writes it into her marriage contract (prenup stipulations have come a long way since 1735).  I actually found two other riffs on this idea, Peter Tiefenbach's Cappuccino Cantata (AKA The Lonely Barista) and Lee Barrow's Latte Cantate.  Each treatment is unique: Tiefenbach recasts the daughter as a lonely barista caught in a love triangle with her manager and a frequent customer, while Barrow updates Bach's cantata with more modern references and, um, weed. [No recordings of either, I'm afraid - comment below if you find any.]

Cooking and baking gets featured in "Punching the Dough", arranged by Alice Parker (lyrics).  In this piece, a (rather exasperated) pioneer wife compares her culinary tasks to the work of men ('While you're punching the cattle, I'm punching the dough"), pointing out her equally hard work in the kitchen.  Another song about kneading and baking (and the actual baker) is Colombian folk song, Maquerúle (lyrics translation), arr. by Julián Gómez-Giraldo.  The chorus encourages the baker to "knead the bread, Maquerúle, work it out, work the bread with your hands, sweat it out".  Focusing more on the enjoyment of baked goods is Theodore Lucas's "Bagels and Biscuits", a lighthearted a capella ode to brunch.  Yes, there is also jam.       

For the soup course, there are multiple options.  If you want something spicy, try "Chili Con Carne" (lyrics) by Anders Edenroth, a very rhythmic a capella piece celebrating the Mexican dish.  If you prefer the cuisine of the Dominican Republic, check out "La Sopa de Isabel" (lyrics) by Francisco Nuñez, an upbeat merengue about "the potato soup, a soup so tasty no one would leave it".  In Haitian cuisine, one of its most popular meals is the focus of "Tchaka"(lyrics), an a capella piece arranged by Sydney Guillaume (based on the poem by Gabriel T. Guillaume).  It's an incredibly exciting piece about stew, with Haitian Creole Text.  Rounding out this category are the well known "Beautiful Soup" from the Alice in Wonderland choruses by Irving Fine (with a wickedly difficult piano part, btw) and the lesser known "Good Fish Chowder" by James Fankhauser.  

We have a large crop of selections for the vegetable course, as well.  John Muehleisen has written two choral sets entitled "Eat Your Vegetables".  Set one has three songs featuring zucchini, a carrot (apparently a human carrot as well), and some kind of pep-rally like chant about rutabagas.  Set two (harder to find, btw) has three songs which include a tribute to eggplants, to Brussels sprouts and also (intriguingly titled "March of the Stalks") to celery.  Potato fans will enjoy Anna-Mari Kahara's Finnish song, "Laulu perunoiden kiehuessa", which translates to "Song while the Potatoes Boil". A joyous song, Kahara's piece revels in the celebration of life and singing. Cabbage lovers will enjoy Mack Wilberg's hoedown, "Bile Them Cabbage Down".

I've created another category for people whose emotions have entangled their food with their significant other. A foodie definitely authored the text to Paul Carey's "Mashed Potato/Love Poem" : "If ever I had to choose between you and a third helping of mashed potato, (whipped lightly with a fork not whisked, and a little pool of butter melting in the middle ...). I think I'd choose the mashed potato. But I'd choose you next." We find similar torn emotions in Steven Sametz's "Y Berenjenas con Queso" (And Eggplant with Cheese), a wonderful renaissance-style setting about a gourmand agonizing over whom/what has captured his heart: the beautiful Inez, ham or eggplant with cheese. A piece combining pop culture, the love of food and the love of its cook, is Paul Crabtree's "Marge, You Make the Best Pork Chops". Brief yet powerful, in this piece you can hear Homer Simson's true worship and devotion to both the woman and the pork chop. There's a lovely jazz lilt in Paris Rutherford's choral arrangement of "Gravy Waltz" (lyrics), where a man appreciates both his woman and her cooking. The story of original sin gets a different retelling in Carey's "Eve's Confession", the poem by Diane Lockward. Alas, Eve's inner battle - her loyalty divided between her husband and an (well, his) apple fritter - eventually ends with guilt and nary a crumb left.

I've grouped the next three pieces in the laziest way possible: they are all large works about food, and they were hard to research.  However, I could not leave out PDQ Bach's Grand Oratorio, "The Seasonings", which is utterly ridiculous in the best possible way (he actually utilizes kazoos and a 'tromboon' - a bassoon/trombone hybrid "with all the disadvantages of both").  There was also Bob Chilcott's a capella set, "Fragments from His Dish" (six choral pieces on the theme of food) which uses diverse texts (Pepys' diary, Christmas Day 1666; the Newcastle Chronicle from 1770, etc) and is supposed to be funny and witty.  And then there is Jean Françaix's "Ode à la Gastronomie", a 12 voice a capella choral work whose text uses a famous book (Physiology of Taste, Jean Brillat-Savarin) as a starting point and gets surreal from there. Apparently within the piece are onomatopoeic word-play (kitchen noises), gastronomic puns and a discussion of the erotic properties of the black truffle (but I couldn't find lyric translations ANYWHERE, and I'm relying on other people's comments).

In the choral settings of Cab Calloway's "Everybody Eats When They Come to My House", a showcase of hospitality and the enjoyment of food, we find a wonderful summary for this (rather extensive) rabbit hole dive.  To conclude*** this foodfest, listen to the "Banquet Fugue" by John Rutter, a rather adorable piece that ends with a realistic belch.  It's lyrics are full of onomatopoeia words about eating:

Guzzle guzzle guzzle, munch munch, gobble gobble,

Chomp, pass the salt and the pepper and the mustard 

and vinegar and the bread

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble

There's a fly in my soup! 

Slurp slurp slurp

Well, it won't drink much sir!

Fetch the doctor, I'm feeling rather strange.

Guzzle guzzle - munch munch - chomp chomp - gobble gobble

*Burp*

*Sorry, I'll limit the puns as much as possible

**Like before, parameters for musical choices were mainly 'stuff I like' and music had to actually BE about the food/recipe, not just use the word 'food' (i.e. 'Italian Salad' has nothing to do with salad, nor is 'Musical Risotto' remotely about creamy rice).  Additionally, I eliminated most pieces that didn't have sheet music and recordings, or that were less complicated composition wise (no snobbery, I'm just more interested in harder music.  Wait, there's snobbery.).

***Actually, I still have some honorable mentions (they made me laugh for some reason):

Best Swedish Chef imitation:  El Hambo by Jaakko Mantyjarvi

Best use of the phrase "Cheese, the ambassadors of peace":  Carmina Ricotta, Eric Barnes

Best use of the phrase "Give me chocolate, or give me death":  Bittersweet Tango, Eric Barnes

Best corruption of Pachelbel:  Taco Bell Canon

Just because:  Such a Nice Brisket!, Jack Curtis Dubowsky

Quarentinewhile ...

Some collaborative piano geekery for you:

Covid19 has caused a lot of things (i.e. increased levels of anxiety and backyard vegetable gardening) and also launched a new trend: baking.  Nationwide, since March 2020, thousands of banana breads, vats of frothy sourdough starters and stacks of cakes have appeared.  Stress-baking, our new favorite way to kill time (some people invest more time than others).  Further proof (no pun intended*) of the trend was the widespread disappearance of flour and yeast from grocery stores for 3 months.  Stockpiling is another new hobby this year, apparently.   

I also have spent waaay too much time in the kitchen, and am primarily thankful that I haven't grated off my thumb yet (pianist, remember?).  Not that performing is much of an option these days - most musicians are presently muzzled, so to speak.  Live performances, any group singing or similar interactions are not the safest thing: Zoom, live streaming and outside performances from a distance are our unsatisfying alternatives.  Small wonder that 'comfort meals' are so popular now.  

Occasionally, culinary thoughts wander into the music realm - consider how recital programming is often discussed in terms of meal planning.  Other times, gastronomy veers directly into music scores** (or flat out T-bones the Mack truck that is opera in this case).  For example, Lee Hoiby's one-act opera Bon Appétit!, pairs the sung text of a cookbook written by master chef Julia Child with a small chamber orchestra. The mezzo has to sing and bake simultaneously (its kind of like watching an operatic Rachel Ray episode). For those who'd prefer not to fling frosting onstage, there is no actual cooking in Leonard Bernstein's song cycle, La Bonne Cuisine (lyrics). There's still plenty of drama in the four French recipes: from the pressing urgency of the 'plum pudding' to the demanding 'rabbit in a hurry', the cycle is a great vehicle for both performers to channel their inner Gordon Ramsay. 

Some operas and songs favor specific dishes instead of list ingredients. Seymour Barab's one-act opera [parody], "La Pizza con Funghi" (Mushroom Pie) centers around Countess Formaggio attempting to kill her husband with poisonous mushrooms. Less homicidal but equally funny is William Bolcom's "Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise"(lyrics). Its a hysterical romp that pokes fun at potlucks, the disturbing cooking trends of the 70s, and Ladies' Club norms. The "Ice Cream Sextet" from Weill's Street Scene also deserves a shout out (or a scream, I suppose). The strangest one in this category is Gabriel Kahane's "If Anyone Knows..."(Timestamp 1:58)(lyrics) from his song cycle "Craigslistlieder". I challenge you to find any other song about sandwich relish.

I was rather stunned to discover not one, but two song cycles about sentient vegetables. Daron Hagen's song cycle, "Vegetable Verselets"(lyrics) portrays a narcissist cucumber, militant corn, betrothed celery and more. Sure to make you cough loudly and knock several times on your fridge door before you open it from now on, is Danika Loren's "The Sex Life of Vegetables". You'll never look at your crisper drawer the same way again. Fruit has also received some attention in art song, like in Lori Laitman's song set, "Plums", which discuss the enjoyment (and theft) of ripe plums. Laitman also composed "Refrigerator", poem penned by Thomas Lux, a steamy ode to Maraschino cherries that is full of unrequited longing. Sadly, the only other time I've encountered fruit on a recital program was a song cycle by "Joseph Cantaloupe"***.

I'll end**** with the most eerily prophetic song yet, seemingly written to directly address Covid19: Pasatieri's "Overweight, Overwrought, Over You" (lyrics).

 

*I really tried to leave out obvious food pun references in this blog. Unused, for example, are the phrases 'food for thought', 'stirred/whipped/cooked up', 'half-baked', 'embroiled', 'on the rise', 'don't trifle with', 'has soured', 'the time is ripe', 'spills the beans' ... someone give me a medal.

**Parameters for musical choices were mainly 'stuff I like', but also the music had to actually discuss food on some level other than just using the word (for example, "If Music Be the Food of Love" isn't about food) 

***Just in case you didn't know, the composer's name is Joseph Canteloube

****Of course this isn't the end.  I've discovered a ridiculous amount of food-related music.

Further info left out due to lack of space/interest, but still worth mentioning:

Steve Cohen, La Pizza del Destino 

Jack Beeson, To a Sinister Potato (text by Peter Viereck)

Daron Hagen, The Poetry of Sausages: Morcilla

Sergei Prokofiev, The Love for Three Oranges

Peter Tiefenbach, "Chansons de Mon Placard" or "Songs From My Cupboard" (subjects: seaweed, cornstarch, steak spice and Aspirin)

Bethany Dillon Hallelujah (Acoustic) Transcription

Hello and another transcription, this one a song by Bethany Dillon, Hallelujah (Acoustic version).  I transcribed it from the the recording on Youtube.


Enjoy!

"Wonderfully Made" Transcription

Just wanted to share a transcription I just finished as a project - Wonderfully Made, by Ellie Holcomb.  It's for anyone who might find it handy - the song (as of yet) doesn't have any kind of Lead Sheet, just a chart, so I transcribed it (mainly due to an abundance of time I now have on my hands).  

Enjoy, and stay safe!

Wonderfully Made, Ellie Holcomb, Bb

First Date - Indicated Sounds for Piano Conductor, Keys 2 & 3

All the Patches in Keys books [remember K2 is also Guitar 2, K3 is also Reeds]

1. The One

Piano/Conductor: Piano, RH The One Guitar (transpose 8vb)/LH Synth Bass (OD Rhodes) Split, RH The One Guitar E5 and above, Piano D#5 and below Split

K2: [Electric guitar]

K3: Overdriven Rhodes w/dly, Warm Pad, Marcato Strings, Modern Stg pad

2. First Impressions

Piano/Conductor: Piano, Organ (Leslie On and Off at specific points)

K2: [Electric guitar]

K3: [Bari sax]

3. Bailout #1 - use Track or

Piano/Conductor: Trans Synth

K2: RH/LH split -RH 80s Orchestra Hit – above C3 “Circuit Dialogue” transpose 8va/LH Synth Bass – sounds 8vb

K3: Synth Strings + 8vb

4. The Girl For You

Piano/Conductor: Piano, Harp, Celeste, Piano Bandoneon, Harpsichord

K2: Big Strings (both hands), Xylophone/banjo split, Brass, Xylophone, Chamber String Ensemble, Pipe Organ, Glock (sounds 8va)/Warm Strings split, Pizz Strings, Vibes/Marcato Strings split, Banjo/Brass split

K3: [Clarinet]

4a. The Girl For You Playoff

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Banjo/Tuba split

K3: [Clarinet]

5. The Awkward Pause

Piano/Conductor: RH 12 String Patch F1 to ---/LH Crotales – sounds +4 octaves C0-Bb0

K2: [Acoustic Guitar]

K3: [Awkward Flute][seriously, that’s what’s indicated]

5a. Blaze

Piano/Conductor: Harpsichord

K2: Xylophone

K3: [Flute]

5b. Lauren’s Entrance #1

Piano/Conductor: Vibes

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

5c. Gabe Entrance #1

Piano/Conductor: Clav (sounds 8vb)

K2: Bright Stage Rhodes

K3: Tacet

6. Allison’s Theme #1

Piano/Conductor: Piano, Harp (Sounds 15vb), Piano

K2: Harp, Glock (sounds 8va)/Celeste (sounds 8va) split , Warm Strings

K3: [Flute]

7. The WWW is Forever

Piano/Conductor: Piano, Pizz Stgs

K2: Pizz Strings, Strings, Piatti, Timp roll/hit/”boing”, m. 51 gunshot “whiz by”, Typewriter 1/Computer Keyboard split, Typewriter 2/Computer Keyboard Split

Harp triggers m 96-102, C6 Harp gliss

K3: [Soprano Sax]

7a. The Touch

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

8. Can’t Help But Love Me (Slow Jam)

Piano/Conductor: MKSensation Players EP (Piano 1 + Dyno & EP2 w/chorus + Warm Pad)

K2: Sine Wave Lead (w/20% Portamento), (Omnisphere): Super Classic Bells, MASSIVE:Moog on Tape - Moog slide, Octave Strings, Synth Brass

K3: Tacet

8A. Lauren’s Entrance #2

Piano/Conductor: Vibes

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

9. Bailout #2 track or

Piano/Conductor: Trans Synth

K2: RH/LH split -RH 80s Orchestra Hit – above C3 “Circuit Dialogue” transpose 8va/LH Synth Bass – sounds 8vb

K3: Synth Strings + 8vb

9A. Lauren’s Entrance #3

Piano/Conductor: Vibes

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

10. Safer

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: [Acoustic Guitar]

K3: Omnisphere - Resonant chill (sounding 8va), Synth strings (sounding 8va)

11. I’d Order Love

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Vibes, Farfisa Organ, Strings + 8vb

K3: [Tenor Sax]

11a. Gabe’s Entrance #2

Piano/Conductor: Clav (sounds 8vb)

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

12. Allison’s Theme #2

Piano/Conductor: Piano, Harp, Piano

K2: Glock (sounds 8va)/Celeste (sounds 8va) split, Warm Strings, Harp + Harpsichord (sounds 8vb)/Pizz Strings split

K3: [Flute]

13. The Things I Never Said

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Solo cello

K3: [Clarinet]

14. Bailout #3 track or

Piano/Conductor: Trans Synth

K2: RH/LH split -RH 80s Orchestra Hit – above C3 “Circuit Dialogue” transpose 8va/LH Synth Bass – sounds 8vb

K3: Synth Strings + 8vb

14a. Allison’s Entrance #2

Piano/Conductor: Piano/Harp

K2: [Acoustic guitar]

K3: [Clarinet]

15. In Love With You

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Bright Suitcase Rhodes, Harp, B3 316000052 (Leslie On and Off at specific points)

K3: [Bari Sax i think]

16. The Check

Piano/Conductor: Harpsichord, Piano

K2: Strings

K3: [Bari Sax]

16a. Gabe and Lauren’s Final Entrance

Piano/Conductor: Bright Stage Rhodes, Piano/Vibes

K2: Tacet

K3: Tacet

16b. First Impressions Reprise

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: [Electric Guitar]

K3: SAFER synth strings –sound in written octave

17. Something That Will Last

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: [Acoustic Guitar]

K3: Background Strings or pad

18. Bows

Piano/Conductor: Organ

K2: [Electric Guitar]

K3: [Bari Sax]

19. Playoff

Piano/Conductor: Piano

K2: Farfisa Organ

K3: [Tenor sax]