Posted on February 28, 2010 at 10:06 pm by Robert Levine
in General |

This article on composer/programmer David Cope and the compositional software he’s created is absolutely amazing:

It was here, half a dozen years ago, that Cope put Emmy to sleep. She was just a software program, a jumble of code he’d originally dubbed Experiments in Musical Intelligence (EMI, hence “Emmy”). Still — though Cope struggles not to anthropomorphize her — he speaks of Emmy wistfully, as if she were a deceased child.

Emmy was once the world’s most advanced artificially intelligent composer, and because he’d managed to breathe a sort of life into her, he became a modern-day musical Dr. Frankenstein. She produced thousands of scores in the style of classical heavyweights, scores so impressive that classical music scholars failed to identify them as computer-created. Cope attracted praise from musicians and computer scientists, but his creation raised troubling questions: If a machine could write a Mozart sonata every bit as good as the originals, then what was so special about Mozart? And was there really any soul behind the great works, or were Beethoven and his ilk just clever mathematical manipulators of notes?

Cope’s answers — not much, and yes — made some people very angry. He was so often criticized for these views that colleagues nicknamed him “The Tin Man,” after the Wizard of Oz character without a heart. For a time, such condemnation fueled his creativity, but eventually, after years of hemming and hawing, Cope dragged Emmy into the trash folder.

This month, he is scheduled to unveil the results of a successor effort that’s already generating the controversy and high expectations that Emmy once drew. Dubbed “Emily Howell,” the daughter program aims to do what many said Emmy couldn’t: create original, modern music. Its compositions are innovative, unique and — according to some in the small community of listeners who’ve heard them performed live — superb.

Regardless of whether or not you believe that these programs are capable – or could ever be capable – of producing works that really are “superb,” the issues raised by the article go to the heart of the nature of musical creativity.

No comments

Posted on February 26, 2010 at 5:13 am by Ann Drinan
in General |

We’ve published another article — about an amazing marketing success with a program that should have been hard to sell. Now, of course, our own Robert Levine, with Ilana Setapen, was featured on the first half playing the Mozart Symphonie Concertante, so that must have done it right there!

But seriously (no offense meant, Robert…), Bluebeard’s Castle is truly a hard sell. (more…)

No comments

Posted on February 25, 2010 at 9:46 am by Bill Hunt
in Taxes |

Question:
Posted February 22, 2010 at 1:39 PM by Brittney Stanton

Mr. Hunt,
I’m a young musician filing taxes as an independent for the first time and could use your help. Can I deduct any of the concert attire or music that I purchase?

Brittney,

There are two parts to your question: for the answer to the first question
about deducting concert attire, please refer to my article here on
polyphonic.org titled “Is Concert Clothing Tax Deductible?”.  If you have
other questions about this, feel free to ask!

The second question about deducting music is fairly straight forward.  If
you are engaged in the music business, either as an employee or
self-employed as a teacher or free lance musician, the music you purchase is
generally tax deductible, assuming it has some connection to the work you do
to earn money.  For example, if you play piano in a jazz combo as a hobby
and do not earn any income from this, piano music purchased for the combo
would not be tax deductible; but if your employment is as a classical
flutist, then flute music purchased would be deductible whether for your job
or to enhance your skills on the job.

I hope that clarifies for you,

Bill Hunt

1 comment

Posted on February 24, 2010 at 10:28 am by Robert Levine
in General |

My BBB Charles Noble wrote a good post the other day on the perils of being an assistant principal string player:

This morning, at the dress rehearsal for this weekend’s classical program, my principal had to leave midway through the rehearsal for personal reasons. It took place during the middle of the first movement of the Mozart piano concerto, and I just had to slide over to the first chair, the on-call player moved up, and we seamlessly went on as though nothing had happened. On our stage, however, the difference in sitting three or four feet downstage makes a huge difference in what you can see and/or hear. Suddenly I could see our concertmaster, but couldn’t hear the first stand of cellos very well, and I was suddenly face-to-face with our soloist (Angela Hewitt) down the length of the interior of the piano, which is always disconcerting to me. (more…)

1 comment

Posted on February 23, 2010 at 9:01 am by Robert Levine
in General |

The other New York Times piece to which I referred in the last post was on Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and focused to a remarkable extent on his religious beliefs:

Manfred Honeck, the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, is a Roman Catholic who prays before every concert, sometimes in the company of fellow musicians, tries to attend Mass daily, makes no secret of a desire to perform in the Vatican and had a private chapel built in his home in Austria.

Mr. Honeck, 51, known mostly in Europe before taking over in Pittsburgh last year, made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut on Feb. 9 with performances of Brahms’s Violin Concerto and Mahler’s First Symphony. In a lengthy interview the next day that ranged over his views on Mahler, an artist’s role in society and his family history, he spoke openly of his religious beliefs. Catholicism permeates his life, and has an influence on both how he programs and how he conceives of music.

“It’s a guide,” he said of his religious conviction. “I’m an instrument, to make music better, to make my profession more honest. It allows me to be very deep in my soul. Therefore, the music probably comes very deep from that area of my soul.”

…At the same time Mr. Honeck stressed that he did not bring a religious interpretation to bear on music generally, or impose his beliefs on the players. “As music director, you’re the music director, not a spiritual leader,” he said.

In the world of classical music truer words were never spoken. Like most of the performing arts, it is a highly secular realm, where the dogma surrounding the choral works of Bach, say, has far more to do with performance practice than piety. Prominent musicians present evidence of their high moral character not through religious display but fund-raising concerts.

“Virtually every conductor I’ve worked with — the worship has been of themselves,” Zachary Smith, a French horn player in the orchestra, said dryly.

True enough. But is the fact that Honeck is unusual in being openly religious really an appropriate topic for a long article?

I don’t see why. It seems almost as inappropriate a topic as his views on, say, abortion – which the writer elicits anyway:

Like many prominent conductors Mr. Honeck avoids politics. While he said, when asked, that he strongly opposes abortion, he added that he would not advocate that stand openly.

“My purpose in Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh is to make music and to make this great orchestra play as well as possible,” he said. “This issue, abortion, is not at all included in making music.”

Absolutely right. So why was it asked?

This, on the other hand, is rather interesting:

The one ripple of discomfort comes from Mr. Honeck’s practice of praying in his dressing room with some orchestra members before concerts.

Some musicians, including Jews in the orchestra, “were made uncomfortable by it” to varying degrees, said Louis Lev, a violinist. Mr. Lev, who is Jewish, said he was not one of them, however.

“The bulk of the relationship is onstage,” he said. “He’s not bringing it out there.”
The heart of the concern is that musicians might feel forced to take part to stay in favor, or to worry about Mr. Honeck’s disapproval if they don’t pray with him. There has been no evidence of that, members said, including those who questioned the group prayers.

…Mr. Honeck said he has always prayed privately before concerts, sometimes joined by priest friends. Orchestra members invited him to join them, he said, but he stopped the practice of praying with the musicians about three weeks ago.

“I realized that it might have been for some people a little bit uncomfortable,” he said.

I’d describe that as a good call for at least two reasons. The first is that anything that looks like a clique around a music director is damaging to orchestral morale and solidarity. The second, and more important, is that access to a supervisor on the basis of religion certainly raises a hint of potential discrimination on the basis of belief.

But the bigger point remains. There’s lots about Honeck that’s interesting (including the fact that he spent eight years in the Vienna Phil as a violist). But, unless he’s really interested in proselytizing – and it doesn’t appear that he is – his religious beliefs ought not to be a subject for an article on him as a music director.

One more point needs to be made. The article’s author writes that “like most of the performing arts, [classical music] is a highly secular realm, where the dogma surrounding the choral works of Bach, say, has far more to do with performance practice than piety.” But that’s because classical music performance is, among other things, a workplace. In a nation founded on the basis of religious tolerance, isn’t that both a good and a necessary thing?

1 comment

Posted on February 22, 2010 at 2:45 pm by Robert Levine
in General |

Two conductor profiles in the New York Times in recent days highlight the dangers of thinking that conductors are special people. The first was on Riccardo Muti, and was an unadulterated puff piece:

Realizing that the Met musicians might not have been familiar with the opera, he occasionally paused to clue them in on the plot, the characters and why Italians still consider this opera in which Attila the Hun invades Italy and the Roman Empire as central to their historical experience: the country was still festering under Austrian domination in 1846. “This is one of Verdi’s most important Risorgimento operas,” Mr. Muti told the musicians, “it is an opera of revolution, and audiences of the time recognized it as such. And yet the music is never brutal. There is always a nobility present, even in Attila’s music.” (more…)

No comments

Posted on February 18, 2010 at 8:06 am by Ann Drinan
in General |

Julie Ayer, author of More Than Meets the Ear, How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History, a history of the founding of ICSOM and symphonic unionism, has written a very moving tribute to her mother and sister, both violinists in the Spokane Symphony. They overlapped in the orchestra for 12 years, and both held the 4th chair in the first violin section.

The Spokane Symphony has created an endowed chair in the memory of her mother and sister. Her sister Jane died at age 58 on May 18, 2002 of melanoma cancer, and her mother Evelyn died August 6, 2008 at the age of 98. The Spokane Symphony was able to raise $100,000 by July of 2009 to be able to endow the chair in their memory.

Read Julie’s lovely tribute to her mother and sister here. She also clues us into the difficulties women had in joining the ranks of our symphony orchestras.

No comments

Posted on February 17, 2010 at 5:56 pm by Bill Hunt
in General, Taxes |

Original Question:
Can performing artists (say, orchestra members, working in several groups as employee) deduct mileage to rehearsals and concerts? It is typical in our area for musicians to play in 2 or three symphony orchestras in neighboring communities – and the mileage can really mount up! And yet they are “employees”, getting a W-2. What am I missing?
Any help would be useful.
Thanks!
–Mer

Mer,

Your question has some complications.  Basically, you need to decide where your tax home is located; this may not be the same as your family home, but rather it is the entire city or general area where you regularly conduct business.  So if you have a regular job or one job where most or your rehearsals and performances take place, then that is your tax home. Travel expenses, including mileage, to locations outside this area are deductible. If you have more than one work location, then your tax home is the main place of business where most of the time, income, or degree of business activity occurs. (more…)

2 comments

Posted on February 17, 2010 at 5:29 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Taxes |

It’s that time of year and as a service to you, our loyal readers, our resident musician/MBA/tax expert, Bill Hunt will answer your tax questions right here until April 15th.  So–don’t be bashful.  Ask away.

1 comment

Posted on February 17, 2010 at 10:15 am by Robert Levine
in General |

Norman Lebrecht thinks conductors should STFU:

By some intuitive affinity or massive failure of imagination, both Gramophone and BBC Music magazine asked ‘10 leading Mahler conductors’ to explain in their current issues what his symphonies mean to them.

Three maestros – Zinman, Jansons, Tilson Thomas – took part in both features. The rest included most of the usual Mahler suspects with the exceptions of Abbado, Boulez and Barenboim, who must have had better things to do with their down time.

The banality of what these conductors write, or recite into a reporter’s machine, is mind-boggling: ‘The final movement (of the Fifth) is colossal,’ declares one interpreter. ‘Mahler finds a way of making a very basic idea appear in many new guises, so we get a constant spiral of uplifting energy until a glorious climax.’ So tell us something we didn’t already know. (more…)

No comments