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[Rosenhaus' Web Page] Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Steven Rosenhaus" journal:

May 13th, 2008
06:12 pm [Link]	"Musicophilia" Some months ago I read two books in succession: David Levithan's This is Your Brain on Music and Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia. Both are terrific, informative without going (too far) above laymen's heads. Levithan's book is basically about how the brain processes music, whether in the act of listening to it, performing it, or composing it. Sacks' book is about what happens when the brain doesn't process music in a "normal" fashion. Amusia (the inability to process music at all), musical hallucinations, and the perplexing issue of the book's title--the sudden development of musical obsession/talent/whatever (it's difficult for me to describe). I enjoyed both books and highly recommend they be read, preferably in Levithan/Sacks order. Hereby now hangs a short tale: I wrote a long letter to Dr. Sacks, expressing my enjoyment of the book and referring to most of its chapters to tell him some of my past students' experiences (no names or identifying indications were used), as well as some observations of my own. He sent me a nice note and I thought that would be that. Silly me. Last week I received an e-mail from his assistant, informing me that Dr. Sacks is preparing the paperback edition of Musicophilia and wanted to quote a portion of my letter as a footnote. Would I be willing to give my permission and, if so, allow my name or at least initials to be used? The good doctor also mentioned that he would refer to me in the footnote as an "eminent composer." I thought about it for about, oh, ten seconds, and came to proper conclusion: Yes. It's well known that life is full of surprises. Once in a while, the surprises are very nice indeed. Current Location: Home Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: None at the moment Tags: daniel levithan, musicophilia, oliver sacks, this is your brain on music (Leave a comment)
May 8th, 2008
07:55 am [Link]	"Curtains" Last night MBW and I saw Curtains, the murder mystery/musical comedy based on the original book by Peter Stone and written by John Kander (music and additional lyrics), the late Fred Ebb (basically the last work he did before he died not all that long ago), and Rupert Holmes (book and additional lyrics). If you turn on the radio these days you'll eventually hear ads for the show with a clip from one song, "Show People." It's a good song overall, but there's more to Curtains than that. The short version is that we enjoyed the show very much. ( The detailed version is here. ) Is this the greatest musical ever written, best Kander and Ebb show, or best Rupert Holmes show ever? No. But Curtains works on just about every level I can think of, and I recommend you see it before it closes next month. Current Location: Home Current Mood: pleased Current Music: In my mental iPod: "Coffee Shop Nights" (from Curtains) Tags: curtains, david hyde pierce, debra monk, fred ebb, john kander, musical theater, rupert holmes (5 comments \| Leave a comment)
May 7th, 2008
10:32 am [Link]	No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers.... Oh wait, I'm the teacher! Never mind... ( Some thoughts on teaching this semester here. ) Tags: carson city symphony, ludwigmasters, mencken, navy school of music, nyu, the etude project (Leave a comment)
April 30th, 2008
04:52 pm [Link]	What is going on? Just when I get into a good mood; it's a beautiful day today, a little chilly when the wind blows, but otherwise sunny and not winter. So why does it seem like some folks I've talked with today seem on edge, cranky, and irritable? Just asking. Current Location: Home Current Mood: curious Current Music: Vivaldi: Spring from "The Four Seasons" violin concerto (6 comments \| Leave a comment)
April 28th, 2008
11:42 pm [Link]	Just spoke with MBW, who is in Alexandria, VA, on business until tomorrow. Although they had rain, lots of it, there was no sign of a tornado anywhere. (Breathes again.) Current Location: Home Current Mood: relieved Current Music: None Tags: tornado (Leave a comment)
April 27th, 2008
11:12 pm [Link]	The titles "thing" Writer-friends of mine have been posting the meanings and/or backstories for the titles of their novels, short stories, etc., and I thought it might be interesting to do the same with some of my musical works. Titles like "Symphony for Band" are self-explanatory to an extent (it helps to know what "symphony" and, for that matter, "band" mean), but some have a bit more behind them. In no particular order then, except the shorter ones are up front... ( Here there be verbiage ) Current Location: Home Current Mood: complacent Current Music: After all that? None Tags: breathless, fair winds and following seas, kitchen percussion march, mission music, the brave and the bold, tower music (Leave a comment)
April 19th, 2008
12:28 am [Link]	Roll the video... Last year I did an arrangement of two movements from Stravinsky's Firebird for reduced orchestra. A high school orchestra from Denver performed it at the Midwest (Band and Orchestra) Clinic in December (in Chicago). I was attending the Clinic but couldn't get to the performance. So imagine my surprise and delight to find this link to a video of the performance! Very nice job of it too! Current Location: Home Current Mood: chipper Current Music: Firebird (what else?) Tags: arrangement, firebird, midwest clinic, stravinsky (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
April 18th, 2008
09:01 am [Link]	Happy Birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRADICAL! You not-quite-old-f*t, you. Have a happy and healthy, and many many* more. Oh yeah, the year you were born? * I was in my junior year of high school. * The US was in a war that a lot of people didn't like. (Okay, we're back to that one.) * The Beatles were still (barely) together. * Personal computers? You mean those things that take up whole rooms? * Nehru shirts for men. ...just to keep things in perspective, ya know? Current Location: Duckin' and Runnin' Current Mood: amused Current Music: Paul Simon: "Old" Tags: beatles, computers, jack benny, kradical (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
April 17th, 2008
09:37 pm [Link]	So the apartment is ready... For Passover, that is. Spent the day putting the finishing touches (read that to mean: do most of the stuff) on the kitchen set-up. Now it gets weird though, because the actual holiday doesn't begin until Saturday. Evening. After Shabbat has ended. I'll say it now so I don't forget: Chag Sameach everyone, Happy Passover. Current Location: Home Current Mood: relieved Current Music: Dayenu (in my head) Tags: passover, shabbat (3 comments \| Leave a comment)
April 13th, 2008
10:28 pm [Link]	Dochyel's Unveiling I, and about 30 others attended Dochyel's headstone official unveiling. He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The weather held, Psalm 23 was sung by Cantor Zach, and those of us who could recited Kaddish. Friend Walter wore a kilt and played "Amazing Grace" on a rather uncooperative set of bagpipe. (When you play bagpipes you're at the mercy of the reeds.) I think David would have appreciated it, considering what happened at a DQYDJP gig in Lubbock, TX... It had been the "gig from hell" from the moment we got off the plane (and realized from the smell that it was "slaughterhouse day") to my having a fever, etc. Anyway, we were finally performing when I broke a string on my guitar. No problem, I went off stage to change the string while the rest of the band did their thing. I returned, and David broke one of his strings. So he went off to change the string. So far so good. He came back onstage and we resumed playing as a full band. At least until David broke a second string--the same one he had just replaced. With no second spare between us. So he finished the gig playing the guitar missing a string. Like I said, I think David would have appreciated the bagpipe malfunction. Afterward a goodly number of us (as I said before, around 30) went to an Italian restaurant where the food was just scrumptious and the prices reasonable. Had a chance to catch up with Ian and Kit, Susan, several members of the Sullivan family, deltagirl, and many more. It felt good. I'm not usually interested in cemeteries per se, but Green-Wood seems to have a lot of folks who died in the 1800s. I'd be curious (and I guess it qualifies as "morbid curiosity") to know a little more about the place, so I'll be checking G-W's website some day in the near future. Lastly, I wish Alexandra, Dochyel's widow (it's weird saying that) peace and strength. Current Location: Home Current Music: None; I'm off duty Tags: brooklyn, dochyel, green-wood cemetery, lubbock (6 comments \| Leave a comment)
April 11th, 2008
12:21 am [Link]	Veggie/Chinese cuisine, 20th Century Art I got to meet up with a friend/colleague I haven't seen in at least a year. He conducts a band at a college in Connecticut, and over the years we've had (with many thanks to him) several opportunities to work together. But he and his SO are kinda busy up in CT-land (just as MBW and I are busy down here in NYC), so it's tricky, if not downright difficult, to get together. Anyway, we met up at Buddha Bodai, a kosher/vegetarian/Chinese restaurant (at 5 Mott Street in Manhattan, if you're interested) for lunch. Trust me on this: Even if you're a lifelong flesh eater, you'll enjoy the food here. The prices for lunch are great too: about $7.00 for soup, main course, and rice. The Manhattan place is the second B.B.; the original is still going strong in Flushing, not all that far from where I live, especially if one goes by car. Afterward we made our way uptown to the Metropolitan Museum (Keith had never been there), checked out some of the 20th century paintings before I showed him my favorite permanent exhibit: The Gubbio Studiolo. This is a room from the Palazzo Ducale of Ferdinando of Gubbio, and I mean it literally. The walls, you see, were brilliantly done in trompe l'oeil in wood. There all sorts of instruments depicted, both musical and scientific; lutes "hang" off shelves, there's a portative organ, etc. Oh, and they took the ceiling (not done as trompe l'oeil) as well. The room especially resonates for me since I've been to Gubbio three times (early 1990s) and had occasion to visit Fred's palace several times. Very very cool. I think my friend appreciated it as well. As we looked at the art we talked about a variety of things, including another possible commission to write some music. After that he went back to CT and I went home to do some more work on The Etude Project. Current Location: Home Current Mood: thoughtful Current Music: None; I'm off duty Tags: buddha bodai, gubbio, kosher, metropolitan museum of art, studiolo (2 comments \| Leave a comment)
March 29th, 2008
07:31 pm [Link]	Linked with...Clay Aiken? It's curious how things happen. Not that long ago MBW and I went to see Spamalot. We both enjoyed it very much and a few days later I posted my thoughts about it, including some comments (necessarily brief) about the actors. One such comment was this: Clay Aiken: Yeah, the guy from American Idol, playing Sir Robin, Guard 1, and Brother Maynard. Surprisingly good. "Not a big deal," one would think, and normally one would be correct. So imagine my surprise (and a little amusement) when in my once-a-month web search to see if anyone has reviewed my music I came across the message board for a Clay Aiken fan club, if not the Clay Aiken fan club. The first mention, by "loveOMC," is matter of fact: "Just a tiny mention in a blog - but the kind of mention I like to see as it falls right into what Clay was hoping to achieve with Spamalot." Fair enough. A few posts later "J4Clay" chimed in with this (edited for brevity): "WOW! I didn't know who Steve Rosenhaus was, so I did some looking. This man isn't just any ol' little blogger. If Clay can impress this man, well, WOW!!! Read a little about this man who said..." She (her icon is a picture of her hugging Aiken) then posted my bio page (with an old picture of me) from the Sigma Alpha Iota web site. Thanks, Clay Aiken fans, for that vote of confidence. And Clay, if you come across this, keep up the good work. Current Location: Home Current Mood: chipper Current Music: None, it's my day off Tags: clay aiken, spamalot (5 comments \| Leave a comment)
March 20th, 2008
11:38 pm [Link]	Lunacon: A Rye Tale I rented a car for the weekend so I could attend and participate in a memorial "life jam" for David Honigsberg, rabbi, author, and former DQYDJP band mate being held at a science-fiction/fantasy convention called Lunacon, and to perform a "solo" act that evening. Loaded up the car with my acoustic guitar, my mandolin, an amp, a mic stand, a music stand, a shlepper and a bag of stuff (cables, lyric books, a mic, etc., etc.), and drove off for the wilds of slightly upstate New York. Only, I had a bit of trouble with the car just as I was leaving my neighborhood, and I had to stop off at the rental place to have them wave magic wands over it or at least pronounce it an ex-car. Spiffy working car in now my possession, I got to the Rye Hilton (otherwise known, not unkindly, as the "Escher Hilton") an hour after the (3-hour) jam started. That seemed to be okay, because it turned out not to be a jam session at all but rather folks telling David-related stories; that, I think, was more appropriate anyway. Many good stories, some of which I hadn't heard before ("Sizzler" seems to begin every story with a variation on "I was drunk" but I may be wrong), and some I had forgotten (David receiving, honest-to-goodness, the Studley Endowment during his education). Afterward the great Greek god Zeus (otherwise known as Glenn), Pete, whom I had actually replaced in DQYDJP back in the day, and I jammed for a while. Pete played guitar, Glenn tickled the keyboard, and I plucked at the mandolin at first and then guitar. Pete has a good musical sense as well as guitaristic dexterity I'll never have, and I asked him if he would back me up for the evening gig. He was nice enough to say yes. Pete was let me drop all of my equipment at his room until performance time (thanks Pete!), which disencumbered me enough to get some lunch (it being about 2 p.m. at this point). Lunch at the way overpriced Hilton restaurant (more expensive than the Hilton in Chicago if I recall correctly) was had in the pleasant company of friends Alexandra (who was truly suffering from a complete loss of voice) and Rachel, and two writer gentlemen I had not met before. Post-lunch I wandered about, checking out panels featuring writer friends as well as a sort of "Greek Idol" contest to promote a new book by Esther Friesner (pick your favorite female Greek goddess, actually). Since Maria Callas wasn't around anywhere I chose Athena. I camped out in a comfy chair by the lobby fireplace and fell asleep instantly for about 20 minutes; then I wandered some more. Somewhere along the line I met up with more friends who were planning to order in (or go get) dinner from a local BBQ place. Since I don't eat meat I ordered some mac and cheese and a side salad, which would have been perfect if the salad (which was ordered) and the utensils had made it into the final package. But not to worry. Bob (not the guy from AccounTemps but a sweetheart of a guy) gave me a piece of corn bread to tide me over until after the performance. Ah yes, the performance. I had been on several trips over the last two months (FL, NM, VA) and came home from the last one with a cold that just knocked the innards out of me, so rehearsal time was nearer to nil than not. And oh yeah, this was the first day I had my singing voice back. I at least had made up a list of songs, although not in any order whatsoever. Not fair to Keith, who was playing percussion with me, or to Pete, who didn't know what I do anyway. But we pressed on. The small room we were assigned turned out to be just fine for the ten or so people who showed up (many who expressed interest were also involved with the costume Masquerade preparations, and others...?). But boy-howdy those few people were enthusiastic and appreciative. (Thank you!!!) So, in no particular order that I can remember, here are the songs we did: (I WANNA PLAY) HONKY TONK GUITAR w/BE MY BABY TONIGHT DEAD SKUNK (in the Middle of the Road) GENERIC LOVE SONG THE MUSIC BEGINS OUT OF TOUCH SHOOTIN' WITH RASPUTIN (complete with really bad Russian accent) WILD ROVER THE MOTORCYCLE SONG DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (requested by David Mack, Gd love him) Some thoughts about the songs: HONKY TONK GUITAR is just enough of a song to warrant doing, but not enough to do on its own, which is why I always do it with John Michael Montgomery's BE MY BABY TONIGHT. DEAD SKUNK is by Louden Wainwright III and is just a funny, gross song. GENERIC LOVE SONG is truly self-explanatory. THE MUSIC BEGINS and OUT OF TOUCH are two of mine off the A Man Like Me* CD. The former equates love (lust?) with music; the latter is a plea to make a connection while on a different level having all sorts of fun with words (e.g., "No matter how much we mend our defenses..."). Two of my better efforts, methinks. SHOOTIN' WITH RASPUTIN works with kids and with very smart adults who can think like kids when they choose to; these adults chose to tap into their inner kids. It's a good sing-along. WILD ROVER was done mostly because St. Patrick's day was only 48 hours away. And it's a good sing-along too. THE MOTORCYCLE SONG is an Arlo Guthrie tune, done to "honor" Keith, who had recently gotten an e-mail from his hero (and mine), A.G. DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB is almost ubiquitous when I perform, but this time we ended with it to honor David Honigsberg, as I wrote it originally for him to sing. Afterward had dinner (never did have that mac and cheese) and hung out with the usual suspects and generally had a good time. Then I walked out to the car (with friend Dennis giving me a much-needed and appreciated hand carrying things), packed up, and drove back home. As gigs go it was okay--I'd rather have enthusiasm from a small audience than a lot of folks who (metaphorically) sit on their hands or no audience at all, and playing with Keith and Pete was just plain fun. As a "con" goes, well, I don't usually go to them (in fact I have only gone to a few and only when there was some sort of music making involved) but I had fun. Current Location: Home for Purim Current Music: None; I'm off duty Tags: arlo guthrie, david honigsberg, david mack, kradical, lunacon, pete heck (11 comments \| Leave a comment)
March 2nd, 2008
01:40 am [Link]	It's March already? Okay, I got the nudge, lyoness, thanks; here's a posting. The reason I don't do this more often as of late is simply that I've been way too busy--and that, my friends, is a very good thing. Let me give you the breakdown: February 8th through 10th: MBW and I went down to Florida to help my mom celebrate her 80th birthday. Considering her doctors had given her (I can say this now) about a month to live after her heart attack in summer of 2006, this is simply amazing. Her physical condition is by no means great (she has a host of problems) but she is otherwise doing well. (She's currently on a Stephen King kick, reading whatever she can get her hands on. Cool.) February 14th through 25th: MBW went with her mom and a bunch of folks from our synagogue to Israel. They had an incredible time, especially the part going to Eilat with a side trip to Petra (you know, as in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and, on their own, doing some volunteer archeological work in Jerusalem. I wish I could have gone but I had (and still have) an outhouse full of work, not to mention teaching. February 26th through March 2nd (yep, today): I'm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the American String Teachers Association conference on behalf of E.F. Kalmus/LudwigMasters Music Publications. I do a lot of arranging for the Masters part of the catalog, but I also do some promotional consulting for the company. The consulting part includes going to such conferences and populating the company exhibit. In this case, I did so with the boss himself. We had a good show, I also got some compositional "nibbles," and I even bought my first bolo tie. I still need a cowboy hat and some boots, but it's a start. (I also bought some earrings for MBW, which I hope she really, really likes. I at least had the brains to call her and ask her what she'd like in general terms.) But wait, there's more.... March 5th through 9th: I'll be in Norfolk, VIrginia, at the Navy School of Music. It's for an ongoing, long-term, large-scale project. Graded performance etudes for the "standard" chamber ensembles at the NSOM. But wait, there's still more.... March 15th: Lunacon, a science-fiction convention held at the Rye, NY, Hilton. From 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM I will participate in a "Life Jam" in memory of my former Don't Quit Your Day Job Players band mate David Honigsberg. From 7:00 to 8:00 PM, with the help of fellow former DQYDJP-er Keith DeCandido (sometimes known as Kradical or "The Bronx Bongo") on percussion and maybe a surprise guest or two, I will give a "solo" singer/songwriter performance. This will mark my first performance in this guise in about 3 years. And there's more going on besides these dates: Teaching composition of course, including a special lecture for undergraduate composers at NYU during the week between Norfolk and Rye; writing promotional materials and finishing an overdue, huge arrangement, both for LudwigMasters Music; catching up on accumulated e-mails, snail mails, voice mails; and on and on. So now you know. Current Location: Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, NM Current Mood: tired Current Music: None, I'm off duty Tags: albuquerque, asta, kradical, lunacon, navy school of music, nyu (Leave a comment)
February 4th, 2008
11:12 am [Link]	SPAMALOT Yes, I know that because of the book Writing Musical Theater that my co-author Allen Cohen and I are considered experts in musical theater. And I also know that as such there is an expectation to see Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway shows with cynical eyes and ears. But sometimes I just want to be audience, and just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show without thinking about it to any great depth. I can always to do the deep thinking later. So yesterday, thanks to TDF (Theatre Development Fund, which I like a lot even though they spell "Theater" the British way), MBW and I got to see Monty Python's Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre, er, Theater. And I must say, we enjoyed every bit of it. "Monty Python" refers, as a large number of folks know, to "Monty Python's Flying Circus"--a British sketch-comedy show from the early 1970s (or was that earlier, that is the late '60s?). A mix of high-brow and low-brow humor, sometimes at the same time, with a whopping dollop of surrealism whisked in, the show featured 6 brilliantly funny men (and the underrated Carol Cleveland) doing the funniest stuff I had ever heard/seen before or since. The Python boys went on to make movies, including "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which was a take on the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. About 5 years one of the Python members, Eric Idle, collaborated with composer John Du Prez to turn "Holy Grail" into a musical. The result is "Spamalot." The authors have, as they say in the program, "lovingly ripped off" the film to make this show, but they also twist it a bit to make it work in the theater. In fact, they make the story become about theater, which opens up a great deal of comedic possibilities--most of which they grab by the bullocks. Along the way they make fun of some rather obvious theatrical conventions (the brilliant meta-song, "The Song That Goes Like This") and some...unexpected choices ("You Won't Succeed on Broadway"). Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, etc. get skewered, even as the send-ups do a creditable job of emulating them. Yet they manage to hit most of the high points of the original source and even musicalize them ("I am Not Dead Yet"). Idle and DuPrez even acknowledge that some of the funniest musical moments in the "Holy Grail" film were written by at least in part by Neil Innes ("Knights of the Round Table" and "Brave Sir Robin"), and somehow make use (and make work) Michael Palin's "Finland" from one of the Python recordings and Idle's song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian. This may all seem chaotic as you read this, but it's not. It's all quite clever, and more importantly, quite laugh-out-loud funny. There aren't many new numbers in the show, all things considered, but my favorites are "The Song That Goes Like This" and "I'm All Alone." Best bits as staged: The French castle scene; the killer rabbit (specifically Tim, the Enchanter). Haven't mentioned the actors yet, but not for lack of enjoyment or respect: Jonathan Hadary, playing King Arthur: He can sing, he can act, he has a good sense of comedic timing. Looks just a little like Tim Curry with the goatee. Clay Aiken: Yeah, the guy from American Idol, playing Sir Robin, Guard 1, and Brother Maynard. Surprisingly good. Emily Hsu, playing Lady of the Lake: Subbing in Hannah Waddingham's role, Hsu pulls it off with aplomb and élan. Lovely voice, and she can do the R&B thing too. Christopher Sieber: Hysterical as Sir Dennis Galahad, The Black Knight (yes, including losing the arms and legs!), and Prince Herbert's father (doing Sean Connery no less!!). John Cleese: John Cleese? Well yes, actually. Sort of a cameo, really, although you don't actually get to see him, you see. You see? Rick Holmes: Sir Lancelot, The French Taunter ("I ft in your general direction!"), Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter. I'll describe this guy in two words: Simply amazing. (10 out of 10, ladies and gentlemen!!) Tom Deckman: Historian, Not Dead Fred, French Guard, Minstrel, Prince Herbert. Funny, funny man. The rest of the cast is quite talented but too numerous to mention here. Go see it if/when you have the chance. Current Location: Home Current Music: "I Am Not Dead Yet" (Playing in the iPod of my mind) Tags:** broadway, john cleese, monty python, musicals, spamalot, writing musical theater (2 comments \| Leave a comment)
January 24th, 2008
09:03 am [Link]	In computer transition/purgatory? I'm writing from my laptop at the moment for reasons which become evident with the next paragraph. I generally have two computers, one desktop for doing "heavy lifting" (music related stuff mostly) and a laptop mostly for travel situations and, as it turns, for what happened over the last couple of days. But the most important thing here is this: I will be off-line for a few days. Here's why: The story: Tuesday evening I go to do some work on the desktop. Don't know why but decide this is a good opportunity to back up my document files, and I do just that. Good thing too, 'cause heck starts to break loose. Slowly at first: MSWord won't let me access submenus. Hmm. Okay. Then it won't let me do a couple of other things. So something is wrong with MSWord, right? All right, so I go to fix that, zapping static ram, making sure all the caches are deleted, that files aren't missing or corrupted, and so on, and wind up reinstalling the program. Should work, right? Meanwhile I have other things to do on the computer and go into a couple of other programs. Finale--the music notation program and the musical equivalent of MSWord as far as my work goes--is acting completely screwy. Oh oh. I get out of that and try a reinstall of that butnow the button to open and close the optical disc drive doesn't seem to work. This is getting serious. Okay, cut to the chase.... I do a complete reinstall of the operating system, which I admit is OS 9.2.2 (Mac), which only proves that both the computer and the system have, in computer years, been living on borrowed time for a while now. Anyway, nothing. I get the file with the question mark--the Mac's version of "the blue screen of death." I try again the next morning, a complete, clean (that is, completely erasing the hard drive), and barely manage to get it running, but now I have to admit defeat. This computer has bit the dust; it is no more; it has joined the choir invisible; it is...an...EX-...computer. The first fortunate thing was, as I mentioned, having backed up all my files just before the effluence hit the ventilator. Another was that a branch of the military for whom I had written music some 1 1/2 years ago had just paid me for it about a week ago, and after setting aside about 1/2 to pay back Uncle Sam later I have enough to go computer shopping. Which I do. I teach as an adjunct at a major university in New York and entitled as such for a discount at the school's computer store (yay!), which of course is where I go, because I need/want a Mac and no other place will sell them for less than Apple's list price. That's a third fortunate thing. The last bit of good fortune is that the salesperson I talk to at the store doesn't work for the store, he works for Apple itself, so he works with me to figure exactly what I need (or will later) and how much I really need to spend. Turns out less than I thought (whew). New computer is huge (size/weight of a small child, about 42 lbs.) and the screen (the old one is incompatible of course) is a little bigger than our television--but flat, so it takes up much less room, if that makes sense. Anyway, I got it all home, and right now the boxes are sitting patiently, waiting for me to open them and set up the new equipment. Which I will do. Really. But besides venting a bit about this I needed to let folks know: I will probably be off-line for the next few days. If you need to contact me, please call me. If you know me you have my number; if you don't either know me or have my number, we are listed. (Sigh) Okay. To work... Current Location: Home Current Mood: frustrated Current Music: None; I have to concentrate Tags: computer, e-mail (Leave a comment)
January 4th, 2008
10:04 am [Link]	2007 is done with; onto 2008 Okay, are we safely into 2008 yet? Good. That was a rough one, folks. Maybe not as rough as some years past, but somehow this hit pretty hard. Granted, there were many bright spots along the way. My Beautiful Wife and I did get a "summer" vacation--in April. A lovely cruise to the Eastern Carribean, and no pirates (trust me, that's a good thing). Met a very nice couple from California with whom we'd like to stay in touch. Came back on the day I had a premiere at NYU, For the Gipsy in My Soul for 4 harps; managed to get to the concert with about 10 minutes to spare, shlepping luggage all the way across- and down-town. Good performance too. Other bright spots included a couple of trips (for me) to Norfolk, VA, to work with Commander Donald Keller and his faculty at the U.S. Navy School of Music. I've been doing some consulting work with them and composing The Etude Project, a series of graded performance studies for all of the School's chamber ensembles. Lots of music to write over the next, oh, 5 years. Don and I have become good friends over the last few years, so when he retired at the end of November I was proud to be there for the change of command ceremony. It doesn't hurt that another friend, CDR Ralph Ingraham, was his relief. Ah, the joys of continuity. Not to mention that I wrote a march--at Don's request--for the occasion, "Fair Winds and Following Seas." The US Fleet Forces Band did a great job with it. But wait, there's more: In mid-October I was in Carson City, NV, to guest conduct the Carson City Symphony in a performance of my Nevada Bagatelles. Because of copyright issues that were only recently resolved by then (the publisher of the last movement granted my request and gave it back to me), this was only the second performance of the complete work since the premiere. Very cool. At the same time--literally, as in the same day and approximately the same time--Ralph Ingraham was conducting the US Navy Band in the premiere of Fanfare, which I wrote for the group. ("You can't dance at two weddings with one tuchas," MBW's grandmother once said. Indeed.) Good performance (Yay, recordings!). Masters Music now distributes my (that is, Music-Print Productions) music publications. Four works are in the catalog now: For Clarinet Solo; Deconstruction Blues for bass clarinet solo that I wrote for Guido Arbonelli; The Kiss, the tango for piano that the incredible Laura Leon recorded not once but twice; and Kol Nidre Prelude for viola and cello. Publications in 2008 will include Five Duets for clarinet and trumpet, Fanfare for concert band, For the Gipsy in My Soul for harp quartet, and a composition/arrangement of the traditional Yemenite melody D'ror Yikra for flute and piano. I also hope to release Volume 1 of The Etude Project. That's a lot o'music. All this in addition to my teaching at NYU and Nassau Community College. I happen to like teaching. The fact that I am now and will apparently always be an adjunct is not only not a problem but more of a relief. No committee work (unless I ask to be on it, as for a dissertation), etc.; just go in, teach and otherwise be available for my students, then go home. Cool. And let's not forget arranging for Masters Music, et al., and consulting work for E.F. Kalmus/Masters Music promoting band and orchestra music. This took on added significance in December when Masters announced the addition of the Ludwig/Great Works catalogs. Me bored? Hardly ever. For all the good stuff in 2007 though, it was truly balanced out by the realities of life. As I posted here a while back, my brother Jay died on October 31st. It never hit full-on, but smacks me in the face every now and then when I least expect it. I may not have always agreed with him, but I miss him. Then, to top it off, I learned only a few days ago that William Strauss, one of my collaborators on the musical Free-the-Music.Com (Bill wrote the book and lyrics), died on December 18th (while I was in Chicago for the Midwest [band and orchestra] Clinic) of liver cancer. He had battled pancreatic cancer for several years and was holding his own, but the cancer spread to the liver and discovered just late enough that nothing could be done. He had a brilliant mind, a wonderful sense of humor (and had to, as the co-creator of The Capitol Steps satirical group in Washington, DC), and one of the genuinely nicer people I've met. My heart goes out to his wife, family, friends, and colleagues. So, what's up for 2008? Glad you asked. Wish I knew. More work on The Etude Project and associated trips to the Navy School of Music for sure. Some LudwigMasters-associated trips (Albuquerque, NM, for an American String Teachers Association conference in February for one). Teaching composition at NYU, maybe a class or two at Nassau Community College (haven't heard as of this writing). The aforementioned MPP publications. Hopefully a lot of composing, maybe some conducting and/or performing. We'll see. Like I said, I'm never bored. Current Location: Home Current Mood: pensive Current Music: None; off-duty. (Leave a comment)
December 9th, 2007
12:55 am [Link]	Appropriated from Kradical: Rosenhaus, the Magazine Cover! Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com And oh yes, thanks to Lyoness for taking the photo! Current Location: Home Current Mood: amused Current Music: What else? "Like a Rolling Stone" Tags: rolling stone (3 comments \| Leave a comment)
December 1st, 2007
12:36 pm [Link]	Life continues, in a good way. First of all, the 30 days of mourning for the loss of my brother Jay are over. ================================================= There is good news, but I should tell the background story first: I met CDR Donald Keller in 2002 at something called the Midwest Clinic (formerly the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic) in Chicago. I was meeting and greeting folks at the exhibit booth for the music publishers E.F. Kalmus/Masters Music (for whom I do a lot of orchestra and string orchestra arranging), when the then-LCDR Keller and I had an interesting conversation. He told me he conducted the Naval Academy Band in Annapolis and that the band was about to celebrate its 150th anniversary. More than sensing an opportunity (as a friend says, it's like being hit over the head with a clue-by-4), I said something alongs the lines of "what a great opportunity to commission a new work for the band." To which he smiled, a little slyly I recall, and said "You think?" My first reaction was "I like this guy." To make a very long story at least a little shorter, Don commissioned me to write what became my Symphony for Band ("Academy") and later let me conduct the premiere, *and* quickly became one of my best friends. (Who knew that I would have "buddies in the Navy"?!?) Since then he and I have worked on three additional projects (Bang! for percussion and band, the march Fair Winds and Following Seas--more about this below--and the on-going Etude Project), and has introduced me to several folks, all Navy musicians, who have also become good friends. One is CDR Ralph Ingraham with whom I have also become close. I am proud to know both Don and Ralph and to call them friends; the fact that I've written music for both to perform with Navy ensembles is wonderful, but I frankly value their friendship more. Which brings me to yesterday (Friday, November 30th). Yesterday I had the honor of attending a Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA, at which CDR Keller was relieved of command of the Navy School of Music and officially retired from the Navy (after 32 years of service), and at which he was relieved by CDR Ingraham. I can not describe how I felt; the closest I can say is that it was wonderful and a touch bittersweet. I wish Don and his wife Kathy all the best in their new adventure (they hope to travel a lot); similarly I wish Ralph and his wife Gerardine all the best as Ralph takes over command of the Navy School of Music. Oh yes, the march I mentioned: That was my "retirement present" to Don, and it was premiered by the Fleet Forces band at the ceremony under the direction of LCDR Ralph Barrett (who is a fine conductor, by the way). During his farewell speech Don made a point of mentioning me, calling me his "brother and friend." Thanks Don, that means a lot to me, especially lately. And as you say, "It's all good." The title "Fair Winds and Following Seas" is what sailors traditionally wish for their shipmates when they go outward bound, as early ships required both fair winds to fill the sails and "following" seas to help propel the ships in the right direction with a minimum of danger. The march is traditional in some respects, particularly in the form--March, Trio, March (with, in a nod to John P. Sousa, both march and trio themes stated simultaneously), but there are aspects which I use to capture a sense of Don's spirit. The trio section swings, for example (Don is a jazz trumpeter), and the march and trio themes come together at the end in much the way Don has spent his career in the Navy--all Navy, but with a musician's more flexible approach to life. Weather permitting (talk about "fair winds"!) I'll fly home tomorrow and get back to work. I needed this. Current Location: Amphibious Naval Base, Little Creek; Norfolk, VA Current Mood: good Current Music: None; it's my day off Tags: "fair winds and following seas", change of command, donald keller, naval academy band, navy, ralph ingraham, retirement (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
November 18th, 2007
09:52 pm [Link]	Sad news, and the usual stuff Yes, it has been a while since the last post, about 2 months. A lot can happen in that time and, this time, did. I'm only now able to talk/write about some of it. I'll start with good news first. The best thing happened toward the beginning of October, when I went out to Carson City, Nevada, to conduct the Carson City Symphony in a performance of my Nevada Bagatelles. It's a much better than average community-based orchestra, led by a fine conductor, David Bugli. I stayed with David and his wife Elinor, and felt very much at home. Also staying there was the violin soloist for the concert (Beethoven Violin Concerto), Andrew Sords; Andrew is a violinist to watch/listen for. The performance went well, and I hope to have another opportunity to work with David and the orchestra again. The worst happened at the end of October, on October 31st in fact; my brother Jay suddenly died. He was 58, just 3 years older than yours truly. Apparently he was driving with his wife and youngest son (24), and was in the middle of making a U-turn, when he went into respiratory failure. Fortunately his wife was able to stop the car and prevent further fatalities, but my brother seems to have died on the spot. In addition to his wife and youngest son he leaves another son (married with 2 kids of his own) and two daughters (both married, the eldest also with 2 children). And me (and my beautiful wife), and my sister (and her 3 kids), and my mother. We are all stunned and saddened. I'll have something a little more upbeat in my next post. Current Location: Home Current Mood: melancholy Current Music: None Tags: carson city symphony, david bugli, jay rosenhaus, nevada bagatelles (4 comments \| Leave a comment)

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Steven L. Rosenhaus: Composer, Arranger, Conductor, etc.

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