Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music ... - NewMusicBox

NewMusicBox May 2003
LINDA HOESCHLER: Moses has a comment, and I would like to then maybe get into a
conversation that will less answer your question, but to talk about how to be a commissioner. I
would like you all to leave here wanting to commission your next five pieces. It has been one of
the great joys in my life, and I would like to talk about ways that we can make it easier for each
other.
MOSES HOGAN: I just have something that I would like to add a little bit in talking about this
very interesting experience several years ago. At the end of his career, I met William Dawson. I
met him in New York, and he invited me to his hotel room. I didn't understand it then, but
sometimes composers feel wounded on some level, and I will share this with you. He knew I had
a choir. He proceeded to go over 11-12 of his arrangements with me in detail. He gave me a
headache, I gotta tell you. I didn't understand what exactly that meant then. But he said, "Well,
young man, I know you have got a choir, and so when you perform these arrangements, make
sure that you do the following…" And so I thought he was really quite bitter, but there was an
element of frustration there. And as it relates to his arrangements, whenever he heard them,
evidently somebody wasn't doing exactly what he had written for them to do, and I know the
interpretation of many spiritual arrangements we take great liberties, as conductors. We will leave
out a measure, repeat a measure, leave out a note. How many of us have ever thought about
changing Handel's Messiah or any one of the chords, or something like that? My hands would
shake if I thought about it. I mean there is a beautiful chord that Handel didn't use, but
sometimes, maybe there is a frustration. There is this barrier. "We are not going to do what the
composer wanted, but we are going to do what I feel like doing, so we'll just take this out."
That's somewhat of an issue. And I will always say to those people, especially of the spiritual,
"If you feel less strongly about the spiritual and change or leave out a measure, you write your
own arrangement!" And that's simply the way to approach it. But sometimes, I do know of
several composers who feel that even if you buy his choral music, you will say, "Oh, I'll just
change this rhythm, or I should just change this note. I am happy to leave off..." I did see one
person like this who commissioned me ten years ago.
Composers’ Dialogue #1, 08/06/2002