From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature Julian Velasco's interview of Gary Green from the Wharton Center in East Lansing, MI from October 24, 2017.
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature two new performances of favorite symphonies: Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 7, and the recording of the premiere performance of "Allegro Molto" from Symphony No. 2.
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we are excited to feature a letter written by Gregg Hanson entitled Moments.
From the Maslanka Archive features media and stories of David's life and work. This week, we feature David's longtime champion, Gregg Hanson, and a performance of Symphony No. 2 from Gregg's retirement concert from The University of Arizona in 2016.
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature recordings and/or videos of three of David's premiers: Saint Francis, Symphony No. 2, and Hurtling Through Space at an Unimaginable Speed.
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature three of David’s compositions that make reference to a river: Symphony No. 9, Movement I, "Shall We Gather at the River," Symphony No. 2, Movement II, "Deep River," and Symphony No. 10: The River of Time, Movement II, "Mother and Boy Watching The River of Time."
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, we feature the Eastman Wind Ensemble in rousing performances of Symphony No. 8, Mvt. I, Tears, and Symphony No. 2.
Maslanka Weekly highlights excellent performances of David Maslanka’s music from around the web. This week, amazing performances of Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble, Hell's Gate, and Symphony No. 2, Movement II.
Excerpts from letters to young composers
You ask about the soul nature of music, and are music and soul the same thing. Music is one of the expressions of soul. A person does not have to be consciously aware of soul connection for soul force to be expressed through that person. The conscious mind and the deep unconscious are two different things, but everyone has both of them. The unconscious can push its way into consciousness unbidden. Often this makes people do neurotic or crazy things – compulsive behavior of one kind or another. If a person is prepared artistically, then a sudden eruption of soul force might appear as a composition or a powerful performance. The person may have no idea where the force came from. This was my experience as a young composer. As I gained technical skill there would be sudden bursts of music that “appeared.” There was always the hard work of getting it composed properly, but fairly early on I learned to follow my instincts when something powerful began to happen. The impulse to write, having a “true voice”, and having the necessary technical equipment are all different issues. There are fine technicians who have no true voice, and people with true voice who have struggled with technique.
In my experience the feeling of a true voice may come spontaneously to a young composer, but the full and settled sense of it comes only with hard work, usually over a longish time. The composers who were fully […]