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Composers Forum |
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Tim Krueger |
| Question #1: At what age did you begin to write music? I first started at age 14, but after high school, I stopped. I felt intimidated. I believed that my compositional style was derivative, that I had nothing new to say. I started again in my early 30’s, largely out of necessity. I had taken the position of choirmaster at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Denver, and I needed some good settings for liturgical music. So I wrote some descants and proceeded to other music for worship. Question #2: Who were early influences on your compositional style? When I was a teen-ager, they were Mozart and Clementi. Question #3: Which, if any, composers have influenced you over the longer term? Bach and Brahms influence and inspire me with their intellectual facility. Howells and Finzi have affected me in a more emotional way, especially evoking feelings of melancholy and nostalgia. Question #4: Are you self-taught, or did you study with composition teachers? If the latter, which teachers helped you develop as a composer, and in what ways? I am mostly self-taught. I never took a composition class. I did take a 16th century counterpoint class, however, which taught me things about voice leading. Question #5: What composers, living or dead, do you most admire? The same ones who have influenced me the most – Bach, Brahms, Howells, Finzi. Question #6: What inspires you to write a piece of music? I should probably say at the outset that, for me, composing is secondary to my other musical endeavors. I enjoy it, but don’t feel compelled to do it, as I imagine some other composers do. Thus, as I mentioned earlier, I am a functional composer. My “muse” is probably predominantly necessity. When I took the position at St. Andrew’s, I wanted some different liturgical music, so I started composing descants for hymns. I have also written introits, a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, Preces and Responses, and a setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. I would like to write a Passion, something that is not grand and can actually be used in a smaller setting with limited resources. (I have started and scrapped a Passion already.) Almost all of my compositions are liturgically based. I just wrote a new piece, however, that was inspired by the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, which happens to be another passion of mine. It is the first piece I have written that was not for St. Andrew’s. Another inspiration for me is my good friend, Ernest Priest, who has told me that he believes I have the talent to compose. Question #7: This is something many people want to know: How do you do what you do? What is the process by which you write a piece of music? Most of my compositions have been based on pre-existing melodies. I took their concepts, then rearranged freely. The exception to that is a series of introits I wrote for St. Andrew’s. I that case, I started by composing the melody first, then I added the bass. Those determined the harmony. Once I incorporated the harmony, I changed the melody and bass as needed. Question #8: How does the process change from piece to piece? My process depends on whether I am working with a pre-existing melody or creating everything from scratch. For example, my descants have to fit with an existing melody and harmonies. I have to plan so the women’s voices can be heard at the climactic points in the hymn. For me, the challenge in writing descants is to create satisfactory alternative melodies. Question #9: What are the easiest aspects for you of writing a composition? Perhaps the easiest thing is choosing a text. (laughs) But nothing is really easy. Composing does not come naturally for me. That is why I say that necessity is my muse. I have to be forced, for one reason or another, to sit down and address the project. Question #10: What are the most difficult aspects for you of writing a composition? I think the hardest thing about composing is creating a melody, one that is satisfying, catchy, not hackneyed. That is why I tend to work with existing melodies. Question #11: How do you know when a composition is finished? For me, composing is a step-by-step process. I’m finished when I’ve completed the last step. I suppose I could edit forever and ever, but once my composition says what it needs to, I do not feel a strong compunction to revisit it. Question #12: Do you consider your process as a composer to be primarily intellectual? Emotional? Spiritual? For me composing is about 90 percent intellectual and about 10 percent emotional. Question #13: What emotions do you feel as you compose a piece of music? My emotions are derived from the intellectual satisfaction of having done something worthwhile. Question #14: What emotions do you feel right before a world premiere of one of your compostions? I feel both exultation and trepidation. I strongly desire approval and acclamation, and I believe there is the potential for that. Of course, I feel trepidation because there is also the potential for disapproval and criticism. Question #15: What are some of the highlights of your career as a composer? The Lamentations of Jeremiah. There is more of my heart in that piece than in any of my other compositions. I feel a lot of satisfaction in hearing it performed repeatedly. I have similar feelings toward my Alleluia, Song of Gladness. I think a composer feels more like a real composer when someone other than his own group performs some thing he has composed. My Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are now being performed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Detroit. I suspect I’ll also feel a lot of satisfaction if and when one of my pieces is published. Question #16: How supported do you feel in your compositional efforts? This can be addressed at the individual level (e.g., friends and family members) and at the level of society (e.g., government, music education in the United States). At the individual level, I feel very supported by Connie Delzell, the Rector at St. Andrew’s. She is very positive and has encouraged to compose more. I also feel very supported by singers in the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir and the choir at St. Andrew’s. They seem to really like my music. My wife is also a tremendous supporter. She is very appreciative of my work. At the societal level, I may one day be supported by a larger circle if and when a piece of my music is published. As a “functional” composer, it may be easier to get my music published in the short term (probably in the next 20 years) than in the longer term. Question #17: This may tie in to the previous question, but overall, what are your greatest challenges as a composer? I think my greatest challenge is myself. I’m hyper-critical of my work and it causes me to abandon some (about 25 percent) of my compositional projects. If I sense that a piece is not going anywhere, I just toss it. Question #18: What are your greatest rewards? Acclamation. (I see this almost as a weakness.) I get great satisfaction from the praise of others. |