Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
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6/25/2009
At least they were listening
I recently got an email from a student who compiled a list of things that I said in last semester's Orchestration class. I'm not going to dispute any of these. I don't quite remember WHY I said some of them, though. My recollections are in parentheses.
- "Write this for bassoons and it'll sound like burrito night."
- "The high range of this is on mushrooms." (not sure, maybe oboe?)
- "I don't generally find myself asking, 'What would Johann do?'" (as in Strauss)
- "If you want them to be really quiet, give them rests... unless they are middle school percussionists."
- "I don't think Stravinsky thought, 'Debussy? What crap!'" (part II of Rite)
- "You wake up every morning and there's a new low note on the bass clarinet."
- "The Nuclear Whales Sax Ensemble has a version of 'Fanfare for the Common Man' that will... it will make you salute."
- "This would be layer cake... and THIS would be brownies." (overlapping vs. interlocking scoring for woodwinds)
- "Right... and I'm gonna build a house and assume you all have a vertical leap of 8 feet and not build stairs." (assuming that performers will play whatever you write)
- "I want you to treat these scores... like gateway drugs."
- "Don't go above that C. Ok, the D if you have to... if it's your birthday or something." (high range of trumpet, I think)
- "Unless you are Holst. If you get to be Holst, send me a postcard."
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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