Michael Cooke

January was a packed month, with several trips out of town and Chinese New Year celebrations keeping me busy. Despite that, I made solid progress on my ongoing projects, finalizing the transition of the Love Letters collection to Dorico by moving the last two compositions, G.A.C. for Orchestra and Minerva’s Dance, while also making minor touch-ups to pieces I had transferred in December.

Both G.A.C. for Orchestra and Minerva’s Dance received updates as well. The original performance of G.A.C. lacked second violins, so I added them back into this new version. For Minerva’s Dance, I transcribed an optional soprano saxophone solo from the original piece that had been missing from the Finale version and adjusted a few key signatures. While the process of moving music into Dorico continues to present challenges, I’m slowly ironing out the issues. I even created a video documenting some of the problems I encountered while transferring Minerva’s Dance.

New Circle-Music for Bassoon

Alongside these score migrations, I started work on two new solo circle-music pieces—one for alto saxophone and another for bassoon. The alto saxophone piece is still in the early experimental stages, with only rough notes completed. However, the bassoon piece is much further along.

This composition heavily incorporates multiphonics, a technique the bassoon handles beautifully and one I enjoy playing. I also have a particular fondness for the sound of low A♭ on the bassoon, so I knew that note had to be a central element in the piece.

Through extended improvisation sessions, I developed the core concepts: triplet-based (groups of three) rhythms, an emphasis on intervals of a third (minor and major), and the careful selection of multiphonics to ensure the best harmonic blend.

Identifying all the exact pitches present in the multiphonics was a challenge. I spent considerable time analyzing and refining phrases, improvising repeatedly to determine which ideas worked best together. Some lines were designed to function as low-end bass lines in a group setting, while others were shaped to allow for more open, spacious phrasing suitable for accompaniment. I also focused on how phrases should end, as the final notes are crucial for linking sections smoothly.

To ensure strong phrase connections, I decided I needed some that landed on F^# and E♭, as these notes connect well with A♭, B, G, and B♭—all of which are important to the work’s harmonic structure. I’ve developed several phrases that meet this need, but I still feel I could use a few more to round everything out.

The Circle-Music Writing Process

Writing these solo circle-music pieces follows a particular workflow. After settling on key musical directions (such as the intervallic focus or rhythmic motifs), I begin with free improvisation to generate raw material. From there, I shape structured phrases based on those improvisations, testing them to see how well they work together. Does the piece have enough variation? Do the phrases complement each other? Do they emphasize the intended musical themes? And crucially, will this piece integrate well into a recombinant work alongside other solo circle-music compositions?

This process involves a lot of trial and error—playing through phrases repeatedly, letting them sit for a few days, then revisiting them with fresh ears. I feel like I’m close to finalizing everything for the bassoon piece, with only a few more phrases left to refine. Once that’s done, I’ll shift my focus to the alto saxophone piece and continue developing that one.

January may have been a busy month, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. Now, onto the next phase!