Michael Cooke

After the November 2nd concert, I’ve finally had a chance to decompress—not only from the performance itself but also from the intensive preparation leading up to it and the lingering disappointment of the election. This concert required an enormous amount of effort, not just as a composer and performer but also in my role as an organizer. From hiring musicians to managing promotions and creating the program, I wore many hats in making this event happen. Thankfully, my wife took on the box office and concessions, but there were plenty of hurdles to overcome along the way, especially with personnel changes and last-minute adjustments.

Personnel Hurdles and Replacements

The concert prep began months ago, and the challenges started early. Through a Facebook post, I discovered that our regular violinist—who also coordinated our venue—had accepted a gig in Nicaragua as a featured soloist. It was a wonderful opportunity for him, but it left us scrambling to find a replacement and manage the venue logistics. While he assured us that the venue was secured and even covered the deposit, finding an excellent replacement violinist took longer than expected, only coming through as we were about to distribute parts.

Soon after, I discovered that our usual trombonist was unavailable. I spent considerable time searching for a substitute, and while I initially found someone, he quickly became unresponsive. Back on the hunt, I reached out to another contact, who finally introduced me to a reliable trombonist—but this was already a week after the parts had been sent out.

Just as I thought things were stabilizing, I received word from our trumpet player that he required surgery and would be unable to perform. With only a week until the first rehearsal, I scrambled to find substitutes. The list of possible subs he provided was booked solid, and after some intense searching, I found a replacement. However, this left the player with very little time to prepare.

Venue Complications and Scheduling Woes

Amidst these personnel changes, we also encountered unexpected complications with the venue. One of our members who lives nearby agreed to help manage the logistics, and as he worked with the venue, it became clear there were gaps in the scheduling. The original booking didn’t include enough time for loading equipment before the rehearsal start time, and it turned out that the venue had undercharged us in the initial quote. Resolving these issues ended up costing about 40% more than anticipated, though we were fortunate that the group’s fundraising efforts covered these extra costs.

This venue holds nostalgic value, as the SFCCO hasn’t performed here in 20 years. However, it’s in a busy part of town with limited parking. I arrived early to handle logistics, including setting up the PA system for my piece, which features a digital “tape” component. Adding to the pressure, several performers, including our conductor, were delayed due to traffic, so I took on conducting for the first part of the rehearsal to make the most of our time.

First rehearsals are always a bit rough, but this one was especially challenging. It was clear that several performers hadn’t reviewed their music in advance, which was particularly necessary given the complexity of the pieces on this program. We send parts out a month early to give performers time to familiarize themselves with the music and contact composers with any questions. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation among some players impacted the productivity of the rehearsal, and my own piece lost valuable rehearsal time.

Revisions and Adjustments Between Rehearsals

After the first rehearsal, it was evident that some pieces, including my own, needed adjustments. I revised several parts to make them more manageable based on feedback from the musicians. For example, I adjusted my own part in the fast-paced second movement to add more breathing space. I also noticed a copy-paste error in the bassoon and piano parts and corrected it.

The movement begins with pizzicato in the cello and bass, which players mentioned was difficult to perform with the bow in hand. There wasn’t enough time to set down the bow and pick it back up, so I explored ways to simplify their parts to accommodate this. Later, the bassist reached out, mentioning that some of the fast runs were challenging at the tempo. I initially thought using open strings would help, but ultimately decided to simplify the bass line to a single note and transferred the run to the cello part. After checking with the cellist, who confirmed it was playable, we went forward with this new version.

To ensure a balanced dynamic between the digital tape and the live orchestra, I remixed the tape. This adjustment allowed for better alignment between the full orchestral sections and the recorded segments, which was crucial given that we didn’t have an extra person to adjust levels in real-time.

Last-Minute Substitutions and Concert Day Chaos

The day of the second rehearsal brought yet another surprise: an hour before our rehearsal I got an email that our oboist had fallen ill. Desperate for a replacement, I emailed his list of possible subs and began arranging a new version of my piece that would work without an oboe, just in case. None of the subs were available, so I turned to Facebook as a last resort. Thankfully, a local oboist saw my post and stepped in, agreeing to essentially sight-read the concert with just one rehearsal under his belt. I was immensely grateful that our new trumpet player vouched for him and encouraged him to join us on short notice.

On concert day, several other events in the area caused more logistical headaches. Despite a heads-up to the ensemble, some players still missed portions of the final rehearsal due to parking issues. With a lineup of challenging, newly composed pieces, having them under-rehearsed inevitably impacted the concert. Yet, the audience enjoyed the performance, and the composers were largely pleased with how their works came together under the circumstances.

My own piece held up well, aligning closely with the digital tape, though more rehearsal time would have helped. I’m looking forward to reviewing the concert recording and video to gain a fuller sense of how it all came together on stage.

Reflecting on the Experience

Every concert brings its own set of challenges, but this one seemed uniquely full of last-minute twists. Despite all the setbacks, I’m proud of what we accomplished. The concert came together against all odds, and I’m grateful for the dedication of everyone involved. Now that the performance is behind us, I’m finally ready to decompress and, perhaps soon, start thinking about new compositions again.

Final Preparations

The past few weeks have been filled with intense preparation for the November 2 premiere of my digital “tape” and orchestra piece. Collaboration is key at this stage, I started out by sending draft parts to performers to ensure playability and clarity of modern techniques. The feedback from musicians has been invaluable, particularly for the piano part, which needed revisions to better accommodate realistic performance demands, not all pianists are Franz Liszt. It’s essential to ensure that everything can be performed smoothly, and I’m fortunate to have such skilled musicians to help refine the piece.

Precision and Rhythmic Adjustments

With limited rehearsals before the performance, it’s essential that the score and parts are clearly notated to ensure smooth rehearsals. I’ve been meticulously reviewing the score, ensuring rhythms align with the conductor’s beat pattern, and all dynamics, rehearsal markers, and cues are in place. For better readability, I re-notated some sections using stemlets (extended beaming over rests).

Additionally, I’ve prepared program and performance notes to guide both the musicians and the audience, ensuring a cohesive interpretation throughout the performance.

Fine-Tuning Parts

Although notation software automatically generates parts, you frequently need to adjust them for readability and ease of performance. A lot of effort goes into laying out everything clearly on the page and ensuring smooth page turns, which was particularly challenging for the piano part. In this case, the pianist will likely need a page-turner. However, with more musicians using digital displays and foot pedals to turn pages, this issue is becoming less critical than it once was.

Digital “Tape” Synchronization

In addition to the score revisions, I created a video with the digital “tape” part for the conductor. This video counts out the beats, displays measure numbers, and includes rehearsal markers to help synchronize the orchestra with the digital “tape”. After sending a draft to the conductor, I’m awaiting further feedback to ensure everything runs smoothly during rehearsals.

Example of Video

Printing and Logistics

Yesterday, I had the score printed—90 pages at 11”x17”—and it cost around $60. Soon, I’ll be mailing it to the conductor. Thankfully, individual parts can be delivered electronically, saving time and costs. Managing the orchestra has been challenging, with last-minute changes in musicians and composers, requiring hours of reviewing scores, phone calls, and emails. Despite the time-consuming logistics, replacements have been found, and things are finally falling into place.

Looking Ahead

The digital “tape” still needs mastering, but I feel I still have time to address final tweaks leading up to the first rehearsal. I will need to start testing the equipment for the “tape” playback, including my PA and Mackie HR 824 reference monitors. I’m eager to see how everything comes together in performance.

This composition has been a long journey, and I’m excited to finally see it take shape. After much deliberation, I’ve settled on a title: Threnody for Democracy: What You Can Do. With only weeks to go until the premiere, it’s thrilling to watch this work move closer to its debut.

Finishing the Last 16 Bars

The last two weeks have been a mix of both highs and lows. On the positive side, I made good progress with my “tape” and orchestra piece after finishing the coda. I revisited the 16-bar transition and introduced a variation on material from the Confronting Our Shadows section. The shift back to 4/4 allowed for a gradual transition in the bass from eighth notes to half notes, giving the feeling of slowing down to prepare for The Dawn of Hope. Interestingly, as the bass slows, the timpani part speeds up because it stays synced with the tape.

Polishing and Refining

Since then, I’ve been in refinement mode, revisiting a section around measure 236 that never quite felt right. A few orchestration tweaks have made it flow better, and I adjusted some notes in the brass choir to improve its flow. While these were small changes, they’ve made a noticeable difference, and I’m starting to feel satisfied with the result—although I’ll need a few more listens to be sure.

There has also been a focus on preparing the score for the conductor. I’ve drafted a video to assist with syncing the tape, showing beats, measures, and rehearsal numbers to keep everything in line during rehearsals. Though I haven’t settled 100% on the title, the score is shaping up well, as are the individual parts.

Considering Changes (and Constraints)

I’ve considered adding more percussion in a few places, but the orchestra performing the premiere can’t accommodate that, so I’m holding off for now. The tape part still needs mastering, but I have more time for that compared to getting the score and parts ready for the early October deadline. After a year of work, it’s amazing to see this piece come together, and I’m eager for the premiere in November.

Software Challenges: A Finale Farewell

Now for the less exciting news: Finale, the music software I’ve used for over 30 years, is no longer supported. This was a major blow, as I’ve written all my music in Finale and rely on it extensively, even for note-taking. It reminds me of my struggle to save Dr. Mark Alburger music that was lost because Encore became obsolete, and it’s created a sense of panic for me.

The past two weeks, I’ve tested Dorico and MuseScore 4, hoping to find a replacement that supports my style and needs. Importing my latest solo flute piece didn’t go smoothly in either program. On first pass MuseScore came closest to what I wanted. After spending time in forums, getting private help, and experimenting, I finally discovered two ways to make Dorico work for this score. However, importing some of my other pieces produced mixed results—some with errors, others with missing notes.
I’ll be doing a post or video specifically on all of this experience.

Looking Ahead

At this stage, I’m feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration. It seems like I’ll need to manually re-enter my catalog into these new programs, as the imports aren’t reliable. It’s a daunting task, and I can’t help but wish I had a team of interns to help.

Stay tuned for more updates on this evolving situation and, of course, on the final stages of my “tape” and orchestra composition.

After returning from the Aspen Composer’s Conference and releasing another episode of Music from Humans, I finally got back to my tape and orchestra piece, energized by the progress I had made in developing the chords for the Dawn of Hope section.

Orchestration and Melodic Development

I began by layering additional melodies into the orchestration, some of which were adjusted to fit the chord structure. Starting with the strings, I added more upward-moving lines and reprised the introductory “You Can Do Anything” melody in the alto sax.

Next, I shifted focus to a piano-forward version of the chords, supported by strings. The “Have Mercy Upon Us” melody reappears in the clarinet, while the woodwinds reintroduce the “What You Can Do” theme and eventually take over the chords from the piano.

As the brass gained prominence, I brought back a rhythm from the piece’s beginning, which I plan to use later as well. One of my favorite moments occurs here: the trombone glissandos downward just as Obama says the word “change.”

The strings return in full force, carrying the chords while the French horn reprises the “Grant Us Peace” melody. After a brief moment where the tape repeats the word “hope” and the timpani joins in, I introduce an ostinato with the Dies Irae theme, reminiscent of the bassline from the piece’s opening. The chords are now distributed among the woodwinds, brass, and strings. Triplets start to create a 3-against-2 pattern, similar to the beginning, setting up Reagan’s quote in the tape that’s about to be introduced. In the final bars of the “Dawn of Hope” section, the timpani plays alternating 5-1 and 1-5 hits, perfectly synchronized with the tape, where a different quote begins every two beats.

Building the Coda

Moving into the coda, I revisited a rhythmic theme introduced by the brass earlier. As some instruments hold an A, others start moving up chromatically with staggered entrances. The pace quickens, not by increasing the tempo but by shifting the rhythms from eighth notes to triplets, then to sixteenth notes, and finally to triplet sixteenths. This choice kept the beat consistent, making it easier to sync with the tape. The woodwinds play up a Mixolydian scale, moving up a half step each time they repeat while gradually accelerating. Using box notation the violins bow up and down a chord, glissandoing upward while going sul ponticello—a technique borrowed from Caroline Shaw’s Plan & Elevation (yes, score study helps).

The tension culminates as the lower instruments move down chromatically in eighth notes until a grand pause (G.P.). I’m thrilled with how this all came together on the first try, perfectly matching my original vision from months ago.

Completing the Tape

With the orchestral part of the coda complete, I turned my attention back to finishing the tape part. I had delayed this until the orchestral section was figured out, and it turned out to be a fortunate decision. New presidential quotes had become available, adding depth to the composition’s narrative arc. As before, a happy little accident occurred where I was storing a quote near the end of the piece for later use, but when I played it back to check my progress, it became a profound statement. I’m likely going to leave it in, though I’ll keep the details a surprise for now.

Next Steps

With the first draft nearly complete, I’m turning back to the 16 bars of transition that remain unfinished. There are still plenty of notes and revisions to address, and the tape part requires final mixing and mastering. The piece is very close to completion, just in time for its scheduled performance on November 2nd. After almost a year of work, it’s incredibly satisfying to see my ideas finally taking shape. Perhaps just one more month of refinement is all that’s needed.

Stay tuned for more updates as I finalize this composition!

Crafting Motifs Out of Rhythms

I’ve been fortunate this past week to have several uninterrupted days to work on my “tape” and orchestra piece. Returning to the “Confronting Our Shadows” section where I previously mapped out rhythms matching the “ssh-ssh” sound, I began filling in the details. Establishing a bass pulse on B, I used the rhythms as interruption points, creating patterns in the bassline. As the phase shifts the rhythm naturally, space opened up to introduce an upward motif, with longer woodwind notes appearing off these motifs. This section may remind some of Rzewski‘s “Coming Together.”

Refining the Idea

Initially, I started with a single piano bassline. After one or two iterations, I began incorporating other instruments, knowing I wanted the trombone and bassoon to play this line. Realizing my target ensemble was one on a part instead of a full orchestra, I needed to create more space for the instruments to breathe. I experimented with trading off the line, giving a few measures to the bassoon and a few to the trombone. After that, I wrote the cello and upper piano parts.

A Fresh Approach

Subconsciously, I wasn’t satisfied with the arrangement. I woke up early the next morning with a better solution for creating breathing space. I wanted to emphasize the upward motif, knowing the bass trombone would be much louder than the bassoon, I ensured that all upward motifs were played by the trombone. The music was rearranged between the bassoon and the bass trombone in this way. This resulted in a much better arrangement and orchestration. I also added the upward line to the alto sax for emphasis. Additional touches included extra percussion, other brass instruments, and more upward lines to match other background rhythms. This section is likely the climax of the composition, and I’m now pleased with the first draft.

Transition to the Dawn of Hope

The next section transitions back to 4/4 for a 16-bars. Unsure of the direction, I plan to skip ahead to the third section: “The Dawn of Hope.” It’s common to skip transition sections and revisit them once the next part is more established, allowing for a better transition to be developed.

Crafting Optimism

“The Dawn of Hope” is intended to be more optimistic and hopeful, reflecting the possibility of change and improvement. I researched uplifting works and listened to them for inspiration, also analyzing their chord progressions. Eventually, I sat at my keyboard and created a progression that felt hopeful to me. I then crafted these chord changes to fit the Obama speech that starts this section and edited part of the “tape” to better synchronize with the chord progression.

Seeking Feedback

At this point, I almost feel too close to the work to judge its success, so I reached out to friends for their opinions. Their feedback was valuable, though challenging for them, as they heard just piano chord changes over the section without the full orchestration. At this stage, I’m just trying to figure out the structure of this section. I’m thinking I might put an ostinato under this, but we will see. Most feedback indicated that the chords felt hopeful and optimistic, but the underlying phase part of the tape created tension and anxiety, which is my intent. I think I’m at a good stopping point for a bit while I attend the Aspen Composer Conference and return with fresh ears to work on this section.

Check back for news on how the conference went and more about the creation of “The Dawn of Hope.”

After recovering from my trip and completing a new episode of Music From Humans, I resumed work on my “tape” and orchestra piece, focusing on the Confronting Our Shadows section. I aimed for this part to evoke tension, anxiety, and eventually a more menacing feel.

Crafting Tension

To achieve this, I used high strings playing harmonics in long chords. For the notes, I based them on the Pater Noster (Lord’s Prayer), continuing with my hidden mass elements:

Pater Noster Gregorian chant

I spent considerable time deciding on a decatonic scale for this section. I wanted constant eighth notes but in a random order. Initially, my attempts felt too pattern-like, so I turned to Python to generate code that would randomize the octaves and note choices within my scale and output a MusicXML file. This took the rest of the day, but I eventually got some results I liked. The following day, I ran my script multiple times, selecting different sections that appealed to me and orchestrating them for woodwinds and piano.

Building Complexity

I then wrote a short B section, referencing the “false” hits from the “tape” that start this section in the brass, again using the decatonic scale and some randomness. While I’m not 100% satisfied with the chords in this part, I plan to revisit it but wanted to press on. The A section reprises as it approaches the halfway point of Confronting Our Shadows.

A short transition leads into the more menacing second half. Here, the piano remains prominent, but now in the ultra-low register. I switched from the decatonic scale to an octatonic scale and increased the tempo by shifting from 4/4 to 12/8. This section also references the Dies Irae, similar to the beginning of the piece. I’ve reached a climactic part of the text in the “tape” and had the music follow that energy.

As I near the end of this section, there will be more prominent hits, similar to the introduction of Confronting Our Shadows, along with increased orchestral energy, but that is still to be written. Hopefully, I can complete this part by next week.

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to refine and develop this composition.

I had an incredibly productive week working on my “tape” and orchestra composition. I’ve been wrestling with a syncing issue in Finale where the “tape” part (audio track) would only stay in sync if I started playback from the beginning. Given that I’m 6-7 minutes into the piece, this was wasting a lot of time. After days with Finale support, we discovered that although both my file and Finale were set to 48 Hz, a bug required switching them to 44.1 Hz. This change saved me an enormous amount of time, allowing me to write over two minutes of music since then.

Building the Musical Narrative

The B-section of the second part focuses on the positive contributions of our leaders, even those not entirely successful. Here, I’ve woven in additional references to requiems, including Gregorian chants from Agnus Dei, with lines that translate to “have mercy on us” and “give us peace.”

After completing the first draft of the second part, I started the intro to the third section, which highlights Presidents who have let us down and are more self-serving than serving the country. This segment begins with a powerful series of hits, setting a darker tone.

A Week of Productivity and Future Plans

With the software issues resolved, I felt an incredible surge in productivity. I made significant progress just before needing to take a brief break. To ensure continuity, I’ve created detailed notes so I can seamlessly resume work later. I’ve also submitted the “tape” portion to The San Francisco Tape Music Festival, 2025—fingers crossed for a positive response. I probably won’t have updates until the end of June, but stay tuned for more on this and other compositions!

As my orchestra and “tape” composition continues to develop, I find myself on the cusp of choosing a fitting title that encapsulates its essence. In early May, I played a modern Requiem, which made me think about my piece as a smaller-scale Requiem. Currently, I’m oscillating between Lament for Democracy, Threnody for Democracy, and Democracy’s Lament, each with a potential subtitle of “You Can Do Anything” or “What You Can Do.” These titles reflect the poignant themes woven throughout the piece.

Deepening the Musical Dialogue

In recent sessions, I’ve been meticulously transcribing vocal lines into their instrumental counterparts, ensuring the orchestra resonates with the voices it aims to echo.

Meanwhile, earlier sections—originally drafted in a flurry of creative output—are now receiving their due refinement. This process of revisiting and polishing not only enhances clarity but also enriches the textural depth of the composition.

Embracing Serendipity in Composition

A particularly serendipitous moment reshaped a portion of the work in a way I hadn’t anticipated. While extending a repetitive segment, I halted at a random point to then play back the work and check the results. This unplanned pause aligned perfectly with a transition in the “tape”, creating a poignant, impactful moment. Captivated by this unexpected alignment, I adjusted the “tape” to fade out the background phase chant, leaving a solitary, resonant voice. This led to an intensified orchestral buildup that set the stage for a fresh thematic shift.

This happy accident underscored a valuable lesson in composition: the beauty of spontaneity. While it’s crucial to approach a work with intent, remaining open to the unexpected can lead to discoveries that surpass initial expectations. This flexibility has allowed me to embrace and integrate changes that enhance the narrative and emotional impact of the piece, reminding me that sometimes, serendipity can be more fortuitous than the most meticulous planning.

Looking Ahead

As I continue to weave this intricate tapestry of sound and sentiment, I am reminded of the dynamic interplay between structure and improvisation. The next steps involve continuing the creation of the orchestra part and refining the orchestration, ensuring that each note and rest serves the greater narrative of the composition. Continue to follow the progress of this work and its hopeful debut in the fall, which promises to be both a reflection on and a tribute to the enduring spirit of democracy.