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Composer
Round Table discussion with Timothy C. Takach and Matthew Culloton
GP
- T008 "Departure," by
Timothy C. Takach - high voice, piano
GP
- C003 "That Shadow My Likeness" by
Matthew Culloton - voice, piano
This summer, Graphite Publishing would like to celebrate some of its
new, exciting art songs by two Minneapolis composers: Timothy C. Takach
and Matthew Culloton. That Shadow
My Likeness is a collection
of songs by Culloton based on the poetry of Walt Whitman. Vocally accessible
and expressive, these songs capture the pondering, meditative qualities
found within the texts. The song cycle entitled Departure by
Takach is a dramatic work utilizing the poetry of E.E. Cummings, Edna
St. Vincent Millay, and Walt Whitman. We asked the composers a few
questions about their work.
GP: You both set poems by Walt Whitman. What
drew you to these texts?
Takach: Whitman has
a fantastic balance of substance and imagery. He has something
to say, and he finds a beautiful way to say it. He's not afraid
of sharper words like "scud" or "jags" (which
are a pleasure to set) and yet those words sit alongside lyrical phrases
like "I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun." I
included his poem in Departure to provide a great and needed
contrast to the other two poems.
Culloton: Whitman
was the first poet whose works I loved reading, and I think a lot of
his poetry "sings" well. The
sung voice can beautifully capture that inner quality often found in
the poems, and so I have taken to his words often over the years.
GP:
Matt, you’re a conductor and singer, and have
a great familiarity with vocal music. What do you consider
when composing for the voice?
Culloton: Aside from general range issues, I simply
try to craft a melody that has appeal and presents the text in a meaningful
way. I try not to be overly dramatic in these Whitman settings because
the poems themselves are rather introverted.
GP: Tim, you’re
also a professional singer, how do you cater to the voice?
Takach: The poetry,
before I consider setting it to music, has to appeal to me immediately,
on a first read. Then, once I set it to music, I rely on the performer
having a strong sense of character to make it come alive. Some
of that comes across in dynamics, accents, etc, but I think there's
a lot of it that isn't on the page. Compositionally, I focus
primarily on melody and contour. I think some of the most memorable
and beautiful songs have well-written melodies, and so that's my
starting point. Along the way, I try to make sure that the singer
has a smart relationship with the piano: the piano can be supportive
at times, contrary at times, and a great partner in the music.
GP: So what kind of voice is best suited to sing Departure?
Takach: Departure is
a cycle about approaching the end of one's life, or as one performer
put it, it's about transitions. In either case, there's a certain
wisdom and experience found in the poetry, and I think someone who
can capture the emotions of the three poems would do well. I wrote
it for a soprano, but it has also been performed well by a tenor.
I would say a college-age singer and beyond could succeed with them.
GP:
And Matt, who should take a look at That
Shadow My Likeness?
Culloton: I think
the Whitman cycle can be done by singers who are singing in college or
beyond. Younger singers
could find success with "A Clear Midnight," but the rest
of the collection calls for real sustained tone and even more importantly,
like Tim said, a little life experience!
GP: I’m glad you
both mentioned students, as many of our customers are voice instructors
looking for accessible new music for their students. What makes these
pieces good didactic tools?
Culloton: The pieces
in my collection are fairly lyrical works, and the long, sustained phrases
would be great instructional aides. "O You Whom I Often..." has
some trickier melodic leaps, so there are some ear training requirements
involved. Lastly, the piano parts are meant to be very collaborative
- beyond simply accompanying a vocal melody. The singer will need to
know the role of the piano throughout and then shape the works with that
knowledge.
Takach: There are a lot of step-wise
passages in Departure, and
in them lie many opportunities to work on beautiful legato singing. The
singer can work on pure vowel formation and yet also find important words
and really sink into the consonants. There's an extended a cappella
section (which could also be quietly doubled on the piano) in "Lonely," which
is great for ear training and pitch relationships. Overall these pieces
are melodic and tonal, without too many surprises.
GP: Do either of you have a favorite song from your collection
or cycle?
Culloton: "The Last Invocation" is one
of them, even though the "right" tempo has always evaded
me. It is one of the more emotional songs I've written, and I wrote
it in 1998 when settling in a small town to teach music. It was a lonely
time for me for a number of reasons, and I think that is why the tone
is somewhat melancholy (this is when I composed "Twilight" as
well). My other favorite is "That
Shadow My Likeness," composed
for my wife Melissa, but gifted to her the first Christmas we were
dating. I tried to create the "shadow" in the piano
part and I love the result - an ostinato that follows itself but, like
the poem, becomes uncertain in itself.
Takach: No fair,
you can’t pick
two favorites! For me, the emotional payoff in Departure lies
in the journey from the first movement until the end, and so I think
my favorite moment occurs in the last movement, "If You Want Me
Again." After
nine minutes of singing in the first-person, a second person, "You," is
introduced, and in the final line of the cycle, we get the sense that
the most important thing is to be with "You." As the singer
gives their body over to the earth, they want to be sure that if you
look for them, you can find them. "Keep encouraged, Missing me
one place search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you." We
hear a familiar motive from the first movement return, and the cycle
resolves.
GP: Beautiful. Thank you both for your time.
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Timothy
C. Takach
Matthew
Culloton
