CFAMC LISTENING PAGE  #27: William Roger Price

A monthly musical offering by a composer member of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers. Both your listening and comments are encouraged.

JANUARY 14, 2007

"de profundis" from Confessions of the Sons of Jah performed by Shannon Scott, clarinet and William Roger Price, piano

PROGRAM NOTES

Psalm 130 opens with the cry, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!” (De profundis clamavi ad te, Domini). My piece entitled “de profundis” certainly alludes to that Psalm, but only obliquely. This piece represents the second movement in my “Confessions of the Sons of Jah,” a piece in seven movements for seven musicians. “Credo” for flute and piano, the first movement, explores both the transcendence of the Infinite God and the nearness of God in Christ. It makes use of applications of the number seven to pitches and rhythms. In a similar way “de profundis” makes use of the number six, the biblical number of man. In this piece I wanted to represent the opposite of Christ’s grace and, instead, explored the self-absorbed and rebellious nature we have outside of him. The music starts in the depths of the piano’s register with obscure sounds. The clarinet enters and makes some obstinate statements, then sets off on a short journey aspiring to make something of itself on its own terms. At the height of excitement it seems to run into a wall of some kind and crashes down to where it began.

STATEMENT OF FAITH BY THE COMPOSER

“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak…” (2 Corinthians 4: 13).

I believe and profess the truths proclaimed in the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. I love the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the believer is called to apply that gospel (“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9 [ESV]) to his or her own life and world view, so we as believing musicians are called to apply that gospel to our work as composers and performers. This leads to a multitude of questions and a lifetime of searching out the things of God. This search must center on how to build Christ’s church (by proclaiming the gospel and by nurturing and edifying the church) and how to show his love by loving our audiences through our music. May Christ show his beauty (at least, in a small way) by shining it through me (and all others who profess his name) to the world and the church that he is gathering for his own glory.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 3: 6)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE COMPOSER

William Roger Price is one of a perhaps diminishing number of musicians who pursue composition and performance (piano) on rather an equal basis. He has developed reputation as a composer of distinctively thoughtful works for orchestra, piano and orchestra, solo piano, chamber music and church music. A recording of his first piano concerto entitled “Rhapsodies for Piano and Orchestra” (performed with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra with the composer as piano soloist) is included on the CD MMC NEW CENTURY Vol. 13 (MMC Recordings). It is available at http://www.mmcrecordings.com/  In April, 2000, Price premiered his “Piano Concerto No. 2”, appearing as soloist and composer with the Orquestra Classica da Madeira conducted by Roberto Perez.

The study of Theological Aesthetics has had a significant impact on his recent compositions, including “Winds, Flames of Fire”, a two-piano work that was premiered by the O’Hea-Andres Piano Duo on a featured concert of the 2006 European Piano Teachers Association International Conference (August, 2006), “Credo” (flute and piano) and “de profundis” /(clarinet and piano) from ”Confessions of the Sons of Jah”. In 2005 Price collaborated (as pianist) with flutist Leonard Garrison on a CD 2005 recording entitled “Superflute” (Capstone Records), which includes Price’s “Credo” and various works for multiple flutes and piano or tape. Other recent and projected compositions produced from the same philosophical approach include “Credo” (a projected large work for chorus, soloists and orchestra), a set of improvisatory piano preludes entitled “Glimpses of the Sublime” (2004).Related compositions include “Meditations: Lament of Angels” (1996) for violin and piano, “Tintinnabulations” (1994) for solo piano, probably the composer’s most widely performed piece, his two piano concertos (1995 and 2000) and "Concert Music for Two Pianos" (2002). Price has also published several sacred anthems with St. James Music Press ( http://sjmp.com/ ).

Price is Professor of Music (Piano and Composition) on The University of Tulsa School of Music faculty. He delights in sharing and exploring music with students. He also teaches a class on Faith and the Arts in which he and the students explore the nature of music, of faith and of God.

For comments, e-mail Roger directly at: william-price@utulsa.edu.

For more interaction with Price’s music and his beliefs please visit his website at www.personal.utulsa.edu/~william-price.

If you are a member composer interested in submitting a composition for an upcoming monthly CFAMC listening page, please contact Bill Vollinger at: WilliamVollinger@aol.com.