We appeal to all persons who possess source documents related to the work of the composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949), as well as those individuals who have knowledge of the whereabouts of such sources.

Since 1 October 2009, the Richard Strauss Institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen began work on the Richard-Strauss-Quellenverzeichnis (RSQV).  The project is under the financial support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).  Its goal is to develop and document as completely as possible the source documents related to the work of the composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949).  By source documents we mean, among other things, autograph musical manuscripts (as well as copies of them), printer and copy-editor proofs, additional letters and postcards from or to Richard Strauss.  The collected information will then be published online in a musicological database.  This would thus provide our research with a modern, effective tool for conducting a quick and uncomplicated search of the source documents.

Call for Papers for the

Historic Brass Society International Symposium: Repertoire, Performance, and Culture.

July 12-15, 2012
New York City,
New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Program and
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Submit an abstract of 350 words for papers of 20 minutes in length that address the theme of the history, repertoires, performance practices and cultural issues relevant to brass instruments and the environments in which they have been prominent.

Submit abstracts to: president@historicbrass.org  by October 1, 2011

Details on the HBS website www.historicbrass.org

Agamemnon for solo horn by William Withem has been added to the IHS Online Music Library.

In Richard Strauss’ opera Elektra, the character of Agamemnon (Elektra’s father) was murdered upon his return home from the Trojan War. The opera focuses on Elektra’s plot to exact revenge against Agamemnon’s murderers.

Strauss represents Agamemnon with an ominous three-note theme that outlines a D minor chord. It first appears at the very beginning of the score, and is heard in various forms throughout the remainder of the opera.

As a hypothetical question, one may wonder what becomes of the memory of Agamemnon? Was he despised enough to be murdered, or should he be celebrated as a victorious commander of war?

That question, plus Strauss’ motive for Agamemnon, serve as the point of inspiration for this piece; a character and thematic exploration of the Trojan War commander. The motive is treated in various forms of altered rhythms and tonal qualities, set in contrasting sections. Each section relates to various aspects of the character: an opening call to summon his soldiers, a war march, a song to lament departing from one’s family in wartime, and a murderous dance of death.

Diversions for Brass Trio by Roger Jones has been added to the IHS Online Music Library.

Diversions for Brass Trio was sketched in the spring of 1980 as a compositional exercise to explore the medium made standard by Francis Poulenc's Sonata for Horn, Trumpet and Trombone. Like that milestone piece, Diversions is neoclassical and at times whimsical. The completed sketch was set aside until 1989, when a few revisions were made, and the work was premiered at The University of Louisiana at Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University) in April of that year by the Chamber Arts Trio.

Diversions consists of five movements. The first, "Statement", presents a bold motive that is then developed imitatively. It becomes a cyclic theme for the work. As the title implies, Diversions is meant to be used "as needed," that is, as a concert work in its entirety or broken into smaller units where that application would be desirable. The level of difficulty is such that it would lend itself to student performances as well as those by professionals.

The 44th International Horn Symposium will be held May 15-19, 2012 at the University of North Texas in Denton, hosted by Bill Scharnberg. Watch symposium.hornsociety.org for further information as it becomes available.