CD of Dad’s Island Songs, set by Meta Overman

Jeanell Carrigan, renown Australian musician, last week sent my brother and I copies of a new CD of chamber music by Meta Overman. Thank you, Jeanell!

Score & CD incl. Island Songs; postcard

Score & CD incl. Island Songs; Postcard from Jeanell

Soprano Narelle Yeo and pianist Jeanell Carrigan have made a lovely recording of Overman’s Island Songs (1956), settings of three poems by our father, John Joseph Jones (1930 – 2000) which we think he wrote during his short time in Fiji before settling in WA (where he subsequently built and managed the Parkerville Amphitheatre). The songs are Deep, deep blue water; Farewell; and Lullaby. [Note to writers: JJJ always used his full name despite the error in the score below.]

The disc is full of wonderful music by Overman, who was born in Holland in 1907 and died in 1993 in Perth, Western Australia. She was fluent, prolific and imaginative and her musical style is not quite like any other I have ever heard. Broadly speaking you might describe her sound world as neo-tonal.

Deep, deep blue waterDeep, deep blue water. See Wirripang for a better sample.

In 1954 Overman composed Prayer for Solo Harp for our parents’ wedding in Albany, Western Australia. The previous year she also set John’s The Image of the Cross (1953) for speaker, choir and two pianos.

You can read all about this prodigious Dutch-Australian composer and the role she played in Australian music in Perth and Melbourne at the AMC (try https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/overman-meta) and Wirripang.

These songs are on a CD titled Grotesque and other chamber works by Meta Overman, published by Wirripang as Wirr 098.

Carrigan performed the songs in the first of two all-Overman concerts at WAAPA in August/September 2018 with another wonderful soprano, Helen Brown, at which time I purchased a copy of the sheet music. Along with the CD the score is available at another Wirripang page. They also have samples free to download.

House Concert, USA order, exams, vibes

I’ve had a great few days, feeling the love.

It began on Tuesday when I took my very first online order for sheet music: one copy of my re-published book of dodecaphonic piano solos, Child’s Play, sold to a masterful pianist and teacher in the USA. I was so pleased I put an extra one in the envelope. Must get on to making videos of that group of pieces!

Friday morning came another novelty: my very first paid House Concert. I’ve played background piano for parties before but this time it was a genuine recital with me as the star billing.

MDJ at piano

Friday afternoon: piano accompanying for a couple of young music students doing exams at the AMEB. What’s so unusual about that? They paid me DOUBLE what I asked.

Who cares about money? Anyone who knows me knows I’ve dialled down my own need for income. The less you spend, the less time you need to spend to earn the folding stuff. But it really is the thought that counts and it was great to work with such thoughtful people. The mother didn’t ring and say “My kids have exams next Thursday, can we fit in one rehearsal as well?” No; she said “My kids have exams in five weeks. Can you come to rehearse four times?” My faith in humankind was rekindled, and then she paid double and they all gave me chocolates and a card! Surely, the excellent playing standard of her kids is no coincidence.

The house concert was organised with only four weeks’ notice but finding material to play was easy as I’ve been exploring a big repertoire in many recitals over the last two and a half years.

My programme featured four original works, plus pieces by Bach, Debussy, and Schubert. We also had a sing-along of my in-progress arrangement of Londonderry Air, with new lyrics. The audience and the host were absolutely stoked with the whole performance.

A non-camera shy section of audience.

What a joy it is to be so appreciated, and what a stark contrast that is to the insults I sometimes get.

I expect every year about this time to get tapped on the shoulder to donate my time and expertise to play piano for some worthy cause. It happens to every musician. People say ‘Please do it for free, it will be great exposure/experience/practice/publicity for you.’ Yair, right!

In reality they don’t value our expertise and/or they want something for nothing. It’s a huge insult. They pay thousands of dollars for a venue and publicity but peanuts for the players. What are they saying? “We need a stage, but you’re not worth paying for.”

Being asked to play for nothing is not a complement, it’s a tremendous insult. It’s ALWAYS an insult and people should be ashamed of themselves for daring to suggest any skilled musician should play for peanuts.

I ration myself to no more than one free gig per year, by invitation only. That’s MY invitation, not someone else’s. That is, I offer to play for free sometimes. Insulting me automatically disqualifies any application.

Sigh. Deep breath. I think of my upcoming residency at a cafe. More fun soon!

Child’s Play: eight dodecaphonic piano pieces

Reuben's Big Day Out, from Child's Play

Educational piano music book by Mx M D Jones.

Child’s Play is eight dodecaphonic piano pieces including a duet and a trio, all based on a 12-note row. Some pieces are genuinely atonal while others sound more neo-tonal. The Greedy Row Snake used to be in the AMEB’s exam syllabus for grade one and has probably been played by 10,000 students (23,000 copies were sold of their exam book which included Greedy as the last piece).

BLOG UPDATE November 2018: I now have three YouTube videos where I talk about the pieces and then play them.

Or have a listen at SoundCloud (also free):

Upside-Downs
The Greedy Row Snake

Visit the music page for Child’s Play, with more samples to view or listen to.

Reuben’s Big Day Out is dedicated to former Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating, whose dog, Reuben, was the subject of many questions from the opposition in federal parliament in the 1990s.

The pieces cover a range of levels from pre-initial to about grade 6 or 7, and include a trio where a novice can sit at the piano between experienced students and play a previously-learnt solo (Upside-Downs) which fits into a new piece.

Study instructions for Child’s Play

Upside-Downs, from Child's Play by MDJ

A partially completed chart is included for studying the tone row. Students can fill-in some of the missing rows using a pencil and match them to the pieces they are learning.

The 12-tone style or method was developed in the 1920s by Arnold Schoenberg. Typically, such music is freely dissonant and, unlike some of Child’s Play, deliberately atonal. The technique was developed further by many composers through the twentieth century.

Performance grouping suggestions

The eight pieces of Child’s Play were originally intended to be played as individual items in programmes with a mix of pieces chosen from the works of many composers, not as a complete set. However, they can well be grouped into small sets. Here are some suggestions.

Four Easy Pieces from Child’s Play (or Three… or Two…).

Pre-initial to about grade one or two:
Upside-Downs (played twice)
A Lazy Day
The Greedy Row Snake
Reuben’s Big Day Out

Five Pieces from Child’s Play (or Four… etc)

About grade two to grade seven:
Reuben’s Big Day Out
Homage to Webern
Homage to Schoenberg
Clouds (as a solo)
Alone in the Dark Forest (as a solo)

Clouds was conceived as a duet (one piano, two players) but a skilful pianist can play it solo. Alone in the Dark Forest, given in the book twice as a trio and a duet, can also be played solo by a pianist with a big hand span using the adjustments shown in certain bars.

Duets from Child’s Play (or Duet and Trio from Child’s Play)

Play Clouds and Alone in the Dark Forest as written, perhaps prefaced by Upside-Downs and other pieces.

To purchase my music:

HMP secure online purchase via Shopify http://www.mixmargaret.com/shopify-links-for-mdj.html

Or use the Printable Order Form (or email) if you prefer to pay using a cheque or a direct bank transaction http://www.mixmargaret.com/HMP-printable-order-form.html

Comments welcome.

New edition of Androgyne Prophecy

1st page

1st page Androgyne Prophecy

Today I will pick-up from the printers the new sheet music for Androgyne Prophecy. Yay! It’s only been eleven years since the first edition, but who’s counting?

I will make more videos of it and a really good recording soon. In the meantime you can see me play the whole piece at http://youtu.be/nzDjcSDs7j8

To get your copy of the sheet music click on the green Shopify buttons below, or see HMP Sheet Music to buy direct with a cheque or direct credit. There is also an easy version.

Or drop-in to hear me play at Soul Tree Organic Cafe and get the special price of $15 and save on the p&h too!

I play there on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of each month, so 23 August, 13 & 27 September 2015, 12 noon to closing time at 3pm.

Of course, they also have the most amazing food, very special indeed. See you soon for coffee, cake and music?