Acton to become a musical score

By Sally Fink, Staff writer, The Assabet Valley Beacon

"What's cool about Acton?"

With this question, composer Thomas Duffy began a dialogue with the members of the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School band. The question was part of a process which will culminate next April when the concert band will play the world premier of a musical composition written by Duffy about Acton.

Duffy has a doctorate in composition from Cornell and is also the Director of Bands and a Professor of Music at Yale University. He has been commissioned by Acton-Boxborough Music Director Mark Mickey to write an original work for the high school band.

Duffy first met the band members during their class on Monday. He introduced himself to the students through words and through a conductor's hand gestures; through playing a few bars of music on a piano; and through a tape-recording of a composition he wrote for a high school in Scituate, RI. By the end of class, the students had seen Duffy's vibrancy and enthusiasm and had heard for themselves how his music tells a story.

Duffy said a composition can be "Opus Number 10," which is simply music without a message, or It can be about something, such as different types of crystals or even snakes. Duffy Intends to write this latter "program" type of music for the AB band.

He said "cool" might not be the right word, but he wants to learn what is significant, historical or unique about Acton so that he can write music which reflects the town.

The tape Duffy played of the composition written for Scituate was a four-part piece called "Pilgrims' Progress." He said it shows what happens when technology advances to the point it eradicates natural resources or history.

As the tape played, Duffy described what the students were hearing in the rhythms and the melodies of the music; the forest and Narragansett Indian sounds of the early days; the hymn singing and barn building of the settlers; the machine noises of the Industrial Revolution; and the rising water of the reservoir which flooded the Indian's former village to serve the city of Providence.

In answer to Duffy's "cool" question, the students told him. about Isaac Davis' role at the Old North Bridge, the Acton Arboretum, the Olympic torch coming through town, the Colonials mascot, and a supposed murder mystery in Woodlawn Cemetery - all snippets of Acton's history and personality for Duffy to ponder and perhaps portray through music.

"Can you see a piece of music called The Stone Walls of Acton'?" Duffy asked at the end, not promising anything but throwing out the Idea for the students to consider. "Can you imagine what it would sound like?" he asked.

In an interview in Hickey's office adjacent to the band room, Duffy said he will think about what to write during the summer. When he finally sits down to compose, the actual witting process is fairly quick, lasting only a few days. Dully will write the complete score by hand, then put it into a computer, which will print out the separate parts for each instrument. The finished composition is due at the beginning of January so the band can practice it prior to their spring concert.

"The composition will probably be very eclectic ... I want It to be serious music, good enough to enter In the repertoire of serious bands,. but I want the kids to enjoy playing It," he said

Duffy promised that each instrument will have "its moment of glory or challenge, or Waterloo," however one wants to look at it.

Duffy said his first professional commission was 14 years ago to commemorate Bermuda's 375th birthday. Although composing Is not part of his duties at Yale, the bands there do frequently play his music.

One of his most popular pieces Is "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," which tells the story of the children's book of that name. Each character and major idea In the book is illustrated by a different melody.

Duffy has written music for 19 high schools, from Michigan to Massachusetts. When he completes his current commitments, he wants to take a year off from writing on commission so he can explore more experimental work.

Duffy's works have been played by the Rochester Philharmonic and the New Haven and Grand Rapids and Phoenix Symphony Orchestras and by hundreds and hundreds of bands.

Hickey said that he plans to establish a cycle of special events for the AB band, with a big trip, such as this years Orlando trip, one year; a hometown activity such as the Duffy commission the next; a moderate trip the third year; and another at-home activity the fourth. Mickey said Duffy's fees will be paid by a combination of grants and-or donations.

AB Band to perform special work

By Rebecca Kenneally, Staff Writer, Assabet Valley Beacon

ACTON - Maybe you will hear Minutemen marching, or the fanfare of military bugles or parts of a patriotic hymn. You may 'see" images of community and strong stone walls. At least that's what composer Dr. Thomas Duffy hopes Actonians hear and imagine when they listen to the premiere of his work, "Ghosts of the Minutemen: A Revolutionary Sound Collage," written for and performed by the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Concert Band.

Duffy, director of bands at Yale University, took the students through a whirlwind tour of the piece last Wednesday, introducing them to the various styles and devices he used in composing. It was the first time the players had seen their parts, but they had been thinking about the piece since last year when Duffy visited the school to find out Important themes that make Acton unique in the eyes of the students.

The high school band, under the direction of Mark Hickey, commissioned the work with the help of a grant of $2,500 from Educational Foundation of Acton and Acton-Boxborough, Inc. (EdFAAB). For Hickey, in his third year at the school, this was a way to break up the band's routine of taking a large competition trip each year.

"Traveling really wears families and band directors down," he said. He proposed that the band travel every other year, and "in the off years do something fun and educational to fill the gap."

The piece includes themes of old patriotic tunes that listeners should easily recognize, despite their new home in a modern piece. "America," (commonly called "My Country 'tis of Thee" which actually is the first line of the first stanza) originally written as "God Save our Precious King, " is included with its double meaning fully intended to be a symbol of the warring revolutionary factions.

Listeners may pick up portions of "White Cockade," a fife tune minutemen marched to, and "O God Beneath Thy Guiding Hand," a Protestant hymn. Duffy changed the works to this and band members will actually sing the hymn as part of the piece. These three historic tunes provide a structure for the composition which lasts about six to seven minutes, Duffy said.

For the students, working with Duffy and "Ghosts" has been fun so far and they enjoy the change that new music has to offer, they say.

"It's a new style of music," Jamie Alpert, freshman, said. "Doing something different -- it's pretty cool."

And for many in the band, it is a "new style" indeed. Duffy uses a modern musical technique known as aleatory or chance which allows players to make their own decisions about when to play and on what pitch and sometimes in what style. True aleatory music might included background noise as part of the piece. For example, if a dog barked during the performance, the bark would become part of the composition. Duffy calls his technique "mild aleatory," or "Duffy stuff," meaning that it is not entirely random, leaving only exact rhythm and harmony to chance.

"That's what life is like," Duffy said. "No edges."

In "Ghosts of the Minutemen," aleatory sections are intended to conjure a specific image, with a point of arrival in mind. In one section, the piece instructs brass to play short repeated notes as fast as possible, starting when they want to and continuing for 8-10 seconds. The portion sounds like a fanfare of many horns from many armies, perhaps, and out of the cacophony, the listener will gradually recognize a solid harmony emerging from other instruments in the band, Duffy said.

"The chance part dissolves over time," Duffy said, "and something else will have started like a quiet clarinet."

Music like this "encourages independence," Hickey said, and it helps all the players make a contribution.

"They're responsible for knowing what's going on," he said. "They are part of the comprehensive whole."

Hickey said the experience in general will open new musical doors for the band.

"We do a lot of traditional repertoire, but they need to go beyond that," he said. "It is important for them to see a living work still in progress and this whole year will be centered around what Tom is doing. The kids understand the process, and seeing Tom bring it to life is very exciting." He added that the thrill of premiering a work excites the students as well.

Duffy came highly recommended to Hickey from other band directors who saw how well he worked with students. While he may only get to rehearse with the band one time, Hickey said that by writing music that will challenge students but not frustrate them "ensures success for the band." Hickey noted that the experience could not have happened without the EdFAAB grant.

As for Duffy, his success in writing for high school band comes from experience. He has written for about 20 schools from Massachusetts to Michigan and also writes music played played by college and professional bands and orchestras. Other pieces by Duffy include "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," a symphonic piece which illustrates the children's story with that name, "Rage Against the Dying of the Light" for band, and "Cincinnatus March," which was performed for George Bush's inauguration in 1989.

"Ghosts of the Minutemen: A Revolutionary Sound Collage" by Dr. Thomas Duffy will be premiered by the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Band on March 19 at the annual "Steppin' Out" concert which will be held at 7:30 pm in the high school auditorium. For more information, call Mark Hickey at the high school at (508) 264-4700, ext. 415.