Graduate Fellowships & Assistantships
Here is a list of current compositions by Michael Burns
Swamp Song for bassoon and CD. 9'24" originally composed at the Electronic Music Studios at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in 1986. This work has been reedited and the accompaniment tape transferred to compact disc for ease of use. It has been very popular and is regularly performed throughout North America and beyond. Bocal Music is currently preparing the work for publication. This work was recorded by Dr. William Dietz, the bassoon professor at the University of Arizona on his CD New Works for Bassoon MJSD 144. All of the sounds on the tape part were originally produced on the bassoon by various means and then electronically filtered and altered. The goal was to blur the lines of separation between the soloist and the accompaniment making it difficult at times to determine which is which. There is a section that features a duet between "normal bassoon sounds that have been electronically altered, on the tape and live 'melodic' multiphonics on the solo bassoon. The similarity of the two sound sources intrigued me and, I believe, provides interest. The piece is also supposed to be fairly light-hearted and fun.
Review:
Bassoonist-composer Michael Burns, has written a fascinating, ca. 10 minute work for bassoon with an electronic music tape for accompaniment. Although decidedly modern, with a few sections in multiphonics, (all carefully fingered for the performer in the appendix), the style is still quite lyrical at times and is not overly disjunct or pointillistic. It is fairly demanding technically, however, ascending to a high e-flat2. It is a strong level IV- in difficulty, demanding a definitely advanced bassoonist. Co-ordination with the tape is carefully indicated in the score generally, but there is a long 44 second section where the composer instructs the performer to: 'improvise - GO WILD! Start frantic and gradually get softer and more spasmodic." Overall, it is a very attractive composition, ending in a lovely lyrical theme, followed by the bassoonist tonguing on the reedless bocal in the bass register, following the gradual fadeout of the taped sounds-nice touch! I strongly recommend this modern-but-acessible new work to the advanced bassoonist for his or her next recital.
Ronald Klimko, The Double Reed, Vol 23 No 2, p. 24.
Download
an MP3 sample of Swamp
Song
E Toro nga Hau: The Three Winds for reed trio (oboe, clarinet, bassoon). 8' this work in two short movements was composed in 2001 and premiered by the EastWind Trio d'Anches (with Burns on bassoon) on a tour to New Zealand and Australia. This has also been performed throughout North America and the South pacific and is being prepared for publication by Bocal Music.
Download MP3 samples of E Toro nga Hau:
Double Reed Trio. 8' this is a version of E toro Nga Hau for oboe, English horn, and bassoon with appropriate changes to suit the new instrumentation. Premiered at IDRS 2002 in Banff, Alberta Canada by the three co-hosts for the IDRS 2003 conference--Mary Ashley Barret, oboe, James Prodan, English horn, and Michael Burns, bassoon. This is also being prepared for publication by Bocal Music.
Riffs for flute, bassoon and piano. Ca. 6' this short two-movement work was premiered at the 1998 IDRS Conference in Tempe, AZ with Michael Burns on bassoon and his wife Carla Copeland-Burns on flute. It was inspired by William Dietz, the bassoon professor at the University of Arizona who asked Burns if he could write a sort-of primer piece for jazz bassoon for the non jazz player. This is also being prepared for publication by Bocal Music.
Review:
Bassoonist/Composer
Michael burns gives us two delightful, jazzy works here-not overly
difficult
technically, but a lot of fun to play. The first Riff is a Waltz in
3 and the second a more extensive Shuffle in 4. Written in 9/8
and 12/8,
the composer leaves it up to the performer to “make it swing”,
which is the primary reason for its level IV- (possibly a III+ to
a
“jazzer”) rating. The bassoon part only ascends to a high c2,
and except for some complicated rhythms and grace notes, is really
quite playable. If you are looking for a ‘different’ work
for your next recital, this one looks particulary appealing as one
that
could be lots of fun to play!
Ronald Klimko, The Double Reed, Vol 23 No 2, p. 26.
Download an MP3 sample of Riffs 1, Waltz
Eclecticism 1 for Reed Quartet (ob, cl, bn, alto saxophone). 3'47" this brief work was written for, and premiered by the Eastwind Quatour d'Anches in 2002. It is rather typical of my style which eclectically draws from many styles and influences including jazz, serialism, modalism, etc., hence the title. Yes, there will probably be future pieces named Eclecticism 2 and so on :-). This is also being prepared for publication by Bocal Music.
Download an MP3 sample of Eclecticism 1
Two Aotearoa Sketches for bassoon and piano. (2004) Ca. 10 minutes. This two-movement work is a fairly substantial reworking and adaptation of two earlier pieces for other solo wind instruments and piano (A New Years' Piece, and Moods/Modes) written while I was majoring in both bassoon and composition at Victoria University of Wellington for my Bachelors' degree. It was premiered at the IDRS 2004 Conference in Melbourne, Australia with Burns on bassoon. The first IDRS conference to be held in Australasia inspired me to write a work that would revisit and present some of my New Zealand music.
Download MP3 samples of Two Aotearoa Sketches:
Moods/Modes, A New Years' Piece
Two Aotearoa Sketches is now published by TrevCo Music.
A New Years' Piece for flute and piano. Ca. 6' was composed in 1985 and features a "rippling" piano part somewhat inspired by the first movement of the Saint-Saens bassoon Sonata. There is also a contrasting, jazzy waltz section in the middle. This has been adapted and reworked to become the second movement of Two Aotearoa Sketches, above. This work received third prize in the Victoria University annual composition competition in 1985.
Moods/Modes for horn and piano. Ca. 4' was composed in 1986 and experiments with the harmonic series of the horn, chords based on open fifths, and extremes of register in the piano while still remaining predominantly melodically conceived. This has been adapted and reworked to become the first movement of Two Aotearoa Sketches, above. A version of Moods/Modes was submitted anonymously under a pseudonym (Lorenzo Lasagne!) orchestrated for horn and orchestra and was runner-up in the Wellington Youth Orchestra Composition Competition in 1987 and was performed by the orchestra and soloist at the Wellington Arts Festival later that year.
Blues
for Contra (2005) Ca.
4'.
This piece is a reworking and adaptation of an earlier work Blues for
Tuba, written for Dennis AsKew in 1998. That work was premiered here
at UNCG and then performed at the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference
in Sydney,
Australia
later that year. It wasn’t until 2005 that
I thought of rewriting it for solo contrabassoon. Both the Contra
and the Tuba are instruments with a very small and limited repertoire although
contemporary composers are starting to explore their tonal possibilities more
and more. Both are also relegated to their primary roles of playing basslines
and being the foundation of a group while hardly ever getting the
solo spotlight. This piece partially explores both roles with the player
acting as both the ‘walking’ bassline and the
solo voice. Some extremes of range are called for all the way down
to the low Bb on the contra, the next to lowest note available on
most pianos, and up over three octaves to a high B natural. I chose
the context of the blues for several reasons: 1. Most of my compositions
have at least jazz inflections if not outright stylistic elements,
whether it be rhythms, chords, melodic lines, or somesuch, no doubt
because of my background as a jazz drummer in my youth. The blues,
as an essential element of and precursor to Jazz fits this tendency
very well. 2. There is a bit of a back-story for the tuba version
as Dennis had an instrument stolen out of a van and then
another ‘flattened’ by
an accident. So the title of the earlier work has also appeared as
Blues for a Stolen Tuba, and Blues for a Flat Tuba. 3. In some respects
the blues were chosen as a form of musical protest and statement
on behalf of these neglected solo instruments—to paraphrase Rodney
Dangerfield, “we
don’t get any respect.” 4. Both instruments
actually have the potential for a lot of expressive nuances and can
inflect the music in quite an evocative manner.
Blues for Contra is now published by TrevCo Music.
Download an MP3 sample of Blues for Contra from the World Premiere performance, 1/31/06
Review:
With Blues for Contra, Michael Burns has given us a wonderful new addition to the contrabassoon repertoire. It is an adaptation of Dr. Burns' work Blues for Tuba of 1998, premiered in January 2006 on contrabassoon. It has a catchy melody right from the beginning, which should get the audience's fingers snapping and into the groove presented in this work. It is not an overly difficult work, perhaps about a grade of III for someone familiar with the contrbassoon. The work is about six minutes in length, and the range is just over three octaves, going from low Bb up to a high B natural. There is included a suggested high-hat accompaniment, which I believe could be supplemented with a drum set, or even a double bass. I highly recommend this piece and look forward to performing it soon.
Daniel Lipori, The Double Reed Vol. 29, No. 3, p. 138
Eclecticism II for Wind Quintet (2005) Ca. 6'.
My compositional style has always tended to combine elements from
several diverse compositional schools: jazz, modality, serialism, tonality,
etc.Often having more than one of these elements occurring simultaneously.
I decided to go with this characteristic and name pieces in a possible ‘eclecticism’ series.
Eclecticism I was a reed quartet (oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and alto
sax) written in 2001 (see above). This one is the second in the series
and in its current form is for the traditional wind quintet (flute,
oboe,
clarinet,
bassoon, and horn.) It also exists in other as yet unplayed versions
for true WOODwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and alto
sax.), and in a sextet version for reed trio and string trio.Eclecticism
II does not share any material with the first eclecticism but acts
as a kind of slow movement to counter the faster first. It also certainly
does share the diverse collection of techniques, encompassing all of
the previously mentioned compositional styles along with an additional
contemporary technique involving intervallic expansion and contraction
and the age old technique of making the original melody into a bassline
which then has a new melody superimposed above it. I would like to
express my sincere gratitude to the wonderful players in the student
wind quintet Armonia Dolce who worked so hard preparing this
piece for the World Premiere.
Eclecticism 2 is now published by TrevCo Music.
Download an MP3 sample of Eclecticism II from the World Premiere performance by the Armonia Dolce quintet, 1/31/06