Welcome to the official site for Wes Stephens. Here you can remain current on all of
his new works, commissions, premieres, performances, and clinics.
Monday, August 4, 2014 at 07:34PM Hey guys
Just wanted to share what I have been working on the past five days. This is the theme and first variation to my new piece for solo drumet, creatively titled Theme and Variations.
Friday, July 25, 2014 at 07:08PM This past week I was inspired to do something I have never done before-write a jazz tune (I Prefer Laughter to Tears) . I was trying to write a flute/pan duo for my friends Beaux Lux and Jason Baskin but found myself gravitating away from my original concepts and more towards the jazz idiom. The process was very quick surprisingly and I found myself really enjoying fleshing out the work but leaving room for improvisers to leave their mark as well. This piece also marks the end of my three year hiatus (for lack of a better word) from writing purely instrumental music. So, yay for new experiences! I hope to have a recording (other than the MIDI rendering that I have now) in a few weeks.
P.S. A free copy of the lead sheets will go the first person who can tell me what the title is referencing.
Friday, June 6, 2014 at 05:03PM Just got a fantastic recording of my percussion ensemble Four African Dances performed by Sheena Richardson and friends. FAD was performed on her degree recital on May 16, 2014 at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a student of Josh Watkins.
Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 07:48PM
Yikes It's been a while since my last Birthday Project post. Just got the first rehearsal recording of the first two sections of Shadow Play from my performers. I am pleased with the opening section but the brilliant form I devised doesn't work AT ALL. Needless to say, I will be revising that section. The Kotekan patterns that I chose also proved to be somewhat difficult to perform. Lot's of things to tweak plus I still need to write the last two sections. Definitely going to spend my spring break at my work desk.
Monday, February 10, 2014 at 05:24PM I just received confirmation that the University of Trinidad Percussion Ensemble, directed by fellow Mizzou alum Josh Watkins, will be performing my percussion ensemble Four African Dances on April 16th. This will be the first time my music has been performed in South America and needless to say I am very excited to hear this wonderful group perform my music.
The next item of business is an update on the progress of Shadow Play. I spent the weekend dreaming up blueprints for the Encounter section and I think I have come up with a pretty clever layout. What I wanted to do with this section of the piece is for each performer in the duo to maintain their own musical identity, which in this case represents their "shadow" but have them switch roles. I also wanted to use diminution on a large scale so I started subtracting consecutive eighth notes (using mod 8 math I subtracted 1 eigth note from 8/8 then 2 from 7/8. 3 from 5/8 and so on). From there I grouped the odd meters (for instance 7/8 and 5/8 make 12/8 or in my case 6/4) into a four bar pattern of 4/4, 6/4. 4/4. 6/4 but still keeping the odd groupings with the larger meter structure. After that I applied the same approach to form and came up with a 36 bar structure. By mere accident I stumbled upon the discovery that if I simply subtract 1 bar at a time (going simply from 8 bars to 1 rather than the mod8 approached mentioned earlier) I would still get a 36 bar chunk of music. So all of this leads up to the idea that each part will occupy the same space but their musical role, material, and structure will be unique to them. Here is a formal diagram if you are more of a visual person.
Also, in this section both performers are using different versions of the octatonic scale for harmonic and melodic roles which the players will switch halfway through the section. Since the performers are going to be dealing with different meters changes and formal structures occurring at different times I decided I will use the low C of the tenor pan to mark formal division in the piece, much like the use of a gong in Balinese gamelan music (one at the beginning of the section, then agin in the middle, and at the beginning of the new section (Merge). Another device I am borrowing from gamelan music is the use of "follow the leader" type kotekan patterns.
That's a lot of info but not alot of music so I should get back to my desk (after I watch Walking Dead of course) and hammer this thing out.