Sarah Wallin

Filed in Composition, History, Humor, Inspiration, Noteworthy, Performance on August 16, 2008 at 1:29 am

I know… it’s been a while… But I have an excuse - because I’m getting married next week!!!!!!! Woo-hoo!

But I did want to put this up officially while I was thinking about it…

My latest completed work, Fair Katrinelje and Pif-Paf-Poltrie, is meant to be a jaunty comedic work, based on a lesser-known tale from the famous Brothers’ Grimm. Growing up reading these fairy tales, this very brief and repetitive dialogue always caught my fancy. The “story” focuses on our hero, Pif-Paf-Poltrie, who is out to seek the hand of his beloved, the Fair Katrinelje, in marriage. Being the gentleman that he is, he approaches in turn each member of his beloved’s family to ask their permission. Father Hollenthe, Mother Malcho, Brother High-and-Mighty, and Sister Käsetraut all respond in turn similarly – essentially, “If it’s all right with everyone else, it’s all right with me.”

I’ve always loved the cyclical nature of the text, how each family member’s response to our hero’s request is always the same as the one before it and maintains a certain rhythmical persistence throughout - you can almost hear the speaker becoming more weary and desperate with each stanza! [Take a look at the full text here.] Needless to say, when approached with the assignment of writing a vocal work for soprano, piano, flute, and cello, this long-beloved text came to mind!

My musical inspiration was stimulated largely by the compositional genius of Stravinsky; firstly as a result of my preparation of the violin part of his L’Histoire du Soldat for an upcoming performance at the time, and secondly, through my charmed admiration of a little setting of his for soprano and piano of The Owl and The Pussycat. Thus there is a quirky charm about the music in my Fair Katrinelje piece that brings out the off-kilter humor of the Grimms’ tale, and it really sets the mood of the whole work nicely!

Needless to say, this piece is very different from my usual style, but for that, and for the childhood memories it evokes for me, this is a little gem that I enjoy very much.

You can listen to the piece in its entirety (for a limited time) and read all about its background, including getting acquainted with the characters of the tale, by clicking here.

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Special V.T.C.M.A.

Filed in Composition, Noteworthy, Performance, Thought for the Day, Violin on July 8, 2008 at 11:57 pm

Finally, now on YouTube, you can view Steve Zelt’s film, The Visit, in its entirety, with original music composed and performed by me and my good friend Danielle Cummins!

And, through my relationship with both Danielle and Steve, I met talented singer/songwriter Larry Enriquez and had the pleasure of improvising and recording violin parts for a good number of his original tunes. Well, later, we were able to make music videos of each of these tunes, so here is the first of those music videos (more to come later!). What a great experience!

“Embrace the Day”

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Recent News

Filed in Composition, General, Noteworthy, Performance, Reviews, Violin on June 20, 2008 at 1:22 am

The biggest news in my life currently is that, after a recent audition, I am now an official member of the Orange County Symphony! I am sincerely looking forward to growing under the current music director, and working with the orchestra on the fantastic selection of music they have planned for the coming year. Stay tuned for details on concerts as they come up!

In other (smaller) news, I have just signed on with a new database for composers and performers called MusMap.com. It is easy-to-use, a great tool for searching out musicians for your events and other needs, and a great place for networking with fellow professionals. View my composer’s profile and find all sorts of info about me, including some of my works with program notes and sound samples. Or view my performer’s profile, and find all sorts of info about me :), including upcoming performance events and sound samples. If you are a professional (or aspiring to be such) composer or performer, consider contacting MusMap.com for an invite to join!

And, finally, if you notice at the very top of my right-hand sidebar, I have added a “My Upcoming Events” section, where I will be updating a list of upcoming events and concerts. Clicking on the link of the name of the event will open a page with more info on that specific event; be sure to check back often!

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V.T.C.M.A. - 9

Filed in History, Humor, Strange Findings, Thought for the Day on June 5, 2008 at 10:44 pm

This is a hilarious episode from the French comedy show, “Kaamelott”. Titled “The Perfect Fifth (La Quinte Juste)”, it takes place during the times of King Arthur and details the evolution of harmony from the “holy” perfect intervals to the “pagan” thirds, sixths, and even *gasp!* diminished!…

(Thanks to Kay for sharing!)

(Find “Kaamelott’s” Official Site here.)

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ASIMO Conducts the DSO!

Filed in History, Humor, Inspiration, Performance, Strange Findings on May 25, 2008 at 9:43 pm

That’s right! Everybody’s favorite little robot debuted conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a live performance of “Impossible Dream” from the 1965 Broadway show Man of La Mancha on May 13!