A Dialogue of Self and Soul

Text used from “A Dialogue of Self and Soul” by William Butler Yeats

I am content to follow to its source Every event in action or in thought; Measure the lot; forgive myself the lot! When such as I cast out remorse So great a sweetness flows into the breast We must laugh and we must sing, We are blest by everything, Everything we look upon is blest.

Notes from the Composer:

“A Dialogue of Self and Soul” was never intended to be my concept for a bassoon concerto, composed for a consortium of wind ensembles (see above) led by Craig Kirchhoff at the University of Minnesota. But it just so happened that as the project came to be, I was directed by happenstance to the Yeats poem, and was very taken by its meaning (or my interpretation of its meaning). As a composer, we are often pulled – almost on a daily basis – to consider what we write: who is the piece really for? Is it for the soloist, and his/her expectations? Or is it for the person/people commissioning the work, and what might work best for their needs? Or is it for the audience? Ideally, and the expected answer is, of course, that we should compose for ourselves first, and that everything else will take care of itself. Easier said than done.

That’s a risky proposition. If the piece then falls into dislike, or suffers bad critical review, then those responses are direct criticisms of our self as a person. The opposite is true, no doubt, but nonetheless, this is the line we must constantly walk as composers: our “dialogue” that runs constantly through our heads (or at least mine).

And so the two movements of this concerto are very contrasting. (as most concertos should be anyway). One plays up to some expectations, while the other ignores. It’s almost as if I worked through the issue described above throughout the concerto itself.

One constant remains however: a solo bassoon part intended to be accessible to almost all levels of player; not too difficult for the young player, but also musically rewarding and stimulating for the seasoned professional.

The ending is different from most other music I’ve composed, and the repetition should be heralded, rather than labored. It should end with rapture; prolonged silence by the audience at the end would be most welcome.

Jim Stephenson

Notes:

While the vocal solo part is optional (flugelhorn cues are scored), it is most certainly preferable by all means. Please use just one player per part. My most sincere gratitude goes out to my good friend Craig Kirchhoff for his faith in my music, and for putting this consortium together.