# Jennifer Higdon



## hreichgott

I am a fan of Jennifer Higdon's music and I am working on her piano piece "Secret and Glass Gardens" for a recording project this summer. I did not see an existing Higdon composer thread (though I'm still trying to find my way around the search function here) and thought I'd start one and set out some thoughts about this piece. I am still in the learning stages, and I find the piece technically and artistically challenging, so these ideas are still being formed. Ms. Higdon has generously agreed to listen to and comment on a practice recording and I may be able to share some more insights after that point.

There are at least a few levels going on here. 

(1) The surface level is indubitably pretty, and will attract those who enjoy pretty music, and might repel those who hear surface prettiness and assume there is nothing more to the music than that. The surface prettiness is made up of a combination of warm/deep and tinkling windchime-like sonorities on the piano, which are usually pretty, and a mix of major-triad harmony, usually two different major triads laid on top of each other. It's complex enough that you'd never mistake it for New Age or something, but it's definitely on the pretty end of modern music.

(2) A measure-to-measure structure, in which a given idea is stated at the beginning of a (long) measure, developed in one way for the rest of the measure, then restated at the beginning of the next measure and developed in a different way. The rhythms tend to start the measure simply, then pile up into polyrhythms (differently each time), then clear up again at the downbeat.

(3) An interesting extroversion/introversion dynamic. The piece opens with introverted musing and moves back and forth between that and popular-Copland-like fanfare, but even the fanfare is built from those overlays of multiple major chords, which necessarily mask some of the pitches at least a little bit no matter what I do at the keyboard, so something is being hidden even at the brassiest moments.

(4) Possible conceptual/literary connections to the "gardens" of the title. The measure-to-measure stuff is a little like rows of plants which from shared DNA and a shared gardener nevertheless branch out into unpredictable diversity as individuals. There are a lot of ascending lines in isolation, and a lot of contrary-motion lines, both of which make me think of growth. In general the piece moves from simplicity into complexity as well.

(5) Possible large-scale structure having to do with the slow-moving bass line and frequently-used fast-moving harmonic progressions. I haven't really sat down and analyzed this yet but I suspect there's something here. It isn't as simple as just having the harmonic progressions copy the bass line at a different time scale.

(6) Possible historical references to Debussy's preludes, including garden imagery. If all goes well I intend to play this on the same program as Debussy's "Sounds and fragrances swirl through the evening air" in the fall. As I was practicing "Secret and Glass Gardens" the other day my 5-year-old wandered in and asked if I was playing "The sunken cathedral". This is the first solo piano piece by Higdon that I've devoted attention to, so I'm not sure how much of the Debussy qualities are her normal piano idiom, and how much are particular to this piece.

Other works by Higdon that I like, in order of favorite-ness:
Scenes from the Poet's Dreams particularly the "Electric Insects" movement
Violin Concerto
Exaltation of Larks string quartet
Piano Trio
Concerto for Orchestra (more of a Bartok homage than her own language)
blue cathedral


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## arpeggio

*Kelly's Field*

A few years ago our band performed Ms. Higdon's _Kelly's Field_. Most of the band liked it. It had a great bassoon part that was fun to play.


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## Selby

hreichgott said:


> I am a fan of Jennifer Higdon's music and I am working on her piano piece "Secret and Glass Gardens" for a recording project this summer. I did not see an existing Higdon composer thread (though I'm still trying to find my way around the search function here) and thought I'd start one and set out some thoughts about this piece.
> blue cathedral


I don't have much to add on Higdon's music here, but for practical purposes, may I make a recommendation for searching threads?

I have found it best to use Google to do TC searches, for example, search in Google:

site: talkclassical.com Jennifer Higdon

Of course just change out the 'Jennifer Higdon' part for different searches.

cheers,
M


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## hreichgott

Thanks for the advice on searching, Mitchell!


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## KenOC

Our FM station is playing Higdon tonight, in honor of her (belated) birthday. I have to say I can't hear much here, or any particular reason to listen to her music.


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## Chronochromie

KenOC said:


> Our FM station is playing Higdon tonight, in honor of her (belated) birthday. I have to say I can't hear much here, or any particular reason to listen to her music.


Same. I heard a couple of pieces by her a while back, one of which I think was Blue Cathedral, and all I remember is it felt really bland. But wait, what am I doing badmouthing a composer in their guestbook...I'll show myself out. :tiphat:


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## Cosmos

I heard a talk about Blue Cathedral on one of the podcasts I sometimes listen to. In that same episode, I think they were exploring music that's supposed to feel expansive toward the heavens. The talk was interesting, but I'm not that big on the work itself.


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## Nereffid

I've been listening to Higdon's Violin concerto - Hilary Hahn's recording.

It certainly didn't win the Pulitzer for its innovation, but I think it's an enjoyable work. Hahn paired it with the Tchaikovsky on her album, which makes sense to me. I suppose listeners who feel that music should have a "sell-by date" might easily dismiss it as old hat, but I'm OK with trying to take music on its own terms, and I think it achieves what it wants to do: entertain.

A quote from Higdon: "You don't need a PhD to understand my pieces. I work hard on making sure they communicate to everybody." (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/25/entertainment/la-ca-jennifer-higdon-20120325)


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## cybernaut

I've only started to listen to Higdon and I am VERY impressed. Currently listening to her violin concerto played by Hilary Hahn, and I am enthralled. The music is bursting with energy and inventiveness...and luckily for my tastes, Higdon avoids excessive amounts of dissonance.


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## cybernaut




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## cybernaut




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## cybernaut




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