乐播传媒

Feb. 18, 2020

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Meticulously handwritten scores filled the sage colored boxes, stuffed neatly into manila听folders. Rustling scores and hummed melodies echoed in the silent library room. In the spring of 2019, I found myself in the Norlin Library鈥檚 Special Collections and Archives sifting through听countless folders from the , entranced by Lynn鈥檚 powerful, direct听compositional style. Full of excitement, I applied for and later received the 2019 George Lynn听Award, funded by the Susan L. Porter Memorial Fund, which has allowed me to present Lynn鈥檚听music to the Boulder community. Thus, my journey into the world of Lynn鈥檚 music began,听amidst the inviting musty smell of well-loved scores.

Composer and conductor George Lynn (1915-1989) taught at the 乐播传媒听Boulder for two years from 1950-1952. A graduate of Westminster Choir College and Princeton,听Lynn conducted, played organ and composed. A prolific composer, Lynn produced 1600听compositions, including 800 choral works, 300 organ pieces, three symphonies, four piano听sonatas, two overtures, two operas, five string quartets and many chamber music pieces. After听his death, Lynn鈥檚 wife Lucile donated his scores to CU Boulder听and now his family generously听sponsors the annual George Lynn Award.

Despite his large musical output, however, Lynn only composed for voice and traditional听orchestral instruments. I found this lack of diversity surprising and at first felt disappointed that听no works existed for my instrument, the classical guitar. Thus, I decided to make my own听transcriptions, opting for simpler repertoire for wind instruments and piano, rather than Lynn鈥檚听complicated piano repertoire. I knew I had to stay realistic about the limits of my instrument,听which has only six strings and 19 frets, far fewer than the piano鈥檚 88 keys. In the fall of 2019, I听spent long hours trying to read bass clef for bassoon and carefully pruning 10 note piano chords听to five or six of the 鈥渂est鈥� notes.

The four works I chose showcase the diversity of George Lynn鈥檚 instrumental works,听from atonal to strongly melodic, and also fit the guitar well. I chose two works for solo violin,听鈥淰iolin alone鈥� and 鈥淒eploration,鈥� and several chamber pieces, including 鈥淧astorale鈥� and听鈥淒ialogue鈥� from 鈥淪ix Duets for Flute and Bassoon鈥� and 鈥淐antabile for Oboe and Piano鈥澨�(ironically transcribed for neither oboe or piano).

In 鈥淧astorale鈥� and 鈥淒ialogue,鈥� my duet partner Erika Gossett and I explored intentional听gestures and the concept of melodic evolution. These movements rely on set theory, showing听Lynn鈥檚 influences of atonal composers, such as Arnold Schoenberg. For example, in the听鈥淧astorale鈥� Lynn begins the piece with a series of atonal trichords in the flute鈥檚 part, a solid听foundation.Then, for the next three minutes, he experiments with this opening gesture,听transposing, inverting, complementing and changing it. Likewise, in 鈥淒ialogue,鈥� the flute鈥檚听introductory motif undergoes transformations as the piece progresses, traded quickly with the听guitar part. The melodic metamorphosis is organic, similar to a conversation, where each person听builds on the other鈥檚 ideas. The repertoire is ideal for chamber music, already an intimate听musical dialogue, filled with interactions and reactions.

鈥淐antabile for Oboe and Piano鈥� showcased a diametrically opposite side of Lynn鈥檚听chamber compositions. Elegant, peaceful and more diatonic, this song feels like a lullaby built on听a stepwise descending motif. With rolled, dolce chords on the guitar, I am aiming for a gentle听character, while Gossett creates a free, legato melodic line on top, imitating the voice of a mother听singing her child to sleep.

For the solo repertoire, I explored minimalism and solemnity. 鈥淰iolin alone鈥� is a sparse,听mechanical piece. Like 鈥淧astorale鈥� and 鈥淒ialogue,鈥� it transforms an initial melody, though听diverges little and repeats many times with slight rhythmic and melodic variations. At first, I听struggled to understand the repetition; however, later, I appreciated the overall hypnotic effect. 听Like many minimalistic pieces, such as works by Steve Reich and Philip Glass, the musical听atmosphere is more important than each individual note. By contrast, 鈥淒eploration鈥� is motivic听and serious, built on a short long rhythmic idea. The piece repeats this idea on different notes,听almost like a deploring or nagging parent. Later, short musical topics interrupt the rhythmic听pattern, leaving an engaging patchwork that finally returns to the short long in an apologetic,听hushed ending.

My duo partner Erika Gossett and I are excited to present our work in a public recital on听April 17, 2020 at St. Aidan鈥檚 Episcopal Church. The opportunity to work with the Lynn听collection and to bring his compositions to the classical guitar world has been a unique听experience. During this process, I have pushed myself musically to engage with a variety of听genres, finding layers of meaning, narrative and intention in Lynn鈥檚 music. With these听transcriptions of Lynn鈥檚 work and the dedication of American Music Research Center and听Lynn鈥檚 family, hopefully even more musicians can experience Lynn鈥檚 distinctive, multifaceted听compositions.

, the Ikigai Duo plays George Lynn鈥檚 鈥淐antabile鈥� and 鈥淒eploration鈥� remotely, while social distancing. This mini-concert is part of their canceled April 17th听concert, "George Lynn鈥擳he Minimalist."

Update: Jan. 30, 2023

Izzy Fincher and Kassandra Lopez, a Denver-based flutist, recorded all of these transcriptions at the Broomfield Auditorium in 2022. This project was supported by Christina Lynn-Craig, the daughter of George Lynn. The final videos, released in January 2023, can be viewed on .