Being an American composer means being influenced not only by the great European composers of the past, but also by jazz, musical theater, film and world musics of our own time. Such influences can contribute to an enormous range of expression. But to master that range, a composer must escape from the kind of thinking typical of the mid 20th century, in which the act of composition was seen as an experiment in rebellion against tradition, with the goal of identifying one's self with a distinct "personal style."
While the music of a great composer may exhibit a recognizable personality, as is the case with such masters as Bach, Wagner or Stravinsky, it is difficult to pin down that personality in purely stylistic terms, Compare the B Minor Mass with the St. Matthew Passion or with one of the Brandenburg Concerti -- or compare Parsifal with Tristan or Meistersinger -- or compare Le Sacre with Firebird or Symphony of Psalms. In each case the composer's personality and mastery are clearly recognizable, but the style and technical means are quite different. In each case, the composer is able to bring to bear exactly those compositional techniques and stylistic features that create the desired result. These composers did not try to gain their place in history by identifying themselves with a limited set of experimental stylistic practices. Instead, they focused on creating meaningful musical experiences by freely drawing on whatever techniques were available.
Unfortunately, the legacy of the 20th century has been to make the music-loving public extremely wary of ALL new music. They are more interested in safe masterpieces than in experiments. The same audience that eagerly embraces new theater, movies, literature and popular music now shuns new musical experiences in the concert hall -- a fact reflected in the limited repertoire of symphony orchestras and opera companies. Although the era of musical innovation for its own sake seems now to have passed away quietly, serious composers of today face not only the challenge of harnessing and mastering the broad musical language itself, but also that of reaching out and building a receptive audience for their work -- a task made even more difficult by lack of opportunity to establish any meaningful rapport with that audience.
The Internet offers some opportunity to reach people outside the concert hall. For that reason, I have now placed a great deal of my life's work on this website. We'll see if anything comes from it. Don't expect an identifiable "personal style." My music is extremely eclectic. By pointing the cursor to “Compositions” above, a list of pages containing more than fifty of my works will drop down. These works can easily be heard by clicking on their icons. In the case of vocal music, the words are displayed during the performance. In addition, you can view single pages, and in many cases complete scores, by clicking on the "view" icons.
These works are available in sheet music form for rental or purchase through JMJ Music Publishers by calling 336-772-4108, or by writing to JMJ Music Publishers, 1409 Northfield St., Greensboro, NC 27403.
While the music of a great composer may exhibit a recognizable personality, as is the case with such masters as Bach, Wagner or Stravinsky, it is difficult to pin down that personality in purely stylistic terms, Compare the B Minor Mass with the St. Matthew Passion or with one of the Brandenburg Concerti -- or compare Parsifal with Tristan or Meistersinger -- or compare Le Sacre with Firebird or Symphony of Psalms. In each case the composer's personality and mastery are clearly recognizable, but the style and technical means are quite different. In each case, the composer is able to bring to bear exactly those compositional techniques and stylistic features that create the desired result. These composers did not try to gain their place in history by identifying themselves with a limited set of experimental stylistic practices. Instead, they focused on creating meaningful musical experiences by freely drawing on whatever techniques were available.
Unfortunately, the legacy of the 20th century has been to make the music-loving public extremely wary of ALL new music. They are more interested in safe masterpieces than in experiments. The same audience that eagerly embraces new theater, movies, literature and popular music now shuns new musical experiences in the concert hall -- a fact reflected in the limited repertoire of symphony orchestras and opera companies. Although the era of musical innovation for its own sake seems now to have passed away quietly, serious composers of today face not only the challenge of harnessing and mastering the broad musical language itself, but also that of reaching out and building a receptive audience for their work -- a task made even more difficult by lack of opportunity to establish any meaningful rapport with that audience.
The Internet offers some opportunity to reach people outside the concert hall. For that reason, I have now placed a great deal of my life's work on this website. We'll see if anything comes from it. Don't expect an identifiable "personal style." My music is extremely eclectic. By pointing the cursor to “Compositions” above, a list of pages containing more than fifty of my works will drop down. These works can easily be heard by clicking on their icons. In the case of vocal music, the words are displayed during the performance. In addition, you can view single pages, and in many cases complete scores, by clicking on the "view" icons.
These works are available in sheet music form for rental or purchase through JMJ Music Publishers by calling 336-772-4108, or by writing to JMJ Music Publishers, 1409 Northfield St., Greensboro, NC 27403.
Jack M. Jarrett, D. Mus.
ASCAP Composer
ASCAP Composer
Photograph © Copyright 2009 Alla Campanella
© Copyright 2009 Jack M. Jarrett. All rights reserved.
Please Read::
(The music you are hearing is the slow movement of my "Serenade for String Orchestra," as played by the strings of the London Symphony. It has recently been published by the FJH Music Company, under the name "Meditation.")
Note: Most of the musical examples on this site are from YouTube.com. YouTube must be accessible in order for these examples to play. If necessary, you may need to open YouTube in your browser.