John L. King is an American composer based in Manchester.
Among composers in their 20's, John is the most promising I have met. His works speak to and are appreciated by composers, players, and audiences alike.
I commissioned and premiered his new Piano Sonata on October 18th 2006. Read the review here
On this page you can read about his works, his performers, his studies, and read excerpts from a recent interview.
John's Piano Sonata (2006)
The following are excerpts from a recent concert in Stornoway, Scotland.
- Excerpt #1
- 2:17 - 5:18
- Excerpt #2
- 6:13 - 7:10
John's Upcoming Projects
- New Work for Seven Players
(Summer 2006) - New Work for Solo Clarinet
(Summer 2006)
John's Recent Works
- Piano Sonata (8')
I commissioned this piece from John and premiered it at the Inverness Chamber Music Society on October 18th 2006. I'll be recording it along with his Piano Variations (2000) this Winter. - The Ascension of Bridgeford Car Park for Brass Quintet (12')
Premiered at the opening of Bridgeford Car Park in Manchester. - Divergent Soldiers for Violin, Cello, Clarinet and Piano (6')
Premiered by Psappha. - Splicing Forward-Romps for Wind Ensemble (5')
- A Multi-Coloured ECG for 4 Cellos (4')
- Violin Sonata (7')
Performers of John's Music
- Psappha
- The leading new music ensemble in the North of England
- The Coupland Brass Quintet
- The Coupland Brass Quintet is very active in premiering new works
- Richard Casey
- Renowned new-music specialist Richard Casey
- Ivan Ilic
- Ahem...
Excerpts from an Interview
- How did the teachings of Steve Coleman influence you?
"His expectations for a 'serious' musician profoundly shook me up. I realized that the barrier between a musician and his material must be as negligible as possible; only then can one express a musical idea clearly." - Why did you live in Galway, Ireland for three years, in isolation from much of the musical world?
"Galway was my woodshed as well as a beautiful place to live. I performed [as a jazz pianist] every evening; during the days I worked intensively on musicianship.
"My time in Galway was a reponse to the dictum 'you have to really know something to hear it clearly.' I spent most of the time expanding what I know, thus what I can hear." - Describe a recent musical disillusionment?
"I have recently become more aware of the distinction between professionalism and artistry. Sometimes they go hand in hand, sometimes they don't.
"It's always dissillusioning when you see a great 'professional' who is not a great (or even decent) artist. I used to think that the two terms were interchangeable. Now I know better." - What do composers know about their music that noone else knows?
"Composers understand best the personal relevance of their own compositions. They emotionally understand why they needed to write this new work in the manner that they did. They understand the many different hurdles that they had to overcome in its execution.
"Usually, this multi-layered perspective is richer than any other. However, if a piece is circulated enough to have a life of its own, then the piece's interactions with and transformations by the listener can offer an equally rich perspective.
"Similarly, an inspired performer who fully internalizes the composition can make a more profound statement with the work than the work demands. However, this requires that the performer have as multi-layered a perspective as the composer, and that he be as successful at communicating it.
"In short, sometimes the sieve through which the idea is passed is more important than the idea being passed through it." - Describe a great live performance that you recently attended?
"I appreciated Nicolas Hodges' performance last year of a large piano work by Lachenmann [at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2005]. Both the composer and the performer held me in suspense, on the edge of my seat, for thirty minutes.
"The piece enacted a dialogue between the harmony and the ensuing silences. However, there was nothing silent about those silences!
"That Hodges could have held that level of directed suspense for thirty-minutes is simply awe-inspiring and moving. There are no substitutes for such an experience."
John's Studies
- The University of Manchester
- John did graduate studies in Composition at the University of Manchester.
- The University of California at Berkeley
- John studied Music and Mathematics at UC Berkeley.
Contact John
- You can contact John at JohnLawrenceKing [at] googlemail (dot) com
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