Edward Lein

Edward Lein (leen, b. 1955), is the Music Librarian at Jacksonville Public Library's Main Library (Florida), and holds Master's degrees in both Music (major professor: John Boda) and Library Science from Florida State University. As a tenor soloist (now retired) he has appeared in recitals, oratorios and dramatic works throughout his home state, and drawing on his performance experience the majority of his early compositions were vocal works, including Missa pro defunctis (Mass for the Departed), first performed in 1991 by Riverside Presbyterian Chancel Choir (Jacksonville) with members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Following peformances of orchestral works by the Jacksonville Symphony, including Meditation for cello, oboe and orchestra (premiered June 2006), and In the Bleak Midwinter (premiered December 2007), his instrumental catalog has grown, largely due to requests from Symphony players for new pieces, and he endeavors to imbue his instrumental work with the same singing lyricism found in his vocal music.

For Matthew (Lament & Prayer), from Elegies in D Minor

In the pre-dawn hours of October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old son of Judy and Dennis Shepard, was kidnapped, tortured, beaten, and left to die in a frost-covered field near the University of Wyoming. According to courtroom testimony, the two murderers, following a plan made before ever meeting their victim, randomly selected the slightly-built college student from among the patrons at a gay-friendly pub and lured him with the promise of a safe ride home. Mistaking him for a scarecrow, an early morning jogger discovered the comatose youth tied cross-like to a fence, his battered head covered in blood except for streaks washed clean by tears.

It was from this horror that the text of the Lament arose. During the days following that cowardly and brutal attack, while young Matthew lay in a coma, I was haunted by Samuel Barber's song, The Crucifixion, as witnessed in my allusion to its moving verse, by W.H. Auden. The appended Prayer was directly inspired by the reflections of the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston on October 12, 1998, the day that Matthew Shepard died. Bishop Charleston, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, former Bishop of Alaska, and now President and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School, observed that, "Crimes of hate may live in shouts of rage, but they are born in silence," referring to fears that prevent many within the Christian community from actively supporting unpopular but just causes, despite "the words of a savior whose only comment on human relationships was to call us to never judge but only to love." Still, the U.S. Congress maintains that Federal protection against violent hate crimes is unwarranted when the hatred and violence are motivated by homophobia.

The poem was written in 1998, during the week Matthew Shepard died. The musical setting, originally for tenor and string quartet, was composed in 2000, and soon adapted for chorus with flute and organ accompaniment. The preferred choral arrangement, using piano and flute (or violin) instead of organ, was prepared in July 2006, at the request of Dr. Carole Clifford for the Orange Park Chorale (Orange Park, Florida),

Lament

Wyoming stars in silent horror cried

as Satan's fists struck hard again,

then crucified God's gentle child.

And there the weeping night in disbelief beheld

a broken boy's despair: chilled bones, alone,

barefoot and bleeding, swaddled in an icy shroud

distilled and crystallized from autumn's tears.

O hear the first bird's cry

and feel the breaking of his heart

to realize his mother's grief.

Prayer

Why own this fear? Our silence multiplies,

condemning us complicit in his pain,

complacency our guilty wile.

Now pray his suffering might our apathy dispel;

let hopeful deeds amend and help atone.

No hateful shouts of rage--but let us call aloud

for justice, truth, and love, through sorrow's haze.

O hear the first bird's cry

and heed the waking in our hearts

lest death be vain. Rest, Matthew. Peace.

Astronomy (Song for Maureen), from Elegies in D Minor

My dear friend Maureen Miller (1946-2005) was a Jacksonville artist and designer, and a source of joy to all who knew her. She maintained boundless warmth and humor even while suffering the ravages of lupus that eventually robbed us of her. Astronomy was begun soon after her passing, and was first heard as a ballad at her memorial service. It reflects how random, unrelated thoughts can lead us to those we love, and how we seek solace through hope, even in the face of terrible loss. The arrangement for mixed voices and piano was prepared in July 2006, at the request of Dr. Carole Clifford for the Orange Park Chorale (Orange Park, Florida).

There's Jupiter ...

It's like five million miles away,

but textbooks never mention "up"

--I guess 'cause everything is relative.

I'll bet it's lonely there.

I know it's lonely here

without her.

I'm wondering,

how far away is heaven?

Some say it's just beyond these stars ...

I guess a song won't have the answer,

but I bet it's lovely there.

I know it's lonely here.

And if home is where the heart is,

well, then mine's beyond those stars,

a million broken pieces

out of reach.

And if home is where the heart is,

well, then mine's beyond those stars,

a million broken pieces

out of reach.

Now I'm wondering,

how far away is heaven?

Some say it's just beyond those stars.

I know a song can't hold the answer,

but you won't be lonely there.

God knows, it's lonely here,

so lonely. It's lonely here

without you.

I'm wondering

if there's a God in heaven,

and can He turn this night to dawn?

I know a song can't hold the answer,

but she won't be lonely there.

But god, it's lonely here ...

Missa pro defunctis: Pie Jesu

Pie Jesu, the fifth movement of the composer’s Missa pro defunctis (“Mass for the Dead”), was originally performed in 1991 by the Riverside Presbyterian Chancel Choir and members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and is dedicated to victims of terminal illness in memory of the composer’s mother, Marzell Martin Lein (1922-1980), who died of cancer. Along with three other movements from the Missa, the Pie Jesu has been reworked into a purely orchestral symphony (subtitled Lux aeterna), dedicated to victims of war and terrorism. The arrangement made especially for today’s concert combines elements from the choral and orchestral versions, and is presented in memory of those who died serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

--October 21, 2007 (Cromley and Friends: Voices & Violin, Bach to Broadway)

Sonatina for Violin and Piano (2007)

1. Allegro moderato 2. Nocturne 3. Scherzo (Finale)

The Sonatina was composed in the summer of 2007, and, as the title suggests, its direct, neoclassical style incorporates familiar formal patterns. The first movement adopts the precepts of sonata form, and the Nocturne presents a languid tune that alternates with a hymn-like chorale. The final Scherzo is an incisive transformation of the second movement theme, and its “trio” section further transforms the tune into a rather mundane parlor waltz which gains character as it progresses. Composed at the suggestion of Max Huls, this light-hearted Sonatina was written specifically with the Huls Clark Duo in mind, and more talented collaborators could not be hoped for by any composer.

--Intermezzo Sunday Concerts, June 1, 2008 (Huls Clark Duo: The Intermezzo Series Finale)

Tangle

Tangle, a tango, was written in March 2009 at the request of Piotr Szewczyk for a 3-minute piece for the VnC Duo, and although this is the public "world premiere," Tangle has been performed privately to help raise funds to benefit the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra players. Tangle inspired three additional pieces which form a suite with a Latin American flavor called Un Dulcito ("A Little Sweet"), for violin and cello, or for string orchestra.

A recording of Tangle may be heard at http://home.comcast.net/~edward_lein/UnDulcito.html

--Music @ Main, May 12, 2009 (VnC Duo)

Rumor: Rumba for Violin and Cello

Rumor is the last movement of a four-movement suite called Un Dulcito ("A Little Sweet"), mimicking the Latin American ballroom dances that inspired them, and the composer is delighted to have such distinguished artists give the premiere performance of his little rumba (rumbita?). The entire suite grew from Tangle, a tango written in March 2009 at the request of Jacksonville Symphony players Piotr Szewczyk and Alexei Romanenko, and both Rumor and Hoodoo (the first movement samba) include variations of the tune from Tangle. Adapted for string orchestra, Un Dulcito is scheduled for its first complete performance this fall by the Vero Beach High School Symphony.

MP3 of Lein's Rumor on the composer's website.

CLICK to download a PDF file of the complete score of Un Dulcito (String Orchesra version)

--http://mainconcerts.blogspot.com/2009/07/9292009-615-pm-trio-solis.htm

Dark Eyes: Variations in the Form of a Sonatina

Based on the famous Russian gypsy waltz of the same name, "Dark Eyes" was originally written to fill a request as a "pièce d'occasion" for a concert featuring a Russian cellist (Alexei Romanenko), a Polish violinist (Piotr Szewczyk), and a Cuban pianist (Ileana Fernandez). Although Mr. Romanenko's touring schedule made "d'occasion" ultimately impossible, their proposed "Music of Our Homelands" concert provided direct inspiration for the piece, which combines elements from the musical heritage of each player.

Tongue-in-cheek and occasionally bordering on campy, these "Variations in the Form of a Sonatina" transform the Russian tune using the dancing rhythms of the Polish polonaise and the Cuban havanaise. But even when it is most disguised, the original tune is always lurking close to the surface.The "sonatina" form that's mentioned in the subtitle is essentially in E minor, but it is sandwiched between an Introduction and a Coda, both in A minor.

The Introduction begins with the solo cello presenting a rather grandiose "theme." This is immediately repeated, but with the violin and piano enveloping it in stormy, fanfare-like flourishes.

The violin takes up the sonatina exposition's "first subject" Polonaise, only this polonaise is perhaps more reminiscent of circus music than of a stately Polish promenade. The piano and pizzicato cello provide the accompaniment while they alternate bits of the original "Dark Eyes" tune between them.

A transitional section presents two more variations. The first has a turning and leaping motive pitted against dotted rhythms. The second changes meter from 3/4 to 4/4, and sets up the havanaise rhythm of the sonatina's "second subject." Named for the Cuban capital, the Havanaise is, of course, introduced by the piano.

Melodically, this Havanaise is an inversion of the "Dark Eyes" tune, and it is no longer in a minor mode. Where the original waltz is closed in and tightly wound, this variation opens up and spreads out, with exuberant leaps, rather like giddy children playing on a see-saw. The addition of a prominent C# -- a "raised 4th" in an otherwise mainly G-major harmonic background -- recalls the raised fourth that the original "Dark Eyes" melody begins with. In addition to providing a somewhat exotic, Lydian coloring to the harmony, the raised 4th enhances the leaping, light-headed feeling by never quite allowing the tonality to settle.

Following a repeat of the exposition, at the beginning of the development section the cello takes up the first-subject Polonaise (in B-flat minor), but the violin and piano fight the cello for prominence as they hammer away with variations in 16th-note patterns. Immediately following a general pause, the "Dark Eyes" tune appears in the piano's bass line, while the strings saw away with tremolo double-stops.

Against sustained D-minor chords, the piano takes over the Polonaise tune in a melodic "recap" of the first subject. Rather than re-establishing the expected E-minor tonality, this section looks forward to the Coda, serving a sub-dominant function to the A-minor tonality that begins and ends the entire piece.

The return of the second-subject Havanaise tentatively re-establishes E as the key-note, and it fades into a fugal variation that begins firmly in E-minor. The Coda begins with a straight-forward presentation of the "Dark Eyes" waltz by the cello, while the violin sings a plaintive descant above a simple chordal background from the piano. The players conclude with a reprise of the stormy fanfare from the Introduction.

--Ed Lein, September 2010

Divertimento (Symphony No. 1)

Originally composed in May 1998 and at first called simply "Divertimento," this Symphony no. 1 was written basically for my own amusement since the possibility for performance was very unlikely. More specifically, I got a music notation program that could play back midi sounds, and I really was writing something just to experiment with the playback. So, because there was no effort to be "impressive," it probably is the most spontaneous thing I have ever written. My goal was to write something I might like to hear at a symphony concert, but that would not be so unnecessarily difficult that, say, an undergraduate orchestra couldn't handle it if the opportunity presented itself. In 2006, The 2nd-4th movements were submitted for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's bienniel "Fresh Ink" composition contest, and were selected among the finalists. The 2nd movement, Meditation, was premiered by the Jacksonville Symphony in May 2006, with soloists Alexei Romanenko (cello) and Eric Olson (oboe) under the direction of Fabio Mechetti.

Before composing began I had a plan: to write a four-movement orchestral work akin to the light-hearted instrumental suites of the 18th Century. The movements would emulate formal designs perfected by Haydn and Mozart, and the harmonic fabric would be essentially diatonic -- straightforward and easygoing. And, like those rococo entertainments, I wanted to incorporate elements of folk and contemporary popular music, hopefully without irony or parody, but as a natural part of the musical discourse -- kind of like a movie soundtrack but in more-or-less traditional symphonic forms.

The first movement, revised in 2008, follows the basic outline of "sonata" form (exposition-development-recap, in B minor), except that the full recapitulation of the "first subject" is delayed until the fourth movement. It wasn't part of the pre-compositional plan, but the thematic material of all four movements derives from the first three measures. These measures incorporate three principal three-note motives, the simplest I could come up with: (1) starting note--up (or down) a step--back to starting note; (2) three consecutive notes in a diatonic scale; and, (3) three repeated notes. I expected their simplicity would be very limiting, but they turned out to be more versatile than expected. Yet, the movement's not really "symphonic"--there's little thematic "development," i.e., the kind of motivic breakdown, interplay and evolution that the traditional, Germanic sonata-allegro form generally entails; rather, the thematic elements mostly are presented as complete "tunes" in different keys and varied settings. It was written literally in a couple of evenings after work, and, as I said, with no thought of impressing--but I still I hope it's somewhat charming, despite (or because of) it's simple directness.

The second movement is an elegy featuring cello and oboe solos. The brief and solemn introduction (and coda) was an afterthought added to establish the 5/4 meter before the cello begins its parlando song; it is drawn from a countermelody that occurs when the orchestra takes up the main tune.The original plan for the scherzo movement had been to alternate something like '70s-style disco with Edwardian salon orchestra waltzes (okay, so the plan was not completely without irony). But, while playing around with motives from the first movement, a huapango seemed to write itself, and disco died, again. The 1st Waltz begins with a transposition of the first 15 notes of the huapango-like Scherzo, disguised in a new rhythm.

The "A" section of the Rondo finale transforms the principal motives into a jaunty tune in dorian mode (on B), first presented by unison oboe and clarinet. Some--mostly oboists and clarinetists, I think--might consider this an unfortunate doubling, but the intent is for a rougher, more rustic feel than one might get with either instrument on its own. The "B" section (F# minor) is composed entirely of the three main motives (presented consecutively and interlocking), with frequent octave displacements -- the challenge was to write a "lyrical" tune when there is a leap of a 7th every few notes. The "C" section (C major) has, I think, a Baroque feel to it. As mentioned, the beginning of the original first movement is interjected, just before the return of the "B" section (now in E minor). The movement ends with a jazzy clarinet (or saxophone!) variation of the rondo tune, and a big crescendo amid a wash of harp glissandos.