| As Composer... Heather began composing at the piano at the age of twelve. Her music is usually lyrical and easily accessible, employing memorable melodies and traditional or modal harmonies, with most of her instrumental pieces having some sort of 'character' or story behind them. Although she writes in different styles and genres, there is almost always a predominant presence of beauty and whimsy. Heather attributes playing different instruments in high school, sometimes having to sing as an alto, and playing Bach's polyphonic keyboard works, to her desire to give as much beauty as possible to the inner parts- an element which shapes her compositional process. Heather also enjoys the creative challenge of orchestrating solo piano works and creating original music for dance and theatre. Her performance art and multi-media pieces are influenced by years of experience in theatre and dance, a deep love of poetry and art, and her love and concern for humanity. These genres have provided her with an important outlet in which to address social issues such as gender inequality and the crisis of poor students in poor public schools. Heather employs a wide spectrum of diverse elements to engage, heal, and entertain audiences including; using a variety of text sources, live and prerecorded music, homemade video, colorful scores, dance with non-dancers, unexpected narration and text chanting, crazy props, fanciful costumes, fragments of poetry, improvisation, and if necessary, such things as asking instrumentalists to throw 'snow' cotton balls at each other while singing Christmas carols... Work as an organist and choir director brought her into a variety of churches that led to an unexpected epiphany in which she redirected her life to Christ. This spiritual awakening also caused a new perspective on the place of music in her life. Heather now views composition, and her musical abilities, as important gifts from God which must not be wasted. She feels honored to be 'called' to be a composer and uses prayer to keep herself focused on her new 'duty'. These changes have brought a deeper meaning to her work and life and have helped her to appreciate music's ability to provide praise and spiritual inspiration. "Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise." - Psalm 33:3 From the composer; 'My Approach to Composition' In high school, I spent countless hours making and memorizing piano preludes and character pieces- which I didn't know how to notate! Studying composition in college helped me with notation and gave me the opportunity to compose for different instruments in a variety of genres and styles and hear my works performed. This was such a great opportunity, for which I feel so blessed and lucky. I know that if I hadn't gone to college to study music, I still would have kept up with my composing- but I wouldn't have been as effective a writer and I would have been much more inclined to compose only piano music and songs. Although I still start some pieces by improvising at the piano, I have also created many melodies away from the piano- often while driving! Regardless of how I start, I like to develop my music at the piano and then relay those ideas to a computer notation program. After printing it out, I go back to the piano to check for mistakes. My eyes and ears search the scores for excessive notes and the balance of the dynamics. Then I fuss over the articulations. Choosing the articulations is the hardest part for me because it requires the most concentration and attention to detail. Punctuation defines our grammar and helps us to express emotion; consider; "He is?!? with "he is..." and "He is!" Musical articulations are crucial for the same reason. A misplaced ending to a slur could shatter a perfect moment. When I write, I try to create music which is pleasing to me- music that I would want to tune into if it were playing on the radio. I also want to make pieces which don't hurt the ears so much that you can only stand to hear them once. The 'composing' part of my work, does not occur so much during my initial 'creation' of notes or ideas, but rather during the whittling down process- which is so intensely creative and engaging! In this phase of refining I become more of a sculptor, chipping away at a large block with careful focus on my imagined goal- the body waiting to emerge from inside. I am less interested with my 'starting block', then I am with the actual 'carving process' because it is there that my creativity really gets going. As I pick, one by one, which notes to keep or discard, I find myself thrown into the midst of a most fascinating artistic experience, (quite transcendental, really) where I am surrounded- if not at times overwhelmed, by all kinds of exciting 'What ifs?!" Some choices are traditional, some bold, some tried and trued, some experimental or risky and then, of course, there are those that you can't even define or fathom where they might be going... Please understand that step by step, a composer must make literally thousands of decisions to create just one piece- choosing when to 'chip' away at unneeded notes, or how to 'paint' the subtle shades of softness affecting the dynamic balance of every moment, pulling out and highlighting the meaning of words and the very sounds of syllables, worrying about where the musicians can breathe or rest, 'hand shaping' the tiniest nuances offered by countless potential articulations, all this- and at the same time, keeping in mind how all these 'characters on a stage' are actually working together and 'what dramatic result' does this give?! One must be so sensitive to the 'dance' of the overall music as well as its inner vertical, horizontal, and emotional moments... to observe the flow of the flow- just where the music is pausing, resting, rushing... and then decide if that is actually okay or not! Even the smallest poor choice could potentially ruin music, when refined and appreciated to this degree, so it takes an unfaltering dedication to countless details. This is the same dedication brought forth by all great performers and conductors, who leave no nuance unturned in their attempts to bring a composer's vision to life. But their efforts and talents should not leave an opportunity for composers room to be lazy- we should never rely on a fine interpretation of 'what I meant' to happen. Fortunately, so many people posses instinctive musicality and can breeze through such minutia. But lest our beloved babies should fall into the misinterpretation that distorts the whole and our intentions, a composer would best check their work over and over again, filling up the pages with countless symbols- agonizing over choosing between a piano or pianissimo. Sometimes, it makes all the difference in the world. Sometimes it just depends on the player and composer must weigh that in too! For example, if you suspect that most musicians will not respect your deemed 'piano' marking, due to a love of hearing themselves, general excitement, not enough time to practice, or lack of attention to details, one is better off over compensating for this by writing in a "pp"- sad, but true. How many times have conductors struggled to get "piano" across to their ensembles or choirs? Enough to know you need to worry about it as a composer... and that maybe a "pp" might get the "p" you want. The pursuit of 'the path', is an actual commitment by a composer (or artist) to creating one thing verses another, and is not unlike having two children and being asked to decide who will live and who must die, for it is not usually possible to pursue two paths simultaneously. The 'carving out' of this path is a most dangerous time for composers and one must remain ever focused on where they 'suspect' they want to go, walking a fine line between being 'open' to other trails along the way and yet not being too 'distracted from purpose' by certain options which could either lead no where or which may lead so far away that one must abandon the previous path. Luckily, one is sometimes able to a 'revisit' the path later and make other decisions; for example, composers often come back and re-orchestrate their works. In a world of 'nearly' infinite choices, (some choices not offering much artistic interest), one becomes like a child, in a new place, who is trying to make sense of it all and must decide on what is the most important and interesting thing before them. We are similarly lead by curiosity, desire, instinct, as we turn this exploration of sorts into art. We bring with us, the tools of our experiences, the remembered voices of warnings and welcomes and also come to terms with by coming to terms with function, purpose and result. Compare to a child's learning upon holding a banana; 'Ah, you are a food to be eaten in such and such manner and if I do that, than I may fully enjoy you' to a composer's understanding of a work they are creating; 'Ah, you are a concerto waiting to come out of my mind, if I do such and such, you will come to life and be properly played and loved'. This full circle of appreciation and usage is dependent on application and it is quite frustrating for a composer to not have their works played; it is like watching a bowl of fruit rot before your eyes. When I select notes, I save the ones which best support, reveal, or match something I am imagining in my head and heart; this usually includes an essence of beauty, the calm and power of clarity, or a specific emotional color. I like to have such a subject to work with, I don't enjoy creating notes simply to fulfill a form or technical application. Sometimes, I really enjoy creating something crazy and theatrical to make people laugh or act silly as a means of celebrate the joy of being alive and as a way to reach out to the audience! My inspiration, when starting a piece, is usually so intense that I can't keep up with it. I have had to learn to memorize my ideas by repeatedly playing or singing them- so they wouldn't disappear before I could write them down. Understand that the 'writing down' phase is filled with so many decisions which can be distracting and cause the mind to wander elsewhere- that's why I try to hard to memorize first, and then write very quick abbreviated notes on pitch, lyrics or harmonies that should sufficiently jog my memory later. This method works quite well for me and doesn't even require music paper. In the initial stage of 'coming up with notes', I feel quite possessed and am more in a 'receiving mode' than a 'creating mode'. I have finally come to understand that my being a composer is a gift from God and that I was designed to do such work and indeed- must do such work! I feel blessed to have been given so much inspiration, innate ideas and sensitivities, and I am so grateful for all the opportunities I've had which have supported me as a composer and artist. When I was a teenager, I composed all the time- like a madman; my only purpose was to get things out of me and deal with emotions inside of me. Now, I perceive composing as one of my most important spiritual and humanitarian duties and it isn't 'about me' anymore. I feel lucky and blessed to have been made a composer; for me it is such an honor to experience such creativity and this perspective has motivated me to finish and refine more of my music. When composing, I reach personal satisfaction as soon as my 'oath' is revealed- after that, all the work is time consuming drudgery which takes so much careful thought and focus. I had little interest in noting my music as long as I could play it myself. Now, I feel it is very important to leave a blueprint behind of what I have done. When I am in the final editing phases, I feel like a 'painter;' and my goal becomes to express things in such a way that other people can see and experience that which I am getting back from the music. If anyone else should happen to like what I've created, I consider it a lovely bonus. When I am composing, I ask myself; "Would I want to listen to this more than once?"; I want to creat pieces which can be enjoyed repeatedly. I like creating pretty short works which are easily accessible, particularly for non-musicians or people with short attention spans, like myself! My technique is to start by selecting a mood and character to capture (the key and form come later) and then I shape each musical thought to that effect- this method shapes my pieces and their durations more than 'form' does. When I listen to music, be it my own or that of others' I cannot help but 'paint' a picture in my mind; I'm a visual learner and I have always imagined either dramatic scenes, landscapes, or the movements of dancers across a stage. I will discuss the influences of my teachers in the 'about Heather' section. Listed here are some of the major composers whose works I really love to listen to and study: Bach (for structure, form, tonality, and rich textures), Tchaikovsky (for orchestration, color and his amazing ballet music), Beethoven for (passion, power and piano), Mozart (for vocal ideas, sweetness, and clarity), Schumann and Guastavino (for turning the piano into a singer), Cage (for remembering fun, chance, freedom, and exploration), Chopin (for melodies and depression), Debussy (for wandering... for glints of ancient ways and for orchestration)... Plus I love international folk music and try to listen to music from everywhere. If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose Tchaikovsky's; his ballet music and orchestral music has the most emotional impact over me and can really make me hold my breath, sigh, feel emotions and want to burst out doing ballet! I think his music carries an essence of his sensitivity to dance, theatre, and heartbreak/frustration- which speaks to me and takes me in. My later music has been likened to Debussy, Schumann, Brahms, and Faure- but I personally feel there are more traces of Bach and Beethoven... Since I enjoy listening- and dancing, to many different types of music, and have tried composing in different styles, I invite you to listen to a variety of my vocal, instrumental, and solo piano works before coming to any conclusions about my music. I hope you may find at least one piece that you can relate to and enjoy! I strive to create an honest portrait of my heart, and use my best efforts to compose well, with an added hope that I may have created something worthy of serving others and something which may linger on beyond me. "Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with psaltery and an instrument of ten strings!" -Psalm 33:2 The Musician TB Continued... |
H. M. R. Seaton
Composer & Musician
Composer & Musician
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