Jay C. Batzner (b. 1974) is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches music composition and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. In his first year, Jay received two prestigious grants: one to create collaborative works with visual artist Carla Poindexter and the second to initiate electroacoustic music concerts in Orlando. Prior to this position, Jay was an active adjunct professor at several colleges in the Kansas City area while he completed his D.M.A. in Composition at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory. While at UMKC, Jay received honors including a Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship and a Dean's Doctoral Scholar Fellowship.
Jay's music ranges from instrumental chamber works to electroacoustic compositions. He has participated in numerous national and international festivals including the Wellesley Composers Conference and the International Young Composers' Meeting in the Netherlands. His music is published by Unsafe Bull Music and has been recorded on the Capstone and Vox Novus labels. Jay is a frequent contributor to the new music website Sequenza21.com and a founding member of the composers organization The Collected.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
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2/07/2007
Notes and rhythms
They aren't working. They just Aren't Working.
It is as if my dissertation was the last piece I could write that had actual pitch and rhythmic accuracy. In the four pieces I've written/am writing since I just can't seem to make these things match up. I keep thinking it terms of shape, gestures, dynamics, all of the things that I REALLY hear when I listen to music. So when I sit down to write something, I have a hard time figuring out what to write down.
And everything is slowing down. It is as if I can't write fast music anymore. Everything has so much space to it and yet I feel like more space needs to go in. I can't seem to get to the beginning of the piece. Everything I write is about 1 minute past the start, even when I purposely try to write the beginning.
I'm having some difficulties with my electroacoustic music, too. Those problems seem easier to fix. I'm getting some great sounds together, like this one, which isn't perfect yet but is pretty darned cool. Thanks to user "hyo" at Freesound for having so many balloon samples.
Anyhow, the solution to the pitch and rhythm problem seems to be one of avoidance. I just need to figure out the basic information that the performers need and not sweat everything else. It is sort of uncomfortable territory for me, I used to be a chronic over-notater. But all that stuff now doesn't seem as important to me. My music is somewhere other than that, you know?
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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