The first day was very successful, and everyone was patient and professional. It’s delightful to work with these folks.
- Decided to change Grant’s two notes, um, two more times. He smiles wryly each time.
- Looks like we’re keeping the original harp and theorbo notes in Magnificat, after all. Mostly. They’re convinced it’s doable, and that I’m not an idiot for writing it that way.
- David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Jim Cotter of Creatively Speaking on WRTI come to the sessions to write, interview, film, and record the goings-on. I am to be interviewed on-camera for WRTI, which is starting to add video to its website. I ask Jim “How’s my hair?,” since my normally unruly mop has gone through about 15 dozen headphone-on-headphone-off changings. Jim lies, “It looks delicious”; David says that I look like a “working composer.” This cannot be good. I’m sure the video will turn up as an audition at Bozo the Clown headquarters.
- I think the interview goes OK; at least I avoid saying most of the top-of-my-head opinions that would only get me into trouble.
- Photographer sees Priscilla and me and takes our picture together. She already knows Priscilla is my daughter, and now she knows how to spell shawm. Culture advances!
- Donald is extremely patient, and knows just the right word to say at each stoppage
- Piffaro works incessantly on things that I can hardly hear
- Producer George Blood whispers to me, “This is what makes them great. They keep moving the goalposts back.”
- The singers of The Crossing are extremely patient. They keep singing the same things over and over, which would make me hate my music. They still smile at me though.
- Piffaro is extremely patient. We keep moving them around the room to get the right balance and sound from the space.
- Recorders are really loud
- The air conditioning compressor has a mind of its own and decides to kick in, even after we’ve shut it off. At least a half-hour of recording time flies away, all told.
- We get four numbers in the can
- George has amazing ears
- Tad, the engineer, is a Swiss watch of efficiency
- George and Tad are extremely patient
- George and Tad always work in long-sleeve shirts, and ties, and are utterly unflappable. It occurs to me that they would make good FBI agents.
- Absolutely beautiful music-making from everyone