John McDonald: MTNA-Shepherd Distinguished Composer 2007.

Believe it or not, some people today try to distill beauty from daily complications. John McDonald is one of those people. Inspired by observations of everyday events, he composes his musical responses to life, literature and existing music, keeping it simple by scoring his musical thoughts using a good pencil and 11x17 oblong manuscript paper. Bravo? Someone still recognizes the value of an original manuscript in the composer's hand compared to the computer-generated score. He encourages his students at Tufts University to try handwriting for its beneficial effects upon their compositional processes. McDonald opts for simplicity in other areas as well. He prefers small dinner parties to big gatherings so that people have a chance of speaking meaningfully with one another. He prefers the intimacy of solo recitals, song recitals and chamber music because they hold the possibility of informality, of sending true personal messages. He likes the miniature "character piece" or song-like form the most.

McDonald's music, however, is anything but simple. At times it is compelling, gripping, grave and moving; at other times it is meditative, lyrical, lovely and wistful. He inspired writer Bob Bochnak (Tufts Journal, January 2002) to say that "McDonald confronts his audience with music of our times."

McDonald's compositions have been performed on four continents by a world-class list of ensembles and individual performers, often including himself at the piano. A prolific composer, he composes piano miniatures, songs, chamber works and has completed a "piano album" every year since 1984, chronicling difficulties and joys of daily life. His musical ideals have adjusted themselves somewhat over the years, moving toward his current preference of a somewhat lighter touch, which he feels allows more potential for power and surprise. The fundamental quality he admires most in all music is sincerity, even though he finds it surprisingly elusive.

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For him, there are not favorite composers so much as favorite musical elements or cherished pieces. McDonald says that his music reflects the things he likes: "two-note phrases that weep downward,... athletic pianism--big crashing chords, extreme dynamic contrasts, dissonant attacks that resonate astonishingly. Piquant harmony--otherwise pedestrian chords that have one or two things "wrong" with them. I am enormously influenced by poetry and poetic forms of all kinds, as well as by painting, drawing, sculpture, and words themselves."

Staudlin As Vogh Preamble To A Winter Journey (alto saxophone and piano), commissioned by Massachusetts MTA, was performed at the 2008 MTNA National Conference in Denver. It is in two parts, each consisting of 12 brief impressions. Saxophonist Philipp Staudlin initiated the idea of performing Schubert's song cycle Winter Journey with the vocal part played by saxophone. McDonald responded to the endeavor in his own compositional way, devising small responses to elements that stood out to him in each song. He realized that, much like Schubert's trusted singer Johann Michael Vogl (1768-1840), Staudlin had become his "Winter Journey" muse as he was in the process of conceiving his Schubertian responses with the saxophone in his ear.

Although he is very busy with university service, outside committee work and serving as an advocate for issues of academic freedom and the best possible faculty treatment, McDonald also enjoys time with his wife Janaki and their three children, running, going to the dog park, reading poetry and essays, gardening and traveling. They love public transport and being on foot; for years they have managed the family with one car and keep plotting how they can lose the car altogether. Balancing a frightening schedule as an active pianist and composition professor with the responsibilities of parenting, maintaining a successful marriage, plus carving out time to compose requires abundant energy and commitment. From complexity to simplicity, this artist seems to handle it all with great finesse.

BONUS BYTE

For details of John MCDonald's curriculum vitae, visit http://www:johndmcdonaldcom.

Ann Rivers Witherspoon is an active composer in many genres. She also maintains a private studio, teaching composition, theory and piano. Witherspoon chairs the MTNA Composer Commissioning program.