Douglas Biggs

What does music mean to you personally? 

As you would imagine, it means many things. On the practical side, it has fed my family, educated my children, and bought our house. It has taught me perseverance, how to pursue excellence and exposed me to many new ideas and concepts. I have had the privilege of performing in interesting places with tremendous people and the opportunity to share my music with the same. Music has been the source of great joy, pain, and personal growth and shown me that truth can sometimes be found in an imperfect performance.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

In a general sense I would agree, but consider that music can also be “about” the use for which it is composed. Some pretty great music has been composed for sound tracks or incidental music for theater where you are faced with filling a 20 second bit of stage business or a 12 second reaction shot. Music perhaps more about function than fantasy yet still needs to be expressive and meaningful. This brings into the conversation the concept of high art versus low art, yet still art. Composing arrangements and adaptations for use in churches and community functions may not be of the highest aesthetic, but still useful and important to those who perform it.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been? 

Sports, as a participant or coach, has been a big part of my life. I could see myself dedicating myself to helping young people grow and learn as a coach. Also, I have always enjoyed making and fixing things. I might have looked to be a chef, perhaps an architect or a person who restores vintage homes, furniture or cars.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future? 

This is a worry that has been faced by every generation since the first piece of music was offered for public performance. For too long, we have assumed that “new” music will turn people off. Presenters have pursued increasingly desperate ways of selling an old product, that the larger audience, at least in the US, associated with negative impressions. We also need to shake ourselves loose of the idea that the only way to interact with the public is in the traditional concert. In recent years, with new technology, the way that the public interacts with our music is evolving, your program is a perfect example. New ways of monetizing art by making music, print and audio, available through different venues, offers composers and performers additional ways to be self-supporting while reaching new listeners. AS a side note, new music and “how-tos at the click of a button, in the privacy of one’s home, can encourage potential new players to take up an instrument that they had set aside, or new one altogether.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role? 

I would see this as a partial extension of the previous question, really. I think the last 10 or 15 years has already seen a transformation, and a wider audience encounters and engages with new art every day that never did before. This is not just through user initiated engagement, but the added ability for musicians to spread word about themselves, their performances, and their digital offerings. I often learn of concerts in my area through social media now that print media has stopped being useful for such announcements. Frankly, many of our potential listeners do not have access to a concert venue and the ability to reach an audience in different ways is transformative in and of itself. There will always be a place for traditional venues, particularly if they become more inclusive of art that is “about” the modern audience. Sustained outreach to new groups and becoming more embedded in their own communities is a strong method to build grass roots support that does not alienate the nontraditional concert- goer.

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you? 

Creativity is of course fundamental to what we do. It seems obvious when you say it, but I am constantly amazed by the flow of new performances, works, pictures, dances, all of it at our fingertips via the internet. The constant collisions of new sounds and ideas is amazing. Just spending an afternoon going through things on Soundcloud, Youtube, or any of the other sites is eye-opening. Some of it is good, some not so successful, but energetic and fresh. There is also the process whereby newer eyes take a look at older forms and styles, very accomplished 20 year olds playing tin pan alley, French jazz, blues, or Bee-Bop with energy as they discover something new to them. I find this all enjoyable and inspiring. For me, I try to be creative in finding something unique to say, no matter the language, tonality, or instrumentation. I am not one of those who think “it has all been done before,” but rather find something that will touch a listener whether it be an arrangement of a well-known hymn, a solo piano piece, chamber music or grand opera.

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this? 

Don’t make a big deal about age. Careers can begin at any age really. Speak and share honestly, recognizing and encouraging what you admire and not being overly negative about what you do not. Not everyone is looking for a lesson, perhaps they are simply sharing from one set of ears and heart to another. That being said, I have found that young people are pretty much open to new things, new music - often rejecting them before experiencing for social or cultural reasons, much as we might reject their art. If you can get past that initial knee-jerk rejection much is possible. Sharing music on an equal footing, while being open to sharing in their art is the way to go.

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it? 

I have a special place in my heart for a little arrangement of LOW HOW A ROSE E’ER BLOOMING that I wrote some years ago. It is a simple conceit transformed to 7/8 meter that seems to suit the piece, giving it a charming lilt. As for my creative process, a lot of it depends on the size of the project. I spend a good bit of time at the piano with paper and pencil in hand. I orchestrate at the computer as many people do. I do a bit of rough planning, giving some thought to form, often this is suggested when working with a lyric or poem. I then being to draft in chunks, usually, pulling ideas together associated with certain sections or words which I then craft into the larger work, providing links or expanding on those ideas as I find necessary. I am one those will often discard things as they prove not suitable – a bit of a hammer and tongs sort of process.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves? 

I think that the way to approach this is emphasize that classical music is not just “old.” Not just Mozart, Beethoven, or even Stravinsky or Copland but many composers who are of an age and cultural understanding of the “young people” we are trying to draw in. Making this connection, perhaps starting with smaller works, demonstrating that this type of music is also “about” them is a way to bring them along to the broader world of art music. Then the larger world of music can open for them.

Do you think about the audience when composing?

Yes I do, but for various reasons. The initial ideas, not so much, but when working to a finished product it can sometimes be important that the audience have a chance to react in a way that I intend. Of course that is for more of a “purpose” written music, for church or theater, or something similar. I will ask myself, for example when composing a song cycle, is the audience going to receive what I am trying express? At other times, I am comfortable with letting the music stand on its own and letting the cards fall as they will. Will it work or not?

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects? 

I have recently completed work on a new opera MARIETTE IN ECSTASY which I am very excited about. I am in the final stages of completing the full score and looking for partners for a workshop or production. The piece was begun by an old friend, composer Henry Mollicone, a creator of numerous operas including FACE IN THE BAR ROOM FLOOR and HOTEL EDEN. I had been Henry’s editor and engraver for many years and, as such was part of the project along with librettist Judith Fein. Sadly, Henry passed away during the process and I was asked to complete it by Henry’s wife, and Ms. Fein. It was something completely new for me, and could be thought of as an experiment at times. I was an operatic tenor for many years, and have some experience with conducting so not a complete naif. Having a canvas that was so large was tremendously liberating with so much space to attempt things I had always wanted to try. On another note, I mentioned my little arrangement of LO HOW A ROSE earlier: an SATB version of that piece is due to be premiered in the upcoming Christmas season. Something to look forward to.