For most people, the film “Amadeus” represents the extent of their knowledge about music composition. Most people have an idealized view about composing, thinking that they too could articulate immortal passages with the aid of a piano and a pencil. Most student composers at Stuyvesant, however, would beg to differ. Familiar with the immeasurable knowledge needed to craft a harmonious piece, they’ll never be quick to deem composing facile.
To compose, you need to understand the fundamentals of music to write music—this often requires music theory and instrumental experience. Time is another constraint: requiring creativity as well as knowledge, composition can’t be a scheduled activity.
Sophomore Aviva Hakanoglu was enchanted by the possibility of composing early on. As a child, after hearing someone play a simple tune and then deciphering it herself on the piano, she composed a four-movement piece, which she titled “Mixed Salad.” After composing again and again, she eventually moved on to violin improvisations. She continued to study theory and has transcribed for larger ensembles.
“Composing takes a different kind of thinking,” said Hakanoglu. “Knowing that it is something coming from yourself makes you put much more effort into it.” She is now looking to take a composition class at Julliard, a prestigious music school.
Senior Charles Jin composes in a classical style similar to Hakanoglu’s. A self-taught musician, he took an interest to composing during his freshman year. Focusing mainly on piano music, he has recently composed some fantasias (short, less-structured classical pieces). Jin has also written fugues, which are complex multi-line pieces from the Baroque era comprising a subject and an answer.
Other student composers prefer to write in a style more reflective of contemporary music. Senior Jimmy Finley wrote an innovative score for “Rhinoceros,” this year’s winter drama. Finley also writes music for his bagpipe band, describing his music as a conglomerate of many genres. Some of his pieces are “old-fashioned, some are of a newer, less traditional style,” Finley said.
Although these student composers devote a large amount of time to composing, few are looking to it as a career. For many student composers, the time commitment and financial difficulties associated with a career in music composition are sufficient turnoffs. “I’m kind of at the point where I’m split 50-50 between whether I want to do music as a career or not,” said junior Deniz Tetik, who currently is taking a composition class at Mannes School of Music.
Even if they don’t consider time and money, most still prefer performing to composing. Both Jin and Hakanoglu are “more passionate” when they play on stage. “Performing is so much more spontaneous and natural,” said Hakanoglu. “Composing happens over a longer period of time.”
Hakanoglu has performed with the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Inter-School Orchestra of New York Symphony, as well as numerous chamber ensembles at Merkin Hall. She also attends a summer music camp, called Kinhaven. Tetik, meanwhile, performs with the Stuyvesant and Mannes orchestras.
Perhaps the school doesn’t advocate music theory as it should. The only class related to composition available is AP Music Theory, which suggests that you have previous knowledge in the subject. Nearly all musically inclined students look elsewhere for what they need. Mannes, Lucy Moses and Julliard are some of the music schools most frequented by Stuyvesant students. These schools all offer the theory classes necessary for understanding the hidden side of music. “When you understand music, you understand the composers better,” Jin said.
Some students are taking matters into their own hands. Juniors Jack Fleming and Tetik are looking to start a student composers club at Stuyvesant. “Eventually we’ll want to have a mini-concert of everyone’s work,” Tetik said.
Recently, Hakanoglu’s string trio “Pirate’s Land” was performed at Stuyvesant’s first ever Composer’s Concert. This event, open to all students and all musical genres, featured many students’ compositions.
Yet, despite the school’s half-hearted efforts to provide students with the experience they need, student composers are still faced with a hodgepodge of problems. A music school education is almost essential for anyone pursuing a music career, and “for many people that’s too difficult or costly to obtain,” Jin said. Time is a rare commodity, but inspiration at the right time is even rarer.