Last month (June, 2024) I received a letter – a real one on paper – from Dustin Cassell, someone I had never met. Dustin hosts a website, www.endev42.com, dedicated to cataloging answers to a deep philosophical question: What is the meaning of life? He has contacted literally hundreds of people from various disciplines asking them… Read more »
Wittgenstein: “There are no things, only facts.” Popper: “For this indeed, is the main source of our ignorance – the fact that our knowledge can be only finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.” During a 2009 interview, Justin DeHart asked a series of provocative questions, which made me reflect on some fundamental philosophical… Read more »
In April, 2024 Keyboard Percussion Publications released Clear Things May Not Be Seen, a piece I composed during 2017/18, as part of an ongoing project to set text by the American author Conrad Aiken. It is scored for two soprano soloists, string quartet, clarinet, bass clarinet, marimba and vibraphone, and lasts approximately 13 minutes. The… Read more »
This month (January, 2024) Keyboard Percussion Publications released my recent piece Sevenly Reward. During 2005/2006 I composed a series of eight etudes for solo snare drum, which were included in my book Rudimental Arithmetic (published in 2008 by KPP). In 2019, at the request of Dr. Morris Palter for a solo drum set piece, I… Read more »
In April, 2023 I received an email from the Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza asking for some advice about the cymbal part in Debussy’s La mer. Jordan’s questions and my reply are below. Dear Bob, I’m a young Canadian conductor working mostly in Europe. I’m studying La mer for concerts in Dortmund… Read more »
Several weeks ago I received a request to answer a series of questions about my composition Mudra. The questions were answered in April, 2023. My name is Jack Johnson and I am a grad student at Kansas State University working towards my master’s in percussion performance. I recently performed Mudra on my recital and… Read more »
Morton Feldman had this to say about Jo Kondo: “Jo Kondo…fell madly in love with the cowbells, and uses them very hauntingly and very rightly in his piece which gives the music a lot of distinction. I have no rapport with a cowbell so it’s very, very interesting.” In 1996 Robin Engelman made the acquaintance… Read more »
In 1989 Nexus was chosen to be a recipient of the prestigious Toronto Arts Award. It was an honour that included a cash bursary, as well as a professional photo shoot meant to provide high quality PR material for the group. The Arts Council selected Toronto photographer Doug Forster for the job, and he… Read more »
In 1976, at the invitation of composer Toru Takemitsu, Nexus made its first tour to Japan. A major event was our appearance on the Music Today Festival in Tokyo, for which Takemitsu had commissioned a new work from the brilliant young composer Jo Kondo (b. 1947). JK wrote a four-movement quintet titled Under the Umbrella,… Read more »
This year (2022) Keyboard Percussion Publications released two more of my compositions: Water Lilies, composed in 2012; and To Immortal Bloom, composed in 2017. Information about the works and how to order them can be found on the MostlyMarimba website here: https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/water-lilies/ https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/to-immortal-bloom-by-bob-becker/ Water Lilies is an eleven-minute quintet, scored for piano, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel,… Read more »
In 1993 The Esprit Orchestra commissioned the distinguished Canadian composer Bruce Mather to write a concerto to feature the five members of NEXUS (Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russ Hartenberger and John Wyre). Mather’s piece, Tallbrem Variations, was completed in 1994 and premiered by NEXUS and Esprit (Alex Pauk conducting) on March 29, 1996… Read more »
In the early days of NEXUS many of our “instruments” were various found objects – things not originally designed to be used in musical contexts. At that time I particularly enjoyed browsing for unusual-sounding implements in hardware stores and kitchenware departments. During the 1970s many common household items were still manufactured using quite high-quality materials…. Read more »
In July, 2021 I received an additional series of questions from percussionist Lan KaiPo regarding my composition Never in Word, as well as some general questions about my compositional method. LKP is currently continuing research for his doctoral dissertation “An Analysis and Performance Guide of Bob Becker’s Never in Word” at James Madison University. His… Read more »
In June 2016 NEXUS performed a concert in the lovely seaside town of Rockport, MA. On the morning of the event, as we were having breakfast, someone mentioned a duck race was in progress right there in Rockport. I was intrigued, and also disappointed that I didn’t know about it earlier, as I would have… Read more »
In October 2020 percussionist Jonny Smith asked me a series of questions regarding my experience with the music of Steve Reich, and my relationship with his ensemble. Jonny interviewed other members of Reich’s ensemble as well, and wrote a paper: “Relationship and Community in the Creative Process: The Steve Reich and Musicians Ensemble”, which is… Read more »
