From Thought to Page: A Historical Exploration and Workshop on Composition

Join the Juilliard musicians/composers Daniel Hass and Jameel Martin—and self-discovered composer Ulkar Aghayeva—for a discussion about the joy and challenge of writing music. If you are interested in music and writing more broadly—and how they connect—follow the rest of the Words and Sounds series.

“Composing is a difficult business. “Desperately difficult,” says the devil in Doctor Faustus. It is a laborious traversal of an imaginary landscape. What emerges is an artwork in code, which other musicians must be persuaded to unravel. Unlike a novel or a painting, a score gives up its full meaning only when it is performed in front of an audience; it is a child of loneliness that lives off crowds.”

– Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

We will discuss “artist habits” – a spectrum of work habits of composers gleaned from interviews and (auto)biographies, as well as practical tips for dealing with getting stuck in composition. All participants are invited to share their works in progress and receive feedback from hosts and each other.

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