MPR’s Joaqlin Estus profiles Native American composer Brent Michael Davids. Estus interviews Davids about his instrumentations and composition “Native American Suite.” Jerry Rubino, assistant-conductor of the Dale Warland Singers, is also interviewed.
Transcript:
(00:00:06) Brent Michael David's stands before about fifty sixth graders at the Four Winds Elementary School in Minneapolis playing one of the several musical instruments of indigenous peoples. He's made it's an Apache violin made from a cactus on the table. Beside him is a wooden flute and a drum made of a fondue pot refrigerator shelf and water and played with a violin bow. But judging by the kids responses the most awesome is a base Crystal flute. This is the only quartz crystal bass flute. David's has three such flutes different sizes for different tonal ranges. He says the crystal was heated to a temperature that would melt concrete and hand-blown at a laboratory that makes test tubes and beakers for chemists. He says it took several tries and months of effort but the crystal flutes have a sound unlike either wood or metal flutes. Wood floats are much more Airy and whispery and quality. And and if you think of like a on one polar opposite, you know that we have wood flutes and then on the other side, we have like orchestral metal foods, which are very sharp and metallic very brilliant sounding crystal is somewhere in between. David says he creates musical instruments to find ways to communicate the music. He hears in his imagination. He says there are hundreds of Native American musicians composing songs to perform themselves at powwows or on records and tapes, but he writes musical scores. So others can play as compositions. He says the best thing about being a composer is writing pieces. You couldn't perform by yourself David. Written pieces for the Joffrey Ballet the American Indian dance theater and the theme for a radio call in and talk show called Native America calling now. He's working with the Dale warland singers best known for performing classical choral music David says, he's enjoying the collaboration. I sort of let go of my compositions once I've written them once I get them all scored out. And so I'm very willing to just let the Dale warland singers have the peace and perform it their way. David's been pleased. With the Worland singers interpretation of his music. Hey, hey, hey Dale warland singers assistant conductor Jerry room. You know says it's been challenging to learn David's composition Rubino says Native American sweet is scored written in musical notes and uses Keys known in Western European classical music yet. He says it calls on singers to use their voices and to pronounce words differently to create a unique sound. For example, he used things that we usually only see in vocal jazz in American Music which are slides up to the music
(00:03:33) or falls off the music and those Are you know jazzers are used to that but we don't usually see that In quote-unquote classical music and here we've now seen it in his score. He uses a lot and then as he demonstrated today, it's very it's very unique to the sound and without it. It doesn't sound Native American.
(00:03:59) Rubino says the singers enjoy collaborating with David's as well as the challenge of learning the music. Rehearsing Native American Suite has been an education for everyone including Brent Michael David's working. Musically. You have to listen to all the other performers play together in the in a similar beat and figure out if you're in tune to the person sitting next to you and through the process of doing all this music you learn how to form important relational skills that you don't learn by just working on your own stuff all the time and it's important to get out and work with other
(00:04:40) people.
(00:04:44) For the FM news station. I'm Jaclyn Estes.
Transcripts
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[MUSIC PLAYING] JACQUELINE ESTES: Brent Michael Davids stands before about 50 sixth-graders at the Four Winds Elementary school in Minneapolis, playing one of the several musical instruments of Indigenous peoples he's made. It's an Apache violin made from a cactus. On the table beside him is a wooden flute and a drum made of a fondue pot, refrigerator shelf, and water, and played with a violin bow. But judging by the kids' responses, the most awesome is a bass crystal flute.
[KIDS GASPING]
BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS: This is the only quartz crystal bass flute.
JACQUELINE ESTES: Davids has three such flutes, different sizes for different tonal ranges. He says the crystal was heated to a temperature that would melt concrete and hand blown at a laboratory that makes test tubes and beakers for chemists. He says it took several tries and months of effort, but the crystal flutes have a sound unlike either wood or metal flutes.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS: Wood flutes are much more airy and whispery in quality. And if you think of, on one polar opposite, we have wood flutes. And then on the other side, we have orchestral metal flutes, which are very sharp and metallic, very brilliant sounding. Crystal is somewhere in between.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JACQUELINE ESTES: David says he creates musical instruments to find ways to communicate the music he hears in his imagination. He says there are hundreds of Native American musicians composing songs to perform themselves at powwows or on records and tapes. But he writes musical scores so others can play his compositions.
He says the best thing about being a composer is writing pieces you couldn't perform by yourself. David's has written pieces for the Joffrey Ballet, the American Indian Dance Theater, and the theme for a radio call-in and talk show called Native America Calling. Now he's working with the Dale Warland Singers, best known for performing classical choral music. David says he's enjoying the collaboration.
BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS: I sort of let go of my compositions once I've written them, once I get them all scored out. And so I'm very willing to just let the Dale Warland Singers have the piece and perform it their way.
JACQUELINE ESTES: David's been pleased with the Warland Singers' interpretation of his music.
[SINGING]
I don't care if you're married 16 times. I still love you yet, oh honey, dear.
Dale Warland Singers assistant conductor Jerry Rubino says it's been challenging to learn David's composition. Rubino says Native American suite is scored, written in musical notes, and uses keys known in Western European classical music. Yet, he says, it calls on singers to use their voices and to pronounce words differently to create a unique sound.
JERRY RUBINO: For example, he used things that we usually only see in vocal jazz in American music, which are slides up to the music or falls off the music. And those are-- jazzers are used to that, but we don't usually see that in, quote unquote, "classical music." And here, we've now seen it in his score, he uses a lot. And then as he demonstrated today, it's very unique to the sound. And without it, it doesn't sound Native American.
[SINGING]
JACQUELINE ESTES: Rubino says the singers enjoy collaborating with Davids as well as the challenge of learning the music.
[SINGING]
Rehearsing Native American suite has been an education for everyone, including Brent Michael Davids.
BRENT MICHAEL DAVIDS: Working musically, you have to listen to all the other performers play together in a similar beat and figure out if you're in tune to the person sitting next to you. And through the process of doing all this music, you learn how to form important relational skills that you don't learn by just working on your own stuff all the time. It's important to get out and work with other people.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JACQUELINE ESTES: For the FM News Station, I'm Jacqueline Estes.
[MUSIC PLAYING]