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Q & A with Composer Peter Boyer on Boston Pops Kennedy Brothers Commission
Interview with Madge Nimocks of the Boston Symphony Orchestra,
regarding The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers
MN: When did you first learn that the Pops wanted you to compose this piece to honor the Kennedy brothers and what were your initial thoughts/feelings?
PB: In late October of last year, Dennis Alves, Director of Artistic Planning for the Pops, arranged for me to receive a phone call from Keith Lockhart. It was the first time Keith and I had ever spoken. He said some very kind things about my work Ellis Island: The Dream of America, and went on to describe this project which he’d been envisioning for some time: a work celebrating the legacy of John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy. I mentioned the fact that I was a great admirer of the Kennedy brothers, and that in fact I’d spent a lot of time a few years ago researching JFK, with the idea of composing a JFK work, which had remained in the back of my mind. The idea of a work about JFK, RFK, and Ted Kennedy was even more richly appealing. I also learned that Keith had been personal friends with Senator Kennedy, which brought an extra level of meaning to the project.
Keith said he believed I was the right composer for the project, and asked if I’d be interested in doing it. (As you can imagine, it did not take me long to say yes!) All at once, I was extremely excited and profoundly honored. I realized that this was a very special opportunity, which might well have appealed to any number of more well-known and established American composers, and the fact that it was I who was being asked was deeply gratifying. To be offered this commission is a great privilege, which I take very seriously. I’ve been fortunate to have had a number of exciting opportunities as a composer, but this one is the most personally significant to me, without a doubt.
There was some time between Keith’s initial phone call and the moment that we had the “green light” to proceed with the project, as Keith wanted to present the project idea, and the choice of composer, to the Kennedy family, specifically Vicki Kennedy, to ensure that it met with their approval. So there was a waiting period of about a month before this happened. Keith met with Mrs. Kennedy, who responded favorably to the idea, and shared this (along with recordings of my music) with other members of the family for their approval. When we learned that we had the “blessing” of members of the Kennedy family to proceed, it was a great honor.
MN: Can you explain briefly your collaboration with Lynn Ahrens for the piece?
PB: Lynn’s role in this project had two distinct aspects: identifying, selecting, and editing quotes from speeches by the Kennedy brothers, and writing original words which contextualize those quotes. I’d been aware of Lynn’s work for years — particularly her Tony award-winning work on Ragtime — so I was delighted that Keith suggested and facilitated a collaboration with her on this project. Though I believe Lynn is best known as a lyricist, her role in the Kennedys piece would be more properly described as writer/text adaptor, since the work does not include any text to be sung, so there are no lyrics. Her original words will be spoken, though they clearly have a poetic quality. The majority of the text is comprised of the actual words of John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy, so there were many decisions to be made about selecting and arranging those quotes, and that process was a key part of our collaboration. We both did a lot of reading and research, so we each had many ideas for possible quotes. Some were very clear: for example, it’s hard to imagine a piece about JFK that would not include the words, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” There are several well-known quotes in the work, and others that are less familiar. Lynn’s theatrical instincts and experience were very valuable in shaping the text, on which I based the musical structure.
MN: Keith Lockhart said that your music “exults and elevates….” and has a “distinctly ‘American’ feel.” Can you elaborate on that — particularly in describing, in your own words, what about your music could be said to have an “American feel?"
PB: I’m grateful to Keith for his very kind words; coming from him, this means a great deal to me. The question of what constitutes an “American sound” in music — specifically in orchestral music, which we’re discussing here — is a rather large one. It is difficult to describe, but not so difficult to hear and identify.
Composers, like all artists, are products of their cultures, times, and influences, and I’m no different. To take an earlier example, the “sound” (or “voice,” “style,” “feel” — pick your term) of Beethoven could not have existed without the “sound” of Haydn, Mozart, and other contemporaries whose music influenced his; yet Beethoven’s personal stamp is on his music, and makes it identifiable from that of his predecessors. While I hesitate to even mention my own music in the same breath as these masters, I will say that the same concept holds true for me: the “sound” of my music, to which I believe Keith is referring, could not exist without that of the composers who have most influenced me — all of whom happen to have been Americans. While there are many composers (and genres) that have influenced my music, the three that seem to loom largest are Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams — and obviously the connection of the latter to the Boston Pops is of no small importance. I simply love the music of these composers, and many years of listening to and enjoying it has no doubt shaped the decisions I make when I compose — which is not to say, of course, that I merely attempt to imitate their work; rather, their musical personalities have influenced mine.
What are the qualities that make their music “sound American”? One could speak about musical specifics with respect to melody, harmony, rhythm, orchestration, etc., but that might be overly technical. At the risk of oversimplification, if there’s one unifying factor, I suppose it’s a quality of direct expression that the music conveys. In addition to this “American classical repertoire,” I also have a love for many genres of American popular music, and I think that informs my own work as a composer as well.
MN: What are other ways that you describe your own music?
PB: I don’t often describe my own music (it’s easier to compose or listen than to describe it!), but sometimes respond to others’ descriptions, which I find interesting. A composer colleague whose opinion I respect recently used the phrase “American romantic vernacular” to describe my music; I had never thought of it in that particular way, but it struck me as a pretty apt description. I will say that my music — especially in a piece such as this Kennedys work — is quite clearly melodic, and I do work hard to try to create melodies or themes that will suggest or evoke the subject matter at hand. I also work hard at creating atmospheres or moods with the orchestra, and I suppose this in itself is a somewhat romantic approach. While I believe that my scores reflect a good deal of “craft” — the product of years of schooling, study, and practice — I try not to complicate my music unnecessarily, and I believe it might accurately be described as straightforward and direct.
Also, my music has often been described as “cinematic,” and while there are those for whom this is a pejorative, I certainly don’t see it that way. Indeed, I’d say that I’ve been equally influenced by music for the cinema as I have by music for the concert hall. In fact, in my first conversation with Keith Lockhart, two of the adjectives that he used to describe the nature of the work he envisioned were “cinematic” and “uplifting” (a tall order!).
MN: What is it about the subject matter of the Kennedy brothers that you personally find most interesting? As a composer, how have you responded to their words?
PB: For me, the most inspiring aspects of the Kennedy brothers’ legacy are a commitment to idealism, and a sense of enduring optimism for our nation and for mankind. I see my role in this project as endeavoring to reflect and amplify these timeless words of the Kennedys through the special power that belongs to music alone. If I can help to strengthen the connection that listeners feel to these powerful words in a directly emotional way through music, and thereby honor the Kennedys’ legacy, it will be as meaningful an outcome as I can imagine for a composer.
In January, I visited Arlington National Cemetery to visit the graves of John, Robert & Ted Kennedy. (I had not been there since I was a child.) For me, it was a profoundly moving experience to visit their final resting places, among the many honored dead at Arlington. It gave me an even greater sense of respect and reverence for the places of the Kennedy brothers in American history. Close by to both JFK’s and RFK’s gravesites, some of their most famous words are carved into stone, memorializing them. For JFK, there are seven curving stone tablets, each with a sentence taken from his 1961 inaugural address. For RFK, there is a pool above which is a wall with words from his Cape Town address in 1966, and his remarks on the death of Martin Luther King in 1968. Most of these words carved into stone are also words to be spoken with music in the new work, so this filled me with a sense of great responsibility for the task at hand.
MN: How long will the score take you to compose, start to finish? Can you describe your work process for this project?
PB: It’s about a four-month process for this project, and a very intense one; I’ve been immersed in it literally day and night. Shortly after receiving the green light for the project, I began doing research on the Kennedys, starting by re-reading material on JFK which I’d read a few years ago, when I was contemplating a work on JFK. I should emphasize that I make no claims to being a historian or subject matter expert; I’m a composer. That said, when I have a project based on contemporary history (and this is the third such project, after my 1995 work Titanic and my 2002 work Ellis Island), I do my best to become knowledgeable about the subject matter, as I believe this is important in its own right, and helps to inspire creativity on some subconscious level. When the topic is as fascinating as the Kennedy brothers, the research is really a pleasure. Because the timeline for this project was so short, the research phase was much shorter than I would have liked, though I still did consult about 20 books on the Kennedys.
I also availed myself of archival recordings of the speeches of John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy, and since the texts to be spoken in the work come primarily from their speeches, I actually edited together “sound bites” that match the spoken excerpts of the script in most cases. This was a great help as I was composing, as I could, for example, hear JFK’s own voice delivering sentences from his 1961 inaugural address as I composed the music which will accompany those words.
When I compose an orchestral work (with chorus also, in this case), the bulk of the creative work lies in crafting what’s known as a “short score,” which in this case is a very detailed 13-line score outlining all important elements of the music, and showing exactly where each line of text lies in relation to the music. From the short score, I move creation of the full score, about 35 lines of music, which contains literally every note played by every instrument of the orchestra, or sung by the chorus. The process of orchestrating the full score is tedious and time-consuming, but once the short score is done, the real creative work of composition has been completed. In this case, it’s been about ten weeks of work to compose the short score, which I’ve just completed, then two weeks or less to expand this into the full score.
This process is made more efficient through the use of music notation software, which allows one to enter notes into a computer via an electronic keyboard, then manipulate and edit those notes, play them back, and eventually print them, for both conductor and players. I use this software in conjunction with other computer-based devices called samplers, and orchestral sample libraries. These are essentially large collections of short recordings of individual notes played by individual members or sections of an orchestra. Such sample libraries allow composers to approximate the sounds of an actual orchestra. So, for example, if I wish to hear a line played by a trumpet solo, accompanied by harp and strings, I can hear exactly those sounds applied to my musical lines. These are great tools to help conceptualize and “audition” orchestral passages while composing them.
There will also be a significant video element to the new Kennedys work. This is being created by Susan Dangel, longtime video producer for WGBH, John Williams, Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops, and others. There is, of course, a vast archive of still and moving images of the Kennedys, and the John F. Kennedy Library is assisting in providing material. The creation of the video component is just underway as I write this, and I’m very excited about working with Susie on this aspect of the work. Whereas in a film score, the composer generally has to craft the music to exactly match an edited video, here the situation is the opposite, which is very luxurious: the video can be crafted and edited to match the existing musical score. This should make for a powerful experience for the audience.
MN: What’s the most challenging part of composing in general, for you, and does that apply to this special commission, as well?
PB: For me, the most challenging aspect of composing is probably the need to balance creativity against the realities of deadlines. By its very nature, creativity does not generally follow a schedule. And yet, when one accepts a commission, with a particular timeframe and deadline — especially when there are large and expensive forces involved, such as a professional orchestra with a very limited rehearsal schedule — it is crucial that one delivers what is needed, when it is needed, and with the level of craftsmanship that is required. This requires great self-discipline, and there is no time clock to punch over the weeks or months of working on a project. One must set a work schedule and stick to it, and if “the muse” is not visiting, one must keep moving forward, regardless. This is the great challenge, and it’s a key part of the job of being a professional composer. Yes, that applies very much to this Kennedys commission, in which not only is the timeframe very short, but the demands of composing music that “fits” properly around a dozen different spoken quotes, and employs chorus as well, make it especially challenging. But the greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction if one can meet it.
MN: What do you find most satisfying about composing?
PB: The most satisfying aspect of being a composer for me is communicating with audiences. Listening to music can be a visceral, powerful experience. The most rewarding experiences I have had as a listener to great music have been the sense of being uplifted, and even moved to tears by the performance of a composer’s creation, as re-created by excellent performers. Just as I have found these experiences so personally rewarding, I have striven to give listeners to my music the same kind of experience. When I have sensed that I’ve succeeded in that goal, and that audiences have responded in a way which attests that all of us — composer, performers, and audience — have shared in the same powerful human experience, then it is rewarding beyond words.
MN: You’ve got quite an array of compositions on your roster — what would you most like to work on that you haven’t yet?
PB: I’ve been very fortunate to have a pretty steady stream of commissions for the concert hall, almost all involving orchestra, for about a dozen years, since I was in my late twenties. I’ve also been fortunate to have a number of opportunities as an orchestrator (or orchestral arranger) for some major films, working for composers such as Michael Giacchino (who just won the Oscar for his score to Pixar’s Up, on which I was one of the orchestrators); and to do a bit of composing for television. My major unachieved goal is scoring films myself, and that’s a goal toward which I’ve been working steadily. The doors to those opportunities swing open only rarely — especially on big studio films whose budget allows for an orchestral score — and I remain on the lookout for such opportunities.
MN: In addition to composing for the concert hall, you conduct, work in the film and television music field, and teach… how do you balance all of this?
PB: I suppose the most direct answer is that I’m a “workaholic,” and work almost constantly. I enjoy what I do, and have a pretty relentless internal drive. Yes, in addition to composing and orchestrating, I also love conducting, though I’ve done less of that in recent years, mostly because the opportunities that have arisen for me have been more as a composer than a conductor. I’d be happy to conduct more. My teaching position is one that allows time in my schedule for creative work, and it’s fortuitous that I’m on a scheduled sabbatical leave while composing this Kennedys piece.
MN: What are you listening to on your iPod or mp3 player these days?
PB: I have nearly 10,000 tracks in my iTunes library, so that’s a big question! Given the project at hand, I’ve been listening to many recordings of the Boston Pops, under the batons of both John Williams and Keith Lockhart, to really have the sound of this great orchestra in my mind’s ear, so to speak. I think I’ve listened to nearly all of the commercial recordings made by the Pops over the last 30 years (many of which I knew even before this project). Also, I’ve been listening to a number of archival recordings of the speeches of John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy, which has been invaluable.
As for general listening, for composers and pop singer/songwriters who are my personal favorites, I tend to acquire their complete discographies (which can be quite an endeavor!). So on the orchestral front, I’ve got something close to the complete recorded works of Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, John Adams, and John Corigliano; and on the pop music front, essentially all the albums of Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Dan Fogelberg, and Harry Chapin, to name some personal favorites. I think these few names alone represent a couple thousand tracks. Some others, in no particular order: Beethoven and Mahler symphonies; Britten, Prokofiev, Sibelius, Herrmann, Hanson, Gershwin; and among more recent composers: Albert, Danielpour, Daugherty, Higdon, Torke.
MN: What do you anticipate it will be like when you hear your piece played for the first time by the Pops?
PB: There are two aspects to this answer. The first is a very practical one, which is that I hope the actual musical results of the many thousands of tiny calculations that go into creating an orchestral-choral score such as this do indeed sound as I have intended. To put it simply, a composer hopes that the first rehearsal goes well, and that everything works! In the world of professional orchestras, there is so little rehearsal time, and virtually no opportunity for major revisions, should something really not work, that it can be very daunting to approach the first rehearsal. I can say that with experience, one keeps getting better at anticipating exactly how one’s music will sound, though there are always some surprises.
The second aspect of this answer is a much more personal one. I should preface it by explaining that, though I’ve lived in LA for 15 years, I was born in Providence and grew up in Rhode Island. Between 1988 and 1991, while I was an undergraduate music major at Rhode Island College, and really beginning to learn classical repertoire and compose, I often came up to Boston to hear the BSO. In fact, a friend of mine and I were BSO subscribers for a couple of seasons during those years, and attended many concerts both in Boston and at Tanglewood. Those musical experiences were formative ones for me. I still vividly recall the tremendous impression that Symphony Hall and the Koussevitsky Music Shed at Tanglewood made on me, and as a fledgling composer, I dreamed that someday my music would be played in both of these wonderful, historic venues — though I really did not imagine that would ever happen. Now, some 20 years later, it is indeed happening: the new Kennedys work will be premiered at Symphony Hall next month, then performed at Tanglewood in July. Not one, but two dreams of mine are about to come true! So when I hear the Boston Pops play the work for the first time, I’m sure that these thoughts will not be far from my mind. I’ve been very fortunate to have my music performed by more than 80 different orchestras, but for me, this Boston Pops commission is truly in a league of its own, and it’s incredibly gratifying. I only hope that my contribution will be worthy of the momentous occasion.
