Shortened Suite for Clarinet in Bb, Horn in F, and Percussion Obligato (1992)
Peter Temko, composer
I. Declamation
II. Meditation
III. Aviary – “Parkeresque”
IV. Rondeau
Meghan Merciers, clarinet
Jordan Redd, horn
Tracy Wiggins, percussion
Alex Wittscheck, assistant engineer
Notes:
This work was premiered in 1992 at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga by Peter Temko (clarinet), Jocelyn Sanders (horn), and Monte Coulter (percussion). Temko composed the piece with his faculty colleagues, Sanders and Coulter, in mind. In live performances, the percussion instruments are to be arranged in an arc behind the horn and clarinet, and the score notes for the percussionist to move quickly between the instruments comically. This perfectly suited the talents of Coulter in the premier and was the genesis of the light-hearted nature of the music.
The title is a pun on the phrase, “short and sweet.” The movement titles are clear descriptions except, perhaps, “Aviary.” The opening motives are taken from the head of a Charlie Parker tune, as he was known as “Bird,” and the movement is appropriately technically challenging. The spelling of “Rondeau” is taken from the French for no particular reason and is cyclical in nature with references to earlier movements.
Three Movements for Clarinet Alone (1992, rev. 2014)
Peter Temko, composer
1. TummlerTanz
2. Blues
3. Passacaglia
Meghan Merciers, clarinet
Notes:
This challenging piece was a commission from Jerry Hall, a fine player, and friend from Chattanooga. The composer admits that he was trying to either stump him or drive him a bit crazy. It is a technically demanding piece, but the composer thinks it is accessible to the listener.
Tummler is a Yiddish word that means any number of things but basically refers to what we would think of as a social director at a resort…a comedian who keeps things moving. A secondary definition, perhaps more to the point, is a person who makes a lot of noise for no particular purpose other than to make noise. Either way, this music represents any definition of the word. Tanz is Yiddish and German for “Dance.” The TummlerTanz movement is rhythmically active. A dancing tummler creates a colorful picture of a noisy movement. The composer instructs the performer to “play always with humor...a sort of manic quality...ala Klezmer a bit.”
Blues is an abstraction of the basic 12-bar form. It is improvisatory in style and develops and becomes more difficult as the movement progresses. The composer encourages a laid-back style, allowing the performer to tap their foot and use vibrato if desired.
Passacaglia is a musical form based initially on a baroque dance movement but developed into a set of continuous variations on a theme. This movement adheres pretty strictly to the form, with style markings of “Helter Skelter” in the sixth variation and a finale that presents the maestoso passacaglia theme in an optional extreme altissimo range just before ending in an exciting flurry.
Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections (2014, rev. 2022)
Peter Temko, composer
Leza Lowitz, text
Used with permission by Stone Bridge Press
I. Dana Paramita – Giving (Like Water)
II. Shila Paramita – Kindness (Just Be)
III. Kshanti Paramita – Patience (Sadhana – After Ho Sen)
IV. Virya Paramita – Joyful Effort (Lovers Count Laughter)
V. Dhyana Paramita – Stillness (Eight-Bar Meditation)
VI. Prajna Paramita (The Six Perfections)
Gretchen Windt, mezzo-soprano and triangle
Meghan Merciers, clarinet
Peter Temko, composer
Leza Lowitz, poet
I. Dana Paramita - Giving
Like Water
Be like the river — flowing. Be like the lake — calm. Be like the ocean — roar. Be like the dam — restrained. Be like the waterfall — tumbling. Be like the rain — pour. Be like ice – solid. Give like water [naturally, assuming right form].
II. Shila Paramita - Kindness
Just Be
Inside the body, the sound of rain falling. Outside the body, rain falling. In the gap all things die and are reborn. Between in-breath and out-breath an endless pilgrimage to Being. Today, be thankful for this [liminal space] space between. In it you'll find a perfect home.
III. Kshanti Paramita - Patience
Sadhana - After Ho Sen
In summer, the leaves of the Japanese maple brighten in shades of green. In autumn, people travel from far away towns to see the blazing red glory. In winter, the leaves turn brown, releasing into the earth. Come spring, they'll be carried down the mountain on the very same rains that fed the buds yet unborn within.
IV. Virya Paramita - Joyful Effort
Lovers Count Laughter
Wise men count blessings. Fools count problems. Lovers count laughter, cherished and free.
V. Dhyana Paramita - Stillness
Eight-Bar Meditation
What you see in your world is what you've created in your life. You've heard it before: If you want to see peace be gentle. If you want to see beauty, live gracefully. If you want to have love, give love. Come back to yourself. Again and again. Let these virtues be your refuge. From there it's easy: Give. Serve. Love. In the end there is only the path and the wayfarer on it. Shanti, Shanti, Shantih. Peace, peace, peace.
VI. Prajna Paramita
The Six Perfections
Be generous: Giving. Be virtuous: kind. Be patient: devoid of anger.
Be happy: cherish others over yourself. Be still: honor the silence. Be wise: understand the nature of all things as empty. Rejoice in these six perfections. They are the path and the light, a meteor, an illumination, a shelter, a home, a goal, an island, a mother, and a father.
The six perfections lead to knowledge. To understanding. To supreme, truly perfect enlightenment. Practice the six perfections to perfection. Then [lavishly] pass them on.
Notes:
The book of poetry from which the texts for these songs were drawn is titled, Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections by author Leza Lowitz, who is also the composer’s cousin. This work is inspired by the Buddhist precepts for living a happy life.
In The Absence (2023)
Peter Temko, composer
Leslie Richardson, text
Used with permission by Leslie Elliot Richardson
Overture
-In the Absence of Evidence to the Contrary - I go towards something
-This is what I remember
-I am not saying that you’re a saint
-The Patron Saint of Colorful Language
-In the Absence of Evidence to the Contrary - I go towards this
Gretchen Windt, mezzo-soprano
Whitney O’Neal, flute
Meghan Merciers, clarinet
Suren Petrosyan, cello
Alex Wittscheck, assistant engineer
Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer, It presupposes faith and love. -Simone Weil
In the Absence of Evidence to the Contrary
I go towards something.
Maybe it is faith, maybe more likely it is presence.
It is what you always gave, and so I think it is what you will leave us with.
You were so very present, mostly with your eyes, blue quarries of rapt attention.
One could swim in their depths and come out seen.
This is what I remember:
You, chin in hand, hanging on to words that, by the sheer act of being heeded,
Were polished like stones in a tumbler, given fresh meaning.
What you would say or ask was always the thing that meant, “I know you better, now.”
And that was your gift.
I am not saying you’re a saint—who is?
But who knows? Maybe that’s what the chorus of angels is looking for,
what they are tuning their harps to,
The sound of a life well-lived, the pitch of real and deliberate love.
If you are venerated as such, I would like to think of you as the Patron Saint of Colorful Language.
My, how you would make me bark and snort at the dinner table,
laughing at your well-placed bombs.
Such wicked talent.
I wish I had known you sooner. And longer, of course.
But here is what I want to say:
In the Absence of Evidence to the Contrary, I go towards this
I believe your life was a prayer,
An Ark of Attention, which lives on in us and prays through us.
And so when I think of you, I feel some grace.
When I remember to listen like you did, care like you did,
When the candles are lit, and the hands are clasped, and the tears fall,
There is hope, and there is love, and there is You. - 05/20/2022
Notes:
In the Absence is based on a stunning poem by Leslie Richardson, read at a memorial for Temko’s late wife, Jan Mickler.
BIOGRAPHIES
Dr. Peter Temko, composer and clarinetist, was trained at Florida State University and Manhattan School of Music, taught at Florida A&M University and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 25 years, and retired in 1999. He has remained an active composer since moving to Atlanta to be near his kids and grandchildren.
A graduate of Principia College in English and The Study of the Creative Process, and a published poet and author, Leslie Richardson has enjoyed a long career in teaching, communications and technical writing. She currently runs the technical writing program for a software startup and resides in the north Georgia mountains with her husband of 40 years. They visit Atlanta often to enjoy the company of their 4 grandsons.
Leza Lowitz is a writer and yoga teacher, currently residing in the American Southwest. Author of over 17 books, her debut young adult novel, Jet Black and the Ninja Wind (Tuttle, 2013), received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times online, The Huffington Post, Shambhala Sun, Best Buddhist Writing 2011, and Yoga Journal. Lowitz’s Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By, was a #1 Amazon bestseller. Its companion volume is Yoga Heart: Lines on The Six Perfections.
Dr. Meghan Merciers is Associate Dean of the UNA School of the Arts in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, and Professor of Music at the University of North Alabama. She is an active soloist and collaborative musician, performing throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Dr. Merciers is principal clarinetist of the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and frequently performs recitals and lectures with her chamber ensembles, Una Duo, Trio Leo, I voci delle leonesse, and Devil Sticks, championing the music of diverse composers and cultures. She is a Silverstein Pro Team Artist and Yamaha Performing Artist. Dr. Merciers earned all degrees in music performance, with her Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, Master of Music from the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her primary teachers were Elsa Verdehr, Keith Lemmons, and Peter Temko.
This recording was partially funded by the University of North Alabama’s College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, through the George Merida Huckaba Professorship earned by Meghan Merciers for the 2023-24 academic year.
Dr. Whitney O’Neal is Associate Professor of Flute and Department Chair at the University of North Alabama. She is currently the principal flute of the Shoals Symphony. She was selected to perform in the National Flute Association’s Professional Flute Choir at conventions in New York City, Charlotte, and Las Vegas. O’Neal was also selected as a winner in the Convention Performers Competition and performed in recital at the NFA convention in Las Vegas. Dr. O’Neal made her international debut with recitals in Toledo, Spain. She frequently performs with her chamber ensembles Trio Leo and Una Duo. They have performed at numerous conferences including the Music by Women Festival, Mid-South Flute Festival, and Mid-Atlantic Flute Festival. Dr. O’Neal holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Arkansas State University and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in flute performance with a secondary emphasis in musicology from the University of Alabama.
Dr. Suren Petrosyan is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of North Alabama, conducting orchestra and teaching cello. Prior to his appointment at UNA, he served as Music Director and Conductor of the Mason Symphony in Michigan; he conducted orchestras and taught cello at Arkansas State University, Creighton University, and Alma College. He has conducted concerts with symphony and chamber orchestras in Germany, France, Armenia, Canada, and the United States. As a cellist, he has played with the Arkansas, Delta, Jackson, Texarkana, Lansing, Jackson, Alma, Midland, Sioux City, and Omaha symphonies. Dr. Petrosyan holds degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Cello Performance from Michigan State University and Yerevan State Conservatory in his home country of Armenia. Each summer, Dr. Petrosyan teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and this year will lead the International String Orchestra’s tour to Germany, France, and Poland.
Dr. Jordan Redd is the Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of North Alabama and Assistant Chair in the Department of Music. He serves as Principal Horn of the Shoals Symphony and Jackson Symphony Orchestras. Dr. Redd has gained recognition as a local, regional, national, and international award-winning soloist. In 2019 and 2020 Dr. Redd was named a finalist for the London Philharmonia Orchestra Brass fellowship. Other achievements include: First Prize in the Charleston International Romantic Music Competition, First Prize in the Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, and First Prize in the Golden Music Classical Awards. Dr. Redd holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Southeast Missouri State University, a Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and also graduated from UNL with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
Dr. Tracy Wiggins is Professor of Percussion, Assistant Director of Bands, and Coordinator of Percussion Studies at the University of North Alabama. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Hartt School, University of Hartford. Dr. Wiggins earned a Master of Percussion Performance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Music Education from Oklahoma State University. He has performed with the Huntsville Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Florence Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Philharmonic, and the Santa Fe Symphony. He is an artist/endorser for Yamaha Percussion, Black Swamp Percussion, Innovative Percussion, Remo Drum Heads and Percussion, Beetle Percussion, and Sabian Cymbals.
Originally from Chicago, mezzo-soprano Dr. Gretchen Windt has performed with companies including Cincinnati Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Opera Southwest, Opera Birmingham, Opera Huntsville, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, and Opera Idaho. She has performed roles including Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Meg Page (Falstaff), and Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia). She has been invited to present and perform at conventions including National NATS Conferences, SERNATS Scholar and Artist Series, Music by Women Festival, Darkwater Festival, and Sam Houston State University Art Song Festival. She was selected to participate in the prestigious NATS Intern Program in 2020. She has degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and North Park University. She is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the University of North Alabama.
