Performed by the Amorsima Trio, 2 November 2021 at the University of North Texas.

The concept behind Verklärte Einblicke (Transfigured Glimpses) was inspired by a note that artist Jasper Johns (b. 1930) scrawled in one of his sketchbooks, which subsequently became a maxim invoked by contemporary artists, critics, and art historians:

"Take an Object. Do something to it. Do something else to it. [Repeat.]"

The “object” in this case is Beethoven’s String Trio, Op. 9 No. 3 — specifically, 11 fragments from this work, which are recast through a variety of transformational processes. These modified fragments are presented as a series of brief episodes, each framed by silence—evoking, in a somewhat exaggerated manner, Beethoven’s notable use of the Grand Pause in many of his own works. The Op. 9 string trios are early works in the composer's oeuvre, and as precursors to his revolutionary string quartets—arguably Beethoven's most significant contribution to Western chamber music, and themselves important vehicles for experimentation during the composer's middle and late periods—they provide a stylistic baseline for the development of musical materials in the present work.

Verklärte Einblicke was composed at the request of the Amorsima Trio, for a program of miniatures honoring the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.  The work was premiered by the Amorsima Trio on 2 November 2021 at the University of North Texas.

A recording of complete work with score follower video is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-KNpTJajuk.  More information about this work (including downloadable score) is available at josephkleinmusic.com/verklarte-einblicke.

Verklärte Einblicke — 11 fragments from Beethoven's Op. 9 No. 3 (2019)

Recorded by trumpeter John Holt on "Facets 3: New American Music for Trumpet" (Crystal CD-768, 2009). 

Die Königskünderin (The King-proclaimer) is the eighth in a series of short works for solo instrument based upon characters in Der Ohrenzeuge: Fünfzig Charaktere (Earwitness: Fifty Characters), written in 1974 by the Bulgarian-born British-Austrian novelist Elias Canetti (1905-1994). Canetti’s distinctive studies incorporate poetic imagery, singular insights, and unabashed wordplay to create fifty ironic paradigms of human behavior. This collection, begun in 1997, was inspired by the vividly surreal depictions of Canetti’s characters, and comprises twenty-two solo works to date—composed for familiar instruments such as violin, guitar, piano, and trombone, as well as less common instruments such as ocarina, cimbalom, glass harmonica, and carillon.  In Canetti's depiction of this character, "The King-proclaimer has something majestic about her.... She is tall and stately and her supply of scorn is inexhaustible. She can tell underlings by the least gesture and keeps them away from the king before he is even proclaimed."

Die Königskünderin was completed in April of 2006 and composed for trumpeter John Holt, who first performed the work at the University of North Texas on 17 October 2006.  More information about this work (including a downloadable score) is available at josephkleinmusic.com/konigskunderin.

Die Königskünderin (The King Proclaimer), for solo trumpet (2006)

Recorded live 19 October 2023 at the University of North Texas by Andrew Trachsel and the UNT Wind Orchestra.  Edited by the composer.

As with other recent works of mine, Chain of Circumstances is an open-form composition that explores aspects of recombinance, modularity, and non-linear musical structures. The work is conceived as a series of disparate, distinctive, and relatively static musical states that provide an ever-changing sonic canvas. Originally for solo piano, this transcription of the work for symphonic band—created for Andrew Trachsel and the University of North Texas Wind Orchestra and completed in June of 2023—enhances the modular aspect of the work by expanding the timbral palette from the original and dividing the ensemble into five separate sub-groups, each of which is assigned one or two of the eight distinct musical modules that comprise the work. Unlike sections of a typical multi-movement work, these modules are often heard concurrently rather than sequentially—overlapping, interrupting one another, and recurring in various ways—resulting in a continuously shifting and recontextualized musical soundscape.

Additional information (including a downloadable score) is available at josephkleinmusic.com/chain-of-circumstances_band.

Chain of Circumstances — modular work for symphonic winds

Modular work for mixed chamber ensembles, conceived as a celebration of humankind’s quest for knowledge through skepticism and critical inquiry.    Additional information about this work (including score and links to other recordings) may be found at https://josephkleinmusic.com/projects_unaware-cosmos.

This realization includes eight of the nineteen modules in this cycle:
• Transient Dominion: Toshiro Chun, trumpet; Colby Norton, bass trombone; Jacob Harpster, percussion; Eva Polgar, piano.
• The Indelible Stamp of Our Lowly Origin: Jonathan Kern Anderson, Julia Milrod, Jesus Insuasty, Gabriel Sakamoto, contrabasses.
• Celestial Teapot: David Falterman, piano; Kurt Doty, percussion.
• Shadows on the Horizon: Mia Detwiler, violin I; Karina Sims, violin II; Ryan Hardcastle, viola; Kourtney Newton, violoncello.
• Unweaving a Rainbow: Veronika Vasileva, viola; Eva Polgar, piano.
• Le Contagion sacrèe: Toshiro Chun, trumpet; Heather Sucholdolski, horn; Mary Mixter, trombone; Joseph Klein, percussion.  
• Blind Watchmaker: Jorge Cruz, contrabassoon; Joseph Klein, percussion.
• The Illusion of Permanence: Mia Detwiler, violin; Kourtney Newton, violoncello.

Recording engineers: Ermir Bejo, Chaz Underriner, Seth Shafer.

An Unaware Cosmos (2012-18) — realization with eight modules

A semi-improvisational, open form composition, based on the composer's solo works after character studies in Elias Canetti's book Der Ohrenzeuge.  Live performance recorded 19 September 2016 at the University of North Texas: Elizabeth McNutt (piccolo), Kimberly Cole Luevano (basset horn), John Holt (trumpet), Christopher Deane (percussion), Andrew May (violin), Madeleine Shapiro (violoncello), Chaz Underriner (guitar). 

Additional information about the Canetti-menagerie project may be found at josephkleinmusic.com/projects_canetti-menagerie/.

Canetti-menagerie (2015)

Recorded by cellist Madeleine Shapiro, 20 September 2016 at the University of North Texas Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater; Emir Bejo, recording engineer. 

Die Schadhafte is the fifteenth in a series of short studies for solo instrument based upon the vividly surreal characters in Der Ohrenzeuge: Fünfzig Charaktere ("Earwitness: Fifty Characters"), written in 1974 by the Bulgarian-born British-Austrian novelist Elias Canetti (1905-1994). 

More information about this work (including a downloadable score) is available at https://josephkleinmusic.com/schadhafte.  A video score follower of this work is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq7b2ZDDE5Q.

Die Schadhafte (The Defective), for solo violoncello (2015)

Modular cycle for multiple soloists and chamber ensembles, conceived as a celebration of humankind’s quest for knowledge through skepticism and critical inquiry.  Additional information about this work (including score and links to other recordings) may be found at https://josephkleinmusic.com/projects_unaware-cosmos.

This realization for the International Contemporary Ensemble includes six of the nineteen modules in this cycle:
• A Fleeting Symmetry, for guitar, harp, and harpsichord
• ...e pur si muove, for solo violin
• A Noble Ideal, for solo xylophone
• The Illusion of Permanence, for violin and violoncello
• Celestial Teapot, for harp and percussion
• Unweaving a Rainbow, for violoncello and piano

Performed 28 October 2018 at Southern Methodist University, by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble: Pala Garcia, violin; Katinka Kleijn, violoncello; Daniel Lippel, guitar; Nuiko Wadden, harp; Jacob Greenberg, piano/harpsichord; Nathan Davis, percussion.

An Unaware Cosmos (2012-18)— realization with six modules

Recorded by clarinetist Kimberly Cole Luevano, 8 June 2018 at the University of North Texas Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater; Mark Vaughn, recording engineer. 

Der Tückenfänger is the fourteenth in a series of short studies for solo instrument based upon the vividly surreal characters in Der Ohrenzeuge: Fünfzig Charaktere ("Earwitness: Fifty Characters"), written in 1974 by the Bulgarian-born British-Austrian novelist Elias Canetti (1905-1994). 

More information about this work (including a downloadable score) is available at josephkleinmusic.com/tuckenfanger.  A video score follower of this work is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdTPVeokB0Q.

Der Tückenfänger (The Wile-catcher), for solo basset horn (2014)

Realization for solo piano by Richard Shuster.
Recorded September 2020.

Chain of Circumstances is one of a series of open-form compositions that have occupied my creative interest in recent years.  As with the other related works, Chain of Circumstances explores aspects of recombinance, modularity, and non-linear musical structures.  In this instance, the work is conceived as a series of disparate, distinctive, and relatively static musical states that provides an ever-changing sonic canvas, which the pianist(s) may alter at will.  In performances that include solo dancer and/or live interactive electronics, the result is a kind of dynamic and unpredictable “feedback loop” between the three elements.
   
Chain of Circumstances was supported by a grant from Texas Woman’s University and composed in February-March 2020 for pianist Richard Shuster and dancer/choreographer Jordan Fuchs. The work may be performed by one or two pianists, with or without solo dancer and/or live electronics.

Other versions of this work may be found at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGFwDMZ92JBpytaMgr6FWkQTpaMz4OeH2.  Additional information (including a downloadable score) is available at josephkleinmusic.com/chain-of-circumstances_piano/.

Chain of Circumstances — modular work for solo piano or piano 4-hands (2020)

Joseph Klein is a composer of solo, chamber, and large ensemble works, including instrumental, vocal, electroacoustic, and intermedia compositions. His music reflects an ongoing interest in processes inspired by natural phenomena, frequently incorporating theatrical elements as part of the musical narrative. His works have been performed and broadcast internationally, and have been recognized by such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Composers Forum/Jerome Foundation, the American Music Center, the Gaudeamus Foundation, and ASCAP. Klein holds degrees in composition from Indiana University, University of California, San Diego, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and his composition teachers have included Harvey Sollberger, Claude Baker, Robert Erickson, and Roger Reynolds. Klein is currently Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he has served as Chair of Composition Studies since 1999.

Joseph Klein

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