Conversation with Karel Husa: Entry August 17, 2006

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Conversation with Karel Husa: A Composer’s Journal: August 17, 2006

Thursday, August 17

Phoned Karel. His charming wife answered the phone, in her musical voice, and I said :“Bonjour! ” She answered, “Ahh Laureeee,” and as she usually does, immediately asked if I wished to speak with Karel.

Karel sounded a bit frail, even over the phone. Although he has not lost his sense of humor. I told him of my recent trips to the ER and said I did not like to complain. He said: “It doesn’t do any good.” He laughed and said that was a piece of Czech humor ... I asked what he was doing musically, and he said a Czech publisher wanted to publish some of his works, mainly early works - and he was now editing and proofreading them. He said: “This takes twice the time as composing them, unfortunately.” I readily agreed.

He asked me what I was doing musically, and I told him about the concert at Cornell in October, the Piano Quintet. I did not mention that the revision of the score is not quite done, and the musicians need the score by the end of this month. I told him I would be playing the piano part. Karel asked the date and place, and said he would try to be there. In his words: “If I can go, I would go. I have to look at the calendar.”

I should send him the CD of the String Quintet, as M. suggested a year ago ...

He then asked if I had heard from any of my fellow composition students. I had not, although David Conti had left a message on my answering machine a year or so ago. I have not heard from Byron in years. Although, I did see Paul Goldstaub some years ago, and he then sent me a CD of his newest pieces.

Karel continued, “I heard that Warren Benson passed away.” I asked Karel if he had known Benson. I had never studied with him, but I had played some of his students’ compositions in concert when I was a freshman at Ithaca College. I liked him very much - he always seemed to be beaming, glowing - a very kind and gentle man. His students adored him. Karel said: “Oh I knew him very well. He called me August 30 or 31st and said that he had started school today ...” It seems Warren Benson was the one who asked Karel if he would teach composition at Ithaca College. Originally Karel was to teach some months at Ithaca College, while Benson spent some of the year teaching at Eastman, in Rochester, N.Y. Karel added: “I don’t remember how, but somehow things were arranged. And four months became - years. The Dean at the time, Mc Henry, said, ‘Don’t take more than eight students.’ But I didn’t have the heart to say ‘no’ to anybody. Do you remember that first concert? There were probably - compositions. It was snowing that afternoon. I could not go home even for dinner and come back for the concert...” I did not remember the snow, but I did remember the concert ... Karel said that he would call me in a few weeks, when he had more time; I said that I would call him.

I had better begin copying out those scores and parts ...