New music made in old style

November 10, 2009

By Ari Cetron

Before he’d finished high school, Justin Henderlight was writing orchestral music in a style that was popular 300 years ago. On Oct. 24, the Sammamish resident got what he said was the rare chance to hear one of his compositions, “Concerto Grosso in E Minor,” performed.

It’s always hard for composers to have an orchestra perform their new works – most groups want to stick with tried and true pieces that they know will draw a crowd.

In Henderlight’s case, writing music that sounds like it was ripped out of the Baroque period makes it doubly challenging.

“I’m writing things that are deliberately old,” Henderlight said.

Henderlight’s road to hearing his work began in middle school. He said he’s been interested in Baroque music – the period roughly from 1600-1750 – since sixth grade.

Around that time, he began hearing of groups, such as the home-grown Seattle Baroque Orchestra, which were trying to reproduce the music of that era in a more authentic way.

Henderlight explained that over the centuries, technological advances have transformed musical instruments. So the work of composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, to name a few, likely sounds very different from what the composers had intended.

For example, violins of that age used actual cat gut for the strings, where today strings are machined. The bows used by violinists are also designed differently now to give a more consistent sound. In the 17th Century notes would be “softer” at the beginning and end, Henderlight said.

“When all the instruments are doing that at once, the music breathes, almost,” he said.

As a result of the changes, contemporary performances of baroque pieces happen on subtly different instruments, which results in dramatic changes in the sound.

“We didn’t realize until recently how different it is,” Henderlight said.

He continued to pursue his passion for the music through high school, and for his senior project at Eastlake, Henderlight learned to play the harpsichord.

The instrument – a progenitor of the piano – is the backbone of baroque music and appears in almost any piece, Henderlight said.

“It’s sort of like the drums in a rock band,” he said.

For the project, he sought out Byron Schenkman, a harpsichordist and pianist who was, among other things, working with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra.

“I thought he was amazing,” Schenkman said.

Schenkman was impressed by Henderlight’s skill at learning the new instrument, and with the fact that he had been composing those pieces.

“He was writing concertos that sound like they could have been written 300 years ago,” Schenkman said.

When most modern composers try and do that, they are inevitably informed by the intervening 300 years of music. The music might include harmonies that became popular in later decades, or show signs of influence from non-Western sources.

Although Henderlight has been exposed to those musical styles, Schenkman said the music seemed authentically old, ignoring those newer developments.

“It seemed like a particular kind of genius to be able to do that,” Schenkman said.

Henderlight continued to study music at the University of Washington, where he graduated with a degree in music education, but he kept writing and kept involved in the local music scene.

Schenkman had moved away from the area for a time to experiment with being a pianist, but he recently returned and began working with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra again.

When he got back, he found that the orchestra was working on a show which would highlight the influences that various composers of the period had upon one another. He suggested Henderlight submit one of his compositions, which sounded like it had been influenced by the composer Corelli.

“It just made sense, because Justin’s was so much like Corelli’s,” Schenkman said.

Once it was selected, the piece fit well with the rest of the evening, Schenkman said. It was also the first time he’d played a modern piece in the baroque style.

“It was completely enjoyable to play,” Schenkman said. “It was a lot like learning a piece by an early 18th century composer that we’ve never heard of.”

After the show, audience members approached Henderlight and told him the music sounded like it could have been written 300 years ago.

“That’s the highest compliment they could pay me,” he said.

Henderlight is continuing to write new pieces and is in the midst of applying to graduate school. He hopes to continue his studies next year, with the goal of one day becoming a college professor.

He also plans to keep writing music.

“I still have to refine my style,” he said. “I don’t want my music to sound like Bach. I don’t want my music to sound like Handel.”

Editor Ari Cetron can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 233, or samrev@isspress.com. To comment, visit www.SammamishReview.com.