Richard Kimball | Art of Aging Liner Notes and Play List

This recording is dedicated to the belief that the portion of life we call aging can be negotiated with finesse and grace. . . that is can be lived artfully.

As everyone is unique with regard to aging, it would follow that no one is an expert; each of us must find his own way. If it is treated as a growing experience, every new trial, now matter how great, will present us with the opportunity to augment our spirit to deepen our sense of humanity.

Who knows just when aging begins? Perhaps, for most, it is when we start to notice that we need to make some changes in the way we live, that, to our surprise, our body is not on automatic pilot any more. Perhaps it's when we note subtle changes in our attitudes of our thinking, or that younger people seem to find us invisible. And for many, it's the sudden harsh reality that they'll have to live with a new disease.

A few years ago, I composed a chamber music score for the PBS documentary, Grow Old Along With Me. Older performing artists and actors were interviewed regarding how they lived their own personal philosophies of aging. By their thoughts and poetry, all expressed in resplendent voices, I became absorbed with the topic and the idea for this recording. Five of the pieces here were developed from music cues in that score.

Play List

Make Hay While the Sun Shines is this basic three part song form, a sense of urgency underscores the notion that time is wealth. Chaconne for My Sons is set in a classic theme and variation form in which the main theme is actually a chord progression, usually eight measures in length. I'll Be Somewhere Regarding an afterlife, I personally ascribe to the idea stated by a late and wonderful actor friend who mused, "I don't know where I'll be, but I'll be somewhere."

Patricia's Theme is a love ballad with a long rubato introduction based on the second part of the song accompanied by a widely arpeggiated left hand. The main theme then begins a moderate jazz swing treatment. The Hawk silently circles with its mate on the afternoon thermals in this two voice piece, its simple motif beginning under the final chord of Patricia's Theme, symbolizing a life long love relationship.

The Art of Aging A recurrent theme, basis for its rondo form, is set in constantly changing meters, settling into five/four time for an extended coda. Based on a fragment from one of my earliest pieces, it is for me a connection between the past and the present. Blackout in Bolivia Based on the opening section of Jacques Ibert's impressionistic piano piece, "The Little White Donkey," this work tells a story on a lonely journey at night through the alto plano of Bolivia. The Tree of Life uses two contrasting themes, one from the documentary score and the other inspired by hymns sung by the people living on John's Island, South Carolina.

Global Exchange is a tribute to the San Francisco-based organization that has made a real difference championing global causes of the poor and disenfranchised. Honoring its work in Central and South America, its two-part theme uses classic Latin rhythms. Hymn for the Farmer Aspiring to pay him homage, it is written in the form of a 17th century Protestant chorale and uses harmonic materials form the "Americana" style of the mid-20th century.


1. Make Hay While the Sun Shines | 6.47

2. Chaconne for My Sons | 7.46

3. I'll Be Somewhere | 5.29

4. Patricia's Theme | 6.79

5. The Hawk | 0.59

6. The Art of Aging | 8.41

7. Blackout in Bolivia | 6.56

8. The Tree of Life | 7.12

9. Global Exchange | 4.50

10. Hymn for the Farmer | 2.33


Credits

Recorded at New Milford Recording
Technical recording assistance, Michael Lake
Piano, Hamburg Steinway Model D
Piano technicians, Adam Markowitz, Kevin Olson, and Ludwig Tomescu
Mastering by Pomeroy Audio

Photo and cover design, Ron Gee
Layout, Patrick Gannon

Many thanks for Anne Macksoud and John Ankele, producers of "Grow Old Along with Me."
© Richard Kimball Publishing, Box 194 New Milford, NY 10959
Contact Richard Kimball (via e-mail on WarwickInfo.net)