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| Latest update: | 06-04-2024 |
Brian Conn
1961 - 2005
United States of America, IN
| B.D. Conn |
Brian D. Conn (05/09/1961 - 20/02/2005) was an accomplished American composer, pianist, record producer, and liturgical musician (born in Logansport, Indiana). A graduate of Butler University, Brian Conn received a BA in Music and also holds a degree in Interior Design.
He started composing and working as a liturgical musician at age 14. His music is grounded in tonality encompassing both instrumental and vocal works. Mr. Conn's music "... is an example of the New Spirituality." (American Record Guide)
Brian Conn founded Classical Angst Publishing & Records in 1997 to promote works of other living composers as well as his own musical compositions. The credo of his company is "to dispel the belief that the only good composer is a dead composer".
He started composing and working as a liturgical musician at age 14. His music is grounded in tonality encompassing both instrumental and vocal works. Mr. Conn's music "... is an example of the New Spirituality." (American Record Guide)
Brian Conn founded Classical Angst Publishing & Records in 1997 to promote works of other living composers as well as his own musical compositions. The credo of his company is "to dispel the belief that the only good composer is a dead composer".
Brian D. Conn was born September 5, 1961 in Logansport, Indiana to Robert Eugene and Marjorie Mae Conn. He died Sunday, February 20, 2005 at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago.
Mr. Conn was an accomplished composer, pianist, record producer, and liturgical musician. A graduate of Butler University, Mr. Conn received a BA in Music and also holds a degree in Interior Design. He started composing and working as a liturgical musician at age 14. Mr. Conn founded Classical Angst Publishing & Records, www.classicalangst.com, in 1997 to promote works of other living composers as well as his own musical compositions. Brian regularly accompanied Masses at St. James, St. Alphonsus, St. Francis, St. Thomas and Our Lady of the Wayside Church’s. He is a member of A.S.C.A.P., Chamber Music America, N.A.R.A.S., Society of Composers, American Music Center, musicianbio.com, NACUSA and Chicago Composers’ Forum.
Mr. Conn was an accomplished composer, pianist, record producer, and liturgical musician. A graduate of Butler University, Mr. Conn received a BA in Music and also holds a degree in Interior Design. He started composing and working as a liturgical musician at age 14. Mr. Conn founded Classical Angst Publishing & Records, www.classicalangst.com, in 1997 to promote works of other living composers as well as his own musical compositions. Brian regularly accompanied Masses at St. James, St. Alphonsus, St. Francis, St. Thomas and Our Lady of the Wayside Church’s. He is a member of A.S.C.A.P., Chamber Music America, N.A.R.A.S., Society of Composers, American Music Center, musicianbio.com, NACUSA and Chicago Composers’ Forum.
Requiem
| Period: | Modernism |
| Composed in: | 1997 |
| Musical form: | mass |
| Text/libretto: | Latin mass |
| Duration: | 50' |
| Label(s): | Classical Angst Records |
This Requiem for chorus and orchestra contains:
01. Requiem/Kyrie
02. Dies irae
03. Tuba mirum
04. Rex tremendae
05. Recordare
06. Confutatis
07. Lacrimosa
08. Domine Jesu
09. Hostias
10. Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeterna
01. Requiem/Kyrie
02. Dies irae
03. Tuba mirum
04. Rex tremendae
05. Recordare
06. Confutatis
07. Lacrimosa
08. Domine Jesu
09. Hostias
10. Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeterna
Requiem for chorus and orchestra was originally begun in 1992. I wasn't pleased with the direction it was heading in so I put it aside. I came back to it a couple years later and scrapped all but the opening for the chorus. Again, I worked on it for a few months and didn't like the direction in which it was headed so I put it aside. Finally in 1997, I decided to tackle the project and finish it. I followed the lyric outline for Mozart's Requiem and wrote the vocal parts first with orchestration notes interspersed in the manuscript. I then went back and deciphered my hieroglyphics for the soloists and chorus and expounded upon my orchestration notes. It took about six months to compose the final score and then another six months to enter it all into Finale publishing software.
The reason I wrote a requiem was that all the great composers had written such a mass and my music tends to be dark, heavy, and intense. What could be more dark and intense then a mass for the dead?
An astronomical amount of work went into getting this piece recorded. Mary Ann Beatty, soprano soloist happens to be a Latin teacher and she spent a great deal of time with me on the text. Thomas Yang, violinist, met with me to go over the score and plan a strategy on how to approach rehearsals and recording sessions. He also suggested William Chin to conduct the work. Thomas, Bill, and I met and revised our strategy while coordinating our calendars for the best time to rehearse and record. The first set of dates ended up not working out due to musician's schedules. We went through the process again and came up with an October date which was conducive to the vocalists, musicians, and Our Lady of the Waysides sanctuary schedule.
We set up a rehearsal for the soloists and one for the chorus both with piano accompaniment. The instrumentalists had their own rehearsal before we went into combined rehearsals. Recording sessions lasted four hours over two nights due to the complexity of the work and a lighting mishap the first night which set us back a half hour. John Towner, the engineer on all of my recordings, set up a stereo mix which worked great for editing the takes. Twenty-three musicians have a tendency to over power twenty vocalists. John and I spent approximately twenty hours in the studio editing and mixing the project. Now after almost twelve years of composing and saving my pennies, the Requiem is finally recorded.
The reason I wrote a requiem was that all the great composers had written such a mass and my music tends to be dark, heavy, and intense. What could be more dark and intense then a mass for the dead?
An astronomical amount of work went into getting this piece recorded. Mary Ann Beatty, soprano soloist happens to be a Latin teacher and she spent a great deal of time with me on the text. Thomas Yang, violinist, met with me to go over the score and plan a strategy on how to approach rehearsals and recording sessions. He also suggested William Chin to conduct the work. Thomas, Bill, and I met and revised our strategy while coordinating our calendars for the best time to rehearse and record. The first set of dates ended up not working out due to musician's schedules. We went through the process again and came up with an October date which was conducive to the vocalists, musicians, and Our Lady of the Waysides sanctuary schedule.
We set up a rehearsal for the soloists and one for the chorus both with piano accompaniment. The instrumentalists had their own rehearsal before we went into combined rehearsals. Recording sessions lasted four hours over two nights due to the complexity of the work and a lighting mishap the first night which set us back a half hour. John Towner, the engineer on all of my recordings, set up a stereo mix which worked great for editing the takes. Twenty-three musicians have a tendency to over power twenty vocalists. John and I spent approximately twenty hours in the studio editing and mixing the project. Now after almost twelve years of composing and saving my pennies, the Requiem is finally recorded.