SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO by Timothy Schmalz is a vibrant and eclectic three-movement piece. This technically-demanding sonata incorporates a wide range of musical styles, inspired by Schmalz’s years spent studying works from the classical and pre-Romantic periods as well as the 20th and 21st centuries.
Today, Timothy is our featured artist in the “Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about the his fondness for the music of Fantasia, and the broken upright piano that kickstarted his artistic journey…
Take us on a walk through your musical library. What record gets the most plays? Are there any “deep cuts” that you particularly enjoy?
I recently got some scores from this relatively unknown composer Richard Fuchs, a teacher of Gustav Mahler, Zemlinksy, and also of one of my favorite composers, Franz Schreker. I really enjoyed listening to his Violin Sonata in G Minor recently, and checked out most of the scores of his that I could find from my local music library.
What were your first musical experiences?
Three memories come to mind when thinking of my first musical experiences:
The first was banging around on my broken upright piano as a child. I always remember one key sticking out, because it ‘buzzed’ differently than any other key on the piano… This started my fascination with music. (And he recalls the pitch “E,” which would help me tremendously later as a guitarist!)
Another formidable experience was watching Fantasia when I was very young. I was maybe 4 or 5 years old. I think that film showed me an orchestra for the first time… I couldn’t otherwise imagine the source of all of those crazy sounds I was hearing throughout that movie and others! And the Sorcerer’s Apprentice scene made a profound impact on me at that age, it was tragic!
The third was when I heard one of my friends play in the student orchestra in 3rd or 4th grade. I think they were playing something by Mozart. It brought me to tears!
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Although it’d be a dream to work with some of the biggest names, I’d also love to collaborate with more fellow musicians, ensembles, and orchestras who are up and coming.
How have your influences changed as you grow as a musician?
As a younger student, a lot of my fascinations paralleled my education and what my peers were studying, which were a lot of modern composers. But as I’ve aged, I’ve tended to find myself returning to a lot of the classic repertoire.
And in some cases, I find my influences stay somewhat the same — I heard Sorcerer’s Apprentice again recently and was blown away by it, just as I was as a child.
Where and when are you at your most creative?
I’m boring on this one, but I am most creative when I’m working and facing any musical problems directly. Walks help me reset and strategize.
Timothy Schmalz is a composer with a focus on works for the concert hall and visual media. He has a multi instrumental background, with an emphasis compositionally on orchestral and chamber music. Given that much of his composition work began in media music, Schmalz is multi faceted — encompassing a wide variety of musical thinking and creativity.
