Interview with the Composer: Dwayne Milburn

Dwayne Milburn–whose newest work, Chamber Jams, for flute, oboe, cello, and harpsichord, is the 99th piece commissioned and premiered by Pacific Serenades–is continuing to play out what he calls his “Army Rondo.” [Rondo is a musical form in which a relatively-unchanged theme alternates with others, creating a pattern such as ABACA].

Earning a PhD in composition from UCLA in 2009, he re-upped after leading a civilian life for a number of years, assuming duties as the associate bandmaster for the US Continental Army Band in Fort Monroe, Virginia, the US Army Band Pershing’s Own in Washington, DC, and the US Army Europe Band and Chorus in Heidelberg, Germany. Prior to his entering doctoral studies at UCLA, he commanded the Army Ground Forces Band in Atlanta, Georgia. Among his military honors are the President Benjamin Harrison Award, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the NATO Medal.

The Army has always been in his blood, he told me, as he came from a family whose lives had for several generations been involved in the armed services, and he always knew that he wanted to be in the Army. So he entered West Point as a cadet and there, somewhat to his surprise, found himself immersed in music. “I sang in the Catholic choir, under the wonderful conductor Mark Lawler, and in the Glee Club, under another inspiring conductor, Bill Cosby [No, not THAT Bill Cosby],” who was a UCLA alum. In spite of having among his all-time best and most engaging teachers at West Point, his association with Mr. Cosby led him to transfer to UCLA, where he completed his BFA in music.

Upon graduation he became the Director of Cadet Music for the United States Military Academy at West Point, serving as the conductor for the internationally renowned West Point Glee Club. Next came graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned his MM in orchestral conducting and contributed several arrangements to the Cleveland Orchestra.

Then back to West Point, then back to UCLA, now back to the Army. [ABACABA].

I asked what influence on his own compositions his life in the army had, and he said, “The Army has always given me access to really great musicians. It also gave me the habit of being able to work quickly, since you’re always working against deadline. And getting real-time response from those great musicians helped me develop a strong automatic-edit function and a very reliable inner ear.”

The biggest drawback to being so involved in music with the Army was that its music tends to be very locked-in to regular four-measure phrases and to short pieces. “Grad school at UCLA really pushed me to write different things and helped me to learn to write longer pieces than I had been accustomed to writing.”

Being asked to write a piece that includes harpsichord is a challenge for anyone in these modern times. For one thing, since virtually all of the music for the instrument is from the baroque era and earlier, that’s the music that harpsichordists play. Will there be room on any programs of baroque music for something brand new?? For another, the fact that, unlike piano, you cannot play louder by pressing the keys harder, and it has no pedal to sustain the sounds, it is a technical challenge for those of us accustomed to writing for piano and other modern instruments.

(In answer to that earlier question, the six pieces that Pacific Serenades has so far commissioned and premiered that include harpsichord have been doing very well out there, racking up quite a few performances).

Dwayne (as I know him, but he is Major Milburn now) found himself balking internally at the idea of writing for harpsichord when I proposed this to him, and then realized it was a challenge well worth taking.

So he drew on another major influence of his–gospel music. “Everyone in my family has been in three major careers: as teachers, in the armed services, and as church musicians.” He credits his playing keyboard in church with his “obsession with driving rhythms that I think comes from gospel music.” And he also came to understand that, like rhythm guitar in “Stevie Wonder and everyone else, the harpsichord provides information that the other instruments can ride on top of.”

In Chamber Jams, he draws on elements of baroque music, especially in the first movement. The second movement, Blues, is based on a 12-bar blues progression, which, he points out, “is not so different from a chaconne-a technique of baroque music in which a piece is based on an ever-repeating chord progression. Not unlike other living artists, he continues to draw upon music from different eras: the third movement is a waltz, and the fourth is, like his own life with the Army, a rondo.

As the flutist who gets to premiere Milburn’s new piece, I am so excited about it! I can’t tell you what fun it is to get to bring a new piece to life. And as someone who is a believer in music written for us and for our time-no matter what era we associate the harpsichord with!–well, I’m so excited!

Knowing Dwayne’s music as I do, I know you have reason to be excited, too.