Contact me: abiales@mn.uswest.net
Artistic
Statement
Works
Biographical Narrative
July,1999
Communication
with the listener is of primary concern in my approach to composition.
I admit that maintaining artistic integrity while striving to communicate
with audiences is a daunting task. Although I do not attempt to make my
works universally appealing, I have based my music on my own observations
concerning the strength and quality of works that communicate to me and
a wider audience, while maintaining intellectual honesty. These are the
factors that I consider of primary importance:
All of my works show
a concern for formal unity. Listeners rely on the meeting of expectations
in regard to the unfolding of musical events. Because of this, the introduction
of materials that can be developed while maintaining common elements, is
of great importance. This applies to the large and small elements of a
piece, i.e., motives, phrases, sections, and even movements. Some of the
techniques I employ involve repetitions (literal and varied), sequence,
and counterpoint. I should point out that my use of these techniques does
not occur as a result of conscious manipulation, but as a result of my
own musical dialect, developed over many years.
Lyricism has always
played a significant part in my work. I readily admit that many passages
I write are not singable. Even so, I often utilize melodic elements that
have a well-defined shapes appropriate for expressive vocal lines.
Though I am not a singer, I am drawn to vocal music and have written song
cycles and operas; works that make it possible for me to exploit this part
of my musical language.
The most direct and accessible elements in music are both harmonic
and instrumental color. I favor a rich but sometimes dissonant harmonic
pallet and a varied, instrumental texture. Like any composer, I am influenced
by my cumulative musical experiences. Others have suggested that my harmonic
and instrumental language is affected by my love of jazz. Some of my works
are consciously expressive of jazz idioms, while other works may acquire
these harmonic and instrumental characteristics subconsciously.
I find
rhythm to be the most elemental aspect of all music. The rhythmic
character of my music may also be related to my interest in jazz. I do
not equate rhythm with regularity, since in many cases, rhythmic freedom
in the sense of irregularity may be highly effective. But, as in jazz,
shifting accents in a fast tempo can create an engaging headlong forward
motion and a great deal of intensity.
Tonality
is an essential feature in my music, even though I often introduce passages
that may be tonally ambiguous. The movement away from a central tonal area
and the introduction of tonal ambiguity before a return to the original
tonal center reflects a long and respected tradition. In this scheme of
things, atonal or non-tonal passages provide variety and tension -- factors
that serve to strengthen the formal scheme.
In summary, my artistic approach avoids the utilization of an
intellectual system of composition. My work is the result of what I consider
to be sound aesthetic principles -- principles that are found in the music
that I admire, written by great composers of all eras.
Tremi Three Studies for Orchestra
(1981)
2/2/2/2/ 2/2/0/0 piano, perc.
(1 player), strings
Premiere: 1981 The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
Wm. McLaughlin, cond.
Flight: Concerto for Trumpet and Strings
(1984)
Solo trumpet, strings
Premiere: 1984 Lynn Erickson, trumpet;
The St. Paul Civic Symphony, Edouard Forner, cond.
Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra (1985)
1/1/1/1 1/2/0/0 strings, harp, celeste,
perc. (1 player)
Premiere 1985: Christopher Kachian, guitar; The
Minneapolis Civic Symphony,
conducted by the composer.
Concerto for Jazz Quintet and Orchestra
(1989)
2/2/2/2 2/2/2/1 strings, perc., solo
jazz quintet: trumpet, tenor and soprano sax, piano, bass, drums
Premiere: 1989 The Al Biales Quintet; The Greater
Twin Cities Youth Symphony, William Jones. cond.
Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra
(1993)
2/2/2/2 2/2/0/0 strings, perc.
Premiere: 1993 John Krebsbach, clarinet; The
College of St. Catherine Orchestra, Dale McGowan, cond.
Reflections on Three Stage Designs by Marc
Chagall (1999)
2/2/2/2 2/2/0/0 timp., perc., piano, harp, strings
Premiere: Projected for 2000.
Songs of Time and the Infinite
for baritone and orchestra. Based on poems of Archibald MacLeish
(1984)
2/2/2/2 eng hrn., bass clar. 3/4/3/1 timp., perc.,
harp strings. Version for small orchestra: 2/2/2/2 2/2/0/0 harp,
timp., perc., strings. Piano/vocal version available
Premiere: 1981: Maurice Jones. bar.; The Center
Symphony conducted by the composer.
When the Creation Was New
for soprano and orchestra. Based on poems by Rabindrinath Tagore (1982)
2/2/2/2 eng. hrn. 3/4/2/1 bass trombone, timp. perc. harp, celeste or amplified
harpsichord, strings. Piano/vocal version available.
Premiere: 1982 Sarita Roche, sop.; The St. Paul
Civic Symphony, Edouard Forner, cond.
Songs of November for soprano or
baritone and orchestra. Based on text by Jonis Agee.
2/2/2/2 2/2/0/0 piano, strings. Piano/vocal version
available.
Premiere: 1996 Alan Bryan, baritone, Members
of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Merritt Nequette, cond.
Soundscapes for soprano and orchestra.
Based on poems by Machizo Tachihara.
2/2/2/2 2/4/0/0 perc., harp, strings. Piano/vocal
version available
Premiere: 1990, Nagasaki, Japan. Elizabeth McDonald,
soprano, The Orchestra of the College of St. Catherine and the University
of St. Thomas, John Moye, cond.
A Silence of Stars Watching for
baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra. Based on poems of Mary Virginia Micka.
2/2/2/2 2/2/0/0 perc., harp, strings. Piano/vocal
version available.
Premiere: 1990 The Concert Choir and Orchestra
of the Colleges of St. Catherine and St. Thomas, John Moye, cond.
Psalm 98 for mixed choir and
brass septet. 3/2/2/.
Premiere: 1992. Concert Choir and Brass Choir
of the College of St. Catherine
Night Songs for
baritone, guitar and clarinet or soprano, guitar and flute. Based
on poems by Federico Garcia-Lorca
Premiere: 1986, Alan Bryan, bar., Christopher
Kachian, guitar, John Krebsbach, clar. 1987. Maria Jette, sop., Christopher
Kachian, guitar, Jan Weller, flute
Passageways for baritone and six
instrumentalists. Based on poems by Antonio Machado: flute, clarinet doubling
on bass clarinet, violin doubling on viola, cello, harp, percussion.
Premiere: 1999 Alan Bryan, bar., Kathleen Kovacic,
fl., John Krebsbach, cls., Tamas Strasser, vln., vla., Robert Jamieson,
cello, Rebecca Kite, perc., James Buxton, harp
Fanfare and Psalm for brass quintet,
congregation, soprano and alto soloists.
Premiere: 1985. Written for the inauguration
of Dr. Anita Pampusch as President of The College of St. Catherine.
Brass Quintet. 2 trumpets, horn,
trombone, bass trombone.
Premiere: 1954, Ohio State University Student
Brass Quintet
Canciones for Guitar and Percussion.
Premiere: 1996, Christopher Kachian, guitar,
Jay Johnson, percussion
Three Movements for Flute and Guitar.
(Three for Two)
Premiere: 1998, Susan DeJong, flute, Jeffrey
Van, guitar.
Variations on a Theme of Quincy Jones for
piano.
Premiere: 1982. Carol Van Nostrand, piano.
Piano Sonata (1998)
Premiere: Projected for the Fall of 2000.
Belisa A Chamber Opera in Three Scenes and a Prologue. Based on the play: The Love of Don Perlimplin and Belisa in the Garden by Federico Garcia-Lorca. Libretto by Maurice Jones. For soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone, small mixed chorus. Thirteen instruments: fl, ob, cl, bsn, trpt. horn, 2 vln., vla, vc, cb, guitar, piano.
The Dragon An opera in three acts
based on the play of the same name by Yefgeny Schwartz. Libretto by Albert
Biales. Principal roles: soprano, lyric tenor, bass/baritone, tenor, bass.
Secondary roles: soprano, boy soprano, two tenors, baritone. mixed chorus.
Orchestra: 2/2/2/2 2/2/1/0 piano, harp, percussion, strings, electronic
tape.
Premiere: 1997. Alan Bryan: stage director: Steven
Stucky, musical director/conductor.
I was born in 1929 (the year of the Great Depression) in Cleveland, Ohio. My parents had immigrated to the U.S from Russia and were enthusiastic about the development of musical talent in their children. The public schools I attended had strong music programs and talented students whose parents looked upon music as a serious study. I began playing the trumpet at the age of twelve and I am still an active professional performer.
Many members of my high school band and orchestra achieved careers in the areas of jazz and classical music. A number of my former fellow high school students are performers in major symphony orchestras.
After graduating from high school, I decided to attend the Ohio State University to pursue a degree in music education. My junior year was a turning point in my studies when I “discovered” the string quartets of Bartok. I then began devoting time to the study of composition and theory. After graduating with a B.Sc. in music education (1953), I decided I really didn’t want to teach in a high school so I continued to work toward an M.A. in theory and composition. I did some special projects in twelve-tone studies and Hindemith counterpoint. My thesis was based on an analysis of the Orchestration Technique of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. My studies at Ohio State were in large part financed by my free-lance playing in Columbus Jazz clubs. I was also very involved in the OSU Jazz Forum that presented on campus jazz concerts. I eventually became president of that organization.
After receiving the M.A. in 1954, I was drafted into the army and served as a bandsman at Fort Knox, Kentucky. While in the army, I had the opportunity to continue performing with jazz groups. I worked with groups that performed on the army base and in the Louisville, KY area.
I was released from the army in 1956 and I had decided that I wished to teach on the college level. I entered the graduate musicology program at UCLA and received the Ph.D. in historical musicology in 1962. Some of the research for my dissertation was done in Europe (1960-61) with the help of a Fulbright Scholarship. While at UCLA I had the opportunity to do some study with the composer Lukas Foss. During this period of study, I continued to play professionally in L.A. clubs. I spent two summers working in show bands at Lake Tahoe’s Harrah’s and Cal-Neva casinos, playing for performers such as Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Frank Sinatra, and other great entertainers. The title of my dissertation was: “Music for Small Ensembles in Seventeenth Century Austria.” My interest in this music led to the publication of my editions of a number of volumes of 17th century vocal and instrumental music by Giovanni Priuli.
After receiving the Ph.D., I secured a teaching position at The College of St. Catherine in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I have taught at St. Catherine’s until my recent retirement. At St. Catherine’s, I taught courses in music history and theory, Jazz in America, Music of the Twentieth Century. I also founded and conducted the college orchestra and directed the jazz ensemble. I served as department chair for 18 years. It was at St. Catherine’s that I met my wife, who taught Psychology at the college. We have deep roots in the Twin Cities and have raised four daughters, all graduates of St. Kate’s.
I continue to be active as a performer. I have been featured with my quintet on the West Bank School of Music Jazz Composers series and the American Composers Forum/Walker Art Center “Late Night at Gallery Eight” series. I currently play in an orchestra, made up primarily of Minnesota Orchestra musicians in a presentation of Classical Masses at the church of St. Agnes thirty Sundays each year.
I have been an active composer throughout my student and professional life. As you may observe from the accompanying list of compositions, I have written for a variety of media -- vocal music, orchestral music, opera, concertos, chamber music. Many of my compositions are based on jazz concepts, but my background in jazz is evident on a more subtle level in compositions that are not overtly jazz-influenced, most notably in my harmonic and rhythmic approach. Two new compositions will be premiered during this year: Passageways: Seven songs for Baritone and Six Instrumentalists based on the Poetry of Antonio Machado and a Piano Sonata (1998).