Articles and Interviews with Deborah Keily Hanson

Featured in
     "Take Note"

The Official Blog of Sheet Music Plus
Editor: Brendan Lai-Tong

TN: When did you start composing and what sparked your interest?

Deborah: I started composing in January of 2011. I was studying piano with Russian Pianist Vitaly Margulis. He was not well at the time, but wanted me to come for lessons. I thought about a surprise for him, a piece for his birthday, using the numbers of his birthdate. I was so nervous to play it for him. What if he didn’t like it? After I performed it for him, Margulis clapped his hands and said “Bravo!” . I titled it Starry Night, Prelude for Margulis. The following week, I wrote another piece, for his companion, Kanae Matsumoto, titled Nijo Gardens, about the famous gardens in Japan. I entered it in the MTAC Composer’s Today Contest the following week, and to my surprise it won 1st place. Margulis was so happy, I just kept on writing music. He passed away in May of 2011, and I composed Angel Rhapsody that weekend.

TN: What inspired you to start a career in music?

My father bought a piano for my mother to play songs for me when I was a toddler, and I listened to recordings of all genres from childhood. When I was about 8 years old, I started piano lessons and loved it! In high school, I was fortunate to have 3 wonderful teachers, Helen Landin for piano, Jean Frank for choir, and Joe Acciani. Jean was the choir director. It was a small performing group like in Glee. Mr. Acciani was the band director, and he taught me music theory and how to play the french horn. I composed an arrangement of “Penny Lane” for the jazz band to perform my senior year. I also performed Rhapsody in Blue with the Antelope Valley Orchestra.

TN: How did piano to become your primary instrument of choice?

I remember when I was about in 2nd grade, my father’s friend was the orchestra conductor. Mr. Olson played the clarinet, and tried to get me to play it. I didn’t like the sound I made, I couldn’t get it to sound like I wanted it to, so I asked to have piano lessons. An early piano teacher’s son (Lauren Gayle), was the winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition. I used to sneak into his practice room and listen to him play. After awhile, he allowed me to stay, and would play for me. I think that is when I fell in love with the piano.

Featured in
   "Pianoforte Magazine"

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Editor: Mary A. Hannon


How I Compose Music
by Deborah Keily Hanson
I think of composing as a process of ten stages. Each piece so far has followed this path, it seems there are no shortcuts. It usually takes me one week to complete a piece.

Stage 1: Creation I begin with an idea of a theme, such as a place, or a personality. I focus my attention on that person’s traits, or a place with the sounds I imagine portray the scene. Musical fragments come to my mind. I play around with sound on the piano, characterizing the theme, just free-flowing ideas. I write some of it down, very loosely structured so it can be easily altered.

I think of a melody away from the piano. This is important to me because I don’t want the melody to be influenced too strongly by the limits of the chord structure. I then take the melody and write it down. Now I begin to write my ideas on paper by hand. Usually 1-4 pages, neatly blocked out with a good form. This doesn’t last! The pages quickly turn into twice as many, with rewrites on the back, arrows from this part to that part, a big mess! I create a harmonic structure that makes sense out of the scribbles. I merge the melody and harmony, try to make it work, change one or the other, realign to make it sound good. Now I have paper all over the piano, on the floor, can’t find the parts I want, forget about some of it, save it for later, just in case I need it. Then, I find all the scribbles of musical fragments off the floor, and underneath the pages that I thought were the good ones. I add in some of the fragments for spice and color.

Stage 2: The story I make up a story. Sometimes I write lyrics to the melody, then reshape the melody to match the lyrics, or change harmonies to reflect the scene I want to portray. I add in rhythmic ideas for characters, and interest. After that, I shape the entire piece into logical sections, phrases, and form as a whole, complete piece.

Stage 3: I notate the music on the computer. At this stage I am convinced I have created  a “masterpiece” which I am in love with. I truly believe at this point that this piece will be so easy! Almost finished already!

Program Notes

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Deborah Keily Hanson’s debut album, Pianoscapes blends the vibrancy and color of the impressionist artists with the beauty and clear melodic lines of the romantic composers.

Do you always compose with a person in mind? Yes, I try to capture the musical personality of my friends who are pianists. A "musical portrait”.

 "Palawan" is an island in the Philippines. It is dedicated to my friend, Filipino pianist Tessie Chua Chiaco Goodman in honor of her birthday. There are many birds on the island, so I used bird calls in the music, and one sounds like "Hello, are you there?" 

 "Angel Rhapsody" is a dance with an angel. This piece is dedicated to my daughter, Aubrye Michelle Hanson who is my angel.  Many others have connected with this piece for their special angels, so it is named Angel Rhapsody for all of our angels.

 "Marito" was composed as a birthday gift for my friend, Argentine pianist Mario Roque. Mario works and plays to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The lyrics to this piece sound like, "Mario Augusto Roque, happy birthday to you! A beautiful, bright shining sun when the morning is new."

 "Tango de Eduardo" came about after attending a concert of Argentine pianist Eduardo Delgado. Delgado's beautiful tone and lyricism in his playing inspired the "Tango de Eduardo", in which I used the letters of his name, E,D,A,Do for the motif, and the phrase, "Tango Eduardo Delgado". This piece is sultry and sexy, and portrays a couple dancing in a warm, summer evening in Argentina.

What inspired you to begin composing?    

My first piece, "Starry Night" was composed for my friend and teacher, Vitaly Margulis. I used the numbers of his birthday for the motif. The entire piece is structured around the intervals and chords created by the numbers, 4-16-1928.  Margulis was amused and pleased with my foray into composing, which encouraged me to continue writing.

 My second piece, "Nijo Gardens" is for the pianist Kanae Matsumoto. Nijo Castle and Gardens is located outside of Kyoto, Japan. It is a beautiful, artistically designed park open to the public, and many schoolchildren visit there. Nijo Gardens has many pools of water, topiary and stone bridges, plus a castle. Nijo Gardens was awarded first place in the California MTAC Composer's Today Contest, 2011.

My father, John P. Keily is an artist. I am so lucky to have his paintings in my home. Each one of my pieces also has a famous painting to go along with the music. Starry Night, Van Gogh. Nijo Gardens, a bridge by Monet. Tango de Eduardo, "The Boating Party" by Renoir. Marito, a Matisse. Angel Rhapsody, an original pastel titled "Hummingbird's Wing" by my daughter, Aubrye. Palawan is a Picasso.

I hope you enjoy my music, that it takes you places, and gives rest after long days.



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