Musescore Bvba Blog MuseScorer of the month: Hans Jacobi

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the new MuseScorer Of The Month ! Every month we select one of the brilliant MuseScore members, doing an interview and featuring him or her for all users. Last month we introduced you to Celthyan.This month, meet Hans Jacobi, organist and composer from Netherlands living in The Hague:Hans publishes his own compositions for piano and organ on MuseScore. Unusual harmonies make his pieces really special.Here is an interview with Hans Jacobi (H.J.) conducted by our staff member Alexander T. (A.T.):A.T.: You've posted alot of interesting compositions on MuseScore this May. Are all of these pieces composed by you ? (talking about "Music for a dance" and "Album leaf" series). Are they from some kind of "suites" - as they share the same name but have different numbers?H.J.: Some sets are coherent suites, like Music for a dance, Seaside walks and Natural history. Others are sets that grew out of hands, like the Album leaves and Wabi-Sabi explained. These endless sets are more like a diary, or like regular contributions to a blog."Album leaves" belong to my very first MuseScore pieces, 2012-13. I re-posted them because I almost forgot about them and wanted to reconsider them (some of them were already recycled). But also because the quality of the MuseScore piano soundfont has improved so much."Music for a dance"(2015) started at the request of ferrie = differentieel (also a MuseScore member). He wanted some music for a dance production. He only needed one piece,no ,three, I believe. But I got inspired, and started an imaginary dance sequence, based on a real story about a fraudulent inventor.A.T.: Do you compose for piano and for organ only or do you have some ensemble/orchestral pieces?H.J.: I'm not trained in writing for orchestra or ensemble. The organ and piano are instruments that I can imagine. And the organ I play for a living. However, I did write pieces for recorder solo and recorder & string trio. I adore the 'flauto dolce', I have worked with recorder players many times. I also posted pieces for choir.A.T.: So, organ and piano...Can you tell me, as a composer, what is the difference for you?H.J.: In general I would say that my piano pieces belong to an imaginary private world. I composed them for fun, expression, exploration. For me certain complex harmonies are profound emotions. The sonority of the piano is ideal for such, like a gaze in the abyss. Alas I'm not a concert piano player myself, but I'm intrigued by the expressive possibilities. (Some sets are not so complicated to play, like the Seaside walks. I played this one in public.)My organ pieces belong more to the real world, because that's my profession. Most of my organ pieces were deliberately composed for the Sunday service in church. So for me there is a certain exchange between composing, church work and social media. I use some of my own recordings as audio source:A.T.: You mentioned that organ pieces are "your profession". So, what is your "main" job? Church organ player?H.J.: Yes, my 25th anniversary as a church organist is upcoming; my extra activities in church include giving courses about classical music. I'm also an employee of a large internet-library for mostly cd's and dvd's.A.T.: So, I think you got some higher musical education? And also wondering: are you coming from a "musical" family?H.J.: I'm not from a particularly musical family. However, my father was an amateur organist and an enthusiastic singer at the annual performances of Bach's Matthäus-Passion. His playing of Bach chorales was the greatest musical influence on me. I studied the organ and church music at the conservatory. I also have a master's degree in musicology.A.T.: I see, long years of studying to become a professional musician. I am familiar with that. But let's return to the "composing" topic: which pieces (composed by you) would you like to put a spotlight on?H.J.: The first one is "The Scent of Rain" - a joyous piano piece, my most popular so far. It was performed and recorded on video by Anna Sutyagina:Then, "The Bells" - it hasn't my harmonies, but I love to play it. It seems impossible to do so, but actually it isn't that difficult. It is an evocation of the friesian countryside of my youth, with their churches and bell towers."The Bells" by Hans JacobiThe third one is "Rondo à la Purcell" - a clear pastiche, but not without elements from my style. It's fun to play. It can be played on the piano or organ alike."Rondo à la Purcell" by Hans JacobiAnd the one I am most proud of is "Towards Habanera". This could be the quintessence of all I have achieved last years: funny, entertaining, but also dark, sinister and desperate. Dilapidated taverns, souls lost in tequila, the ghosts of conquistadors, you name it. It needs a lot of experience to make something like this. I couldn't have done it before 2012."Towards Habanera" by Hans JacobiA.T.: Are your compositions played by some performers (ensembles)?H.J.: Some of my pieces were reworked by sound artist ferrie = differentieel, as soundtracks of documentaries or music for exhibitions. My piano piece "The Scent of Rain", as I have already said, was performed by Anna Sutyagina. I'm a performer of my own pieces, of course.A.T.: And what is your inspiration? What motivates you to compose?H.J.: I'm motivated by making compositions because it is a huge emotional outlet without any dangers. It's also a great way of communicating. In church I have a very diverse audience, which is a challenge to please. But somehow it works in a way that many professional composer could be jealous of. I compose for church on a regular basis.It has the advantage of building a collection of pieces that can be used again. In a big church on a big organ it is much easier to create a certain effect. But on a small organ like mine you have to work much more economically.A.T. Great, and really interesting to know. What about your favorite artists? I mean: which kinds of music do you prefer?H.J.: I like all kinds of music, it changes over the years. Bach, of course, but also Wagner, Debussy, Messiaen and many more. I'm not particularly fond of jazz, pop music, or popular film scores. But they also have influenced my music, it's all part of our musical environment, whether I like it or not.It was very exciting to conduct this interview. Hans is a professional organist and composer, so his attitude and musical personality is rather different from other MuseScorers Of The Month. It was pleasure and honor for me to meet him and to reveal at least a little part of his works. Check his profile for more scores and sets, and watch for our next MuseScorer of the month in July!Yours, Alexander T.