To: The Professional Development Committee
From: L. Steve Butler
Re: Sabbatical Report
Date: December 19, 2005
Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to make a sabbatical report for the period of Spring Semester, 2005, in which I took my first sabbatical as a member of the academic faculty at Westmont College.
The brief version of this report is that I did write the music and I am making efforts to have it performed and recorded.
My daughter, Elizabeth Barbara Butler, was born on Thanksgiving Day at the end of the fall term. Ultimately, to have the time to be flexible, and time to be bonded, and time to be nourished by grace was amazingly fortuitous in terms of this season of life with my growing family. I did not travel beyond our normal routine, did not attend any special conferences or conventions, but was blessed beyond measure by sharing my work and the day-to-day experience of life with a newborn baby.
The project title for my work is stated as a 12-15 minute work for symphony orchestra. In further discussion of the project I stated that the, “Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Wellspring of Creativity has been a persistent thought for several years now in my thinking about the work that I do. I am ready to explore this idea.” Part of the clarification materials for the committee regarding my projected process elaborated on my intention to experiment with ways in which to make the aspect of rendering time as malleable, to manipulate forms and manipulate forms inside of forms. To create something worthwhile and meaningful was the ultimate goal. Something that begins well, something that goes well, and something that ends well. I sense that I have made some success in this aspect of my objective.
As we moved out of Christmas and the new year, I began to work rather furiously at this notion of a 12-15 minute orchestral work for symphony orchestra based on the theme of the Resurrection. As I began to work out some of the earlier ideas for the symphony, (as I recall it was five to six-ish a.m. with my 2-year old daughter on my lap, both of us in pajamas, everyone else thankfully sleeping), I looked across the table at my sketches and notes, my active computer screen, the coffee cup, the devotions I was reading for encouragement and inspiration, and this is when it occurred to me that I was moving along a rather different path than I had originally intended. At some level there was the revelation that the “Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Wellspring of Creativity,” was not an isolated idea that I could one way or another ponder only in my studio, trying to find the notes for the music, but must be infused in all that is critically important, as well as all that is decidedly mundane. That my every breath might recognize “Jesus Christ as the Wellspring of Creativity” became the goal.
The work began to grow as I developed my thoughts and ideas until I realized that this was not going to be a single-movement, 12-15 minute piece. I closed the first movement at around 11 minutes, began composing the second, by Easter I was finishing the third, at the end of graduation I had worked out most of the fourth, and am now sketching out the fifth and final movement. Thus, the open-endedness of my original meditation led me to a much larger place than I had originally intended.
My desire is to have a professional performance and/or recording as the result of my efforts. Composers of symphonic art music are recognized in their professional development by performance and recording. Most of this is done by way of formal competitions and grant-related endeavors. There are hundreds of performing agencies and thousands of composers that are competing for their philanthropy. Why is it such a big deal and why is it so difficult for new pieces to be programmed? Money. Symphonic organizations cannot sell tickets without programming Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart. Because of this, I composed the separate movements in such a way that they might be programmed as individual pieces rather than having to be presented altogether in one performance. There is continuity in the work that really wants to be performed complete, in a single setting, but I know all too well the difficulties of programming a 40-50 minute piece for orchestra in today’s climate. There is no room for Beethoven or Brahms when a conductor programs a 40-50 minute piece by a completely unknown modern composer. This does not sell tickets. For this reason, I have begun by submitting the first movement only to targeted venues in hopes of getting a jump-start for the big piece.
My sabbatical occurred during the time of year in which we enter the forty days of Lent as well as the seven days of Holy Week prior to Easter. Drawing near to God became the effort, it is a forever repeated cycle of coming home; it is discovering our heart's true desire. The need for simplification was greatly enhanced by the reality of sabbatical. It was my experience that this time of intensified prayer, giving and fasting was indeed a great training ground that truly helped me to harvest my soul in response to the creative initiatives. I began simplifying my life by trying to deny my pampered ego and my relentless obsession with self. “I know I’m not much but I’m all I ever think about,” seemed apropos. I worked hard to turn away from the frivolous and focus my attention and desire towards the heavenly. There needed to be a space in which these things could happen. By a major slowing down, bringing my desires, and in turn, my will, in submission to God's loving requests of me, I was successful in paying closer attention to my heart, in hearing that still small voice. The process was one of great cleansing and purification, even though I was only a little bit diligent and only as willing as I could be. Beyond doubt, the process helped me to draw near to God. It was a great recipe for creativity!
In conclusion, I am confident that I have accomplished something that would not have been possible outside of sabbatical. I would be happy to report to the faculty on my work at the request and the convenience of the committee.