Back when I used to teach solfege as a TA, I would hand out Xeroxes of the "Faeries Air and Death Waltz" as a mock pop quiz, toward the end of the semester when everyone was getting way too serious about things. As an end-of-semester group exercise when we were all burned out on practicing for the final, we would solfege Cage's 4'33", in an arrangement for choir, euphonium, and musical saw.

There are days when I actually miss teaching solfege.

I've been trying to find John Stump for years now, so I could get a nice clean new copy of that thing. Never had any real luck. Many thanks for posting the link to it!

Hmmm — I just did the search thing again, and I find a couple more relevant links. Here's the sheet music again, for example: http://blogs.salon.com/0003974/stories/2004/12/12/aire.html and http://cielopuff.air-nifty.com/ (which seems to have "Death Waltz 2" as well).

Fibich seems to have been real enough, btw, though his first name is apparently "Zdenek", not "Zdenko" --

http://www.classical-composers.org/cgi-bin/ccd.cgi?comp=fibich

(...and various other references in various languages; but I bet you already knew about him.)

I'm with you on wanting to be or have been one of misia's students — she has to be a topnotch teacher. Next time you are obliged to be in the Baltimore or DC area, maybe a few of us could get together, either for dim-sum or to go to the local Burmese restaurant, which is quite wonderful.

Happy New Year --
jon

Is it possible to still find clean copies of Faerie's Aire? The link no longer works. Any hints?

...but I just checked my original links, and it does still work.

I, too have been trying to find the mysterious "John Stump" for some time. I have a copy of both pages of the piece (yes, there are two) but would love to get a proper, printed copy.

Does anyone out there have friends in Burbank who could check with some of the instrument supply stores or music stores there? Someone must know (or have known John Stump.) My guess is that he was either a studio musician or maybe a high school band teacher. Maybe even check with the landlord of the apartment where John was listed as per the score? (209 W. Alameda Ave., #203, Burbank, CA 91502) Unless he has died, he must be SOMEWHERE!

This piece deserves being reprinted.

Stuart Tarbuck
Vancouver, B.C, Canada

Prelude and the Last Hope in C and C# Minor:

http://www.bjk-murgtal.gmxhome.de/fun/notenbeispiel.html

I found Faeries after seeing this on my professor's door, and looking for it. It seems a tad rarer though.

A good scan of both sheets can be found here:


Actually, the second sheet is from a 3rd work ...
String Quartet
No. 556(b)
for Strings
In A Minor (Motoring Accident)

(c)1997

"Ask for these interesting items from this same fine music store or bowling center. If they are available, cheerfully buy as many as you can without dipping into the Lotto money. And remember,
music makes us all feel as though we are almost human. Please close the door on the way out. 8/97"

I am in current communication with John Stump in Los Angeles.
John is presently recovering from a rather serious medical situation.
I will take your appreciative comments to him this Saturday.

I am currently distributing
"The Faeries Aire and Death March" and
"Prelude and The Last Hope in C and c# Minor"
in beautiful 11 X 17 inch sturdy laminated sets.
These are in accord with John's Copyright ownership.
The price is $25 for both, plus shipping/handling . $15 each singly.

For distributors and teachers and musical directors volume discounts are negotiable.
Please do contact and support the appreciation and reward to John for his wonderful works.

order or just contact me to chew the carpet at poettomm@yahoo.com ..........
More Great Stuff on John's works to follow

TomM Hall

"whole arm on black notes moon walk continue swimmng motion
balance your chair on two legs
Gradually slide from 12-bar Blues to a more Vivaldi-like cadenza

;pT over and out

I do not understand why a person would make such a mean statement. Factually, John is much better, and has returned home. He IS brightened and happy to have Faerie's Aire quotations selected as inspiration for a Quilt! (how cool is THAT!) and title for a music cd ("Release the Penguins" - by the Texas Celtic Folk Eclectic band Boru).

Tom

I totally agree with you, Ellen!
And anyway, who cares if it's a "Hoax"?! It's marvelous.

Perhaps you should take your wretched mean-spiritedness elsewhere, until you get a sense of humor and possibly a life. To judge by your comment, "John Stump", hoax or no, is a hell of a lot more amusing and interesting than you are.

Harrumpfh.
jon

If that's what the person was getting at, why didn't they say so? What they said was something entirely different, and rather adolescent. In fact, it occurs to me to ask how you know that was the intent of the comment. As I say, I certainly don't get that from it.

What I do get, from a certain amount of email correspondence with "poet Tom", is a vague suspicion that he is "John Stump", though I have no hard data. (If that's the case, then even though it's a hoax there is no violation of copyright.)

Best —
jon

I found the Fairie's Aire and Death Waltz and now have been looking for other people who have mentioned it. It is hilarious.

BTW: I got to see the Shirim Klezmer orchestra a few months ago. They performed Pincus and the Pig. That totally rocked and my mom bought the Nutcracker CD.

I don't know anybody by the name Nunnally. There's a lot of connections, so somebody that I know probably knows them - or watch, I'll end up meeting them some months after this comment. Something like that.

I have a group that's actually interested in PERFORMING John Stump's "Faerie's Aire and Death Waltz" --has anyone ever tried this? Would love to get some feedback. It's a daunting task! Nancy Avalon, Denver, CO

Or some other high-quality frameable version. My daughter is graduating high school and going off to college to study music and LOVES this piece! I would really like to give her framed copies as a graduation gift. I have tried the contact info@faeriesaire.com and poettom@yahoo.com and have yet to receive a response. Graduation is fast approaching... can anyone help???

Thank you!

Julia