So this week in Milwaukee is the annual national conference for AGEHR, the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. I was there when they had it in Norfolk, Va. two years ago, and I would have loved to go back this year except for the cost of (a) getting to Milwaukee, (b) getting a hotel room in Milwaukee, (c) paying for the conference, and (d) paying for daycare for Benjamin for probably three days. (All told, it'd certainly be upward of $1000.)
One of the annual events at this conference is an unpublished music session, where composers at the conference bring in their compositions and arrangements that haven't been accepted by a publisher, and some volunteer ringers play through the pieces and then offer critique. (My "There is a Balm" arrangement was one of those played at Norfolk, where it received both some "ehs" along with some very positive defenses.) The organizer of this year's session was worried that there might not be enough pieces for this year's session, so a few weeks ago he put out a call for people who *aren't* attending the conference to send him their unpublished pieces. So to help him out, I sent him an arrangement of "Morning Song" I had written, with the caveat that -- since I'm not going to be there -- go ahead and drop my piece if you end up with too many for the session.
Last night, I received the following e-mail from a publisher:
--- Hello Matthew -
I just received a call from [someone else at publisher, hereby known as SEAP] who is in Milwaukee -- and she is raving about your composition - Morning Song - which was played in the unpublished reading session.
She called me and ask that I tell you that we would love to publish it -- she is very excited about it! Looking forward to your reply!
Thanks so much.
---
And then this morning, I received another e-mail:
--- Hi Mathew -
I'm [name elicited]...[SEAP]'s friend. We have traveled to Milwaukee together where we both attended the Unpublished Music session tonight. [SEAP] WANTS "MORNING SONG" for [her publishing company]!
You may contact her through email to me...or call her on her cell phone. That number is XXX-XXX-XXXX....
i sincerely do not know what you are doing here. are you lost? were you
looking for your delicate calico cat, and did you follow her up two flights of stairs
to this room? she is not here. she was here, yes. we gave her a warm bowl of milk, we talked with her about campaign finance reform for a time, and then she bid us good day. i believe she was
going to the post office two blocks down, but i don't quite recall.
for surely you did
not find your way from prinsiana, the least traveled site on
the internet. if you did, though, perhaps you are looking for humor. perhaps you are looking for profundity. perhaps you are looking for answers.
i'm sorry, but you shall go naught-for-three.
