Liner Notes

“…I was concerned with the Baroque concept of Affektenlehre, or the Doctrine of Affectations. The link between this doctrine and the nineteenth-century tone poem ideal is convincing. Therefore, each piece is designed to express a particular ‘affect’ or mood.”

This quotation, drawn from the composer’s notes for the February 28, 1976 premiere of Paintings No. 2 “Seasons”, is key to understanding the concept of the Paintings composed by William Thomas McKinley—a named collection of chamber ensemble works spanning 1972 to 1986. The series, bordering on chamber concertos for mixed ensembles, encompasses eight individual works, ranging from representations of seasons and dream visions to concerto-like features highlighting specific performers. Each Painting, however, is its own affectation: a representation of a mood or an image, either concrete or causa sui—self-generated and self-contained. In this album, the Paintings appear in reverse chronological order, beginning with Seven, then Six, Four, and Two (ending with the related Six Impromptus of 1978).

Curious, is it not? Listeners experiencing the works in this order coalesce around far more concrete representations of the “Doctrine of Affectations,” starting with the later, concerto-inspired abstracts before ending with the piece most directly inspired by affectation. It acts as a reverse through-line, the thrust of the Paintings concept coalescing from virtuoso writing out of the mists. This is not to suggest, of course, that the later Paintings eschew the affectations that defined the series initially; rather, there is a sense of maturation across the concept, moving away from literal or figurative images such as the seasons à la Antonio Vivaldi, instead engaging instruments as colors themselves—a canvas upon which McKinley paints characteristically dense and intense contrapuntal ensemble textures while allowing performers to demonstrate their prowess. Three of the Paintings presented here also bear composer-provided subtitles: No. 6 (“…to hear the light dancing”), No. 4 (“Magical Visions”), and No. 2 (“Seasons”). Others include movement titles that elucidate extramusical imagery.

Paintings No. 7

Paintings No. 7 was composed in 1982, second to last in the series. Dedicated to Frank Epstein (percussionist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and founder of Collage New Music), Gunther Schuller, and Collage New Music. This is a work with the most abstract concept, functioning as a vehicle for a dialogue between two ensemble subgroups. McKinley, in the liner notes for Composers Recordings CRI SD 507, describes the hierarchy of importance in the work: “I set up the following hierarchy in terms of dramatic importance: (1) percussion, (2) bass clarinet, (3) piano, (4) violin, (5) harp, (6) cello, (7) viola.” This proves accurate: the percussionist, with instruments ranging from full timpani to traps, bongos, temple blocks, and various tom-toms, serves as the focal point. The bass clarinet, in tandem, generates idea after idea in an organic, duet-like improvisatory manner. The other instruments—chiefly strings—support the concertante duo, echoing gestures descending from on high, both literally in the score and figuratively from the performers. The piano, though active and agile like the bass clarinet, functions as a connective voice, bridging the concertante duo and guiding the strings; its absence creates a noticeable void in the ensemble texture.

Seven is structured in three main sections, connected by pairs of mini cadenzas led by the concertante instruments. Listen for the ever-morphing percussion part, spanning a variety of pitched and unpitched orchestral instruments, particularly in the mini-cadenzas, where the concertante instruments dialogue before the strings reintegrate them into a more structured passage. This Painting could be described, in terms of affectation, as “aggression” realized through the concertante ensemble, expanded and tempered by the supporting strings.

Paintings No. 6
”… to hear the light dancing"

McKinley describes his 1981 work Painting No. 6 “…to hear the light dancing” in personal terms: “This scenario dramatizes the process witnessed in human affairs from pre-life to post-life and the major forces, ideas, and attitudes therein. The symbolic development of this process is represented in the concrete forms of an individual existence seen as a metaphor for all existence. Perhaps, in a certain sense, Paintings VI is autobiographical.” As the score itself illustrates, each stave intrinsically links color to the written music; these colors correspond to stages in the cycle of life—birth, growth, afterlife, and rebirth—beyond McKinley’s own commentary. The sun, midnight, trees, The Infant, and other images intermingle with the colors, manifesting in shifting vignettes where focus moves across the septet (flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion), with density and activity gradually changing. Though McKinley states that colors guide light direction and choreography, they are far more personal than simple instructions; they drive the septet’s expressive life.

Originally conceived as a ballet and chamber concerto, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Boston Musica Viva, the piece links directly to dancer and lighting interpretation. Beyond this, the life of the being within the work unfolds: birth, growth, the midnight hour, entry into the afterlife, and, like Orpheus ascending from the Underworld (marked by a violin cadenza), rebirth into a new existence. “The light dancing” embodies life itself. This Painting could be labeled with the affect of apotheosis: humanity experiencing revelation of the progression of existence beyond mortality into divinity, conveyed through the ever-shifting nature of light.

Paintings No. 4
”Magical Visions"

“It is the ‘concretion’ of both worlds, the magical and the real, and their ultimate meeting point in time which initiates vision,” McKinley writes of Paintings No. 4 “Magical Visions” (1978). This work, scored for flute, clarinet, cello, percussion, and piano, is a kaleidoscope of textures, originating from musical portraits combined into a longer, uninterrupted structure. Like Paintings No. 7, percussion serves as a key player. Unlike other Paintings, activity density is more sporadic; instead of continuous waves of motion, intermittent interjections interrupt long stretches of serenity, tension, and release. Percussion, often via vibraphone, either supports harmony or punctuates the texture rhythmically. In this sense, Paintings No. 4 embodies the affectation of a still life: moments of stasis invite listener attention before new events disrupt the scene.

Paintings No. 2
”Seasons"

Returning to the opening quotation, McKinley’s Paintings No. 2 “Seasons” (1975, commissioned by Yale University and premiered by the New England Conservatory Contemporary Music Ensemble) is most directly grounded in the Baroque Affektenlehre, which underpins the series. Expanding on the tone poem concept, McKinley revisits the imagery frequently treated by composers, most notably Antonio Vivaldi: mapping common sensations to the changing seasons. While the title invites Vivaldi comparisons, McKinley’s distinct harmonic language transforms the idea, emphasizing specific aspects of each season. Winter’s flowing lines evoke cold gusts, with high registers across flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello amplifying the chill. Spring manifests as playful, abrupt bursts of warmth; Summer features sustained ensemble harmonies with occasional solo breaks, including an extended flute cadenza; Autumn winds down the seasonal arc, echoing Spring motifs against the return of Winter’s chill.

The final movement, the Epilogue, unifies material from all four seasons, providing closure akin to a period ending a sentence. McKinley integrates familiar physical images, feelings, and sensations into miniature tone poems, shaping them as chamber concertos. While echoes of Vivaldi exist, McKinley’s execution moves the work into a modernist interpretation of a Baroque idea.

Six Impromptus

Six Impromptus (1978), while not part of the main Paintings series, shares the chamber concerto form, focusing on music as an object itself rather than extramusical images or affectation. Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and premiered by Boston Musica Viva, the quintet of flute (doubling piccolo), clarinet, violin, viola, and cello comprises five miniature movements. Each idea develops briefly yet contrapuntally, with improvisatory energy. In essence, the Six Impromptus realize the concept that shaped Paintings No. 4 “Magical Visions”: distinct musical tone portraits forming a cohesive whole.

Returning to the Affektenlehre, McKinley designed each Painting to embody a distinct affectation, whether intrinsic to the music or extramusical. This through-line provides unity across the series while allowing each work to manifest independently. The Paintings exemplify both the linear development of a composer revisiting a shared concept over time and the vertical exploration of new approaches within that concept.

— Ian Wiese (August 2025, Boston, MA)

A “captivating mix of busy and sparse” according to Boston Musical Intelligencer, Ian Wiese is a multi-faceted composer based out of Quincy, MA, Associate Professor of Ear Training at Berklee College of Music, Theory and Composition Faculty at New England Conservatory Expanded Education, and the Artistic Director of the Old Stoughton Musical Society, recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the Oldest Continuously Operating Musical Society in the United States. Performers including loadbang, Delgani Quartet, Lyris Quartet, Transient Canvas, Imani Winds, Dinosaur Annex, Kalliope Reed Quintet, Atlantic Brass Quintet, American Modern Ensemble, New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Concert Band, and Sputter Box have played his music. Recently, Wiese was awarded prizes in The American Prize (2023 for Wind Ensemble and 2021 for Vocal Chamber Music), Homecoming: Return to Artsakh Competition presented by Music for Unity and NACUSA-LA (Second Place), 2024 Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Competition, 2021 NEC Merz Trio Competition, the Nightingale Ensemble Young Composers Commissioning Program, the 2020 Mu Phi Epsilon International Convention Call for Scores and Musicological Research Competition, the 2019 Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Competition, the Ball State University Xenharmonic Music Alliance Call for Scores, and the Ithaca College Jack Downey Vocal Composition Prize, among others. He was also invited to attend the Research on Contemporary Composition Conference at The University of North Georgia – Dahlonega in 2024. Some of his music has been heard in unusual venues, including EPCOT Center at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FA, Oslo, Norway, and Moldova. Works of his are published by Radnofsky-Couper Editions and North Star Music Publishing. He studied at New England Conservatory for his DMA in Composition with the late composer John Heiss and Michael Gandolfi. He also holds a MM in Composition from New England Conservatory of Music, studying with Kati Agocs and Michael Gandolfi, and a BM in Composition from Ithaca College, studying with Dana Wilson and Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann.  https://ianwiese.com/