·Individual's Guide Main

·Prelude

·How you can
Commission Music

·Guide to costs






An Individual's Guide to Commissioning Music: Prelude


By commissioning music-paying composers to write a new piece for a specific purpose or event-these individuals become active participants in the creation of a legacy of music for the future.

The reasons why they began to commission music are intensely personal and varied. A wife surprises her husband with a cycle of love songs for his birthday. A couple decides to commemorate their anniversary with music. A dentist celebrates his admiration for a favorite string quartet and, when the new piece includes the sounds of outer space, rediscovers his love of physics. A venture capitalist invests in composers. A medical doctor who does regular missionary work in the Third World funds sacred music as a demonstration of his devotion to God. A legendary philanthropist devotes her life to helping composers and listening intensely to music. And a group of friends form a Commissioning Club to fund new music projects.

Commissioning is a process. From the moment of inspiration and conception to the exciting night of the world premiere performance, there are decisions to be made, creative ideas to be tried out, and memorable moments when the commissioner, composer, and performers collaborate in their own ways to give birth to a new work of art.

If you have never commissioned music, you might think you have to "know someone" in order to do it right. Chances are, if you attend your local symphony performances or performing arts series, you may already know someone who can begin the process of giving you advice. But how will you find a composer? Or musicians to perform the new work? How much will it cost? Is it tax deductible?

Meet The Composer (MTC) can help you find the answers. A nonprofit organization dedicated to composers and their work, MTC can provide assistance to bring your commissioning idea to reality.

In the back of this book are answers to some basic questions about commissioning music and a chart of estimated costs.

And throughout these pages you will find the stories of music lovers who, by commissioning the music of today, have become part of the music history of tomorrow.