A Beginning
When people have asked me why I chose "Hedgerow Music Publishing" as the name of this project, I usually tell them it’s because "Mid-Life Crisis Music" seemed a bit on the nose. I'm only sort of kidding. I decided to self-publish my music mostly for the fun and challenge of it, and so far, that's exactly what I have received: fun and challenge. Between my high school days and the present, I've accumulated a heaping mound of original compositions and arrangements in various states of completeness. Most of them were written for very specific groups of people, and they found their way to performances with my students or community choirs and were never heard again. Others were written for the sake of self-expression with no expectation that they would be performed. And I must confess that some of them are a rambling mess of musical incoherence that I hope will never see the light of day. In the summer of 2020, with most of the world shut down due to COVID, I started untangling this wad of music. It was laborious, but oddly satisfying, and I found that going through old compositions prompted a rush of creativity for new ones. I began to write - not for a specific purpose, not for any practical reasons, not because of any requirement or expectation, but because I wanted to. It was wonderfully liberating. I suppose that is what a hobby is supposed to feel like.
Six months ago, at the kind urging of a few colleagues, I decided give self-publishing a go. I chose a name, filed a DBA with the county clerk's office, and began formally engraving some of my work. I collected recordings of those pieces that had been premiered; for the others, I enlisted my talented wife's help in recording them at home. Meanwhile, I started putting a website together and learning all I could about the publishing industry. To be honest, I half expected to lose interest before my self-imposed August 1 deadline had arrived. Surely this "hobby" would turn into "work" at some point, and I already had plenty of that. Yet to my very pleasant surprise, I have found even the most painstaking parts of this process to be enjoyable. Few things have gone according to plan, and everything has taken more time than I expected, but this journey has brought far more elation than aggravation.
Today is July 31, and Hedgerow Music Publishing is up and running. I have a very scant catalog of four pieces available for purchase as of this writing: three sacred choral anthems and a piece for tenor and clarinet. However, I have more on the way. I am frantically trying to finish proofing my orchestral setting of Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella so that it can be available before directors make their final music selections for the holiday season. After that is finished, I have three more choral octavos completed and ready for review. Susan and I have finished recording all the pieces I have ready to this point. As I said before, everything has taken more time than I expected. But I am getting the hang of it.
I have no idea if my music will sell. In truth, it is of little consequence. Hedgerow Music Publishing is already accomplishing what I had hoped it would. It has enlightened me. It has challenged me. It has intimidated me. It has brought me joy. It is an adventure, a pilgrimage, a diversion, and, yes, a bit of a mid-life crisis. I am good with all of it, and I am a better person because of it.
Thanks for checking it out. I'm fascinated to see what happens!
Blessings,
Dan