Q&A with William Holst

 

William Holst

 

William Holst is the son of the late Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness, author of the new biography Alan Hovhaness: Unveiling One of the Great Composers of the 20th Century. Alan Hovhaness was Holst's stepfather.  

 

Q: What was your role in creating this book about your stepfather, composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)?

 

A: My mother wrote all the book content and had the stories in the order she wanted. Of course, my mother asked me about several incidents in the book to confirm the details.

 

After her passing, the book became our highest priority; we had to find a publisher that was onboard with what we needed in a publisher. My wife Coleen, my daughter Tracy and I edited the text to make the stories more readable but kept my mother’s writing style intact.

 

We wrote the Acknowledgement, Dedications, and Family History. We went through hundreds of family photos and organized the reviewers for content and accuracy.

 

We also managed the endorsers and the Foreword author and worked with the publisher to add all the book features such as book and book cover design, book cover and paper materials and special designs such as Alan’s music on the book sides and front/back pages. 

Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness

 

Q: For those who are unfamiliar with your stepfather’s work, what are some of the most important things they should know?

 

A: Alan Hovhaness was one of the most prolific classical composers with over 500 compositions, of those 67 being symphonies. His style was not popular during his early career, and he was ridiculed by classmates (including Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland) while at Tanglewood.

 

He remained true to his Armenian sound and was urged by a friend to study Indian, Japanese, and Korean cultures and incorporate their ancient music techniques into his compositions. His concept was to create beautiful and healing music, not just music du jour.

 

Due to his stubbornness to create his own sound and not submit to being a popularity lemming, Hovhaness did not fill auditoriums and was not well recognized by music enthusiasts. Now that young audiences are rediscovering the beauty of music, perhaps this is the reincarnation of Hovhaness music.  

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between your mother and your stepfather?

 

A: Alan was 20 years older than my mother; however, they were obviously soul mates. There is a story about Alan visiting a psychic when he was younger and the psychic had visions of a young Japanese girl that Alan would meet and later marry.

 

My mother was very dedicated to Alan’s work and not only were they in love, but they created the perfect business partnership. Alan was the center of the organization, composing music that he heard in his head. My mother not only made sure that Alan was properly fed and cared for, but also managed the promotion, finances, and distribution of Alan’s music.

 

I lived with Alan and my mother for about two years after high school. They very rarely argued, however the one argument I do recall… during the argument my mother decided to become a nun and Alan a Buddhist monk and he walked out the door.

 

I spent the evening driving around the neighborhood searching for Alan; after convincing him to come home, he went straight to bed. In the morning my mother and Alan continued with their normal routines as if nothing occurred the night before.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope that the readers will be able to relate to the personal side of this great composer, that like any other human he had good days and bad, success and failure, and although he was a gentleman he had a great sense of humor. Alan was a severely ridiculed man who stuck by his beliefs and did not submit to the influence of fame and fortune.

 

This book was originally written to be a documentary but turned out to be a heartfelt love story. The book gives some insights to some of Alan’s other explorations; it is my wish that readers further investigate the life of Alan Hovhaness and learn more about the third most interesting man in the world, not just his music compositions.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Our highest priority currently is to organize, catalog, and promote Alan’s music. Of course, the purpose of the book was to aid his followers to better understand the personal side of the classical composer, but it is also used to reawaken and promote Hovhaness music.

 

In the process we have uncovered many additional astounding stories about Alan and his family that need to be told, which may include another book or documentary. In addition, both my mother and Alan have written hundreds of poems that can also be published.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Although we thought we knew Alan very well, since investigating his archives, my wife Coleen and I have learned so much more about Alan.

 

His involvement with the Bacon Society, Edgar Cayce, Reincarnation, Martha Graham, John Cage, Artie Shaw, Richie Havens, Carlos Santana, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney. His experience composing classical music and jazz music and how that influenced the early Rock and Roll sound.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb