Music 318/379: Where Is Music Going?

Spring 2005

Skip the professor’s introduction and go right to the good stuff!

In the nineteenth century, people went to concerts to hear the latest music. All this changed in the twentieth century, as audiences began to prefer music of the past to that of the present. Yet art music continued to be written. It just wasn’t being heard, at least not by the general concertgoing public.

I didn’t hear much of it either, and I make my living as a musician. Yet every once in a while, I would encounter a piece of music that caught my ear as new, different and intriguing, and I wanted to find out more. But even though I might find information on specific works and composers, I found it hard to put it all into context. Standard music history books were no help, because with so much to cover they don’t have much room for music of the present day. Articles were occasionally helpful, but most of these were on highly technical subjects and failed to give me a good overview. I made a point to talk with active composers, and this helped to some extent; but most knew only a small circle of other composers and could not give me the broader context I desired. I was stumped.

Then it dawned on me: I’m a college professor, so I could just get my students to figure it all out for me! What a great way to go! As luck would have it, it was my turn to teach the upper-level music history seminar this spring, so I picked the topic “Music by living composers.” I quickly realized that some of the composers we would be studying had died, so I changed the course title to “Music by (mostly) living composers.” That title didn’t last long either, though, because of all the composers writing in recent years, not a single one has (to my knowledge) been a zombie! In the end, I finally settled on “Where is music going?”

Upon the advice of my Chicago colleague David Patterson, I selected Kyle Gann’s American Music in the Twentieth Century (Schirmer Books, 1997) as the primary textbook for the course and supplemented it with a fascinating book I found at a used book store: William Duckworth’s Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers (Schirmer Books, 1995). These together, I felt, would provide us with more than enough material to get started.

The next question was how to structure the course, especially as I knew scarcely more about the topic than my students did. I decided to assign one to two chapters per week from Gann’s book, beginning with chapter 4, which dealt with music of the 1940s. I asked the students to note the composers discussed in each chapter, then to sample their music by going to an online music store that allows customers to listen to snippets of music from CDs for sale. Students presented their findings during class, and we decided as a group which CDs were worth purchasing so we could study them more closely. Occasionally we also ordered scores of music that seemed especially interesting. This, together with reading Duckworth’s book and a few significant articles, took us through the first half of the semester.

As the CDs we ordered began to arrive, we divided them among the six students in the course. All together, each student listened to about two dozen compact discs, writing program notes for music they found especially interesting or significant. This, together with a 90-minute concert we produced, occupied us for the remainder of the course.

The program notes below should give a decent overview of the American art music of the past half century or so. The list is limited mainly to music covered by the course textbook, and so popular styles, jazz and world music are excluded, as is music by composers living outside the United States. Occasionally, though, we found a CD of music we liked that fell into one of the excluded categories, so we reviewed it. There were a few CDs that we wanted to review but could not because they were back ordered and did not arrive in time.

The students were instructed to select music that they found “interesting or significant”; that is, either music that particularly moved them or that is well known and highly regarded by others. Notably lacking among their choices is serial music, with most of the classics in that style falling outside the limits of our study and others not considered interesting enough by the students to review. If any other music is underrepresented, it is recent music in a traditional, tonal style. One of our readings cited a survey taken in 1990 that found 40,000 composers living in the United States alone, and many of these are writing very traditional music. But people seem to be interested in what is new and different, and that is mostly what our textbook covers, so we have concentrated on that.

Joseph Herl
April 2005

Program notes to recent music

The program notes are arranged by date of composition. To protect copyrights, audio files for each piece are available only from the Concordia campus. For those wishing to investigate further, all the CDs reviewed will be available at the Concordia library as soon as they are catalogued and processed.

There is occasionally more than one set of notes for a single piece. This can happen when the piece appears on more than one compact disc and different students have reviewed the discs.

Index by composer
Index by musical style

1920s

Henry Cowell (1897–1965): Aeolian Harp (1923) [1:28]
Sound Forms for Piano (1995): New World Records 80203
Performed by Robert Miller, piano

In Aeolian Harp, the performer stands and strums the strings of the piano while holding notes down on the keyboard so as to lift the dampers and allow the strings to vibrate. The effect is similar to the aeolian harp, which originated in China and India. The composer’s interest and familiarity with it can be traced to his early exposure to a wide variety of music including Chinese opera, shape-note music of rural America, and Irish instrumental and vocal music. Cowell is known for combining western and nonwestern musical characteristics and instruments and for his use of tone clusters.

0:01 : strumming the piano strings, many tone clusters and some chords
0:13 : plucked arpeggio started on a note played in the conventional way with the
hammer
0:22 : strummed chords
0:32 : second arpeggio played in the same manner
0:39 : strummed chords
0:51: third arpeggio
0:58 : strummed chords
1:11 : final arpeggio
1:28 : end

— Jennifer K.

1930s

Stefan Wolpe (1902–1972): Suite im Hexachord: Adagio (1936) [5:10]
Quintet with Voice/ Piece in 3 Parts / Suite im Hexachord (1993): Bridge 9043
Performed by Speculum Musicae (Stephen Taylor, oboe; Allen Blustine, clarinet)

Suite im Hexachord, written for oboe and clarinet, is a twelve-tone piece. The first three of the four movements use a limited set of pitches (one hexachord including G, A-flat, A, B-flat, B, and C) that gain variety from being played in different registers. Only in the last movement does Wolpe use the entire chromatic scale, adding a whole new spectrum to the sound.

The piece is significant for its contributions to the oboe repertory. It requires an extraordinary range and is one of the first pieces to use harmonic fingering. At the time the suite was written, Wolpe became friends with Josef Marx, an American oboist, who was instrumental in publishing and performing Wolpe’s works.

0:01 : oboe begins, followed closely by the clarinet
2:06 : quieter section, begins with both instruments in a lower register
3:08 : clarinet ends the section in a low register; oboe introduces the new section
with a descending line from a high register
4:15 : end of section; the oboe begins the final section with high melodic material
5:10 : end

— Jennifer K.

John Cage (1912–1992): First Construction in Metal (1939) [9:06]
The 25-Year Retrospective Concert of the Music of John Cage (1994): Wergo 6247-2
Performed by various artists

First Construction in Metal was composed by John Cage as a result of trying to find a structured method of composing for percussion, something akin to the 12-tone method for tonal instruments. Cage realized that sound has four characteristics (pitch, loudness, timbre, and duration), and silence has only one (duration). He then constructed a rhythmic structure that was based on the duration of silence, not of notes.

Cage used a principle similar to the Indian tala (a rhythmic structure) for the structure of this composition; but he also included the western influence of a beginning and an ending. The first four 16-measure groups of this piece make up an exposition of individual groups of material that are identified by their differences in rhythmic pattern and instrumentation. The rest of the piece is the development of those groups with a 12-measure coda added to the end. The instruments used are orchestral bells, 5 thundersheets (large, thin sheets of metal), piano muted by metal cylinders manipulated on the strings by an assistant to the pianist (the pianist also sweeps the bass strings with a tympani stick), a 12-gong gamelan, 8 cowbells, 3 Japanese temple gongs, 4 automobile brake drums, 8 anvils, 4 Turkish cymbals, 4 Chinese cymbals, 4 muted gongs, water gong, suspended gong, and tamtam. — Lance K.

Imaginary Landscape No. 1 is for variable speed turntables, piano, percussion, and noise. It was one of the first ever electro-acoustic compositions. It has several recorded sinusoidal sounds with varied frequencies. It premiered March 24, 1939 at the “Hilarious Dance Concert” at the Cornish School in Seattle, Washington.

There are high pitched sounds, siren sounds, and beeps. The piano does a glissando down to a note. There are cymbal rolls from pianissimo to forte and then cymbal crashes. There are variations in tempo throughout the piece. The sounds on the turntables join together to form a tonal chord. — Rachel R.

1940s

John Cage (1912–1992): Credo in US (1943) [12:41]
From Will You Give Me to Tell You (2002): Albedo ALBCD021
Performed by the Cikada Duo, SISU, and Hilde Torgersen

Credo in US was originally meant to be played by piano and percussion along with a recording of a romantic orchestral favorite. This particular performance substitutes shortwave radio clips for the orchestral recording, and the piano and percussion have an interrupting effect. This work is an example of Cage’s music that incorporates electronics and live performers. He was one of the first composers to use such effects in his music. Also notable is the collage-like format of the piece. — Angela R.

Harry Partch (1901–1974): The Wayward: U.S. Highball—A Musical Account of a Transcontinental Hobo Trip (1943, revised 1955) [25:27]
The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 2 (2004): New World Records 80622-2

The Wayward is a musical theatre work Partch wrote based on his experiences as a hobo. During the Great Depression, Partch lived as a bum for eight years, stealing rides in empty boxcars, living in shelters and camps, and doing odd jobs. During this time, he recorded the speech patterns of those among whom he lived. Consequently, a main component of this work is the inflections and rhythms of American speech. The first and most substantial movement is called U.S. Highball, and it records the experiences of one particular hobo, Mac. This is an autobiographical sketch, and it is based on the inflections of the voices of the hoboes Partch encountered during his own days riding the trains. Partch actually had a notebook in which he jotted down many of the phrases that are used in the piece. Parts of boxcar conversations, signs, station names, hobo inscriptions, and the like make up the text. The instrumental accompaniment utilizes instruments either invented or altered by Partch, such as adapted viola and guitar, the Chromelodeon I (reed organ tuned to a 43-note scale), and kithara (a tall harp-like instrument). — Angela R.

John Cage (1912–1992): Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48): Sonata V [1:22]
Sound Forms for Piano (1995): New World Records 80203
Performed by Robert Miller, piano

Sonatas and Interludes, written by John Cage, includes sixteen sonatas in four groups of four, with each set being separated by an interlude. These pieces resulted from ten years of development in combining pitched and nonpitched sounds in one piece using rhythmic rather tonal organization. Cage’s interest in percussion instruments resulted from his exposure to non-Western music when he studied with Henry Cowell. In 1937, Cage began working as an accompanist for dance classes. He was asked to write music for percussion ensemble to be played during a dance performance, but the stage was too small for an ensemble. Cage developed the prepared piano by placing metal, rubber, and other objects on or between the piano strings. When the piano was played, it produced percussive sounds and served as a substitute for an ensemble. The Sonatas and Interludes were written for prepared piano.

Sonata V is a short rhythmic piece. Its sections are marked by changes in rhythm, dynamics, and texture.

0:01 : quiet, has a steady, short rhythmic motive
0:18 : rhythmic motive changes
0:44 : louder
0:58 : quieter, thinner texture
1:09 : rhythm similar to the beginning
1:22 : end

— Jennifer K.

1950s

John Cage (1912–1992): Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (1951) [5:22]
From Will You Give Me to Tell You (2002): Albedo ALBCD021
Performed by the Cikada Duo, SISU, and Hilde Torgersen

This Norwegian CD presents some little-known works of Cage, along with several Cage “classics.” John Cage is perhaps the most widely-known composer of the latter half of the twentieth century. He is often thought of as the father of chance and indeterminacy in music. The music on this recording is mostly for percussion ensemble, solo voice or both. However, Imaginary Landscape No. IV does not follow this trend. This piece is scored for twelve radios and calls for the performers to tune them to different frequencies. Cage originally wrote this piece because he did not like the sound of a radio. He often incorporated things he disliked into his compositions in order to learn to appreciate their sound. The realization of Cage’s directions results in music that is typical of Cage’s musical philosophy; namely, that all sound is music. As with much of Cage’s music, every performance of this piece is different. — Angela R.

John Cage (1912–1992): Music of Changes: Book I (1951) [4:26]
Music of Changes (1998): Lovely Music 2053
Performed by Joseph Kubera, piano

Music of Changes is Cage’s first large-scale piano work using a method of “non-intention.” He developed the method from the Chinese book of oracles I Ching and named the piece in honor of the book. The compositional process included making charts and tossing coins for determining pitch, tempos, durations, dynamics, and textual densities. The measures are equal in length, each one being ten centimeters long with the value of a whole note. This unconventional notation makes the placement of the notes on the page very important. The pianist David Tudor, for whom the work was written, had two formulas developed for calculating the length of each section of the work, both based on sixty beats to the minutes. Tudor would play using a stopwatch to keep his timing accurate. Few other pianists have performed the work. It is performed here by Joseph Kubera.

0:01 : notes and note clusters
0:34 : trill in mid-range
0:45 : four seconds of silence
1:09 : short melodic motive
2:02 : two-note trill
4:26 : end

— Jennifer K.

Elliot Carter (b. 1908): String Quartet No.1: Fantasia: Maestoso–Allegro scorrevole (1951) [11:57]
String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (1975): Nonesuch 9 71249-2
Performed by the Composers Quartet (Matthew Raimondi, violin; Anahid Ajemian, violin; Jean Dupouy, viola; Michael Rudiakov, cello)

String Quartet No. 1 is important because it is the first piece that its composer, Elliott Carter, wrote not to please an audience but for his own satisfaction and to express his own musical ideas. It was written in Arizona, where Carter had gone to be free of his usual activities in New York so he could write music based on his ideas that did not seem to fit in any of his customary pieces. The structure of the work reflects Jean Cocteau’s film Le Sang d’un poete, which begins with a chimney starting to collapse, continues with a dream-like story about a poet, and closes with the completion of the chimney’s collapse. This structure of a scene being interrupted by the main part of the movie is seen in the quartet in a cadenza being played by the cello at the beginning and finished by the violin at the end. The quartet also pays homage to Charles Ives and Conlon Nancarrow by quoting ideas from their works. The quartet consists of four main sections: Fantasia: Maistoso, Allegro scorrevole, Adagio, and Variations and is divided by two pauses, one in the middle the Allegro scorrevole and one right after the cello starts the Variations.

0:01 : cello plays alone with frequent harmonic intervals
0:38 : violins enter with plucking
0:56 : violin has a high melody
1:15 : violin moves to a more rapid melody
1:26 : sudden quietness, instruments continue and build with unrelated melodies
2:30 : violin melody is prominent
3:42 : violin plays material reminiscent of the beginning cello solo
3:47 : second violin enters with a high melody
6:12 : texture reduces briefly to two melodies, one plucked and one bowed
6:38 : energetic harmonic intervals in violins
7:16 : rhythmic and harmonic energy subsides briefly
8:38 : quiet, rapid passages played in lower register of violins
9:53 : sustained high notes on violins with a plucked melody underneath
10:16 : sustained harmonic intervals joined by plucking and rapid melodies
11:15 : rapid passages on all instruments giving way to an energetic violin melody
11:57 : end on a single note

— Jennifer K.

John Cage (1912–1992): 4'33" (1952) [4:38]
A Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute (1993); Koch 3-7238-2
Performed by various artists

This is Cage’s most popular and perhaps most controversial piece. In it, the performer plays nothing on his or her instrument; the music is simply the sounds that occur during the four minutes and thirty-three seconds of the piece. True to Cage’s directions, Frank Zappa does not make a sound. In fact, this recording of 4'33" is completely silent. There are no accidental sounds on this recording, but what this is designed to do is to get the listener to pay attention to the sounds around him or her. This is what comprises the actual “music” in this piece. — Angela R.

John Cage (1912–1992): 4'33" (1952) [4:33]
4'33" (1994): Hungaroton Classic 12991
Performed by the Amadinda Percussion Group (Zoltán Rácz, Károly Bojtos, Zsolt Sárkány, Zoltán Váczi)

The piece 4'33" is possibly the best known and most significant of all of John Cage’s compositions. Through this piece, Cage introduces the new concept of discovering the sounds that constantly occur around us and listening to those sounds as music. This piece can be performed on any instrument or combination of instruments and has three movements that may last any length of time. The performers intentionally remain silent for the entire duration of the piece so that the unintentional sounds of the performance venue essentially become the piece of music and the focus of the audience’s listening. In this recording, the movement durations of 0:30, 2:23, 1:40 have been used respectively. This piece is certainly not confined to the performance as it is recorded on this particular album; rather, the performance of 4'33" is always different, with the possibility of an infinite number of sounds on each occasion that it is performed.

0:01 : Movement 1 : light rain, rooster crows, church bells ringing
0:30 : Movement 2 : birds chirping, swarms of flies buzzing, light thunder
2:53 : Movement 3 : hum of motor vehicles, sounds of children playing, birds chirping, flies buzzing, a light rain moving closer
4:33 : end

— Lance K.

John Cage (1912–1992): Williams Mix (1952) [5:42]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

This piece is made of up an assortment of tape clips. The score for the piece is five hundred pages long! Each page has two ten-inch graphic sections that are patterns showing how the tape is to be cut, and what sort of sounds are supposed to be on each section of the tape. The tape is supposed to be laid on the page and cut accordingly. Both the composing and the performance of this piece require a large amount of work. This piece shows just how tedious the early electronic music process was. It took so many hours to produce something that to our ears sounds primitive. In the 1950’s however, this sort of composition was groundbreaking. — Angela R.

Conlon Nancarrow (1912–1997): Study for Player Piano No. 21 (ca. 1952) [3:09]
Studies for Player Piano (1990/1999): Wergo 6907 2
Performed by Conlon Nancarrow’s custom-altered 1927 Ampico reproducing piano

Conlon Nancarrow composed mainly for player piano, and his music is characterized by its complex rhythms and tempos. The idea of using a player piano to perform complex rhythms with precision was a suggestion he found in Henry Cowell’s book New Musical Resources. Studies for Player Piano contains fifty pieces that explore different aspects of rhythm. Study No. 21 was a pivotal piece because at that time Nancarrow altered the punching machine he used to make the paper rolls for playing a player piano. The changes gave him more freedom and precision in punching the rolls. Study No. 21 has two melodic lines. One line begins at a moderate tempo and the other at an incredibly fast tempo. Throughout the piece, the former line increases in speed and the latter decreases until the end, where they have exchanged their initial tempos.

0:01 : lower line starts at a moderate tempo, the top line joins with fast stepwise runs
0:45 : lower line speeds up noticeably, and the top line slows down
1:20 : both lines play at the same tempo
2:19 : upper line plays in octaves
2:48 : the lines have exchanged tempos
3:09 : end

— Jennifer K.

John Cage (1912–1992): Aria (1958) [5:22]
Will You Give Me to Tell You (2002): Albedo 21
Performed by the Cikada Duo, SISU, and Hilde Torgersen

Another of Cage’s significant pieces done by these Norwegian performers, Aria, is for solo voice. This piece is another example of indeterminate music. Cage does not use conventional notation; instead, the fragments and drawings that make up the score are to be interpreted by the performer. Vocalist Hilde Torgersen uses many interesting techniques in her performance, including screams, nasal singing, singing with a distorted tone, clapping, and the like. — Angela R.

Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001): Concret PH (1958) [2:42]
Xenakis: Electronic Music (1997): Electronic Music Foundation 3

Iannis Xenakis was one of the early influential composers of electronic music. He studied composition under Olivier Messiaen. His compositions can be classified into four chronological groups: compositions from the Paris Studio (1957–1962), works for multimedia productions (1969–1977), pieces composed with the help of UPIC, a musical computer system (drawing board) developed by Xenakis in Paris (1978–1989), and compositions using the GENDYN computer program (since 1991).

Concret PH was written during his years at the Paris studio while he was also employed as an engineer and architect. The piece was written for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels and more specifically for the Phillips Pavilion, where it was performed. The “PH” in the title stands for “hyperbolic paraboloids,” which characterize the architecture of the Pavilion. The piece is a recording of crackling embers from which Xenakis took one-second elements of sound and assembled them in mass quantities, resulting in a cloud of sound. — Lance K.

1960s

Max V. Mathews (b. 1926): Bicycle Built for Two (arrangement) (1961) [1:44]
Computer Music Currents 13 (1995): Wergo 2033-2

Max V. Mathews was born in Columbus, Nebraska. An electrical engineer, Mathews was hired by Bell Labs in 1955 to be part of their acoustic research department and to develop computer equipment that would study ways to improve telephone sound. It was during this process that he discovered ways of generating music with a computer. Mathews, along with John Pierce and Newman Guttman, created the first sounds generated from a computer in 1957. In 1961, his computer synthesized the song Bicycle Built for Two, in which the computer was programmed to sing the lyrics as well as provide a honky-tonk piano accompaniment. The result is characteristic of what one might hear on an old video game. — Lance K.

Lou Harrison (1917–2003): Pacifika Rondo: “A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb” (1963) [2:49]
The Music of Lou Harrison (1994): Phoenix 118
Performed by the Oakland Youth Orchestra

“A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb” is part of Lou Harrison’s larger work, Pacifika Rondo, which contains seven movements. These movements were each written to convey an aspect of the Pacific Basin, except for the sixth movement (“A Hatred of the Filthy Bomb”). This movement was a personal protest against the use of the atomic bomb and its destruction of life in the Pacific (Japan).

Harrison became interested in the culture of the Pacific after studying Asian music in Korea and Japan from 1961–62. While there he fell in love with the culture and its music. In many of his compositions Harrison combined the use of Eastern and Western instruments to produce a truly unique musical style and texture of sound. Pacifika Rondo was written for the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii and was premiered there in May 1963.

0:01 : gamelan/bells (?)
0:06 : string glissandos
0:34 : plucked strings enter
0:36 : bass string glissandos
0:58 : piano enters
0:59 : organ enters
1:02 : snare and bass drums enter
1:04 : brass and woodwinds with melody
1:42 : men and women’s voices descending “oh”
2:43 : repeated descending “oh” followed by male scream (“ah”)
2:49 : end

— Lance K.

Milton Babbitt (b.1916): Philomel (1964) [18:53]
Philomel (1995): New World Records 80466-2
Performed by Bethany Beardslee, soprano, with synthesized sound

As far as “weird” music goes, Philomel is among the weirdest. It is written for one solo soprano, a recording of that soprano, and a synthesizer. The soprano is singing a text by John Hollander as the “blips,” “bleeps,” and “bloops” of the synthesizer and voice recording accompany. This poem portrays the legend of Procne and Philomena, and this setting has become a well known and recognized tape piece. — Matt U.

Terry Riley (b. 1935): In C (1964) [1:16:16]
In C: 25th Anniversary Concert (1995): New Albion 71
Performed by various artists, including the composer

In C is one of greatest and most influential pieces of our time. It is a minimalist piece anchored by an ostinato pattern in which C octaves pound the eighth-note pulse thousands of times. The actual “music” of the piece is made up of an unspecified number of instrumentalists and vocalists who play a series of fifty-three individual melodic riffs. Each musician has to play these riffs in order, but he/she may repeat them at will, take a break in the action, or move on to the next riff. The piece can range from 45 minutes to many hours in length; it all depends on how many times the motifs are repeated. — Matt U.

Terry Riley (b. 1935): In C (1964) [45:32]
Terry Riley: In C (2001): Cantaloupe 21004
Performed by Bang On A Can

In C by Terry Riley was a groundbreaking piece. This piece contains 53 melodic fragments that each performer is to play in order. There can be many different performers. According to the composer, a group of thirty-five is good, but a group of a lot less to a lot more could be used. The performers repeat each motive for about forty-five seconds. There is not specific time for the performance, but it usually lasts around forty-five minutes to an hour and a half. The motive can be repeated as many times as each performer desires. The performer can move on to the next motive whenever he or she wishes. There is usually a pulse that keeps the ensemble together. A mallet or piano instrument can play a high C to create the pulse. According to the composer, the whole piece is about listening, especially listening to other performers and the group as a whole. The group should merge together in the piece on a motive at least once, but preferably often. — Rachel R.

Luciano Berio (b. 1925): Sinfonia: Movement III (1967) [12:26]
Sinfonia pour huit voix et orchestre / Eindrücke (1986): Radio France 2292-45228-2
Performed by the New Swingle Singers and the Orchestra National de France

Lucio Berio is one of the leading Italian avant-garde composers of the twentieth century. Sinfonia was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and it is considered one of Berio’s greatest masterpieces. This piece combines orchestral excerpts from many major composers with the singing of mostly unintelligible words. The tonality of the work is based on a rotating pitch series that generates a harmonic cloud.

Movement III is based on the third movement of Mahler’s Second Symphony. This scherzo is found throughout the movement, interrupted by quotations ranging from Bach to Berg. Throughout the orchestral quotations, voices continue a dialogue with each other. Berio’s goal is to bring new meaning to familiar musical material by providing it in a new context. — Allison T.

Terry Riley (b. 1935): A Rainbow in Curved Air (1967) [18:46]
A Rainbow in Curved Air (1969): CBS Records Inc.
Performed by Terry Riley

A Rainbow in Curved Air is another work by minimalist composer Terry Riley. This particular work utilizes the electric organ, electric harpsichord, rocksichord (an electric keyboard designed to sound like an amplified harpsichord), dumbec (a goblet or chalice-shaped drum originating in North Africa), and tambourine and makes use of an energetic, flowing rhythmic pattern. On top of this pattern are different flourishes provided by the various electronic instruments. Overall, the type of minimalism presented in this song is more exiting than the long, drawn-out notes of Charlemagne Palestine, but the music can get old and repetitive because of its extreme length. — Matt U.

Morton Subotnick (b. 1933): Silver Apples of the Moon (1967) [16:33]
Morton Subotnick: Silver Apples of the Moon / The Wild Bull (1994): Wergo
Performed by Electronic Music Box

Silver Apples of the Moon by Morton Subotnick is the result of a collaboration between its composer and the electronic instrument builder Donald Buchla. The instrument used became known as a modular voltage-controlled synthesizer, though Buchla preferred to call it simply an Electric Music Box. It produced and changed sound by voltage control and sequencing.

Subotnick wrote Silver Apples of the Moon not for the recital hall where most music is premiered, but for a record release of Nonesuch in 1967. At its release he said, “It is intended to be experienced by individuals or small groups of people listening in intimate surroundings…a kind of chamber music 20th-century style.” — Jennifer K.

Morton Subtonick (b. 1933): Silver Apples of the Moon: Part I (excerpt) (1967) [4:20]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

This piece is part of the beginning of a modern approach to electronics, although one might not guess that based on the sound of the composition. The collage of many different sounds does give the impression that this music may be from the moon. This piece was one of the first electronic compositions to incorporate actual pitches and specific rhythmic features into the scoring. This was also the first piece written specifically for recording rather than for live performance. When the record was first produced, it caught the ear of audiences and quickly became a bestseller in the classical music category, which is unusual for a contemporary work. Silver Apples contains many different colors of synthesized sound, including pitched burbles, glissandos, hisses, and pops. Primitive as it may sound, Silver Apples of the Moon is a significant piece in the history of electronic music. — Angela R.

“Blue” Gene Tyranny (b. 1945): Country Boy Country Dog (midday, inside & out) (1967) [10:57]
Country Boy Country Dog (How To Discover Music in the Sounds of Your Daily Life) (1994): Lovely Music 1065
Performed by “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Timothy Buckley, Arch Ensemble for Experimental Music

How To Discover Music In The Sounds Of Your Daily Life is a procedural score for research and composition with environmental sounds. It gives instructions for making music out of the sounds of daily activities. Country Boy Country Dog is a realization of that score for one individual at one time in his life. “Blue” Gene Tyranny, born Robert Sheff in San Antonio, Texas in 1945, recorded three months of sounds from daily living in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1966, then combined them to produce this recording. Some of the sounds heard are people talking, footsteps, church bells, television, radio, an elevator bell, cash register opening and closing, children playing, water flowing, a horse, an airplane flying overhead, birds chirping, and a horn honking. — Rachel R.

Steve Reich (b. 1936): Pendulum Music (1968) [5:52]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

Although the sound of this piece is rather jarring, it is significant in that it was composed with the philosophy of the musique concréte; namely, that all sorts of sound can be put together to form music. The setup for this piece is particularly interesting. Reich once was swinging a microphone by its cord and noticed that when it came close to a speaker it caused a “whoop” noise. He decided to try this with several microphones swinging like pendulums in front of speakers programmed to produce feedback only when the microphones were directly in front of them. As gravity gradually slows the microphones down, a sort of drone begins, and then the performers pull the electric cord to end the piece. Reich calls this piece the ultimate process piece, and indeed it does explore the process of a pendulum. — Angela R.

Karel Goeyvaerts (1923–1993): Zum Kern hin (1969) [8:26]
Historical Recordings 1968–1998 (2002): Musiques Suisses
Performed by the Ensemble Neue Horizonte Bern

Ensemble Neue Horizonte Bern has performed music of numerous composers, though it focuses on music of the avant-garde. It plays pieces employing open forms, graphic notation, variable instrumentation, an extended concept of what comprises a musical instrument and semi-improvisatory passages. The ensemble has worked closely with composers, including its own members and those from outside the ensemble, and especially with Swiss composers. This album contains music by twenty-four different composers, with pieces written between 1952 and 1993.

Karel Goeyvaerts studied under Darius Milhaud and Oliver Messiaen at the National Conservatory in Paris. His compositions include elements of minimalism, electronics, and serialism, which he used for determining tones as well as rhythm, sound intensity, and articulation.

0:01 : plucking and strumming stringed instruments
0:28 : rapid strumming on stringed instruments, joined by rattles, crescendo
0:48 : rattle shaking, clapping, whistles
1:36 : rhythmic clapping
1:51 : short motives and tone clusters on accordion
2:07 : rhythmic motives on percussion and clapping
2:20 : gamelan playing melody
2:56 : panting, rubbing noises join gamelan
3:12 : chain rattling joins the rubbing noises
3:40 : low drone interrupted occasionally by percussive or whistling sounds
5:29 : stringed instruments enter with rhythmic strumming
6:35 : melody on honking instrument
7:32 : vocal “ahs,” “ahas,” and “oos”
8:26 : end

— Jennifer K.

James Tenney (b. 1934): For Ann (Rising) (1969) [11:47]
Selected Works 1961–1969 (2003): New World Records 80570-2

While this recording may not seem much like music, it does present some of the beginnings of electronic music. Most of the pieces on this disc were composed using computers. Some do have a rather primitive sound, but this is because the technology was so new at the time Tenney was composing them. For Ann (Rising) is one of Tenney’s best-known pieces. It consists entirely of smoothly rising glissandos, each a minor sixth from the glissando immediately before and after it. Each glissando begins below our ability to hear and ends above our ear’s audibility limit. This causes a sort of fade effect, which makes the entrance and exit of each glissando imperceptible. At nearly every point, there are between twelve and fifteen glissandos rising at once. The significance of this piece does not lie in its sound (which is very repetitive), but in the mathematical process Tenney used to calculate all the intervals between each glissando. — Angela R.

1970s

George Crumb (b. 1929): Ancient Voices of Children: “Dances of the Ancient Earth (1970) [2:27]
Ancient Voices of Children / Music for a Summer Evening (1975): Nonesuch 9 9149-2
Performed by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

“Dances of the Ancient Earth” is one movement of Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children. This work is a song cycle of Federico Lorca’s poetry written for voice, oboe, electric piano, mandolin, harp, and percussion. “Dances of the Ancient Earth” is primarily an instrumental movement, as the only vocals are seemingly random utterances from the instrumentalists. It begins with a dissonant oboe solo and proceeds with the use of stringed instruments, screams, whispers, and a lot of percussion. With its lack of tonality and use of percussion it is reminiscent of primal African dance music. — Matt U.

George Crumb (b. 1929): Black Angels: “God-Music” (1970) [3:08]
Kronos Quartet: Released 1985–1995 (1995): Nonesuch 9 79394-2
Performed by the Kronos Quartet

The larger work from which this movement is taken is scored for electric (or amplified) string quartet. In it, Crumb makes use of many unconventional techniques, including bowing above the left hand, holding the instruments like viols, playing long glissandos very quietly, and the like. “God Music” is perhaps the most famous of all the movements in Black Angels. Three of the players bow on crystal glasses filled with differing amounts of water tuned to specific pitches. This, along with high register playing in the cello, creates a beautiful yet surreal sound. — Angela R.

George Crumb (b. 1929): Black Angels: 3rd mvt. “Return” (1970) [9:51]
American String Quartets 1950–1970 (1995): CDX 5143
Performed by the Concord String Quartet (Mark Sokol, Andrew Jennings, John Kochanowski, Norman Fischer)

Black Angels was one of the most original works in its genre when it was first introduced. It is a string quartet played on amplified strings. The players do not use conventional string techniques very often; rather, they play extremely hard, they play above their left hands, they sing, they bow on water glasses, they hit tam-tams. There are thirteen images in Black Angels that are arranged into three movements. These images are based on the numbers 7, 13, or both. The numbers are used to determine the overall structural plan, the phrase structure, the harmonic plan, and other details of the music. The images are matched up to their opposites; for example, image 1 and image 13 are matched together, creating an arch form. Thus the work begins and ends in much the same way.

Black Angels is a portrait of the soul’s journey through life. It begins with the movement of “Departure (fall from grace),” then goes to “Absence (spiritual annihilation),” and finishes with “Return (redemption).”

0:00 : Solo - Aria accompagnata (God-music)
3:56 : Ancient Voices
5:27 : Ancient Voices (Echo)
7:35 : Threnody III - Night of the Electric Insects

— Rachel R.

Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000): And God Created Great Whales (1970) [12:51]
Alan Hovhaness (1994): Crystal Records 810
Performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra

Alan Hovhaness is one of America’s most prolific composers, having over 400 compositions credited to him. Many of his compositions, often simple and melodic, are based on ancient church hymns and are mystical in character. Hovhaness’s spiritual leader was Hermon DiGiovanno, a Greek mystic painter. Other influences on his music were a result of his trips to India, Japan, and Korea; the purpose of these trips was to study the music of these countries.

And God Created Great Whales was written as a commissioned work for Andre Kostelanetz and the New York Philharmonic, who specifically requested a work that incorporated whale songs. In this work, Hovhaness uses orchestral instruments to imitate whale songs. According to him, the rapid free rhythmic passages in the strings suggest the spirit of the sea, while the trombones and tuba suggest undersea mountains. The sparkling, staccato passages in the woodwinds represent tiny sea creatures, while the trombone and violin glissandos represent and imitate the whale songs. The pentatonic scale played by the violins over harp accompaniment signifies the songs of the oceans and their waves. The piece ends with a giant wave or cyclone sound. (CD liner notes)

The whale songs used in the recording are sounds of Pacific Ocean humpback whales, bowhead whales, and killer whales. This piece was written by Hovhaness as a tribute to these animals.

00:01 : rhythmically rapid strings, brass melody
00:54 : harp with pentatonic string melody
03:07 : whale songs (occasional strings)
05:13 : repeat of rapid strings, brass melody
06:13 : trombone and tuba imitation of whales
06:40 : whale songs (occasional low brass and percussion)
07:41 : bells, harp glissandos
07:54 : staccato woodwinds
08:16 : pentatonic string melody
08:50 : whale songs (occasional strings)
10:54 : harp, pentatonic string melody, dissonant brass chords
12:22 : whales songs with orchestra building intensity to end
12:47 : end

— Lance K.

Alvin Lucier (b. 1931): I Am Sitting in a Room (1970) [45:21]
I Am Sitting in a Room (1990): Lovely Music 1013

This work is Lucier’s most famous. The text is virtually self-explanatory–it explains what is happening in the piece. Lucier reads the text, which is being recorded, and then the text is replayed and rerecorded thirty-one times; each time the words become a little less clear as syllables are drawn out and resonate in the room. The idea behind this work is that each room has its own acoustic “fingerprint.” Lucier thought that acoustical space could be more than just a setting for musical instruments; rather, the space could be the instrument itself. He was the first composer to use this as the basis of his compositional process. In I Am Sitting in a Room, the text is transformed from spoken word into a rhythmic and harmonic wash of sound. A rhythmic signature of the work is Lucier’s pronounced stutter, which is evident on this recording.

0:01 – The original reading of the text
1:20 – The first replay
2:42 – The second replay
4:03 – The third replay
5:23 – The fourth replay
6:46 – The fifth replay
8:08 – The sixth replay; by now the text is hard to comprehend.
9:31 – The seventh replay
10:55 – The eighth replay; the text is unintelligible – it is impossible to tell where one word starts and another begins.
12:18 – The ninth replay
13:42 – The tenth replay; consonants are now mostly masked
15:05 – The eleventh replay; the spoken text now takes on the characteristics of a melody, punctuated by hints of what were consonants
16:28 – The twelfth replay
17:41 – The thirteenth replay
19:15 – The fourteenth replay
20:37 – The fifteenth replay
22:01 – The sixteenth replay
23:25 – The seventeenth replay; the sound bears no resemblance to speech, but sounds a lot like underwater sound.
24:51 – The eighteenth replay
26:16 – The nineteenth replay
27:42 – The twentieth replay; by now, the resonance is such that the music extends into the silences between the phrases.
29:07 – The twenty-first replay
30:33 – The twenty-second replay
31:59 – The twenty-third replay
33:25 – The twenty-fourth replay
34:51 – The twenty-fifth replay
36:18 – The twenty-sixth replay; certain notes are beginning to dominate the others.
37:46 – The twenty-seventh replay
39:13 – The twenty-eighth replay
40:41 – The twenty-ninth replay; it is becoming hard to distinguish when the replay ends and when another begins.
42:10 – The thirtieth replay
43:37 – The thirty-first replay; one frequency seems to be continuously playing while only two or three other notes remain of the harmony.
45:21 – The End

— Angela R.

Gavin Bryars (b 1943): Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet: Tramp With Orchestra I (String Quartet) (1971) [27:05]
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1993): Mnemonic 438-823-2
Performed by Gavin Bryars with Tom Waits

This piece was inspired when Bryars was taping audio while living in London. He came across an old tramp who was singing the simple song “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.” He came to the realization when it was accidentally played in a loop unaccompanied that the song rendered a deeply emotional response. He then added a simple orchestration that would not distract from the beauty of the melody. The result is a minimalist work that subtly adds groups of instruments over a span of twenty-seven minutes. There are five additional movements that add different accompaniments, which are equally subdued. — Allison T.

Morton Feldman (1926–1987): Rothko Chapel: 2nd movement (1971) [4:35]
Rothko Chapel / Why Patterns? (1991): New Albion 39
Performed by the University of California Berkley Chamber Chorus

Rothko Chapel is a beautiful piece that was written by Morton Feldman to depict four paintings that reside at the real Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. The piece is written for various percussion instruments, a celeste, a viola, and a chamber choir that sings neutral vowels instead of words. The effect is a solemn but beautiful piece of music that can put someone into a meditative and reflective state.

0:00 : Start
0:02 : Start voice humming
0:38 : Start viola
1:16 : Reappearance of viola
1:26 : Suddenly louder
1:40 : Start crescendo
1:45 : End crescendo
1:51 : Start viola solo
2:23 : End viola solo
2:31 : Start voice solo
2:49 : End voice solo
3:09 : Start viola plucking
3:25 : Timpani roll
4:25 : More viola plucking
4:35 : End

— Matt U.

Pauline Oliveros (b. 1932): The Tuning Meditation (1971) [8:30]
New Music New York 1979 (2004): Orange Mountain Music 15
Performed by various artists

One could say that Pauline Oliveros is the female counterpart to John Cage in that she has attempted to change human behavior in expanding the boundaries of music and concerning herself with how music can benefit listeners spiritually. One of her main concerns as a composer is addressing the problems that women composers face. An avid feminist, Oliveros published in 1984 “The Contribution of Women Composers,” which addresses her opinion that modern society identifies the purposeful creative process and “willful shaping of materials” with aggression and masculinity.

As with Cage’s music, many in the world of classical music do not take her music seriously. The performances of her music often include the audience making sounds of their own, leaving the actual performance up to the creativity of the individuals in the audience. This is the case in The Tuning Meditation. In this recording, Oliveros begins with instructions for the audience to follow, which include singing long tones and listening to each other and themselves, and then matching pitch with other tones heard throughout the room. While doing this, Oliveros “disappears,” and the audience becomes the main part of the performance and listening experience.

0:01 : instructions to audience by Oliveros
2:06 : audience singing tones
2:28 : end

— Lance K.

Ben Johnston (b. 1926): String Quartet No. 4 (“Amazing Grace”) (1973) [11:51]
Kronos Quartet: Released 1985-1995 (1995): Nonesuch 9 79394-2
Performed by the Kronos Quartet

The Kronos Quartet is especially known for its performances of modern music. This compilation includes a wide variety of such music. This string quartet by Ben Johnson is based on the popular song “Amazing Grace,” as the nickname of the work suggests. The tune is treated in a theme and variations style. At first the variations sound fairly conventional, using some interesting and even lush harmonies—not especially like the microtonal music with which Ben Johnston is often associated. However, about halfway through, the instruments begin to play harmonies typical of microtonal music. This work is a new and interesting way of presenting a familiar song.

0:01 : First statement of theme
0:52 : First variation, lush harmonies
1:41 : Second variation; embellished melody in cello, then in viola
2:23 : Third variation; pizzicato in lower strings, contrapuntal playing in upper strings
3:09 : Fourth variation; melody in minor mode
3:51 : Fifth variation; pizzicato in lower strings, loud accented playing in upper strings
5:08 : Sixth variation; microtonal
6:07 : Seventh variation; theme is broken up into small motives
6:46 : Eighth variation; fast running notes in the lower 3 strings, theme played with some microtonalism (comes in from 7:23 to 8:01)
8:41 : Ninth variation; fragmented theme in upper strings, with some hints of microtonalism
10:48 : Tenth variation; final statement of theme. Harmonies are reminiscent of first variation, some microtones added.

— Angela R.

Steve Reich (b. 1936): Drumming: Part IV (1973) [18:57]
Drumming (1974): Deutsche Grammophon 474 323-2
Performed by Steve Reich and Musicians

Steve Reich is known as a minimalist composer, a fact that is evident in this recording. Drumming is a reflection of rhythmic processes that Reich experienced while working with electronic music and while visiting villages in West Africa. This piece was quite a success, and this is the landmark recording that caused such a sensation. It is divided into four parts, which are played without pausing. Part IV utilizes all the instruments used in the previous three parts, including tuned bongos, marimbas, glockenspiels, and piccolo. Rhythm is the primary focus of this work; not much melodic variety is present. Several techniques vary the rhythmic structure of this piece: several instruments playing the same repeating pattern out of sync with each other, gradual instrumentation and timbre changes while patterns remain the same, the use of the human voice to imitate instruments, the gradual substitution of notes for rests and vice versa. — Angela R.

George Rochberg (b. 1918): Transcendental Variations: variation 7 (Molto adagio e tranquillo; sereno) (1975) [4:01]
George Rochberg (2003): Naxos 8.559115
Performed by the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra

Originally a prolific composer of twelve-tone music, George Rochberg began composing tonal music in the mid 1960s. This transition as a composer took place when Rochberg’s son died in 1964. To Rochberg, the healing process in dealing with his son’s death was simply overcoming it with life. In doing so, Rochberg began “practicing his art as a living thing” rather than sealing art off from life, as he thought had been done in serial music. Thus, Rochberg had become one of the first composers to enter the postmodern era of music and world of New Romanticism.

In many of his early compositions of this period, Rochberg seems merely to experiment with tonality and Romanticism in the musical sense of passion and expression, but in the Transcendental Variations he loosens every facet of tonality in a personal and intense way. Although this work is diatonic, there are clashes and dissonances throughout. While ‘transcendental’ could be used to describe this work, it could also be used to describe Rochberg’s view of time as something that is not constricted to the here and now, but rather is something that is time-less. The last movement, “Molto adagio e tranquillo; sereno,” is the true theme of this work written in canonic form.

0:01 : A – main theme in canonic form
1:48 : B – new melody in canonic form, minor mode
3:07 : transition
3:14 : A – main theme in canonic form, back to major key
3:56 : end

— Lance K.

Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938): The People United Will Never Be Defeated: theme [1:26], variation 36 (1975) [1:59]
The People United Will Never Be Defeated (1994): New Albion 63
Performed by Stephen Drury, piano

This theme and variations is based on an anthem of the Chilean Resistance of the 1970s. It is highly structured and organized. The theme has thirty-six measures, and it is followed by thirty-six variations. Each variation is a fifth higher than the previous variation, so that all twelve minor keys are used. The variations are divided into groups of six, as indicated by the following outline:

1. Simple events: These variations are harmonically sparse and focus on simple intervals, chords, and rhythms. The thematic material is often obscured by being fractured.
2. Rhythms: These variations each have specific rhythmic motives that drive them.
3. Melodies: This cycle is lyrical in nature, as the variations are melody driven.
4. Counterpoints: This cycle tends toward conflict, and the theme takes on a frantic, agitated nature.
5. Harmonies: This cycle is the freest, and these variations contain the most complex harmonic structure.
6. Combinations of the previous five cycles

The sixth variation of each group combines each of the methods of variation from the previous five. The final variation, which is the listening example, unifies the previous thirty-five variations into one. This causes the theme to be fractured into a different style for each measure of the variation. The effect that this variation has is to unify a wide spectrum of rapidly changing musical styles. In 1973, two years prior to this composition, the armed forces overthrew the Chilean government of Salvador Allende, and democracy was thus overturned. Rzewski makes a political statement that the Chilean people should become united in the rebuilding of their country. — Allison T.

Dary John Mizelle (b. 1940): Soundcape: Movement VI (1976) [6:45]
Soundscape: Collected Works, Vol. 1 (2000): Furious Artisans 6801
Performed by the Oberlin Percussion Group

Soundscape was written for the collection of percussion instruments at Oberlin College, as well as including instruments made by the composer, Mizelle. It comprises five movements, which each use a different material substance to create the sound: Metal, Skin, Wood, Earth, Glass. Each movement also has a different dynamic pattern: growth, decay, growth and decay, decay and growth, and stasis. The sixth movement combines all five groups of instruments, as well as the rhythmic motives/dynamics from each previous movement. I have chosen this movement as a representative movement of the whole work. — Allison T.

Clara Rockmore (1911–1998): Tchaikovsky: Valse Sentimentale (1977) [2:08]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

This is a reproduction of a famous work by Tchaikovsky, originally written for piano and violin. Rockmore plays the violin part instead on the theremin, one of the very earliest electronic instruments invented. Leon Theremin invented this space-controlled instrument around 1920. The instrument has two antennae, and the player moves his or her hands around them, without ever touching it. One hand controls volume and the other controls pitch. Rockmore was a pupil of Theremin’s and became one of the leading players of the theremin. As with most of the earliest electronic music, the aim of the theremin was not to create new music, but to re-create the familiar. Today, the theremin still enjoys a limited use, and there is quite a following for the instrument. — Angela R.

David Behrman (b. 1937): On the Other Ocean (1978) [6:50]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

This peaceful piece is an interaction between live performers and computer. The piece uses only six notes in the melody. The performers play the six notes, and the computer detects which pitches they are and develops a harmonic scheme based on those notes to accompany the live performers. The computer changes the harmonies in response to what the performers play, and the musicians are influenced by the harmonizations that the computer creates. Behrman was one of the first artists to use this level of interaction in live performing. This recording is of a live performance. — Angela R.

Brian Eno (b. 1948): Music for Airports: 2nd mvt. (1978) [8:55]
Bang on a Can: Music for Airports (1998): Philips 536847
Performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars

Music for Airports, composed by rock star Brian Eno, is a defining work of ambient music, music that is meant to be used as a neutral background. It initiated a style of music that is found in New Age sections in record stores. Eno first produced the work in a recording studio using tape loops. The Bang on a Can All-Stars took the piece and recorded it using live instruments. The second movement was arranged for voices and instruments by David Lang, one of the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

0:01 : women’s voices singing “ah”
0:54 : clarinet and low strings in background
1:55 : very quiet cymbal roll, heard occasionally throughout the piece
5:00 : instrumental parts become more prominent and frequent
8:55 : end

— Jennifer K.

William Duckworth (b. 1943): Time Curve Preludes (1979): No. 1 [2:21] and No. 7 [2:45]
Time Curve Preludes (1990) Lovely Music 2031

Duckworth’s Time Curve Preludes have many influences. They contain modal melodies and harmonies reminiscent of medieval and Renaissance music. They also borrow from Erik Satie’s Vexations. Prelude No. 1 contains a good example of a medieval quotation. Beginning at 0:24, the melodic notes appear to be a major-key Dies irae. This quotation continues throughout the prelude.

Although the preludes sound minimalist due to a steady eighth-note beat, there is only one movement that contains exact repetition. There is much more of an intricate structure and a sense of mystery than is found in minimalism, which has led to their categorization as post-minimalist. An example of this structure occurs with the concept of the time curve. This refers to the Fibonacci series, in which each number is the sum of the two before it. This series is evident in the first forty-five seconds of Prelude No. 7. The treble line between each bass note contains three beats, then five beats, then eight beats, then thirteen beats before the melody enters at 0:46. The melody and the accompaniment are in two different keys at the same time. — Allison T.

Alvin Lucier (b. 1931): Music on a Long Thin Wire I (excerpt) (1979) [6:43]
OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music (2000): Ellipsis Arts 3670

This piece explores the area of acoustics. Lucier developed the idea for this piece during an acoustics class with which he was helping. He was fascinated with the effect that internal and external phenomena had on the sound of a long, thin, vibrating wire. Lucier chose an eighty-foot wire and used a single oscillator to vibrate the wire. The movement of the air in the acoustic space alters the volume, timbre, rhythm, and cyclic pattern of the wire’s vibrations. This experiment makes otherwise hidden acoustic phenomena audible. — Angela R.

Alvin Lucier (b. 1931): Music on a Long Thin Wire: Wire IV (1979) [18:58]
Music on a Long Thin Wire (1992): Lovely Music 1011
Performed by Alvin Lucier

The idea for Music on a Long Thin Wire came to Alvin Lucier while teaching a course on musical acoustics with physicist John Trefny. They extended a short metal wire across a laboratory table and placed an electromagnet over one end of it. An audio oscillator (an instrument that generates one pure tone or frequency at a time) was used to drive the wire. The interaction between the field of the magnet and the frequency and loudness of the oscillator caused the wire to vibrate in a way that was visible to the eye.

Inspired by this, Lucier decided to take this concept and apply it to the concert stage. He constructed Music on a Long Thin Wire as follows: a wire was extended across a large room and clamped to tables at both ends. The ends of the wire were connected to the loudspeaker terminals of a power amplifier, which was placed under one of the tables. A sine wave oscillator (a specific kind of audio oscillator) was connected to the amplifier. A horseshoe magnet straddled the wire at one end. Wooden bridges were inserted under the wire at both ends and contact microphones were imbedded into these. The microphones were then routed to a stereo sound system and picked up the vibrations that the wire imparted to the bridges. The result could be heard through the speakers of the stereo system. Audible beats, frequency shifts, and a variety of slides were made by varying the frequency and loudness of the oscillator as heard on this recording. — Lance K.

Meredith Monk (b. 1942): Dolmen Music (1979) [23:39]
Dolmen Music (1981): ECM 1197
Performed by Andrea Goodman, Meredith Monk, Monica Solem, Julius Eastman, Robert Een, Paul Langland

Dolmen Music was written for Meredith Monk’s vocal ensemble, which she formed in 1978. This is a theater piece involving chant and cello, percussion as well as Monk’s own vocal style. It is about Stonehenge, which is made of dolmens. Dolmens are a type of rock structure found all over France and England. In the staging of this piece, the performers sit in a circle surrounded by stones. The piece has many melodic lines that form a circle that refers back to Stonehenge. This piece starts with an erie cello line. “Overture and Men’s Conclave” is characterized by the men chanting and the women’s call. “Wa-Ohs” has a nasal sound that is exactly what the title says. “Rain” begins with a cello line and ends with the same cello line and has vocal sounds that sounds like rain. “Pine Tree Lullaby” is characterized by heavy vocal sounds and percussion. “Calls” has vocal calls, with the singers calling to each other. “Conclusion” reviews the previous melodies and sounds. This piece uses many of Meredith Monks vocal sounds, such as Native American sounds, nasal tones, and nonsense syllables.

0:00 : Overture and Men’s Conclave (0:00)
9:53 : Wa-Ohs
11:53 : Rain
16:21 : Pine Tree Lullaby
19:29 : Calls
20:37 : Conclusion

— Rachel R.

Charlemagne Palestine (b. 1947): Schlingen-Blängen (1979) [1:11:38]
Schlingen-Blängen (1999): New World Records 80578-2
Performed by Charlemagne Palestine

Schlingen-Blängen takes minimalism to the extreme. In this piece, which spans over seventy-one minutes, the chord is not changed at all. While he is playing, Palestine changes the organ’s registration. This allows the timbre to change while the notes remain the same. The result is a very long, repetitive piece that has been described by a reviewer on amazon.com as a piece so monotonous that it makes Steve Reich’s Four Organs sound like a Mahler symphony. — Matt U.

1980s

Laurie Anderson (b. 1947): O Superman (1980) [8:21]
Big Science (1982): Warner Bros. 3674-2

Laurie Anderson is best known as a performance artist; she combines elements of stage, story-telling, music and occasionally dance. This album features selections from Anderson’s much larger performance art work United States I–IV. The lyrics of the pieces on this recording seem random, but are actually quite witty. The music is a combination of electronics, live instruments, vocals, and manipulated vocals. O Superman was a hit single for Anderson and is the best-known piece on the recording. The text is based on Massenet’s “O Souverain.” The piece opens with the syllable “ha” repeated by an electronic voice. This continues throughout the piece as the rest of the text is sung or spoken over this ostinato. O Superman was re-released on the album Live in New York, a recording of Anderson’s performance in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Many think the text of this piece has an eerie similarity to the events of that day. — Angela R.

Laurie Anderson (b. 1947): O Superman (1980) [8:55]
Laurie Anderson Live at Town Hall, New York City, September 19-20, 2001 (2002): Nonesuch 79681-2
Performed by Laurie Anderson, Skuli Swerrisson, Jim Black, Peter Scherer

O Superman premiered on the album United States I–IV. This song was written during the Iran-Contra affair (in the 1980s when the use of money from America selling arms to Iran was given to Nicaraguan rebels). This is a live recording made soon after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Anderson said this song took on new meaning especially with the lyrics “Here come the planes. They’re American planes. Made in America.”

Anderson was the first to be called a “performance artist”. She is a sculptor, dancer, singer, actress, violinist, composer, designer, and standup comedienne. As such, she became a popular performer, and O Superman made it to number two on the pop charts in England. A tribute to the black vocalist Charles Holland, it is based on the aria “O Souverain” from Massenet’s Le Cid. The piece starts with “ha-ha-ha-ha” on a taped voice that plays throughout the entire song. Sometimes the voice is warped and the track bends. The “ha-ha-ha” creates a steady beat throughout the entire piece. Anderson warps her own voice to make sound it synthesized. There are synthesized bell tones. The accompaniment is played on the synthesizer. The entire song shifts between the two chords C major and E minor. It gets a rock beat on the drums towards the end. At the end of the piece, the “ha-ha-ha” stops abruptly. — Rachel R.

William Duckworth (b. 1943): “Rock of Ages” (from Southern Harmony) (1980–81) [3:03]
Southern Harmony (1994): Lovely Music 2033
Performed by the Gregg Smith Singers

This choral cycle is based on the shaped-note hymns of the Southern Harmony collection published in 1854. Duckworth actually locked himself up with the collection and selected the twenty hymns on this recording to take apart and reassemble. In doing so, Duckworth added new and unusual harmonies, tonal ambiguity, meter changes, and melodic embellishments. The hymn Rock of Ages is an especially interesting variation of the original hymn tune. The piece is sung only on the syllable “la,” and careful listening is required to pick out the tune. Some of the notes are changed to the minor mode, but a climactic major triad accents the high point of the hymn at the point in the tune that corresponds with the words “Let me hide myself in thee” in the original. Even though the text is not used and the melody is somewhat obscured, Duckworth’s Rock of Ages still retains the joyful affirmation of the hymn. — Angela R.

Lou Harrison (b. 1917): Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Javanese Gamelan: Allegro moderato (1981–82) [7:00]
Lou Harrison (2000): Music and Arts Programs of America 1073
Kenneth Goldsmith, violin; Terry King, cello; The Mills College Gamelan Ensemble; Performed by Lou Harrison, Kendhang Gendhing

The Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Javanese Gamelan was Lou Harrison’s first composition written for stringed instruments and gamelan (an Indonesian orchestra of various tuned percussion instruments). At first, Harrison was much worried about putting together the intonation of stringed instruments with the intonation of the gamelan; but upon trying out the first two movements, he realized that the two ensembles would indeed work together. This is a three-movement work; Harrison first composed the two outer movements and later added a vigorous middle movement. In the third movement, “Allegro moderato,” the gamelan serves as an accompaniment for the oriental sounding duet between the violin and cello.

0:01 : gamelan, kendhang gendhing (hand drum)
2:01 : violin and cello enter with melody
5:45 : gradual tempo increase
5:53 : gamelan only
7:00 : end

— Lance K.

Diamanda Galás (b. 1955): Litanies of Satan (1982) [12:04]
Litanies of Satan (1995): Fine Line Records
Performed by Diamanda Galás

This piece of music can be summed up with one word: “shriek.” Galás uses her incredible voice to act out a poem that portrays prayers to Satan. She repeats many times the Latin line, “O Satan, prends pitie de ma lougue misere!” which means “Satan, have mercy on my long distress.” One can definitely hear and feel the person’s distress because of Galás’s screeching dissonance. Litanies of Satan is a piece truly not for the faint of heart. — Matt U.

Philip Glass (b. 1937): Koyaanisqatsi: “Koyaanisqatsi” (1982) [3:26]
Koyaanisqatsi (1998): Nonesuch 79506-2
Performed by Albert de Ruiter, Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, Philip Glass Ensemble

Koyaanisqatsi is a film produced and directed by Godfrey Reggio in 1982. The title means “life out of balance” in the Hopi language. The movie does not have a plot, but is a collection of pictures that show life as chaos. The soundtrack by Philip Glass is repetitive and incorporates many of the same themes through out the entire album. In the beginning excerpt of the movie, we hear an organ playing low tones in the pedal and a chant that says “Koyaanisqatsi” sung by a men’s vocal ensemble. The organ pedal predominates throughout the piece, with slowly changing harmonies much softer above it. — Rachel R.

John Harbison (b. 1938): Variations: Variations VI–X (1982) [4:52]
Four Songs of Solitude / Variations / Twilight Music (2003): Naxos 8.559173
Performed by Spectrum Concerts Berlin (Janine Jansen, violin; Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer, clarinet; Daniel Blumenthal, piano)

Variations was commissioned by Frank Taplin and completed in 1982. It was inspired by a statue of the Caananite fertility goddess dancing. The piece has four sections—Spirit Dance, Body Dance, Soul Dance, and Dervish-Finale—with the first three consisting of five variations and the last one beginning with fugal material moving to an epilogue. There is a clear harmonic outline that becomes more flexible throughout the piece. The piece is written for violin, clarinet, and piano.

The first variation in Body Dance, Variation VI, uses violin and clarinet. The two instruments seem to chase each other about, creating a light, frolicking feel. Variation VII has the melody in the violin with a chordal piano accompaniment. Variation VIII continues the chords in the piano, but they are more accented and detached. The clarinet plays a energetic and playful melody. In Variation IX, the piano has the most prominent part playing short melodies sometimes in sequence, with the violin and clarinet adding frequent notes or leaps to add to the texture. Variation X has all three instruments playing the melody in canon.

0:01 : Variation VI: clarinet enters with the main motive, followed closely by the violin
1:06 : Variation VII: violin playing melody with harmonic intervals, piano playing
chords
2:17 : Variation VIII: clarinet playing melody, piano playing chords
3:06 : Variation IX: piano has the melody, clarinet and violin add single notes and
melodic leaps to the texture
3:54 : Variation X: piano, violin and clarinet play in canon
4:52 : end

— Jennifer K.

Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000): Symphony No. 50, Mount St. Helens, Op. 360 (1982)
Mysterious Mountains (2003): Telarc 8060
Performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, conducted by Gerard Schwarz

This recording features programmatic works about mountains. Hovhaness was inspired a great deal by mountains, and in the later part of his life lived near the Cascades. His music bears influences of Copland and Sibelius and also of Indian and Japanese music (both of which he studied while on a Fulbright scholarship). The Mysterious Mountain Symphony is his best-known work; it is more classical in style and form than many of his other compositions. The Mount St. Helens Symphony reflects the grandeur of the mountain and the surrounding Cascades as well as the violent explosion of Mount St. Helens. Hovhaness uses lyrical melodies, canons between instruments, percussion effects, and other effects (such as glissandos) to portray the majestic mountain.

I. Andante maestoso [10:05]
0:01 : Rising motives in strings
0:33 : Rising new theme in horns, repeated by trumpets
1:58 : Theme in oboe, clarinet, and flute with embellishment
5:07 : Fugue on variant of the rising theme begins in low strings, gradually building
9:58 : Ending, accented by chimes and bells

II. Spirit Lake: Allegro [7:47]
0:01 : Bells and chimes, depicting waves on the lake in the Mt. St. Helens’ crater
1:01 : Beautiful English horn melody against pizzicato strings, echoed by woodwinds
3:25 : Bells and chimes repeat melody motive
4:07 : Lyrical flute duet
6:56 : Return of vibrating bells and chimes

III. Volcano: Adagio-allegro-adagio [11:42]
0:01 : Lyrical hymn-like melody over low “murmuring” low strings
1:14 : Flute solo
1:32 : Solo is interrupted by percussion depicting the eruption
1:47 : Tension builds with entrance of brass
2:11 : Wild playing in the strings, glissandos in trombones, and chaotic percussion
3:06 : Canon begins in brass, repeated several times
6:49 : Opening hymn-like melody returns in strings, repeated by trumpet
8:09 : Fugue on melody begins
9:49 : Final statement of melody

— Angela R.

John Adams (b. 1947): Shaker Loops: “I. Shaking and Trembling” (1977–83) [8:25]
Violin Concerto / Shaker Loops (1996): Nonesuch 79360-2
Performed by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s

Shaker Loops was written during John Adams’s early career as a composer of minimalist music. It took him six years to complete this work for string orchestra, which is often thought of as a companion piece to his piano work Phrygian Gates. The first movement, “Shaking and Trembling,” can be identified by its constant energy created by the rapid sixteenth-note patterns throughout. The original title of this work, Wavemaker, seems accurate in describing the image one gets when listening to it. Although the rhythmic patterns in this piece are lively, the harmonic progression is very slow, almost as a huge wave might push slowly through the ocean with an energetic, rapid movement of water within. One can also sense the “shaking” by Adams’s use of fast tremolos and trills. This piece makes use of a wide portion of the string ensemble’s pitch and dynamic range, adding pizzicato for accentuation of various passages. — Lance K.

Robert Ashley (b. 1930): Perfect Lives: Scene 1: The Park (1983) [24:25]
Perfect Lives: An Opera for Television (1993): Lovely Music 4914

Perfect Lives is an opera written for television. It has narration throughout the entire work, with piano and electronic sounds for accompaniment and occasional voices added as a speaking chorus. For this recording, Robert Ashley does the narration and “Blue” Gene Tyranny plays the piano.

The opera takes place in a mythical small town in the American Midwest. Upon coming to the town, two performers, a singer and a piano player, join two local residents, a brother and sister. Together, they plan the “perfect crime” of taking a large amount of money from the bank for only one day and letting the whole world know about it. Other characters include an eloping couple, the sheriff and his wife, and the bank teller. The story is a metaphor for the rebirth of the human soul. It has been called a comic opera about reincarnation. — Jennifer K.

Philip Glass (b. 1937): String Quartet No. 2: 3rd movement (1983) [1:32]
Kronos Quartet performs Philip Glass (1995): Nonesuch 79356-2
Performed by the Kronos Quartet (David Harrington, John Sherba, Hank Dutt, Joan Jeanrenaud)

This movement is representative of Glass’s well-known minimalistic style. From listening to this CD, these string quartets all sound similar in style. In this movement, the composer repeats the same chords but changes them in different ways. For example, he might change the dynamics or the rhythms. He also repeats the same melodic motives, but with different chords or dynamics. This string quartet is incidental music for a dramatization of Samuel Beckett's prose poem, Company. The poem is a soliloquy in which a man, presumably at the end of his life, hears a voice of his past and comes to terms with a profound solitude. Though the string quartet was written for the poem, it was also meant to be a standalone concert work. — Rachel R.

Roger Reynolds (b. 1934): Whispers out of Time: “The Soul Is a Captive” (1983) [5:05]
Whispers Out of Time / Transfigured Wind II (1992): New World 80401-2
Performed by the San Diego Symphony Ensemble

“The Soul Is a Captive” is the first movement from Reynold’s programmatic work Whispers Out of Time. The work as a whole is based on John Ashby’s poem “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror” and receives its title from the last line of the poem. It is scored for string orchestra with one soloist on each of the instruments. The piece is primarily tonal, but uses dissonance to show the agony of the subject’s figure being altered by the mirror.

0:00 : Start with low strings
0:19 : Enter with high violins
0:59 : End of fade out and return with full strings
1:19 : Low string “groan”
1:42 : Dissonant cello notes
2:06 : Very high violin part
2:15 : Start of moving dissonances
2:27 : Silence
2:28 : Return with dissonance
2:59 : Silence
3:00 : Return of string with franticness
3:05 : Percussion and plucked strings
3:37 : Start of quiet, repeated solo section that continues to the end
5:05 : End

— Matt U.

Paul Dresher (b. 1951): Other Fire (1984) [11:32]
Casa Vecchia (1995): Starkland 204

Other Fire is an electronic composition, but rather than using synthesized sounds, it uses sounds recorded while the composer, Paul Dresher, was in South and Southeast Asia. The recorded sounds remained unused for a few years until the Olympic Arts Festival commissioned Dresher to write something to be broadcast over the radio during the Festival, which was at the same time as the Olympic Games. Dresher’s style reflects that of minimalism, and his compositions vary from those for acoustic instruments to those for electronics. Other Fire begins with birds and crickets chirping and moves through percussion ensemble and purely electric-sounding sections as the piece progresses. — Jennifer K.

Meredith Monk (b. 1942): Book of Days: “Plague” (1984) [3:10]
Book of Days (1990): ECM 1399
Performed by various artists

Book of Days is a film that weaves together narratives, music, images, movement, and text. The idea came to Monk in the summer of 1984 while she was sweeping the floor of her house and the image of a young girl and a medieval street in a Jewish town came to her. The main character in this film is Eva, a young Jewish girl living in the fourteenth century. She has perplexing visions of modern life as we know it today: a life filled with planes, cars, people in hospitals, a New York street, etc. She goes on to make drawings of these visions, which become a bridge between the two time periods. But, these visions and drawings are misunderstood by her family and community, and so Eva confides in a madwoman who seems to understand her. At the end of the film, this medieval community is overcome by the plague, and the villagers (including Eva and her family) are not seen again. Six hundred years later, workmen discover this village and find Eva’s drawings, which are a foreshadowing of the violence and uncertainty of the modern world.

The music on this CD was written for the film itself. Many of the pieces are chant like, which helps the listener transcend time back to the fourteenth century. Monk also includes unconventional uses of the voice to create different textures of sound. “Plague” is one of these pieces. The singers form a quasi-percussion ensemble by first whispering words and gradually growing louder, which leads up to a silent pause. This cycle is then repeated, adding various vocal sounds as the piece gradually comes to an end. Made evident by its title, this piece was written to coincide with the plague that takes place in the film. — Lance K.

Henry Brant (b. 1913): Northern Lights Over the Twin Cities: A Spatial Assembly of Auroral Echoes: “Battles of Gods” (1985) [11:40]
The Henry Brant Collection, Volume 1 (2003)
Performed by the combined musical forces of Macalester College

Brant is one of the inventors of contemporary spatial music, which is music where players or groups of players are distributed over a large performance space. Every group has its own individual musical line, and the listener is able to discern timbre and lines much more readily than is possible in a conventional staged ensemble setting. It is impossible to recreate the feeling created in spatial music when one is listening to an audio CD.

This musical selection is based on Brant’s experience of seeing an aurora over the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is scored for a variety of musical groups, both instrumental and choral. The text is taken from National Geographic, astronomy magazines, and encyclopedias. “Battles of Gods” describes ancient speculations about the aurora. It then summarizes what scientists know now about the cause of the aurora. This whole movement uses only low-pitched instruments and low voices. It begins with only instruments, and then the voices begin to sing the words in a chant-like manner. This alternation between instruments alone and instruments along with male singers continues throughout the piece. The piece does not seem to move forward, but rather gives an impression of being suspended in space. — Allison T.

William Duckworth (b. 1943): Imaginary Dances: No. 7 (1985/1988) [1:58]
With and Without Memory (1994): Lovely Music 3051
Performed by Lois Svard

This set of dances for piano has a jazz feel to it and sounds fairly simple, but in fact the dances are more complex than they sound. Number 7 is typical of Duckworth’s post-minimal tendency to combine many different techniques. The jazzy rhythm of this movement is a result of the medieval device known as isorhythm (in which the same rhythm and melodic motives repeat, although not usually at the same rate). Against this rhythm Duckworth has written a melody consisting of a string of up to 28 notes, which of course does not line up with the rhythmic pattern. The improvisatory feel of the melody has the feel of an Indian raga. This short movement is typical of the dances in this set. — Angela R.

John Harbison (b. 1938): Four Songs of Solitude: Song 2 (1985) [2:43]
Four Songs of Solitude / Variations / Twilight Music (2003): Naxos 8.559173
Performed by Spectrum Concerts Berlin (Janine Jansen, violin)

Four Songs of Solitude, written during 1985 for the composer’s wife, is for solo violin. They are songs rather than sonatas or fugues, the composer says. This is evident in their lyrical quality. The first one has a recurring initial idea that always moves in a different direction. There is also a refrain that occurs twice. The second song has a folksong-like melody answered by a livelier figure. The two continue until they eventually join. The third song has large leaps in its melody. It parts of it, the violin plays two notes at the same time, creating harmonic intervals. Though it begins slowly, the last piece is the most virtuosic of the four. It builds to rapid passages and ends with slow material as in the beginning.

0:01 : folksong-like melody, lyrical and expressive
0:15 : short lively melody
0:21 : lyrical melody with harmonic intervals
0:37 : lively melody longer that the first one
1:12 : lyrical melody
1:30 : lively melody
2:08 : lyrical melody
2:27 : first motive of the lively melody ending with two very high notes
2:43 : end

— Jennifer K.

John Adams (b. 1947): Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986) [4:23]
Works for Wind Ensemble (2001): Chandos 9363
Performed by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, directed by Stephen Mosko

The music of John Adams can be distinguished by emotional expression and quotations from other music, characteristics generally not found in earlier minimalism. The featured piece exemplifies the emotional aspect because it creates the feeling of its title. Adams explains the title of the piece by saying, “You know how it is when someone asks you to ride in a terrific sports car, and then you wish you hadn’t?” The piece was written to open the Great Woods Festival in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

0:01 : wood blocks, woodwinds, and brass sections enter one at a time
0:22 : flutes have descending motives
0:33 : other percussion enters, harmonic changes push the piece forward
1:52 : harmonic progression reaches a climax and begins building again
2:42 : harmonic progression reaches a momentary resolution as if the car has
reached the top of a hill
3:06 : brasses begin melodic material
4:10 : melodic material gives way to rhythmic structure reminiscent of beginning
4:23 : end

— Jennifer K.

Constance Demby (b. ?): Novus Magnificat: Part 1 (1986?) [26:18]
Novus Magnificat: Through the Stargate (1986): Hearts of Space 11003-2

Constance Demby was trained mainly in classical piano, but she also plays organ, synthesizer, the Chinese cheng, Persian hammered dulcimer, Indian tamboura, Balinese gamelan, and Austrian harpalek. Her performances on these instruments and her compositions are often innovative and non-traditional. Demby has also invented two large resonant “sonic steel instruments”: the space bass and the whale sail. These instruments produce very deep sounds. Her compositions are mostly symphonic synthesizer works that she creates from her studio in Marin County, California. An example of ambient or contemplative music, Novus Magnificat was written for digital orchestra, electronic choral voices, and other electronic sounds. According to Demby, this work has its roots in the Western tradition of sacred music. It was performed by her using the Emulator II Synthesizer; nothing was notated in advance. Sixteen tracks were created on the synthesizer, combining many orchestral instruments and chorus. The work was later enhanced by composer Michael Stearns. — Lance K.

Charles Amirkhanian (b. 1945): Walking Tune (1986-87) [27:49]
Walking Tune (1992): Starkland 206

This piece of music was written as a tribute to English composer Percy Grainger (1882–1961), who spent the last years of his life trying to create a music synthesizer. Walking Tune is in a modified rondo form, as synthesized walking recurs throughout. The sounds come from a wide variety of outdoor sources and include birds and voices.

0:00 : Walking with nature sounds, including loud birds
1:38 : Break from walking, continuation of nature sounds
2:32 : Walking with increased nature sounds
3:06 : Break from walking, first entrance of violin
3:51 : Walking continues, as well as violin
4:55 : First entrance of synthesized singing, break from walking
6:21 : The voices stop, but a violin continues
7:35 : Continuation of walking and synthesized singing
9:53 : Electronic speaking, record scratching, and other sound effects
12:41 : First entrance of keyboard instrument, then a gradual increase in other sounds
16:44 : Entrance of violin, continuation of keyboard instrument
17:31 : Walking, with gradual entrances of nature sounds and electronic speaking
20:31 : Entrance of violin, continuation of previous sounds
20:54 : Walking subsides, violin continues with nature sounds, occasional electronic sounds
23:54 : Synthesized singing with violin, then without violin
26:40 : Walking continues, all other sounds subside except for the birds.
27:33 : Birds continue by themselves until the end

— Allison T.

Lukas Foss (b. 1922): Renaissance Flute Concerto: III. Recitative (1986) [5:18]
Orpheus And Euridice / Renaissance Flute Concerto / Salomon Rossi Suite (1989): New World 375-2
Performed by Carol Wincenc, flute and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, conducted by Lukas Foss

This work was composed for solo flute with a chamber orchestra, which can range in size from nineteen to sixty-two instruments. When it was commissioned, Foss faced the problem of how to create an orchestral texture that would balance with the flute. Foss decided to use sounds and forms from the Renaissance and Baroque eras because the flute was a prominent instrument during these times.

The third movement is based on a recitative from Monteverdi’s Orfeo. The melody is freely derived in the solo flute part. The flute in the orchestra also contains fragments of the recitative. Meanwhile, two groups of strings echo each other as accompaniment throughout the movement. This creates an overall effect that is trance-like. In this way, Foss creates music from an early era with a modern twist. — Allison T.

Yoko Ono (b. 1933): Georgia Stone (1986) [20:40]
A Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute (1993): Koch 3-7238-2
Performed by various artists

This work by Yoko Ono utilizes electronic sounds, recorded sound clips, and spoken and sung vocal lines. It is divided into three movements and has a strong antiwar theme, which is especially evident in the second movement. It is hard to tell where one movement ends and the next begins because the piece is presented in a continuous flow on this recording.

1st movement: “Darkness” [6:29]: Sounds of nighttime in a jungle, including insects and elephant cries, along with various electronic sounds and spoken words, sounds of breathing and wailing. Some music reminiscent of rock music is also interwoven.

2nd movement: “Mommy, Where Are You?” [3:55]: Sounds of gunfire and explosions, over which a young child’s voice is heard calling for “mommy” to “get me out of here.” Sounds of war continue, and the child’s voice is silent. The sound of a heartbeat is heard throughout the movement in the background until the large final explosion in Track 87. This is a heart-wrenching movement.

3rd movement: “Light” [10:15]: Sounds of birds and some sort of ritual singing or chant open this movement. Different voices speak in other languages over this background. Uplifting orchestral music is interspersed throughout the movement, playing over the background of birds and occasional chanting.

— Angela R.

Christopher Rouse (b. 1949): Phaethon (1986) [8:00]
Symphony No.2 / Flute Concerto / Phaethon (1997): Telarc CD-80452
Performed by the Houston Symphony

This tone poem is based on the story of Phaethon from Greek mythology. Phaethon demanded from his father, Helios, that he be allowed to guide the chariot of the sun across the sky. Olympian law required Helios to grant this request. Phaethon could not control the chariots and ended up setting the earth on fire. Zeus was forced to strike Phaethon down with a thunderbolt in order to protect Mt. Olympus. Coincidentally, Rouse wrote this song at the same time as the crash of the space shuttle Challenger.

The music focuses solely on the fateful chariot ride itself. There is one continuous crescendo from the beginning until 7:05. At 4:07, the blaring trombones represent the horses going out of control. The climax occurs at 7:05, where Zeus’ thunderbolt is represented with a loud hit on the bass drum, hammer, and cymbal. This is followed by cascading lines in the strings and horns, which represent Phaethon’s plummet to his death. The last forty-five seconds are another crescendo up to the final bass drum hit. — Allison T.

Carl Stone (1953): Shing Kee (1986) [15:44]
Mom’s (1992): New Albion 49

Shing Kee is a looped segment of a Schubert lied, “Der Lindenbaum” from Die Winterreise sung by Japanese pop star Akiko Yano. Stone changed the length and speed of the sample as it looped, and the result is a minimalist piece of music. The piano chords are the first identifiable music in the piece. Only at 8:30 can the text be understood. The looped segment of tape is only a few seconds long, but the stretching and changing speeds so alter it that a listener would hardly recognize the song. — Rachel R.

Pamela Z (b. 1956): Pop Titles ‘You’ (1986) [3:09]
A Delay Is Better (2004): Starkland 213

Pamela Z is a trained vocalist who makes use of her highly versatile voice in her music. She has an impressive vocal range and the ability to sing opera music. She layers recorded samples of all different sorts of singing and speaking together with electronic sounds and other sounds (some electronically altered) from everyday life. When Z performs, she sings solo and uses electronic equipment to make loops of her voice, create delays, and add in other clips of music or sound. This recording is an example of this type of music. Pop Titles ‘You’ consists entirely of a listing of song titles beginning with the word ‘you’ over the backdrop of the repeated word ‘you’; Z found the titles in the ‘y’ section of a catalogue listing popular music recordings. This is typical of the layering of sounds that Z likes to use in her music. — Angela R.

John Zorn (b. 1953): Spillane (1986) [25:17]
Spillane (1991): Nonesuch 9 79172-2
Performed by John Zorn, Anthony Coleman, Carol Emanuel, et al.

Spillane is a programmatic work that embodies the life and adventures of the comic book hero Mickey Spillane. Zorn wrote this piece the music as separate actions on note cards; example “opening scream” or “scene of the crime #1.” Once he finished writing out the events, he meticulously ordered the cards into a timeline. After the cards were ordered, he formally wrote the piece. He composed many of his works in this manner. In Spillane, Zorn combines a text by Arto Lindsay with sound effects and different styles of music, such as jazz, rock, and western. These elements combine to form a piece of music that tells a very interesting story.

0:00 : opening scream
0:04 : jazz drumming
1:04 : sax solo
1:31 : spoken text
1:43 : end text, start minor piano music
2:13 : sax solo
3:01 : noises such as gunfire and car crashes
3:20 : spoken text
3:44 : start shuffle beat
4:23 : windshield wipers and spoken text
4:45 : people yelling
4:58 : jazz guitar interlude
5:35 : eerie instrumental music
7:58 : crash
8:10 : start western music
8:58 : jazz guitar solo w/vocalist
10:03 : voice and swing piano
11:04 : calm guitar solo
11:44 : voice returns
11:58 : gospel-style music
12:56 : another eerie interlude
13:38 : walking bass line with clarinet solo
14:59 : spoken text
15:18 : piano and harp
15:52 : spoken text with electronic background
16:05 : grungy jazz with spoken text
16:34 : “creepy” organ music
17:29 : loud trombone
17:40 : 50s rock guitar
17:56 : trombone dissonances
18:04 : heavy bass line with piano and Latin percussion
18:59 : electronic noises
19:17 : screaming
19:35 : gun shots
20:07 : spoken text
20:25 : solo piano with conversation in the background
20:50 : start walking bass and trap set
21:42 : solo saxophone
22:05 : quick ride symbol and fast walking bass line
22:49 : classical music with guitar and rain
25:17 : end

— Matt U.

Daniel Lentz (b. 1942): wolfMASS: “eagle-CREDO” (1986–87) [9:00]
wolfMASS (2000): Aoede AR103

Daniel Lentz is considered a postmodern composer. His music is conventionally tonal and uses simple chord progressions. The energy in Lentz’s music comes from the bright timbre of electronics and the interesting textures created by digital delay and unusual rhythms. wolfMass is written in a stream of consciousness style. It takes the form of a collage, combining the sounds of animal cries, electronic sounds, and familiar songs (including American patriotic tunes and several Renaissance favorites). Lentz’s intent in including these references to popular songs is to continue the established tradition of musical quotation in Mass settings. The five parts of the Ordinary of the Mass are each assigned to a predator: wolf-Kyrie, bear-Gloria, eagle-Credo, cougar-Sanctus, and (the ultimate predator, according to Lentz) man-Agnus Dei. “EagleCredo” combines choral and solo singing of the Latin Credo text and English words reflecting fighting and war to the tunes “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “America the Beautiful.” Behind this, an electronic collage keeps a rhythmic pulse.

0:01: electronic keyboards begin
0:13: choir and soloist begin to sing the Latin Mass text
1:44: quotation from “Battle Hymn of the Republic” tune
2:13: quotation from “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” tune
2:24: the “hurrah” of the previous tune is electronically manipulated to transform into a screech that resemble the cry of an eagle
3:27: the Latin Mass text returns
4:13: quotation from “Yankee Doodle” tune
4:28: quotation from “America the Beautiful” tune
4:37: Latin text in choir
6:06: second quotation of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” this time incorporating the Mass text
6:44: second quotation from “Yankee Doodle” tune
6:48: tune of “America the Beautiful” sung to Mass text
6:57: second quotation of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” tune
7:09: “hurrah” is electronically manipulated into a screech for a second time
7:40: the final phrases of the Latin Credo are sung by the soloist; the choir sings the “Amen”
8:52: end

— Angela R.

Raphael Mostel (b. 1948): Swiftly, How Swiftly . . .: “V. Blood on the Moon” (1987) [7:06]
Blood on the Moon (1992): Source Music 10009-2
Performed by the Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble (soloists: Dan Erkkila, Geoffrey Gordon, John Charles Thomas)

Swiftly, How Swiftly. . . was written and performed for a ceremony commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In it, Mostel brings together eastern instruments and atmosphere and Western methods of music. The work is performed on Tibetan singing bowls. These are metal bowls that produce a rich hum when wooden mallets are rubbed around the rims. Swiftly, How Swiftly. . . is divided into six sections. In this section, “Blood on the Moon,” a solo shakuhachi (a traditional Japanese bamboo flute) has a soaring melody. — Rachel R.

Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947): Café Music (1987) [5:51]
Café Music (2001): Innova Records 544

This work was inspired by the house trio at Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis. This trio plays dinner music in a wide variety of styles. Schoenfield wanted to write music that could be played at a high-class restaurant but also in the concert hall. Many of the different styles of Murray’s trio are represented in this piece—early twentieth century, light classical, jazz, broadway, and even gypsy styles find their way into Café Music. The rhythm and melody of the first movement are reminiscent of ragtime. The melodies of the allegro con fuoco section are catchy and easily singable. The piece sounds vaguely familiar, as it incorporates components of several different styles. — Angela R.

Toby Twining (b. 1958): Hee-oo-oom-ha (1987) [8:08]
Shaman (1994): Catalyst 09026-61981-2
Performed by Toby Twining Music (Lisa Bielawa, Toby Twining, Jeffrey Johnson, Gregory Purnhagen, Peter Stewart)

Shaman is the debut album of Toby Twining Music, the a cappella chamber ensemble dedicated to performing the music of this composer. The musical style is similar to that of Bobby McFerrin or Meredith Monk, with familiar sounds combined with unusual vocal techniques such as yodeling, Mongolian overtone singing and panting. Twining studied with Ben Johnston at the University of Illinois and gained from him an appreciation for just intonation, which is evident on this album. Most of the music here is untexted, using syllables to aid in producing the desired vocal effects rather than for meaning.

0:01 : A — with vocal panting
1:50 : B — with vocal twanging
2:32 : A — with vocal panting
4:14 : C — more lyrical, with vocal harmonics
5:26 : A — with vocal panting
6:04 : B — with vocal twanging
6:45 : A — with vocal panting
7:52 : coda (loud)
8:02 : end

— Joseph H.

Alvin Curran (b. 1938): Crystal Psalms: Part 2 (1988) [29:20]
Crystal Psalms (1994): New Albion NA067

This work was written to commemorate the Holocaust and to pay specific homage to the fiftieth anniversary of Kristallnacht. It was performed as a unique radio concert involving a group of musicians in six different countries. Each group consisted of a small mixed chorus, a string or wind quartet, a percussionist, and an accordionist. Radio was used as a geographic instrument of sorts; each group of performers performed simultaneously while all six separate performances were mixed and broadcast live to listeners throughout the world. Besides the live performers, a pre-recorded tape containing sounds of Jewish life (the sounding of the shofar, Jews praying at the Wailing Wall, chant and Jewish lessons, etc.) was also mixed in the broadcast. Sounds of breaking class, telephones ringing, cars running, and other sounds from everyday life are also heard throughout the work. The work as a whole emulates chaos; the listeners are left to make sense of the structured disorder inspired by the horrendous event of 1938. — Angela R.

Steve Reich: Different Trains (1988)
Works 1965–1995: Nonesuch: 79451-2
The Steve Reich Ensemble

This 10-disc set chronicles the work of Steve Reich for thirty years. As one listens to the set chronologically, it becomes apparent that Reich’s overall style does not undergo dramatic change. All of the pieces contain a basic minimalist approach. Each piece starts with a motive that is repeated over and over again. Gradually, more and more motives are added, but the overall harmonic structure is fairly static, with a steady pulse. Reich was greatly influenced by gamelan music and African drumming. This is evident in his music through his use of many interlocking parts as well as his choice of instrumentation. He also makes great use of “phase shifting,” which occurs when a motive is played simultaneously at two different speeds, leading to interplay between the two.

I chose to analyze movements 1 and 2 of Different Trains, which is scored for string quartet and tape. This piece contains three movements, each of which imitates train yards in different eras. A drone sounds like a train, and there is also a sample of a caboose.

Movement 1 [8:58] portrays pre-war America. The speakers, who are adults that were in their thirties during the Holocaust, speak of trains going from New York to Chicago. Although they did not personally experience the Holocaust, they were highly aware of what was going on. Gradually the years change from 1939 through 1941.

Movement 2 [7:30] occurs during the war, and the words portray three people who were children in Europe during the Holocaust. The pulse in the background gains a dissonant nature to help paint the picture. The children speak of being loaded onto cattle wagons to go to the concentration camp. It is particularly wrenching to hear the story from the mouths of children, because they have a perspective of innocence. Reich does a great job of creating an emotional response from a piece with very little harmonic or melodic variation. — Allison T.

Bernadette Speach (b. 1948): les ondes pour quatre (1988) [10:04]
Reflections (2002): Mode 105
Performed by the Arditti Quartet

les ondes pour quatre builds waves: from cello to the viola to the second violin to the first violin. The piece is built from cells (motives) that are placed, displaced, and then replaced. The harmony, though tonal, is chromatic and unusual. The players use various techniques to make percussive sounds on the instruments. There are many repeated motives. The musical texture is layered: motives are built, then altered and developed. There are busy, fast sections and slow and soothing sections with long, flowing melodies. — Rachel R.

Janice Giteck (b. 1946): Home (Revisited) (1989) [13:17]
Home (Revisited) (1992): New Albion 54
Performed by Philandros

Home (Revisited) is a beautiful minimalist piece written for sixteen-voice choir, a gamelan, cello, and synthesizer. It was originally set for four hundred singers and twenty-three instruments, but was reduced to its current state to be more easily played. The piece is meditative in nature, and its use of “Eastern” sounds, such as gamelan drumming and chant, portrays this well. The sounds of the gamelan and the voice drones draw the listener’s mind into a deep trance. The lasting effects of this piece are a clear mind and an extreme sense of beauty. — Matt U.

Guy Klucevsek (b. 1947): “Viavy Rose” Variations (1989) [6:06]
Transylvanian Softwear (1999): Starkland 207
Performed by Guy Klucevsek, accordion

Guy Klucevsek improvises, composes, and performs on the accordion. His music has a joyful, folk-like quality. It embraces many nationalities and is characterized by music of weddings, cafes, and dances from rural folk settings rather than cosmopolitan urban areas. “Viavy Rose” Variations is based on two traditional accordion melodies from Madagascar. The triple meter gives it a merry feel and makes listeners feel as though they were at a carnival. It is part of a larger work called Union Hall, written for accordion, clarinet, tenor sax, and bass. — Jennifer K.

Pauline Oliveros (b. 1932): Lion’s Tale (1989) [15:06]
Computer Music Series Volume 7 (1990): Centaur Records 2047

This CD is part of a series of digital recordings of new computer music compositions. The pieces were created by key composers of electronic music. One of the composers, Pauline Oliveros, is a well-known composer of new music and was an early pioneer in the development of electronic music. She served as director of the San Francisco Tape Music Center during the 1960s. Lion’s Tale, structured in gamelan-like fashion, contains very fast polymetric and polyrhythmic patterns, often played at speeds of up to 1,800 patterns per minute. It uses sounds sampled from the gamelan at the University of California, Berkeley. The computer program used to generate the patterns designed by Oliveros was written by Carter Scholz. It is set up so that it can create a different performance of the piece every time it is played. — Lance K.

Joan Tower (b. 1938): Flute Concerto (1989) [15:24]
Joan Tower: Concertos (1997): D’Note Classics 1016
Performed by the Louisville Orchestra

Joan Tower: Concertos is a compilation of four concertos written by one of this generation’s “most dynamic and colorful composers” (CD notes). Tower has composed solo, chamber, and orchestral music. As pianist for the Da Capo Chamber Players (1969-1984), she has worked closely with performers, composing pieces especially for certain musicians and that push the technique and virtuosity required to play certain instruments.

The Flute Concerto was written for Carol Wincenc, of whom Tower says, “She is a complete musician with a fantastic understanding of line.” Tower’s attention to the performer’s abilities, in this case Wincenc’s command of a melodic line, is evident in the flute solo at the beginning of the piece. It is a low, gentle melody, intended to invite the audience in.

0:01 : flute solo, slow and quiet in the lower register
1:35 : violin enters quietly on a high note
2:07 : woodwinds and lower strings enter
2:22 : flute melody accompanied by quiet strings
3:25 : strings have the melody joined by woodwinds and brass
4:00 : strings play ascending line giving way to flute solo
5:00 : quiet, short motives played by lower woodwinds
5:38 : starts to build in volume
5:46 : two-part flute and violin
6:52 : lyrical flute melody
7:20 : rhythm becomes more pulsating
8:23 : quieter, mostly violins and flute
8:32 : flute solo
10:01 : violins and a second flute join quietly
10:58 : fuller orchestra
11:41 : flute melody accompanied by orchestra
12:11 : pause, resumes with flute and orchestra having equal parts
13:24 : dialogue between lower brass and flute
13:54 : quieter, thinner texture, then builds with ascending lines
14:16 : dialogue between flute and orchestra
15:24 : end

— Jennifer K.

1990s

Paul Lansky (b. 1944): Table’s Clear (1990) [18:10]
Homebrew (1992): Bridge 9035
Performed by Jonah and Caleb Lansky

Table’s Clear can be described as Lansky’s take on Stomp (a group who performs using common items such as hammers, trashcans, etc.) because it utilizes the various sounds of the kitchen. This piece was recorded one night in 1990 when Lansky’s children were making noise on everything they could find in the kitchen. These sounds include burping, banging on pots, and dripping water. Once the sounds were recorded, Lansky transferred them to his computer and put them together with different filters. The result is an electronic piece which somewhat resembles the sound and timbre of a gamelan. — Matt U.

Neil B. Rolnick (b. 1947): Macedonian AirDrumming (1990) [8:10]
Macedonian AirDrumming (1992): Bridge 9030

Neil Rolnick is known as an electronic musician who specializes in live computer performance using samples. Rolnick considers his computer one of his most valuable musical instruments. Macedonian AirDrumming is a computer-generated piece that combines sound clips already stored on the computer. A device known as AirDrums is used to trigger the computer to play different samples. It consists of two velocity-sensitive handheld wands (much like drumsticks) connected to a controller. The controller converts the movement of the wands into MIDI information, which is in turn interpreted by a Macintosh computer. The computer then plays samples and sequences of synthesized and sampled sounds. In short, the physical gestures and movements are converted into musical sounds. While the music itself is interesting to listen to, it is the concepts and the process of making the music that makes this work so significant. — Angela R.

Neil B. Rolnick (b. 1947): Sanctus (1990) [19:02]
Macedonian AirDrumming (1992): Bridge 9030

Sanctus is another of Rolnick’s computer-generated pieces. It was originally performed as a score for a film by the same name. The film consists entirely of x-ray footage of moving skeletons; the skeleton images have been modified to walk, eat and drink, put on lipstick, and the like. This soundtrack is equally as interesting. Rolnick takes pieces of the Sanctus movements from masses by Machaut, Byrd, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Verdi and mixes, modifies, and loops them together. In short, no original music will be found on this track; however, the way in which the borrowed music is assembled and presented is interesting. This was performed live for the sound track using Rolnick’s Macintosh computer. — Angela R.

Joseph Schwantner (b. 1943): Velocities (1990) [7:22]
The Music of Joseph Schwantner (1997): BMG 09026-68692-2
Performed by Evelyn Glennie, marimba

Born in Chicago, Joseph Schwantner’s early musical experience consisted of performing and arranging for jazz; his primary instruments were guitar and tuba. While venturing into the realm of jazz, he was also preparing for a career in classical music. His first published works, written during his years of graduate study at Northwestern University, were all chamber music. For his compositional achievements, Schwantner received the first Charles Ives Scholarship. He has also been part of the composition faculty at the Eastman School of Music. Schwantner describes Velocities as a moto perpetuo for solo marimba. It was composed for marimbist Howard Stevens and was dedicated to him. According to Schwantner, the structure of this piece is written using a series of four, five, six, and seven-note pitch sets. It contains three major divisions. The first division begins with aggressive articulations followed by an ostinato pattern. The second division, at 2:01, is made up of constant sixteenth-note patterns along with other rhythmic motives in triple meter. The last section, at 4:49, brings back previous musical material and builds to an abrupt end. — Lance K.

Harold Budd (b. 1936): She Is a Phantom: “Like Perfume” (1991) [3:27]
She Is a Phantom (1994): New Albion 66
Performed by Harold Budd with Zeitgeist (Bob Samarotto, Tom Linker, Jay Johnson, Heather Barringer)

She Is a Phantom is an album of music by the American composer Harold Budd composed for Zeitgeist. Budd, born May 24, 1936 in Los Angeles, took part in the avant-garde movement of the sixties, but today is best known for his minimalist music. This work combines minimalist techniques, solo sections, and spoken texts. “Like Perfume” is the tenth of seventeen movements.

0:00 : Minimalist percussion starts
0:36 : Start clarinet solo
1:39 : Piano chord, continue clarinet solo
2:07 : End clarinet solo, start percussion
2:17 : Start text
3:14 : End text, fade to black
3:27 : End

— Matt U.

Meredith Monk (b. 1942): Atlas: “Travel Dream Song” (1991) [5:07]
Atlas: an opera in three parts (1993): ECM 43773-2

Atlas is an opera in three parts that describes the life and travels of the fictional Alexandra Daniels. It is based on the real life travels on Alexandra David-Neel, the first Western woman to travel to Tibet. The first section, “Personal Climate,” is about Alexandra’s preparation for her travels. The second section, “Night Travel,” is about the travels of Alexandra and her companions to the far corners of the earth. The third section, “Invisible Light,” is about Alexandra and her companions ascending to a timeless, radiant place where they gain spiritual knowledge. Young Alexandra dreams of exotic places. She states the different things she is dreaming of and uses Monk’s voice techniques to illustrate these places over an instrumental ostinato. Much of the music of Atlas is sung wordless with many of the voice techniques that Meredith Monk developed herself. The singers sing about the events going on and decorate the songs with techniques such as glottal stops, warbly American Indian-style vibrato, nasal singing, and nonsense syllables. One of the recurring events in this opera is Monk’s use of an ostinato. These ostinatos are the basis of the opera. They repeat over and over with the melody above. — Rachel R.

Bernard Rands (b. 1934): Canti d’Amor: “Winds of May, that Dance on the Sea” (1991) [1:13]
Colors of Love (1999): Elektra 24570
Performed by Chanticleer

Colors of Love includes pieces that have a theme of love and that have been composed since 1982. They are performed by Chanticleer, a vocal ensemble of twelve male singers. It was founded in 1978 and is the only full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. The “orchestra of voices,” as it has come to be known, has performed a wide range of music from the Renaissance to compositions of the present day.

“Winds of May, that Dance on the Sea” is one of the Canti d’Amor, a set of fifteen poems from James Joyce’s Chamber Music. It has rich, full harmonies of up to eight parts. The text can nonetheless be easily understood due to the mostly homophonic texture. — Jennifer K.

Ingram Marshall (b. 1942): Evensongs: “Prelude/Now the Day” (1991–1992) [6:42]
Evensongs (1997): New Albion 92
Performed by The Maia Quartet (Amy Kuhlman Appold, violin; Timoth Shiu, violin; Elizabeth Oakes, viola; Kenneth Law, cello)

Evensongs is a collection of pieces that are meditations on “Now the Day Is Over” and “Abide with Me,” hymns from the composer’s childhood. Written for acoustic instruments, they are unique among the mainly electronic works of Ingram Marshall. In addition to a string quartet for which the work as a whole was written, the instrumentation of “Prelude/Now the Day” includes music boxes, which add a childlike simplicity to the piece. The melody can usually be clearly heard amid a calm accompaniment.

0:01 : music boxes play
1:10 : quartet enters with the violin playing melody
2:14 : viola plays melody
3:01 : violin, viola, and cello play fragments of the hymn melody
4:29 : viola and cello play countermelodies
4:49 : violins rejoin and play fragments of the hymn melody
6:25 : music box plays
6:42 : end

— Jennifer K.

Tod Machover (b. 1953): Bounce (1992) [12:15]
Tod Machover (1994): Bridge Records 9040
Performed by Robert Shannon

Tod Machover studied music at the Juilliard School with Elliott Carter and Robert Sessions and at Pierre Boulez’s IRCAM (an institution for the exploration and development of modern music) in Paris. He made a big impact on electronic music by developing hyperinstruments, which are standard instruments augmented by computer-wired gloves that transmit information to MIDI synthesizers. These hyperinstruments are able to create many new sounds not otherwise possible. Bounce was written for one player performing on two instruments and was scored for a Yamaha Disklavier Grand Piano, a Yamaha SY-99 electronic keyboard, several synthesizers, and a computer. It was written as a commission for the Yamaha Corporation’s keyboard division. For the performance of the piece, the pianist plays the two keyboards, which are connected to synthesizers. The hyperinstrument allows a computer to shape an accompaniment to the music being played by a live performer. The computer also embellishes the music played by the performer on the spur of the moment. — Lance K.

Laurie Anderson (b. 1947): Cunningham Stories (“Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother. . .”) (1993) [1:48]
A Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute (1993): Koch 3-7238-2
Performed by various artists

This CD set contains a large variety of music by many composers giving tribute to John Cage. Some of the music is actually Cage’s music performed by several artists. This piece by Laurie Anderson is one of four that appear on this recording. Each is a story that was written by John Cage and is performed by Anderson. These pieces reflect Anderson’s love of words and stories. “Merce Cunningham Phoned His Mother” is typical of Cage’s writings used in musical compositions. It is a simple narrative about everyday life and at first listen strikes the listener as rather random. Anderson speaks over a background of percussion and soft sustained tones. — Angela R.

Daniel Asia (b. 1953): Gateways (1993) [5:21]
Gateways (2001): Summit Records 285
Performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Gateways is a five-minute overture. It gets its name from its multiple beginnings and from Cincinnati’s motto “Gateway to the West.” The beginning theme is repeated several times. This piece was commissioned bye the Cincinnati Symphony for its centennial celebration. The last time the Symphony commissioned as many pieces as it did in 1993 was in 1943, when Aaron Copland composed Fanfare for the Common Man. Asia used parts of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in this piece and for inspiration.

Listen for the multiple openings and the recurring themes. The music goes back and forth between a heavy texture with lots of brass and a lighter texture with mostly strings and woodwinds. There are sections of strong contrast. This overture is full of sections of fanfare. There is liberal use of the traditional fanfare motive of eighth note and two sixteenths. — Rachel R.

Anthony Coleman: Ask Anthony 2 (1993) [date of recording] [6:18]
Sephardic Tinge (1995): Tzadik 7102
Performed by the Anthony Coleman Trio

All of the music on this album is a result of Anthony Coleman’s attempt to give his listeners an idea of what Jewish music is, as many are familiar only with Klezmer. He states that before Klezmer personified the Jewish culture, dance beats such as mambo and cha-cha were very important. Ask Anthony 2 is one of Coleman’s pieces written for his jazz trio. It is a piece reminiscent of the 1940s and 1950s rather than the sounds of more recent times. Walking bass lines, light drumming, and melodic piano parts take the listener back to the times when jazz was king and electronic squeaks and pops were barely concepts. — Matt U.

Mary Jane Leach (b. 1949): Ariadne’s Lament (1993) [8:12]
Ariadne’s Lament (1998): New World Records 10036-1596
Performed by the New York Treble Singers

This album is inspired by early musical techniques, such as modal writing and polyphony. There are no specific dynamic markings, and the material for Ariadne’s Lament is drawn from Monterverdi’s early operatic scena of the same title. In the Greek myth, Ariadne falls in love with Theseus. She then aids him, with a sword and a spool of thread, in escaping from the labyrinth. However, Ariadne is forced to stay on the island of Naxos due to divine command, and Theseus ends up leaving her there alone. This leads her to sing a sorrowful lament.
The work begins with a long, rhythmically continuous passage, followed by solo statements at 1:29. This continues until 2:18, when the texture becomes heavier. Solo voices begin again at 3:05, and the texture gradually thickens again. These gradual texture shifts continue throughout the piece. Leach does not specifically use text painting, although the overall effect of the dissonance represents the aching words. — Allison T.

Jerome Kitzke (b. 1955): The Animist Child (1994) [6:44]
The Character of American Sunlight (1999): Koch Int’l Classics 7456
Performed by Jerome Kitzke, toy piano/vocals/foot stomps

The Character of American Sunlight includes seven works by Jerome Kitzke. His music is energetic and has elements of jazz and Plains Indian music. His ensemble The Mad Coyote, founded in 1992, performs his notated pieces and improvisations.
The Animist Child, written for toy piano, was dedicated to a then newborn baby. Its simple repeated motives sound like music intended for children. It was written for Wendy Mae Chambers, who played its first performance in 1994.

0:01 : rhythmic pounding and voice saying “cha chikaba, chikaba”
0:07 : short two-note motive on the toy piano
0:16 : rhythmic pounding and voice saying “eela molly incha”
0:23 : short motives on the toy piano
0:36 : rhythmic pounding and voice saying “olala ma ochi”
0:44 : rapid rhythms of chords, then a melody on the toy piano
1:21 : toy piano and voice saying “ha,” then “oh-ah-ay-ee-ah”
1:46 : voice and toy piano have the same melody
1:54 : repeated motives on toy piano
2:18 : rhythmic pounding and voice saying “cha chikaba” like the beginning
2:30 : playful melody on toy piano
3:24 : toy piano and voice saying “ee-la-molly-incha”
4:00 : melody on toy piano
4:13 : rapid chords on toy piano
4:21 : new melody on toy piano
4:57 : piano and voice saying “who chicka”
6:25 : pounding in rhythm with voice saying “oh lala ay”
6:44 : end

— Jennifer K.

Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943): O Magnum Mysterium (1994) [5:38]
Lux Aeterna (1998): RCM 19705
Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale

O Magnum Mysterium is a choral work written in the neoromantic style. With its extensive use of dynamics, tonal chord progressions, and massive flowing lines it is reminiscent of the huge choral works of the Romantic era. The text, in Latin, is the Responsory for Matins on Christmas Day. The 120-voice choir sings the gospel message in the words “O great mystery and wonderful sacrament.” The piece exhibits a recent trend in music that embraces the return of tonality. — Matt U.

Robert W. Smith (b. 1958): Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual (1994) [9:08]
The Divine Comedy: Symphonic Band Works of Robert W. Smith (1997): CPP 9748
Performed by the George Mason University Wind Ensemble

Robert W. Smith based this composition on the primitive folk music of Western Africa. It combines several historical songs with traditional ceremonial music. Much of the piece features drums, which are prominent in African music. The introduction begins with unison rhythms in the winds, which are in dialogue with fortissimo horn calls, flute trills, and percussion hits. “OYA Primitive Fire,” which portrays man’s conquest of fire, begins at 0:39. The drums at the beginning represent the rubbing together of two sticks. Gradually the fire becomes bigger as the musical texture thickens. At 2:46, there is a transition section, which leads to the “Ancient Folk Song” from Ghana. The song begins at 3:11 with the melody stated by the solo English horn. The melody is then repeated in its entirety three more times until 5:18, when a transition begins featuring the percussion, horns, and trombones. Shango is the God of Thunder for the Yoruba people of Nigeria. His destructive power takes form in thunder and lightning. His devotees chant his praise in the melody found in the horns from 5:29 to 7:14. A rhythmic motive from this melody is found at different times throughout the brass and saxophone sections. This is followed by a final transition that increases in intensity, leading to the return of the music from the introduction at 8:08. The piece closes at 9:00 with a dramatic unison quarter note C at fortississimo. — Allison T.

Muhal Richard Abrams (b. 1930): 11 over 4 (1995) [11:59]
One Line, Two Views (1995): New World Records 80469-2
Performed by various artists

Muhal Richard Abrams was born in Chicago and studied piano at the Chicago Musical College. In 1965, he founded Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), an organization for black composers, after becoming dissatisfied with bop (a style of jazz invented by black composers as a reaction to their dissatisfaction with big-band jazz). One of the goals of this group was to emphasize spirituality and high moral standards for musicians. Originality in compositions was also stressed, as opposed to imitations of previous jazz styles. 11 over 4 is a good example of this originality, almost creating a separate genre of music between jazz and (modern) classical. The melodies in this piece are free improvisations. The drum set, bass, and piano provide a variety of free rhythmic patterns underneath the melodies throughout most of the piece. Instruments include accordion, saxophone, trumpet, bass, piano, violin, and percussion. — Lance K.

John Corigliano (b. 1938): To Music (1995) [5:21]
Corigliano (1996): Telarc CD-80421
Performed by I Fiamminghi (The Orchestra of Flanders)

Communicating with the audience is a primary goal of John Corigliano. His Symphony No. 1 (1990) was written as a personal response to the worldwide AIDS crisis. Immediately performed by many orchestras in the United States, it won him the Grawemeyer Award for best new orchestral composition.

To Music was written in 1995 and is an instrumental fantasy based upon Franz Schubert’s An die Musik, which is a setting of a verse by Franz von Schober, a friend of Schubert: “O blessed art, how often in dark hours, when the savage ring of life tightens
around me, have you kindled warm love in my heart, have transported me to a better world” (translation from the CD liner notes).

This piece was originally titled Fanfares to Music and was composed for double brass quintet. Two years later it was adapted for orchestra for the hundredth anniversary of the Cincinnati Symphony. The mood of the piece is meditative and soothing. The brass fanfares (“the savage ring of life”) are incorporated as an interruption to the serenity of the piece, but they are eventually overcome and peace is retained.

0:01 : A — main theme, strings begin (reflective with oboe, clarinet, and bassoon solos)
1:25 : transition — brass calls begin, tension builds to an abrupt halt (1:46)
1:50 : B — brass fanfares enter interspersed with main theme, tension builds to an abrupt halt ( 3:15)
3:18 : A — a full orchestra hit ends the brass fanfares, main theme returns (reflective with oboe, clarinet, and bassoon solos, strings end)
5:22 : end

— Lance K.

Sasha Matson (b. 1954): The Fifth Lake: 3rd mvt. (“Gusts of Wind”) (1995) [4:06]
Range of Light / The Fifth Lake (1997): New Albion 91
Performed by the Just Strings Ensemble (John Schneider, guitar; Susan Allen, concert and Celtic harps; Gene Sterling, percussion and marxaphone)

The Fifth Lake, inspired by the beautiful Mosquito Lakes about Mineral King Valley in Sierra Nevada, was commissioned by John Schneider. He invited Matson to write something with alternate intonation, something different from today’s usual well-tempered tuning. The composer chose the Pythagorean system for the purity of its fourths and fifths and the impurity of its other intervals, creating a greater contrast between consonance and dissonance than some other tunings. The Pythagorean tuning is complemented by the instrumentation, which includes concert guitar, concert and Celtic harps, and percussion. The percussion includes a small zither-like instrument known as a marxaphone that has a delicate sound.

“Gusts of Wind” has arpeggiated chords and contrapuntal melodies on the guitar and harps. Percussion, including bells, chimes, rain-stick, and cymbals, is interspersed throughout the piece.

0:01 : arpegiated chords and short motives played by harp and guitar
0:41 : contrapuntal melodies on harp and guitar
1:59 : melody in high range on Celtic harps
2:36 : chordal section, harps alternating with guitar and percussion
2:54 : melody on Celtic harp accompanied by harp, countermelody on guitar

— Jennifer K.

Stephen Scott (b. 1944): Vikings of the Sunrise: “Sun Catcher” (1995) [4:17]
Vikings of the Sunrise: Fantasy on the Polynesian Star Path Navigators (1996): New Albion 84
Performed by The Bowed Piano Ensemble

This composition was written for the unique idiom of bowed piano. A group of ten performers from Colorado College explore the sounds made directly on the strings of a grand piano. This leads to a wide variety of sounds with different tone colors. There is an element of minimalism with the steady pulse that is held, but this composition falls into the category of post-minimalism.

Each of the twenty parts contains a different story of Pacific Ocean navigation from past to present. “Sun Catcher” is based the tale of Maui, a legendary sailor who fished up many islands from beneath the sea. He also ensnared Ra, the Egyptian sun god, to slow his progress across the sky. This leads to the title of the piece itself. — Allison T.

AfroCelt Sound System: Inion/Daughter (recording date: 1996) [4:15]
Sound Magic (1996)
Performed by AfroCelt Sound System

As this group’s name suggests, this recording contains music that combines African styles with those of the Celtic tradition. The group consists of conventional musicians from both the Celtic and African traditions, including an Irish folk singer, a fiddle player, and a flutist, and African percussionists and nyatiti (a traditional stringed instrument) players. AfroCelt Sound System has been fairly popular since it released this debut CD in 1996. For the most part, the music consists of Celtic harmonies with an African beat and the support of electronic keyboards. Inion/Daughter combines traditional Celtic singing with an African-influenced beat. This sort of music represents a trend in current music to combine many different ideas; in this case cultural elements are combined. — Angela R.

Cindy Cox (b. 1961): Geode: 2nd mvt. (“Sparkling”) (1996) [8:34]
Columba Aspexit: Chamber Works of Cindy Cox (1992): Composers Recordings 886
Performed by the Paul Drescher Ensemble

This piece for flute, clarinet, cello, percussion, and piano is based on the sensual characteristics of a geode. The second movement focuses on the visual aspect of geode, as it is titled “Sparkling.” This is achieved through the use of the glockenspiel, piano tremolos, and high registers in the wind instruments, which create a shimmering effect. The cello has a melodic motive that ties all of the other instruments together. The movement starts with shimmering ostinato patterns in the winds and glockenspiel. The cello enters at 0:23, and contains the melodic interest for much of the piece. Gradually, the cello speeds up, becoming the accompaniment while other instruments, especially the flute and clarinet, slow down and become melodic in nature. The clarinet, flute, and piano take control of the melody at 3:35. The cello returns to a melodic function at 7:02, and this is followed by a brief melody in the clarinet at 7:44. The movement concludes with shimmering ostinato patterns in the high winds combined with glockenspiel from 8:02 until the end. This is similar to the beginning of the movement. — Allison T.

Brian P. Gillett (b. 1972): Music to Dress By (1996) [11:26]
Sonic Stock (2003): Centaur 2645

This piece comes from the larger work Music to Do Ordinary Things By. It represents the surreal times in our lives when our routines become over-thought. The taiko, which means “fat drum” in Japanese, represents the bland Ordinary by creating a steady 4/4 pulse in the background throughout; however, the piece is scored in 5/4. There are four breaks in which only the drum continues to play. Each drum break is progressively shorter in length except the final one. Conversely, each instrumental section, besides the final one, continues to get longer. The oboe and strings play interweaving, repetitive motives that seem to move in a circle rather than forward. They represent intricacies within the Ordinary.

0:00 : Taiko with instruments
1:42 : Taiko alone
2:02 : Taiko with instruments
4:25 : Taiko alone
4:43 : Taiko with instruments
8:15 : Taiko alone
8:26 : Taiko with instruments
11:10 : Taiko alone

— Allison T.

Mikel Rouse (b. 1957): Dennis Cleveland: “Why Are You Here Today (She Feels Like),” (1996) [6:24]
Dennis Cleveland (1996): New World Records 80506-2

This is a multimedia opera that is based on the format of a late twentieth-century talk show. The host, Dennis Cleveland, is the main character of the opera and the vehicle through which the story of the opera is told. The various soloists and the chorus are linked together by Cleveland, and the story evolves through their interaction with each other. Ironically, the stories that these people sing mimic the story of Dennis Cleveland’s life as well.

“Why Are You Here Today” is a dialogue between Dennis and three of the four couples on stage. He implores the men to try and see the pain of their mates, in an attempt to reform them. However, the men reply with “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” which shows a lack of care. In an unexpected turn of events, the women rebel and decide that they should leave their tortured relationships. One of them says, “He’s outta there. I want him gone. He’s out there.” This leaves Dennis wondering if any decisions are permanent. — Allison T.

Frank Ticheli (b. 1958): Blue Shades (1996) [10:28]
Blue Shades: The Music of Frank Ticheli (1998): Mark Custom 2744
Performed by the Michigan State Wind Symphony

This work was composed as a celebration of jazz music combined with Ticheli’s own style of writing. The jazz influence is seen in the many “blue” notes (flatted thirds, fifths, and sevenths). However, this piece contains no twelve-bar blues progressions and the eighth note is rarely swung.

0:00 : Introductory material, including repetitive minor thirds that occurs throughout the piece
1:34 : Exposition of main themes that are repeated later in various sections
3:52 : D pedal note that leads to climax I
5:53 : Dark, then dirty, which is reminiscent of a smoky blues club; several solo lines lead to a heavily swung brass and saxophone feature
8:20 : Extended clarinet solo (influenced by Benny Goodman)
9:22 : Final shout, similar to a big-band shout chorus containing loud, accented brass chords

— Allison T.

George Tsontakis (b. 1951): Other Echoes (1996) [11:54]
Four Symphonic Quartets (1997): Koch 3-8384-2 H1
Performed by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

Other Echoes is one of four pieces by Tsontakis that turn T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets (four poems by T.S. Eliot named “Burnt Norton,” “East Coker,” “The Dry Salvages,” and “Little Gidding”) into music. Other Echoes is written to portray the first of these poems, “Burnt Norton.” The pieces are intended to be played together (as they are on this album), but can also be performed separately. Even though it was written in the 90s, Other Echoes is reminiscent of the tone poems of the Romantic Era rather than the piles of incessant noise of the “modern” era. — Matt U.

Art Springs (b. ?) and Kristen Strom (b. ?): Mirage (1997) [4:27]
Isotopia (1997): Whaleco Music 104
Performed by the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra

In Mirage, the Nuclear Whales take traditional jazz music to a completely different level. Besides the drums, every instrument in the band is a different type of saxophone. The bass saxophone lays down the heavy and super funky bass line while the alto and tenor saxes play perfectly harmonized background riffs. Once the head (or melody) is established, the soprano sax plays a solo portraying wildebeests that lose their way and end up lost in the Sahara desert. This piece as well as the whole album is great for anyone who loves to listen to great saxophone playing. — Matt U.

Craig Phillips (b. 1961): A Festival Song (1998) [16:44]
A Festival Song: The Music of Craig Phillips (2003): Gothic Records 49207
Performed by the choirs of All Saints Church, Beverly Hills

Craig Phillips, an organist and composer, is Associate Director of Music at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. This album is a compilation of his works, which include chamber pieces, organ works, and choral pieces both sacred and secular.

This album is full of lush, refreshing music, exemplified by “A Festival Song.” The text is selected stanzas from the poem “Proud Music of the Storm” by Walt Whitman. The first stanza is set for full choir with orchestra. Each stanza of poetry is separated by an instrumental interlude. The text begins with a musical storm that enters the sleep of the speaker. There are several instances of text painting. One example is the hollow, two-part harmony on the words “lonesome slumber chamber” at 2:06. A baritone solo enters at 3:03, beginning the second stanza. The speaker has been awakened by the music and is bewildered by it. This music is mysterious, with slight dissonances that are always resolved. This reflects the “brooding” of his heart. The speaker comes to the realization that the music sings because the soul exists. The full chorus finishes the second stanza, which is followed by an instrumental interlude that leads to a climactic moment at 7:21. The full chorus enters for the third stanza, along with increased brass, percussion, and pizzicato strings. The mood of this section is festive yet light hearted. Another instrumental interlude leads to the fourth stanza, a soprano solo that begins at 10:32. This solo is reflective and delicate, and is accompanied mainly by strings, although the texture thickens towards the end of the solo. The speaker is now identifying the various songs which she encounters. The full chorus enters again at 12:34, which adds to the intensity of the music. The final stanza begins at 15:04, and it contains text painting of waves, which involves overlapping entrances between all of the parts. The piece ends triumphantly with brass and timpani. — Allison T.

Damijan Močnik (b. 1967): Missa in organi benedictione: “Gloria” (1999) [4:31]
Verbum supernum prodiens (2003): Carus 83.159
Performed by various artists

Damijan Močnik studied composition at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He composes primarily for choir and is well known throughout Slovenia. Močnik is currently a teacher and choral conductor in Ljubljana, where he has also worked to create new and innovative methods for music education. The music that he writes is often inspired by the texts he chooses, incorporating elements of Gregorian chant and folk music into his melodies. This is the case with his mass, Missa in organi benedictione. The text used in the recording is taken from the Gloria in excelsis, which is part of the Ordinary of the Roman mass. It is written for SATB choir with solo organ, and the style of the piece is twentieth-century traditional choral. Močnik uses passages of open fourths and fifths that are mirrored between sections of the choir. — Lance K.

2000s

David Cope (b. 1941): Brandenburg Concerto: 3rd movement (2000) [5:09]
Virtual Bach (2003): Centaur 2619
Performed by the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival Orchestra

This is a unique collection of music in that none of it was actually composed by Cope nor, technically, by any human. This recording consists entirely of music composed by a computer program Cope developed called Experiments in Musical Intelligence. The program writes music using databases of music of the particular composer one wishes to imitate. Cope once convinced an audience that his computer-generated score was actually the real composer’s score. Besides this recording of Bach-like music, Cope has also released a CD of music written by computer in the style of Mozart. The performances of all this music are done on live instruments. The third movement of the virtual Brandenburg Concerto is based on similar movements in Bach’s concerti and orchestral suites. It sounds very much like any of Bach’s music and would be tough to distinguish if presented alongside an actual Bach composition. Despite this, Cope asserts that this music has a distinctive quality common to all the music this program composes. The concept of composing by computer is an intriguing one and raises the question of whether composition is merely a mechanical process. — Angela R.

Mikel Rouse (b. 1957): cameraworld: “Profit Socket” (2000) [5:13]
cameraworld (2001): Exit Music Recordings 1004
Performed by Mikel Rouse

Mikel Rouse was born in 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was educated at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In 1979, Rouse moved to New York City and began to study the music of Africa and other world musics. His music lies between the realms of pop and classical in that he often blends the two. Two of his most famous compositions are his operas Failing Kansas (a one-man opera) and Dennis Cleveland. In Failing Kansas, Rouse incorporates a form of composition that he calls “counterpoetry.” Counterpoetry is the use of multiple unpitched voices that work together as pitched voices do in musical counterpoint.

The work cameraworld, which contains “Profit Socket,” is a multimedia work that Rouse wrote in collaboration with video artist Cliff Baldwin. It incorporates digital surround sound, images, and media for home entertainment systems of the future. The pieces in cameraworld, including “Profit Socket,” represent the popular end of Rouse’s compositional output. The influence of rap and pop music of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries is obvious throughout. — Lance K.

Peter Girard (b. ?): Perolo Tuk (recording date: 2000) [1:07]
14 Parts (2000): Cloudfish Music 101
Performed by Code One

14 Parts is the premiere CD of Code One, a collaboration between vocalist Cindy Lubar Bishop and composer Peter Girard. It has fourteen short pieces that use a combination of text, abstract vocalization, and acoustic and electronic soundscapes.

Bishop is an avant-garde performer from New York, where she has been in the operas of Robert Wilson as well as her own productions. Girard studied composition and electronic music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His works include music for film, television, theater, dance, and the Internet.

Perolo Tuk uses recordings of nonsense syllables. The nature of electronic composition allows several layers of the recorded vocal sounds to be played at once. This technique is used in this piece. In many places, the sounds have been altered electronically, creating different pitches, echo effects, or helium effects. — Jennifer K.

Paul Lansky (b. 1944): Ride (2000) [19:03]
Ride (2001): Bridge 9103

Ride, written by Paul Lansky, is intended to create the feeling of riding through many landscapes, towns, and villages. It succeeds Night Traffic, which created the feeling of watching traffic pass by and was produced using a recording of sounds made along a four-lane highway in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Ride is based on a different recording of the same road.

The computer is Lansky’s main instrument for writing and producing music, though he has written music for string quartets and other small ensembles. — Jennifer K.

Diamanda Galás (b. 1952): “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down” (2001) [5:38]
La Serpenta Canta (2003): Mute 724359359106

Diamanda Galás uses extreme vocal control and a three and a half octave range to produce unique vocal sounds. She is controversial due to offensive material in many of her songs, although this album is fairly devoid of such content. This album contains several tracks that parody traditional country and blues songs. “Ain’t No Grave” is a traditional spiritual that fits into the twelve-bar blues form. This gives Gálas a chance to show off her ability to hit both high notes and low notes effortlessly and features her on the piano as well. — Allison T.

Peter Garland (b. 1952): Dancing on Water (recording date: 2001) [3:16]
Dancing on Water (2001): Cold Blue 5
Performed by Marty Walker, clarinet; William Winant and David Jonson, marimba

Peter Garland’s music has been influenced by Native American music, other world music, minimalism, and John Cage. His teachers and mentors include Harold Budd, James Tenney, Lou Harrison and Conlon Nancarrow. He has written pieces for piano, percussion, accordion and ensembles. In Dancing on Water, the clarinet has the melody, and the marimbas provide the harmonic structure.

0:01 : clarinet melody, has repetition of motives
1:04 : clarinet motives start with a skip rather than a step
1:35 : melody in the lower register, quieter and slower
2:04 : motives similar to the beginning
3:16 : end

— Jennifer K.

Evan Ziporyn: ShadowBang: “Ocean” (2001) [5:12]
ShadowBang (2003): Cantaloupe 21015
Performed by Evan Ziporyn, Robert Black, et al.

“Ocean” is one movement from Ziporyn’s theatrical work ShadowBang. The whole piece is based on a Hindu epic story from the Ramayana. In this movement, the two brothers Sangut and Delam arrive at the ocean and watch their master challenge the ocean to a battle. The ocean can be heard in this piece in calm, flowing lines reminiscent of minimalism. The ocean finally declines the master’s duel, for it is much too calm and passive. However, it does suggest the mountain as a more formidable opponent. — Matt U.

John Adams (b. 1947): On the Transmigration of Souls (2002) [25:03]
On the Transmigration of Souls (2004): Nonesuch 79816-2
Performed by New York Philharmonic Orchestra

This work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in memory of the victims of the September 11 attack. It contains no memorable melodies, but rather is reminiscent of background noise on the television. The work is based on the concept of the transmigration of souls, which is a belief that the soul passes from one body to another. In this case, the human soul is transformed into the sound of music.

0:00 : The music begins with sounds of the street. A taped voice of a young boy says “missing” over and over again.
1:17 : The names of missing people are spoken by various people, with much repetition. The wordless chorus and strings perform musical lines similar to medieval chant. Gradually the syllables turn into words, which are fragments of quotations. Almost all of the words come from missing persons posters and memorials posted near the ruins of the World Trade Center.
8:30 : The chorus sings the words “I see buildings and water,” which happens later in the work as well.
11:18 : The orchestra suddenly plays loud sustained chords, indicating a new, more directed, level of contemplation.
11:59 : The music becomes more subdued, and the two choruses repeat the words of fathers, mothers, and sisters. The words are now sung in complete sentences. This continues until:
15:53 : The orchestra begins playing sustained chords behind the increasingly fervent chorus. This section increases in intensity gradually as the volume increases and the strings begin to play quick running passages behind the sustained chords in the brass. This comes to a climax at:
18:10 : The chorus has become “transmigrated” into the sound of chimes, as it sings
“love” and “light” over and over again with the chimes in the orchestra.
19:20 : The chorus stops, but the orchestra continues until it gradually dies down.
20:36 : A new voice begins to speak the names of missing people. The orchestra provides soft background noise. Gradually other voices add sentence fragments until the original voice says:
23:30 : “I see water and buildings.” This recurring quotation shows that life will go on after the tragedy. The song ends as the voices stop and the orchestra fades away.

— Allison T.