Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

various artists compilation - Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

Originally posted on July 21, 2006

Write up by muse1453:
I bought this record at a library sale for only a dollar several years ago (to this day I still consider this the best dollar I ever spent). It opened my ears to a musical history that I was totally unaware of, and, of course, the music on this album is great as well. While the music is academic in nature (music made by academics, duh), the pieces are quite engaging and not just some dull exercise as they could have been IMHO. One could feel a sense of musical exploration taking place when listening to these tracks.

This record was released sometime in the early 60s when electronic music was still considered a new form of expression explored by mostly music professors. Electronic music was considered controversial in and out of formal music circles. Some people still seem to take an aversion to electronic music in the present. This record comes highly recommended especially for those who enjoyed Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music compilation.

The back cover has the basic information about the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center: "The Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center was established in 1959 with the assistance of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. The Center provides three studios for composition and research in the electronic production of music. One studio houses the RCA Electronic Sound Synthesizer and related recording equipment, the others contain specialized equipment for sound generation and modification. Earlier grants from the Foundation made through Barnard College, allotment of space and other assistance by Columbia University have enabled Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky of Columbia to conduct joint experiments in the medium, with technical assistance from Mr. Peter Mauzey. The Center is jointly administered by Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky of Columbia University and Milton Babbitt and Roger Sessions of Princeton University."

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Bulent Arel - Stereo Electronic Music No. 1 {10:09}

2. Halim El-Dabh - Leiyla and the Poet {5:08}

3. Vladimir Ussachevsky - Creation - Prologue {7:45}

Side 2

4. Milton Babbitt - Composition For Synthesizer {10:19}

5. Mario Davidovsky - Electronic Study No. 1 {5:32}

6. Otto Luening - Gargoyles {9:06}

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