Mikrophonie I and II, Telemusik

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Mikrophonie I, Mikrophonie II, Telemusik

Essential work from the master. This Wikipedia page and this site explain the details of these pieces fairly well.

Tracklisting:

1. Mikrophonie I: I Quakend {0:16}

2. Mikrophonie I: II Knisternd-Gackernd {0:32}

3. Mikrophonie I: I Winselnd-Jaulend {0:27}

4. Mikrophonie I: II Wirbelnd-Trommelnd-Knarrend {0:21}

5. Mikrophonie I: I Rasselnd-Achzend-Donnernd {1:04}

6. Mikrophonie I: I+II Tutti forte {1:31}

7. Mikrophonie I: II Rauschend-Tonend-Tutend I+II Glasern Singend {1:34}

8. Mikrophonie I: I Wispernd {0:04}

9. Mikrophonie I: II Berstend (Krachend) {0:11}

10. Mikrophonie I: I Trillernd Knallend Gellend {0:18}

11. Mikrophonie I: I Collage {0:47}

12. Mikrophonie I: II Y (Ypsilon) {3:41}

13. Mikrophonie I: I Zirpend-Schnarchend-Grunzend {0:16}

14. Mikrophonie I: II Rollend {0:09}

15. Mikrophonie I: I Prasselnd-Krachzend-Tosend I+II Pizzicato {2:27}

16. Mikrophonie I: II Gerausch ad lib. {0:04}

17. Mikrophonie I: I Lautend-Sagend {0:09}

18. Mikrophonie I: II Prellend-Knatternd (Ratternd) {0:15}

19. Mikrophonie I: I+II Tutti 157 {2:57}

20. Mikrophonie I: I Raschelnd (Rattelnd)-Murmelnd {0:25}

21. Mikrophonie I: II Schnarrend {0:34}

22. Mikrophonie I: I X (Xi) {2:24}

23. Mikrophonie I: II Klange ad lib. {0:08}

24. Mikrophonie I: II {0:04}

25. Mikrophonie I: Wischend-Brummend-Posaunend II Schlurfend-Quietschend
{1:39}

26. Mikrophonie I: I+II Tutti pianissimo {2:01}

27. Mikrophonie I: I Singend (II Streichtone) {0:49}

28. Mikrophonie I: II Klatschend-Heulend-Bellend {0:04}

29. Mikrophonie I: I Schwirrend-Knurrend {0:04}

30. Mikrophonie I: II Piepsend-Knackend {0:09}

31. Mikrophonie I: I Zupfend {0:14}

32. Mikrophonie I: II Pfeifend-Flotend {0:20}

33. Mikrophonie I: I Trompetend-Brullend {1:40}

34. Mikrophonie II: Score-Moment 1 {0:12}

35. Mikrophonie II: Moment 2 {0:04}

36. Mikrophonie II: Moment 3 {2:17}

37. Mikrophonie II: Moment 4 {0:39}

38. Mikrophonie II: Moment 5 {1:30}

39. Mikrophonie II: Moment 6 {0:10}

40. Mikrophonie II: Moment 7 {0:06}

41. Mikrophonie II: Moment 8 {0:33}

42. Mikrophonie II: Moment 9 {0:31}

43. Mikrophonie II: Moment 10 {0:21}

44. Mikrophonie II: Moment 11 {0:13}

45. Mikrophonie II: Moment 12 {0:13}

46. Mikrophonie II: Moment 13 {0:09}

47. Mikrophonie II: Moment 14 {0:07}

48. Mikrophonie II: Moment 15 {0:21}

49. Mikrophonie II: Moment 16 {0:53}

50. Mikrophonie II: Moment 17 {0:09}

51. Mikrophonie II: Moment 18 {0:54}

52. Mikrophonie II: Moment 19 {0:25}

53. Mikrophonie II: Moment 20 {0:51}

54. Mikrophonie II: Moment 21 {0:13}

55. Mikrophonie II: Moment 22 {0:13}

56. Mikrophonie II: Moment 23 {0:19}

57. Mikrophonie II: Moment 24 {0:11}

58. Mikrophonie II: Moment 25 {0:12}

59. Mikrophonie II: Moment 26 {0:09}

60. Mikrophonie II: Moment 27 {0:09}

61. Mikrophonie II: Moment 28 {0:30}

62. Mikrophonie II: Moment 29 {1:28}

63. Mikrophonie II: Moment 30 {0:07}

64. Mikrophonie II: Moment 31 {0:22}

65. Mikrophonie II: Moment 32 {0:04}

66. Mikrophonie II: Moment 33 {1:35}

67. Telemusik: Structure 1 {0:28}

68. Telemusik: Structure 2 {0:12}

69. Telemusik: Structure 3 {0:34}

70. Telemusik: Structure 4 {0:14}

71. Telemusik: Structure 5 {0:22}

72. Telemusik: Structure 6 {0:26}

73. Telemusik: Structure 7 {0:27}

74. Telemusik: Structure 8 {0:54}

75. Telemusik: Structure 9 {0:35}

76. Telemusik: Structure 10 {0:20}

77. Telemusik: Structure 11 {1:28}

78. Telemusik: Structure 12 {0:13}

79. Telemusik: Structure 13 {0:23}

80. Telemusik: Structure 14 {0:14}

81. Telemusik: Structure 15 {0:37}

82. Telemusik: Structure 16 {0:56}

83. Telemusik: Structure 17 {0:22}

84. Telemusik: Structure 18 {0:13}

85. Telemusik: Structure 19 {0:13}

86. Telemusik: Structure 20 {0:23}

87. Telemusik: Structure 21 {0:35}

88. Telemusik: Structure 22 {1:30}

89. Telemusik: Structure 23 {0:13}

90. Telemusik: Structure 24 {0:55}

91. Telemusik: Structure 25 {0:21}

92. Telemusik: Structure 26 {0:14}

93. Telemusik: Structure 27 {0:34}

94. Telemusik: Structure 28 {0:14}

95. Telemusik: Structure 29 {0:22}

96. Telemusik: Structure 30 {0:14}

97. Telemusik: Structure 31 {2:23}

98. Telemusik: Structure 32 {0:12}

99. Telemusik: Final Sound {1:34}

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CDCM Computer Music Series Volume 21

various artists compilation - CDCM Computer Music Series Volume 21

From the liner notes:

CDCM Computer Music Series presents this twenty-first volume in its ongoing series of digital recordings of new, significant, computer music compositions created by composers affiliated with major computer music centers and/or working independently. CDCM's purpose is to create and distribute worldwide a recorded repertoire of the best new computer music, maintaining the highest quality recording standards. The music included presents a wide range of styles and mediums, performed by distinguished ensembles and soloists and produced with great care and musical integrity.

Horacio Vaggione - KITAB

KITAB (1992) is scored for bass clarinet, piano, and double bass, plus a collection of separate electroacoustic sequences realized by computer means. The live instruments are amplifed in order to achieve a balance between the sources.

Takayuki Rai - Three Inventions

Three Inventions (1992) is written for soprano saxophone, double bass, piano, harp, and live computer electronic system comprised of a NeXT computer and the IRCAM Signal Processing Workstation (ISPW). The instrumental sounds are processed by the ISPW, which produces realtime transformations of these sounds.

Ira Mowitz - Kol Aharon

"'Kol Aharon' (1993), translated from the Hebrew, means 'The Voice of Aaron.' ...The voice in this piece is that of my son, Aaron, in his second year. The musicality of his voice seemed to me to parallel the role of Aaron's voice in the biblical tale. For, though strangely displaced, though filtered through a variety of musical screens, digital and instrumental, and though literally a substitute for the real thing, it still retains its eloquence and its ability to be heard: both as itself, a human utterance, and as something other-worldly and other than itself. (Actually, I just wanted to write a piece for violin and baby, and that's what I did.)" -IM

Cort Lippe - Music for Sextet and ISPW

Music for Sextet and ISPW (1993) is scored for flute, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, cello, and piano - and the ISPW: IRCAM Signal Processing Workstation. The ISPW is used in real time, controlled by the signal processing version of MAX, developed by Miller Puckette at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique. The control and signal processing routines were developed at IRCAM by the composer and Puckette - whose technical advice made this piece possible.

Tracklisting:

1. Horacio Vaggione - KITAB {13:46}

2. Takayuki Rai - Three Inventions: Invention I {4:15}

3. Takayuki Rai - Three Inventions: Invention II {5:47}

4. Takayuki Rai - Three Inventions: Invention III {3:40}

5. Ira Mowitz - Kol Aharon {12:08}

6. Cort Lippe - Music for Sextet and ISPW {12:25}

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Japanese Masterpieces for the Shakuhachi

The Masters of Meian-ryu, Kimpu-ryu, Tozan-ryu, and Kikusui-ryu - Japanese
Masterpieces for the Shakuhachi

* not the actual album cover above

From the liner notes:

Of all oriental instruments, the shakuhachi has the most fascinating background. the name itself means 1.8 Shaku (feet), the standard length, but others, from 1.4 to 3.3 ft., are also frequently used. It is as closely linked with Japanese history as the bagpipes are to Scotland's, or the lute and guitar to the Iberian peninsula. It is the only device that has served simultaneously as a musical instrument, as a weapon of defense, and a cover for spying.

Simple in construction, it is extremely intricate to play. It is made of bamboo with 3 or 4 joints, has 4 holes on the top and one on the back, and is played vertically, like a saxophone. It has no mouthpiece, and its half and quarter tones are produced by the control of fingers on the holes. It is presumed to have originated in ancient Egypt and to have migrated gradually through India and China. It was first used in Gagaku in the Sixth Century, but was abandoned when the dynasty fell. The revival came in the 13th Century with the rise of the fuke sect, a branch of Zen Buddhism, in which sutra chanting was replaced by the shakuhachi; many Fuke monks went on pilgrimages with shakuhachis, and bamboo baskets to hide their identity.

The tone of the shakuhachi is as mysterious and veiled as its history: its color changes from a shrill, penetrating high through a breathy middle to a mellow low that would do credit to the finest wood or gold flute. Its melodies exploit the tension of shaded intervals, sliding away from the true scale pitches controlled by the partial covering of the five finger-holes. By shifting the position of the open mouthpiece against the lips and changing his breath pressure, the player increases the instrument's basic pentatonic scale to wider ranged special modes. Sudden swells in the dynamics and a fast tremolo is part of the style, not unlike the quivering hand action of the "hot" trumpeter. According to Professor William Malm, author of 'Japanese Music and Musical Instruments' the pieces tend to be structured like rondos, a recurrent melody alternating with new material.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Koku {8:52}

2. Sekiheki no Fu {13:25}

Side 2

1. Matsukase {6:29}

2. Ajikan {6:13}

3. Oshusanya {6:59}

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Ferrante and Teicher with Percussion

Ferrante and Teicher - ...with Percussion

Ferrante and Teicher, working as a piano duo, are known for their easy listening style of music having released many albums over the years. However, their earlier records were adventurous and thus more interesting with releases such as Soundblast, Blast Off! and this record. They experimented with prepared piano techniques in a similar manner as John Cage although they themselves considered their techniques gimmickry while getting these ideas from Cage. As the title mentions, the duo adds percussion to their prepared piano sounds.

Bios of Ferrante and Teicher are here and here.

Tracklisting:

SIDE ONE

1. How High the Moon {2:59}

2. The Nearness of You {2:43}

3. Che Si Dice {2:32}

4. Temptation {1:57}

5. Three O'Clock in the Morning {2:51}

6. Va Va Voom {2:22}

SIDE TWO

1. Beyond the Blue Horizon {1:59}

2. Aflame {2:01}

3. Get Out of Town {2:55}

4. Parade of the Bobbies {2:33}

5. Yesterdays {2:11}

6. Cielito Lindo {3:12}

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Shadow Music of Java

Hardo Budoyo Ensemble of Wono Giri, Central Java - Shadow Music of Java

Performance by Hardo Budoyo Ensemble of Wono Giri, Central Java on August 2, 1991 at the Sackler Gallery of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.

From the liner notes:

The mystical gamelan orchestra of Central Java has captured the hearts of non-Javanese audiences for many years. The shadowpuppet drama of Java relies on the gamelan to express the drama of a mighty warrior, a silly clown, an evil king, a sage on a mountain top. Interwined with the multi-layered gamelan orchestra, the puppeteer's mood songs and the female vocalist's sinuous melodic lines weave an exotic spell. A selection of musical highlights from a live performance, this recording is the first digital release anywhere of shadowpuppet music.

Tracklisting:

1. Gendhing "Bondhet", ketuk 2 kerep, minggah 4 (composition) {13:16}

2. Patet Sanga Wantah (patetan) {1:32}

3. Patalon {4:24}

4. Ada-ada Srambahan, Srepegan nem {2:08}

5. Sendon Tlutur Srepegan Tlutur, manyura {4:09}

6. Eling-eling, laras slendro nem {4:06}

7. Srepegan Tlutur, manyura {6:01}

8. Ladrang Asmarandana, manyura {4:01}

9. Jineman Uler Kambang, manyura {1:49}

10. Srepegan Nem {2:08}

11. Patetan Sanga Wantah {4:23}

12. Ladrang Jangkrik Genggong {2:16}

13. Lagu dolaman Bintang Kecil {1:37}

14. Srepegan Kemuda, sanga {4:16}

15. Sampak sanga {0:56}

16. Gendhing Majemuk. Ketuk 2 kerep, minggah 4; Dados Ladrang Kijing
Miring, patet nem (composition) {14:37}

17. Patet Lindur Nem (patetan) {3:08}

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Avant Garde Piano

various artists compilation - Avant Garde Piano

UPDATE June 4, 2010: This has been reposted here with upgraded files.

Richard Felciano

Richard Felciano - Instrumental Music

Sorry, it's been awhile since I've posted. There were some events in real life that required most of my attention that I barely had time to do anything here on the net. Add to that the hosters have been mostly malfunctional in the last two weeks. I think everything may be back to normal now.

From the liner notes:

Richard Felciano was born in California in 1930. He holds degrees from Mills College, the Paris Conservatory, and the University of Iowa. His principal teachers of composition were Darius Milhaud, with whom he worked at Mills and in Paris, and Luigi Dallapiccola, with whom he studied privately during a year in Florence. He had held grants from the French and Italian governments, the Woolley and Copley foundations, a Fulbright grant, two Ford Foundation fellowships, and a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1967 he was appointed Professor of Music at the University of California at Berkeley and in the same year became resident composer to the National Center for Experiments in Television in San Francisco. The sensitive eloquence and boldness of design which characterize his works have made him one of the highly respected American composers of his generation.

Crasis for seven instruments and electronic sounds - credits: David Subke, flute; Donald O'Brien, clarinet; Robert Bloch, violin; Bonnie Hampton, cello; Beverly Bellows, harp; Naomi Sparrow, piano; Lawrence Blackshere, percussion; conducted by the composer

Spectra for piccolo flute, alto flute and contrabass - credits: Nancy Turetzky, flutes; Bertram Turetzky, contrabass

Gravities for piano, four hands - credits: Milton and Peggy Salkind, pianos

Chöd for six players and electronics - credits: The Philadelphia Composers' Forum; Joel Thome, conductor Eric Rosenblith, violin; Marcy DeCou, cello; Jack Kulowitch, contrabass; Arthur Maddox, piano; Michael Sirotta, David Woodhill, percussion; Romulus Franceschini, electronics; Timothy Mabee, electronic engineer

Tracklisting: 

Side 1

1. Crasis {8:24}

2. Spectra {6:35}

3. Gravities {6:48}

Side 2

1. Chöd {22:22}

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L'Experience Acoustique

Francois Bayle - L'Experience Acoustique

For more about Bayle visit this site. (It's a flash site.)
This is volumes 5 & 6 of Bayle's works. Composed between 1970 and 1972.
"It" contains elements from "We Did It Again" by Soft Machine and Robert Wyatt.

Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Themes-sons (1) {0:20}

2. Themes-sons (2) {0:24}

3. Themes-sons (3) {0:31}

4. Themes-sons (4) {0:11}

5. Themes-sons (5) {0:39}

6. I L'aventure du cri: ...l'inconscient de la forme (1) {1:03}

7. I L'aventure du cri: ...l'inconscient de la forme (2) {1:16}

8. I L'aventure du cri: ...l'inconscient de la forme (3) {2:45}

9. I L'aventure du cri: ...l'inconscient de la forme (4) {2:34}

10. I L'aventure du cri: ...l'inconscient de la forme (5) {2:30}

11. I L'aventure du cri: Match nul (1) {2:26}

12. I L'aventure du cri: Match nul (2) {0:45}

13. I L'aventure du cri: Match nul (3) {1:43}

14. I L'aventure du cri: Solitioude (1) {1:59}

15. I L'aventure du cri: Solitioude (2) {0:27}

16. II Le Langage des fleurs: Substance du signe (1) {1:39}

17. II Le Langage des fleurs: Substance du signe (2) {1:54}

18. II Le Langage des fleurs: Substance du signe (3) {1:51}

19. II Le Langage des fleurs: Substance du signe (4) {1:44}

20. II Le Langage des fleurs: Substance du signe (5) {5:46}

21. II Le Langage des fleurs: Theme dechirure {0:36}

22. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (1) {3:24}

23. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (2) {2:56}

24. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (3) {1:51}

25. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (4) {0:49}

26. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (5) {0:59}

27. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore (6) {0:24}

28. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore/lignes et points (1) {3:00}

29. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore/lignes et points (2) {1:46}

30. II Le Langage des fleurs: Metaphore/lignes et points (3) {2:41}

31. II Le Langage des fleurs: Journal (1) {1:03}

32. II Le Langage des fleurs: Journal (2) {1:02}

33. II Le Langage des fleurs: Journal (3) {1:02}

CD2
1. III La Preuve par le sens: La langue inconnue (1) {2:30}

2. III La Preuve par le sens: La langue inconnue (2) {1:21}

3. III La Preuve par le sens: La langue inconnue (3) {2:11}

4. III La Preuve par le sens: La langue inconnue (4) {1:55}

5. III La Preuve par le sens: La langue inconnue (5) {2:29}

6. III La Preuve par le sens: Intervalles bleus (1) {1:17}

7. III La Preuve par le sens: Intervalles bleus (2) {1:50}

8. III La Preuve par le sens: Intervalles bleus (3) {3:46}

9. III La Preuve par le sens: Uirapuru (1) {1:11}

10. III La Preuve par le sens: Uirapuru (2) {2:37}

11. III La Preuve par le sens: L'ecriture acoustique (1) {4:38}

12. III La Preuve par le sens: L'ecriture acoustique (2) {1:42}

13. III La Preuve par le sens: L'ecriture acoustique (3) {1:10}

14. III La Preuve par le sens: It (1) {1:32}

15. III La Preuve par le sens: It (2) {1:36}

16. III La Preuve par le sens: It (3) {0:43}

17. IV L'epreuve par le son: Transparence du purgatoire (1) {9:16}

18. IV L'epreuve par le son: Transparence du purgatoire (2) {15:29}

19. V La philosophie du non: Energie libre, energie liee (1) {1:56}

20. V La philosophie du non: Energie libre, energie liee (2) {2:03}

21. V La philosophie du non: Energie libre, energie liee (3) {3:34}

22. V La philosophie du non: Energie libre, energie liee (4) {1:21}


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Gentle Fire (1974)

Earle Brown: Four Systems (1954)

John Cage: Music for Amplified Toy Pianos (1960)

John Cage: Music for Carillon 1 - 3 (1952/54)

Christian Wolff: Edges (1968)

Gentle Fire: Richard Bernas, Hugh Davies, Graham Hearn, Stuart Jones, Michael Robinson

Engineers: Allan Parsons & Stuart Eltham

A milestone of electro-acoustic music from this legendary British ensemble. The group, and each of its members for himself, were pioneering in the fields of live-electronics, instrument construction and collective composition. Also closely associated with the experimental work of Stockhausen in the early 70s, they were one of the groups playing in "Sternklang").

This record features a selection of graphic scores from three of the four composers of the New York School. It is remarkable how each of the pieces on this album unfolds in its own sound world.

"Edges" by Christian Wolff is just one page of loosely arranged symbols and words, to be (not) played in rather unusual ways. Here's the instructions for the performance:

The score for Cage's "Music for Amplified Toy Pianos" is a collection of transparent sheets with dots, small circles, a line and a grid. Superimposing the sheets, the performers are instructed to read the markings as predefined categories of sound events, in relation to the grid which provides the dimensions of pitch/sound (vertical) and time (horizontal). A single reading of the score material may look like this:

The two long extra tracks by Gentle Fire, "Music Project V-II" (1974) and "Group Composition III" (1971), are unreleased live recordings by the "Hessischer Rundfunk" (HR) in Frankfurt, from the same year as the album release.

Enjoy electro-sonic beauty: (1)

Korea: The Royal Ancestral Shrine Music

played by The National Classical Music Institute: (1)

After the bluesy P'ansori post from September by Grey Calx, here's another example of Korea's rich and varied musical traditions.
Every year in May, Korea pays homage to its ancestral kings with a ceremony at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in Seoul. Music and dance are important elements of the ceremony which includes symbolic offerings of gifts and wine. There are two dances used throughout the ceremony: munmu celebrates the cultural achievements of the nation while mumu celebrates past military achievements.

The music features two lengthy suites of 11 movements each: "Chongdaeop" (Achieving Great Works) and "Pot'aep'yong" (Achieving Great Peace). These suites were composed in the 15th century during the reign of King Sejong. Documents with full scores of notation show us that the music has remained virtually unchanged since then.

This shrine music is a major orchestral work which employs two complete orchestras, the "deungga" located up on the terrace and the "hunga" located down in the courtyard. The orchestras alternate as the piece progresses.

The two center-pieces of the recording, "Chonp'ye Huimun" and "Chinch'an", which represent the music for the Offering of the wine and the table, are newer compositions.
For detailled info, including notated examples, please read Mee Eun Jeon's "The Design of a Korean Ritual Musical Offering": http://www.sapaan.com/vol3/jeon2.htm

Or take a closer look at the exceptionally beautiful instruments: www.angelfire.com/alt/koreanmusic/instruments.html

Next up: an old EMI LP from 1974 by the British electro-acoustic ensemble "Gentle Fire", with graphic works by Brown, Cage & Wolff, plus two long extra-tracks: group compositions by Gentle Fire, performed live in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1974.

John Cage: Empty Words Part IV (1973-78)

Due to circumstances of obnoximost and climactic nature, this post comes a little later than planned, but it's truly a marvellous one ...

Imagine a dimly lit, vault-like ancient cellar, obscured paintings on the masonry. At a small table, illuminated by a single lamp, sits a lone man, calmly intoning vocal sounds, and silences. The changing and sometimes longish pauses between sounds seem to alter the pace of time itself. It goes on and on, and after 2 1/2 hours, a listener might notice that he/her's hearing the world with new ears.

 
"Empty Words" (1974/75), Cage's four-part poem of epic proportions (a complete performance of all four parts would take about 10 hours), is a beautiful exercise in de-militarizing and atomizing language.

Using H.D. Thoreau's "Journals" as source material, Cage derived his text through computer-aided chance procedures. The process of de-militarization progresses from part to part. While Part I features phrases, words, syllables, and letters (but no complete sentences), all that remain in Part IV are letters and silences. The published text features a great number of illustrations from Thoreau's "Journal", selected and inserted by using the "I Ching".

 
"A transition from Language to music (a language already without sentences, and not confined to any subject) ... Language becoming musics, musics becoming theatres; performances; metamorphoses (stills from what are actually movies). At first face to face; finally sitting with one's back to the audience (sitting with the audience), everyone facing the same vision. Sideways, sideways." - John Cage, introductory text to "Empty Words, Part IV"



Edition Michael Frauenlob Bauer MFB 003-004 (double LP released in 1987). This remarkable recording of highest artistic and technical qualities won the "Award of the Deutsche Schallplatten-Kritik".
Thanks to Gebrueder Hartmann for digital transfer and cover pics.

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