Earle Brown: String Quartet

Here's a Deutsche Grammophon LP from the 70s, featuring three great string quartets played by the legendary Lasalle-Quartett:

György Ligeti: II. Streichquartett (1967/68)
1 - I: Allegro nervoso
2 - II: Sostenuto, molto calmo
3 - III: Come une meccanismo di precisione
4 - IV: Presto furioso, brutale, tumultoso
5 - V: Allegro con delicatezza, stets sehr mild

6 Earle Brown: String Quartet (1965)

7 Wolf Rosenberg: III. Streichquartett (1960/61)

The radical and wild, if not "Sturm und Drang", open form quartet by Earle Brown may attract the most attention here. After all, this is its only released recording, and the brilliant musicianship of the Lasalle members makes it an exciting, thrilling listen.

But the other two pieces should not be neglected: I don't know any other works from Wolf Rosenberg, but his 3rd string quartet leaves a strong impression and must be heard several times before it can be fully appreciated.

As for Ligeti's 2nd string quartet, I can sum it up nicely with just a few words: it's a Monster, and it rocks!

Liner notes in English are included as JPG files.

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Birds of Japan

In our series of bird song records, Kiyoshi Mizutani's album "Bird Songs" from 2000 is a unique thing, representing a variety of approaches from "environmental recording" and "musical performance".

"Essentially these are field recordings of various nature locations. The focus mostly remains on bird songs, but it goes a little bit beyond that: Mizutani arranged and enhanced the material a bit. The song of the "Binzui" is echoed by electronic treatments, broken down to its constituents for us to marvel in its complexity. That's as far as the artist goes though. In "Aokigahara," the only non-nature sound is the tinkling of a music box (or a jack-in-the-box or other toy) played very slowly, two or three notes at a time. "Hokora no Mizuba," recorded near a spring fountain, features metallic sounds, like someone lightly hitting a metallic grid. A similar addition is heard in "Nimbo". This piece is a collage of recordings in a Chinese city. It is the only manifestation of human civilization on this album and also features a metallic "klang " (a fence?, rods of different lengths?). All these alterations (except for the electronic "birds" in the first tracks) vanish into the recorded environment." - François Couture

1 Binzui
2 Toratsugumi
3 Hokora no mizuba
4 Tokyo bay bird sanctuary
5 Aokigahara
6 Nimbo

Early bird catches the worm

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Dear friends of Fauna & Flora ...

we have some truely great & wicked bird sounds coming up very soon. Please hang in there.

In the meantime, you can go over to Hush! Caution! Echoland! and get my new mix:

Lewis Carroll in the mix. A strange little affair - it's almost like Halloween...

New Music for Piano(s)

various artists compilation - New Music for Piano(s)

all pieces performed by Yuji Takahashi

* not actually the cover, it's a photo of Takahashi; cover wasn't quite fit enough to be photographed

Excerpts from the liner notes:

Herma

"Bond," "foundation," "embryo." This piece is based on logical operations imposed upon classes of pitches; this is why I call this music "symbolic." Starting from the four classes defined in the score, others can be formed outside of time, as a result of the complementary relationship (negation), e.g., class A; the negation of A is written in the score A; also as a result of the operation of union (disjunction) and of intersection (conjunction). Union is shown symbolically by the sign +, and intersection by the juxtaposition of letters. Union corresponds to or and intersection to and. This A+B signifies that class in which the elements belong either to A or B; AB indicates the class in which the elements belong to classes A and B at the same time. The classes in this piece are defined solely within the realm of pitch. (Iannis Xenakis)

Fantasy for Pianist

"Fantasy for Pianist" was written during 1963-64 in Paris. Frankly concerned with sonority and ornament (it was originally based on an analysis of the textural features of four photos - stalks, vines, twigs in the snow) the work maintains a complex and detailed order. Forms of serialization were applied to proportional time structures (at all architectonic levels), pitch, dynamics, and attach characteristics; but all techniques were used primarily as stimulants to invention. The piece, as it evolved, determined its attach characteristics; but all techniques were used primarily as stimulants to invention. The piece, as it evolved, determined its own priorities which took precedence over continued allegiance to any particular technical device. Only the time structure remained firm from conception to completion. (Roger Reynolds)

Metathesis

"Metathesis" - to place differently; transposition; change or reversal of condition; the transposition of letters or sounds in a word; the interchange of atoms or groups of atoms between two molecules, the structure of the molecules being not otherwise altered, double decomposition. The structure is based on the subgroups of a permutation group of degree 6 and order 24, which are applied to the various factors of the tone events for piano, such as the density, the duration, the dynamic form, the tone form (all of them are extratemporal structures). The temporal structures are stochastic. The work was written at Tanglewood in 1968 and is dedicated to Gunther Schuller. (Yuji Takahashi)

Corroboree

"Corroboree" (for 3 pianos) was composed in 1963-64 on commission from Radio Bremen, Germany, and first performed in that city by Aloys, Alfons and Bernhardt Kontarsky in May 1964. The Work is dedicated to them. The title is an Australian native word of which webster says: "a nocturnal festivity with songs and symbolic dances by which the Australian aborigines celebrate events of importance: a noisy festivity: tumult." It will be a little noisy, and although the Kontarsky brothers are not Australian (and actually did not sing or dance) the festivity aspect of any of their activities is legendary and joyous, and thus the title seems quite apt. ...

When Yuji suggested this work for his record I had not considered the possibility of one pianist playing all three of the parts ("through the magic of recording"), but it is of course practical and interesting in this context. The technique was to record the first piano part and then the second while hearing the first and acting and reacting to the structure and the impulsive flexibility potentials within the given form:... then the third part in relation to the first two. The immediacy of "playing together" remains with the added fact of there being a single performance concept, rather than a correlation of three, as it was initally conceived. Although there are three of him here the nature of the piece is less virtuosic than the other works on the record, in which one might think that there were five of him. Yuji to any coefficient, and in all cases, is an astonishing technician and "poet." (Earle Brown)

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Iannis Xenakis - Herma {6:39}

2. Roger Reynolds - Fantasy for Pianist part 1 {5:18}

3. Roger Reynolds - Fantasy for Pianist part 2 {11:56}

Side B

1. Yuji Takahashi - Metatheses {5:20}

2. Earle Brown - Corroboree {10:43}

NOTE: Fantasy for Pianist was accidentally ripped into two parts; only a few seconds of silence were lost

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Songs of Eastern Birds

Donald J. Borror - Songs of Eastern Birds

It appears that the bird songs album posted last Sunday received a good reception, so the nature/environmental Sunday postings will go on. There was also an unexpected treat provided by H.C. Earwicker in the middle of last week which is Peter Szöke's The Unknown Music of Birds.

Here's info from the liner notes:

This record contains the songs of 60 species of birds all of which are common in at least some sections of Eastern United States, either as breeding species or migrants. All recordings were made in the field by the author, a noted bird watcher and ornithologist.

The songs have been arranged on 10 bands in more or less increasing order of complexity, with similar songs or calls together on the same band so they may be more easily compared. Thus, the first band begins with relatively simple songs, most of which appear to be a single note or phrase, while the last band contains complex songs, most of which are relatively loud with a whistled or warbled quality, and some of which are quite long.

The emphasis is on songs typical to the species, but as Professor Borror notes in the introduction to the accompanying booklet, variations often occur in the songs of a single individual, from individual to individual, and also due to factors of maturity and season. For this reason, recordings of two or more individuals are included for almost all species, and in some cases the songs of immatures or migrants are also given. Each example is from a different bird, and they are designated on the record by numbers. In this way the listener can obtain a good idea of all aspects of a species' song or call pattern.

Accompanying the record is a 32-page booklet also prepared by Professor Borror. Here you will find ornithological material on the characteristics, function, and production of song for each species, as well as an appendix giving sound spectrographs and place of each recording. Each bird is pictured in a black-and-white drawing.

The bird watcher should find this a valuable set, indeed, particularly as poor lighting, densely forested or inaccessible areas, and the similar appearance of some species make visual identification difficult in some cases.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Chuck-will's-widow, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, American Woodcock, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Grackle, Henslow's Sparrow {5:16}

2. Worm-eating Warbler, Pine Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Dickcissel, Long-billed Marsh Wren {6:57}

3. Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Sora, Common Gallinule, Common Tern, Herring Gull {4:55}

4. Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker {3:00}

5. Starling, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat {6:26}

Side Two

1. White-crowned Sparrow, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler {3:42}

2. Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Waterthrush {5:41}

3. Bachman's Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, Fox Sparrow, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Warbler {4:44}

4. Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-checked Thrush, Veery, Solitary Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo {4:46}

5. Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Western Meadowlark, Horned Lark, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, Lark Sparrow {7:27}

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Music from Around the World Vol. 2: The Near East

Music from Around the World Vol. 2: The Near East

Vol. 1 is called The Far East which of course featured music from the Orient (in case you're wondering, I don't have a copy). Vol. 2 features music from the Middle East and the Arabic world. The countries represented include Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Afghanistan. This is a solid collection that could serve as an introduction to The Near East's music.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. EGYPT: Oriental Melody {13:04}

2. EGYPT: Bayaty Erian {2:37}

3. IRAQ: Taqsim (Improvisation) {3:31}

4. IRAN: Santur Solo (Cembalom) {6:13}

Side 2

1. IRAN: Nai {3:36}

2. MOROCCO: Mhin-I-Fqis {6:01}

3. MOROCCO: Touachi {7:58}

4. AFGHANISTAN: Qawali Song of Moslem Religion {5:22}

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More Birds

Well, ain't that fishy: while Grey Calx was preparing his "Bird Songs of Dooryard, Field and Forest" post last Sunday, I was simultaneously doing my bird-mix for "Hush! Caution! Echoland!". In my mix I used excerpts from another very interesting Bird Song record, so I think it's a neat idea to post this record here in its full length.

Hungarian scientist Peter Szöke's "The Unknown Music of Birds", released in 1987, takes a very unique approach towards the anthropomorphous musical non-art of our fine feathered friends.

From the liner notes:

The true Music of Birds

This unusual record reveals for the first time to the human ear the hidden and hitherto undiscovered microcosm of the true music of birds and bird vocalization in general. Bird song is not as it seems to man as he hears it under normal conditions in nature, nor do the birds themselves perceive it in that seemingly natural form. It is possible to slow down (stretch) bird song (the tape recording) to 2, 4, 8, 6 and 32 times its natural duration. This is mainly for use in audio demonstrations (as on this record, too). If the vocalizations are too fast and exceedingly high pitched, then they can (sometimes must) be slowed down to 64 or even to 128 times their natural duration. On this basis it is possible to make authentic and wholly detailled musical or non-musical representations as the case may be. A one second recording slowed down in this way and usually transposed to a lower register can last for one to two minutes. Once they are slowed down in an appropriate form, then our ears can recognize the true melodic structure of the bird songs, whether musical or non-musical, which was hidden behind their original microscopic form. We can also measure both the slowed down as well as the natural speed of the vocalization. Songs frequently comprise 50 - 100 - 150 or even more tiny successive sounds per second. This is the reason for which it is necessary to slow down the recordings. The method of slowing down and the necessary lowering of pitch register do not alter the physical frequency relations and the actual melodic form of the bird vocalization. In fact it is due to this very method that the existence of true avian music was discovered. A new, hitherto unknown anthropomorphous musical (partly non-musical) world has been found outside the realm of musical art, in the biological sphere of the life of birds.

The essence and the theoretical significance of the discovery of true animal (avian) music have been explained in detail and illustrated with numerous slowed down bird vocalizations in the author's book "The origin and the three realms of music - on the levels of pre-life, animal, and human existence", published in Hungarian in 1982 ... In making the choice of sound material for the record the author was guided not so much by the beauty of the vocalizations but by the beauty and the importance of the recognition ofthe Unknown.

***

Of course, after reading this, you just HAVE to hear the record: Chirpy-chirpy-cheep.

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Dance of the Hareem

various artists compilation - Dance of the Hareem

released in 1965

From the liner notes:

In the traditional oriental house there is a department called the "HAREEM" which is really the woman's quarter. This quarter is mysterious and romantic. It is full of beauty, charm, and music. This is all concentrated to provide for the entertainment of man. It is also the place where culture and learning are promoted. Therefore, to become a dancer in a Hareem you have to have a great deal of talent and qualifications. Your knowledge of poetry has to be extensive and to the same extent in literature and folklore and you must be a musician and a singer at the same time. In an evening of entertainment in a Hareem a dance is a must and the dances portray the expression of emotions and passions. The music for the dance is melodious, rhythmic and stimulating.

On this LP we have selected a number of excellent pieces of music of this type. When you have this record you have all the ingredients necessary for an evenings entertainment except the Hareem which we are unable to supply.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Dimashq {3:14}

2. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Awatif {2:54}

3. Chafic Hashim - Nadia {5:09}

4. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Najwa {2:56}

5. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Raos Al-Ghawazi {2:40}

Side 2

1. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Layali {2:52}

2. Chafic Hashim - Rabia {6:16}

3. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Mabruk {3:39}

4. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Tuha {4:48}

5. Ahmad Fuad Hassan and Al-Firka Al-Massiya - Samba {2:41}

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Jalaleddin Takesh

Jalaleddin Takesh - Jalaleddin Takesh

Jalaleddin Takesh's record is a private press LP. He plays an instrument called the kanoon (also spelled qanun or kanun), a stringed instrument related to the zither. The kanoon is a classical instrument in Turkey and throughout the Middle East. Takesh arranged all of the music on this record. Side 1 is background music for belly dances as anyone can figure out from the title of the track. Side 2 has five pieces that stand out on their own. There is a bit of a western music influence fused with the Turkish music that is noticeable on Side 2. While doing some research for the background for this record, I've read a secondhand dealer's page where the dealer thought that it has psych overtones and I may have to agree. Quite honestly, for those reasons, I prefer Side 2 over Side 1.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Belly Dance Music {25:13}

Side 2

1. Vara Tageree {2:24}

2. Dotis Mood {3:46}

3. Yasaria {6:10}

4. Z {4:31}

5. Jalaleddin Mood {7:29}

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Narrative Musical Wallpaper

A new mix by me is up on "Hush! Caution! Echoland!"

You will find Takemitsu and Feldman here, a nice ditty by Aphex Twin spiced up with the voice of Aleister Crowley, a piece by electronic pioneer Franca Sacchi from Italy, a lengthy Sho solo by Mayumi Miyata and some perfectly static Gamelan music from Java. All glued together and modelled with music & sounds from me.

The first segment is structured after and uses samples from Peter Szöke's "The Unknown Music Of Birds". On this LP, the Hungarian musico-ornithologist reveals hidden aspects of birdsong via tape-manipulation. Fascinating. I'll post it in the "Closet of Curiosities" soon.

Bird Songs of Dooryard, Field and Forest Vol. 1

Jerry and Norma Stillwell - Bird Songs of Dooryard, Field and Forest Vol. 1

I'm thinking about posting an environmental/nature sounds type recording every Sunday for a while and see how this goes. I'll start with this LP of bird songs. It's nice to listen to this during winter (here in the northern hemisphere) while waiting for spring to return.

Here's a little background information from the liner notes:

Here is the husband and wife team that made these remarkable recordings. Both Jerry and Norma Stillwell had been interested in birds since childhood, but it was only after Jerry retired as Chief Technical Editor for the American Petroleum Institute at Dallas, Texas, that they were able to devote their full time to recording the songs of American birds.

In 1948 they sold their home and car, bought a truck and house trailer, and began the most exciting trip of their lives. Through state after state, they travelled with thousands of dollars worth of sound recording equipment in quest of one thing - the best possible recordings of bird songs. Today they have one of the largest and finest collections of bird songs in the United States.

"Wild birds do not sing at the nod of a conductor or in a sound proof room," Jerry points out. That is why he and Norma usually get up at three o'clock in the morning, drink six cups of coffee, find a likely spot, and spread a network of lines to half a dozen microphones before the birds start singing. At the recorder, Jerry listens to each microphone in turn while Norma aims the parabolic reflector which has the effect of bringing the bird much closer to the microphones.

By seven or eight a.m., breezes usually stop the recording, and they spend the rest of the day listening to the results. They save only the best songs, usually from five to ten percent of the total amount recorded. More and more of their daytime hours are being given to visiting birdlovers, amateurs and experts who have heard of the famous Stillwell bird song collection.

From the many hundreds of songs in their collection, Jerry and Norma have selcted for this record more than 135 distinctive songs and calls of 49 different species. They hope you will enjoy them as much as they have enjoyed recording them.

Tracklisting:

SIDE A

1. Cardinal; Titmouse; Chickadee; Flycatchers {5:04}

2. Warblers; Wrens; Woodpeckers {5:33}

3. Vireos; Dove; Blackbird Family {4:50}

4. Chat; Catbird; Thrasher; Mockingbird {4:55}

SIDE B

1. Sparrows; Dickcissel {5:22}

2. Finches; Buntings; Bob-White {5:41}

3. Crows; Cuckoo; Jay; Nuthatch; Night Birds {5:04}

4. Martin; Tanager; Thrushes {4:32}

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Tangram

Robert Normandeau - Tangram

Excerpts from the liner notes by Normandeau:

Taken from the title of one of the works appearing on the disc, Tangram represents the almost infinite permutations which lie hidden in elements as sparse and simple as the voice of a child, the sound of a passing train, or a few notes of classical music. Though highly contrasted, the pieces presented on this disc exhibit several common denominators. Firstly, they all utilize, without exception, sampled acoustic sounds ...Secondly, the entire cycle was conceived for multitrack presentation ... Last but not least, the works represent the quintessence of my work during 1990-93, and exemplify the perspective which I'd embraced during that period: cinema for the ear. Basically, this consists of seeking inspiration outside of the musical context, specially in the work of cinema. Themes are inspired directly from the titles; once elaborated, they then underlie the work, becoming axes around which the composition takes shape. They serve as landmarks for the listener exploring these unheard-of spaces.

Tracklisting:

1. Bédé {3:05}

2. Éclats de Voix {14:54}

3. Spleen {14:59}

4. Tropes {13:48}

5. Tangram {26:55}

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Gagaku and Beyond: Frozen Time?

Finally I find some time to post something again - so I better make it special: Great music from Japan in an excellent production. Enjoy. 

* * *

Gagaku is the oldest of Japan's performing arts, with a history of more than 1000 years, and is the oldest living ensemble music in the world. In its contemporary sense, the term gagaku signifies the whole body of classical Japanese music and dance performed by the musicians of the Kunaicho Gakubu (Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency, Tokyo).

Tokyo Gakuso is a relatively young group, founded in 1978 in response for the need for a group of expert gagaku musicians able to deal not only with traditional repertoire, but also with the challenges of contemporary pieces for the gagaku ensemble. Its founding music director was the sho specialist and Imperial Palace musician, Tadamaro Ohno. After his death in 1994, his place was taken by his nephew Tadaaki Ohno. Like other members of the Imperial Palace group, Tadaaki Ohno has spent a good deal of his life studying and performing on several of the instruments, the dance, and the vocal music of gagaku. 

Since its formation, Tokyo Gakuso has been very active in the performance of new compositions, as well as long and rarely heard pieces from the classical repertoire. This CD marks the first time that the musicians of the Imperial Court of Tokyo have recorded for a non–Japanese record label.

The pieces on this CD, performed by a full gagaku orchestra of up to 16 musicians and over 20 instruments, are set out in an order that reflects the typical structure of the regular spring and autumn concerts given by the Palace musicians, which are open to the public. The first half is made up of a kangen performance, the second half is composed of a bugaku performance, with two dances as a rule: a togaku (or 'Left') dance followed by a komagaku (or 'Right') dance (on the CD we have the togaku dance Ryoo and the komagaku dance Hassen). The program finishes with the rhythmic togaku piece Chogeishi, which is traditionally played at the conclusion of a dance performance. 

* * *

"This court music is a block of sound; it does not move but allows other things to move through it." 

William P. Malm, "Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments", Kodansha International

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A Basement of Curiosities

There should be something new tomorrow or the next day. In the meantime, I'll take the time to promote my newest blog.

I started the blog, A Basement of Curiosities, a little over a month ago and I somehow forgot to mention it here till now. Basically, the Basement has stuff that would not fit here on the Closet. There is mainly an assortment of audio oddball/weird/unusual/novelty recordings of both spoken word and music. It's stuff that I found while combing the flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, swap meets and other similar places looking for music such as some of the music here on the Closet. I couldn't resist buying the records posted on the Basement. Of course, I am interested in that sort of thing anyway. My new blog may or may not be of interest. If it is, just click on the link at the start of this paragraph.