The Soft Machine-VOLUME TWO (1969) Probe

Soft Machine-VOLUME TWO (Probe Records CPLP-4505) 1969

Today is Robert Wyatt's 67th birthday.

Wyatt is the one laughing on the left in the photo below.
(From left to right- Wyatt, Hugh Hopper and Mike Ratledge.














This Soft Machine record is the last where Wyatt's vocal and songwriting duties are still fully integrated into the band's sound and presentation. The next- "Third" is a double album with Wyatt's only song having most of the basic tracks played by Wyatt alone, and the next- "Fourth", has no Wyatt-penned numbers or vocals on it at all. Around this time, before being kicked out of the group he made a solo album- 'End Of An Ear"
crediting himself- "Robert Wyatt : Out of work pop singer".

After being expelled from Soft Machine in 1971 he formed a "very bad" (in his own unnecessarily harsh words) band called Matching Mole ("Machine Molle"; get it?) releasing two albums: "Matching Mole", and "Little Red Record" (produced by Robert Fripp).

In 1973 Wyatt had an accident which left him paralyzed below the waist and decided the direction of his musical life. No longer able to play trap drums, he concentrated his energies on his song- writing and vocals, creating "Rock Bottom". This was the beginning of the type of work Wyatt releases to this day: Self-penned, often solo-performed for the basic tracks with the addition of musicians-to this day a huge roster which reads like a "who's who" of avant rock: Brian Eno, Fred Frith, Ivor Cutler, Chris Cutler, Phil Manzanera, Mike Oldfeild, and in recent years Paul Weller.

At the time this record was recorded, The Soft Machine had finished a major tour opening for the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Who are thanked personally in the song "Have You Ever Been Green?").
The music is more jazz-oriented than the music of most of the other psychedelic bands of the time, though not yet the thorough jazz-rock "fusion" of the later albums. The song structures and psychedelic touches make it more interesting then the post-"Third" albums. Though the later albums may be argued to be more technically 'accomplished' This line-up have more chops than their friends in Pink Floyd, for what it's worth.
The lyrics are usually observational, sometimes whimsical or humorous ("Hulloder","Pig") and often strangely mundane for such psychedelic music- But, as Wyatt sings in "Hibou Anemone and Bear":
"If something's not worth saying, SING IT"

Soft Machine-VOLUME TWO (1969)

Side 1:

"Rivmic Melodies":

1: Pataphysical Introduction Pt. I (1:00)
2: A Concise British Alphabet Pt. I (0:10)
3: Hibou, Anemone and Bear (5:58)
4: A Concise British Alphabet Pt. II (0:12)
5: Hulloder (0:52)
6: Dada Was Here (3:25)
7: Thank You Pierrot Lunaire (0:47)
8: Have You Ever Bean Green? (1:23)
9: Pataphysical Introduction Pt. II (0:50)
10: Out Of Tunes (2:30)

Side 2:

"Esther's Nose Job":

1: As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still (2:30)
2: Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening (2:30)
3: Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging (1:50)
4: Pig (2:08)
5: Orange Skin Food (1:52)
6: A Door Opens And Closes (1:09)
7: 10.30 Returns To The Bedroom (4:14)

PERSONEL:
Hugh Hopper- bass, alto sax
Mike Ratledge- keyboards, flute (10)
Robert Wyatt- drums, vocals
with
Brian Hopper- tenor & soprano saxes (uncredited)























Note: I have not split the tracks: the two suites play continuously. I have also included lyrics.

file under repair

Doris Hays (Plays Various Artists)-ADORATION OF THE CLASH (Finnadar 1979)

Doris Hays- ADORATION OF THE CLASH

Notes excerpted from the cover (enclosed) by Doris Hays:

Tone clusters: ideal rebellious gesture to topple the sacred Western muse off its sacred pedestal. A forearm bangs, and the tedium of linearity is broken, its intractable logic punctuated by the rude rough mass of second intervals- fingered, palmed, armed, and fisted for the clash.

Doris Hays: Sunday Nights (1977)
...Sunday Nights in Rossville, Georgia, at McFarland Memorial Methodist Church, when I was a teenager, and Mr Hudgeons led the hymn singing with his fist and the bass line. Sunday Nights is a recollection of those 4th and 5th intervals and tune fragments and a memory of the boredoms , tyranny and uncertain promise of church religion.

Henry Cowell: Piece For Piano Paris 1924
uses strumming, plucking, damping, and hitting the strings inside the piano (hence his term "string piano') in addition to fist, forearm and palm clusters.

Russell Peck: Suspended Sentence (1973)
Peck's own ideas about Suspended Sentence:
"...of desperate flight, a trip down blind alleys, trying to get started but can't get started. I was trying to write a piece that was purely pornosonic, had no structural coherence whatsoever. Hopefully this is not achieved. Definition of pornosonic: titillation of the senses without any deeper significance."

Ilhan Mimaroglu (1926) has written much music for traditional instrumental, as well as his better-known electronic music, which often contains collage, thick texture,overlay of different musical events. A surprise to those who know only the latter, his music for piano, string quartets, etc, is characterized by lyrical line and an expressive quality not often associated with composers of electronic music. Rosa reflects in its title and expressive intensity, as do all his compositions, Mimaroglu's deep passion for personal action towards the changing of society.

Morton Feldman: Vertical Thoughts IV; and Piano Piece (to Philip Guston) both composed in 1963. Marked extremely soft, both pieces record louder than they might be heard in live performance. Even at very soft dynamic levels, the minor seconds in this fingered cluster harmony prick the ear, often not lasting long enough to mellow out before the next vertical aggregate is quietly piled into place.

Leo Ornstein: Impressions De Notre Dame, I and II
Ornstein began his life as a piano virtuoso, but left public performance fairly early to give his time to writing music. His performances in the teens and twenties caused much excitement because of the music's dense harmonies, ferocious in loud passages; particularly one piece for which Ornstein is well known- Danse Sauvage or Wild Man's Dance.
In the past several years his music has been again brought to the attention of a larger public with frequency in performances of his keyboard music, notably his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra performed at Yale University in 1976.
Born in 1892 (or 1894) in Kremenchug, Russia, Leo Ornstein lives with his wife in Brownsville Texas.

(Addendum: Ornstein died Feb 24th 2002, aged 108 or 110 years.)
























Doris Hays-Adoration Of The Clash (Finnadar 1979)

Side One:
1- Doris Hays– Sunday Nights (5:17)
2- Henry Cowell– Piece For Piano Paris 1924 (5:32)

Side Two:
3- Russell Peck– Suspended Sentence (9:24)

Side Three:
4- Ilhan Mimaroglu– Rosa (5:10)
5- Morton Feldman– Vertical Thoughts IV (1:30)
6- Morton Feldman– Piano Piece (To Philip Guston) (2:52)

Side Four:
7&8- Leo Ornstein- Impressions De Notre-Dame (11:41)
7 – First Impression (5:09)
8– Second Impression (6:32)


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A Message from the Admin. [1/25/2012]

I'm sure you've all heard by now about the MU fallout. I thought that something like this would eventually happen. I'm surprised it took this long. I thought that MU or one of the other similar services would go down in 2008 or 2009. No, I never publicly posted those thoughts. It was something I thought to myself and mentioned during private conversations.

About half of our posts are no longer active because of the demise of MU and also because some of the other hosting or cloud services are closing up shop or disabling sharing in the wake of the MU takedown.

For my posts, they may go back up, but it will take some time. DrEyescope says he will re-up his stuff sometime soon. We may want to wait a while until things cool off.

For now, we plan to stick around and there will still be new posts. Some words of advice I would offer are to download as much as you can and what is still available. You just never know.

Good night or good day wherever you are.

Edgar Varese-BOULEZ CONDUCTS VARESE (1977) Columbia Masterworks

Edgar Varese-BOULEZ CONDUCTS VARESE (Columbia Masterworks 1977)
(This L.P. won the Grammy award in 1979 for "Best engineered Classical Album").

I've made this post so large in order to give folks a look at the orchestration- the percussion section is of particular interest to me. The wire sculpture at the bottom is by Alexander Calder. (All photos were acquired by searching "Edgar Varese photos".)

wiki sez: (Wiki articles are accessible by clicking on titles)

Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, French pronunciation: [ɛdgaːʁ viktɔːʁ aʃil ʃaʁl vaʁɛːz], whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse[1] (December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965), was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States.

Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm. He was the inventor of the term "organized sound", a phrase meaning that certain timbres and rhythms can be grouped together, sublimating into a whole new definition of music. Although his complete surviving works only last about three hours, he has been recognized as an influence by several major composers of the late 20th century. His use of new instruments and electronic resources led to his being known as the "Father of Electronic Music" while Henry Miller described him as "The stratospheric Colossus of Sound".

From the back cover notes (enclosed):

Ionisation was first performed at a Carnegie Hall concert March 6,1933. With Nicolas Slonimsky conducting.It was received with enormous enthusiasm by one part of the audience and whit horror - struck puzzlement by the other.
The Impact of the new work seemed all the greater for its brevity: it lasts barely six minutes.(...)

Ionisation (1929–1931) features the expansion and variation of rhythmic cells, and the title refers to the ionization of molecules. As the composer later described, "I was not influenced by composers as much as by natural objects and physical phenomena."
Varèse also acknowledged the influence of the Italian Futurist artists Luigi Russolo and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in the composition of this work.

Arcana is based on a single idea, which Varese called an idee fixe rather than a conventionally symphonic theme. This "obsessive idea" consists of eleven notes, which are basically only three: and ascending minor third repeated in a syncopated rhythm.

Amériques Was written between 1918 and 1921 and revised in 1927, it is scored for a very large, romantic orchestra with additional percussion (for eleven performers) including sirens. It was the first work Varèse composed after he moved to the United States, and although it was not his first work, he destroyed many of his earlier pieces, effectively making Amériques his opus one (although he never used that designation).[1]

Structurally, the work is in one movement which lasts for around twenty-three minutes, with full orchestral involvement virtually throughout. The work is marked by its fiercely dissonant chords, and rhythmically complex polyphonies for percussion and wind. It develops in continuous evolution with recurring short motifs, which are juxtaposed without development.
Varèse intended the title Amériques to symbolize "discoveries - new worlds on earth, in the sky, or in the minds of men."

Amériques is scored for the following very large orchestra with additional percussion:

Woodwinds

3 Piccolos
4 Flutes
Alto Flute
4 Oboes
English Horn
Heckelphone
E-flat clarinet
4 Clarinets in B-flat
Bass Clarinet
Contrabass Clarinet
4 Bassoons
2 Contrabassoons

Brass
8 Horns in F6 Trumpets
4 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
Bass Tuba
2 Contrabass Tubas

Percussion
Timpani (2 players)



13 Percussion Players

1: Xylophone, Triangle, Ratchet, Sleigh Bells
2: Glockenspiel, Lion's Roar, Ratchet, Whip
3: Tambourine, Gong
4: Celesta, 2 Bass Drums, Slapsticks, Gong, Triangle, Lion's Roar
5: 2 Bass Drums, Slapsticks
6: Castanets, Sleigh Bells
7: Sleigh Bells, Siren, Boat Whistle, Wind Machine
8: Cymbals, Gong
9: Snare Drum
10: Crow Call, Sleigh Bells, Lion's Roar,
Wind Machine, Triangle, Slapsticks
11: Slapsticks, Lion's Roar, Sleigh Bells, Whip
12: Whip, Triangle, Slapsticks, Wind Machine
13: Sleigh Bells, Slapsticks, Gong, Triangle

"Interior Fanfare"
4 Trumpets (2 in E-flat, 2 in D)
3 Trombones (2 Tenor, Bass)

Strings
2 Harps

Violins I, II (16 each)
Violas (14)
Violoncellos (10)
Double basses (10) (with low C extensions)

The revised version of 1927 reduced the instrumentation.(...)























Edgard Varese- BOULEZ CONDUCTS VARESE (CBS Records, 1977)

Side One:
1: Ameriques (1918-'21, Rev. 1927) (24:44)

Side Two:
2: Ionisation (1929-31) (6:07)
3: Arcana (1927) (18:22)

The New York Philharmonic,
Conducted by Pierre Boulez.



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Boris Blacher-WORKS FOR PIANO (1980) Thorofon Capella

Today is Boris Blacher's 109th Birthday.
He died in 1975.


From the liner notes by Horst Gobel (enclosed) with interpolations (in italics) by Dr I:

Boris Blacher writes about his technique of "variable meter" in the forward to his "Ornamente, Opus 37":
"The realization that formal development will often be intensified by metrical change gave rise to the idea of organizing the metrical process in such a way that each measure is subject to a different metrical structure. If the metrical proportions are then constructed along mathematical lines, namely according to sequences or combination theory, then the metrical process is no longer the product of random or arbitrary events. New, higher-level symmetries are the result, moreover interesting overlaps of the metrical series with the musical phrase, varient recapitulations, and the like.

Some of our well-worn compositional techniques (e.g. canonic and imitative figures) will likely have to be sacrificed in favor of new rhythmic patterns. The variable meter method, on the other hand, if correctly applied, places at our disposal a substantial enrichment in respect to rhe elemets of rhythm and form.

No.1 and 2 are based on the simple arithmetic series:
234....9 and retrograde, then 34....43.

No.3 is based on a series with the formation law:
234 345 456....678 and retrograde.

No.4 is based on the principle of cyclic variation ie:
4532 5324 3245......
4532 2453 3245......

No.5 on a summation series:
2,3,5,8,13,

No.6 Permutation of four elements=24

No.7 is based on the formation law of the series:
87 876 8765.....8765432
65 654 6543.......65432
43..................432
The recapitulation appears in retrogerade. The basic unit for all movements is the eighth note".


Lest all this math should scare you away-as Gobel writes in the liner notes (in reference to the Sonata - but it is a truth which could be applied to almost all of Blacher's works):
"This purely formal component is of course to be recognized only as the groundwork upon which the musical materials are then to be erected."

That such strictures could yield such playful, lyrical, and swinging music is truly a marvel.

Boris Blacher- WORKS FOR PIANO (Thorofon Capella MTH 223) Recorded In 1980.

Side One:

1: Sonata For Piano (1951) (7:59)
-Allegro ma non troppo - Andante
-Andante - Vivace

2: First Sonatine, Opus 14 No.1 (1940) (2:33)
-Allegro
-Andantino - Vivace

3: Second Sonatine, Opus 14 No.2 (1940) (3:08)
-Moderato
-Allegro

4-10: Ornamente Opus 37 (Seven Studies In Variable Meter) (1950)

4: No.1- Vivace (Virgil Thomson) (:58)
5: No.2- Andante (Rudolph Wagner-Regeny) (1:16)
6: No.3- Allegro (Karl Amadeus Hartmann) (:56)
7: No.4- Allegretto (Priaul Rainier) (1:11)
8: No.5- Allegro (Rolf Liebermann) (1:20)
9: No.6- Moderato (Nicolas Nabokoff) (2:47)
10: No.7- Presto (Gottfried von Einem) (1:19)


Side Two:

11-34: 24 Preludes For Piano (1974)

11: No.1- Allegro (:46)
12: No.2- Allegretto (:28)
13: No.3- Moderato (:45)
14: No.4- Presto (:38)
15: No.5- Allegretto (:25)
16: No.6- Andante (:46)
17: No.7- Maestoso (:39)
18: No.8- Agitato (:49)
19: No.9- Adagio (1:27)
20: No.10- Vivace (:35)
21: No.11- Lento (:39)
22: No.12- Allegro molto (:25)
23: No.13- Allegretto (:41)
24: No.14- Lento (1:16)
25: No.15- Vivace (:40)
26: No.16- Adagio (1:22)
27: No.17- Agitato (:28)
28: No.18- Maestosto (1:30)
29: No.19- Andante (:51)
30: No.20- Allegretto (:26)
31: No.21- Presto (:50)
32: No.22- Moderato (:54)
33: No.23- Allegretto (:25)
34: No.24- Allegro (1:06)

35-37: Three Pieces For Piano (1943)

35: No.1- What About This, Mr. Clementi? (:45)
36: No.2- Moderato (1:35)
37: No.3- Allegro moderato (:44)



















Horst Gobel: Piano

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Music Revelation Ensemble-NO WAVE (1980) Moers Records

Music Revelation Ensemble- NO WAVE (Moers, 1980)


This is the first Music Revelation Ensemble record.

This album bears stylistic similarities with Ornette Coleman's Prime Time (Ulmer had played and recorded on the album Body Meta before Ornette adopted the name of Prime Time for his electric septet). Though this group is half the size, they make a comparible volume of music.

No Wave also bears unmistakeable Rock influences- particularly the influence of Jimi Hendrix; the last great innovator of electric guitar language and technique, and after whose death development stopped, in Ulmer's opinion.
The momentum and drive of pieces like "Manic Depression" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"could be cited.

Ulmers quick, stabbing attack (even in a relatively laid-back and sexy tune as Big Tree) is perfectly matched by the interval-jumping bass playing of Amin Ali and the powerhouse drum-pummeling of Ronald Shannon Jackson. The trio make a conglomerate sound which is almost impossible to untangle. This is Knotty music at its best. Add to this the Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet of David Murray who is here as aggressive and fiery as he needs to be- and you have a powerful, driving, unrelenting piece of incendiary vinyl.

Though the group has been called a jazz/funk group, I would argue that it bears more resemblence to the post-punk no wave bands like Television and The Voidoids than P-Funk or Sly And THe Family Stone. I think the title of this record is no accident. Still (for what it's worth) - this music is
generally more tuneful (and funky) than another identically-equipped group featuring Shannon Jackson; Last Exit.
-Dr I


















Music Revelation Ensemble - NO WAVE (Moers Records) 1980

Side One:

1: Time Table (10:09)

2: Big Tree (8:53)


Side Two:

3: Baby Talk (9:45)

4: Sound Check (8:29)

All compositions by James Blood Ulmer

James Blood Ulmer- Guitar and Vocals (on track 4)
David Murray- Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet (on track 2)
Amin Ali- Electric Bass
Ronald Shannon Jackson- Drums

Recorded in June, 1980

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Architect's Office-CASWALLON THE HEADHUNTER (1986)

Architect's Office - Caswallon The Headhunter (1986) Silent Records
(Cover illustration is a frame from "Fireloop" by Stan Brakhage)












Today is Stan Brakhage's birthday.
He would have been 79.
It's hard to believe he passed away almost 9 years ago at the age of 70 years,2 months.
It seems like a year ago, maybe two.
I was fortunate to have met him when he
came to my city a couple of years before
his passing, for two days of screenings of his work.
I didn't want to take up too much of his time, as he
was in precarious health, and his appearance itself had truly been more than enough. Anyone who ever heard him talk or has seen video of his lectures knows what I am talking about.

For those who don't:
Stan Brakhage was a film-maker of the most personal mind and universal scope.
He was also one of the last great pedagogical links with the classic American Avant Garde- Having known virtually everybody who created art since 1930.(He went to school with James Tenney, Morton Subotnick, and Larry Jordan, for starters).
Listen to his radio broadcasts titled "The Test Of Time" (a title referring to an episode where Carl Ruggles was playing the same chord over and over again, incessantly, studiously, aggresively on the piano, When asked what he was doing, Ruggles replied "I'm giving this chord the test of time.")
In those broadcasts one can hear first-hand stories of some of the great artists of the last century, many of whom he knew personally.
Brakhage's interests encompassed the entire history of art and life, and he managed to put as much of it into his films as he was given time to do: His opus numbers some 400 films.

Well, to continue my story-
I did, however, mention to him when I met him that I owned a couple of films which I offered to put on vhs tape (to transfer from 16mm prints: Two about Jack Chambers (a Canadian artist-filmmaker whom he admired) plus his first film - "Mosaic", and also the Jackson Pollack film where Pollock is shown at work) and promised to send these to him. He said he'd send me a print in return.
Unfortunately, my package surely arrived too late, and he never got to see them. I've always felt bad about that.

I am posting this a little bit hastily (I was only reminded this morning about his birthday) : I would like to present the cover of MY copy of this record, ehich he signed for me,(instead I post the signature alone) and I would like to say something a bit more profound about this artist who was truly one of the greatest of the 20th century, and whose reputation will surely only grow to match his (mostly unaknowledged) influence as time passes.

But Time ties my tongue.So:

To borrow a sign-off from a postcard he sent me, simply:

Blessings, Stan.

Dr I











Side One:

A1- Prelude 326.0
A2- Prewar 329.1-2
A3- War 327.3

Side Two:

B1- Exhausted 329.4
B2- Party/Party 327.5
B3- Poslude 327.6


(This post is a birthday gift for someone who shares Stan's birthday. I hope he enjoys it.)
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Sonde- EN CONCERT (Music Gallery Editions MGE14) 1978

Sonde - EN CONCERT (MGE14) 1978

From the back cover (enclosed):

Live concert improvisations. Some of the pieces are played on new sound-sources designed and constructed by members of the group. Others use traditional sources in a new context. Occasional use of electronic sound-modification techniques.


From the insert (enclosed):

Mario Bertoncini showed Le Groupe Mud that music can be made from
'sound sources' which the musician conceives and makes himself. The activity, which he calls "Musical Design", is not the same as instrument building.
An instrument can play any number of different peices. On the other hand, the sounds available from a 'sound source' constitute a single piece. This is a kind of sculpture in sound in which no parts are predetermined and in which the only guide is the kind of sound one wants to explore.(...)
The use of electronic amplification makes it possible to discover a world of sound in any type of material. Each successive degree of amplification is like hearing further and further inside he material with a kind of musical microscope. The sound can also be varied, in real time, by electronic processes such as filtering or ring modulation(...)
Gradually, through a period of improvisational practice, each sound-source begins to impose a 'form' on the piece.One source may ask for an active, fast-moving piece with silence in which players contrast different sounds; another may require a slower, continuous band of sound with constantly shifting colours, with the players providing the blend. But each time the piece is played it is new. With each improvisation a new aspect of it is discovered, and this becomes part of the piece which never stops growing.
Sonde - en concert

Side One:

A1- Mudiature 0:15
A2- Sahabi 3 7:02
A3- Voix 9:05
A4- Flutes/Modulation 5:25
A5- Mudiature 0:20

Side Two:

B1- Les Plaques 11:03
B2- Sahabi 2 14:06


















Performers – Andrew Culver, Charles De Mestral, Chris Howard (tracks: A1, A3 to A5, B1), Keith Daniel (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Linda Pavelka (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Pierre Dostie
Photography – Culver, Miller

Side A is from a concert at Music Gallery, Toronto, on January 14, 1978.
Track B1 is from a concert given at the group's studio in Montréal on July 13, 1977.
Track B2 is from a concert given at York University, Toronto on January 17, 1978.
This record is dedicated to Mario Bertoncini.

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Igor Stravinsky- STRAVINSKY PAR BOULEZ (Orig..1961)

Stravinsky Par Boulez (ADES 197? - orig. 1962)

From the back cover notes (in French - enclosed):

The works contained in this album were composed between 1914 and 1920,. THis period in Stravinsky's work was named "The Russian Period", but only after the fact. However, during this time he lived in Switzerland, in Salvan, Clarens and Morges; and he composed about fifteen works starting with the Three Pieces For String Quartet (1914) through Renard and Les Noces (1917), to L'Histoire du Soldat and finally Three Pieces For Clarinet (1919). It was in France that he wrote the Concertino For String Quartet and the Symphony For Wind Instruments which ended this period in 1920.
-Andre Schaeffner (Tranlation: Dr.I)

Some observations:
These chamber works, with their stripped-to-the-bone orchestration and tight directness of expression are perfectly suited to the Domaine Musicale under the direction of Pierre Boulez. The dry, direct quality of the recording highlights this well.

Renard; the relatively unheard barnyard fable is a treat, with it's cranky instrumentation and it's caricatured vocals and onomatopoeic touches. And the Concertino For Twelve Istruments (a 1952 Transcription of the 1920 Concertino For String Quartet) has, in my experience, never sounded better.
-Dr.I

Side One:

A1: Renard (Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée) 1916-17 (15:01)

(Cimbalom – Elemer Kiss
Bass Vocals – Louis-Jacques Rondeleux, Xavier Depraz
Libretto By – Igor Stravinsky
Tenor Vocals – Jean Giraudeau, Louis Devos
Conductor [Direction] – Pierre Boulez
French Translation Of Libretto – C.-F. Ramuz)


A2-5: 3 Pièces For String Quartet (1914)

No.1-Danse (:57)
No.2-Excentrique (1:55)
No.3-Cantique (3:34)

(Violins – Jacques Ghestem, Jacques Parrenin
Viola – Michel Walès
Cello – Pierre PenassouEnsemble – Quatuor Parrenin)

Side Two:

B1: 3 Pièces For Clarinet (1919)
1- (1:46)
2- (1:02)
3- (1:13)

(Clarinet – Guy Deplus)


B2: Concertino For 12 Instruments (1952 revision of Concertino for String Quartet from 1920)

(Trombone [Bass] – Maurice Suzan
Oboe – Claude Maisonneuve
Bassoon – André Rabot, Jean-Pierre Laroque
Flute – Jacques Castagner
Trombone [Tenor] – René Allain
Cello – Pierre Penassou
English Horn – Paul Taillefer
Violin – Jacques Parrenin
Clarinet – Guy Deplus
Trumpet – Jacques Lecointre, Pierre Pollin
Conductor [Direction] – Pierre Boulez )


B3: Symphony For Wind Instruments (1920 - rév. 1947)
("In Memory of Claude-Achille Debussy")

Conductor– Pierre Boulez



















Composed By – Igor Stravinsky
Performed By - Orchestre Du Domaine Musicale
Coordinator [Collection Conducted by] – Pierre Boulez
Layout – Maurice Tapiero
Liner Notes [French] – André Schaeffner, Pierre Boulez
Producer – Lucien Adès
Recording Supervisor – Jacques Pradère

Recorded at Studios Europa-Sonor, Paris

Stereo version: ADES 16-010
Originally released in mono in 1961
'
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A Touch Of The Sun-MILK TEETH (1974) Bead 1

This is the first record released by London's
Bead Records. It was released in 1974 in a limited
(a VERY limited) edition of 100 copies.
It features Simon Mayo on Clarinets and Peter Cusack on Guitar.
Those familiar with the British free improvisation music being played at that time know what to expect, more or less.
The playing is generally terse, multi-faceted, and quick to change directions. Cusack is the stand-out here: The guitar is very highly amplified, allowing him to explore sonic areas which are often overlooked by other guitarists. His playing here is spectacular- by turns humorous and thoughtful, exuberant and introspective- He responds to Mayo in a most supportive manner; preferring more often to blend his sound than to contrast it with Mayo's quick, declamatory phrasing. In more extended passages with longer phrasing,The guitar comes as close to the sound of the human voice as does the clarinet.Highly recommended.Dr I.

But let's hear from them in their own words:
































































A Touch Of The Sun - MILK TEETH (Bead 1)

Side One:

1- Hundreds And Thousands (10:10)
2- Rosin And Squeak (6:45)
3- Strings Of Beads (6:09)

Side Two:

1- Geese (13:14)
2- Lickspittle (8:02)

Peter Cusack - Guitar
Simon Mayo - Clarinets

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The Glass Orchestra-THE GLASS ORCHESTRA (Music Gallery Editions MGE10) 1977

The Glass Orchestra (Music Gallery Editions MGE10) 1977
Booklet Enclosed.
These Notes adapted and excerpted from an article by Evan Ware:

The Glass Orchestra (a Toronto new music ensemble) works exclusively in the medium of glass, employing custom- or hand-made instruments (eg, glass harmonica, flute, xylophone) and 'found' instruments (bowls, wine glasses, bottles, tubes, etc). It is the only permanent ensemble of its kind in the world. The Glass Orchestra dates its beginnings to late 1977. It's founding members (heard on this record- Their first) are Miguel Frasconi, Marvin Green, John Kuipers, and Paul Hodge.

It has greatly advanced the craft of glass instrument-making. That the instruments it makes are fragile and do break highlights the exploratory and improvisatory nature of the ensemble, who regard such breakages as opportunities to discover different properties in the pieces of the shattered instrument.

The Glass Orchestra sets up on four carpets, each on a side of a large cube made of metal shafts. The various instruments of the ensemble - which collectively weigh half a tonne - are hung on the metal structure or placed on the carpets. The Glass Orchestra generally performs on candlelit stages in darkened halls because they "like to see the hundreds of reflections in the instruments" (Glass Orchestra website.)
The Record (MGE10)














The Glass Orchestra-MGE10

Side One:
A1 (10:09)
A2 (3:54)
A3 (7:00)
A4 (2:31)

Side Two:
B1 (8:03)
B2 (15:26)



















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Marius Constant- ELOGE DE LA FOLIE (Ballet En Neuf Tableaux) 1966

Marius Constant-ELOGE DE LA FOLIE 1966 (Ballet En 9 Tableaux)
Erato STU70334 Released in 1967

Some notes excerpted from the back cover
(included) All notes are in French.
"Translation" by Dr Eyescope - to be taken with a grain of salt...

Nine stories with which we are familiar, by being in constant contact with daily life... between anecdote and abstraction, between a smile and a grimace, revolving around these themes:
The Interrogator- "The eternal interaction between the Judge and the Judged- The fascination of one for the other"
Publicity- "which creates and destroys Idols"
The Good Humor Machine- "source of our conditioned dreams and our joys wrapped in cellophane"
Pills- "uppers, downers, or others to help us to create a love where we have none.
and, of course:
Love, "which exists despite all (...)
All in all -
a little bit of a journey; some metaphysical vertigo, from which you needn't risk returning in hopelessness, but all the same; granted immunity.
An Elegy in black and white, of our life, our universe, and of the speed which we accept- imposed by our time...
Side One:
A1- Les Empreintes (4:00)
A2- La Publicité (9:06) (Harpsichord Solo – Pietro Galli)
A3- L'amour (4:35)
A4- Les Somnifères (5:01) (Soprano Solo – Geneviève Roblot)

Side Two:
B1- Les Exitants (2:58)
B2- Pilules Du Bonheur (3:41) (Soprano Solo – Geneviève Roblot)
B3- La Guerre (3:22) (Bugle Solo – Pierre Thibaud)
B4- L'Interrogatoire (9:52)
B5- Count Down (3:09)

















Composed and Conducted by – Marius ConstantOrchestra – Ensemble Ars Nova De L'O.R.T.F.

Libretto [Argument] Written by – Jeau Cau
Scenario [Ballet] Written by – Roland Petit
Decor and Costumes by Jean Tinguely and Niki De Saint PhalleThe Cover photo shows a stage design by Jean Tinguely

file (finally) repaired

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Timberwolf in the Tall Pines

Timberwolf in the Tall Pines

released in 1990

To hear a Timberwolf howling in its native environment is an event. What in their terms is a simple social gathering among pack members or an expression of territorial boundaries is most often perceived by us as a chilling signature of a desolate wilderness. As we become more familiar and understanding of our wildlife, the cry of the Timberwolf will no longer strike fear within us, but fill us with a sense of community.

This recording was conceived to both entertain and educate. Therefore, in an effort to create a realistic experience of the Timberwolf in its natural setting, the howling on this disc is sporadic. As I found during the extensive period of gathering the sounds of nature on this disc, these voicings do not always happen when we want them to. And so when you hear the voicings of the Timberwolf and other native wildlife on this disc, it will hopefully occur with a sense of surprise, much like it would in nature.

For those of you who wish to experience firsthand the cry of the Timberwolf, you will increase your chances greatly by closely studying the howling on this release, and by mimicking a howl in an area of nature that is known to be inhabited by Timberwolves. With patience, persistence, and reasonable "howling" skills, you are sure to eventually experience communication with these fascinating creatures. I assure you that it will be an experience that you will not soon forget. (Brian Wright)

Tracklisting:

1. The Timberwolf Environment {50:05}

2. Large Wolf Pack #1 {0:58}

3. Lone Wolf #1 {0:23}

4. Large Wolf Pack #2 {1:50}

5. Lone Wolf #2 {0:19}

6. Large Wolf Pack #3 {1:23}

7. Lone Wolf #3 {0:40}

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Henry Cowell / Lou Harrison- Split Release (CRI)

Henry Cowell/Lou Harrison-Split Release (CRI)

Notes excerpted from the back cover (enclosed):

"No other composer of our age has produced a body of work so radical and so normal,so penetrating and comprehensive" wrote Virgil Thomson of Henry Cowell , and his music embraces "a wider range in both expression and technique than that of any other living composer".

In the fall of 1956, Henry Cowell and his wife Shirley Robertson Cowell, set out on a world tour made possible through the cooperation of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Department of State and the United States Information Agency. It was the intention of the Cowell's to bring to people in other countries further knowledge of American music and to collect and study
the music of other cultures as well. Starting in Ireland, they travelled through Germany and on to Turkey,the Near East and finally India and Japan.

At the special invitation of the government of Iran, the Cowells spent the winter in Tehran. Intrigued bt the special qualities of the music he found there, Cowell decided to compose a work which would express something of the characteristic quality of Persian or Iranian music. Though he has long been interested in the folk expression of other countries, Cowell has never incorporated direct quotation into his works.


Lou Harrison's Suite was commisioned by the Ajemian sisters in 1951. P Glanville-Hicks has written ,among notes describing this suite, that "the Harrison Suite is one of the most delicate and lovely American works of recent years. The sheer grace and joyousness of his style - rememiscent of India - both sacred and secular modes - cannot fail to charm all who hear it".
"The opening Overture is an Allegro in a festive mood of rejoicing: the solo violin draws long, clean lines across a backdrop of piano, tack-piano, celesta, tam-tam (gong), and harp, playing in Gamelan style. Formally, this Overture, as indeed all six section=s of this Suite- is quantitative music; rather than climactic, though high tension points are reached by exciting handling of the melodic curve or by elaboration, and sometimes sudden simplification of the instrumentation. Such devices take the place of the constructed musical climax ot traditionl Western musical thought."

The succeeding movements alternate between elegiac pieces of hushed tranquility and more busy movements which Harrison calls "Gamelans". The slow and quiet sections have been compared to "the acute stillness of high altitudes and their utter removal from time and place". The Gamelans are brilliant with jangling sounds and suggestions of Classic Indonesian and Balinese music(...)

Notes by Oliver Daniel


















Henry Cowell - Persian Set (1957) Dedicated to His Excellency Mohamed Hejazi Malidowle
Four Movements for chamber orchestra

1-Moderato
1-Allegretto
3-Lento
4-Rondo

(Leopold Stowkowski and members of his Orchestra)

Lou Harrison - Suite For Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra (1951)

1-Overture;Allegro
2-Elegy;Adagio
3-First Gamelsn;Allegro
4-Aria;Lento espressivo
5-Second Gamelan;Allegro moderato
6-Chorale

(Leopold Stowkowski and his Orchestra
Anahid Ajemian,Violin
Maro Ajemian,Piano)

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