The New Music

various artists compilation - The New Music

All pieces performed by the Rome Symphony Orchestra (Bruno Maderna, conductor).

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Kontra-Punkte (for 10 instruments)

Frederick Rzewski - pianist

My 'Kontra-Punkte' sprang from the idea that in a multiple world of sound, with individual sounds and time relations, conflicts must be solved in such a way that a condition is reached in which only something homogeneous and immutable is perceived. The work is in only one movement. Six different 'tone color' groups are used: flute-bassoon, clarinet-bass clarinet, trumpet-trombone, piano, harp, violin-cello (three pairs of wind instruments blown differently and three kinds of stringed instruments struck, plucked and bowed respectively). These different tone colors merge into a single one: the struck strings of the piano. The other instruments drop out one after the other in this order: trumpet, trombone, bassoon, violin, bass clarinet, harp, clarinet, cello and flute. (Karlheinz Stockhausen)

Krzysztof Penderecki - Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (for 52 strings)

"Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" constitutes an unprecedented example of the use of string sonorities. The basic sonic material of "Threnody" consists of: 1) the highest possible sounds on the stringed instruments, obtained by placing the finger on the string right next to the bowing point...; 2) "tone clusters" - absolutely solid bands of sound consisting of all the pitches contained within specific vertical sections....

This cataclysm of sound is arranged in a clear formal structure, which places the listener within a compass of recognizable proportions, with events that are worked out in accordance with a well-calculated plan. And above all, there is beneath this musical exhibitionism the fire of a passionate civil sense and of heartfelt compassion for the victims of violence. In the midst of the blasts and the horrors of the atomic bombing, the few notes the strings play in normal position assume the ancient force of primeval song and of noble compassion for all living things.

Earle Brown - Available Forms I (for chamber ensemble)

"Available Forms I," a work for 18 performers, was composed in 1961 on commission from the city of Darmstadt. In this work the aleatory principle - freedom of choice in performance - is carried to the extremes of an "open form," which is composed each time by the performers, who are provided with only a few elements together with a few instructions for their use. The score consists of six loose pages, with four or five "events" on each page. The conductor may begin with any "event" on any page and continue from one page to another, with or without repetitions and omissions of "events" and pages, combining them any way he wants and stopping on any page and any "event" he chooses. In the orchestra, all six pages of parts can be seen at the same time by the performers, and the conductor indicates where they are to play by moving an arrow around on a large board, placed in full view of all performers and bearing the numbers 1 to 6.

The instruments used are: flute, oboe, clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, piano, first and second violin, viola, cello and double bass plus two groups of percussion, one of which includes chimes, marimba and timpani, the other xylophone, vibraphone and also timpani.

Henri Pousseur - Rimes pour differentes sources sonores

The nature and purpose of "Rimes pour differentes sources sonores" is explained by the title: to combine (rhyme) electronic sounds recorded on magnetic tape with instrumental sounds. The sound sources are set against each other, reminding some of the 16th-century example of broken or answering choirs in St. Mark's.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Karlheinz Stockhausen - Kontra-Punkte {11:28}

2. Krzysztof Penderecki - Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima {9:34}

Side 2

1. Earle Brown - Available Forms I {8:45}

2. Henri Pousseur - Rimes pour differentes sources sonores {13:34}

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New Electronic Music from Leaders of the Avant-Garde

various artists compilation - New Electronic Music from Leaders of the Avant-Garde

"I believe that the use of noise to make music will continue and increase until we reach a music produced through the aid of electrical instruments that will make available for musical purposes any and all sounds that can be heard."

This statement was made by John Cage as long ago as 1937. Yet, with a few "pre-historic" exceptions, it was not until the development of magnetic recording tape around 1950 that the fulfillment of this prophecy began to be truly realized. The establishment of tape studios in Paris, Cologne, Milan, New York and elsewhere enabled composers to create finished works directly on tape, utilizing both electronically generated signals and live sounds recorded through microphones. In both cases, the sounds could be further processed by electronic modification or tape manipulations. Henri Pousseur's "Trois visages de Liège" elegantly illustrates the refinement which can be achieved with such "classic" studio practice.

With the aid of such new musical resources, composers have pursued two increasingly divergent interests, the first leading toward the invention and discovery of "any and all sounds that can be heard," the second toward precise control over musical materials beyond the limits of the human performer. To facilitate such control, particularly over rhythmic problems, sophisticated programming devices, such as the RCA Music Synthesizers, the Moog Synthesizers and high-speed digital computers have been employed. Enabling the composer to specify precise values of frequency, amplitude, duration and succession of all sound events, such devices produce a completed tape composition requiring little or no editing. Milton Babbitt's "Ensembles for Synthesizer" is an eminent example of works in this genre.

To composers whose demands had already exceeded the capabilities of most instrumentalists, the elimination of the performer was most welcome, assuring a perfect "performance" every time. To others, more interested in questions of of process and change, chance and indeterminacy, plus the actions and interactions of human performers, the medium of fixed tape music seemed increasingly "deadly." Thus, in the late 1950's, a number of musicians began experimenting with "live" electronic performances. Foremost among these were John Cage (whose live electronic works actually extend back to "Imaginary Landscape No. 1", of 1939) and David Tudor. (From the liner notes by Richard Teitelbaum)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. John Cage - Variations II {26:02}

David Tudor - piano

Side 2

1. Milton Babbitt - Ensembles for Synthesizer {10:32}

2. Henri Pousseur - Trois visages de Liège {17:35}

I. L'Air et l'eau

II. Voix de la ville

III. Forges

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Electronic Music/Musique Concrete

various artists compilation - Electronic Music/Musique Concrete: A Panorama of Experimental Music, Volume 1

Recorded under the supervision of Pierre Henry, in collaboration with the sound laboratories of the West German Radio, Italian Radio, French Radio and Television, and Studio Apsome in Paris.

The liner notes say:

Electronic music and musique concrete offer incredible possibilities to composers of imagination and vision. The works of eleven such composers are represented on these two discs and the rich diversity in approach and achievement testifies to the full blown presence of a new and vital art form.

In our century, one of a composer's principal functions has been to explore his environment and translate his discoveries into meaningful sonic symbols. Viewed from this angle, the development of electronic music and musique concrete over the past twenty years has followed a course of inevitability; creative artists are interpreting our contemporary life with sounds uniquely expressive of man's flight into technology and space.

In this album the listener will encounter some fascinating music that gives exciting artistic expression to the moods and tenors of today.

Note: There is a fragment of the first LP that has been broken. That means only the first tracks on each side of this LP are unplayable. All other tracks play okay. Apologies in advance for those missing tracks, but the music on this compilation is essential electronic music which makes this still worthy of posting.

UPDATE: Check the comments for the missing tracks. Thanks hamor.
ANOTHER UPDATE: The missing tracks provided by hamor are provided in the files.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Luciano Berio - Momenti {7:06}

2. Luciano Berio - Omaggio a Joyce {6:16}

3. Bruno Maderna - Continuo {8:03}

Side 2

1. Luc Ferrari - Visage V {10:37}

2. Iannis Xenakis - Orient-Occident {10:38}

3. Francois Dufrene and Jean Baronnet - U 47 {3:28}

Side 3

1. Mauricio Kagel - Transition I {12:55}

2. Herbert Eimert - Selection I {9:45}

Side 4

1. Pierre Henry - Entité {5:40}

2. György Ligeti - Artikulation {3:45}

3. André Boucourechliev - Texte I {6:12}

4. Henri Pousseur - Scambi {6:16}

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Pierre Boulez Conducts The Domaine Musical Ensemble

The Domaine Musical Ensemble - Pierre Boulez Conducts The Domaine Musical Ensemble

Excerpts from the liner notes:

Arnold Schoenberg - Verklaerte Nacht, Op. 4

Arnold Schoenberg composed the string sextet VERLAERTE NACHT in three weeks during a holiday he took in September of 1899, when he was twenty five years old. The premiere performance took place in Vienna in 1903. Together with Guerrelieder and the symphonic poem Pelleas at Melisande, Verklaerte Nacht is one of the most significant works of Schoenberg's first creative period, full of the flamboyant expressiveness traceable across the metamorphosis of his musical language and that of the Vienna School. Undeniably, there are traces here of Wagner: harmonically, we are reminded of Tristan. The specific nature of Schoenberg's chromaticism, however, unlike Wagner's is linear and transcends tonal control.
Although cast in a unified mould, Verkaerte Nacht is in five parts that follow closely the construction of the poem by Richard Dehmel, that inspired the work. On the one hand, the work is rhythmically unstable and modulates constantly when the two persons express themselves (the woman's confession, etc.). On the other hand, when presenting the idea of place (moonlit universe, gently starlit night, etc.) the tonalities become fixed and rhythms more stable.
The work is often performed in Schoenberg's own transcription for string orchestra, but the version here presented is the original one for string sextet.

Jean-Claude Eloy - Equivalences

The title "Equivalences" refers to numerous aspects of the piece and should be interpreted in the sense of an equilibrium between contrasting forces. In the simplest terms, there is the deployment of musical instruments: A triple symmetry in an arc formed by 6 percussionists, 3 groups of winds and piano-celesta with harp. On a higher plane, we may regard it as a depiction of the contrasting elements that make up the work; density: zero to maximum; registers: fixed to mobile; coordination: absolute to relative, etc. The whole form itself reflects these oppositions, this dialectic play, whence derives a contrasting sonority, an extension of the dynamic field.
Certain structures are variable from one performance to another, utilizing modifiable intensities that affect mainly the duration of the percussion instruments' resonances, to illustrate: a contrast is created between wind instruments producing long held sounds on the one hand, and on the opposite side are percussion instruments, piano, harp, etc., producing sounds of rapid growth and decay. Bit by bit, these sounds are drawn closer until they are confronted. The movement continues, until the sounds are at their initial state, but on opposite sides: the winds producing "pointed" sounds, while the percussion instruments, by means of complicated trills, etc., produce long held sounds. Henri Pousseur describes this development as an "arc of duration".
Equivalences had its premiere performance at the Darmstadt Festival in July 1963 under the direction of Pierre Boulez.

Henri Pousseur - Madrigal III

HENRI POUSSEUR was born at Malmedy, Belgium in 1929. He studied at the Liege and Bruxelles Conservatoires from 1947 to 1953. From 1954 to 1957 he worked at the electronic music studios of Radio Cologne and Milano. He is co-founder and, since 1958, director of the APELAC studio in Bruxelles. He has authored important theoretical works on contemporary music, and has given lecture cycles at Darmstadt and other centres.
Madrigal III for clarinet, violin, cello, 2 percussion instruments and piano was composed in the spring of 1962 and dedicated to the memory of Wolfgang Steinecke, since 1945 the daring promoter of the Darmstadt Festival.
This work comprises almost all of Madrigal I, written four years earlier for clarinet solo. For Pousseur, the earlier work represented a first and almost unconscious attempt to reactivate the harmonic values that post-Webernian music had almost neutralized. Pousseur made a more resolute attempt in this direction in Votre Faust. In Madrigal III, this reactivation is still dependent on dodecaphonic material, and crystalizes around a process of frequent and variable repetition of the constituent notes of an harmonic "field".

Tracklisting:

SIDE 1

1. Arnold Schoenberg - Verklaerte Nacht, Op. 4 {28:27}

SIDE 2

1. Jean-Claude Eloy - Equivalences {8:28}

2. Henri Pousseur - Madrigal III {12:00}

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Piano Avant-Garde Recordings

David Tudor - Piano Avant-Garde Recordings 1956-60

* originally posted on October 31, 2006

This breakthrough collection by Hat of David Tudor's recordings of his contemporaries (with a guest appearance by John Cage on two Christian Wolff duos) -- Cage, Cardrew, Evangelisti, Nilsson, Pousseu, and Wolff -- is a bird's eye view of a turbulent two years in the development of the music after the Second Viennese School's and in the shadow of that being made by Stravinsky and Messiaen. Of the selections here, Tudor is obviously the most sympathetic to the pieces by Cage and Wolff, given that in all likelihood he was nearby when they were being composed, and that, at least in Cage's case, 'Music for Piano, No. 52-56' was written especially for him. These works, especially the duos with Cage, have that ethereal brilliance and excitement associated with them that only something new can provide, the shifting aesthetics, the reliance on the instrument as a sounding board rather than as a set of keys, and the ability for chance operations to influence the whole of a composition rather than a measure or two. The duos by Wolff are articulating a new language too, in that here Tudor is playing the keys and Cage is playing the inside of the piano, bending notes, hammering others, forcing an exchange of harmonics at the intervals. Cardrew's 'Sonata No. 3' is notable for its insistence on using serialism in order to break it down into essentials of movement and flux. Also there is Wolff's 'For Piano With Preparations' that takes up the last 11 and a half minutes of the disc, which is an eye-opener into the experimentation going on with tonalities and the sonority of the physical instrument itself. Tudor is diligent in his pursuit of the notes. No matter how strange they may sound to him in their resonance, he paces the score out, and filters anything but its purest direction as Cage moves the nuts, bolts, woodblocks, and stones around inside. This is a wonderful volume, and is essential to anyone interested in the music of the New York School or the developing trends in light of the death of serialism. And for those interested in sound quality, it's a Hat recording; the label is its own stamp of excellence. (Thom Jurek, AMG)

track 1 composed by John Cage
track 2 composed by Cornelius Cardew
track 3 composed by Franco Evangelisti
track 4 composed by Bo Nilsson
track 5 composed by Henri Pousseur
track 6 composed by Christian Wolff
track 7 composed by Christian Wolff
track 8 composed by Christian Wolff

Tracklisting:

1. Music for Piano No. 52-56 {13:20}

2. Piano Sonata No. 3 {12:10}

3. Proiezioni sonore {4:50}

4. Quantitaten fur Klavier {4:00}

5. Impromptu et Variations II {6:05}

6. Duo for Pianists I [with John Cage] {4:05}

7. Duo for Pianists I (2nd version) [with John cage] {4:10}

8. For Piano with Preparations {11:26}

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