Environmental Sounds

Yorkshire Records - Environmental Sounds

An LP of two side-long recordings of "nature's music ... recorded live on this planet". These occurred during the summer and autumn in New York (United States).

A Mid-Summer's Thunderstorm

This was recorded in mid-July, near Saratoga, New York. It was one of those hot, heavy summer days when the air pressure increases until your veins are about to burst.

In the blackness forming to the Southwest came the first rumblings. We ran to the studio and set up our microphones. The storm continued to build, the rumblings increased and lightning ignited the horizon. Though it was early afternoon, it appeared to be nearly nighttime. The wind began to blow, the leaves of the maple trees outside began to rustle, and the first drops began to fall. It was incredibly exciting.

The rumblings continued to build slowly, the rain fell quietly. Then suddenly it came, from across the field you could see a wall of rain coming. And it engulfed everything. But the rumblings continued. Then as the rumblings were beginning to die out - lightning struck a tree only a few hundred yards away. There was so much power behind it, it was enough to make your hair stand on end. This was followed by several other sharp cracks, but far less threatening.

Eventually the storm subsided, the sky became light, the rain lessened to a pleasant shower, and the first bird began to tweet. A dog could be heard and the sun came out. Other birds joined in and finally in the Northeast an amazing rainbow appeared against the dark sky.

The record finally ends with a single bird that perched near our microphones warbling through the most amazing repertoire of songs, paying homage to the fresh new world.

The Wind in the Autumn Woods

This was also recorded in upstate New York near Saratoga, but in late October. We were fortunate enough to record this on one of those quiet sunny afternoons, the last few days of Indian summer. The leaves, all red and orange and golden were beginning to fall, and the wind, in the tree tops above was shaking them loose (you may be able to hear some landing near our microphones). As we recorded this, lying on our backs on a bed of leaves and looking up through the lacework of branches above, we found ourselves amazed at how little we'd heard before; the wind coming in such unpredictable gusts, rising and falling with no perceptible pattern; the groups of geese from Canada headed south; the loud squawks of bluejays arriving to spend the winter; birds gathering in flocks preparing to move South (these were a little late, most had left by then); a dog barking and a cow mooing on a farm a half a mile off; a single engine airplane passing over; later a train far off in the distance; and the lonesome cry of crows in an open field about a quarter mile away. The wind subsided and we switched for a close-up to a set of microphones set very close to the leaves - dry and rustling quite loudly. With this close-up you can also hear flies buzzing, playing in the warm sun chasing each other, doing loop-de-loops, and one even landing on the microphone, sitting for a spell then zinging off again.

The wind whistled and whispered, and did all those beautiful things poets celebrate as nature's most intimate music.

Perhaps what fascinates us most about this recording is the purifying effect the wind has. There are times when I listen to this that I can feel that all negative stuff in me that's been collected during the day is being blown away. Whatever it is, it leaves me with a good cleansed feeling and makes a nice background environment, bringing the autumn woods into my room. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. A Mid-Summer's Thunderstorm {23:52}

Side 2

1. The Wind in the Autumn Woods {25:03}

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Structures for Two Pianos

Pierre Boulez - Structures for Two Pianos

Let's get this show back on the road. I meant to have a new post up on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The cord on my AC adaptor broke while I was visiting family and I used up all of the battery on my laptop which is actually my only computer. I didn't have access to my laptop for the past few days until I made it back home where I have a backup AC adaptor.

Performers: Alfons Kontarsky and Aloys Kontarsky

From the liner notes by Tom Carlson:

Dating from 1955, the Structures are revealed upon close examination as a very logical yet complex arrangement of the materials used. In selecting his material, Boulez arranges the tone row to form a quotation from Messiaen's "Mode de valeurs et d'intensites." This passage is notable for its lack of intervals below six; however, in its inversion, it contains only intervals below seven, and the interworking of the two lines against each other gives the work its initial propulsion. To some degree, the working of musical values might well have been determined by computer, but this is true only up to a point, after which the composer must select a direction for the music to take. The notes used, their duration and dynamics are the result of serial technique, plus pre-determined tables to indicate their interaction. The composer has chosen to use all transpositions of his notes in their original form, inversion, cancrizan and inverted cancrizan, each used only once. Again, these are played with or against the previously determined dynamic shadings and time values. Beginning with the Messiaen quotation, the work is essentially "creatio ex everything," considering the wide variety of technical permutation used in the constructon of the work, and the composer's selection of various treatments to which it is subjected.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. band 1 {3:22}

2. band 2 {8:26}

3. band 3 {2:10}

Side B

1. band 1 {8:26}

2. band 2 {10:32}

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A Closet of Curiosities is 3 Years Old

Well, we made it through another year (May 26, 2006 - present). This may seem egotistical for me to post another anniversary or birthday post since I did it last year, but I believe that three years is a milestone in the blogosphere especially of this type of blog. A Closet of Curiosities has come far from an obscure blog with just a few visitors to a semi-obscure blog with more traffic.

I would like to thank H.C. Earwicker and Telvin Bartruss for contributing worthwhile and compelling posts during the past year. I would also like to thank other folks for posting contributions in the comments section including Davis for the Twilight Zone soundtrack box set.

Another thank you goes out to the folks who joined The Closet of Curiosities Fan Club (i.e. followers of this blog) as well as a thank you to those who left comments (except for those that left spam). Sorry, I haven't responded to all of the comments due to lack of time. I read all of them and they are appreciated (except the spam of course). I should also thank people who support this blog by linking to this blog on their blogs, websites and personal social networking pages.

Finally, I would like to thank my visitors for stopping by and checking out the stuff I post. I hope that so far I have accomplished what I set out to do which is for this blog to be an educational resource for electronic, avant-garde, ethnic, environmental/nature, improv and ambient music and sounds as well as the quirky novelty recordings and whatever else I occasionally like to show off to the world.

Looking back on the first post of A Closet of Curiosities, the post sounded ambitious. I am thinking about mixing it up a little by posting about books or visual art for example, but I do not want to stray too far from what I have been doing for the past 2 1/2 years on this blog that I was given. Then again, that is what my Twitter page is for and I need to really update that thing.

I was in the process of planning something special for this day, but a few incidents in real life occupied my attention this past weekend. So all I have is this chocolate cake that I found which looks tempting although I'm not crazy about the font. Dig in.

The Avant Garde String Quartet in the USA

various artists compilation - The Avant Garde String Quartet in the USA

I'm going to be taking the next few days off for the Memorial Day three-day weekend holiday as I'll be spending some time with relatives. Also, I apologize that there will not be a nature/environmental sounds post this upcoming Sunday.

Meanwhile, here is this 3-LP set of interesting string quartet pieces by notable and interesting composers. This should keep everybody busy for a while as there is over 2 hours of music to digest.

Performed by The Concord String Quartet

Mark Sokol - violin

Andrew Jennings - violin

John Kochanowski - viola

Norman Fischer - violincello

released in 1973

From the liner notes by Lejaren Hiller:

The present album is the third part of a projected three volume survey of the development of the American string quartet from its beginnings in colonial times. The first album, "The Early American String Quartet," already released as Vox Box SVBX-5301, contains performances by the Kohon String Quartet of works ranging historically from a string quartet attributed to Benjamin Franklin to works by early 20th-century composers like George Chadwick and Charles Griffes. A projected second album is planned to fill the gap between that set and the present one, which is a survey of the period since the end of World War II.

There is no doubt that writing string quartets appeals to composers today just as in the past. The number of such compositions written during the past twenty-five years by recognized composers both here and abroad is by no means small despite the fact that the contemporary composer often finds it difficult to persuade established performance groups to extend their repertoires beyond the "classics" - especially if his work is technically or stylistically innovative. The Concord String Quartet, here making its recording debut, is a happy exception among these performance groups because it is currently engaged not only in learning a substantial number of works composed in America since World War II but is commissioning new works as well. The performances of the compositions recorded here, all of which have been worked out with the composers, are a first realization of this commitment.

One of the striking characteristics of the contemporary American string quartet literature is its enormous variety, a feature that will be immediately obvious upon listening to the music in this album. There is not a quartet included here that does not exhibit a strong and independent musical profile. Stylistic heterogeniety and healthy eclecticism have always been characteristic traits of the best American Music and the literature here demonstrates that this continues to be so. The particular quartets recorded here provide a distinguished cross-section of what has been written during the past two decades. It goes without saying that this group of works by no means exhausts the list of first-rate compositions for the medium.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Stefan Wolpe - String Quartet: I. 92 {8:10}

2. Stefan Wolpe - String Quartet: II. 144 {8:54}

3. Earle Brown - String Quartet {11:29}

Side 2

1. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: I. Quietly Flowing Along {4:33}

2. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: II. Slowly Rocking {4:56}

3. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: III. Nearly Stationary {10:17}

4. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: IV. Quodlibet {1:19}

Side 3

1. George Crumb - Black Angels (Images II) for Electric String Quartet {22:10}

Side 4

1. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): I. Theme I {1:13}

2. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): II. Variations {5:23}

3. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): III. Theme II {1:16}

4. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): IV. Variations {7:49}

5. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): V. Theme III {1:18}

6. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): VI. Variations {7:56}

7. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): VII. Theme IV {1:09}

Side 5

1. Leon Kirchner - Quartet No. 3 for String Quartet and Electronic Tape {17:37}

2. Christian Wolff - Summer {4:30}

Side 6

1. Jacob Druckman - String Quartet No. 2 {18:14}

2. Morton Feldman - Structures for String Quartet {5:52}

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Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft

Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft - Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft

LP released in 1973

Performers:

Karen Ervin - percussion

Louise DiTullio - flute

Mitchell Lurie - clarinet

Thomas Ervin - trombone

Tape collage by William Malloch on "Encounters IV."

Excerpts from the liner notes by Frederick Lesemann:

Music is a most profoundly social art. True, decades of solitary practice must preced even mere competence by professional standards. But the end, the purpose, is that day of participation in what one knows is a great performance while it is happening. The exhilaration of hearing one's colleagues performing superbly, and having the skill to rise to the occasion, to match them, is overwhelming. It is an ideal to which lies are dedicated.

Small wonder, then, that musicians congregate. And in their association another social dimension of their craft evolves: they learn from each other and the art of music grows. It is normally a slow process. Musicians are a conservative lot. But sometimes it is very rapid - explosive, even. And nowhere has this been more true in recent decades than among percussionists.

...

For Ingolf Dahl the challenge presented by the new means in percussion technique was to find the equivalents, in subtle changes of color, for the details of pitch relationships. When listening to his "Duettino" it is not enough to realize that a drum is being played. One must realize that it is being struck in different places on the instrument. The minute color changes are the percussionist's contribution to a dialogue between the flute and percussion that is the substance of the piece. This is particularly clear in the Fugheta (third movement). The chromatic steps in the fugue subject are reflected in color changes in the drums by striking each instrument in different places on the drum head. Such attention to detail requires particular acuteness both of the performers and of listeners. We hope that the listener will agree that this recording realizes these subtleties with clarity and exactness.

"Encounters IV," by William Kraft, is one of a series of works inspired by the concert series, Encounters, at the Pasadena (California) Museum of Art. It explores the dynamic possibilities of a conflict between the performers. The first movement, 'Strategy,' consists of 12 "attacks" by the trombone (including the message "make war to make peace" in Morse code) and 12 "counterattacks" by the percussion, representing peace. The second movement, titled 'Truce of God' in reference to the Medieval custom of a sabbath respite, employs a variation on "Beata Viscera," from the conductus by the thirteenth century composer Perotin, in the trombone, antiphonal "bell" sounds on gongs, vibraphone and steel mixing bowls, and a tape collage, created by William Malloch, of World War I speeches, songs and other, later materials. It is intended as a representation of the "folly of war, of man's self-deception". The third movement, 'Tactics', is characterized by the composer as "all out war" - the combatants locked in virtuosic battle.

William Malloch offers the following notes to his tape collage for William Kraft's "Encounters": This second movement makes me think of a kind of boneyard wherein War lies, having been put to death, of course, for the last time. The musical ghosts which flit through it are part of the cultural dumping ground. They derive largely from root material I used in the disc "Stars and Stripes and You." Most of it (like "Let's Bury the Hatchet in the Kaiser's Head") comes from World War I, but at the finish we hear equally incredible stuff from more recent times.

What is there in us that makes us get taken in at the time by pompous guff put forward by Harding (WWI), Roosevelt (WWII), and MacArthur (Korea). Just before the final montage an "anthem" made up from old scraps of the Russian Czarist hymn, "God Save the King", the "Hallelujah Chorus", and the "Volga Boatman's Song" tries to emerge from the grave. The scraps hapen almost to spell out a new "anthem" much sung by today's fashionable "underground". But it's made up of old stuff. We should let it fade away.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Frederick Lesemann - Sonata for Clarinet and Percussion {12:29}

2. Ingolf Dahl - Suettino Concertante for Flute and Percussion {10:41}

Side B

1. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: I. Strategy {3:51}

2. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: II. Truce of God {4:54}

3. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: III. Tactics {5:10}

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Music of Henri Lazarof

Henri Lazarof - Music of Henri Lazarof

Third Chamber Concerto for Twelve Soloists (1974)

Performed by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.

The composition is in one movement and its form is defined by the distribution of materials through its continuously shifting groups of duos, trios, quartets, sextets and with occasional appearances of soli. The Third Chamber Concerto continues to explore elements of structural media and textural aspects which were already at work in the preceding two Chamber Concerti: "Espaces" for 10 players and "Omaggio" for 19 players.

Cadence VI for Tuba and Tape (1973)

Performed by Roger Bobo - tuba

It was commissioned by and dedicated to Roger Bobo who first performed it at the First National Symposium at the University of Illinois. A short work of a rather "espressivo" nature, "Cadence VI" uses a tape consisting of pre-recorded tuba.

"Duo-1973" for Cello and Piano

Performed by Gabor Rejto - cello and Alice Rejto - piano

The overall free form allows both performers to explore the work independently as well as equal partners. From a hesitant and rather mystic beginning, the piece progresses through a slow display of its events with a gradual increase in dynamic tensions reaching a climactic ending with a short "Hommage a Ludwig" quotation.

"Adieu" for Clarinet (Bass Clarinet) and Piano (1974)

Performed by Gary Gray - clarinet and Irma Vallecillo - piano

It's introspective character becomes apparent from the very beginning and continues to be the leading element until the very end. Passages marked "as slow as possible" and accompanied with quarter tones and multiphonics are prevalent throughout the composition. (from the liner notes)

Side 1

1. Third Chamber Concerto for Twelve Soloists {12:48}

2. Cadence VI for Tuba and Tape {6:12}

Side 2

1. "Duo-1973" for Cello and Piano {12:57}

2. "Adieu" for Clarinet (Bass Clarinet) and Piano {12:41}

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The Perilous Night (And Other New Sounds in American Music)

Richard Bunger - The Perilous Night (And Other New Sounds in American Music)

Richard Bunger - pianist

This is a recording of the live performances of avant-garde material at Warner Concert Hall on the campus of Oberlin College (Ohio, USA). Only "Prelude No. 4" for piano and electronic tape (1966) by Morton Subotnick was not recorded live, but recorded in a studio to have a separate stereo channel for the electronic tape. A Buchla synthesizer was used for "Prelude No. 4." It says on the back cover that all live performances are unedited.

Here are the selections performed live:

The Perilous Night, Suite for Prepared Piano (1943-44) by John Cage

The prepared piano was originally intended as an accompaniment to dance performances. This piece shows that the prepared piano could also be the center of attention at concerts. Cage's instructions for preparation of the piano for this piece includes the insertion of weather-stripping, flat pieces of bamboo and nuts, bolts and washers inserted between the strings. It takes about a half-hour for experienced pianists of Cage's music to prepare the piano.

TV Koln (1958) by John Cage

This is the first recording of "TV Koln." TV Koln is a television station in Germany that commissioned the work. It is about 32 seconds long. Bunger performs it twice.

Cadence IV (1970) by Henri Lazarof

This piece has moments where the performer plucks and plays the piano strings directly.

37 Songs (1971) by Barney Childs

Childs wrote this piece for a 16 year old student to play in a piano contest. Apparently this piece was too weird for either the student or the people that ran the contest so the student ended up playing something by Samuel Barber. Childs describes his piece as "anti-piano music in that it avoids the offensive (to me) genres both of the Official Masterpiece 19-century sounds, a large portion of the piano repertoire, and the current international-style total-piano piece."

Chorale for Quarter-Tone Piano (1903-04 and/or 1923-24?) by Charles Ives

Ives hoped that his quarter-tone piano music would be performed on a two-keyboard quarter-tone instrument. No such instrument existed at the time. Another performer, Lodi Bunger, was brought in to play the second piano. This was performed on one piano tuned at a normal pitch and on another piano tuned a quarter-tone higher. There is not a mention of who performed on which piano.

From the liner notes by Melody Peterson:

Dick found a copy of John Cage's Perilous Night at the back of a drawer in Brodt's music store in 1966. He was never the same again.
His first prepared piano was like a pregnancy. Every twinge counted for something. The pluck of a penny or a slat of bamboo or a wedge of felt between the strings sent him into ecstasies of a new consciousness.
He tried it out on Charlotte, North Carolina in the fall of 1967. Youngsters in the audience wanted to know how to prepare their pianos. Conservative elders were shocked. Perilous, then 23 years of age, still made waves.
Dick first met its composer in Rock Hill, South Carolina in the spring of '68. Cage was there with the Merce Cunningham dance troupe. In the midst of his laconic narrative in How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run, the composer popped a champagne cork high into the air above the audience and right into Dick's lap. An omen.
Dick gave a command performance of Perilous and Cage offered his autograph on the by-now tattered score:

For Richard Bunger with gratitude for his

bringing this piece again to life. John Cage

In the fall of '68, Dick returned to Oberlin College, the Bach-and-Beethoven land of his undergraduate days. He taught there for a year, helping to radicalize an already astute student population by playing Ives and Cowell oldies, salty theatre pieces and, for the first time, duets with a tape recorder (in Subotnick's Prelude No. 4).

His colleagues composed for him. His repertoire expanded. And Dick moved West. By the end of 1970 he had done a jazz stint at L.A.'s International Hotel and concert premieres of things by Geroge Rochberg, Eliott Schwartz, Randy Coleman, Barney Childs and others. Question-and-answer previews became part of his concert format. His repertoire was all very American, and Dick preferred it that way. Other pianists thoroughly covered the modern European and Asiatic traditions, yet there was much fine new American music needing to be played and heard.

So, from Hawaii to Florida, from London to Berlin to Oslo, Dick lugged his preparation kit, his own specially designed "Bungerack" (a music rack which allows unobstructed access to the innards of the piano) and a suitcase full of tapes, mikes and American manuscripts.

In 1970, Dick offered the premieres of Lazarof's Cadence IV and Ricercar and, in '71, the first U.S. performance of his Textures for piano and orchestra. A Rockefeller grant (also in 1971) enabled Dick to commission additional new piano-and-ensemble works from Jon Appleton and Olly Wilson. Washington D.C.'s National Symphony, Paris' Ensemble Instrumental de Musique Contemporaine and student groups in Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Los Angeles were among the first partners in these adventures.

In 1972, Childs' 37 Songs mystified and enchanted audiences, while ragtime numbers appeared as footstomping encores. In addition to performing and teaching, Dick composed an electronic score for a California State College production of Oedipus Rex and, AT LAST!, completed the writing and illustration of his manual, The Well-Prepared Piano (published by the Colorado College Music Press).
This little book may well be said to mark the end of Dick's first stage and the beginning of his second as a new-music researcher and performer. The Well-Prepared Piano is a tribute to the past - to Cage and a once-scandalous musical technique now accepted with pleasure by most listeners. It is also a guide to the future - a sharing of knowledge directed toward the inquisitive student and gleaned from a tough lot of practical experiences.

This recording, similarly, is marked by the instant past and fleeting present of our future-shock world.
While you are listening to it, Dick may be in his Los Angeles studio playing through one of the dozens of new works he receives each year. He may be on a plane figuring out the logistics for a multi-media piece or examining the score of a work for electronic synthesizer.
Or, he may be standing in an auditorium in Toronto or Tampa answering questions like, "Why don't you play Chopin?" And he will answer that he loves to play Chopin and Brahms and Bach, but that his most important task now is to give us the opportunity to make contact with the music of our time.
Thank you Mrs. Brodt, wherever you are.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. The Perilous Night [composed by John Cage] {10:06}

2. Prelude No. 4 [composed by Morton Subotnick] {6:55}

3. TV Koln [composed by John Cage] {1:37}

Side 2

1. Cadence IV [composed by Henri Lazarof] {8:11}

2. 37 Songs [composed by Barney Childs] {4:38}

3. Chorale [composed by Charles Ives] {3:37}
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Wolpe/Crumb split release

Stefan Wolpe/George Crumb - split release

Trio by Stefan Wolpe

Performers: Trio of the Group for Contemporary Music at Columbia University

Harvey Sollberger - flute

Charles Wuorinen - piano

Joel Krosnik - cello

TRIO, composed in 1963, is an excellent example of Wolpe's late period. In it may be found more or less traditional constructs merged with contemporary attitudes and orderly harmonic processes and thorough development of material combined with logically discontinuous methods of articulating them. One of Wolpe's techniques is his use of unordered pitch groups which, like a scale in tonal music, function as the source for melodic and harmonic events. In the first movement of this Trio, two groups of four pitches are set off against each other, and are projected in constantly changing rhythms, as lines or chords in large or small compasses.

...

The opening of the second movement reflects in detail the totality of the work. The first three phrases are an exposition. Each phrase is constructed traditionally: a referent situation is stated, then varied to become more intense, and then a cadential resolution is defined. For example, the cello states a motive using a core of only three pitches, then varies it and extends it by the addition of new pitches to the field. The variations are so extreme, however, because of their new rhythms and the addition of new intervals, that they create both contrast and continuity simultaneously.

...

Wolpe, then, belongs to no "school." The immediacy and directness of his musical utterances combined with the complexity, even virtuosity, of his composing are uniquely his own. (Edward Levy)

Eleven Echoes of Autumn by George Crumb

Performers: Aeolian Chamber Players

Lewis Kaplan - violin

David Gilbert - flute

Lloyd Greenberg - clarinet

Jacob Maxim - piano

The ELEVEN ECHOES of AUTUMN, 1965 were composed during the spring of 1966 for the Aeolian Chamber Players (on commission from Bowdoin College). The eleven pieces constituting the work are performed without interruption:

Eco. 1. Fantastico

Eco. 2. Languidamente, quasi lontano ("hauntingly")

Eco. 3. Prestissimo

Eco. 4. Con bravura

Eco. 5. Cadenza I (for Alto Flute)

Eco. 6. Cadenza II (for Violin)

Eco. 7. Cadenza III (for Clarinet)

Eco. 8. Feroce, violento

Eco. 9. Serenamente, quasi lontano ("hauntingly")

Eco. 10. Senza misura )"gently undulating")

Eco. 11. Adagio ("like a prayer")

Each of the echi exploits certain imbral possibilities of the instruments. For example, eco 1 (for piano alone) is based entirely on the 5th partial harmonic, eco 2 on violin harmonics in combination with 7th partial harmonics produced on the piano (by drawing a piece of hard rubber along the strings). A delicate aura of sympathetic vibrations emerges in echi 3 and 4, produced in the latter case by alto flute and clarinet playing into the piano strings. At the conclusion of the work the violinist achieves a mournful, fragile timbre by playing with the bow hair completely slack.

The most generative element of Eleven Echoes is the "bell motif" - a quintuplet figure based on the whole-tone interval - which is heard at the beginning of the work. This diatonic figure appears in a variety of rhythmic guises, and frequently in a highly chromatic context.

Each of the eleven pieces has its own expressive character, at times overlaid by quasi-obbligato music of contrasting character, e.g., the "wind music" of the alto flute and clarinet in eco 2 or the "distant mandolin music" of the violin in eco 3. The larger expressive curve of the work is arch-like: a gradual growth of intensity to a climactic point (eco 8) followed by a gradual collapse.

Although Eleven Echoes has certain programmatic implications for the composer, it is enough for the listener to infer the significance of the motto-quote from Federico Garcia Lorca: ". . . y los arcos rotos donde sufre el tiempo" (". . . and the broken arches where time suffers"). These words are softly intoned as a preface to each of the three cadenzas (echi 5-7) and the image "broken arches" is represented visually in the notation of the music which underlies the cadenzas.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Stefan Wolpe - Trio: first part {12:14}

2. Stefan Wolpe - Trio: second part {5:10}

Side B

1. George Crumb - Eleven Echoes of Autumn {15:38}

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Dawn Chorus: The Birds of Morning Pro Musica

Robert J. Lurtsema - Dawn Chorus: The Birds of Morning Pro Musica

LP released in 1984

Birds heard in order on side one and times they appear:

1. [:00] Red-eyed Vireo

2. [:43] Swamp Sparrow

3. [:50] Veery

4. [2:30] Woodpecker (Flicker)

5. [6:30] Rufous-sided Towhee

6. [9:55] Northern Flicker (continues through end)

7. [16:40] Purple Finch

8. [22:20] Tufted Titmouse

Birds heard in order on side two and times they appear:

1. [:00] Whip-poor-will

2. [3:30] Northern Cardinal

3. [4:36] Song Sparrow

4. [7:18] Bobolink

5. [9:55] Northern Creole

6. [11:25] Tree Swallow

7. [14:12] House Wren

8. [14:28] Song Sparrow

9. [20:20] Mockingbird (imitates Phoebe, Killdeer, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Wood Thrush, Cardinal, Flicker, House Wren, Bluebird, Kingfisher, Tree Swallow)

Robert J. Lurtsema was a DJ who hosted the Boston FM station WGBH's classical music morning show, "Morning Pro Musica", that was broadcasted in the New England (northeast) region of the United States. In 1972, Lurtsema started the show everyday with bird songs. The bird songs were popular with the show's audience that there was a demand for an album of bird songs that were heard on the program. The result is this LP. Lurtsema does not speak on the LP. There are only bird songs.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Dawn Chorus side one {22:44}

Side Two

1. Dawn Chorus side two {23:20}

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The Electro-Voice Series D Organ Speaks with Authority

Jon Spong and Ken Nordine - The Electro-Voice Series D Organ Speaks with Authority

This is a demonstration record of the instrument in this album's title. Jon Spong is the organist throughout the album and Ken Nordine is the narrator on side 1. I have to admit that Nordine is the main attraction on this album as I am a fan of his work (Word Jazz, Colors, etc.) although I do enjoy the rich tones emitted by this organ.

The Electro-Voice Series D Organ was produced by the organ division of Electro-Voice, a company specializing in producing audio equipment and sound systems. It is an electronic organ that reproduces well the sounds of authentic massive pipe chruch organs although the liner notes insist that it is not an electronic organ in sound or principle. This particular organ appears to have been a cheap compact alternative for those who did not have the space nor the funds to obtain pipe organs. For some reason, there is not any information about the Electro-Voice Series D Organ on its website. The company doesn't make organs anymore if the lack of mention of organs is any indication.

Electro-Voice self-released this LP.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Introduction and Demonstration of the Electro-Voice Series D Organ {16:54}

Side 2

1. All Glory Be to God on High {1:47}

composed by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

2. The Bottom and Top of the Trumpet {1:55}

composed by Louis N. Clerambault (1676-1749)

3. All Glory, Laud, and Honor {1:39}

composed by Melchoir Teschner (1584-1635)

4. Allegretto, For Glass Harmonica {2:00}

composed by J. G. Naumann (1741-1801)

5. Introit and Chorale, Opus 154 {3:27}

composed by Sigfrid Karg-elert (1879-1933)

6. Prelude on "Greensleeves" {2:28}

composed by Marianne Bahmann

7. Tone Poem for the Pedals {1:10}

composed by Jon Spong

8. Hymn Tune "Olivet" {1:51}

composed by Lowell Mason (1792-1872)

9. The Fourth of July {6:25}

composed by James Hewitt (1770-1827)

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Telemusik/Mixtur

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Telemusik/Mixtur

TELEMUSIK was composed between January and April, 1966, in the studio for electronic music of the Japanese Radio Nippon Hoso Kyokai, Tokyo. During my first 8 or 9 days in Tokyo I could not sleep: one vision came again and again, a vision of sounds, new technical processes, formal relationship, pictures of notation, human relationships - all at once and in a network too tangled up to be unraveled in one logical process. In all this I wanted to come closer to the realisation of an old dream: to take a step further in the direction of composing not "my" music, but a music of the whole world, of all countries and all races. I am certain you will hear them in TELEMUSIK, these mysterious visitors: from the Imperial Japanese court (the Gagaku Players), from the happy isle of Bali, from the southern Sahara, from a Spanish village fiesta, from Hungary, from the Shipibos of the Amazon, from the Omizutori ceremony in Nara, in which I participated for three days and nights, from China - fantastic virtuosity! - from the Kohyasan temple, from the Vietnamese highlands, about whom I read gruesome and distorted news every morning in an American-Japanese newspaper in the hotel, and again from Vietnam, and more fascination from Vietnam (what a wonderful people!), from the Buddhist Jakushiji temple, from the Noh drama "Ho Sho Riu", and who knows from where else. They all wanted to participate in TELEMUSIK, sometimes superimposed and interpenetrating each other. I had my hands full in keeping the unknown world of electronically produced sounds open to these guests - I do not know how I did it, I was moonstruck, but I believe I succeeded in composing this TELEMUSIK.

In MIXTUR [version for small orchestra] (composed 1964, premiere in the North German Radio NDR, Hamburg, November 9, 1965), the sounds of a woodwind group, of a brass group and two string groups - one of which plays predominantly pizzicato - are picked up by microphones; the 4 microphone groups lead to 4 mixers, where sound technicians balance the individual microphones as well as regulate the sum of each group.The output of each mixer goes to a ring modulator. According to instructions of the score 4 other musicians "play" sine-wave generators, whose outputs modulate the instrumental sounds in the 4 ring modulators. The results of this modulation are diffused over 4 loudspeaker groups, hence mixed in with the unmodulated orchestral sound: each instrumental sound thus results in a "mixture" sound.

A fifth orchestral group consists of 3 percussionists, each with a cymbal and a tamtam; these are picked up by contact microphones and amplified over 3 separate loudspeakers.

As a result, highly differentiated composition in timbres, as previously possible only in the field of electronic music, is possible here with orchestral instruments also. (Karlheinz Stockhausen)

Tracklisting:

Seite 1

1. Telemusik {17:11}

Seite 2

1. Mixtur {26:16}

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works by Nono, Maderna and Berio

Nono/Maderna/Berio - works by Nono, Maderna and Berio

Polifonica-Monodia-Ritmica (1951) by Luigi Nono

Performed by the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Bruno Maderna

Richard Adeney - flute; Thea King - clarinet; Stephen Trier - bass clarinet; Robert Burns - saxophone; John Burden - French horn; Susan Bradshaw - piano; Charles Fletcher - percussion; Allan Fry - percussion; Reginald Flower - percussion

recorded in London

Serenata #2 (1954) by Bruno Maderna

Performed by the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Bruno Maderna

Richard Adeney - flute and piccolo; Thea King - clarinet; Wilfred Hambleton - bass clarinet; John Burden - French horn; Philip Jones - trumpet; Susan Bradshaw - piano; Osian Ellis - harp; Charles Fletcher - percussion; James Holland - percussion; Emanuel Hurwitz - violin; Cecil Aronowitz - viola; Adrian Beers - double bass

recorded in London

Differences (1958-1960) by Luciano Berio

conducted by Luciano Berio

uses multi-channel tape

Performers: Jacques Castagner - flute; Walter Lewis - clarinet; Francis Pierre - harp; Walter Trampler - viola; Seymour Barab - cello

recorded in New York City

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Luigi Nono - Polifonica-Monodia-Ritmica {10:08}

2. Bruno Maderna - Serenata #2 {11:21}

Side 2

1. Luciano Berio - Differences {13:49}

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Classical Japanese Koto Music

Izumi-Kai Original Instrumental Group - Classical Japanese Koto Music

Another LP of well performed koto music comprising the known repertoire.

The koto is accompanied by flute ("Rokudan" and "Chidori") and vocals (the last two tracks). No information about the group and individual performers is available. There is some information about the koto in a previous post. More information about the koto is in that post than there is in the liner notes to this LP. The liner notes gives an overview of the history of Japanese music (which is helpful for those new to Japanese music), but any information about the koto itself is absent. That is odd considering that this is supposed to be about the koto itself and the liner notes say that the koto is the most important instrument of Japanese art-music. It is a shame as the music is enticing enough to further interest listeners in wanting to learn more.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Rokudan {6:56}

2. Midare {7:55}

3. Godan-Kinuta {10:18}

Side Two

1. Chidori {10:58}

2. Haru-No-Kyoku {10:02}

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Chinese Classical Music from Hong Kong

various artists compilation - Chinese Classical Music from Hong Kong

Musicians:

Lu Pei Yuen - Pipa (Balloon 4-Stringed Guitar)

Dr. C. K. Wong - Tung Hsiao (Vertical Flute)

Lau Chak - Waun Hsiao (Transverse Flute)

Chan Ching Chi - Kao-hwu & Erh-hwu (Soprano Two-Stringed Violin & Two-Stringed Violin)

Ng Dai Kong - Erh-hwu (Two-Stringed Violin)

Chu Ngai Kong - Erh-hwu (Two-Stringed Violin)

Ng Ka Fai - Erh-hwu (Two-Stringed Violin)

Lau Siu Yee - Chung-hwu (Two-Stringed Viola)

Tsang Han Geung - Da-hwu (Two-Stringed Cello)

Tang Chi Ming - Di-hwu & Shiang-sing (Two-Stringed Bass & 4-Stringed Bass (Guitar)

Chu Hing Cheung - Cheng & That (Harpsichord & Oboe)

Yit Sai - That (Oboe)

Siu Ming - Sheng (Bamboo Mouth-Organ)

Lau Siu Wing - Yang-chin (Dulcimer)

Sum Yung - Da-san Shsien (3-Stringed Tenor Guitar)

Chu Siu Cheung - Da-yuen (4-Stringed Baritone Guitar)

Leung Tung - Da-ku (Drum)

Yown Geung Yit - (Percussion)

Lee Yui Chung - (Percussion)

Luk Ying Kit - (Percussion)

Ho Tim Kei - (Percussion)

Some liner notes that explain the pieces:

The Plum Blossoms (In Three Movements) - Composed by Hang-i of the Chun Dynasty (A.D. 265-420). This ancient melody is one of the most well-known tunes of the Chinese. It was originally written for Yang-chin and Waun Hsiao, and was rearranged by Mr. Hsiao Po Shum for Pipa solo. Mr. Lu Pei-yuen has added the orchestra parts to accompany his own solo renderation. The notes of the solo lines seem to picturise the beautiful plum blossoms gently swaying in the wind. This piece is divided into ten sections: (1) The moon in the hills by the stream (2) The first development of calling to the moon (3) The second development of calling to the clouds (4) The cry of the blue birds (5) The third development of calling to the rivers and the sighing across the river (6) The blowing jade flutes (7) The winds arouse the jades (8) The iron flutes (9) The blossoms swaying in the wind (10) Grand Finale.

Moonlight Over Spring - This song is an ancient melody for pipa attributed to the great maestro Kong Kunlun of the Tang Dynasty. . . . This suite, in ten sections: (1) Bells and drums of the river fortress (2) The moonrise over the east hill (3) The wind round the bend (4) The shadows of the flower twigs (5) The river mist (6) The fisherman's evening song (7) The gentle waves (8) The masts down the river (9) The creaking of the oars (10) finale: describes the poetic scenery of a moonlit night of the rivers in Spring.

Temple Bells & Drums - A recent composition of the famous contemporary musician Mr. Chu Ngai Kong, originally for the Chinese opera "The Purple Hacipin." The melancholic and sad melody outlines the feelings of a maiden praying to the Buddha in the temple.

Acrobatics - Originally used to back acrobatic and Chinese Boxing performances. A happy and masculine composition, this composition dramatises the athletic perfections of the agile performers in their traditional display of classical boxing and acrobatics.

"Song of the Frontier" - Composed by Wong Cheung commonly known as Wong Chao-chun a national beauty and the most beloved imperial concubine of Emperor Yuen Ti of the Han Dynasty in China (about 40 B.C.) At that time the country suffered continuous disturbances and invasions from the Tartars in the north. To attain temporary peace Wong Chao-chun was given away by Yuen Ti as a tribute to appease the Tartar King called Shen Yi.

This suite, a classical Chinese song of considerable length, consists of five short pieces. The two pieces now selected to be played are entitled: "Chao-chun's Lament" and "The Sighs of Sheung Fei". These two pieces sought to describe her journey along the frontier, through the wilderness to the Tartar territory. They also depicted the deserted hills and rocky paths through which she travelled and the dusty sky and heavy clouds under which she rode. The horses neighed with sadness of departure and 'Chao-Chun' burst into tears while holding the 'Pi-Pa' in her arms. The atmosphere could not have been bitterer for she was fully aware that she would never return to her country and her beloved Emperor alive; though she could not help turning her constant thoughts to them. She thus sang of her nostalgia for Han.

All the Blessings - Another composition of the contemporary Chinese composer Mr. Chu Ngai Kong. This song tells the story of a newly elected governor after his success in the imperial examinations touring round his reigning territory and welcomed by the happy people of the town. Beautifully orchestrated, this piece of art has been widely used in this part of the world in festive celebrations.

Rippling Little Brook - A traditional folk song capturing the sentiments of a young maiden longing for her lover by the river.

Separation of the Wild Geese - A composition by Mr. Chu Ngai-kong which tells the sad story of the imperial concubine after her exile to the frontier was called back to the country by the emperor. During her stay with the barbaric prince she had given birth to a boy, but now the time had come for the eternal sorrow of parting, and with tears falling like a string of pearls she bade farewell to her husband and son.

Beating of "Kum-Chi" by Drunkard - Another operatic composition of Mr. Chu Ngai-kong. It tells the story of a spoiled princess who had been torturing her husband, and the poor henpacked royal spouse had after intoxication of wine decided to tame his wife. The composition is humorous and gay, and as usual has the outstanding artistic touches of Mr. Chu.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Hang-i - The Plum Blossoms (In Three Movements) {4:12}

2. Kong Kunlun - Moonlight Over Spring {9:47}

3. Chu Ngai Kong - Temple Bells & Drums {3:51}

4. [uncredited artist] - Acrobatics {2:09}

Side 2

1. Wong Cheung - "Song of the Frontier" {4:44}

2. Chu Ngai Kong - All the Blessings {4:02}

3. Dr. C. K. Wong - Rippling Little Brook {3:22}

4. Chu Ngai Kong - Separation of the Wild Geese {4:34}

5. Chu Ngai Kong - Beating of "Kum-Chi" by Drunkard {3:47}

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Songs and Sounds of the Orient

Japan Air Lines - Songs and Sounds of the Orient

LP released in 1966

A custom recording by Japan Air Lines. A high fidelity guide to the enchantment that awaits you in Japan, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. Japan Air Lines invites you to listen to the exciting Orient. Recorded exclusively for this special album, here is a preview of some of the charms and delights that await you on your tour:

Japan - sounds: "Kabuki" Woodblocks, Ginza Traffic, "Chin-don-ya" Musicians, Miniature Shrine Parade, Street Float, Department Store, Tokyo Station, Wind Bells, Young "Geisha", "Tempura" Cooking, Waitresses, "Kabuki" Dance, Symphony Concert, "Geisha" Party, "Sake" House, Potato Vendor, Noodle Vendor, Fire Warden

The Orient - sounds: HONG KONG - Gongs, Street Voices, Tailor Shop, Bamboo Fiddle, Cable Car, Station Bell, "Sampan", Floating Restaurant, Chinese Opera, Watch Store, Gongs. BANGKOK - Temple Bells, Buddhist Monks, Tropical Birds, Motorcycle Taxi, Jewelry Store, Indian Flute, Motorboat, Tourists, Silk Weaving, Thai Dance, Thai Boxing, Buddhist Monks. SINGAPORE - Moslem Prayer, Buddhist Prayer, Hindu Music, Street Voices, Puppet Show, Sword dance, Malay Music, JAL Hostess.

Side One - Japan

1. Sounds {9:07}

2. Introduction to Songs {0:20}

3. Tanko-Bushi (Coal Miner's Song) {1:27}

4. Soran-Bushi (Fisherman's Song) {3:13}

5. Medley: Children's Play Songs {2:10}

6. Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) {3:20}

Side Two - The Orient

1. Sounds {11:23}

2. Introduction to Songs {0:16}

3. A-ri-rang (Korean-Lover's Lament) {1:34}

4. Tancha Meh (Okinawan-Fisherman's Song) {1:36}

5. Chuern Mong Chum Kwen (Chinese-Orchestral, Modern Jazz Idiom) {1:50}

6. Imam (Malaysian-Orchestral, Modern Jazz Idiom) {2:21}

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Sounds of the Dolphin

Sounds of Nature - Sounds of the Dolphin

I would like to wish all of the mothers out there, happy Mother's Day. I know that Mother's Day does not fall on this day for some of my visitors' home countries, but they are included on this day anyway. I guess this is a good post as any for Mother's Day as mothers seem to like dolphins as they see them a lot with their kids either at an aquarium or on the open seas.

Don't forget to let your mother know that she is appreciated not only on this day, but often throughout the year.

Tracklisting:

1. Sounds of the Dolphin {26:42}

* note - both sides of the cassette are the same

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Didgeridoo Meditations

Phil Jones - Didgeridoo Meditations

From the liner notes:

Phil Jones combines thirty years of spiritual practice with the didgeridoo, an aboriginal ceremonial drone instrument originating from his homeland of Australia.

Phil's present focus is to share didgeridoo healings, in which he uses the didgeridoo to balance an individual's energy field.

Bio of Phil from his webpage:

Phil Jones, also known as "Shiva", is a musician who has performed extensively as a Blues-Jazz-Rock artist throughout Australia, the UK, Europe and the US since 1966. Phil began his career as a Blues singer, and was the first Australian to have a hit Blues single. During the late 60's and early 70's, Phil's career continued in the UK and Europe with the band Quintessence (compilation CD's available from cdworld.com). It was with this band, as the lead singer and song writer, that Phil was able to successfully blend Hindu chants and Eastern philosophies into a current rock format. During this time, Phil met his spiritual master, Swami Ambikananda in London and spent seven years studying his universal philosophy on life and spirituality. Quintessence recorded five albums and also performed two solo concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He has also made extensive radio and television appearances in California, New York, Europe and Australia. For the past 30 years Phil has travelled the world using sound as a form of healing and meditation.

In subsequent years, Phil spent time in his native country of Australia learning the didgeridoo from the Australian Aborigines. Already having an appreciation for the healing qualities of ancient Hindu chants, Phil recognized the similar vibrational characteristics of the 10,000 year old Aboriginal instrument, and soon began to explore its exceptional tones in combination with those derived from other indigenous cultures. Phil was a liason to the Board of Directors for the Spirit Of The Land Foundation in Australia, a non-profit organization that endeavors to preserve Aboriginal culture and bring their message of sustainability and healing to the world, and he was affiliated with Dr. Deepak Chopra's The Chopra Center For Well Being in San Diego, California.

cassette released in 1995

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. track 1 {3:58}

2. track 2 {16:10}

Side 2

1. track 3 {5:21}

2. track 4 {0:05}

3. track 5 {0:06}

4. track 6 {0:09}

5. track 7 {0:11}

6. track 8 {7:14}

7. track 9 {8:07}

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CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 3: University of Illinois

various artists compilation - CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 3: University of Illinois

Yesterday student works were presented. Today, a compilation of works by the faculty of the University of Illinois is presented. This came out during the same year, 1989, as the compilation posted yesterday.

From the liner notes: This is the third in a series of digital recordings of new computer music compositions, created by composers working at major American computer music centers affiliated with CDCM: Consortium to Distribute Computer Music. CDCM's purpose is to create and distribute worldwide a recorded and documented repertoire of the best new computer music. CDCM establishes the highest possible recording standards, set and maintained by the charter studios, including Bregman Electronic Music Studio at Dartmouth, CEMI: Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia at the University of North Texas, Center for Contemporary Music at Mills, Experimental Music Studios and Computer Music Project at Illinois, Winham Laboratory at Princeton, and iEAR Studios at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been a hotbed for computer and electronic music activities since the late 1950's, when Lejaren Hiller began his experiments in computer-assisted composition, a first in the world, and founded the Experimental Music Studios (Scott Wyatt, current director). Over the years EMS has served as a lab for analog and digital synthesis and as an umbrella for other related activities. Computer synthesis and analysis projects were begun in 1966. In 1984 a separate lab, the Computer Music Project (James Beauchamp, director), was established for research and compositional projects requiring original software and tools for sample input/output.

Tracklisting:

1. Salvatore Martirano - Sampler: Everything Goes When the Whistle Blows {11:37}

2. John Melby - Chor der Waisen {10:18}

3. Sever Tipei - Cuniculi, for five tubas {10:36}

4. Scott A. Wyatt - Still Hidden Laughs {8:39}

5. Herbert Brün - i toLD You so! {13:06}

6. Carla Scaletti - sunSurgeAutomata {5:09}

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