Four Compositions by the Contemporary Greek Innovator

Iannis Xenakis - Four Compositions by the Contemporary Greek Innovator

Atrees (Hommage a Pascal) for 10 instruments

Performed by Paris Instrumental Ensemble for Contemporary Music, Konstantin Simonovich, conductor

Atrees (Hommage a Pascal) received its first performance in Paris, in 1962. Under the direction of Konstantin Simonovitch who leads the performance heard on this recording. Written for ten instruments, Atrees is in five parts and utilizes the stochastic program of ST/10, an earlier work of Xenakis.
The composition of both pieces required use of the IBM 7090. This particular equipment - developed for the electronic computation of calculus - enabled the composer to establish the timings essential to his musical idea. It also served to advance his thesis and goal of creating ". . . a form of composition which is not the object in itself, but an idea in itself, that is to say, the beginnings of a family of compositions."

Morisma-Amorisma

Performed by Georges Pludermacher - piano; Jean-Claude Bernede - violin; Paul Boufil - cello; Jacques Cazauran - double bass; Konstantin Simonovich, conductor

Again using the program of ST/10, Xenakis composed Morisma-Amorisma for the instrumental combination of piano, violin, cello and double bass. It was first performed in Athens, 1962, under the direction of Lukas Foss. The title is derived from "Moros": meaning fate of death. Morisma refers to that which occurs as an act of fate and Amorisma (with the private a added), signifies that which happens without the interference of fate. "Today," according to Xenakis, "the theory of probabilities refines and clarifies the ancient idea of fate, destiny, choice, causality and determinism."

ST/4

Performed by The Bernede String Quartet (Jean-Claude Bernede & Jacques Prat - violins; Bruno Pasquier - viola; Paul Boufil - cello

ST/4, for string quartet, was also programmed in the manner of ST/10. The complete title, ST/4-1.080262, signifies: ST for stochastic (music), 4-1 for the fact that it is Xenakis' first work for four instruments, and 080262 for the eighth of February, 1962, the date on which calculations were completed on the IBM 7090. As in the case of Nomos Alpha, listeners will note that Xenakis has written for strings in the style which he first introduced in 1954 for Metastasis; primarily featured are such treatments as glissandi with the bow, or in pizzicati, or in col legno, tapping on the back of the instrument. ST/4 was premiered in 1962, by the Bernede String Quartet, in Paris.

Nomos Alpha

Performed by Pierre Penassou - cello

Nomos Alpha is Xenakis' second composition for solo instrument, being preceded by the earlier Herma for solo piano. Radio Bremen commissioned the work for cellist Siegfried Palm, who gave its first performance in 1966. According to the composer, "Nomos" signifies "rules, laws" but also in music, "special, particular melody" and sometimes "mode." Nomos Alpha was written "to render 'hommage' to the lasting work of Aristoxenus of Tarentum (fourth century B.C., student of Aristotle), musician, philosopher and mathematician-founder of the theory of music; to Evariste Galois, mathematician-founder of the theory of groups; and to Felix Klein, his distinguished successor." (Harry Neville)


Note: The first 4 and a half minutes of "Nomos Alpha" has rough crackle that I was unable to get rid of. If I ever find another copy in better shape, I'll re-rip that track.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Atrees (Hommage a Pascal): 1st Part {4:29}

2. Atrees (Hommage a Pascal): 3rd Part {5:54}

3. Atrees (Hommage a Pascal): 5th Part {2:21}

4. Atrees (Hommage a Pascal): 2nd Part {1:37}

5. Atrees (Hommage a Pascal): 4th Part {2:54}

6. Morisma-Amorisma {11:38}

Side Two

1. ST/4 {12:56}

2. Nomos Alpha {17:34}

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Computer Music

Lejaren Hiller, Robert Baker and John Melby - Computer Music

Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata (1963)

Performers: University of Illinois Contemporary Chamber Players; Helen Hamm, soprano; Jack McKenzie, conductor

We wrote the COMPUTER CANTATA in 1963 to illustrate what we could do with the relatively few subroutines we had at that time.
The five main strophes are stochastic settings of five successive approximations of spoken English. These texts were generated by Professors Hultzen, Allen, and Miron of the University of Illinois as an experiment in speech research. The music is correlated to these texts and goes from a state of great disorder in Strophe I to some degree of order by Strophe V. The Prologs and Epilogs, in contrast to the Strophes themselves, are concerned with rhythmic organization for percussion, total serialism and scales of 9 to 15 tones per octave realized by a simple sound synthesis scheme devised for the CSX-1 computer. We deliberately left this synthetic sound crude.
Much nonsense has been written about computers 'thinking' and 'creating'. After all, a computer is really nothing more than a complex array of hardware. It can be tremendously useful hardware, however, but only if you know the limitations of programming logic and how to ask sensible and precisely formulated questions.
Should a person listen to this piece as he might 'ordinary music'? Yes, I think, but with this important qualification: It is much more didactic than expressive compared to most music. This piece is truly experimental because it is concerned with revealing process as well as being final product. It is an embodiment of objective research results. It is a laboratory notebook. Sometimes the results surprise us because a compositional routine seemed less effective than expected, sometimes more so. If I had deleted everything that disturbed me esthetically, I would have falsified the research record. So, at that time, my objective in composing music by means of computer programming was not the immediate realization of an esthetic unity, but the providing and evaluaton of techniques whereby this goal could eventually be realized. (Lejaren Hiller)

John Melby - 91 Plus 5 (1971)

Performers: Brass Quintet and Computer Contemporary Brass Quintet (Elin Frazier, Daniel Orlock, Edward Curenton, Robert Moore, Jonathan Dornblum) conducted by Roman Pawlowski

91 PLUS 5 (the title refers to nothing more than the fact that the piece is scored for an electronic tape realized on an IBM 360/91 digital computer and five brass instruments) is a composition in nine sections which combine to form one continuous movement. the first through eighth sections form a large arch-form, with the first related to the eighth, the second to the seventh, etc. The ninth section serves as a 'coda'. Each pair of related sections emphasizes a different aspect of the basic rhythmic/pitch materials. In addition, the related sections correspond in terms of tempo relationships, 'timbral' considerations, etc.
Composers who make use of digital computers in their pieces can be divided into two general categories: 1) those who use the computer as an aid to composition and 2) those for whom the computer serves as an incredibly flexible performing medium. My use of the computer falls into the latter class. In 91 PLUS 5 (and in all my other works for digital computer, either in combination with live performers or alone), the computer is programmed to produce a digital tape that contains a series of numbers which, when changed through the digital-to-analog conversion process, produce fluctuating voltages. These voltages, when recorded on an ordinary magnetic tape and amplified, produce musical sounds. Thus, while the computer is actively involved in the performance of the work, it is not involved in the compositional process. The great precision inherent in computer performance makes it possible to produce effects (such as accurate rendering of passages in simultaneous different tempi) which are impossible, or at best very difficult to achieve, with live instrumentalists. In addition, the unlimited 'timbral' possibilities offer much room for experimentation. In the case of 91 PLUS 5, I have purposely limited myself to relatively simple sounds in the computer part; this is due to a desire to obtain sounds which contrast with the 'richness' of the harmonic spectra of the brasses.
91 PLUS 5 was composed in late 1970 and early 1971. The computer tape was realized, using the MUSIC360 sound synthesis sprogram written by Barry Vercoe, at the Princeton University Computer Center, with digital-to-analog conversion at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey. The composition was first performed in April of 1972, by the performers on this record, at the National Conference of the American Society of University Composers in Baltimore, Maryland. (John Melby)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata: I. Prolog to Strope I; Strope I {6:25}

2. Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata: II. Prolog to Strophe II; Strophe II {2:02}

3. Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata: III. Prolog to Strophe III; Strophe III; Epilog to Strophe III {5:34}

4. Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata: IV. Strophe IV; Epilog to Strophe IV {3:11}

5. Lejaren Hiller and Robert Baker - Computer Cantata: V. Strophe V; Epilog to Strophe V

Side 2

1. John Melby - 91 Plus 5 {19:49}

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The Contemporary Contrabass

various artists compilation - The Contemporary Contrabass

Performers:

Bertram Turetzky - contrabass
Nancy Turetzky - flutes (side two, track 1)
Ronald George - percussion (side two, track 1)

The performer of today's new music isn't simply someone who picks up his instrument in the studio and plays through invariant material ("learn your Haydn sonatas and you're in the money"). The works presented on this record are the result of close and extensive collaboration at a variety of levels, from the interactions of the improvisation asked for in Pauline Oliveros' Outline to the intricate technical problems in engineering required by Ben Johnston's Casta Bertram. What you hear, therefore, is virtuosic at every level, in realization, performance, recording, and electronic treatment, collaboratively.
...
The recent spate of recordings of the music of John Cage seems to have largely ignored his instrumental compositions. One of the major contemporary string works, 26'1.1499" for a String Player, written in 1955, is one of these; it is to be hoped that this premiere recording of the work will bring it the attention it deserves from string players. Cage's notes on the work are important:

26'1.1499" for a String Player is graphed like 59 1/2" for a String Player . . . but in actual time, the amount of space equalling a second being given at the top of the pages. The compositional means were complex involving both chance operations and observations of the imperfections in the paper upon which the piece was written. . . . The rhythmic structure is 3, 7, 2, 5, 11. This piece may be segmented at structural points indicated by dotted lines and the segments superimposed in any way to make duets, trios, quartets, etc

...
Pauline Oliveros, for many years one of the moving forces in the San Francisco Tape Center, is also most prominently represented on recordings by electronic music, to the unfortunate neglect of her instrumental compositions. Miss Oliveros' years of work with improvisation, both as performer and as teacher, are reflected in Outline, which, in her words, "presents performers with an opportunity to improvise in several ways: to choose pitches according to the given contour, to make rhythms in the spaces provided, and to improvise without directions within a given time length. The written material provides the influence for the style of improvisation." The work was written in 1963 for Mr. Turetzky and his wife Nancy, and premiered in May of that year by the Turetzkys at Yale University. Miss Oliveros, a colleague of Mr. Turetzky's on the UCSD music faculty, worked with the performers and the engineer to assure the authoritative quality of this recording.
...
Casta Bertram [by Ben Johnston] is a realization of Casta* (the first of 4 Do-It-Yourself Pieces [1969]; the other three are Recipe for a*; Conference, A Telephone Happening; and Knocking Piece II). The score for Casta* as provided below also requires a circuit schematic which may be devised by the performer working with his own engineer or may be obtained from the composer in the version used for the premiere.
.

Choose 4 stage locations: (1) to record; (2) (elevated) to type, with voice mike and contact mike for typewriter; (3) (spotlighted) to perform live against tape loops recorded earlier in performance; and (4) to record (technician with 3 tape recorders, minimum 3 loudspeakers, 3 tape loops, mixers, 3 mikes as described, earphones for technician and performer). Prepare sound and score components: (1) 4 segments, 45 seconds each, of vocal and instrumental noises, at leadt 1/3 vocal, many scatological; (2) a list of these noises clearly identifying each; (3) 25 standard repertory excerpts, from very brief to a phrase or two in length, many virtuosic.

Sequence of events: (1) Record segment 1 on loop 1. (2) Record segment 2 mixed with segment 1 on loop 2. (3) Record segment 3 mixed with mixtures of segments 1 and 2 on loop 2. (4) Record segment 4 mixed with mixture of segments 1, 2, and 3 on loop 1. (During above sequence, repeat last sound of each segment until next is set to record.) (5) After segment 4, go to typewriter while repeating final sound. (6) Type on file cards 25 of the sounds listed, while humming, whistling, and otherwise travestying your repertory excerpts. (During [6], technician records 45 seconds of it on loop 2. He also takes out one second of loop 3 and splices it into loop 1.) (7) Go to spotlight area, shuffling file cards, while technician begins to play back loops. (8) Perform repertory excerpts one by one. After each, perform noise on top file card, throwing card into audience. After excerpt 24 throw away score of excerpts also. (During [7] and [8], technician begins loops one by one, building volume until last 45 seconds drowns out performer.) (9) Technician escorts performer, still playing excerpt 25, from stage. On first bow he turns off sound. Duration: 10 minutes maximum. *Substitute one of your names here.

(Barney Childs)



Tracklisting:

Side One

1. John Cage - 26'1.1499 for a String Player {16:05}

Side Two

1. Pauline Oliveros - Outline {14:02}

2. Ben Johnston - Casta Bertram {10:34}


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Bird Songs of Dooryard, Field and Forest Vol. 3

Jerry and Norma Stillwell - Bird Songs of Dooryard, Field and Forest Vol. 3

The songs on this record of western birds were selected from hundreds of recordings made during three spring and summer seasons of travel across prairies and deserts, up mountains and down canyons, back and forth from the Great Plains to the Pacific - nearly 50,000 miles of travel. Western bird populations are less dense than eastern, and the extremes of altitude and rainfall contribute to many variations in the best singing seasons of various species of birds.
Out of more than 160 species of birds recorded in the west, 45, or their close relatives, may be heard on Volumes 1 or 2. These are not included on this record simply because limits of space prevent showing minor variations between eastern and western songs. The 68 species here included were selected because of wide range, prevalence, vocal ability or special interest. Several individuals or several song patterns (tunes) are given for those species which have versatility. (The Stillwells)

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. track A1 {5:22}
Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackles, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Hooded Orioles (Arizona), Bullock's Orioles, Scott's Orioles

2. track A2 {4:57}
Cactus Wrens, Rock Wrens, Canyon Wren, Gambel's Quail, California (Valley) Quail, Scaled (Blue) Quail, Mountain Quail, Mearns's (Fool) Quail

3. track A3 {5:48}
Lark Bunting, McCown's Longspurs, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Horned Larks, Western Warbling Vireos, Audubon's Warblers, Lucy's Warblers, Orange-crowned (Lutescent) Warblers, Pileolated (Black-capped) Warbler, Painted Redstarts

4. track A4 {5:46}
Mountain Chickadees, Plain Titmice, Verdin, Arizona Cardinals, Pyrrhuloxias, Brown (Canyon) Towhees, Spotted Towhees, Wren-tit, Varied Thrushes

Side B

1. track B1 {5:50}
California Thrasher, Curve-billed (Palmer's) Thrasher, Bendire's Thrasher, Sage Thrashers, Steller's Jays, California Jays, American Magpies, Gila Woodpeckers, California (Acorn) Woodpeckers

2. track B2 {4:57}
Phainopepla, Western (Arkansas) Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, Derby Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Say's Phoebes, Western Wood Pewee

3. track B3 {4:53}
Lazuli Bunting, House Finches (Linnets), California Purple Finches, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Green-backed Goldfinches, Arkansas Goldfinch, Pine Siskin

4. track B4 {6:33}
Desert Sparrows, Black-chinned Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Western Fox Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeaks

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Afghanistan: Music from Kabul

various artists compilation - Afghanistan: Music from Kabul

LP recorded in August 1972

Afghanistan, whose previous name was Ariyana, was so named about a century and a half ago by King Ahmad Shah. Afghanistan shares borders with China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Asiatic Russia. In ancient times these borders were crossed many times by the routes of commerce and conquest. Now Afghanistan is about to become the air route link between the western world and China. Thus Afghanistan is an important link in the chain of cultures binding Europe and Asia together.
Musically, the link can be heard by listening to pieces from various regions of Afghanistan. The western and northern music is dominated by Near Eastern or Central Asian styles, while Eastern Afghan music is heavily Hindu oriented. The musical instruments also show this interlocking of cultures.
Afghan instruments are basically simple, made up mainly of strings and drums. The string instruments most frequently used are the tanbur, a plucked, fretted lute with drone strings, the rebab, with three pairs of melody strings and ten sympathetic strings, the sarinda, a bowed, three stringed lute, and the delruba, similar in shape to the Indian sitar but smaller and bowed. The drums of Afghanistan can be divided into two groups: single membrane instruments of Persian origin with a goblet shaped body called zerbaghali, and double membrane instruments of Indian origin like the tabla, or the two-headed dhol which is an Afghan originated instrument. There is also a vertical flute with six fingerholes called the tula and the Afghan dotar, a three stringed lute which is plucked.
Afghanistan, with a total population of between 16 and 17 million, has two official languages: dari, from old Persian, and Pashtu which is an Afghan language. Around 8 to 9 million inhabitants speak Pashtu and all of the songs on this record are in the Pashtu language from the province of Nangahar which is approximately 75 miles southeast of Kabul. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

SIDE 1

1. Gholam Nabi and Malang - Delruba and Zerbaghali {4:02}

2. Ustad Mohammad Omar and Ghulalahm - Rebab and Dhol {6:01}

3. Ghulam Haidar and Malang - Tula and Zerbaghali {2:11}

4. Abdul Majid and Malang - Tanbur and Zerbaghali {3:08}

5. Ustad Gholam Nabi and Mohammad Asef - Delruba and Tabla {3:26}

SIDE 2

1. Gholam Hassan and Faiyaz Mohammad - Sarinda and Dhol {3:14}

2. Kamar Gul Zakhail - Typical Love Song {5:07}

3. Kamar Gul Zakhail - Jalalabad Wedding Song {5:02}

4. Kadim and Malang - Dotar and Zerbaghali {2:03}

5. Mohammad Zakhail and Ghazi - Love Song from Nangahar part 1 {2:46}

6. Nahmattullah - Love Song from Nangahar part 2 {3:24}

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Keepers of the Talking Drum

Tama Walo - Keepers of the Talking Drum

The Walo Walo are the descendents of the ancient Wolof kingdom of Walo, the delta region of the Senegal river, in northwestern Senegal. According to oral tradition, Walo existed for 625 years before the French colonized it in 1866. Some claim it is the oldest of the five Wolof kingdoms.
Unlike other Wolof, who traditionally play sabar drums, the Walo Walo have specialized in the Senegalese talking drum, or tam (TAH-mah). For as long as anyone knows, Walo Walo drummers have cultivated a unique style of dance music on five tamas and a bass drum called the lambe (LAHMB). According to some Wolof drummers, the Walo Walo may have played the tama for as long as three and a half centuries, though not always with a bass drum.
Cultures in other West African countries play similar drums, but with different styles of music.

The Drums

The tama has a wooden shell which is shaped like an hourglass. Each end is covered with the skin from the belly of an iguana. The skins are laced together with string. The drummer changes the drum's pitch by squeezing the strings with his arm.
The Walo Walo play four types of tama. From largest to smallest, they are the bopp, bal, nder bal, and nder. Traditionally, a troupe has two nder, for a total of five tamas.
The lambe - which is closed at the bottom and covered with a goat skin on top - is also used in sabar. Oral tradition holds that the lambe and tama are older than the other types of sabar drums.
The bal is the principal solo drum. The other drums usually play supporting parts, but they may also take turns soloing.
Each rhythm has four supporting parts, which interlock. Usually, two of the tamas - and sometimes more - play the same part. Each rhythm also has its own dance.

Tama Walo

The members of the troupe Tama Walo all come from Walo, but like a fifth of all Senegalese, they have moved to Dakar. There, they perform for wedding receptions, weddings, child-naming ceremonies, and informal dance parties among the many Walo Walo who have also moved to Dakar.
The troupe consists of the principal soloist, tama player Ousseynou "Papa" Thiam (CHAHM); tama players Mamadou Thiam, Abdoul Rakhmannne Gueye (GAY), Ibrahima Mboup, Abdou Boy Samba, and Diebril Dieye (jee-BREEL JAY); lambe player Seni Mboup; and singers Fanta Fall, Awa Thiam, and Fatou Manganne. Only five of the tama players play at a time.
The drummers in the troupe all come from families that have played the tama professionally for generations.

Drum Talk

The Walo Walo say the tama can talk because its wood and skin used to be alive. Walo Walo drummers use rhythms extensively to represent words. The audience knows by convention what the rhythms represent.
For example, while soloing, a drummer might praise someone in the audience by playing the drum strokes ran dan dan gan dan, ran dan dan gan dan ta xin dan, ran dan gan dan dan to represent the words Lo dé ti xalat (Don't be sad); Fi kofi guénou douleur geunne (Nobody here is better than you); Lo dé ti xalat (Don't be sad). Or for example, listen to the soloist represent English words (borrowed from American recordings) in track 10 at 1:18.
A drummer's solo can consist entirely of such phrases. (from the liner notes)

Recorded in Pikine Tally Icotaff, Senegal, in 1997.

Released by Village Pulse in 1998.

Tracklisting:

1. Ganass [1] {10:15}

2. Bak [1] {2:09}

3. Pithiémé Samba {2:28}

4. Awounalène {4:41}

5. Ganass [2] {5:00}

6. Dagagne {5:44}

7. Bak [2] {2:46}

8. Leumbeul {5:57}

9. Tagoumbar {1:51}

10. Bak [3] {3:43}

(1) or (1) (2) or (2) [links coming back soon, maybe (1/24/2012)]

Word Jazz

Ken Nordine - Word Jazz

This is the original Word Jazz LP.

Liner notes by Ken Nordine:

Some years ago, when I first started fooling around with free association, with letting my mind wander with wonder, I had no idea that my joyful experiments would wind up on this unwinding album. But now, happily, that they have, I'd like to explain what I'm up to. Of course, what's on the record inside should explain itself and I hope you find that it does, but curiosity requires explanations of explanations, so here goes.

Imagine the imagination as a jazz instrument wailing words, verbal riffs that swing from images to ideas to images, a kind of oscillating curiosity creating far-in far-out fantasies on some fact, a going in any direction that seems to make some sense: up or down, in or out, here or there, now or then, for or against, etc. It can be sad or glad or an ambivalent blend of both. Oxymoronic. When it's glad-sad, it has something of the wry tension of humorous blues. It's also out-loud day dreaming that may be of interest to psychiatrists, amateur or otherwise. Let's say that it's something my unfree free will has to do, a necessary something that helps me belong to something larger than myself. Maybe it's a rebellion with cause, and maybe there are a lot of other maybes I don't know anything about and never will. Motivations are like an impulsive child, like the unselfconscious conscious skipping across a pretty muddy puddle. So what do you say we get our four feet back on the ground.

About the recording itself: I'd like to thank a special few. First, there's the genius of Fred Katz, the swinging beginning with his score. Freddie (who works from a very high shelf as cellist, pianist, conductor and composer) has four of his and jazzdom's best friends working with him to make up a group that deserves all the stars it can get and then some. The flute, piccolo, clarinet and sax have the pleasure of Paul Horn's sensitive company; the guitar is likewise pleased by John Asano; the bass has a ball with Jimmy Bond; the drums, bongos, timpani, gongs, and bells are treated the way they like to be by a great drummer named Forest Horn. The sound patterns are the creation of Jim Cunningham (of Robert Oakes Jordan and Associates). Utilizing engineering techniques and five Ampex Tape Recorders, Jim superimposes sound on sound to achieve an abstraction that you have to stare at with your ears. Magnified raindrops, IBM machines, 17-year locusts, reverberant delay, loop tapes, and a little bit of and so forth. Really, there's no way to describe it, it just kind of is.
Maybe, after all, that's the best description of "Word Jazz," too. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy hearing it.
Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. What Time is It? {3:46}

2. My Baby {2:33}

3. The Sound Museum {7:07}

4. The Vidiot {5:29}

Side 2

1. Roger {5:03}

2. Hunger is From {3:48}

3. Looks Like It's Going to Rain {3:29}

4. Flibberty Jib {4:45}

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The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

George Lewis - The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

LP released in 1977

Recorded at Thunder Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on November 21, 1976

All compositions by George Lewis, except "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn

In the year before this album was recorded, George Lewis' association with Chicago's Muhal Richard Abrams and the AACM had led to recording dates with Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton and a tour with Count Basie. Gradually his startling musicianship - the time-honoured jazz virtues of a mellow tone and driving sense of rhythm, harnessed to a soaring imagination and technique - became known to a growing number of listeners. The New York session with Braxton's big band led to a European tour with the saxophonist in 1976. On his return, Lewis came to Toronto to play at A Space - his first solo concert - and to record this album. On the Piece For Three Trombones Simultaneously, Lewis overdubbed all three trombone parts in the studio. The rest is solo. Solo horn albums have a curious ambience, inherent in the perfect clarity with which they reveal a performer's abilities. In this setting this amazing young musician, through the medium of a trombone, reveals himself as a unique solo voice. (David Lee, Coda Magazine)

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Piece for Three Trombones Simultaneously {19:55}

Side Two

1. Phenomenology {7:43}

2. Untitled Dream Sequence {7:08}

3. Lush Life {5:55}

(1) or (1) [links coming back soon, maybe (1/24/2012)]

Euphonium

Brian Bowman - Euphonium

LP released in 1978

Performers:

Brian Bowman - euphonium
Gordon Stout - marimba (tracks 1-4, Side A)
Marjorie Lee - piano (tracks 5-7, Side A; tracks 1-2, Side B)

About the music:

Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba, composed by Samuel Adler

The Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba were written in 1974 on a commission by the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association. It was their first commission for euphonium and I felt that the combination of the mellow brass instrument and the marimba, which I consider the mellowest of the percussion instruments, would be a natural for a work of this nature. The piece is in four movements, beginning with a slow movement of improvisational character. The second and also the fourth movement are very fast and furious ones with the third movement a slow, quiet, dreamlike movement. (Samuel Adler)

Partita for Euphonium and Piano, composed by Walter Ross

This work was written especially for and is dedicated to Brian Bowman. It is a composition in three movements which I have titled Partita rather than Sonata because the movements are sectional and none of them are in sonata-allegro form. The first movement is a Toccata and, as the name suggests, allows some technical display by both instruments. The Pastorale is in a more relaxed mood and allows the euphonium a chance to sing. The final movement is a very rhythmic dance. (Walter Ross)

Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto, composed by Antonio Capuzzi; arranged by Philip Catelinet

The Andante and Rondo from the Double Bass Concerto were freely arranged and adapted for tuba or euphonium and piano by Philip Catelinet.

Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer, composed by John Boda

The Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer was written in 1970, and is performed by the soloist with a tape accompaniment prepared by the composer. The piece is in three sections (fast, slow, fast) played without pause. Themes from the first and second movements are used in various transformations in the third movement.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Quite slowly {2:39}

2. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Fast and humorous {1:57}

3. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Slowly, and rather lazily {3:06}

4. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Fast with a happy spirit {2:00}

5. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Allegro {3:05}

6. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Pastorale {3:18}

7. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Furiant {2:52}

Side B

1. Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto: Andante cantabile {4:42}

2. Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto: Rondo allegro {3:43}

3. Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer {10:07}

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Memories of Steam

Kenneth Granville Attwood - Memories of Steam

LP of recordings of steam locomotives at Carnforth, Lancashire on the London Midland Region of British Railways, and at Longmoor, Hampshire on the Longmoor Military Railway.

Note: the track names have dates when they were recorded. The dates may be confusing to some visitors as the dates are given in a certain way in England. The dates are also given the same way in most parts of the world, I think. The day comes before the month. Example: 8-6-1968 is June 8, 1968.

Tracklisting:

Side 1 or A

1. Longmoor-92203 on Bulleid Special, 8-6-1968 {1:23}

2. Longmoor-No. 600 Light, 5-7-1969 {1:58}

3. Longmoor-No. 600 on Special, 5-7-1969 {1:50}

4. Longmoor-No. 600 Light & on Train, 5-7-1969 {3:37}

5. Longmoor-No. 196 Light, 5-7-1969 {1:08}

6. Carnforth-No. 44963 on Goods, July 1968 {4:18}

7. Carnforth-No. 45390, 44871 at M & F Yard, July 1968 {2:09}

8. Carnforth-No. 44709 on Goods, July 1968 {2:17}

9. Carnforth-No. 45134 on Goods, July 1968 {1:55}

10. Carnforth-No. 45342 on Goods, July 1968 {2:29}

Side 2 or B

1. Carnforth-No. 45352 on Parcels, May 1968 {2:28}

2. Carnforth-No. 70013 on Dalesman Special, 16-6-1968 {2:26}

3. Carnforth-No. 45025 Shed, May 1968 {1:37}

4. Carnforth-No. 45017, 45342, 44709 Shed, July 1968 {2:33}

5. Carnforth-No. 92077 Light, March 1968 {1:35}

6. Carnforth-No. 48340 Goods, March 1968 {1:27}

7. Carnforth-No. 44894 on Parcels, March 1968 {0:51}

8. Carnforth-No. 45314, 75027, 75019 Goods & Parcels, March 1968 {7:15}

9. Carnforth-No. 44874 Goods, July 1968 {3:47}

(1)

A Closet of Trios (Vinyl Trios Part One)

About a month ago, Loopy C, who is a big fan of the Closet and another artist who generously offers his material for no cost, posted on his blog a set of his improv mashup pieces where he combined three records. This particular set is called A Closet of Trios (Vinyl Trios Part One) where he uses only stuff that's been posted here on the Closet.

Thanks, Loopy C, I enjoyed listening (likewise with your other music) and I hope everyone else does too. Perhaps it will be fun to guess which music from the Closet is being used. :)

Another Collection

We're Late For Class - Another Collection

This band is very generous in allowing the public to download their music for free. They are currently in college who make trippy psychedelic improv music in their spare time (and probably during study time too). They've been at it for a couple of years posting releases on their blog and they've made it to release number 40 which is this one. It's a compilation of their work from previous releases. The band considers it a special occasion as they've nicely asked a lot of blogs in the musicsharitysphere (including this blog) if they could write a post about it. I do appreciate their stance and it will be interesting to see if more artists make use of Web 2.0 as this band has done.

Here's a promotional write-up that the band has provided about this release:

We're Late For Class is an improvisational psychedelic college collective who've been posting free albums on line for over 2 years. Another Collection is their 40th. 2-CDs, 142 minutes, of uncharted improvisation and drug fueled excess, including a seance with Jim Morrison, a musical romp with O.J. Simpson, a homage to producer Jimmy Miller, the theme song for a low budget cable comedy sketch show, one too many accidental nods to Hawkwind and stoned tributes to Ali, Guess Who guitarist Kurt Winter, Pink Floyd and whatever was on the box that given weekend. It's all culled from their previous 19 releases (#21-#39). Last year's #20 A Collection features highlights from #1-#19. WLFC is also prone to 20, 30 & 40 minute space jams, but didn't have the space to include any this time. The best part? It's all free for the taking. You can find We're Late For Class at any local hash bar or at their blog.

Tracklisting:

Part 1

1. Herd Mentality {3:05}

2. Low Budget Cable Sketch Comedy Show Instrumental Theme Song {2:48}

3. Transmission From Jimmy Miller's Car Phone {6:46}

4. Ali Ali {4:57}

5. Under 30 Second Tribute to Kurt Winter {0:29}

6. Lab Animal {3:16}

7. Checkers {5:42}

8. Wind of the Hawk {4:20}

9. 67 {4:23}

10. The Lumbering Rex (Remix) {5:05}

11. Universal Cardigan (Live at Pompeii) {9:08}

12. Dirge Experience (In Easter Hay) {5:31}

13. Buttery Hog Mosh {8:49}

Part 2

14. Sequel to the Return of the Son of Monster Magnet {11:00}

15. The Premiere & Final Performance of Jazz From Outer Space {10:31}

16. Liquidity (The Spastic Conductor) {11:25}

17. The Jim Morrison Seance Tapes {13:57}

18. Trippin' in a Plymouth Belvedere {10:25}

19. Particle Alert {12:55}





(1) or (1) (2) or (2)

Contemporary Music for Harp Ensemble

The New York Harp Ensemble - Contemporary Music for Harp Ensemble

The New York Harp Ensemble: Eva Jaslar, Dagmar Platilova, Dorella Maiorescu, Barbara Pniewska
Aristid von Wurtzler, Director

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Tibor Serly - Canonic Prelude {2:35}

2. Arpad Fasang - Scherzo {3:08}

3. Alan Hovaness - Island of Mysterious Bells {8:16}
[the name is misspelled on the packaging, the correct spelling is "Hovhaness" and I forgot to correct the tags in the file]

4. Aristid von Wurtzler - Space Odyssey for Four Harps {6:01}

Side 2

1. Gerard Bertouille - Prelude for Four Harps {4:26}

2. Josef Wilkomirski - Passacaglia {3:57}

3. Geza Frid - Fugue for Harps, Op. 62 {4:24}

4. Adnan Saygun - Two Preludes {6:03}

(1)

Music for Flute and Piano

various artists compilation - Music for Flute and Piano

The unaccompanied flute presents a special challenge to the composers represented on this disk because in writing for it their proven means of assuring variety are not available. Extreme contrast in timbre, density, and dynamics has been normal in the work of younger Europeans ever since the "Klangfarbenmelodie" of Webern; their fascination with "beauty of sound for its own sake" has led to an increasing use of noises and special sounds, produced by percussion, electronic means, or conventional instruments. Heterogeneous groups have replaced the string quartet and solo works are usually assigned to instruments capable of a large range of unconventional sound, such as the percussion battery or (preparable) piano. Music for solo flute is an exception to the trend: three octave-fulls of twelve tones, a range of timbre more restricted than that of many other instruments, one or two associated noises (the rush of breath without pitch or the tapping of hole-covers against rims) are all there are to work with. Even a texture of wide staccato leaps will have a ribbon-like continuity on the flute because of its homogeneous tone-color and comparatively narrow dynamic range. The composer will be working in miniature, articulating subtle shades of attack and tone-color at the disposal of his flutist: angle and pressure of breath, varieties in tonguing, the choice of fundamentals with which to overblow tones in the upper registers.In trying to do more with the instrument he will be pitting himself against Theobald Boehm, whose formidable arrangement of rods and levers had subjected the venerable flute to the requirements of 19th Century music. Flexibility and individuality among pitches had been sacrificed to perfect intonation and agility. But there sometimes appear composers and players imaginative enough to make instruments the servants of styles for which their builders did not intend them (such as in the unaccompanied violin music of Bach or the bassoon phrases in "Sacre"). In the pieces of Berio and Maderna, to some extent, and particularly in the one by Evangelisti, Gazzelloni is able to break through the chromatic grid of precisely bored holes and their perfectly tuned partials to give us glissandos, airy organums, the glint of distant overtones flickering in the midst of notes spoken "falsely." Such sounds give the hearer a fresh sense of the mystery of the vibrating air column and he becomes conscious of the mechanics of venting and overblowing which had formerly been private concerns of the player. (David Behrman, from the liner notes)

Severino Gazzelloni - flute
Aloys Kontarsky - piano

Tracks A1, A3 and B2 are for solo flute.
Tracks A2, B1, and B3 are for flute and piano.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Franco Evangelisti - Proporzioni {4:40}

2. Niccolo Castiglioni - Gymel {4:32}

3. Luciano Berio - Sequenza {6:32}

Side B

1. Olivier Messiaen - Merles Noir {7:01}

2. Yoritsune Madsudaira - Somaksah {5:56}

3. Bruno Maderna - Honeyrêves {6:15}

(1)

Environmental Sounds: Mountain Stream

Bernie Krause - Environmental Sounds: Mountain Stream

The universally-loved sounds of a babbling mountain stream, wandering gently over water-sculpted stones through forests filled with sounds of summer songbirds. A pure, environmental sound recording, masterfully produced to recreate one of nature's most pleasant sound experiences.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Mountain Stream side 1 {29:28}

Side 2

1. Mountain Stream side 2 {29:27}

(1)

Espírito do Tempo

Espírito do Tempo - Espírito do Tempo

This was sent to me by young Brazilian musician Renato Cardoso as a gift as he is a big fan of A Closet of Curiosities. Renato is the leader of the group Espírito do Tempo. He is the composer, lyricist, arranger and director of the band. He has been influenced lately by the gamelan music as well as by avant-garde chamber and orchestral music from Penderecki, Stockhausen, etc. However, none of those influences show up. This is a short 6-song album of Brazilian pop or what is called MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). It was recorded and released last year. It is different from what I usually post or listen to, but I thought it was enjoyable. It inspired me to further explore a style of music that I am not familiar with.

The first, fourth and fifth songs ("Na Primavera", "Hin-Hin" and "Meu Mito" respectively) are done in a bossa nova style. Renato said that he intended to take a different approach on the fourth and fifth songs, "the rhythm cells are the same, but they are played in a diferent context, more dissonant and with comtemporary influences." The second song, "Sem Benção", does sound like MPB from its first formative stages in the 1960s. The third and sixth songs ("Ela Não é a Única" and "Depois do Fim") are sambas. "Depois do Fim" is certainly an interesting one. Renato says that "the eletric guitar is played like a Cavaco( sort of brazilian banjo used in samba) with a Bossa nova in the contrast section." The middle part has a flute glissando form that sounds like the flute is accompanied by bird calls from the Amazon rainforest.

Credits:

All music composed, written and arranged by Renato Cardoso.

Renato Cardoso - viola, guitar, voice
Beatriz França - voice, acoustic double bass on "Meu Mito" and "Hin-Hin"
Caio Uesugui - voice, electric double bass
Bruno Degani - percussion, sonorous effects
Julliana Cavalcanti - violin
Emerson Nazário - cello
Aquiles Guimarāes - flute
Bruno Zibordi - voice on "Sem Benção"

Tracklisting:

1. Na Primavera {2:49}

2. Sem Benção {4:48}

3. Ela Não é a Única {2:47}

4. Hin-Hin {3:30}

5. Meu Mito {5:00}

6. Depois do Fim {3:59}

(1)

Ulysses

James Joyce - Ulysses [film soundtrack]

Happy Bloomsday!

This is actually a 2-cassette recording of the soundtrack from the film adaptation of the James Joyce classic. The soundtrack is not the theme or any indidental music, but only some of the dialogue itself with sound effects in the background. The dialogue is all taken from the novel. The film adaptation of Ulysses was filmed on location in Dublin, where the novel takes place. It was released in 1967.

Obviously, the 2-cassette version presented here is condensed. Side 1 opens with the scene where Buck Mulligan is shaving on a roof-top platform and conversing with Stephen Daedalus where Mulligan brings up the point that his aunt thinks that Daedalus killed his mother. Sides 1, 2 and 3 depict Leopold Bloom's metaphorical The Odyssey journey (or exile from his home) through Dublin. Side 4 is devoted entirely to Molly Bloom's stream-of-consciousness soliloquy (which is over 40 pages in the book, btw). For those struggling with the novel (it can be difficult to read and understand) or those curious yet do not have the time to devote to the book, this would help in obtaining basic knowledge about the work in around 90 minutes.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Ulysses side 1 {20:53}

Side 2

1. Ulysses side 2 {23:10}

Side 3

1. Ulysses side 3 {24:46}

Side 4

1. Ulysses side 4 {24:39}

(1) (2)

Songs of Western Birds

Donald J. Borror - Songs of Western Birds

LP released in 1971

From the liner notes:

With the assistance of this recording the birdwatcher or nature lover can learn to recognize the versatile songs of such species as the western meadowlark, the curve-billed thrasher, and Bell's vireo, as well as the simpler songs of other species. Prepared by Professor Donald J. Borror of the Departments of Entomology and Zoology of Ohio State University, this record reproduces the songs and calls of 60 different birds that are common in the western United States.
Because the identification of western birds is based largely on where the bird is found, Professor Borror, a widely acclaimed expert in animal sound responses, has arranged the bird songs by geographic area and habitat. The order of the songs is based on their increasing complexity. The listener learns to identify the different species by the general pattern and quality of the songs, the cadence of the songs, how the bird uses its song repertoire, and just where the bird is found. This careful and thorough treatment of the songs allows the listener a knowledge not only of the particular song, but of the general kind of song as well. A fine companion to Borror's previous Dover records (Common Bird Songs and Songs of Eastern Birds), this recording of bird songs offers both beginners and practiced bird lovers a start at becoming acquainted with the songs of all western birds.

Sorry, no booklet available.

Tracklisting:

SIDE ONE

1. Clark's Nutcracker, Steller's Jay, Oregon Junco, Orange-crowned Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Western Tanager, Solitary Vireo {6:19}

2. Black-billed Magpie, Western Wood Pewee, Western Flycatcher, MacGillivray's Warbler, Rufous-sided Towhee, Green-tailed Towhee {4:54}

3. Clay-colored Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, House Finch, Black-headed Grosbeak {4:59}

4. Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lark Bunting, Cassin's Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow, Western Meadowlark {5:23}

5. Willet, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Long-billed Curlew, Yellow-headed Blackbird {3:53}

SIDE TWO

1. Pauraque, Chachalaca, Great-tailed Crackle, Blackcrested Titmouse, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting {5:29}

2. Ash-throated Flycatcher, White-winged Dove, Cactus Wren, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher {5:29}

3. Vermilion Flycatcher, Wied's Crested Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Olive Sparrow, Brown Towhee, Lucy's Warbler, Bell's Vireo {6:06}

4. Mexican Jay, Cassin's Kingbird, Mexican Junco, Scott's Oriole, Rufous-crowned Sparrow {4:06}

5. White-throated Swift, Canon Wren, Rock Wren, Coues' Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Grace's Warbler {4:16}

(1) (2)

Opus 81

various artists compilation - Opus 81

LP released in 1981 featuring three pieces of Dutch avant-garde music

MEEUWIS REBEL
Varia

Performed by Netherlands Clarinet Quartet

Varia was composed for the Netherlands Clarinet Quartet, and it takes the form of a theme with variations. The theme is stated at the beginning by the bass clarinet and high E-flat clarinet, accompanied by two B-flat clarinets.

BERNARD VAN BEURDEN
Les Deux

Performed by Netherlands Clarinet Quartet

The title of the clarinet quartet, Les Deux (The Two) refers to 2 chords which play an important part in this composition. While improvising in the first part the 4 players try to discover what can be done with the two chords. A rather quiet second part leads into the final fast movement.

PETER-JAN WAGEMANS
String Quartet Opus 15

Performed by Gaudeamus Quartet

The String Quartet Opus 15 was commissioned by the Amsterdam Arts Fund. It consists of 6 parts: 3 toccatas, 2 arias and 1 recitative.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Meeuwis Rebel - Varia {11:58}

2. Bernard Van Beurden - Les Deux {12:35}

Side B

1. Peter-Jan Wagemans - String Quartet Opus 15 {19:49}

(1)

Inside the Powers of Nature

Paul Horn - Inside the Powers of Nature

The challenge of this recording was to see how much could be done with flutes alone in a recording studio. No electronic sounds are used anywhere. The background sounds on Side One are all natural sounds from nature, created and put together especially for this recording. Side Two contains the actual sounds of Haida, a male killer whale living at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C., Canada. Both sides contain a lot of multiple tracking. The Bach chorales are all played on various flutes including alto and bass flute, sometimes with a multi-vider. The Kyrie from the Palestrina Mass has seven overdubs. The making of this recording was a wonderful creative experience. (Paul Horn)

Consider this as a kind of bonus of more nature/environmental sounds for the week, although they are blended with music as the above liner notes already mention. I'm trying out another service as some folks are having trouble with the service used in the previous post. Let's hope this service works better.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. The Mahabhutas (Elements) {19:05}
(a) Prithivi (Earth) (b) Vayu (Air) (c) Tejas (Fire) (d) Apas (Water) (e) Akasha (Space)

Side Two

1. Haida {5:23}

2. Bach Chorales {4:07}

3. Centaur {6:04}

4. Mass: Kyrie {2:30}

(1)

National Geographic: Songs of the Humpback Whale

Roger Payne - National Geographic: Songs of the Humpback Whale

This recording is on an Eva-Tone soundsheet. It was inserted in the January 1979 issue of National Geographic to accompany marine biologist Roger Payne's article "Humpbacks: Their Mysterious Songs". Roger Payne first discovered that humpback whales sing and has been recording their music for many years. He gives commentary that explain the songs heard on the record and how he recorded the songs. The whales on this record were recorded at Bermuda and Hawaii. An excerpt from the article that explains more in detail is here.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Songs of the Humpback Whale side 1 {4:56}

Side 2

1. Songs of the Humpback Whale side 2 {5:08}

(1)

Music for Clarinet and Tape

various artists compilation - Music for Clarinet and Tape

LP released in 1978

performers:

Phillip Rehfeldt - clarinet
Jonathan Kramer - mixer
Gene Kimball - electronics

Ran I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape (1976) by Victor Saucedo

RAN I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape was completed in April 1976. An algorithm was used to generate musical processes and a score on the IBM 360/22 computer at Southwestern College. The first part of the title, RAN, refers to the random number generator used in a subroutine to define parameters, i.e. rhythms, modes of execution, dynamics, etc. Limited dimensions were placed on the parameters and specific distribution curves applied to insure compatible melodic contours, rhythms, and dynamics between the final computer composition and the clarinet. I.X., a variable name for the values that are transferred from the subroutine to the main program, initiates distinct random number generation sequences. As the value of I.X. changes so does the random number sequence and subsequently the parameter definition, i.e., the general outline of the composition. The program, with the set values for I.X. then, is the essence of the clarinet part.
...
In this music the "dynamic rhythm" and reiterative melodic concepts of Amerindian music have been diametrically transformed and modulated as complements. The result is a duality similar to the duality concept of clarinet multiphonics versus computer multiphonics or clarinet random notes versus computer random notes, or even the idea itself of using an advanced technique such as the computer to generate primitive concepts associated with mystic ritual. (Victor Saucedo)

Antiphon II for Solo Clarinet and Tape by Michael Horvit

Antiphon II was written on commission from Phillip Rehfeldt and Barney Childs. It is the second in a series of works which combine solo performers with electronic tape, others being for saxophone, piano, violin, organ and marimba. The work is in two movements played without pause: "Atmospheres" and "Moto Perpetuo." It is based upon a twelve tone row but is freely tonal, particularly the jazzy second movement. "Atmospheres," as its title implies, is concerned primarily with color. It opens the row presented polyphonically on the tape alone. A dialogue follows between the tape and the clarinet during which they respond to each other, first the clarinet, then the tape, leading the way. Out of this grows a highly "atmospheric" section, arching higher and higher until the uppermost limits of the tessitura are reached. After remaining on this plateau for a moderate span, the music gradually descends, returning to a brief restatement of the opening material. "Moto Perpetuo" is built around a rhythmic ostinato. Jazzy in style, the clarinet and tape take turns with soloistic "rides." (Michael Horvit)

Renascence for Clarinet, Tape Delay System and Pre-recorded Tape (1974) by Jonathan Kramer

Renascence was commissioned in 1974 by Phillip Rehfeldt and Barney Childs under a faculty research grant from the University of Redlands. The title refers to (1) the rebirth of diatonic modality and constant pulse in contemporary music, (2) the rebirth of continuity from fragmentation within the piece, and (3) the poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The work is scored for solo clarinet, tape delay system, and prerecorded tape. The tape delay system records music played by the clarinetist and allows it to be played back some 20 seconds later, at which time it may again be recorded for later playback, etc. After an introduction the technician selects, in accordance with the score, certain fragments of the solo line to go into the tape delay system. When this music returns after 20 seconds, more music is added by the clarinetist, some of which is again selected for recording by the technician. In this manner a multi-layered texture is built up. At first the clarinet supplies more and more notes to fill in gaps in a melody previously recorded, so that a continuous line eventually emerges (right channel). This tune is strange, since it is continuous in terms of notes and rhythms but not in terms of tone quality, since each successive re-recording in the tape delay system diminishes the richness of the clarinet sound a bit.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Victor Saucedo - Ran I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape {19:59}

Side 2

1. Michael Horvit - Antiphon II for Solo Clarinet and Tape {9:57}

2. Jonathan Kramer - Renascence for Clarinet, Tape Delay System and Pre-recorded Tape {10:20}

(1)

The New Music Volume 3

various artists compilation - The New Music Volume 3

LP released in 1968

Performers:

Rome Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Maderna - conductor

Severino Gazzelloni - flute

The term "modern music" no longer suffices to describe the latest expressions of recent avant-garde cmposers. Modern music still means the music that came after Debussy and Strauss. It is Stravinsky and Ravel, Hindemith and Falla; it is Bartok, Prokofieff, Britten and Malipiero. Modern music is the breakdown of tonality and traditional harmony and the development of the twelve-tone system used by the masters of the Viennese school - Schonberg, Berg and Webern - and the spreading of this method in every country since the war. Modern music is still Dallapiccola and Petrassi, and the ready listener has little by little grown accustomed to all these expressions - the more recent ones (those relating to the relinquishing of traditional tonality) with somewhat greater difficulty.

But the works of the latest generation, those composers who have come to the fore since Hiroshima, seem to cut away violently from this pattern, as difficult as its acceptance had proved to be. So, for them the term "new music."

The evolution which has led to today's baffling results is governed by an inner logic. Once the use of the twelve-tone "series" was firmly established, the desire quite naturally arose to extend this serialization process to the other "parameters" of music, that is, to subject its rhythmic, timbral and dynamic aspects to the same laws governing the disposition of the pitch of the notes.

"Structuring" (the organization of musical material) by means of total serialization of parameters was the first step the new music took beyond Webern. This extension of the serialization process to all parameters brought about a heightening of interest and investigation into the qualities and components of sound. The increased concern for this "tone color" and other hitherto unstructured aspects of sound and the diminishing interest in pitch as the primary structural element made it necessary to alter traditional listening habits. Where pitch distribution had been the primary expressive unit, now the other parameters took on equal or greater importance.

The new music, like all other forms of contemporary art, may or may not be liked, but its consistency cannot be questioned. There is an inner logic which has determined the various phases described above and which is already creating others in more and more rapid succession, and they must not be taken as gratuitous and unrestrained expressions of individual extravagance. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Luigi Nono - Y su sangre ya viene cantado {15:57}

2. Kazuo Fukushima - Hi-kyo {9:19}

Side 2

1. Luciano Berio - Serenade I {10:22}

2. Hans Ulrich Lehmann - Quanti {10:50}

(1) (2)  [may be reposted soon]