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Meeting Rzewski

Roger Bourland — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:35:03 +0000

I remember when Frederic Rzewski came to visit us at Harvard in the composition seminar. I remember when Musica Electronica Viva came and performed at UW Madison. “The People United…” is emblazoned into my brain. I have the LP and he played it for us in the seminar. He reminded me that one shouldn’t ask questions about anything over 10 years ago as he doesn’t remember — which turned out NOT to be true, as he remembered plenty of amusing stories from his past.

Today he came to UCLA for a visit with our student composers. I was delighted to see a good turnout. FR was in great form. Cantankerous, funny, and blatantly honest about the various questions. Gloria Cheng served as the interviewer and did an excellent job. He doesn’t believe in styles (”some have them, some don’t”), there are no commonly accepted master composers in America, most young people are mostly concerned with money (”we thought our music could save the world, we were wrong, but at least we believed in something”), and (and I agree), the 20th century was filled with technique-isms — methods not unlike machines for cranking out music. “Life is not symmetrical, logical, or necessarily always pretty. Music should imitate this.” Someone asked whether he knew a technique (sic) for freeing the mind of such machines: “Shut the door? Turn off the phone? Light some cannabis? Everyone has their own method.”

The most shocking story of the day was the history of his famous “The People United will Never Be Defeated.” Before he wrote the piece, he asked the composer of the tune itself, Sergio Ortega, whether he could use the tune in his piece, to which Ortega responded “of course.” The problem was: it wasn’t in writing. Ortega died of cancer in 2003. Ortega’s publisher refused to give Rzewski permission, so they now own Rzewski’s piece. Curious, maddening, but unfortunately, true. [Moral of story: don't use or quote music under copyright without permission.]

[Photo of Rzewski (L) and Bourland (R). Bourland doing HIS best to also look cantankerous.]

Bourland orchestral music: Clarinet Rhapsody (1979)

Roger Bourland — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:06:34 +0000

Clarinet Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra (1979) mp3
Music: Roger Bourland
Performers: Gunther Schuller conducts Collage (Sanders Theater)
Publisher: Associated Music Publishers
Download audio file (clarinet_rhapsody.mp3)

This piece was commissioned by my old classmate, John Strickler, who at this time was a doctoral student in conducting at USC and wanted a contemporary work for his final recital. It was this connection that later took me to Los Angeles, as I was to rent a room from him when I first moved to LA.

Looking back at this piece almost thirty years later, I hear much. I hear quotes from some of my Soliloquies, especially the flute one and the clarinet one. At one time I had planned my own cosmic “Universe” symphony, and some of the music written for that surfaces here.

In my last year as an undergraduate in music theory at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, we spent an entire year applying different analytic techniques to the Berg Violin Concerto. In retrospect, I hear some of that music peaking through. I also hear myself slowly moving away from atonality, and towards a melodic-based music.

Gunther Schuller published this piece in his Margun Music press, and later assigned it to AMP.

Billy Preston (10) plays with Nat King Cole

Roger Bourland — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:41:40 +0000

Nat King Cole 10-Year-Old Billy Preston

South Sea Island Bolero (1934)

Roger Bourland — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:21:04 +0000

With the subtitle of “The Most Bizarre Musical Number Ever Filmed” it got my attention. It’s really worth watching cuz it’s so bizarre! It just keeps going, getting stranger and stranger! Try to stick it out till the end.

I’ll have whatever SHE’S having.

Yai yai yai

Roger Bourland — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:04:21 +0000

With economy being so bad, we all need to smile every once in a while. Here’s a Soviet baritone singing something, I’m not quite sure what: it’s either Yai Yai Yai Yai Yaaaaii, or Yo yo yo yo or Oh oh oh oh ohhhh. See how happy it makes him?

Gershwin films Schoenberg (sic)

Roger Bourland — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:12:14 +0000

Walter Rimler just sent in this amazing find. The music from Schoenberg’s 4th quartet seems peculiar–hardly back up music, but a cool bit of archival history for 20th century music fans. Listen to the eulogy Schoenberg gives to Gershwin at the end. Touching. Mr Rimler also has a new book on Gershwin I must read.

Notes from the Youtube post:

In this 1937 silent home movie, mostly shot by Gershwin himself, can be seen Arnold Schoenberg, and his wife Gertrud, Gertrud’s brother Rudi Kolisch (of the Kolisch string quartet) and Doris Vidor and a few brief glimpses of Gershwin himself. The musical extract accompanying the video is the beginning of Schoenbergs String Quartet no.4 Op.37, written in 1936, in a 1937 recording by the Kolisch Quartet that was sponsored by George Gershwin. Gershwin and Schoenberg were also tennis partners in Hollywood, and this film was taken on Gershwin’s tennis court at Roxbury Drive, Beverley Hills. Also included on this short video is a photograph of Gershwin at work on his famous oil painting portrait of Schoenberg, accompanied by Schoenbergs moving tribute to Gershwin recorded July 12th 1937, the day after Gershwins untimely death at the age of only 38.

For more information on Gershwin visit http://www.jackgibbons.com/gershwin.htm

Schoenberg Gershwin Mashup

Roger Bourland — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:51:25 +0000

Maestro Sahar sent in a video response to the Gershwin performance a few days back. It’s really an entertaining mash-up between Schoenberg piano music and Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.”

Tuvan throat singing

Roger Bourland — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:13:05 +0000

Leonid just sent in this terrific performance of Tuvan throat singing. I had never heard this style of singing rhythmicized; I’m used to the Tibetan low droning technique and the Russian octavists in early 20th century Russian Orthodox choral literature. I realize that my brain isn’t used to making the melodic connections between the resonant singing style, and the style where the actual voice is clipped and we only hear the overtones. As I listen three or four times, I finally “get” it.

I love how his audience is entranced, leaning forward with enthusiasm and engagement. Listen to it a couple of times. It’s actually catchy.

Azerbaijan mugham music

Roger Bourland — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:59:43 +0000

Susan brought to my attention a recent BBC article letting us know about a resurgence in interest in mugham music from Azerbaijan. After listening to a fair amount of it on YouTube — What a wonderful world we live in! — I found this performance. It’s a very different musical language from the one we know in the US, but holy moly, what amazing music.

I love the overall melodic trajectory of the piece in terms of range; I love the seriousness on their faces; I love the completely different take on what is considered a “vocal range.”

Gershwin plays “I Got Rhythm”

Roger Bourland — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:32:47 +0000

Amazing to find this clip of George Gershwin actually playing. Funny edits here, but still worth watching.