Archie Green dies

Phyllis Jones posed this to the MLA List on Monday, March 30:

The New York Times notes the passing of Archie Green, folklorist, carpenter,
union activist, author, and generous mentor:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/books/29green.html

His seminal Only a Miner: Studies in Recorded Coal-mining Songs (1972) set a
standard for later discographical studies of occupational song. Most
recently, he brought to completion The Big Red Songbook, a compendium
containing 250 songs from the I.W.W.’s Little Red Songbooks originally
published 1909-1973.

Early sighting of “muggles”

For you library hipsters, or others with an unhealthy interest in the Harry Potter stories (unhealthy, meaning in this context that you’re over 12), an early appearance of the term “muggles.”

“Muggles” was 1930s slang for marijuana (see a contemporary Time magazine article here). I don’t believe I ever saw the connection made to the term as used by J.K. Rowling. Check out this Cornell catalog entry for more information….

CD Reviews by Andrew Justice

Andrew, now at the University of North Texas, penned these reviews back in late 2006. His wit and erudition in reviewing early music are much missed…

Geminiani: Concerti Grossi (CD 15076). Francesco Geminiani’s British contemporaries deemed him the equal of Handel and Corelli, but little of his musical or theoretical output is extant outside the concerti grossi, a few sonatas, and the violin treatise The Art of Playing on the Violin (MT262.G32 1751). The concerti grossi, arrangements of Corelli’s Opus 5 sonatas, have become a staple of the baroque orchestra repertoire. Here, Chiara Banchini and Ensemble 415 apply their native sensibilities to the works, emphasizing the energetic and virtuosic tendencies of Geminiani and his generation; for contrasting interpretations, see CD 3588 (I Musici), CD 7991 (Tafelmusik), and (my favorite) The Academy of Ancient Music with Andrew Manze.

Beethoven: Mödlinger Tänze (CD 15077). Beethoven left Bonn in 1792 to study with Haydn in Vienna, who in November had his Katharinentänze performed at the annual Retirement Society of Visual Artists ball. As Haydn made trips to London over the next few years, apparent tension began to form between the two; however, Haydn probably had a hand in obtaining an invitation for Beethoven to write dances for that same function in 1795. These dances, as well as some ascribed to Beethoven and two by his brother Kaspar Karl appear on this collection, performed by Michi Gaigg and the L’Orfeo Barockorchester. The interpretation is solid and without frills, a fitting testament to Beethoven’s developing compositional method within stylistic constraints.

Vivaldi: Concerti a liuto solo (CD 15078); Sanz: La Preciosa (CD 15079). Like the sands of the hourglass, so are albums of Vivaldi concerti. Fortunately, Paolo Cherici has taken a fresh approach and arranged several for solo lute, to magnificent effect; his strength is in the economy of the arrangements, using no more material than is absolutely necessary, and creating a derivative Affekt that feels very much authentic. Gordon Ferries’ recording of Gaspar Sanz, on the other hand, features selections from the Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española and revels in its idiosyncratic style. Being the most complete guitar treatise of its time, the Instrucción contains 90 pieces, mostly based on dance forms such as the folía, canario and españoleta. Ferries allows the writing to speak for itself naturally through his instrument, and it serves as a nice counterpoint to Cherici’s effort.

Boccherini: Fandango, Sinfonie & La Musica Notturna di Madrid (CD 15080). All notions of native performance practice aside (see Early Music 20:4, page 649), it was only a matter of time before Jordi Savall got around to recording some Boccherini. Luckily, he chose the right repertoire: the “Fandango” quintet and La Musica Notturna delle Strade di Madrid are about as stereotypically Spanish as Boccherini got, and Savall’s blessed heritage comes in handy for their interpretation. Rolf Lislevand and Manfredo Kraemer are at their usual energetic best, but it is the presence of José de Udaeta on castanets that brings the listener to the busy streets of Madrid, making palpable the tension between Boccherini’s quest for solitude and the necessity of pleasing new patrons.

Muzyka w dawnym Wrocławiu (CD 15081). Under Habsburg rule from 1526-1742, the Polish city of Wrocław (Breslau in German) had a vibrant musical life that fostered Protestant church music while incorporating elements of Venetian polychoral style, enjoying a ‘golden age’ of organ building, and producing the acclaimed lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss (see CD 13060). Jan Tomasz Adamus and Harmonologia display this richness as they present sacred works for voice and instrumental ensemble by Wolf-Ernst Rothe, Christoph Bernhard, and Johann Hermann Schein. Bringing it all together is the precision and amazing balance of Concerto Palatino and Bruce Dickey, one of the world’s foremost cornetto players (see CDs 6077, 10754, and 14151).

Boismortier: La Veloutée (CD 15082); Hotteterre: La Nopce Champêtre (CD 15083). Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was a prolific composer of music mostly intended for amateurs in various combinations of instruments, including such fashionable choices as the musette (a small bagpipe), hurdy-gurdy, and transverse flute, whose repertoire he extended significantly. This recording features his earliest sonatas for keyboard and flute (Op. 91, c1741–2), which give the two complementary roles (common practice was harpsichord-dominant). Les Buffardins, no strangers to this repertoire (see CD 14150), lilt their way through Boismortier’s refined phrases and personify the elegant simplicity of amateur chamber music of the time.

On the other side of the spectrum are the works of Jean and Jacques-Martin (“Le Romain”) Hotteterre, which embody the earthier side of French flute-centered chamber music. The Hotteterres are credited with developing the first prototypes of the Baroque oboe, bassoon, and flute; their talent for instrument making, performance, composition, and pedagogy formed the foundation of the French woodwind school. Here the Ensemble Le Berger Fortuné lively interprets some highly pictorial works, such as the programmatic genre painting-evoking La Nopce Champêtre ou L’Himen Pastoral, using the musette and hurdy-gurdy to great sonic effect.

Jordi Savall: Mozart Serenate Notturne (CD 15102), Orient-Occident (CD 15103); Concerto Köln: The Mozart Album (CD 15104), Mozart (CD 15105), Dream of the Orient (CD 15106). Mozart’s 250 th birthday inspired a slew of recordings, and apparently Savall couldn’t resist. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table as far as repertoire or interpretation, just another solid Mozart period performance (although it is nice to hear Manfredo Kraemer stretch out on some classical repertoire). Concerto Köln is at least creative with their programming, including the overtures to Betulia liberate (K. 118), Der Schauspieldirektor (K. 486), and music from the ballet Les Petits Riens (1778). Their more standard selections, Symphonies 29, 35 (“Haffner”), and the D major Divertimento (K. 136/125a) benefit from energetic tempi and clearly vigorous enjoyment of performing unquestionably great music.

The coincidental (?) focus by both groups on music of the Orient (paging Edward Said) provides a contrasting view of two very different approaches to this concept. Savall’s is more successful, achieving a quieter chamber texture that allows the native performers and instrumental timbres to dialogue with each other readily. His repertoire choice also favors the Eastern sources, in keeping with the explanation that the project was the “unconscious search for a spiritual antidote to [… the] war in Afghanistan.” Concerto Köln, on the other hand, prefers to remain firmly rooted in the Western impressions of The Orient and sprinkles in authentic music for an exotic effect. Unfortunately, over-reliance on Gluck’s and Kraus’s ideas makes the album fall flat, which is a shame, because it opens with a strong sequence of Turkish-inspired improvisation leading directly into the Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and it ends with Franz Xaver Süssmayr’s “Sinfonia turchesca.”

Mozart: Clarinet quintet, “Kegelstatt” trio (CD 15154). Quatuor Mosaïques’ recordings of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven on period instruments are clear and expressive, and this effort is no exception. Basset clarinetist Wolfgang Meyer joins the group for a joyful romp through the Clarinet Quintet, perhaps one of the most sublime pieces of large-ensemble chamber music in Mozart’s catalog. Patrick Cohen steps in on Hammerflügel (also known as Grand pianoforte) for the “Kegelstatt,” playing nicely off of the basset and the viola’s lines and evoking a texture very different from that of the quintet. A pleasure for both Kenner und Liebhaber.

Homilius: Musik an der Dresdner Frauenkirche / Kantaten I (CD 15158). After taking composition and keyboard lessons from Bach while studying law in Leipzig, Gottfried August Homilius became organist at Frauenkirche, Kantor at the Kreuzkirche, teacher of the Kreuzschule, and music director of the three main churches in Dresden. This recording features cantatas written (and performed) by the Kreuzchor, and makes for a very engaging listen. About his style Hans John has written: “He gave new life to the church cantata after J.S. Bach. […] In his vocal works Homilius followed the example of C.H. Graun in emphasizing melody, naturalness and folklike simplicity. The works are rooted in the era of Bach and Handel, but at the same time increasingly show pre-Classical traits as Homilius’s style matured. Along with Doles, Homilius is the main representative in church music of the transitional empfindsamer Stil, in which heterogeneous elements are fused into an artistic whole.” Indeed, these traits are well represented in the performance of the Dresdner Kreuzchor and Barockorchester, which clearly take delight in performing music written specifically for their musical ancestors and presenting a refreshingly different perspective of late-Baroque German cantatas.

Stucky premieres

Roberto Sierra sent this message out earlier today:

Please join me in congratulating Steven Stucky for his two recent performances with the Dallas Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. Here are the links to the coverage by the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/arts/music/20augu.html?_r=1&ref=music&oref=slogin

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/arts/music/20phil.html?ref=music

On October 24th Steve will be presenting his music at the Composers Forum.

——————————

Congratulations to Prof.  Stucky.

Donald Erb dies at 81

The obituary of pioneering American composer Donald Erb is available from the New York Times as well as the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Norman Dello Joio, dead at 95

The NYT obituary for this much-beloved composer is available here.

Prospective MARC announcement

Here’s the revised text of the 008/21 and 008/33 proposal, incorporating suggestions by Kathy and Matthew:

Draft Statement on the Transposition/Arrangement and
Presence/Absence of Parts Positions of the 006 and 008 Fields

Background

At the 2008 Newport meeting of the MARC Formats Subcommittee, it was the sense of both the Subcommittee and some of the visitors present that the Bibliographic Control Committee should issue an official statement regarding the transposition/arrangement and presence/absence of parts bytes of the 006 and 008 fields. These bytes were included in Proposal no. 2002-14/3:008/21 and Proposal no. 2002-14/4: 008/33 (Music), available at http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2002/2002-14.html. These proposals were made as concessions to the British cataloging community, which uses these bytes. However, since there is no consensus among U.S. and Canadian catalogers on how these fields should be used, their inclusion posed the potential for some confusion and inconsistency among shared records.

Recommendations

In the sound recordings format, the OCLC defaults for positions 008/21 (parts) and 008/33 (transposition/arrangement) are both “n” (not applicable), since these bytes can only be applied to notated music. In the scores format, the defaults are blank for both positions. Since both positions are optional, these are the only logical defaults. Also, some confusion has been expressed regarding the meaning of the presence/absence of parts byte; and this recommendation is in part to allay such confusion by recommending that the position not be coded.

The MARC Formats Subcommittee recommends that the OCLC defaults be used for these bytes. Reasons for this include inconsistent coding in USMARC 008/21, based on differing interpretations of the coded values, which led to this byte becoming obsolete in USMARC in 1988. U.S. and Canadian cataloging records did not include this information from 1988 to 2002. The Music Library Association feels that there are currently better ways for online catalogs to retrieve records with or without parts, especially since dependence on coded data for retrieval has lessened considerably since 1988. Also, U.S. and Canadian catalogers did not have the ability to code arrangement/transposition at all until 2002; and there is no perception among that community that providing these values would help catalog users in record retrieval.

Yet another blast from the past: J. Alberts reviews Jim White

I have to admit that I’m somewhat less taken with White’s songwriting now than I was when I was blown over by his first two albums.  Nonetheless, they’re interesting still, especially the exquisitely-produced Drill a Hole in that Substrate and Tell Me What You See, which showcases David Byrne’s production aesthetic as well as some interesting guest artists.  White’s third album, No Such Place, has been hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and to some extent this is well deserved, although the album has a couple missteps (in my opinion, the female-serial-killer ballad Wound that Never Heals could have stayed in the vaults), although they’re largely redeemed by rockers like Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi and Ten Miles to go on a Nine Mile Road. White’s latest, Transnormal Skipperoo, has some good material (notably the haunting ballad Jailbird) but otherwise tends to fall back on cliche.

In any case, here’s the original review from Oct. 2006:

Jim White. The mysterious tale of how I shouted One-eyed Jesus (CD 15116), Drill a hole in that substrate and tell me what you see (CD 15117). White is inevitably described as a “Southern gothic” songwriter, but despite his recurring themes (spiritual crises at midnight by the side of a lonesome highway or abandoned graveyard in the pouring rain, with far off train whistles moaning, etc., etc.) the label is not entirely accurate. Neither White’s musical language nor his lyrics are refined enough to really fit the “southern gothic” label, and this isn’t a bad thing.

It’s easy to hear David Byrne’s attraction to (and influence on) Luaka Bop artist White. His complex, multilayered textures and endlessly allusive lyrics sound somewhat similar to Byrne’s music of the early eighties. White brings to the mix an alt-country sensibility and overarching religious obsession that plays like a bad headache (viz. “Static on the Radio” and “Phone Booth in Heaven” among other songs). Fortunately, White’s universe has room for humor amidst the desolation, as in “Combing my hair in a brand new style” and “What if Jesus Drove a Motor Home” (sample lyric: “If Jesus drove a motor home / I wonder how what’d drive. / Pedal to the metal, / or real slow, checkin’ out the stereo. / Cassette playin’ Bob Dylan, motivation tapes. / Tricked out Winnebago, tie-dyed drapes”).

“Drill a hole in that substrate” is somewhat more accessible and lyrical than “One-eyed Jesus” (and features Mary Gauthier and The Barenaked Ladies as guests); the obsessive listenability of songs like “Static on the Radio,” the elegiac “Bluebird,” and “Borrowed Wings” somehow makes White’s lyrics seem all the more desolate. However, both albums strongly deserve a listen.

Blast from the past: Steve Gorbos reviews from 2006

Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. Fantasia ispanica (CD 15227) and Rosario d’arabeschi, Gulistan (CD 15226). Both discs featuring Jonathan Powell, piano. Sorabji, a privileged recluse in the vein of Scelsi, has a biography that has similarly entered the status of “legendary”. As far as the pieces go, imagine the musics of Messiaen and Scriabin mating and producing offspring…very long-winded unremarkable offspring. The Fantasia ispanica owes a wee bit more to the eroticized Spain of Ravel and Debussy. While there are interesting moments, the music on these discs collapses under the strain of its own epic weight.

Real Quiet. Tight Sweater: The Music of Marc Mellits (CD 15229). This disc, featuring 4 pieces by Cornell alum Marc Mellits, runs the gamut of traditionally untranscendant Reich/Bang On A Can imitation (the ensemble Real Quiet shares percussionist David Cossin with the All-Stars). Where this recording departs from traditional Cantaloupe records fare is in its production: the sound is a lot more forward and hard edged, almost like they’re using contact mics on the instruments. In that sense, the very up close sound world is appealingly immediate. While there is undeniably beauty to be found in the tender lyricism of tracks like Sheep Bells from the solo piano opus Agu, I have yet to hear a Mellits piece that does not sound derivative of the slightly older composers that are consistently listed in his press materials. Try a comparison between this disc and the Bang On A Can All-Stars Renegade Heaven (CD 8385) to see what I mean.

Orquestra Sinfonica de Xalapa. Revueltas (CD 15221). This group really captures the ironically quirky nature of Revueltas music. It also contains very informative liner notes that attempt to give the sad biography of Revueltas a context in the post-revolution musical culture of Mexico as a “more authentic” Chavez. These recordings are extremely live and exciting, but a little sloppy in the production. Certain tracks are plagued by what sounds like uneven balance between splices, which is a shame because these performances never lack energy or charm. Most of the scores to these pieces are available in our library, as are several alternate recordings of the pieces collected here: check out CDs 12050 and 10180.

10 + 2 : 12. American Text Sound Pieces (CD 15228). A reissue of a 1750 Arch Records release from 1974, out of print since the early 1980s. As Charles Amirkhanian points out in his liner notes to the reissue, this under theorized sub-genre of 1970s experimental electronic music really has yet to have its history written. Perhaps this is because of the variety contained therein: much like today’s interactive software, the technology and aesthetics were adopted by a wide range of artists – from composers, to poets, to performance artists – with staggeringly different results. The pieces on this recording, all made from recorded spoken texts, range from Anthony Gnazzo’s fanatically minimalist The Population Explosion to Charles Dodge’s vocoded Speech Songs, to the wild In Sara, Mencken, Christ…by Robert Ashley. If you’re into or curious about experimental electronic music or novel approaches to text setting, there is something for you on this recording. I was delighted to find that we still have the original LP in our library’s holdings: apparently it was designed with “lock grooves” at either end of the record, which kept Gnazzo’s piece on side 1 and Aram Saroyan’s similarly obsessive crickets on side 2 spinning into eternity (Rec 1497 T28).

Imaginäre Landschaften. Elektroakustische Musik (CD 15223). Compilation from 2000 of pieces from composers working in Germany. Several of the composers on this disk have had some association with the Akademie der Künste Berlin, and almost all of them were trained in German studios (the pieces themselves were realized at a variety of European studios). What’s nice about this disc is that the concepts behind each of the 8 pieces are as varied as the sounds themselves. All of these pieces were realized in the 1990’s, and although there is some uniformity in the methodology (particularly the slowly-shifting hummmmmm aesthetic) the variety contained is refreshing. Inge Morgenroth’s Requiem für ein Schwein is weird and strangely addicting. The piece sounds like amplified room hum with short samples of, you guessed it, Schwein. And not just any Schwein, little Johnny: we’re talking about polyphonic Schwein. I know their new digs by the canal are going to be great, but why did the “Got Beef” store have to move away from my neighborhood on Seneca Street? I dedicate my performance of Morgenroth’s Requiem to this former cultural pillar of East Seneca Street, soon to be re-opened as Sebastian’s.

Martin Zehn. Olivier Messiaen Vingt Regards Sul L’Enfant-Jesus (CD 15218). Ok. Here’s a trivia question for you: which gaze at the Prince of Peace renders a naked woman in a fetal position on a rock…twice…(there’s another “secret” copy underneath disc two…shhhhh). Just curious. The liner notes, with additional photos of Messiaen, Zehn, and an essay by Dr. Barbara Dobretsberger, don’t even give us a photo credit for the artist who produced that enticing gaze. If you’re wondering where Messiaen’s epic piano work from the 1940s fits into this, you are not alone, but do read on. Zehn’s recording is a little more relaxed than the renditions we have on hand by Aimard and Loriod (CDs 9002 & 2943). While I still think I prefer Aimard’s regal, somewhat stately interpretation, I think Zehn’s might be a bit more intimate. Other releases in Zehn’s effort to record Messiaen’s complete piano works that we have in our library include the Preludes Etudes; Canteyodjaya (CD 14617)

Kairos…the boutique record label of European contemporary music. Klangforum Wien, the house band for Kairos, is at it again on these two releases: Quarderno di strada (CD 15217) and Ultima Thule (CD 15222). The first, featuring music by the Sicilian Salvatore Sciarrino, contains a collection of 13 gorgeous miniatures for baritone and ensemble called Quarderno di strada. These small aphoristic pieces are vintage Sciarrino: two words that continually come to mind when I hear his work are elegant and delicate. The texts are taken from a variety of sources – Roman graffiti, Rilke, and the newspaper in his adopted hometown of Siena (among other sources). The vocal technique is an invention of Sciarrino’s based on an Italian early-baroque style called sillobazione scivolata, which the liner notes describe as a step-wise glissando. One continually finds in his work gripping combinations of unique sounds. These pieces are no exception.

Wolfram Schurig, the composer featured in the second Kairos disc, is a new name to me. A student of Lachenmann from 1992 – 1995, his work has gained popularity in the last 10 years. The music on this disk, while making use of sounds that one could relate to Lachenmann’s music, is distinct, and could possibly be likened to the Sciarrino, albeit a Sciarrino sound world that is much bulkier and about half as subtle. The third and fourth pieces on the disk are concertos for violin and bass clarinet (respectively). They both are quite interesting in how the soloist fades in and out of the ensemble. The other standout on the disk is the title track, Ultima Thule, for 5 ensembles, which could possibly be read as a 21 st century response to Stockhausen’s Gruppen.

John McLaughlin. Industrial Zen (CD 15224). A very typical McLaughlin release, blending thinned-out 1970’s Mahavishnu Orchestra sounds with a synthesizer aesthetic that is perhaps close to Lyle Mays. Joined here by familiar faces Zakir Hussain, Bill Evans (Sax), Dennis Chambers, Shankar Mahadevan and others, McLaughlin continues his journey on the path of blindingly virtuosic fusion. While McLaughlin has been into guitar synthesizers for years, this album feels a bit heavier in that direction than usual. Perhaps this is because virtually every track is accompanied by HEAVY use of synthesizer pads and arpeggiators as filler. The highlight so far has been Wayne’s Way, a tribute to Wayne Shorter. The low point has been the first 5 minutes of Dear Dalai Lama.

The Dutch Jazz Orchestra. The Lady Who Swings the Band: Rediscovered Music of Mary Lou Williams (CD 15225). Premiere recordings of the important bandleader/composer arranger Mary Lou Williams by the excellent Dutch Jazz Orchestra. A project overseen by the director of the Mary Lou Williams Foundation, nine out of these fourteen tracks had yet to be recorded. The playing here is excellent (as are the liner notes), and the pieces, spanning the length of her career, seem like a collection of snapshots from WWII-era big band through the 1960s: one can get a vivid picture of the impressively diverse array of elements that Williams absorbed into her style from this disc. Williams’ music never fit into the stereotypical mold of women put forth in our received jazz history, and it’s good to see that organizations are starting to acknowledge and spend some time with this music. The Dutch Jazz Orchestra, an ensemble that has the state-sponsored freedom to pursue such worthy endeavors, has previously devoted similar care to recording the music of Billy Strayhorn (CD 11174).

Elgar review-article published

Although this isn’t specifically Cornell related, I thought readers might be interested in this article by Hugh Wood in the Times Literary Supplement. It covers several volumes published in honor of Elgar’s 150th anniversary, as well as important earlier material. Although Wood can be polemical in his attitude to what he characterizes as the new musicology, his article givs a fair taste of many of the books of essays and monographs published on Elgar. The Music Library holds all of the volumes listed in the article.