Irving Fine: An American Composer in his Time

2006 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-182
Author(s):  
P. Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
American Composer ◽  
Irving Fine

An American (Composer) in Paris-and Elsewhere

1969 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
Gail Kubik
Keyword(s):  
American Composer

ECCENTRIC, GIFTED, AND BLACK: THELONIOUS MONK REVEALED

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-402
Author(s):  
Ingrid Monson ◽  
John Gennari ◽  
Travis A. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Research ◽  
Thelonious Monk ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
American Composer ◽  
Personal Archives ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

Do not miss Robin D. G. Kelley's Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, for it will stand as the definitive biography of the great American composer and pianist for many years to come. What distinguishes Kelley's treatment of Monk's complicated and enigmatic life is the sheer depth and breadth of primary research, including, for the first time, the active cooperation and involvement of Thelonious Monk's family. In his acknowledgments, Kelley describes a long process of convincing Thelonious Monk, III to grant permission culminating in a six-hour meeting in which his knowledge, credentials, and commitment were thoroughly tested and challenged. Once he had secured “Toot's” blessings, as well as that of his wife Gale and brother-in-law Peter Grain, Kelley was introduced to Nellie Monk, Thelonious Monk's wife, and a wide range of family and friends who shared their memories and personal archives of photos, recordings, and papers. This is not an authorized biography, however, since Thelonious Monk, Jr. never demanded the right to see drafts or dictate the content. Rather Kelley was admonished to “dig deep and tell the truth.”

IRVING FINE (1914–1962)Mutability (1952)

2020 ◽  
pp. 97-100
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
High Standard ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Musical Style ◽  
Great Flexibility ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Irving Fine

This chapter describes Irving Fine’s Mutability. This cycle is distinctive and powerful, with striking musical and verbal images. The musical style can be described as neoclassical with elements of serialism, yet there is great flexibility and variety within the strict compositional procedures. The singer will need to command a wide range of colours and dynamics, as well as rapid articulation. A high standard of musicianship is also expected, especially for pitching some difficult intervals. A voice with a cutting edge will sound well here. Darker, fuller tones, verging on a contralto-like quality, will enhance lower-lying passages. However, the singer must always be able to move around nimbly, producing a clear tone over the whole range. The pianist will also have a good time getting to grips with an exciting part.

Electronic Music

Artful Noise ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 107-117
Author(s):  
Thomas Siwe
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Electronic Music ◽  
John Cage ◽  
World War ◽  
Karlheinz Stockhausen ◽  
Edgard Varese ◽  
American Composer ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Musique Concrete

With the end of World War II came the rebirth of European radio. Government stations in both France and Germany established experimental studios for research, from which arose a new kind of music, “electronic music.” The station in France, Office de Radiodiffusion Télevision Française (ORTF), was directed by the engineer/composer Pierre Schaeffer and his partner, Pierre Henry, who called their musical creations musique concrète. In Germany the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) studio produced music through the process of “synthesis.” This chapter will explain the difference between the two approaches used to create electronic music with examples from the percussion solo and ensemble repertoire. Early experiments using wire recorders, test records, and tape recorders by composers Halim El-Dabh, John Cage, and Edgard Varèse precede the major electronic works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mario Davidovsky, and the American composer Stephen Everett, whose use of computers in “real time” brings the reader into the next century.

RODNEY LISTER (b. 1951)Songs to Harvest (2006)

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-143
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Good Deal ◽  
Medium Range ◽  
American Composer ◽  
Voice And Piano ◽  
The Voice

This chapter focuses on American composer Rodney Lister’s Songs to Harvest (2006). As shown in this attractive cycle, Lister has a distinctive and fascinating way of writing for voice and piano. The voice projects succinct, shapely phrases, while linear piano parts weave a tapestry of sinuous counterpoint, frequently in two parts only, often with three-against-two rhythms. When the voice stops, the piano continues, its luminous texture ebbing and flowing. Ingeniously, it seems to give a subliminal commentary as well as an irresistible propulsion to the music. The prime test of the songsmith is to set words so that they can be heard easily, and Lister passes this with flying colours. A predominantly medium range guarantees comfortable articulation—the highest note occurs only once, fleetingly. The cohesive musical idiom is discreetly contemporary, disciplined, and carefully modulated. Pitching should be relatively unproblematic—there is a good deal of doubling with the piano, and plenty of time to plot each interval cleanly.

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