Skip to main content

1. Charles Ives – Piano Sonata No. 2, 'Concord, Mass., 1840-1860'

 

Being one of the formative composers of American modernism and one of the first American composers of international relevancy, Charles Ives – as was briefly discussed during the seminar – could be viewed (and often is thought of) as something of a living incarnation of the American concept of the “melting pot” - turning manifold fragmented impulses, signifiers, motifs etc. into a new, comprehensive whole. Almost akin to an early example of musical sampling, Ives frequently includes motifs and melodic fragments from mainly European art and popular music – in the case of his popular 'Concord' piano sonata, there are clear tributes being paid to Beethoven's fifth symphony or, more specifically, its iconic, recognizable theme.

            In the case of his Piano Sonata No. 2, these recognizable motifs are essentially “drowned” in a sea of experimental and freely atonal material, perhaps emblematically mirroring American history, which is, of course, itself rife with violent, settler colonial conflict. One could make the case that the generic signifiers of European art and popular music compilated within Ives' music may represent the character of the European settler in the “New World” uncompromisingly propagating their culture amid a torrent of unimaginable, chaotic violence. His Piano Sonata No. 2 certainly captures this clashing of discordant elements – its tempo incessantly speeding up and slowing down, its notes being played like hammers on wood, with occasional familiar thematic elements seemingly trying their best to break free from the turmoil.

            As such, one could say not only of Piano Sonata No. 2 but perhaps of Ives' compositional work as a whole that it is not only some of the first “genuinely American” music historiographically, but indeed also and especially in a structural and stylistic sense.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pierre Schaeffer - Étude pathétique

  Pierre Schaefer begins the piece with sounds produced by drums and similar percussion instruments. One hears the sound of an object spinning and then coming to a stop. I assume it is a circular object, like a cymbal or hi-hat of a drum kit, that spins until it comes to a stop. Sounds of a locomotive follow, continuing with a mixture of drums and spinning objects as well as voices. There are slight parallels here with another piece by Schaeffer, "etude aux chemins de fer," in which he has the musical piece consist of sounds of trains and locomotives. I also recognize an accordion and a violin playing rapidly, accompanied by human sounds that are not really decipherable. By combining all these background sounds and using human voices, Schaeffer creates an exciting atmosphere while listening to the piece, and the listener's auditory senses are constantly challenged to decipher all the details of the sounds. At times one could be reminded of a scene from a scary movie, at l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pauline Oliveros – The Goddard in the Dan Harpole Cistern

  After watching Dan Harpole's film of Goddard in the Cistern, one is struck by how creepy the location appears and feels. In the light, you can just make out a lengthy ladder leading down into a concrete-walled area. It's absolutely dark, with only the top hatch and a small lamp providing lighting. This sequence accounts for a significant portion of the plot. Three persons are seen climbing up and down the ladder, which might be regarded the music piece's official start. Additionally, while the name "Dan Harpole Cistern" suggests a vast space, it appears to be a homemade video. A hum and other vocal noises travel across the room, bouncing off the walls. The women's voices generate a hum that contributes to the room's unique feel. The beautiful singing is interrupted by metal fragments falling on the floor. One would ask how much thought went into the sounds, given that the majority of them appear to be chosen at random. The emphasis is not on making sound...
Post a Comment
Read more