American Music

[karl.miller]

Thanks from another Harris-fan! 
Sound quality doesn't matter at all to me. It's just unbelievable that these documents exists!
shamokin88, I am VERY curious to know where you got all this from?! 

**************************
While I don't know the source of the posted version of the Harris 12th, I got my copy from the Dan Stehman, author of two books on Harris. As for the Gould First Symphony, while I haven't listened to the posting offered, my copy came from a dub Paul Snook did of Gould's copy plus I added a bit from a tape I got from David Canfield who had copied some lacquers from a former member of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Karl

[karl.miller]

Apparently Vincent wrote (at least) 2 symphonies and the first (A Festival Piece in One Movement) was recorded twice (by Whitney and by Ormandy- the latter recording now available on CD. Anyone know of even broadcast performances/recordings of no.2? )

*********************
I have a recording of No.2. It is a transcription of the Consort for Piano and String quartet. The work, in its chamber version, was released on the Contemporary label.

Karl

[karl.miller]

Re Rogers, ages ago I put together this very incomplete list...
here...

About Julia Smith, can't seem to find out anything about the conductor, even slightly changing the spelling of the name. Lee Schaend? ... Probably not looking in the right places though. Anyone know?

*********************
Are you referring to the Julia Smith Piano Concerto with Larry Waltz as soloist?

Thanks for your list of Rogers. I have the following works and perhaps in time can make some transfers if there is interest.

Karl


Rogers, Bernard   Apparitions for Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Dance Scenes for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Elegy In Memory of F.D.R, For Orch
Rogers, Bernard   Four Pictures after Hans Christian Anderson for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Goossens Variation for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Leaves from the Tale of Pinocchio for Orchestra (Hanson;Schoenherr)
Rogers, Bernard   Once Upon a Time,suite for Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Portrait for Violin and Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Soliloquy for Flute and Strings
Rogers, Bernard   Song of the Nightingale, suite
Rogers, Bernard   String Trio
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.3, "On Thanksgiving Song"
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.4
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.5, "Africa"
Rogers, Bernard   The Light of Man, Oratorio for Chorus and Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   The Silver World for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   The Warrior (Met. 1947 Complete Opera)
Rogers, Bernard   Three Japanese Dances for Winds
Rogers, Bernard   Variations on a Song by Mussorgsky for Orchestra

[britishcomposer]

While I don't know the source of the posted version of the Harris 12th, I got my copy from the Dan Stehman, author of two books on Harris. As for the Gould First Symphony, while I haven't listened to the posting offered, my copy came from a dub Paul Snook did of Gould's copy plus I added a bit from a tape I got from David Canfield who had copied some lacquers from a former member of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Karl

Welcome, Karl!
This sounds all very thrilling! 

I read Mr Stehman's two-part essay on the Harris Symphonies in the Tempo Journal some years ago. A highly recommendable source for a beginner who is interested in Harris.

[Dundonnell]

Re Rogers, ages ago I put together this very incomplete list...
here...

About Julia Smith, can't seem to find out anything about the conductor, even slightly changing the spelling of the name. Lee Schaend? ... Probably not looking in the right places though. Anyone know?

*********************
Are you referring to the Julia Smith Piano Concerto with Larry Waltz as soloist?

Thanks for your list of Rogers. I have the following works and perhaps in time can make some transfers if there is interest.

Karl


Rogers, Bernard   Apparitions for Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Dance Scenes for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Elegy In Memory of F.D.R, For Orch
Rogers, Bernard   Four Pictures after Hans Christian Anderson for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Goossens Variation for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   Leaves from the Tale of Pinocchio for Orchestra (Hanson;Schoenherr)
Rogers, Bernard   Once Upon a Time,suite for Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Portrait for Violin and Orchestra
Rogers, Bernard   Soliloquy for Flute and Strings
Rogers, Bernard   Song of the Nightingale, suite
Rogers, Bernard   String Trio
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.3, "On Thanksgiving Song"
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.4
Rogers, Bernard   Symphony No.5, "Africa"
Rogers, Bernard   The Light of Man, Oratorio for Chorus and Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   The Silver World for Orch.
Rogers, Bernard   The Warrior (Met. 1947 Complete Opera)
Rogers, Bernard   Three Japanese Dances for Winds
Rogers, Bernard   Variations on a Song by Mussorgsky for Orchestra

There definitely IS interest

[eschiss1]

Welcome to the site, by the way. And thanks!

[minacciosa]

I've been looking for some Swanson for a long time. Could you possibly make this link active again?

Howard Swanson (1907-1978)
These are some  pieces off old LPs of a few pieces by an unsung American composer:
1. Concerto for Orchestra
    Budapest phil orch, Benjamin Steinberg (Silhouettes in Courage SIL K 5001-2)
3. Short Symphony
    American recording Societ Orchestra, Dean Dixon (ARS-7)
4. Night Music
    New York Ensemble of the Philharmonic Scholarship Winners, Dmitri Mitropoulos
Charles Jones:
2. Symphony No. 6
    Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Steinberg (Silhouettes in Courage SIL K 5001-2)

http://www.mediafire.com/?nmku8dqjy6rd6

This is an article about him from the New Georgia Encyclopedia:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2699

[minacciosa: you must post replies like this in the appropriate thread in the Discussion board here, NOT in the Downloads board, which is only for posts and replies which have download links. Mark]

[jowcol]

I am  posting Vittorio Giannini's IBM Symphony  in the downloads section.  For such a neglected composer, this work is very well documented, thanks to IBM.   I can't resist sharing a little history about the work, it's an enjoyable work, but the corporate propaganda surrounding it is even more fascinating.

Written in 1937, it was premiered at  the January 18, 1938  dedication of the IBM World Headquarters Building in New York, Vittorio Giannini conducted the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in the first performance of the IBM Symphony, which is the recording I am posting.  A  description (program notes) from that performance have been preserved, as written by Mrs. Marie Osborne.

The piece is in one movement, subdivided into three parts, which follow each other without interruption.
I. Allegro
The Allegro expresses the unrest and confusion of the world today [1938]. The martial spirit is symbolized by trumpets sounding the call to arms. The Allegro reaches a climax and then softens gradually in an expression of the weariness of mankind.

II. Sostenuto
The Sostenuto depicts the exhortation of those who strive for peace and love amongst humanity. As the theme of this section, the composer uses the first six bars of the IBM song "Ever Onward," thus identifying the spirit of IBM with the world movement for international understanding.

III. Allegro Ritmico
The Allegro Ritmico begins with different rhythms in the violas, then the cellos, then the violins. This is descriptive of renewed activity in industry. Above these constant rhythms are heard the different anthems of the nations as they unite their common efforts for the prosperity and the betterment of mankind. Toward the end of the composition, the rhythms of industry acquire a joyous, triumphant tone; while the brass, playing in a broadened tempo, repeats "Ever Onward" which is now played in its entirety.

The IBM Symphony was played again on May 4 1939 at the World's Fair which also  featured a performance of the IBM anthem, "Hail To The IBM." (Tragically, I don't have a recording of that..)  A photo from that day is below.

Seen here on stage that day are (from left) the anthem's composer, Vittorio Giannini; Olin Downes, music critic of the New York Times, who spoke at the event; Eugene Ormandy, who conducted the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; and Thomas J. Watson, Sr., IBM's president. 

A description of that day is available here:  http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4138.html
I am reproducing the highlights below:

May 2 was as nothing compared to Thursday, May 4—IBM Day at the world's fair. May 4 was a busy day for Watson, but not a uniquely busy day. Indeed, one of the remarkable aspects of his long life was the number of days such as this which he arranged (and which those around him endured). Things were kicked off as Watson opened the fair for the day. He was accompanied by a mounted escort from Perylon Hall on the fairgrounds to the IBM exhibit at the Business Systems Building, where a precursor of a form of e-mail was displayed:

Not only technology but art had a place in IBM Day. The company had commissioned the IBM Symphony by Vittorio Giannini, and the work was performed at this event and was broadcast. In a burst of understatement, Fortune magazine described the symphony as "somewhat programmatic in nature." The second movement contained a melodic reference to the most often sung of IBM's many songs, "Ever Onward."

Painting as well as music was part of IBM's artistic contribution to the fair. Watson was described in the New York Times as taking "a bold and potentially constructive step" by displaying works from seventy-nine countries in his Gallery of Science and Art in a large hall in the Business Systems Building at the fair. "Far-flung" would be the best way to describe the countries represented. They included French Indochina, Libya, Luxembourg, and the USSR. "Our endeavor," explained Watson, has been to increase the interest of business in art and of artists in business ... This step by an industrial organization is in recognition of the part played by art in industry and its importance to industry in broadening the horizons of culture and influencing the needs and desires of the people of every country.

I WAS going to include some biographical information, but this may already be more than you wanted to know.   It is a shame that Giannini was not available for commissioning  more disturbing work about an evil  man named Bill Gates and a company called Microsoft.

[Dundonnell]

The Giannini IBM Symphony is already up here

It was posted by shamokin on November 14th in a performance by the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer.

It is, of course, possible that you have a different version .............oh, it isn't unfortunately However, your accompanying notes are far too useful and informative to lose

[jowcol]

The Giannini IBM Symphony is already up here

It was posted by shamokin on November 14th in a performance by the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer.

It is, of course, possible that you have a different version .............oh, it isn't unfortunately However, your accompanying notes are far too useful and informative to lose

As they say.. Ever Onward....   Thanks to  shamokin for getting it the first time. 

[jowcol]

I've posted the Paul Bunyan Suite by William Bergsma, and this time, I did a search to see if anyone has posted it already.  (Thanks for keeping me honest, Dundonnell!)   I did  a bit of research and found a message board that said a lot more about this recording than I had expected to find.  (Most of this info, and the scans come from a  post by Bill Anderson)


The Paul Bunyan Suite was taken from Bergsma's ballet score from 1939.  From what I gather, it has not been commercially recorded. 

This recording is from a private lacquer  by the  St. Louis Philharmonic Society, an all volunteer orchestra that traces its history back to 1860. The conductor , Russell Gerhart, was active in St. Louis during the 1950's, eventually becoming the Music Director of the Huntsville, AL Symphony from 1959 though 1971.

Anderson also posted scans of the original, which I'm reproducing below, and including in the file.



and



After this, we have the obligatory composer picture and Wikepedia Entry.



William Bergsma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Laurence Bergsma (April 1, 1921 – March 18, 1994) was an American composer.


After studying piano with his mother, a former opera singer, and then the viola, Bergsma moved on to study composition; his most significant teachers were Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers. Bergsma attended Stanford University for two years (1938-40) before moving on to the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. In 1946 he accepted a position at Juilliard, where he remained until 1963, eventually holding such positions as chair of composition and from 1961-63, associate dean. In 1963 he moved on to the University of Washington, heading the music school until 1971, remaining a professor from then on after stepping down from the administrative post. In 1966 Bergsma founded the Contemporary Group at the University of Washington, which is an organization of composers and musicians who stage performances of new musical works and educate students and the public about contemporary music; the group remains active to this day. He is the recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Students of Bergsma include composers Jack Behrens, Philip Glass, Karl Korte, and Robert Parris.

Bergsma's music is noted for its lyrical, contrapuntal qualities. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bergsma rejected serialism in favor of a more conservative style, though one distinctly rooted in the 20th century. He eschewed the avant-garde—his obituary in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer describes him as having "never deserted tonality" and seeing "dozens of his former avant-garde colleagues returning to the fold"—though he did embrace aleatoric techniques later in his career.

He composed two operas, The Wife of Martin Guerre (1956) and The Murder of Comrade Sharik (1973), which are markedly different in style. The first is a somber tale of a 16th century French peasant's disappearance and return upon which he is suspected to be an impostor; the music is marked by dissonance which emphasizes the tension in the story, particularly in the final courtroom scene. The second is more lighthearted and comic; Bergsma wrote his own libretto after the story Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, which involves a dog transforming into a citizen of 1920s Moscow as a result of a doctor's experiments. The partially-aleatoric orchestral writing is intended to be the voice of Stalin, and quotes from Carmen, La traviata and Don Giovanni for comedic effect. He was also a skillful composer of smaller works, including many chamber ensembles and solo piano pieces as well as orchestral writings.

Bergsma died in Seattle of a heart attack, at the age of 72.

[Dundonnell]

A search for the Giannini uploads from November comes up with nothing, which is very peculiar So even if you had done a search...........

They are still there however....and I downloaded them at the time

[eschiss1]

Have seen reviews of Bergsma recordings some years back (from CRI, if I recall). It'll be interesting hearing his music. Thanks!

[jowcol]

I've posted Piano Concerto #2 by Ross Lee Finney in the downloads section.



For those any of you (like me) that were not familiar with his work...

Wikipedia Entry

Ross Lee Finney Junior (December 23, 1906–February 4, 1997) was an American composer born in Wells, Minnesota who taught for many years at the University of Michigan. He studied with Nadia Boulanger, Edward Burlingame Hill, Alban Berg (from 1931-2) and Roger Sessions (in 1935).
His students included Leslie Bassett, George Crumb, Burton Beerman, Roger Reynolds, William Albright, Donald Bohlen, Robert Ashley, Robert Morris, Richard Toensing, Stephen Chatman, Rolv Yttrehus, Robert Cogan, George Balch Wilson, Philip Krumm, and Donald Harris.

According to the notes for the Composers Recordings, Inc. recording of Finney's second cello sonata (about 1953), Chromatic Fantasy In E for Violoncello Solo (1957) and second piano trio (1954), he received the Rome Prize in 1960 and the Brandeis Medal in 1968. He is quoted in those notes as having begun writing serial music from time to time beginning with his sixth string quartet (a work which uses serial principles but is "in E" on the score), his next work to be composed after the sonata.

He wrote eight string quartets, four symphonies as well as other orchestral works, other chamber works and songs.

Finney died on February 4, 1997, at his home in Carmel, California. He was 90.


Entry from the New York Public Library Archives:


Biographical/Historical Notes

American composer and teacher, Ross Lee Finney (b Wells, MN, 23 Dec. 1906; d Carmel, CA, 4 Feb. 1997) was the son of intellectual parents; his father was a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. He began playing and composing music as a child, learning cello, piano and guitar. Finney retained an interest in the guitar and folk music throughout his life and folk song and melody were important elements in his music. His first rigorous music courses were at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he studied with Donald Ferguson. He received a B.A. from Carleton College in 1927, after which he traveled to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger. Finney's other teachers were Edward Burlingame Hill (1928-29), Alban Berg (1931-32) and Roger Sessions (1935), with whom he enjoyed a long friendship.

Finney joined the faculty of Smith College in Massachusetts in 1929. He was awarded Guggenheim and Pulitzer fellowships in 1937, and from 1943 to 1945 he served in the Office of Strategic Services in France, where he sustained combat injuries and received a Purple Heart. He won a second Guggenheim Fellowship in 1947. In 1949 he was appointed professor of music and composer-in-residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he remained until his 1972 retirement. There, Finney attracted many students who went on to become important composers, including George Crumb, Roger Reynolds, and William Albright. Finney continued composing through the mid-1980s.

Finney's music was tonal and melodic while sometimes employing serial technique, particularly after 1950; he lectured and wrote about the evolution of his style and his continuing interest in tonal resources. He was also interested in setting poetry to music. In the course of his career he composed for many musical settings, including soloists, chamber groups, choirs, wind ensembles, orchestras, opera and dance. His output was prolific and his music was performed often in his lifetime, both at the University of Michigan and by major orchestras and chamber groups around the country. He frequently served as a guest artist and lecturer at Universities and symposia and wrote about composition and music education for both children and advanced students.

[jowcol]

I am posting three works by Bernard Herrmann (from a 2007 performance)  that were originally written during his tenure with CBS, and were later recycled into his movies. The photo below, with Orson Welles,  was taken during that period, I presume. 



Nocturne and Scherzo:
From http://www.bernardherrmann.org/articles/biographical-sketch/

Bernard Herrmann's career took a professional turn when he went to work for the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1933. He started as composer, writing music for the Columbia Workshop radio programmes and in the following year he became first music adviser and later staff conductor at 'The American School of the Air', directing symphonic programmes in conjunction with other CBS conductors such as Howard Barlow and Victor Bay. Barlow had founded the Columbia Symphony Orchestra in 1927 and he introduced several of Herrmann's works to radio audiences, including the first performance of the Nocturne and Scherzo in the 1936 summer season.

According to: http://www.filmscorerundowns.net/herrmann/sneakpeek2.pdf he borrowed from this work in the 1963 Jason and the Argonauts:

(1) A fascinating assortment of examples that illustrate both categories of selfborrowing
can be found in the film Jason and the Argonauts (1963). At least five cues
were borrowed or reworked from earlier works: "Scherzo Macabre," "The Harpies,"
"The Triton," "A & J Fight," and "The Stolen Fleece." Occasionally Herrmann would
borrow an entire cue or major section of a previously composed work and use it in the
new project. Such is the case with "Scherzo Macabre" where he actually used the actual
leaves from the manuscript of his Nocturne and Scherzo composed in 1935. In spite of
that the instrumentation was changed for the version in Jason: Eight horns were
employed instead of four; six trumpets instead of three; and the brass were augmented.
The string parts in the original were not used because there were no strings in the Jason
orchestration. The slower passages in the corresponding part of the Nocturne were thus
also omitted. Whereas the original sequence in Scherzo (concert version) ran four
minutes and 17 seconds (4:17) the version in Jason runs only 3:26.

Shropshire Lad and City of Brass

These two works were first written for dramatic readings for CBS radio.  To quote from this site http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/daily/article.cfm/articleID/6666/Herrmann-Centennial---Radio-Work/:


Almost from the very beginning, Herrmann was called upon to compose original music for dramatic readings of poetry and literature for David Ross, one of the top announcers at CBS. His excellent work on the first of these so called "melodrams" opened the door for a long series of experimental music and dramatic reading projects. In contrast to the nature of the music used for radio plays, here music was center stage, not only providing long introductions and closings for the dramatic text readings, but also providing a continuous score beneath the dialogue. Herrmann was able to develop greater musical identities with his music and it allowed him to present mood and psychological commentary to support the dramatic content of the readings. Again, perhaps this was another element in building the foundation for his later film scoring style which reflects his uncanny ability to set mood and deliver psychological subtext musically in a film.

A note of interest concerning the two examples of melodrams used here, and that is Herrmann's penchant for reusing his music from time to time. In this case the opening of A Shropshire Lad was reused as the "Prelude" to The Kentuckian and The City of Brass was reused as "Triton's" music in Jason and the Argonauts, both nearly 2 decades later. Most likely Herrmann thought that using music from a medium that got one or perhaps two plays ever probably wouldn't be remembered 2 decades later when used in an entirely different medium with most likely a different audience. Why waste good music that was long ago relegated to the ether?!

Once again, these are from a 2007 performance, so the sound is quite good.