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PostClassic

Kyle Gann on music after the fact

Chip Off the Postminimalist Block

There are two high-profile Gann performances this week, and only one of them is mine. 

This Friday, Leon Botstein will conduct the American Symphony Orchestra in Symphony No. 1 by Bernard Gann. Now, let me contextualize that statement a little. Every year just before graduation, Leon (our president) conducts his orchestra in a program of student compositions and concerto movements with student performers. This year there are four student compositions, by Craig Judelman, Kevin Gordon, Ben Richter (my student), and my son. Secondly, Bernard’s piece is about 11 minutes long and in one movement. I remonstrated with him that it was customary to simply call a piece “Symphony” until you’ve written a second one, upon which the first becomes “No. 1” retroactively. This advice took root in the manner my advice to students usually does, and the title will be Symphony No. 1. 

I’m proud of all of our students’ compositions, but given the topic of this blog I feel compelled to publish the list of influences from Bern’s program notes:

I thank David First, my guitar/composition teacher; Erica Lindsay, my project advisor; and Kyle Gann, my father, all for providing the inspiration for my efforts here.  I’d also like to thank those who have studied with in the past, including Bill Duckworth, Joan Tower, and George Tsontakis.

Some other inspirations include Julius Eastman, whose notion of  “organic music” I find very useful in my method. I also think it lends itself well to reinterpretation both methodically and aesthetically. Morton Feldman, in this case as someone who on occasion composed with an attention to the visual appearance of the score as a deciding factor in how the music would sound or pace itself. Jon Gibson for composing beautifully simple sounding music. Peter Garland, whose music inspired me on a particular path about a year ago (and if I’ve left that path, I’d like to find it again). And Terry Riley, for huge shifts between “blocks” of sound, the juxtapositions between which I have for a long time greatly enjoyed, and always have had the impetus to try to employ as my imaginary ear sees it.

Eastman, Feldman, Gibson, Garland, Riley – it’s a pretty postminimalist list. The score was evaluated by Bernard’s board: our expert saxophonist/jazz composer Erica Lindsay, George Tsontakis, and John Halle from the Bard Conservatory (an entity completely separate from the Bard Music Department, don’t ask), who was the only other local composer besides myself familiar with all the composers the program notes mention. The performance is at Bard’s Fisher Center (where Bernard’s mother is general manager) Friday night at 9. 

Also, this thursday, May 22, at 7:30, my Disklavier piece Unquiet Night will be played “live” on a program of Disklavier music at the Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 5th Ave., 3rd Floor, Manhattan. Organized by composer Gordon Green, the program includes works by Chris Dobrian, Steve Horowitz, David Jason Snow, and Green himself. Unquiet Night is more totalist than postminimal.

What’s going on here

So classical music is dead, they say. Well, well. This blog will set out to consider that dubious factoid with equanimity, if not downright enthusiasm [More]

Kyle Gann's Home Page More than you ever wanted to know about me at www.kylegann.com

PostClassic Radio The radio station that goes with the blog, all postclassical music, all the time; see the playlist at kylegann.com.

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Sites to See

American Mavericks - the Minnesota Public radio program about American music (scripted by Kyle Gann with Tom Voegeli)

Kalvos & Damian's New Music Bazaar - a cornucopia of music, interviews, information by, with, and on hundreds of intriguing composers who are not the Usual Suspects

Iridian Radio - an intelligently mellow new-music station

New Music Box - the premiere site for keeping up with what American composers are doing and thinking

The Rest Is Noise - The fine blog of critic Alex Ross

William Duckworth's Cathedral - the first interactive web composition and home page of a great postminimalist composer

Mikel Rouse's Home Page - the greatest opera composer of my generation

Eve Beglarian's Home Page- great Downtown composer

David Doty's Just Intonation site

Erling Wold's Web Site - a fine San Francisco composer of deceptively simple-seeming music, and a model web site

The Dane Rudhyar Archive - the complete site for the music, poetry, painting, and ideas of a greatly underrated composer who became America's greatest astrologer

Utopian Turtletop, John Shaw's thoughtful blog about new music and other issues

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