. ear that most of the population liveg era Hg pene probability written and per a hears conductors, opera singers, and Foci ated the America msl ins, oP Yom a German Professor while their whe ignore and signori atthe OPETa iene onter the profession i was taken for Uf an American aspi idies in Europe, preferably in ies of prominent musicians of ary itis the eas of Og whe ‘without hearing cone "The music that Sore biog (Geran, When ot at eine (189-1908), Dudley Buck the a ant wm (1854-1931), Horatio Parker (1868-1919), Te 18)—the story is invariable. Each ox Elva Macon pao teacher (ot with someone Studied piano with a German-born pian aoe rid adied in Germany)-Some continued their studies at Harvard aoc all went to Germany for advanced study at the conserva. cts beng the ey ‘fates ines hey ce, they etme home conservative followers of Brahms or progressive followers eT ee “They wrote pan pie, sm tone poems ratoros, and occasionally separ afew ateupled to write “American” mosic by hang, compotion on Negro spiritual or on Indian themes Tris not dificult wo ases these compositions. They are since, hones, well writen, but completely without the essential touch of genius tha gives music lasting value, Nevertheless, these composers and ther music were of genuine temporary value for they produced an fnvironment in which stonger musical personalities could thrive Without thee American composers of the fin de sidcle we would not be enjoying our present masial life, which differs so radically from that jst deeb. While these acalemic compositions and limited musical exper ence are characteristic of the musical life in the United States in the carly years of the century, under the surface and in quiet isolation na some indigenous masial activity which proved to have ret sigifance and interes, During these years, American ragtime a ‘2, soon to be heard around the world, was in its formative Stage ahi one American composer, Charles Ives, was writing compositions that were ata ; “re 48 audacious as anything being written on the continent. MUSIC IN AnteRICA 9 IVES, 1874-1954 1 feel strongly that the great fundamentals should bbe more discussed in all public meetings, and also in meetings of schools and colleges. Not only the students but also the faculty should get down to ‘more thinking and action about the great problems which concern all countries and all peoples in the ‘world today, and not let the politicians do it all and have the whole say Thave often been told that it is not the function ‘of music (ora concert) to concern itself with matters like these. But I do not by any means agree. I think that it is one of the things that music can do, if it happens to want to, i€ it comes naturally, and is not the result of superimposition—I have had some fights about this, CHARLES IvEs® ‘The solitary Charles Ives is the grand exception to this genteel tradi- tion; he is one of the most thorny of rugged individualist in all music history. ~ ‘As the son of a band director in Danbury, Connecticut, he was intimately assodated with music from his earliest youth. His father, by no means the usual town band master, had a remarkable interest in novel combinations of sounds and a flair for experiments. He tried to imitate the sound of church bells on the piano and contrived musical instruments that would play quarter tones. Dividing the members of his band into small groups, he had them play different pieces in an antiphonal and overlapping manner. He encouraged his son Charles to experiment with dissonances at the piano, and often, had the family sing a familiar tune in one key while he accompanied in another. Charles attended Yale as a music student and received traditional instruction, but after graduation he went to New York, entered the ‘na Jeter to Lehman Engl80 PART ONE: 1900-1914 insurance business, and composed music as a hobby until the mid. twenties while becoming a successful and wealthy business man Because Ives made little effort to have his work performed, it ‘was virtually unknown until the {930's phen a small group of musicians became avare ofthis inspired amateur, Two movements of his Fourth Symphony were played in New York in 1927, and four years later an Sraptee we Holt, wa played in Earp 10158 is Concord Sonata for piano was heard in New York. From that time the [yes legend has grown, forthe imagination of the public was captured by the idea of a businessman-composer-recluse who wrote astonishingly ‘complex and dissonant music. ‘In IOH7 he was awarded a Puliver Prize for the Third Symphony he had writen some twenty years previously, and in 1955,a year after his death, a fullscale biography and critical study of ils works was published. The Fourth Symphony finally achieved a complete perform: nce in New York in 1965, made possible through a grant by the ‘Rockefeller Foundation to pay for the extra rehearsals needed to play the enormously difficult score. IVES'S COMPOSITIONS { i Ivess music includes four symphonies, four sonatas for violin and i piano, two piano sonatas, two string quartets, over a hundred son i tnd sialler pieces for orchestra and for piano. Since much of this was written before 1918) belongs to the pre-World War I period i which witnesied so many changes in music “The Concord Sonata (19081915) is a good example of his work. [Ata frst hearing ofthis huge work one is likely tobe stunned, for it is ong loud, and thick with note, ‘There are surprising differences in style fom page to page and iti entirely unpredictable. The best way to approach the piece is through the, MGS and the written introduc sions provided by the composer. The fist movement isa portrait of Emerson, one of Ives’ heroes ‘The composer describes him as “America’s deepest explorer of the spirtval immensities,” and his style of writing a8 "based on the large unity ofa series of particular aspects ofa subject, rather than on the (oi comtiuiy fits expression. As thoughts surge to his mind, he fills the \ heavens with them, crowds them in if necesary, but seldom arranges them along the ground fist." This applies to Ive’ sonata, Ne Muste WW anceRica, a The moveneet sats with nt ea ith two lines of dissonant oo in contrary motion, The nts inte sa uments js used throughout the whole sonata, Sa meet xAMPLE 4 Slowly er A moment Inter the sigs theme of Beethoven Fit heard somevhat disguised, The ler theme tuo Fema de gra work, Tvs tel tha sigs «++ the spiritual mesage of Emersons revelations Sou of hs knocking atthe door of Divine mysteree ian in the ath tat bbe opened—and that the human will become the Divine sie ee ee eer ee ee Oe ae es pcre ome rated to his pact), and witout dente katy, Th bling Thnpedie mute with ecaona ferenes wo the two ma motives It soon becomes violent in its dissonance and dynamics, one partic tlolyasingent chord being explaed a “bu one ot Emons sudan eal for Tremenda Journey $42 we ‘The structure in seconds is characteristic of the many tone clusters: in the piece A quieter scion follows where the writing for several pages rhembles Debussy’ or Ravel's with a pedal established in the BxaMpLe 42aad ot sowslhornt. Fetter in 4d od cots rao Jane 82 PART ONE: 1900-1914 bass, and widely dispersed arpeggios in the left hand against a frag mentary melody in the fight, Secions of “heavenling. though alternate with pages of feflective music while the references to the Beethoven theme become more insistent. The end of the movement is pure impressionism, with its pedal built on a diminished fifth while intervals are sounded pppp above. ‘Another aspect of New England culture is expressed in the nd movement, entitled “Hawthorne.” Ives explained that he was fot dwelling on the guiltobsesed aspect ofthe author of The Searlet ‘movement, but rather that he was “trying to suggest some of his Hawthorne's wilder, fantastical adventures into the half. childlike, halffairylike phantasmal realms piece, a scherzo in ‘mood, makes tremendous demands on the performer. ‘The opening suggests the figuration of Ravel's “Scarbo.” Passages of wild syncopa: tion, probably never notated before this time, alternate with passages to be played with a “board 1434 inches long, and heavy enough to press the keys down without striking.” In the middle of this vertigi nous music there is suddenly a quotation from a simple old hymn with directions to play it “asa hymn is sometimes heard over a distant hill just after a heavy storm.” A moment Inter a perky march-tune appears. These allusions to popular music are literal; that is, with their original chords and meter, and result in an almost surrealistic incongruity with the general climate of dissonance The slow third movement of the sonata is called “The Alcotts” and is an evocation of the simple, domestic life of the period“ IC is tie ‘most approachable movement and the allusions to additional gospel tnymns, parlor songs, and "Here Comes the Bride,” form a cohesive whole. ‘The movement-ends with a triumphant statement of the Beethoven theme in C fuajor, The last moveret eau,” is a landscape with a figure. A fe of the philosopher detailed program concerned with a day in the | + of Walden Pond accompanies the piece, The rhapsodic style of the fist ‘movement returns near the end, when a pedal figure starts, and above it are heard ever slower and more expressive versions of the basic melodie theme. At the very end, the Beethoven theme is referred to once aguin — In this brief description of the Concord Sonata, the programmatic content his been stresed, Its musical originality has been mentioned, ut the composition must be heard and the score studied to be believed. ‘Written between 1909 and 1915, itis undoubtedly the most advanced, the most radical musie written anywhere at that time. ‘The Concord : where chords in 'onata is unique and unprecedented in harmony, MUSIC IN AMERICA 83 seconds and fourths vie with large cuss ‘cal, non, usters of notes in rhythm, where a nonmettical, non-bared, fee prove sve prem, in ea ee Tong stretches of music without to Pa ae latoaall, Wire where sections of the utmost dificuty alternate mae ant it form, ‘When Stravinsky exploited ‘ance, he reduced the other iplicty, When Schoenberg was iter he made them very short. asymmetrical rhythmic patterns, for ins clements (stich as melody) to relative sim ‘writing his first pieces without a tonal ce {ves took on all the dificulties at once. For that reason, some of hiv shorter pieces and songs are m sucoesfl than the extended compositions Fr isance She ne tonic at Stockbridge” from Three Places in New England (1903-1914) is a beautiful piece of impresionistic music with a shimmering, hazy atmosphere. Fragmentary melodies in the oboe, English horn, and French horn (typical impressionist timbres) are. in the foreground, while the background is provided by the violins in quite another key. ‘The early date of this piece makes it one of the fist polytonal com positions. Another unqualified success is the Unanswered Question (1908) written for trumpet, four flutes, and sering orehestra. Here the strings play simple diawnie chords in the background while the solo trumpet enters from time to time with a erypti, widesnterval melody in a different key, At unexpected intervals the four flutes play inde- pendent flourishes. All of this is programmatic. According to the composer's directions, "The stris lay¢pp throughout with no change in tempo. They are to pratt diet terme nc non etek es ee visible Answer” undertaken by the fluted)and other human beings (si), yecomes gradually more active, faster and louder. . . 3 ‘This composition stands the test of ggod program music, It is lceply exprestve tote listener who has no knowledge ofits rogram or even that a progeam exits. Is complete int evocative sound. ‘The collection, (Li Songs, privately printed by the sees contains an essay in which he write, “Some tave writen a book for money T have not, Some fr fame; J Rate nt. Some fo ov: Fave Tn fact, gentle borrower, Ihave not written a book at all Thave merely cleaned howe Later he write, “Some of te ones this book, particularly among the later one, ca