CULTURAL DIVERSITY in the CHORAL MUSIC of Lou HARRISON by David L
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· ........................................................................ CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE CHORAL MUSIC OF Lou HARRISON by David L. Brunner This article coincides with Lou filled with beautifully lyric melodies. Glory of God," set for chorus and Harrison's 75th birthday, May 14, Harrison's music for chorus spans percussion, but the work was left 1992. some 40 years and encompasses 13 unfinished for 15 years. It was not pieces, including a large-scale oratorio until his tenure at Black Mountain HE CHORAL MUSIC OF that remains incomplete, a ballet, an College that Harrison returned to the Lou Harrison is both opera, two masses, and various other Mass, when it was rescored for interesting and double chorus of unison expressive, yet mixed voices, trumpet, harp, largely unlmown to and strings, and titled Mass most conductors. to St. Anthony. Harrison's diverse In the original score, the background includes Kyrie was to be a "kind of study with Cowell and war cry . a cry for Schoenberg, associations mercy . set very sternly with Cage and Partch, an and shocking" for military abiding affinity to.Eastern snare, side, and bass drums. 3 cultural influences, The Gloria was "for all the adherence to the principles churchbells in the world, l of just intonation , and a just everything you had that passion for "world music." would make a bell ...." His output is considerable Harrison wrote the voice and encompasses music for parts in their entirety, but the theater, percussion completed little more than ensemble, opera, symphonic these first two movements and chamber ensembles, for percussion. In its later harp, psaltery2, piano, version the original vocal choral ensemble, and parts were retained, but gamelan. Harrison "decided to tidy it During his career he has up because the church did worked as composer, not, at that time, enjoy teacher, critic, dance percussion orchestras." accompanist, instrument The Mass to St. Anthony designer, poet, calligrapher, is characterized by restraint and in lean times, animal and simplicity. The vocal nurse, and forest ranger. He lines were conceived as is a gentle, sensitive, and peace-loving pieces, plus a number of gamelan "rhythmitized chant," the sort found man whose music, embodying these songs. among the Franciscans and Indians of qualities, is expressive and carefully the Southwest, yet newly composed. crafted, of clean texture and The Choral Music Harrison's hope was to reconstruct a interesting rhythms, and above all, rhythmitized Gregorian style with Harrison's first work for chorus is a percussion and "just a tiny bit of Brunner is Director of Choral Activities at setting of the Mass Ordinary, begun Indian folk flavor, as well." Each the University of Central Florida in on September 1, 1939, the day Hitler movement of the Mass is composed in Orlando, Florida, and Artistic Director marched into Poland. In its original a different mode with no feeling of and Conductor of Gloria Musicae. form it was to be a "Mass to the functional harmony. The melodic May 1992 Page 17 lines move freely without contrapuntal display. The Kyrie, a Lou Harrison was born on May when he moved to New York. While solemn chant for men's voices, is 14, 1917, in Portland, Oregon. there, he became a critic, writing for especially representative of Harrison's During his youth he gained an early the New York Herald Tribune, expressive melodic gift (See Ex appreciation for Asian things - the contributing articles and reviews for ample 1). beginning of his lifelong interest in View, Modern Music, and Listen, The Mass to St. Anthony is an the art, culture, philosophy, and and serving briefly as Chairman of accessible piece for most choirs, music of the East. the Editorial Board of the New requires limited orchestral forces, and In 1935 he began studies at San . Music Quarterly. At this time is musically rewarding. It was Francisco State College and informal' Harrison also began the premiered in New York City in early study with Henry Cowell. From reconstruction of some of Charles 1954 by the New York Concert Cowell's teaching, Harrison became Ives' scores, notably the Third Orchestra and Choir, conducted by interested in a variety of world Symphony, the subsequent edition Margaret Hillis. In 1957 the Fromm music, the method of composing and premiere of which met with Foundation underwrote a recording with melodicles, and the syncretic critical acclaim. In 1947 Harrison of it, conducted by Ms. Hillis, which process of incorporating Eastern was awarded a grant from the was released on the Epic label styles within Western music. American Academy of Arts and (LC3307). The score and parts are He worked as an accompanist and Letters for his music criticisms and published by Peer Southern Concern composer for dancers at San composition. Music. Francisco State for the next several During the summer of 1949 he years and accepted his first academic taught in a music, drama, and dance The Easter Cantata was begun in position at Mills College in 1937, workshop at Reed College in . 1943 and took its completed form in where he also wrote, taught, Portland, Oregon. It was at this time 1966. It is dedicated to the Associated accompanied, and performed music that Harrison became interested in students of Hartnell College and had for dancers. calligraphy, a lovely written art its premiere there on April 3, 1966, In the late 1930s Cowell form evident in his letters, texts, and with Vahe Aslanian conducting. The introduced Harrison to John Cage manuscript scores. It was also then scoring is for alto soloist,. SATB with whom he collaborated on the that Virgil Thomson sent him a first chorus, two trumpets, two presentation of percussion concerts edition copy of Harry Partch's trombones, glockenspiel, chimes, and composed the Double Music in Genesis of a Music, a book which harp, and strings. 1941. was to spark his intereSt in just The Cantata is cast in five The following year Harrison intonation. movements: an instrumental sinfonia; moved to Los Angeles where he He returned to New York in the "Aubade;" "Chorale en Rondeau" for studied with Arnold Schoenberg. fall of 1949 and taught composition chorus, brass, and strings; "Mary's Harrison did not become an ardent and orchestration at the Greenwich Song at the Tomb" for alto solo, solo disciple of serial technique (although House Music School. In 1951 he was cello, harp, glockenspiel, and chimes; he has written a number of works in invited to teach at Black Mountain a "Narrative" for tenors, strings, and twelve-tone style), but gained from College in North Carolina, a brass; and the concluding "Alleluia" Schoenberg a fondness for clarity of progressive and innovative arts for the full ensemble. texture, one of the most distinctive school where a number of well A variety of choral writing is features of Harrison's music. known artists had taught. Though utilized. Unison vocal lines in a quasi Harrison taught in the dance Harrison taught there for only one recitative style and chordal statements department at UCLA until 1943 year, a Guggenheim Fellowship . in quartal and quintal harmonies are common in the voices, often juxtaposed against ostinatos and Robert Whitney and the Louisville bass drum). Although originally canonic figures in the accompanying Orchestra, with singers from the intended for eight baritones, Harrison instruments. Although the Cantata is Southern Baptist Seminary, prepared has heard (and approves of) relatively short, the variety of vocal by Walter Dahlin. performances with larger choral writing provides color and interest. The scoring is for eight baritones, forces. There is an architectural symmetry two trombones, piano, harp, strings, The texts for these songs were present texturally, modally, and with and percussion (waterbowlst, written by Harrison on themes of regard to tempo and character of the kettledrums, maracas, triangles, and holiness, nourishment, tenderness, movements. The Easter Cantata remains in manuscript. Example 1 Mass to St. Anthony, movement I, bass melody, mm. 5-14 The Four Strict Songs were begun at Black Mountain, North Carolina, in 1951 and finished in 1955 after Harrison's move to Aptos, California. 9'1 :.%; I-1if {r~ 'rW-:I-p ij-il-":iFf ~ I They were commissioned (and IQ: - - ri - e,__ IQ: - - - ri - e_ e - Ie - - - i - son. __ premiered on January 18, 1956) by Page 18 CHORAL JOURNAL a different pentatonic mode and is to enabled him to stay on as a resident working mostly on the Music Primer, be performed justly tuned. The Four from 1952-1953 - a fruitful time a little book full of insight into his Strict Songs are examplary of for composition and a turning point compositional interests, procedures, Harrison's concise and economic as he decided "in favor of world and beliefs (published in 1971). craftsmanship and his fondness for music." In 1967 he began to teach Music form and structure. They are among In the spring of 1953 he moved to and the World Cultures at San Jose Harrison's more widely known choral the West Coast, eventually settling in State College. That year also marked pieces and are available from Aptos, where he has lived ever since. the beginning of a lasting G. Schirmer. Increased recognition for his work relationship with William Colvig, came in the form of awards and whose background as a musician, A Joyous Procession and a Solemn commissions. He received the electrician, and craftsman has been Procession (1962), a charming pair of Twentieth Century Masterpiece invaluable in their building of processional pieces scored for voices, Award in Rome for his Scene III various instruments and gamelans. trombones, and percussion, were from the opera Rapunzel, a first In the years that followed, written in 1962. The voice parts are place prize he shared with Jean Harrison served as a visiting without text, appropriate words to be Louis Martinet of France.