CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHARLES IVES

TO CONTEMPORARY i\.11ERICAN SONG LITERATURE

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLVLENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE DEGREE OF YlASTER OF ARTS IN HUS IC EDUCATION

IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE

TEXAS WOMAN'S U~-:jIVERS ITY

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

BY

ROSANNE MITCHELL, B .M.

DENL'ON, TEXAS

AUGUST, 1971 TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Texas VVoman's University

Denton, Texas

____._ .,_'....,I c..,..n..._.1 S..... f._· ------19 .. 71 --­ - o

We hereby recommend that the thesis prepared under

our supervfaion by Rosanne Mitchell

entitled "Contributions of Charles Ives to ContemT)orary

Arr.erican Song I,itera.ture"

be accepted as fulfilling this part of the requirements for the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS Committee:

Accepted~

2--08470 TABLE OF CONTENTS

T,IS'f OF EXA1-1PLES. • • • • • • . . . . • • . . • • • • • . • • . . . • . . • . . . . . • • • iv

PART I - INTRODUCTION. • . . . . . • . . . . . • . . • . • . . . • ...... • . • • 1

PA ...R.T II - BIOGRAPHY. • . . . . • • . • . • • • . • • • • . • • . . . . • • • . • • . • • 5

PART I II - CHARA.CTERISTICS OF SONGS. • . . . • • . • . • . . • . . • • • 14

PART IV - RECITAL PROGRAM...... • • . • • . • . • . • • . . . • • . . • • . • 20

PART V - CONCLUDING REMARKS.. . . • • • • • . . . • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • 32

APPENDIX A - RECITAL PROGRAM. • . . . • • . • . • . . • . . • . • • • • . • . • 3 7

BIBLIOGR.1\.PHY. • • . • • • . . • . • . • • . • • . • • • . . . • . • • . . . • . • • • . . • • • 34

iii. LIST OF EXAMPLES

EXAMPLE TITLE PAGE

EXAMPLE l 11THE CHILDREN'S HOUR" 22

EXAHPLE 2 11THE CHILDREN'S HOUR" 23

EXAMPLE 3 ''THO LITTLE FLOWERS" 24

EXAMPLE 4 "SONGS NY HOTHER TAUGHT ME" 25

EXAMPLE 5 11AT THE RIVER" 26

EXAMPLE 6 11 IN FLAi\!DERS FIELDS" 28

EXAMPLE 7 ''AN ELECTION" 29

EXANPLE- 8 ."AN ELECTION" 30

EXAMPLE 9 ''Ai~ ELECTION" 31

iv PART I

INTRODUCTION

This pa~er is designed to examine the 114 Songs of Charles

Edward Ives to enable the author to select appropriate material for a recital of Ives's songs for medium voice. The program selected includes songs which show some of his unique charac­ teristics and most important contributions to the literature of i\;.71erican music. The songs "range in merit from first rate to downright awful: by Ives' s own admission, eight specifically are of 'no. musical value.' 111

Recently, musicians have discovered some of the unusual

&spec ts of Ives' s music that are important not only to P.... merican music but to music in general. As time passes the importance of Ives to the music world is becoming more evident. As Paul

Moor states:

Ives exemplifies, more than any of his consanguine colleagues, the American nationalist in music. The description 'grassroots' could have been invented for Charles Ives; in spite of the cerebral complexities of his work., it still stems directly from the heart. Hear­ ing his music, we come to know not only him but the entire spirit of his New England, for the intensely per­ sonal character of his music has few equals in any cen­ tury.2

1 - Paul Moor, "On Horseback to Heaven: Charles Ives," Harper's Magazine, September, 1948, pp. 65-73.

2Paul Moor, "Two Titans," Theatre Arts, February., 1950, pp. 49-51.

1 2

Aaron Copland, a noted musician and composer himself, wrote con­

cerning Ives:

" •.• about forty songs by Ives are a contribution to the art of song-writing that will remain a challenge and an inspiration to future generations of composers. 11 3

Henry and Sidney Cowell believe that Ives, along with

SchOf:!·L1berg, S tr2.vinsky, and Eartok, ca.n be shown to be one of

I the four '. great creative figures in music in the first half of the

twentieth century. No composer has escaped the influences of the

first two, but Ives and Bartek stand for something new whose power is only beginning to be felt.

Both men went back deliberately into unsophisti­ cated music to explore and then carry fon1ard aspects of musical behavior that had gone unnoticed or had been abandoned by the eighteenth and nineteenth-century com­ posers who established the symphonic music of the West­ ern world ..• Ives's music had its roots in the church, stage, parlor and dance music of a small American town - the popular music of his time, in short.4

The 114 Songs are a good way of studying the various char­ acteristics and techniques Ives employed because they seem to be a capsule of the things that moved ·him. 5

The 114 Son&?. form the most original, imaginative) and powerful body of vocal music that we have from any American, and the songs have provided the readiest path to Ives's musical thinking for most people. Many of 'them have a touching lyrical quality; some are angry, others satirical. The best of them are musically very

3 . Moor, "On Horseback to Heaven: Charles Ives," p. 69.

4Henry Cowell and Sidney Cowell, Charles -Ives and His Music (New York: Oxford University Press, 1955), p. -z;:- ----

5"In Search of Charles Ives," Tape n.25, vol. 2 of a broad­ cast located in the music library at North Texas State University, Denton, Texas. 4 daring, ,;vith vocal lines that are hard for the conven­ tionally trained artist, accompaniments that are often frightfully difficult, and rhythmic and tonal relations between voice and piano which require real work to master.

Even when the melodic line alone presents no special problem, in combination with the accompaniment it offers a real challenge to musicianship. Sµrmounting the diffi­ culties of this music creates an intensity in the performer that approaches the composer's original exaltation and has brought audiences to their feet with enthusiasm and excitement. 6

6 Cowell, Charles ~' pp. 80-81. PART II

B IOGRl\..PHY

To understand Ives's music, it is beneficial to examine facts of his childhood and the environment to which he '.•ms exposed.

Charles Edward Ives was born in Danbury, Connecticut on .

October 20, 1874 to George and Mary Parmelee Ives. His father was an excellent musician and was considered a jack-of-all­ musical-trades in the small community of Danbury. Though George

Ives considered himself-to be primarily a bandmaster, he also played the piano for dances, the organ for church, taught a.lmost

~ny instrument, and conducted choirs and chamber music groups.

During his tenure as bandmaster of the First Connecticut Heavy

Artillery in General Grant's army, George Ives and his music­ making won the praise of President Lincoln. Although he was not a composer, he liked to try out new sound relationships with the material at his command. Reflected in his son Charles's music in later years, one notices the interest both father and son had in musical happenstance. George Ives is said to have been intrigued at the musical effect of the combined sounds of his wife singing hymns in the kitchen as a man passed down the street whistling.

He also experimented with quarter-tone instruments and acoustics.

For example, he built an instrument that consisted of twenty­ four violin strings that were let down with weights and stretched

5 6 across a clothes-press. This did not seem to work out well however, so he usually resorted to the easier n~thod of tuning glasses to produce quarter-tones and other small intervals. One day, in an attempt to study the musical effect, he arranged the men in his band in different sections of the town square and instructed the various groups to play different pieces simul­ taneously.

When Charles was five years old, his father began ins true t­ ing his son in music. Charles was trained in harmony, counter­ point, instrumentation, sight reading, piano, cornet and organ as well as being steeped in the literature of Bach, Beethoven and

Stephen Foster. As a child, Charles recalls his father instruct­ ing him to sing ''Swanee River" in the key of E while the accom­ paniment was played in the key of C. The purpose for this, stated

George Ives, was to enable his son to ifstretch his ears" and strengthen his musical mind so that he could learn to utilize and translate sounds he heard into music. In other words, he wanted to encourage Charles, as well as his brother, Moss, t6 use their ears and minds so that they could think for themselves and be more independent of customs and habits.

Almost from the time he could walk, Charles.listened to his father's band rehearsals. In the community of Danbury, almost everyone was an active participant in music in one way or another.

Activities included singing at church meetings, playing in the band, or just musi~al evenings at home. The music of Danbury was not sophisticated, yet it contained a vitality that was unique. From the hymn singing in village churches or outdoor camp meetings, the 7 popular songs of Stephen Foster, the minstrel tunes, and the music of country fairs, Charles gained a love and appreciation for the

rural music around him.

During his teenage years, Charles studied percussion from

the local barber who had played the drum in George Ives's Danbury

Civil War Band. When he was thirteen, he not only was playing percussion in his father's band, but he also composed his first

1 composition, a march entitled "Holiday Quick Step." During this period, he was also hired as organist for the West Street Con­ gregational Church in Danbury. He held this position for about a year during which time he was required to play two services on

Sunday as well as give frequent recitals. A year later he was hired as organist at the First Baptist Church and was noted as being the youngest church organist in the state of Connecticut.

Charles was also experimenting further with composition dur­ ing this time. At the death of the family dog, he wrote a passa­ caglia based on the "Dead March" from Saul. This march was later included in 114 Song_s, and entitled "Slow March."

Charles however, was not a 11 s issy boy't who sat at home com­ posing and practicing musical instruments all the time. During his youth he was very conscious of other boys' opinions concerning music and was ashamed of being so deeply involved in music. In fact he hated being called a piano player and much preferred to be known as a ball player. When people fussed over his music and asked what he played, he liked to reply gruffly: "'Short-stop! ,,,7 He was in

7 Ibid • , p. 2 7. 8

fact an excellent sportsman during his school years. While attending Danbury Academy and Danbury High School, he was made captain of the football team. In preparation to enter Yale, he attended Hopkins Preparatory School in New Haven where, as pitcher of the baseball team, he pitched the team to a win over the Yale freshmen in a ten-inning game.

In 1894, at the age of twenty, Charles decided to continue his study of composition at Yale. A month after his matriculation, his beloved father suddenly died. Although he was greatly grieved, the loss of his father did not hinder his college education be­ cause he had planned for years to earn his own way through college.

Dr. Griggs, pastor.of Centre Church on the Green, and a long-tine friend of -George Ives, took Charles into his home and got him a job as organist at the church. Dr. Griggs proved to be a defender of Charles's antics when Ives was chastised by the ladies' com.rnittee at the church for adding dissonant sounds to the hymns. In fact he told Ives:

Never you mind what the ladies' com.--nittee says, my opinion is that Ced must get 2..wfully tired of he2.ring the same thing over and over again, and in His all-embracing wisdom he could certainly embrace a disgonance - might even positively enjoy one now and then.

Although there were occasional complaints thereafter, Ives managed to keep the position as organist until his graduation from Yale in 1898.

While at Yale, Charles studied with Horatio Parker, Harry

Rowe Shelley and Dudley Buck. In Horatio Parker's classes in

8 Ib id • , p • 3 5 • 9 particular,_ ideas of a musically exploratory nature were not so much suppressed as ignored. After the first few weeks of classes,

Parker requested that Ives not bring any more "things of that sort" into the classroom and submit only things pertaining to classwork. Ives agreed to this request although he continued to experiment on the side. Charles seemed to understand and ad­ mire Parker as being a bright man and good technician, but felt his teacher was too willing to be limited by the teachings of

Re inberger.

In 1897, Ives wrote an Organ Prelude and Postlude for a

Thanksgiving service at Centre Church. This was the "Thanks­ giving" music which he incorporated into the symphony, Holidays.•

He also wrote about eighteen songs during this .time that were later included in his published volume, 114 Songs. As his college career came to a close, Ives began to think about how he should earn his living. Although he would have liked to devote all his time to music, he· realized that he would not be able to make a suitable living without compromising his unique musical ideas.

"But-but if he has a nice wife and some nice children, how can he let the children starve on his dissonances? ••• So he has to weaken (and if he is a man he should weaken for his children) but his music ••. more than weakens it goes ta-ta for money! Bad for him, bad for music! 11 9

He felt, as his father before him, that a man could keep his music interest stronger, cleaner, bigger and freerer if he didn't try

9rbid., p. 37, quoting a statement made in an interview with Ives. 10 to make a living out of it.

Therefore, if music would not support him, he decided to go into business. He moved to New York and obtained a job, at a salary of five dollars a week, as clerk in the actuarial depart- mcnt of the Hutual Life Insurance Company. He continued in this capacity until 1899 when he was transferred to the Raymond Agency. I I It was here that he met Julian Myrick who became one of his best friends. The two men had many ideas for improvements in the insur­ ance business but found it difficult to transmit their ideas to the executives who could utilize their suggestions. Ives enrolled in night school so that he could learn the law as it related to the insurance business. On January 1, 1907, Ives and Myrick formed a partnership and secured a general agency with the Washington Life

Insurance Company of New York. The two men found themselves with­ out a job approximately a year later when their parent company sold its stock. Almost immediately, however, Th~ Mutual Life Insur­ ance Company, ,·1here Ives and Myrick had formerly been clerks, offered to open up an agency for the partners indicating that their energy and resourcefulness had already attracted favorable notice.

Ives and Myrick complemented each other in business. Myrick was steady, calm, and efficient in contrast to the mercurial and creative Ives. Ives looked after production, taking care of the agents' side of the b4siness, whereas Hyrick tended to the clerical duties, home office and outside contacts. Ives's belief in, and concern for, the average person inspired him to expand insurance coverage to include more small policies for more membE}rs of the 11

low economic groups. He was interested in writing policies to meet the needs of the individual. He wrote letters that were a part of the agencies' promotional campaigns that are still respected among insurance public relations men for the direct attack, simplicity, and clarity. In fact, 1'insurance men today remember Ives chiefly for two things. One is the organization of the Ives and Myrick training school for agents, which was imitated all over the country and became an indispensable part of every large insurance company. The other is the concept of

'estate planning,' ·which was Ives' s own idea; it is now consi­ dered basic in the life insurance business."lO In addition to the previous contributions, he also authored a booklet, The

Amount to Carry-Heasuring the Prospect, which became the Bible of insurance agents. He continued in the insurance field until ill health forced his retirement in 1930.

Earlier in his career, he married Hannony Twichell and they adopted a daughter, Edith. His family was the center of his life.

His wife, who was a fine poetess, even collaborated with him in the writing of his songs.

In 1918, after suffering the first in a series of serious illnesses which were to cause his retirement in 1930, Ives revised his idea of what he should do about music. Realizing that pro­ fessional musicians would probably scorn his work, he decided to make the world a free gift of what he considered to be his "more

lO Ibid. , p. 52. . 12 accessible" music, namely his songs and piano music. As a result, he privately printed and distributed without copyright, the Concord

Sonata and Essays Before a Sonata and later the volume entitled

114 Songs to friends, libraries, music critics, musicians and any­ one else who requested them. His attitude concerning the publi­ cation of the songs was stated in the postface from 114 Songs:

11 Some have written a book for money; I have not. Some for kindlings; I have not. I have not written a book for any of these reasons or for all of them together. In fact, gentle borrower, I have not written a book at all - I have merely cleaned house. 0 11

In the thirties and forties, various musicians began "dis­ covering" Ives's music, particularly his orchestral and piano music. He however, shunned attending these performances and expressed little interest when, in 1947, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Third Symphony and was cited for special commendation by the

Music Critics Circle. As he once stated: '"Prizes are the badges of mediocrity. Prizes are for boys. I'm grown '-;IP• rul2

In his later years, Ives live~ a rather solitary life, partly by choice and partly due to failing health. He rarely knew or was interested in knowing what was occurring in the world and in fact did not even own a radio. He chose instead to 1 ive with his wife and family, enjoying rare visits from old friends.

11charles Ives, Postface from 114 Son~. 12 oavid Ewen, ed. and compiler, Composers Since 1900: A Biographical and Critical Guide (New York: The H. W. Wilson Co., 1969), p. 299. 13

On Wednesday morning, May 19, 1954 ·-::round 2 :30 a.m., Charles

Ives died at the Roosevelt Hospital in New York. He suffered a 13 st1.4 oke after Bn operation that was deemE.d a complete succe.ss.

Husicians and the public in general are now beginning to realize Ives's importance to music; his innovations, and his truly

American music. As Leona.rd Bernstein said of Ives: "'Our first really great composer our Washington, Lincoln, and Jeffer- son of music. '" l4 It is hoped that others will discover the joys and excitement of his music, particularly through the subsequent comments concerning the song literature.

13John Kirkpatrick, "The Music Manuscripts and Related Mater­ ials of C. E. Ives, 187lf--1954" (unpublished manuscript memeographed at Yale University, 1960), p. 278.

14Nick Rossi and Robert A. Choate, Music of Our Time (Boston: Crescendo Publishing Co., 1969), p. 209. PART III

CHARACTERISTICS OF SONGS

The features which characterize the music of Charles Ives emerged from his desire to compose music without compromising his unique musical ideas. Discussion of these characteristics are in the following order: range, r:1clodic lines, ornamenta­ tion and embellishment, use of folk music, rhythm, "text paint­ ing," musical quotes, freedom of the performer in interpreting the music, and satiricai emphasis.

The ·songs of Charles Ives are not written for extreme ranges, nor are they labeled Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass. In­ stead, they are designed to be sung by any voice part with the only alteration being that men might have to transpose down an octave. As a result, the range usually extends from middle C to El a tenth higher, although Eves occasionally expands his ranges to include pitches as low as A below middle C, and al two octaves higher. Usually, however, when he uses extreme low ranges in his songs, he offers an optional note for the Singer with a higher voice.

In the 114 Songs, Ives developed great facility in the use of melodic lines. At times, one finds very simple, easily sung melodies and at other times they are very complex, utilizing chromaticism, wide leaps, and awkward intervals. He was one of the first composers to employ wide leaps for the voice although

14 15 this innovation, like many others, has been credited to Schoenberg.

Throughout Ives's melodies, one may also find short snatches of whole-tone scales and on occasion he even used all six tones in a passage as is evidenced in "An Election."

Ives used ornamentation and embellishment sparingly and then only when a special effect was being sought. In "An Election,'' ! for example, the percussive effect of the appoggiatura is realized as it appears with the WO):d "fought" in the text and is accompanied by a huge chord of thirteen voices in the piano played fff.

"Through the combination of such compositional devices, i.e., appoggiatura and melodic and dynamic conflict, Ives, the appreciator of irony, created a veritable battle in sound between two performers at the instance of the word 'fought'. 111

His desire to incorporate folk music into his writings led

Ives to explore and use unconventional and sometimes startling departures in order to avoid "freezing" the notes on the page.

To accomplish this, Ives frequently dispensed with bar lines . and set down rhythms which are not commonly used.

"The most revolutionary aspect of his music, however, is in the field of rhythm; there is hardly a contemporary rhythmic device - usually attributed to Bartok or Stravin­ sky - that does not appear in the composer's music. He uses unusual meters such as 5/2, 11/8 and even 6\/2, pul­ sations, such as 3+3+2/16, as in Bartok's Bulgarian rhy­ thms, as well as changing meters and music without bar lines. 11 2

1tyelle L. Palmer, "Some Techniques of Composition Employed by Charles Edward Eves in 114 Songs" (unpublished Master's thesis, Southern Methodist University, 1962), p. 13. 2 otto Deri Exploring Twentieth-Century Music (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968), p. 487. 16

Many times he dispensed with time signatures altogether. Some­

times "jazzlike" rhythms are heard prior to the actual appear­

ance of jazz •

. "In other i:varks he capitalizes on 'accidental' circumstances, such as the off-pitch tuning of the organ, the nervous violist Fho falls behind, and the like, thus foreshadowing aleatory music."3

Generally speaking, lack of barlines, a small unit of beat, l and a co~bination of even and uneven phrase lengths bring about

irregularly accented rhythms. ~..any times the accompaniment pro­

vides the changing accents so that the effect is that of a duple

meter being superimposed over a triple meter. Syncopation is

generally restricted to ragtime effects. By using the eighth

note metric unit, Ives usually avoided the complex time signature

312/4 although this does appear in "Hymn."

Ives also liked to use the technique of "text painting."

For example, in "An Election," he portrayed a "slide" with a

downward chromatic scale, that was syncopated as ·well as marked

Ritenuto and Decrescendo. In descr.ibing the "timid smiled," he

employed appoggiaturas to denote caution and indecision.

Musical quotations span Ives's whole work. Beginning with

the "Slow March," from Handel, he quoted patriotic songs, hymns,

folk songs, transcriptions of his own works, adaptations of pop­ ular songs, and European composers. His quotations number in the hundreds although the leng.th of the quotes may vary from two or 17 . three note motifs to the use of complete songs. Some instances are certainly for nostalgic evocation, but most are probably due to a transcendentalist's faith in the validity of tradition.al or popular expressions to voice his own thoughts.

"In 'Flanders Fields,' for instance, he seems to be acting as a kind of musical scribe of the whole nation being one with all those who had felt it deeply, and one with them in singing the old inspiring phrcses. "l~

He wanted to transform even the passive state of reception into positive involvement, which accounts in part for the intentional use of familiar and popular music to produce the shock of sur­ prise or amused recognition.

Another characteristic of Ives' s music concerns the ·fact that he does not believe that music should be cut or altered to aid the performer or listener.

0 Never mind, it will fit the hand better this way-­ it will sound better. The instrwnent-- there is the per­ ennial difficulty-- there is music's limitation. vlhy must the scarecrow of the keyboard-- the tyrant in terms of the mechanism (be it Caruso or a Jew's harp)-- stare into every measure? Is it the composer's fault that man has only ten fingers7 11 5

Ives wrote music as he heard it, intending for the performer to edit as he thinks appropriate. Because this constitutes Ives's philosophy of musical composition, he gave the performer consider­ able freedom in presenting his works. He felt that certain passages

4 John Kirkpatrick, 11 The Music 1,:anuscripts and Related Materials of C. E. Eves, 1874-195411 (unpublished paper, Yale University, 1960)., p. viii.

5chartes Ives, Essays Before ~ Sonata, ed. by Howard Boat­ wright (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1961), p. 84. 18

could be performed in any one of several different ways depend­

ing upon the performer, without injury to the musical content •.

For example, there are examples when Ives instructed the per-·

former to omit notes, chords and even complete phrases if he so desired. In other places the singer may add notes if he wishes while other songs afford an option to repeat a phrase as many times as the occasion demands. 6

Se.tirical emphasis is perhaps one of the most unique char­ acteristics of Ives. In many of his songs, Ives satirized the incorrect ways in which music was performed. He believed that the errors made in performance were an intricate part of the music and added a spiritual beauty to the music. As Ives has· said:

"Beauty in music is too often confused with something that lets the ears lie back in an easy chair. Nany sounds that we are used to, do not bother us, and for that reason, we are inclined to call them beautiful."7

Ives also stated concerning his songs:

• a song has a few rights, the same as other ordinary citizens. If it feels like walking along the left-hand side of the street, passing the door of physiology or sit­ ting on the curb, why not let it? Must it always be a polite triad, a nbreve gaudium," a ribbon to match the

6charles E. Bounds, '~ Study of the Solo Songs of Charles Ives" (unpublished Master's Thesis, Not"th Texas State University, 1951), pp. 28-29.

?Gilbert Chase, America's Nusic (New York: McGraw - Hill Book Company, 1966) p. 2. 19

voice? Should it not be free at times from the cominion of the thorax, the diaphragm, the ear, and other points of interest? • • • m: being sunk by an operatic greyhound?"8

8charles Ives, Postface to 114 Songs (Redding, Conn.: Charles Ives, 1922) p. 2. PART IV

RECITAL PROGRAM

In order to demonstrate some of Ives's unique characteristics and important contributions to contemporary An:erican song literature as well as designing an interesting recital, the songs selected were grouped into the following categories: 1) satirical, 2) songs of childhood, 3) religious songs and 4) political songs.

the songs selected in the satirical section included •~emeries

A. -Very Pleasant 11 "The Things Our Father's Loved," and "Like a Sick B.-Rather Sad ' Eagle." The childhood songs included "The Children's Hour," "The

Greatest Man," "Two Little Flowers, 11 "Songs Hy Mother Taught Me," and "The Circus Band." Those selections included in the religious group were "Abide With Me," "The Camp Hee.ting," "At the River," and

''Hymn. 11 The political songs selected were ''In Flanders Fields,"

''Tom Sails Away,~' and "An Election." (Appendix A)

The first satirical song, "Memories," was written by Ives in

1897 while he was attending Yale. The first part of the song, labeled as section A., has a Presto marking with an additional de­ scription, "As fast as it will go." This section of the song de­ scribes in a very light arid humorous way, the excitement and antici­ pation of children attending the opera. The second section, labeled

B., and with an Adagio marking, describes the opera and the dis­ appointment of the children when they discover that the trite tune

20 21

1 being sung is the one their "uncle hummed from early morn."

The second song, "The Things Our Father's Loved (and the greatest

of these was Liberty)," was written in 1917 during the first World War.

The song begins in a slow and sustained fashion and although no time

signature is given, measures generally containing four beats are marked.

Ives was reminiscent during this song of his childhood. He remembered \ . 2 the organ: playing on the corner and "Aunt Sarah humming gospels." As i Ives once stated:

But if the Yankee can reflect the fervency of "Aunt Sarah," ,;,,ho scrubbed her 1 ife away for her brother's ten orphans, the fervency with ·which this woman, after a four­ teen-hour work day on the farm, would hitch up and drive five miles through the mud and rain to "prayer meeting," her one articulate outlet for the fulness of her unselfish soul-if he can reflect the fervency of such a spirit, he . may find there a local color that will do all the world good • .3

Ives continued to think about the past as he made musical quotes such

as "The Red, White, and Blue" before concluding the song.

"Like a Sick Eagle," which concluded the group of satirical

songs, is set to a poem by Keats. The song is only one page in length

but incorporated several typical traits. It has no key signature, no

no bar lines and has the tempo marking of "Slowly" and added by Ives,

"Very s.lowly, in a weak and dragging way.~• There is also included a

note of explanation as to the manner in which the song should be per-

1 Charles Ives, Ten Songs (New York: Peer International Corp., 1953), p.14. 2 Charles Ives, Fourteen Songs (New York: Peer International Corp., 1955), p.25. 3 Charles Ives, Essays Before a Sonata ed. by Howard Boatwright (New York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1961), p.80. 22

formed. Ives stated in a note to the accompanist:

This part in the score was played by a violin and a slide was made down or up through a quart~r-tone, in a semitone interval and through two or three lesser tones in a whole tone interval, except between the last five notes. The voice may do similarly.4

"The Children's Hour, 11 the first song in the group of child- hood songs, was set to the poem by Longfellow. It is a good example of the composer's gift for lyrical melody lines and his development of the techniques of matching the accompaniment to the mood of the text. 5 In this song, Ives used one of his favorite techniques, that of writing out exactly the way in which he wished the music to be performed. One may note, in Example 1, in the phrase," ... comes a pause in the days occupations," that Ives actually wrote in the

"THE CHILDREN'S HOUR"

EXAMPLE 1

He accomplished additional "text painting" by assigning notes of long duration in describing "grave Alice" and a sixteenth note triplet in referring to "laughing Allegra" as seen in Example 2.

4charles Ives, Thirty-four Songs (Bryn Mawr: Merion Music, Inc., Theodore Presser Co., 1933), p.57~

5charles E. Bounds;'~ Study of the Solo Songs of Charles Ives" (u'Qpublished master's thesis, North Texas State University, 1951), p.36. 23

"THE CHILDREN'S HOUR"

EXAMPLE 2

"The Greatest Man" was set to a text by Anne Collins. The poem,

which first appeared in the New York Evening Sun in 1921, described the

feelings of pride a boy has for his father. When asked to write a

theme about some great man by his teacher, the boy decided to write

about his father who can hunt, fish and swim. To him, his father is

a greater hero than George Washington or Robert E. Lee.

"Two Little Flowers" is, melodically, a song of great simplicity.

It was written jointly by Ives and his wife although he ascribed it to her. The backyard to which he referred was located on 120 E. 22, New

York City. It describes his daughter Edie playing early in the spring with her friend Susanna Minturn. 6 One may note that there are few

successive chord changes, the hannony remaining basically the same

throughout several measures. In measures 15-18, shown in Example 3,

· 6John Kirkpatrick, '~he Music Manuscripts and Related Materials of C.E. Ives, 1874-1954" (Unpublished paper, Yale University; 1960), p.207. one can see the ~equence in the accompaniment which is repeated ideuti- cally in each measure.

"TWO LITTLE FLOWERS"

EX..>\.HPLE 3

"Songs My Mother Taught Me" is a beautiful setting of Heyduk's poem that was written during Ives's days at Yale. Ives utilized a very simple melody to portray the message of the text. Especially notable is the technique of syncopation. Example 4. He accomplished this by tying the last beat of the 2/4 measure to the first half of the 3/4 measure, thereby allowing "often" to begin on the second half of the _first beat, creating the impression of one with a catch in his throat. The basic form of the song, however, is traditional in style utilizing a key signature of Eb and a time signature that is primarily

3/4 throughout the piece. 25

dim./

"SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME"

EXAMPLE 4

"The Circus Band" is a rousing song describing the action when

the circus comes to town. In the song, Ives identified what he knew best: sounds from his childhood. Thi~ song depicts in detail the drum rolls, the interludes as certain sections of the band pass, and

the full band with the trombone bringing up the rear. Ives showed some of his humorous qualities when he wrote under the accompaniment part, "Hear the trombones." He obviously wants the listener to hear them over the f ff accomp.animent and ff vocal part. Whether he in­ tended that these words be spoken is not certain but if they are to be spoken, they have to come from someone other than the singer or accompanist as both are rather busy at that moment!

The third group of songs are religious in nature. The first song,

"Abide With Men is an original melody set to an old hymn. This was written in 1890 when Ives was: ~bout sixteen years old. It was arranged for quartets and choirs as well as solo voice. Ives's melody seems to 26

to more aptly convey th~ meariing of the wo r ds than the dirge-like melody with which we are most familiar.

"The Camp Meetingtt is from a movement of Ives' s ~ymphony l~o. 3.

Ives not only liked to use quotations from other composers, but he frequently borrowed melodies and ideas from himself. Often, a mel?

Howe~er, he gave the song a new complexion by adding an 2ccompaniment t hat was uniquely his own.

The text and tune from "Shall We Gather At the River" by Robert

Lowry is the basis for Ives's "At the River." Ives has borrowed the idea for this song from his Fourth Violin Sonata. Ives noted the errors often made by the congregation in singing this song. Note that the word "God" in· Example 5 does not come on the downbeat as it should and the song becomes slower as the emotions of the people be­ come involved.

. -• ..- · . .~- ---· ·•- ··--··--:- .

"AT THE RIVER"

EXAMPLE 5

"Hymn" is an original melody by Ives .which employed several unique characteristics. He utilized a complex time signature of

3\/4 in this song but left no room for confusion because he inserted a parenthetical 7/8 after the 3~/4. He also employed chromaticism 27

along with "ivide l e: aps. This song was t.1.ken frorn Ives' s J:,i;'.X;-W for

Cello Solo with S t 1:ing_Quartet nnd Basso.

The final section political songs, included one of Ives's most

popular songs, "In Flanders Fields." Its inception began at the·

suggestion of Julian Myrick, Ives's business partner. Upon its com-

pletion, Hy:rick arranged to have it perfor med by a professional artist

at a forthcoming banquet.

'~hen Ives heard the singer and his accompanist flounder disconsolately through the song he wrote, he listened for a while and then judiciously suggested to Myrick that they drop the whole damn project, which in fact they did. rrl

Ives resorted to q1.1oting various sources such as the "Marseillaise"

in the introduction. The most interesting quote is in the accompani­

ment where. Ives borrowed the melody of "America" and placed it in

It) 1+ time as an accompaniment. Example 6.

nTom Sails Away 11 is a song depicting memories of a brother as he remembers the things they did as children before Tom was called

away from home by the war. This song has no . time signature and it

is stated by Ives "that all notes are natural unless marked other­ wise. 118 Generally, the vocal part moves in duplets, whereas the accompaniment moves in triplets.

7Paul Moor, "On Horseback to Heaven: Charles Ives," Harper's Magazine, September, 1948, p.68.

8charles Ives, Nineteen Songs, (Bryn Mawr: Herion Music, Inc., Theodore Presser Co., 1935), p.20. 28

I . ·····

r r . .. hands we throw, we throw the torch. Be yours to hoid · it

"IN FLANDERS FIELDS"

EXAMPLE 6 29

In the accompaniment part under '~oday Tom saile

there .... ," Ives quotes from "Columbia the Gem of the Ocean" while the

vocal part is quoting "Over There." ·

Ives wrote rrAn Election" or "Nov. 2, 1920" as it is sometimes

called, for orchestra and voice. In this piece, one can find polychords,

tone-clus~ers, whole-tone scales and atonality. Ives seems to capture ' a vivid impression of the times and the. upheaval felt by some of the

pcpulation regarding the election of 1920. The melody line is chro­

matic to a large degree, but it is usually written in this manner to

depict the words. This is especially evident in Example 7, where one

notes that the voice becomes slower and slower as it approaches the words uto qui~." •·. , /J. , ,~~~p-~1~--4L·=ij#---l-~·-i-_..=:-~-i.(~:-----~-k-, - .•~;~- . -¼~= ==.c:;::_;;;;;~- : Pec-hapssome who stayed at · home are be - gin - ning to __

t~±=·==_ · ~·~- :;--==.=;::-~_J...__ ----t··__,.,~,.-.-l----~~~~~~=;~TIT=rt-1; ~: ~bt:t=,-"--~---==~===-=--==~~==-_====~==-~~~tfi;tmj

rdually, slower

'~ The

"AN ELECTION"

EXAHPLE 7 30

Bar lines a~e used intermittently and seem to have no practical use ex­ cept in the section where one measure of 7/8 and one of 5/8 are marked.

During the closing ten measures, however, Ives goes through 3/2, 2/2,

4/4, 3/L,., 4/2, and 3/2 in rapid succession. The accompaniment appears to be predominantly chordal throughout although not tonal. Early in life Ives learned the nature and usefulness of tone clusters for imitating 1 percussion instruments, and since they lack a specific tonal i center, he used them in "An Election." Example 8.

--~~ .ff . . . . ·.; ~cfu~r--::t-j- hell______with_ i - deals!'

EXAMPLE 8 "AN ELECTION"

The accornp·animent of "An Election" uses several measures of tone clustersJ some only on white keys and others only on black keys. 31

Example 9, shows the use of the polychord.

oh __ my ...------... Cap - taint'' ~~ : ' -<:'>- ~ •• ,, ___ m1,~,.!__l1 ---kf.!'-11-'~-::.,,_½~,,',,.,.,,'· ....." .-----}------" ,~n,,----t---1:':-'t>-:--(·

I .l:t ro/f pp

'xro...... * 'xw...... ·--··--*

EYilil-1PLE 9 "&~ ELECTION''

This chord can be analized in many different ways, depending upon the aural choice of the individual. It might also be noted that this chord contains all the notes of the whole-tone scale, namely C, D, E,

Fi!, Gil, and M!. Ives concludes this piece with the following note:

The assumption, in the text, that the result of our national election in 1920, was a definite indication that the country, (at least the majority-mind) turned its back on a high purpose is not conclusive. 9 PART V

CONCLUDING REMARKS

This paper was designed to examine the llL~ Songs of Charles

Ives to enable the author in selecting appropriate material for a recital of Ives's songs. It has been shown that Ives was one of the four great creative figures along with Schoenberg, S travi_nsky, and Bartok in the first half of the twentieth century. Character- istics of his music, such as range, melodic lines, ornamentation and embellishment, use of folk music, rhythm, "text painting,"· musical quotes, allowing freedom of interpretation by the performer, satirical emphasis, and unique harmonies, have been discussed. Ives is considered to be the first native American composer. MacDowell, and others, received their classical musical training in Europe.

Consequently, their music was patterned in the European tradition.

Ives stated that all of the music he composed, with the exception of twelve or fifteen songs, were completed before he saw any of the. music of the European composers.

In preparing this paper and the recital of songs mentioned, the writer found that as important as Ives's innovations in music were, perhaps the most noteworthy was the spirit of the music. Each song, whether about satirical, childhood, religious, or political subjects, had its own personality and its own reason for existence.

Ives immortalized the things he knew and loved best, the various facets of America.

32 33

In common with Walt Whitman, he hr,d a love for h~manity, for the beautiful and the ugly, for the great and sr:1all, the simple and complex; and the music of Arne:::ican landscape, of the towns and vil\ages, the streets and roads, gave him end­ less inspiration.· _

He has com.'11emorated revival meetings, barn dances, spiritual laws, history, transcendental ism; corn.posed marches, hymns, and pure music. 2

Perhaps in this combination of hoQely rewinisc~nce and complex

rhythrt1 and harmony 1 ie.s the secret of the uniqueness of the music com­

posed by Charles Ives. This is the reason why, despite so few per­

formances, the music of Ives has becorae a source of irresistible

attraction to the new generation of lunerican composers and performers.

1 Bernard Herrman, "Yankee Composer," Saturday Review, January, 1955, p.27.

2 Rochelle Girson, note concerning Ives that accompanied an article by Nicolas Slonimsky, "Bringing Ives Alive," Saturday Review, August, 1948, p.45. BIBL IOG RAPh"'Y

BOOKS

Chase, Gilbert. America's Music New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966.

Collaer, Paul. A History of Modern Music Cleveland: The Publishing Co., 1961.

Coplaad, Aaron. The New Music 1900-1960 New York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc~, 1968.

Cowell, Henry and Sidney Cowell. Charles Ives New York: Oxford University Press, 1955.

Deri, Otto. Exploring Twentieth-Century Music New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968.

Ewen, David, editor. Composers Since 1900-A Biographical and Critical Guide New York: The H.W. Wilson Co., 1969.

Ives, Charles. Essays Before a Sonata ·edited by Howard Boatwright New York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1961.

Rossi, Nick and Robert A, Choate. Music of Our Time Boston: Crescendo Publishing Co., 1969.

Salzman, Eric. Twentieth-Century :Music: An Introduction New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1967.

34 35

PERIODICALS

Backer, John J. "Charles E. Ives. • " Etude, May-June, 1956, p. 11.

Daniel, Oliver "Ives is a Four-Letter Word." Saturday Review, May 25, 1968, p. 59.

Herrman, Bernard ''Yankee Composer." Saturday Review, January 15, 1955, p. 27.

Moor, Paul "On Ho-rseback to Heaven: Charles Ives." Harper's Magazine, September, 1948, p. 68.

Moor, Paul ''Two .Titans." Theatre Art·s, February, 1950, pp. 49-51.

Rlch, Alan ''The Ives Canon." Saturday Review, April 27, 1968, p. 75:

Sargrant, Winthrop "Saluting Mr. Ives." New Yorker, October 11, 1958, pp. 168-71.

Schrade, Leo "Charles E. Ives: 1874-1954." Yale Review, June, : 1955, pp. 535-45.

Trimble, Lester "Charles Ives." Nation, October 25, 1958, pp. 299-300.

UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL

Bounds, Charles E. "A Study of the Solo Songs of Charles Ives" Unpublished thesis, North Texas State University, 1951.

Kirkpatrick, John. The Music Manuscripts and Related Materials of C. E. Ives, 1874-1954" Unpublished paper, Yale University, 1960.

Palmer, Lyelle. "Some Techniques of Composition Employed by Charles Edward Ives" Unpublished thesis, Southern Methodist University, 1962. 36

SCORES

Ives, Charles. Fourteen Sorigs. New York: Peer International Corp., 1955.

Ives, Charles. Nineteen Songs. Bryn Hawr: Merion Music, Inc., Theodore Presser Co., 1935.

Ives, Ch~rles. 114 Songs. Redding, Conn: Charles Ives, 1922.

Ives, Ch~rles. Ten Songs. New York: Peer International Corp.~ 1958.

Ives, Charles. Thirteen Songs. New York: Peer International Corp., 1958.

Ives, Charles. Thirty-four Songs. Bryn Mawr: Merion Music, Inc., Theodore Presser Co., 1933.

PHONOGRAPH RECORDINGS AND TAPES

Charles Ives: Music for Chorus~ conducted by Gregg Smith. A Columbia Masterworks Recording, MS6921.

The World of Charles Ives, Onnandy, Bernstein and Stokowski, Conductors. A Columbia Masterworks Recording, HS7O15.

"In Search of Charles Ives." Tape n. 25, vol. 2 of a broadcast located in the music library at North Texas State University, Denton, Texas.

1 . 37

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

College of Fine Arts Department of Music

Presents Rosanne Mitchel I, Mezzo-Soprano

in GRADUATE RECITAL

Assisted by DELIA BENTON, Accompani_st Songs of Charles ly(3s

Redbud Auditorium Thursday, May 6, 1971 8:00 p.m.