NEWSLETTER THE AMERICAN SOCIETY MARCH, 1971/VOL. 4, NO. 1 OF UNIVERSITY COMPOSERS 1971 NATIONAL CONFERENCE Accommodations: Private dormitory facilities, $5 .00 Arrangements are nearing completion for the Society's single, $4.00 each double, meal tickets about $1.00 per Vlth Annual National Conference in Houston on April meal. The Ramada Inn (a typical motel), bus service to the 16-18, 1971. Jeffrey Lerner (University of Houston) is in campus, 24-hour restaurant, $10.50 single, $7.50 double, charge of concert planning and general arrangements. Elaine $6.50 triple. Families can be accommodated. Meals at Barkin and Edward Chudacoff (University of Michigan) are campus cafeterias are about $1.00. planning panels and papers. While matters are progressing nicely, it is still possible to suggest to either of these your Non-Conference attractions: Tour of the NASA Com­ own participation. plex, April 16 morning; Houston Symphony Concert, April I 18 at 2:30; Concert by the Lyric Art String Quartet, April Concerts now scheduled for Friday, April 16, and 14 at 8:30 (free); Ice Follies, April 13-23; The Houston Saturday, April 17, tentatively include music by Leo Kraft, Alley Theatre, museums, galleries, swimming, tennis, golf, Francis J. Pyle, Jerome Margolis, Edward Mattila, Ruth boating, the Astrodome, and many fine restaurants in the Wylie, David Burge, Alberto Ginastera, Elaine Barkin, nearby area. Michael Horvit, Elliot Borishansky, Jean Ivey, Jon Apple­ ton, and Lawrence Moss. A special feature of the Vlth Conference is the opening address by National Chairman David Burge. Burge will Responses to the conference questionnaire sent to the present a review of the achivements of the Society since its membership in November have been gratifying, and the inception and seek to provide a perspective for a thorough willingness of the members to suggest themselves for reconsideration by all members of the future of the presentations insures a high level of discussion. At this time, group- its aims, scope, organization, and effectiveness. It is panels are listed for Friday, February 16 ("Computer particularly important that as many members as possible Synthesis of Sound: New Ideas" with John Clough, Charles attend this address and participate in the deliberations sure Dodge, Stanford Evans, Arthur Layzer, Barry Vercoe and to follow! moderator Hubert S. Howe, Jr.) and Saturday morning, February 17 ("The Nature of Continuity in Music" with Barney Childs, Harold Oliver, Charles Whittenberg, and A STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN moderator Benjamin Boretz). Recently I have had the opportunity to visit many college and university campuses. At each, as time allowed, I Saturday afternoon, February 17, should provide inter­ had occasion to speak with faculty composers, some of esting and valuable information for ASUC composers in the whom are active members of the A.S.U.C. and many of form of a panel dealing with copyright laws. Among the whom are not. I was particularly surprised to meet a large speakers will be Leonard Feist of the National Association number of composers who had not even heard of the of Music Publishers, a member of the Government Com­ Society! Without exception the individuals in this latter mittee of the National Music Council. Panelists for the last category were interested in joining and participating. program, Sunday morning February I 8, have not been fully ascertained- there is still time to direct inquiries on this and It appears to me that, without the least suggestion of other matters to Barkin or Chudacoff- but the topic is of false pride, the Society in its sixth year is a viable, valuable very great interest: "The Ph.D. program in Composition." organization, the need for which is felt by many- including Veterans of previous Conferences will agree that open those who do not know of its existence. It also seems to me discussions involving comment from the floor often prove that we could all be doing much more to acquaint our good to be among the memorable highlights of A.S.U.C. gather­ students and neighboring colleagues with the real benefits ings; certainly this last topic, along with the Chairman's to be derived from active membership. opening remarks and inde'ed all the matters scheduled for discussion, deserves hard and serious thought by the As an example: during one recent tour three successive Society meeting in open forum. universities that I visited were conducting their first contemporary music festival. Each was totally different A completed schedule of events and arrangements will from the others (which is as it should be, of course!) and be issued soon, but members may wish to take note of the yet, in a sense, the composers in charge at each campus had following general information provided by Jeffrey Lerner. common problems which they were eager to discuss. I suggested that by joining the Society and attending the Contemporary Music Ensemble, directed by Leonard Pearl ­ National Conference they would have the opportunity of man, and faculty performers from the University of meeting and discussing these problems with literally dozens Maryland in music by George Crumb, Robert Hall Lewis, of other composers who had various degrees of experience Lawrence Moss, Jean Ivey, Robert Luse, William Bland, in developing a new music program on their various Richard Rodney Bennett, Luciano Berio, and Stefan Wolpe. campuses. Regional Chairman Clifford Taylor will lead a panel involving Bennett (visiting composer at Peabody this year), A more specific example: it appears in speaking to many Jonathan Elkus (Lehigh University), and Stefan Grove composers (and music school deans) across the country that (Peabody). Other events include remarks by John Melby we, as university composers (and often part-time adminis­ (Princeton) on "Some New Developments in Computer trators), are painting our creative profession into a more Music,': and a visit to the Peabody Electronic Music Studio. and more uncreative, academic corner- or having a very threatening corner painted for us- by the ever-increasing insistence on the doctorate. Many bloodied heads (to ASUC MEMBERS IN ACTION change the metaphor) in the Society will attest to this. I point out that one of the several panels at the Houston Wallace Berry's Duo for Flute and Piano or Harp­ Conference in April will concern itself with "The Doctoral featured by University of Michigan colleagues Keith Bryan Program in Composition." Do we feel that the doctorate and Karen Keys on their 1970 European tour-is to be makes us and our students better composers? How can we published by the Southern Music Company. His Canto as individuals or as a group make suggestions that will either Lirico for viola and piano and Fantasy for Clarinet and (I) improve the various doctoral programs or (2) convince Piano are being published by Carl Fischer, Inc. Having administrators that a composer's value lies in his music fini shed his Credo in unam vitani for cello, horn, and tenor rather than his degrees? soloists and chamber ensemble, Berry is currently preparing a CRI recording of his music. I hasten to assert that I do not suggest that Society become some sort of self-protective organization. I do feel Will Gay Bottje anticipates three premiers in the next that the mutual dissemination of relevant information on few months, as his Duo-Sonatina for Two Euphoniums and many important topics among professionals is more neces­ Wind Ensemble and Interplays for French Horn, Piano, sary than ever. Above all we need to know the music that is Harpsichord and Tape appear on concerts at Southern being written and played around the country. We need to Illinois University in March and May, respectively. Bottje's know one another. Tangents (Symphony No. 7) receives its first performance March 24 by the Illinois State University Orchestra, Robert Plan to attend the Conference in Houston. Bring your Oppelt conducting. music and your ideas. Tell your colleagues and students about it. Bottje and Alan Oldfield expect publication of their new manual, "Sounds, Tapes, and Imagination" by the Southern Illinois University Press in April. I look forward to seeing you there. Richard Bunger premiered his own Pianography, Fantasy David Burge on a Theme by Fibonacci {1970-71) on a series of concerts Chairman, National Council of contemporary piano music presented during February at various State College campuses throughout California. Bunger's premieres of new music for piano in the past two NEWS FROM THE REGIONS years include George Rochberg's Prelude (on Happy Birth­ Region II plans a joint meeting with the Greater New day), Henri Lazarofs Cadence IV, Barney Childs' J. D. (for York Chapter of the American Musicological Society March piano and tape), Olly Wilson's Piano Piece for Piano and 13 , according to Chairman Allen Brings. The program at the Electronic Sounds, Kazuo Tokito's Interval, Claudio Spies' Graduate Center of CUNY will be devoted to papers on Bagatelle, Richard Hoffman's Three Small Pieces for Piano, Primary Documents of Stravinsky (given by Claudio Spies), Lloyd Tew's Vectoral Studies, and Randolph Coleman's Roger Sessions (by Edward Cone), Bela Bartok (by Benja­ Invention IC. min Suchoff), and Charles Ives (by John Kirkpatrick). Barney Childs' Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra Region III will hold an all-day meeting March 6 at received its first performance in December by the Milwau­ Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Jean Ivey is Chairman. kee Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Schermerhorn con­ The program includes two concerts featuring the Peabody ducting. Russell Dagon was soloist. David Epstein's Vent-ures for Symphonic Wind Ensem­ the Southeastern Composers League. ble was premiered in December by the Eastman Wind Ensemble with Donald Hunsberger conducting. The piece Roy Travis will make his debut as an electronic music will be played in Boston and on tour this Spring by the composer on April 19, 1971, when his Afro-Electronics will M.I.T.