Newsletter the American Society of University Composers October, 1'9 ·68 / Vol
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·~ NEWSLETTER THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF UNIVERSITY COMPOSERS OCTOBER, 1'9 ·68 / VOL. 1, NO. 3 The University's Electronic Music Studio held open house daily through the week, and electronic music SUMMER INSTITUTE was the special theme of Friday's sessions. Hubert S. Howe, Jr., and John Rogers lectured on "Composi About sixty composers attended the second annual tional Applications of Computer-Generated Sound ASUC Summer Institute in Compositional Studies at Materials." In a· concert preview, Leslie Bassett and the University of Michigan, August 6-10. Not only George Balch Wilson briefly described their pieces to informed talk about music but an abundance of actual be heard that evening, and John White, cellist, dis music was presented in a good cross-section of current cussed Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 3 for Cello and practice, well integrated with the lectures and discus Electronic Sounds, which he was to play. The evening's sions. There were three concerts by the U. of Michi concert of electronic music offered Olly Wilson's prize gan's Contemporary Directions Chamber Players con winning work in the Dartmouth International Contest, ducted by Sydney Hodkinson, a concert of electronic Cetus; three works from the Michigan studio by Jack music, and two lectures which included short but sub Fortner, Leslie Bassett, and George Balch Wilson; the stantial recitals. Davidovsky Synchronism; and J. K. Randall's (uncom pleted) Lyric Variations for Violin and Computer. Tuesday evening's opening concert included cham ber music by David Burge, Stanley Persky, Donald A reception at the home of Ross Lee Finney fol Erb, Paul Chihara, and Varese. The next morning, lowed; ear)ier in the week, a cocktail party at the Burge spoke on how the university composer can home of Edward Chudacoff and much informal social improve the calibre of contemporary music perform izing contributed to the generally relaxed and friendly ance at his school. Among many practical suggestions, atmosphere of the Institute. he proposed that ASUC sponsor a contest for 20th century music performance, the winner to receive not On the last day, Chou Wen-Chung's lecture, "Single only a financial prize but many engagements in our Tones as Musical Entities," directed attention to devi colleges and universities to play the repertoire pre ations or inflections within a single tone, an important pared for the contest. Burge then played piano works feature of Oriental music which has only recently by Crumb, Dallapiccola, and Wuorinen. Charles Wuo engaged Western interest; this made especially mean rinen later discussed his recent compositional prac ingful Chou's modern adaptation of a 13th-century tices, based on extensions of 12-tone relations, in par Chinese work, Yii Ko, heard later. A panel on mixed ticular in his Duo for Violin and Piano, Trio, and the media moderated by Ross Lee Finney brought com masque, Politics of Harmony. posers Edwin London, George Cacioppo, and Salvatore Martirano together in a free discussion in which some The next day organist William Albright demon of the audience participated. The final concert, be strated the special features of composing for organ, sides the works by Finney, Childs, and Chou already playing many short illustrations from contemporary mentioned, presented the first performance of George literature plus complete works of his own and Richard Burt's Exit Music for 12 Instruments (a political satire Toensing. An analytical lecture by Martin Boykan especially fitting for the week of a nominating conven dealt with the second movement of Webern's Concerto tion), and Martirano's savage anti-war statement for Opus 24. Three composers then discussed their own taped sounds, multi-projector film (by Ron Nameth), works to be heard later: Ross Lee Finney's 3 Pieces and live actor, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. for Strings, Winds, Percussion, and Tape, Barney Child's Nonet, and Edwin London's Portraits of Three The Institute was given with aid from the Fromm Ladies-American. The London work, a large-scale Music Foundation and the Scherman Foundation. production for narrator, singer, chamber orchestra, Papers presented, together with those from the Na and slide projections, was performed that evening tional Conference last April at Philadelphia, will along with chamber music by Russell Peck and George appear in Volume III of the ASUC Proceedings, to - r Cacioppo .and a Stockhausen KlavierstUck. be published early in 1969. NATIONAL CONFERENCE tor, Oct. 19; George Green and Nicolas d'Angelo - OY. 16; and Brian Fennelly and Donald Maclnnis Dec. 14. The fourth Annual Conference of ASUC will be Composers are limited to those who have not pre held April 4-6 at the University of California at Santa viously appeared on this Forum; composers interested Barbara. Program planning is in progress, and mem in appearing in the spring should submit scores by bers having suggestions are invited to submit them to Nov. l to Composers' Forum, Ill Amsterdam Ave., Randolph E. Coleman, Chairman of the National Room 519, New York, N. Y. 10023. Council, at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. The annual Symposium of Contemporary Music for The ASUC Executive Committee (c/o Dept. of Mu Brass at Georgia State College will take place Feb. sic, Columbia U., New York, N. Y. 10027) will also be 21-23. Scores and parts should be submitted by Oct. glad to hear from any members who would be inter 15, and may be for all brass combinations, or for brass ested in a possible charter fiight to the Conference, to with percussion, tape, voice, or piano. The New York originate in New York with possible stopover in Chi Brass Quintet will be guests. William H. Hill, Dept. cago on the way to Santa Barbara. of Music, Georgia State College, 33 Gilmer St., At lanta, Ga. 30303. NEWS FROM THE REGIONS The University of Tennessee's annual Symposium Region V will hold a Regional Conference at In of Unpublished Choral Music will take place Feb. 21- diana University November 8-9. The program includes 22. Works should be submitted by Nov. l; these may two concerts of works by composers of the region, ses be for mixed chorus, men's or women's glee club, sions on theory pedagogy, analysis, and new composi madrigal singers, or collegium musicum, with or with tional procedures, an open house at the University's out accompaniment. Composers are expected to attend Electronic Studio, an open rehearsal of Stockhausen's if performed, and conduct or work with the choral Momente, and a business meeting. group. Performances will be well rehearsed and in clude neighboring college choirs as well as UT en ASUC IN PRINT sembles; Norman dello Joio will be guest composer. An article by Randolph E. Coleman, "The Amer Symposium Committee, Music Dept., U. of Tennessee, ican Society of University Composers," will appear Knoxville, Tenn. 37916. in the 1968 issue of the College Music Symposium Composers are invited to submit scores to the New (annual journal of the College Music Society). The Music Ensemble of Wisconsin State University at same issue includes Jean Eichelberger Ivey's article, River Falls, which also commissions works. The En "The Contemporary Performing Ensemble," based on semble will premiere a commissioned work by Chou information compiled for the ASUC Newsletter. The Wen-Chung Feb. 6, and present concerts on Nov. 14, Symposium appears about mid-November. Feb. 9, and May 1. Recent programs have included a H. Owen Reed's book on percussion, which he de commissioned work by Donald Erb (repeated at the - scribed on a panel at the 1967 ASUC conference in ASUC 1968 Summer Institute), and works by Babbitt, St. Louis, will be published in March by Prentice Childs, Ives, Krenek, Ruggles, Samarotto, and Wolff. Hall. The title is Scoring for Percussion, and Joel T. Conrad De Jong, Music Dept. Wisconsin State U., Leach is co-author. River Falls, Wisc. 54022. An account of the first ASUC Summer Institute at Composers residing in Texas and neighboring states _ Tanglewood, by Robert ·P. Morgan, appears in Per are invited to submit works for symphony and cham spectives of New Music, VI, 2 (Spring-Summer 1968), ber orchestra, concert band and wind ensemble, large p. 185. Ben Johnston's talk delivered as a panelist at and small chorus, and chamber music by November l the 1968 ASUC Conference in Philadelphia appears to the University of Houston's Symposium of New in Source, II, 2 Quly 1968) p. 44. Music, to be held Feb. 27-Mar. 1. Symposium, Dept. of Music, U. of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004. SYMPOSIUMS AND FORUMS The University of South Florida will present a The Composers' Forum of New York gives monthly Symposium of Vocal and Choral Music by compo ers concerts at Donnell Library. Each concert presents living in the Southeast Feb. 7-8. Theodore Hoffman two composers, who participate afterward in a panel of the USF faculty is host composer, and H oward discussion. The fall schedule includes George Walker Hanson will be guest. Address inquiries to Sympo ium and Joan Tower, with Harvey Sollberger as modera- Committee, U. of South Florida, Tampa, Fla. 33620. COMPOSE.RS' AUTOGRAPH PUBLICATIONS opening concert Nov. 18 will include Mel Powell's Immobiles conducted by the composer, and works by This is a new non-profit organization to publish Philip Albright, Richard Moryl, Steve Reich, and and distribute compositions from composers' transpar Harvey Sollberger. A panel discussion follows. encies. A catalog of works will be distributed approxi mately every 6 months; acceptable works submitted by Dartmouth College will hold a second International Oct. 15, 1968, will appear in the first catalog. Royalties Electronic Music Composition Contest this season.