Synthesizers, Childhood Memories, Carlos, Vangelis, Bernstein, and Haydn

First a Haydn update as I listen to his symphonies in order from 1-104.I am currently on no. 91. Since my last update, the symphony that has stood out has been no. 83 "The Hen." The fourth movement (Finale. Vivace.) has a wonderful passage of power chords that starts here at the 2:00 mark. Exhilarating.

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I had one of those rare, powerful musical moments this week...hearing music that goes deep inside of you, that recalls another time of your life perhaps...distant memories...love. Powerful stuff.
I was in a bar with colleagues after a long day of work. It was an '80's themed place. Video games lined the walls, games like PAC-MAN, Super Mario Bros. and Atari. Movies from the '80's were projected on a big screen (no sound) and music from the '80's was played over the sound system. So there we were, having a drink and enjoying the vibe of this cool bar. It was pretty crowded, and the talking made it hard to hear the music clearly, but all of a sudden, rising above the din of the people, I heard music that instantly got my attention. I felt like I knew what it was...I had heard it before...but I couldn't recall the artist nor the title. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and went to SoundHound, an App that identifies music...all you do is hold it near the speaker and let it listen and it will tell you what you are hearing. I walked around the place trying to help it hear the music, but there was too much noise in the bar for it to hear what was playing. I stood there listening, trying to recall what it was...I was sure I knew it. It was from my youth. But I could not remember it. And then it was gone.
And so began the quest to find out what it was. I went to the bar and asked the bartender where they got their music. She said it was Pandora...they had a business license. She may have thought I was on patrol for ASCAP. I explained to her that I wanted to know what song had just played. And to my surprise, behind a crowded bar, she pulled a tablet from below and logged into Pandora. I had a hard time hearing her, but she said something about Timecop1983 and Miami Nights. I made a note of this in my phone and thanked her. When I got back to my hotel room, I started searching. I had not heard of either one of these...I assumed they were artists, not songs. Timecop1983 is in fact a current artist who makes '80's inspired music. I found a lot of it on YouTube, Pandora and Spotify...but I still did not have the song I had heard in the bar. So over the next few days, I streamed and searched...and searched and streamed...until finally, three nights later while I was in bed reading A Tale of Two Cities and listening to Pandora, I finally heard it again. Mystery Solved! It was a song called Childhood Memories by Timecop1983.

It is not a song from my youth. It was released in 2014 when I was 49. I was so sure it had come from that period in my life called the early '80's when I was an adolescent. I was sure it was from 1983, the year I started college...the year I met my wife and fell in love. The year so many new things happened.

Synth-music, or Synth-pop is the genre of Childhood Memories. And Synth is short for Synthesizer. The synthesizer has been around a long time now and is very well established in many different forms and genres. I won't go into the history of it's development too much, but Robert Moog is generally regarded as the pioneer of the synthesizer as a musical instrument. By the mid-1960's, composers and musicians were experimenting and recording with his creation. One particularly notable composer who collaborated with Moog was Walter Carlos who had been a student at Columbia University in New York. He and Moog worked together to develop and refine Moog's synthesizer. In 1968, Carlos recorded the album Switched on Bach, a groundbreaking effort of Bach's music played on the Moog Synthesizer. It won the Grammy Award in three categories, including Classical Music Album of the Year. Here is a video clip of Leonard Bernstein in 1969 introducing the Moog Synthesizer playing the music of Walter Carlos.

This week we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's birth. In my opinion, no American has had a greater impact on music in our culture than he did. He was truly an American treasure.

And now an important follow-up. Walter Carlos does not exist anymore. Walter is, and has been, Wendy Carols for almost as long as the synthesizer has been in existence. In 1968, Walter began her gender transition from a man to a woman. Her story is a fascinating one.

http://www.wendycarlos.com/

In 1971, Wendy Carlos collaborated with Stanley Kubrick for the film A Clockwork Orange. Here is the opening scene of that film that features the music of Handel adapted for and played on the synthesizer by Wendy Carlos.

By the late 1970's, synthesizer technology had advanced and it was fully established as a "musical instrument." In 1981, the composer Vangelis composed music for a great film called Chariots of Fire which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Score. I think we all know this piece:

A year later (1982) Vangelis wrote the music for another great film...a favorite of mine, The Year of Living Dangerously. I like this even better than Chariots of Fire.

Brian Eno recorded an album in 1975 called Another Green World, which features synthesizers and is one of my favorite records of all time. Here is a track called The Big Ship.

A good friend of mine from high school, Jerry Smith, turned me on to Another Green World in 1983. In 2018, just this week, he introduced me to the music of Karen Dalton, a folk-blues singer who began her career in the 1960's. This is a fabulous song that was released in 1971. Her voice is one-of-a-kind. And there is a great violin on this cut which is called Something On Your Mind...but no synthesizers.

I expect that by the time I post again, I will have completed listening to all of Haydn's Symphonies in order. I have enjoyed this exercise immensely. I knew Haydn was a great composer before I started this. I have played several of his symphonies and his Violin Concerto no.1 in C major. But this experience has led me to appreciate his genius and creative output even more.

Back to synthesizers for a moment. I am first and foremost a fan of acoustic instruments. But when used by creative people, I do love what electronic instruments can offer as well.

Isaac Stern in Kansas City

Any list of the greatest violinists of all time would surely have Isaac Stern on it...perhaps number one. As a child, I remember hearing a recording of his Beethoven Violin Concerto. It was a pivotal moment for me at an early age. This was music that spoke to me. Certainly the composer....but the artist as well. Such sound. I was smitten.
I never got to see Isaac Stern play live. He passed away in 2001 and left an incredible legacy as an artist and a human being. In his book My First 79 Years, he shared a list of cities where he played recitals shortly after his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1943. Kansas City was one of the cities he played, along with pianist Alexander Zakin. I have not been able to pinpoint the date of his first appearance here in my hometown, but I did find a review of his appearance in KC from October 11, 1950. Here is the review from the Kansas City Times:

VIOLINIST TO NEW HIGH

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FRITSCHY AUDIENCE IS ENTHRALLED BY ISAAC STERN

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An Infinite Variety of Styles Is Displayed on Program Which Shows True Musicianship.

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     Isaac Stern, violinist, elevated himself another big notch in the esteem of Kansas Cityians, in a brilliant concert last night at the Music Hall that opened the Walter Fritschy series.

     The violinist proved again that he has no peer in the blend of sensitive musicianship and artistic abandon that are his trademarks. his program, a mixture of the untrite and familiar, enthralled an audience of 2450 persons.

Bach Selection is First

     The infinite variety of styles that are part of his artistry was exploited. The program began with the Bach Partita in E Minor, performed with poise and expressiveness that mesmerized the students of Bach in attendance, even if the general reaction of the audience lacked fervor. This restraint lessened as Mr. Stern went on to play the Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G Major, which ingratiated with the lyric appeal of its adagio movement and the extra dimension of depth.

     Sharing with Mr. Stern in superb readings of these opening works, and the Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 5 on A Minor, that excitingly completed the first half of the program, was Alexander Zakin, whose expressive interpretations matched those of his violinist colleague.

     Mr. Stern's almost limitless reserves of technical facility were brought into play in the concerto. Its complexities place it in the category of violinistic war horses, but Mr. Stern, even as he shredded some of the hairs of his fast-flying bow in the magnificent cadenza, made no concessions to its difficulties.
     Turning to the modern idiom in the second half, the 30-year old violinist, who stands now as one of the finest of our day, introduced a little-known contemporary work of Franz Reizenstein, the Prologue and Danse Fantasque. It was a work of some inventive skill, semi-dissonant color and little melodic allure.
     The violinist's final group was a succession of beautiful and breath-taking episodes, first of which was the Ernst Bloch "Nigun," which was invested with ethereal splendor and deeply moving cadences. Then came a swift-paced "Perpetual Motion" of Novacek, with a sparkling violin rhythmic figure of three against one. The Szymanowski "La Fontaine" a "Arethuse" was introspective and hauntingly lovely. The final "Caprice Basque" or Sarasote, with plucked string accompaniment to the leading melody, was delivered with muted harmonic effect.

An Encore from Ballet

     Persistent applause brought the violinist and pianist back fro two extra numbers, a transcription of the Two Dances from Prokofieff's ballet music to "Romeo and Juliet," and the popular "Hora Staccato."

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Here is a recording of the Szymanowski piece that Isaac stern played on October 11, 1950 in KC. I think its great.

Haydn still happening, Pyramids of Pop, Time of Change, and a Saxophone with the Royal Hawaiian Band.

First, a brief Haydn update. As I make my way through all of his Symphonies, from 1 to 104, I just passed 78. The opening movement of no. 64 stood out as uniquely gorgeous. They are all great in their own way.

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I recently attended a Leadership Conference for work...an annual event for training and professional development. We met in Florida at a beautiful resort, and we were well fed...it seems there is always food around. And refreshing beverages too. Mountains of pop, soda, soft drinks, Coke....whatever you call it.

Everywhere you looked there were drink stations stocked with these cans. Everywhere. They were part of the meeting. "Hello Coke. Nice to see you Sprite. How's it going Diet Coke?" All day long...every meal. I'm surprised I didn't crawl in bed at night and roll over next to a red can.

I used to love soft drinks. As a child, they were a treat. They were not with us at the dinner table...nor any other table for that matter There was not a vending machine on every floor of every building. They were not in my school. I badgered my mom to buy soda pop, but she seldom did. Funny story..or memory...As a child, we lived in Paris during the Summer of 1972. My dad had a Research grant at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He took us to Paris with him, and every morning when he went to work, my mom dragged me and my sister to the Louvre...or so it seemed. She also took us to many of the other incredible museums...but I seem to remember going to the Louvre the most. We took the Metro and usually packed a lunch. One morning, she had packed a lunch, and with it was a one of those 32 oz bottles of Coke with a screw top. A real treat.

As we rode the train on the way to the Louvre, we heard a loud bang. We thought someone had been shot. Then we saw Coke squirting everywhere. Somehow, the top of our Coke bottle had popped off. Everyone on the train looked at us with both relief and consternation. I was bummed that our Coke was escaping its bottle and squirting everywhere.

When we got back to the US, there was a commercial running that I'm sure most of you remember...the groundbreaking Coke ad featuring  the "I'd like to teach the world to sing" song. A brilliant ad campaign. And a Trojan horse. This song of inclusion that celebrated our diversity was in fact a calculated and brilliantly successful way for Coke to become a part of our households in a way we could never have predicted. And now its everywhere we turn. Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper....all of it....By the 1980's all of these drinks were a part of our families. And with it came the obesity epidemic...the diabetes epidemic...And I was right there drinking it left and right. I had no idea as a young person what it was doing to my body. I stopped drinking it, except for special occasions, about 20 years ago. Root Beer is still a favorite of mine, but I only have 1-2 per year.

Last month, my wife told me she had watched a movie called What the Health. It's make a very convincing argument that a plant based diet is far better for our health than a diet that includes meat and dairy. I stopped eating meat 10 years ago, so I had that part down, Why? Everyone in my family has either had or died of cancer. My mom is five years past surviving a breast cancer battle. My dad died of leukemia. Three out of my four grandparents died of cancer. Two of my great grandparents died of cancer.  My grandmother's sister had cancer. My mom's brother died of cancer. My mom's sister just fought a cancer battle. 

My friend Pat was already a vegan when I met him ten years ago. He turned me on to The China Study. I read it and decided I needed to do something to try and avoid what seemed inevitable. I was in my early '40's at that time. Giving up meat is a decision I have not regretted. I lost 10 pounds, had more energy than ever and started running 4-5 marathons a year. But I still ate seafood, butter, and cheese. Giving those loves up seemed crazy. Well, now I am a month in to the crazy. So far I really don't miss eggs, which used to be part of my breakfast every day. I do miss cheese more often. But when I did relax last week and have a couple of slices of cheese pizza...within a couple of hours I felt foggy, sluggish and listless. It is not easy. I am the freak amongst most of my friends and family. "He doesn't eat meat. He's a VEGAN now." Crazy. We'll see.

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Speaking of freaks...let's talk about saxophones. Adolphe Sax developed this wonderful instrument in the 1840's. It is a standard instrument in the jazz, blues, and popular-music world. But it has a complicated history in the classical music world. Even though Berlioz, Bizet, Mussorgsky, Gershwin, Villa-Lobos, Rachmaninoff and Glazunov, to mention a few, wrote for the sax, it was slow to become accepted. As a lover of jazz, especially John Coltrane, I am baffled by this, but it is what it is. None of them could see far enough into the future to see what an entire section of saxes could achieve...thank you Duke Ellington, Paul Whiteman, and others. But of course, John Coltrane....yes him....

Everyday, I read the Kansas City Daily Journal from 1896 for the same day of this year. In August of that year, the Royal Hawaiian Band and Glee Club were touring the United States and spent two weeks playing here in Kansas City. The leader of the band was named J.S. Libornio, who was also a saxophone player. This brief article from August 13, 1896 tells us just how well he played this "new" instrument. Well before Coltrane or Rollins.. the Miller or Ellington or Kenton Bands....the Royal Hawaiian Band brought the saxophone into the spotlight. He was the "Hawaiian Sousa."

Haydn Update, Film Scores, Ravel, and Firkusny

My Haydn Symphony listening project continues. As I write this, I have made it though Symphony no. 64. Forty more to go. I should be there in a couple of weeks. Like I said in my previous entry, I am really enjoying Haydn's music I have developed a deeper appreciation of his music. One Symphony that stood out thus far is Symphony no.60. Haydn wrote it in late 1774 and it was published in 1775. David Threasher of Gramophone calls it "Decidedly Odd." It has six movements...it was written as incidental music for a play....and in the last movement, the music stops and the violins tune. Weird. Fun.

Some great music in contemporary films. The Phantom Thread starring Daniel Day Lewis is a remarkable film. The soundtrack is equally as wonderful. The original score is by Jonny Greenwood, a musician in the band Radiohead. I am not a Radiohead expert nor fan for that matter...but his score for this film is exceptional. It is a blend of Nelson Riddle, Philip Glass, Brian Eno, Gabriel Faure, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Bill Evans, and many others. Delightful.

I also enjoyed the movie Isle of Dogs. A wonderful animated adventure with a snippet of Prokofiev in the soundtrack:

Speaking of Ravel....if you have studied music theory, a common exercise in class is to dissect chords. Sometimes composers become identified with certain types of chords. A good example is the  "Tristan Chord"...Richard Wagner's opening statement of Tristan und Isolde. It's essentially an augmented fourth, sixth and ninth above a bass note for that key. Says Bryan Magee, "The Tristan Chord remains the most famous single chord in the history of music. It contains within itself not one, but two dissonances, thus creating within the listener a double desire, agonizing in it's intensity, for resolution. The chord to which it then moves resolves one of these dissonances but not the other, thus providing resolution, but-not-resolution. Be that as it may, Maurice Ravel used unique chords to great affect as well. And Jonny Greenwood picked up on this in his score for Phantom Thread. "The "Famous Ravel Chord" according to Stephen Broad in his book Oliver Messiaen Journalism 1935-1939, which is almost his trademark, the ninth with a minor third, was present back in the hair scene of Pelleas. On the first page of Pelleas, there is an A-major chord superimposed on a fifth: B-flat, F. For Debussy, this chord is simply an embellishment, but Ravel indulged himself with it in La Valse until it sounded quite commonplace, and it has become one of Darius Milhaud's bloodthirsty polytonalities."

One of my first posts in this blog back in 2014 talked about my love of Leos Janacek's music...my Dad gave me a stack of hand-me-down records for my little record player. One of these was the Sinfonietta  and Taras Bulba suites, still favorites of mine all these years later. But about 5 years ago, I absolutely fell in love with On an Overgrown Path, a piano work ..in particular, the version by pianist Rudolf Firkusny.

Mr. Firkusny came to my hometown, Kansas City, in 1938 and performed with the Kansas City Philharmonic. This was long before his recording of On an Overgrown Path (1970) But it's cool that he came to KC. I found coverage from the Kansas City Times 2/25/38.