Last Rites
William Bolcom Black Host
William Albright Organbook II
William Albright, Organ with Sidney Hodkinson, Percussion
Electronic tape realized at The University of Michigan Electronic Music Studio
Engineering: Henry J. Root
Mastering: Robert C. Ludwig (Sterling Sound, Inc.)
Coordinator: Teresa Sterne
Art Direction: Robert L. Heimall
Cover Art: Jack Martin
Cover Design: Paula Bisacca
Nonesuch Records Commission
H-71260 (Stereo)
1971
One copy I found was autographed on the back jacket by Albright (see above) and contained a few reprinted articles from March 1972 issue of The A.G.O.-R.C.C.O. Magazine. The article featuring Albright is posted below.
William Albright (born in Gary, Indiana) has performed in Europe and Canada as well as throughout the U.S.A., and has premiered many new works for organ. He has also concertized widely as a pianist, specializing in new music and in classic and recent ragtime. As a composer, Albright has produced works for almost every medium, several of which involve electronic, visual, and theatrical elements.
He has been the recipient of numerous commissions and awards, among them the Queen Marie-José Prize (1968) for Organbook 1, Symphonic Composition Award of Niagara University (1969), Koussevitzky Composition Prize at Tanglewood (1964 and 1966), a Fulbright Fellow- ship (1968), and three BMI Student Composer Awards and he was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1970. His teachers have included Ross Lee Finney, Leslie Bassett, Olivier Messiaen, Max Deutsch, and George Rochberg in composition; Marilyn Mason in organ-to whom Organbook II is dedicated. A music faculty member of the University of Michigan since 1970, Mr. Albright is also Associate Director of the University's Electronic Music Studio, and he has been active in Michigan's Contemporary Directions Ensemble as both performer and administrator.
Other works for organ by William Albright-Juba (1965), Pneuma (1966), and Organbook I (1967)-are available on a new CRI album, and he is also heard as pianist on the Advance and CRI labels. A piano rag written in collaboration with William Bolcom, Brass Knuckles, appears on Nonesuch H-71257. Organbook II was composed to a Nonesuch Records commission.
––––
Nonesuch Records Commission
H-71260 (Stereo)
1971
One copy I found was autographed on the back jacket by Albright (see above) and contained a few reprinted articles from March 1972 issue of The A.G.O.-R.C.C.O. Magazine. The article featuring Albright is posted below.
From the cover: At some point in its rich history, the organ was dubbed the "king of instruments." The title is indeed justified: the organ is the most complex, grandiose, and varicolored single musical instrument created by man. Unfortunately, its treatment by composers during the last two centuries has been far from royal. Whether because of perversities in its design, its religious associations in a secular age, or changing esthetic demands by a concert-going public, the organ has had relatively few works of consequence written for it since the death of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Add to this the insular attitude of many organists, and it is not difficult to understand how the organ literature of the last two centuries has tended to parallel mainstreams of music but seldom enter them. After all, the organist does spend a great deal of time in activities associated with the church; his contact with other instrumentalists is slight because of a paucity of mixed ensemble material; furthermore, he has the great solo literature of the Baroque era. Why should he worry about a continuing and vital music for his instrument, and why expend the effort necessary to encourage it?
Composers have been all too likely to agree. Faced with the overwhelming color possibilities of the organ, its special playing techniques (pedals, for example) and peculiar mode of sound production (Stravinsky com- plained that the beast never breathed), the composer has too often opted for more familiar territory. Even if he finally chose to pursue the possibilities of one particular organ, he might risk the complete alteration of his intent when the piece was played on another.
Happily, the situation seems to be changing. Organists, on the one hand, are exploring new music at a faster rate; even specialists in recent repertoire, comparable to those on most other instruments, have appeared. Younger composers, on the other hand, are following the example of Messiaen-possibly the one noteworthy creator of organ music in the first half of the 20th century-in "radicalizing" the approach to organ writing. Composers. are now finding the enormous potential in timbre more an attraction than a burden: the organ, in its building of complex sounds from simple ones, might even be con- sidered the first synthesizer. Moreover, the extra-musical religious associations of the organ are now as fascinating to a new generation as they may have been irrelevant or repulsive to a previous.
Both works on this record draw heavily on religious con- notations, and neither one could be anything but organ music. Symptomatic of the current trend, both grow idiomatically and associatively from the substance of the instrument. William Bolcom's Black Host, although perhaps best realized on a large modern organ, is so essentially organ-oriented that it could be (and has been) performed successfully on an organ of strict classical design, with little detriment to its character. Even the inclusion of tape and percussion sounds acts as an extension of the organ medium in this piece.
The title of the Bolcom work, written in the summer of 1967, takes its cue from the black mass envisioned by St. Sécaire (as mentioned in Frazer's encyclopedia of the occult, The Golden Bough). St. Sécaire is supposed to have said black mass in the crypt of his church in order to purify that institution of its own sin. By desecrating the Body and Blood, he meant to deny the church its most sacred pleasure until it began to mend. By contrast, the black mass J. K. Huysmans describes in his novel Là-Bas appears to be nothing more than an orgy with slight religious intent. Both ceremonies, however, often employ as part of their heretical paraphernalia a triangular black paten (thus "black host").
Nevertheless, the work is not a tone-poem on the tribula- tions of St. Sécaire. Nor is it an exigesis on moral dualism, a dark ray of non-hope, or an uplifting sermon on the virtues of Calvinism (as it has been variously called). Even though Black Host flagrantly juxtaposes several recognizable styles within its time-span and is unified by the ghost of an old hymn-tune found in the Genevan Psalter, neither is it program music. It is an emotionally based piece, and if it is about anything, it would be fear. The score is even inscribed with the rueful words of Lord Russell: "In the daily lives of most men and women, fear plays a greater part than hope: they are more filled with the thought of possessions that others may take from them, than of the joy that they might create in their own lives and in the lives with which they come in contact.
"It is not so that life should be lived."
The religious aspects of Organbook II are more oblique than Black Host. The generic title Organbook is an adaptation of the popular French Baroque term "livre d'orgue" and, like the centuries-old model, is a collec- tion of several pieces, each of which explores a single idea or sonority. The titles of the individual movements of Organbook II were also inspired by the liturgical function of the original French pieces. But in contrast to the wholesome piety of my Organbook 1 ("Benedic tion," "Recessional"), the current work, akin to Black Host, is warped in the direction of the darker, more sinister aspects of religion-nocturnal rituals, the devil, mortality.
"Night Procession" primarily employs the softest sounds of the organ. Flutes, strings, and celestes color the expo- sition of slowly changing four to five-note chords that form the basis of the movement. The core of the piece, in fact, is a long harmonic sequence characterized by constant mutations of timbre; the effect is obtained by rapidly shifting keyboard changes and continual opera- tion of the swell shades. Interpolated in this overall texture by way of contrast are several series of fleeting, vaporous roulades that seldom cover a span larger than an octave.
"Toccata Satanique" is a matinee performance by the devil at the console. With its constant devil's – trill – tremolo and joyful demonry, the movement may well be an attempt to exorcise those fiendish virtuoso toccatas of Mulet, Widor, et al., that seem to haunt all organists. In the same way that the ostinatos of some of these display pieces are used, the tremolo acts as a point of tangency between motion and stasis. In several instances, the quickly alternating pitches turn into fast-moving figura- tions; at other places, they become motionless chords. "Last Rites" adds the dimension of tape to the texture. Electronic sound caps the ferocity of the previous move- ment while retaining a basic similarity to organ timbre. The tape is largely drawn from purely electronic sources, although there is some manipulation of recorded organ material. In contrast to the other movements, the struc- ture is fairly simple: large, uncomplicated blocks of sound juxtaposed and overlaid. The principal material is a descending cluster glissando. – WILLIAM ALBRIGHT
Add to this the insular attitude of many organists, and it is not difficult to understand how the organ literature of the last two centuries has tended to parallel mainstreams of music but seldom enter them. After all, the organist does spend a great deal of time in activities associated with the church; his contact with other instrumentalists is slight because of a paucity of mixed ensemble material; furthermore, he has the great solo literature of the Baroque era. Why should he worry about a continuing and vital music for his instrument, and why expend the effort necessary to encourage it?
Composers have been all too likely to agree. Faced with the overwhelming color possibilities of the organ, its special playing techniques (pedals, for example) and peculiar mode of sound production (Stravinsky com- plained that the beast never breathed), the composer has too often opted for more familiar territory. Even if he finally chose to pursue the possibilities of one particular organ, he might risk the complete alteration of his intent when the piece was played on another.
Happily, the situation seems to be changing. Organists, on the one hand, are exploring new music at a faster rate; even specialists in recent repertoire, comparable to those on most other instruments, have appeared. Younger composers, on the other hand, are following the example of Messiaen-possibly the one noteworthy creator of organ music in the first half of the 20th century-in "radicalizing" the approach to organ writing. Composers. are now finding the enormous potential in timbre more an attraction than a burden: the organ, in its building of complex sounds from simple ones, might even be con- sidered the first synthesizer. Moreover, the extra-musical religious associations of the organ are now as fascinating to a new generation as they may have been irrelevant or repulsive to a previous.
Both works on this record draw heavily on religious con- notations, and neither one could be anything but organ music. Symptomatic of the current trend, both grow idiomatically and associatively from the substance of the instrument. William Bolcom's Black Host, although perhaps best realized on a large modern organ, is so essentially organ-oriented that it could be (and has been) performed successfully on an organ of strict classical design, with little detriment to its character. Even the inclusion of tape and percussion sounds acts as an extension of the organ medium in this piece.
The title of the Bolcom work, written in the summer of 1967, takes its cue from the black mass envisioned by St. Sécaire (as mentioned in Frazer's encyclopedia of the occult, The Golden Bough). St. Sécaire is supposed to have said black mass in the crypt of his church in order to purify that institution of its own sin. By desecrating the Body and Blood, he meant to deny the church its most sacred pleasure until it began to mend. By contrast, the black mass J. K. Huysmans describes in his novel Là-Bas appears to be nothing more than an orgy with slight religious intent. Both ceremonies, however, often employ as part of their heretical paraphernalia a triangular black paten (thus "black host").
Nevertheless, the work is not a tone-poem on the tribula- tions of St. Sécaire. Nor is it an exigesis on moral dualism, a dark ray of non-hope, or an uplifting sermon on the virtues of Calvinism (as it has been variously called). Even though Black Host flagrantly juxtaposes several recognizable styles within its time-span and is unified by the ghost of an old hymn-tune found in the Genevan Psalter, neither is it program music. It is an emotionally based piece, and if it is about anything, it would be fear. The score is even inscribed with the rueful words of Lord Russell: "In the daily lives of most men and women, fear plays a greater part than hope: they are more filled with the thought of possessions that others may take from them, than of the joy that they might create in their own lives and in the lives with which they come in contact.
"It is not so that life should be lived."
The religious aspects of Organbook II are more oblique than Black Host. The generic title Organbook is an adaptation of the popular French Baroque term "livre d'orgue" and, like the centuries-old model, is a collec- tion of several pieces, each of which explores a single idea or sonority. The titles of the individual movements of Organbook II were also inspired by the liturgical function of the original French pieces. But in contrast to the wholesome piety of my Organbook 1 ("Benedic tion," "Recessional"), the current work, akin to Black Host, is warped in the direction of the darker, more sinister aspects of religion-nocturnal rituals, the devil, mortality.
"Night Procession" primarily employs the softest sounds of the organ. Flutes, strings, and celestes color the expo- sition of slowly changing four to five-note chords that form the basis of the movement. The core of the piece, in fact, is a long harmonic sequence characterized by constant mutations of timbre; the effect is obtained by rapidly shifting keyboard changes and continual opera- tion of the swell shades. Interpolated in this overall texture by way of contrast are several series of fleeting, vaporous roulades that seldom cover a span larger than an octave.
"Toccata Satanique" is a matinee performance by the devil at the console. With its constant devil's – trill – tremolo and joyful demonry, the movement may well be an attempt to exorcise those fiendish virtuoso toccatas of Mulet, Widor, et al., that seem to haunt all organists. In the same way that the ostinatos of some of these display pieces are used, the tremolo acts as a point of tangency between motion and stasis. In several instances, the quickly alternating pitches turn into fast-moving figura- tions; at other places, they become motionless chords. "Last Rites" adds the dimension of tape to the texture. Electronic sound caps the ferocity of the previous move- ment while retaining a basic similarity to organ timbre. The tape is largely drawn from purely electronic sources, although there is some manipulation of recorded organ material. In contrast to the other movements, the struc- ture is fairly simple: large, uncomplicated blocks of sound juxtaposed and overlaid. The principal material is a descending cluster glissando. – WILLIAM ALBRIGHT
––––
William Albright (born in Gary, Indiana) has performed in Europe and Canada as well as throughout the U.S.A., and has premiered many new works for organ. He has also concertized widely as a pianist, specializing in new music and in classic and recent ragtime. As a composer, Albright has produced works for almost every medium, several of which involve electronic, visual, and theatrical elements.
He has been the recipient of numerous commissions and awards, among them the Queen Marie-José Prize (1968) for Organbook 1, Symphonic Composition Award of Niagara University (1969), Koussevitzky Composition Prize at Tanglewood (1964 and 1966), a Fulbright Fellow- ship (1968), and three BMI Student Composer Awards and he was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1970. His teachers have included Ross Lee Finney, Leslie Bassett, Olivier Messiaen, Max Deutsch, and George Rochberg in composition; Marilyn Mason in organ-to whom Organbook II is dedicated. A music faculty member of the University of Michigan since 1970, Mr. Albright is also Associate Director of the University's Electronic Music Studio, and he has been active in Michigan's Contemporary Directions Ensemble as both performer and administrator.
Other works for organ by William Albright-Juba (1965), Pneuma (1966), and Organbook I (1967)-are available on a new CRI album, and he is also heard as pianist on the Advance and CRI labels. A piano rag written in collaboration with William Bolcom, Brass Knuckles, appears on Nonesuch H-71257. Organbook II was composed to a Nonesuch Records commission.
––––
Born in Seattle, William Bolcom entered the University of Washington School of Music at age 11, where he studied composition with John Verrall and George McKay, piano with Berthe Poncy Jacobson. In 1958, he began study with Darius Milhaud, first at Mills College, California, and later at the Paris Conservatoire; he has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stanford University. Bolcom's interests range from theater to concert music to his own brand of pop. In 1963, his opera for actors, Dynamite Tonite (written with Arnold Weinstein), was premiered in New York at the Actors Studio Theater, winning an American Academy of Arts and Letters award. Other prizes include two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller grant, a William and Noma Copley award, and the Kurt Weill Foundation Award. He has taught music at the University of Washington and at Queens College, New York, and has been Composer in Residence at the Yale Drama School and the NYU Theater Arts Program.
Among his many compositions are Sessions I-IV for chamber ensembles (Session IV has been released on the Philips label); 12 Etudes for Piano (performed by the composer on Advance Records); numerous rags (two of which are included in Nonesuch's album Heliotrope Bouquet: Piano Rags 1900-1970, H-71257, also performed by Mr. Bolcom); and several works written for the Aeolian Chamber Players, the most recent being Whisper Moon (1971). Black Host is dedicated to William Albright.
Among his many compositions are Sessions I-IV for chamber ensembles (Session IV has been released on the Philips label); 12 Etudes for Piano (performed by the composer on Advance Records); numerous rags (two of which are included in Nonesuch's album Heliotrope Bouquet: Piano Rags 1900-1970, H-71257, also performed by Mr. Bolcom); and several works written for the Aeolian Chamber Players, the most recent being Whisper Moon (1971). Black Host is dedicated to William Albright.
–––
Sydney Hodkinson (b. 1934, Winnipeg, Canada) is a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan and conductor of its Contemporary Directions Ensemble. He has studied composition with Bernard Rogers and Ross Lee Finney, and has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Danforth Foun- dation, and the Canada Council. Hodkinson is currently on leave from his Michigan post, as composer-in-resi- dence for Minneapolis-St. Paul, under the Ford Founda- tion-sponsored program of the Contemporary Music Project.
Side One:
William Bolcom (b. 1938)
Black Host (1967)
for organ, percussion & tape
Sydney Hodkinson, percussion
Side Two:
William Albright (b. 1944)
Organbook II (1971)
1. Night Procession
2. Toccata Satanique
3. Last Rites (with tape)
Sydney Hodkinson (b. 1934, Winnipeg, Canada) is a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan and conductor of its Contemporary Directions Ensemble. He has studied composition with Bernard Rogers and Ross Lee Finney, and has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Danforth Foun- dation, and the Canada Council. Hodkinson is currently on leave from his Michigan post, as composer-in-resi- dence for Minneapolis-St. Paul, under the Ford Founda- tion-sponsored program of the Contemporary Music Project.
Side One:
William Bolcom (b. 1938)
Black Host (1967)
for organ, percussion & tape
Sydney Hodkinson, percussion
Side Two:
William Albright (b. 1944)
Organbook II (1971)
1. Night Procession
2. Toccata Satanique
3. Last Rites (with tape)
Could you be so kind and post teh other two pieces of Albright, too?
ReplyDeleteI am an organist and play my exam with the Organbook II next year and I would lik to hear the rest of it?
Best Greetings from Nuremberg!