Henry Cowell
New Albion Records
Bay Area native Henry Cowell (1897-1965) was a relentless innovator
and musical explorer. He started composing in his early teens, and by 16 he
was studying with the University of California's music department. As a
child growing up in the Bay Area, he was exposed to a range of musical
influences. Early on, his work drew from a mix of family's Irish folk
heritage and the Bay Area's Asian culture. He employed a wide range of
sound materials and experimented with different compositional methods. His
most significant contribution to American music was his development of tone
clusters -- harmonies built upon diatonic seconds rather than thirds. His ritings and compositions made lasting impressions on a significant number of artists, including George Gershwin, John Cage, Stephen Scott, and Lou Harrison.
The tracks presented here are live piano performances from New
Albion's New Music: Piano Compositions by Henry Cowell, a
document of a three-concert festival held in 1997. The festival highlighted
Cowell's influence on 20th century music with performances of works by Terry Riley, John Cage, Charles Ives, Lou
Harrison, Meredith Monk, and others. "Exultation" is performed
by Chris Brown, "Hero Sun" by Sorrel Hays, and "II-High Color"
by Sarah Cahill. Each song is a testament to Cowell's ability
to meld his experimental compositional style with interesting and engaging
music. There is a palpable sense of chaos in each composition, and at times
it feels like the keys are going to fall right off the keyboard. However,
chaos and disorder are coupled with unbridled beauty and character, lending the songs a palpable sense of depth and permanence.
Noel Morrison
last updated:
08/14/01
Similar Artists:
John Cage, Lou Harrison, Charles Ives, Conlon Nancarrow
Other Suggestions:
Karlheinz Stockhausen,
Harry Partch,
Edgard Varese,
Bela Bartok,
Arnold Schoenberg,
Morton Feldman,
Z'Ev,
Terry Riley,
Igor Stravinsky,
Alvin Curran,
Tyondai Braxton
