Manhattan Percussion Ensemble; Paul Price, conductor; Mitchell Andrews, piano
Lou Harrison was born in Portland, Oregon on May 14, 1917. Two of Harrison's most prominent teachers have been Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg. Like John Cage, another of Cowell's students, he became fascinated by strange and unorthodox sonorities, and incorporated such curious sounds as those vibrating from automobile brake drums, lengths of plumber's pipes, galvanized wash-tubs, glass bowls and the like. Suite For Percussion (1940) is a late work of his “San Francisco period.”
Julia Perry writes:
“Homunculus, C.F., For Ten Percussionists was composed in Akron, Ohio, during the summer of 1960 in my apartment situated on the top floor of my father's (physician and surgeon) office, equipped with all the necessary facilities except a piano. These clinical surroundings evoked memories of the medieval laboratory where Wagner, youthful apprentice to Faust, made a successful alchemy experiment, fashioning and bringing to life a creature he called homunculus. Having selected percussion instruments for my formulae, then maneuvering and distilling them by means of the Chord of the Fifteenth (C.F.), this musical test tube baby was brought to life. The chord of the fifteenth was created from a succession of superimposed thirds:
E, G#, B, D#, F#, A#, C#, E#,
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15
Elizabeth Gyring's Piano Sonata No. 2 was composed in 1957. It is in the traditional four movements, the first being a modified sonata form, the second a scherzo, the third a songlike slow movement and the finale a rondo. The composer says that, as in all of her music, the inspiration was the melodic idea and that all the counterpoint and harmonization should be considered merely accompaniment.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Harrison: Suite for Percussion/; Perry: Homunculus, C.F.; Gyring: Piano Sonata No. 2
| MP3/320 | $14.00 | |
| FLAC | $14.00 | |
| WAV | $14.00 | |
| CD-R | $14.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Suite for Percussion: I. Moderato
Lou Harrison
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Suite for Percussion: II. Slow
Lou Harrison
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Suite for Percussion: III. Recitative; Moderato allegro
Lou Harrison
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Homunculus, C.F.
Julia Perry
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Piano Sonata No. 2: I. Con brio
Elizabeth Gyring
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Piano Sonata No. 2: II. Allegretto
Elizabeth Gyring
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Piano Sonata No. 2: III. Adagio
Elizabeth Gyring
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Piano Sonata No. 2: IV. Finale, Vivace
Elizabeth Gyring
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