Kronos Quartet: David Harrington, John Sherba, violins; Hank Dutt, viola; Joan Jeanrenaud, cello; Marcia Mikulak, piano
Dane Rudhyar’s musical identity does not fit easily into static academic categories or the rapidly changing scenery of musical fashions and styles. His music is not formal in the classical European sense, nor may it be called Neo-Romantic or Expressionistic. He often expressed dislike for the intellectualized development of themes and the “interminable” length of symphonies that “try to extract from some initial statement every possible arrangement of notes still somehow referable to it.” Rudhyar’s music is instead direct, open-ended, and intent on effecting psychic transformation or evoking deeper qualities of feeling. It expresses powerfully and with great intensity— though also with tenderness and deep inner peace—one aspect of his complex creativity (other facets are more apparent in his poetry, paintings, novels, and vast opus of philosophical and astropsychological writings). In 1976 he expressed his musical credo as follows:
My music is essentially the exteriorization of inner experiences and states of consciousness and feelings. It is subjective rather than the development of objective and intellectually analyzable patterns conditioned by our culture. It does not stress what is technically called the ‘development’ of themes or formally repetitive patterns of notes. Its principle of organization is derived from the flow of life itself rather than from traditional forms and patterns dictated either by the old tonality or by Schoenberg’s ‘twelve-tone’ system of composition.
The music seeks to induce in the hearer psychic processes of change, and at times to break down emotional crystallizations. I have spoken of it as a ‘music of speech’ to distinguish it from most of our Western music whose rhythmic patterns are essentially physical, because rooted in dance-forms. It is a speech whose components are not words with an intellectual or descriptive meaning, but tones whose quality is non-rational, yet which can evoke a higher realm of meaning and intent. The hearer should concentrate on the tones themselves as they flow and merge into each other.The holistic resonance of the tone should be allowed to vibrate within one’s consciousness and to stimulate a deeper experience of inner living and psychic transformation.
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. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Music of Dane Rudhyar
| MP3/320 | $17.00 | |
| FLAC | $17.00 | |
| WAV | $17.00 | |
| CD-R | $17.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Advent: I. Visitation
Dane Rudhyar
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Advent: II. Tumult in The Soul
Dane Rudhyar
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Advent: III. Tragic Vision
Dane Rudhyar
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Advent: IV. Summons and Response
Dane Rudhyar
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Advent: V. Acceptance
Dane Rudhyar
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Crisis & Overcoming: Section One
Dane Rudhyar
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Crisis & Overcoming: Section Two
Dane Rudhyar
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Crisis & Overcoming: Section Three
Dane Rudhyar
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Crisis & Overcoming: Section Four
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section One
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Two
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Three
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Four
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Five
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Six
Dane Rudhyar
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Transmutation: Section Seven
Dane Rudhyar
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