AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                  71 a-e

Alvin Curran

with Ingram Marshall

New York, NY

October 6, 2000

January 11, 2001 (with Melissa Gould for a few minutes)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a:                                                                                                            pp. 1-16

Childhood musical memories of Providence, RI--early musical experiences: piano and band--friendship with Clark Coolidge--interests in jazz and classical music: forming his own jazz band, playing with orchestras--music in his family: his father’s singing--influence of Hebrew Cantorial singing--Crystal Psalms--Canti Illuminati--microtunings--dance band in college and in Europe--study with Ron Nelson--Howard Hanson and other influential composers--going to Yale and studying with Elliott Carter--writing using the serial technique--study in Italy and Germany--Frederic Rzewski.

Side b:                                                                                                           pp. 17-21

Joel Chadabe--moving to Rome--formation of Musica Elletronica Viva--Paolo Ketoff--Cornelius Cardew--Sylvano Bussotti--first concert of MEV in Nuremberg--interest in environmental sound, found objects--negation of tradition--state of utopian imagination.

[side b continues with the interview from January 11, 2001]              pp. 22-34

Teaching at Mills College--American musical life in Rome in the seventies--Rzewski--Richard Teitelbaum, first Moog synthesizer in Europe--Carol Plantamura--Ivan Vandor--Jon Phetteplace--Alan Bryant--influence of Rzewski--Steve Lacy--music without scores, without conductors, without rules--The Sound Pool--touring Europe and the U.S.--Sticks (Christian Wolff)--MEV and AMM.

Side c                                                                                                             pp. 34-52

Influence of Darmstadt and Donaueschingen--circles in Europe: Stockhausen, Boulez, Berio, Maderna--Rzewski as a pianist--European and American philosophies of composition--Cornelius Cardew--Goffredo Petrassi--Scratch Orchestra Group--La Lista del Giorno--Music for Every Occasion--Gavin Bryars--The Alvin Curran Fake Book--MEV-2--decision to remain in Rome--work in avant-garde theater in Rome--music for Antonioni’s film “Zabriskie Point”--Pink Floyd--painter Edith Schloss--Songs and Views from the Magnetic Garden--“performance-based solo performance pieces”--Light Flowers, Dark Flowers--recording--locations of performances in Europe--Julian Beck--multiplicity of European musical centers--Cologne--Giacinto Scelsi.

Side d                                                                                                                        pp. 52-70

Scelsi (continued)--bond between Scelsi’s music and Curran’s music--Nuova Consonanza: Franco Evangelista--using natural theaters as musical spaces--teaching at the Accademia dell ‘Arte Drammatica Nazionale--Maritime Rites--ship horn concerts--recording sounds from the U.S. and Canada eastern seaboard--A Piece for Peace--solo piano music--Inner Cities.

Side e                                                                                                             pp. 70-84

Keyboard as major source of his musical thinking--chamber music--work with people on the West Coast--Paul Dresher--Abel-Steinberg duo--Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights--style of his music--music publishing--Endangered Species--importance of electronic music in the future of music--making a career and a living from music--pervasive pop music--lack of contemporary music culture in U.S. today.