Betsy Jolas
with Vivian Perlis
Weston, Ct.
May 21, 1983
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side a pp. 1- 24
Dual French‑American citizenship‑‑influence of American music‑‑family background‑‑birth in Paris‑‑growing up with well‑known literary and musical figures‑‑James Joyce‑‑early music study‑‑Dalcroze School, Dessoff Choir‑‑Bennington College‑‑Mass for Bennington chorus‑‑desire to be a composer‑‑early pieces‑‑Bennington‑‑Commencement piece‑‑return to France‑-study at Conservatoire‑‑study with Honegger‑‑conducting competition at Besançon.
Side b pp. 24-47
Study with Darius Milhaud‑‑Boulez concerts at Domaine Musical‑‑Stravinsky‑-composing while children were growing up‑‑film music‑‑commissions from radio‑-Mots‑‑showing works to Boulez‑‑Quartet II‑‑writing an opera‑‑D'un opéra de Voyage‑‑other pieces‑‑How Now, O Wall, Well Met‑‑Sonata á 12, Autour, Chanson d'Approche‑‑B for Sonata, Pièce Pour Saint Germain, Calling E.C., Tales of a Summer Sea‑‑Tanglewood‑‑teaching in U.S.‑‑Messiaen‑‑teaching Messiaen's class at the Conservatoire‑‑teaching analysis at the Conservatoire‑‑difference between teaching analysis in France and U.S.
Side c pp. 47-63
Messiaen‑‑teaching opera‑‑teaching Chopin, Lassus‑‑first woman to teach composition at the Conservatoire‑‑insecurity and shyness‑‑being a "woman composer"‑-reaction to competition organized by Ministre des Droits de la Femme‑‑women's movement in U.S. and France‑‑possible reasons for few women composers‑‑method of composing‑‑system of commissions in France‑‑opera.
Side d pp. 63-79
Commissioning of opera based on play Schliemann‑‑popularity of composing operas today‑‑discussion of opera‑‑previous chamber opera‑‑contemporary music in France‑‑Liring Ballade‑‑publishers‑‑dividing time between two countries‑-technical barriers to music exchange between U.S. and France‑‑becoming member of Academy and Institute.
Betsy Jolas
with Vivian Perlis
Paris, France
July 23, 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side e: pp. 1-16
Early years of teaching and studying operas--Wozzeck, Orfeo, Don Giovanni, Salome, Pelleas--searching for subject of first opera--Schliemann--collaboration with Bernard Sobel--opera based on Schliemann’s discovery of Troy and jewels; Helen of Troy and the Iliad --Bruno Bayen--Opera de Lyon--use of different languages in the opera--ragtime and blues influences.
Side f: pp. 16-30
Summer of '82 in America--teaching at Boston University in '83--collaboration with actors on a new opera--jazz and Monteverdi--problems with production of Schliemann --Kent Nagano, music director--accompanying a dance class at Bennington College--interest in writing a ballet--commission from Pro-Quartet--award from the Association of Music Critics for best premieres.
Betsy Jolas
With Vivian Perlis
Weston, Connecticut
April 21, 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side l pp. 1-41
Singing under Toscanini with Dessoff Choir—attending Bartók’s performance of Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion—discovering Lassus through Paul Boepple—her history with Lassus—Honneger—attending Tristan—meeting Varèse, his music—Xenakis—writing political music, musical activism—sibling relationships with Gilbert Amy, André Boucourechliev—reception and rewriting of Points d’aube—obscuring her compositional method—studying at IRCAM; programming Lassus and Mozart—exploring musical connections between movements, Quartet IV—looking at trajectory of sixty years of compositional output—Jolasienne sound— Tales of a summer sea pulse similar to La Mer—issues in composing with computers, piano—hitchhiking to Tanglewood, with Leonard Bernstein—composer walking in on her Tanglewood cabin at night—visiting the US to maintain connection, feeling exotic—gap between US and European composers, particularly France—US experiences—composer identity.