AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES 241 a-l
David Tudor
with Jack Vees
Stony Point, New York
July, August 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tapes a-d included John Adams
Side a pp. 1-7
First experience of playing the piano--early fascination with the mechanics of the instrument--studying with H. William Hawke and his influence--obsession with precision--importance of score reading independent of the piano--studying organ--first encounters with contemporary repertoire--leaving high school to become organist at Swarthmore College
Side b pp. 8-14
Meeting and then studying with Irma Wolpe--studying the mechanism of the piano and how that influenced playing technique--Studying analysis with Stefan Wolpe--collaboration with Wolpe while he was composing the Battle Piece
Side c pp. 14-20
Playing Busoni--Busoni’s importance in developing pianistic technique--discussion of Ocean written for Merce Cunningham--choosing source materials for Ocean--Cage’s contribution to Ocean--physical set-up for Ocean
Side d pp. 20-24
Manipulation of acoustic space in Ocean--preparations for performance in Venice
Side e pp. 24-31
Moving to New York in the Forties--the social scene with John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Morton Feldman, Gordon Mumma--premiering the Boulez Second Piano Sonata--discovering Artaud and his ideas through working on the Boulez pieces--Artaud’s influence on Bussotti--Bussotti’s notation--working with Morton Feldman
Side f pp. 31-37
Feldman’s graph pieces--personal differences with Feldman--playing the Stockhausen Klavierstucke--misgivings about Stockhausen and his music--Henry Cowell--great admiration and enthusiasm for Cowell and his music
Side g pp. 38-47
Origins of involvement with electronics--use of electronics to transform sound--having Gordon Mumma build a custom modulator--discussion of knives for cooking--contact with Don Buchla--problems of live electronic performance--Rainforest and the use of transducers to vibrate other objects--
Side h pp. 47-58
Logistics of performing Rainforest--discussion of practice of recording--having Robert Moog build equipment--discussion of early electronic instruments--interest in South Indian cooking--discussion of peculiar foods
Tapes I and j included Christian Wolff
Side i pp. 58-77
First performing Christian Wolff’s music--hanging out in New York in the early fifties--living in Stony Point--recent collaboration with Wolff in Holland--performance of Ocean in Amsterdam at the same time--social events at Stony Point in the old days--nature of collaboration with Christian Wolff--notational concerns in performing the music of Cage and Wolff--Nam June Paik’s relationship with the Cage circle--Wolff meeting up with Tudor and Cage in Darmstadt--Wolff performing Cage’s Cartridge Music under Tudor’s supervision at Darmstadt--Adorno’s reaction to it and it typifying the aesthetic divide between European and American avant-garde--Cage’s influence in Britain--German connection with the American avant-garde--beginning to compose as an outgrowth of interpreting Cage’s scores
Side j pp. 77-89
Wide latitude given to the performer in Cage’s scores--making the transition form performing to composing--the relationship between notation and sound--Wolff’s composing For Pianist for Tudor--recent discovery of a forgotten Feldman piano piece--relinquishing duties with the Cunningham company to Kosugi and John Adams--discussion of the old “boxes” used in live electronic performance--making sense of old circuit diagrams in some attempts to reconstruct the boxes--the early days of electronic music--the future of music in an increasingly inward-directed society
Tape k and l included Pauline Oliveros
Side k pp. 95-106
First meeting Pauline Oliveros in San Francisco in 1963--the early sixties San Francisco anvant-garde--Duo for Accordion and Bandoneon with Possible Mynah Bird Obbligato--playing the bandoneon--memorable dinner party where food was extremely delayed and hot--the social scene around San Francisco--the Apple Box Orchestra--Tudor festival at the San Francisco Tape Music Center 1964--Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening label--going to the West Coast as an escape from some aspects of life back east and the difference in atmosphere and attitude--the genesis of Rainforest at Chicoravor--exploring the function of voice coils to produce the sounds of Rainforest--early performances of Rainforest--importance meeting Tudor had on Pauline Oliveros’ life and career as a composer
Side l pp.106-115
Most recent duo performance with Oliveros--the nature and characteristics of the bandoneon and especially how it differs from the accordion--introduction to the bandoneon by Mauricio Kagel--Astor Piazzolla--further discussion of attempts to decipher the “boxes”--nostalgia for the unpredictability of early electronic equipment, especially tubes when being overdroven--
AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES 241 m-q
David Tudor
With John Holzaepfel
Stony Point, N.Y.
August 3, 1992
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side m (Tape 1A) pp. 1-14
Concert programs--contrast between first and second concert--Battle Piece--Hauer--Roslavetz--Woronoff--program with Wolpe and Rudhyar--how the programs were put together--Merce Cunningham--Moszkowski--Boulez--Stockhausen--teaching at Darmstadt--Cage--Columbia Composers' Forum Concert--Boulez as pianist--Structures--Beethoven's Grosse Fuge--Carl Fischer Hall recitals.
Side n (Tape 1B) pp. 14-17
European tour--concerts in London and Milan--concert at Carol Fischer Hall: first time he played Stockhausen in the U. S. --other concerts.
Side o (Tape 2A) pp. 17-33
Concert at French place--Brahms"s Paganini Variations--Busoni--Feldman--Katy Litz--Cunningham Dances--Black Mountain recital--WNYC broadcast--Cowell--Rascher--other concerts--Edward Steuermann.
Side p pp. 33-39
Town Hall concert--78 recording of Rite of Spring--dances--private concert of music by Wolpe.
Side q pp. 39-40
Horowitz recital.
AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES 241 r
David Tudor
With Jack Vees [Vivian Perlis is also present; "V" refers to Vees]
12 July 1995
Stony Point, New York
[note: this interview takes place a week before the interview on tape 241a]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side r p. 1-11
Working as organist in Philadelphia from young age--early love of organ and organ music--importance of early teacher, H. William Hawke--differences between the organ and the piano--more on early life as organist--introduction to new music by Hawke playing Messiaen's Apparition of the Eternal Church--sudden interest in new music--score reading--early interest in sounds of instruments--Rainforest--importance of community for new music.