AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                    332 a-c

Derek Bermel

With Ingram Marshall

New York, N.Y.

July 10, 2003

                                                TABLE OF CONTENTS
[DAT 1]

Side a                                                                                                                        pp. 1-21

Café Music--stages of his career--living in NY--love of travel--travel in summer 2003 to Brazil to participate in a seminario--Thracian Echoes--study in Bulgaria: learning odd meters--getting the Rome prize--influence of Debussy and Bulgarian music--Japanese and Chinese music--Messiaen--Bartók--more on Thracian Echoes--influence of language on music--influence of Eric Dolphy and Charles Mingus--Clarinet Concerto--persona as composer/performer/ethnomusicologist--youthful musical experiences--hearing the Messaien Vingt Regards--hearing music around the house--influence of Thelonius Monk.

Side b                                                                                                                        pp. 21-43

Interest when young in 20^th century music--studying clarinet--love of languages--gestures of speech--influence of Messiaen--playing the clarinet and learning the clarinet repertory--going to Yale--singing in the a cappella group Baker's Dozen at Yale--learning about choral music--working with Michael Tenzer--interest in astronomy--Sextet for Strings--studying Ewe drumming with Richard Hill--Tenzer and Balinese music--working with Jonathan Berger--Bubba's Castle--going to Israel to study with Andre Haidu--playing clarinet in Paris--working on a farm in the south of France--Lukwanda Sings--looking for Messaien--studying composition with Hajdu.

Side c                                                                                                                        pp. 43-63

Funk Studies--Dodecaphunk--study with Andrew Mead at Michigan--introduction to William Bolcom--piece for Evan Ziporyn--getting into grad school at Michigan--getting the Javits Fellowship—[DAT 2]--working with William Albright at University of Michigan--Two Songs from Nandom--Mulatash Stomp--string quartet: beginning of realization of his desire to write music based on the voice--influence of Stevie Wonder on him--conflict of pitch between different musics: concept of "rub"--study in Africa--song cycle and opera with Wendy Walters--summer festivals--writing more pieces for clarinet--Theme and Absurdities--working with Henri Dutilleux--working with Louis Andriessen in Amsterdam--Continental Divide--forming his group TONK--Voices--Dust Dances--influence of African music on Dust Dances--Turning--twelve-tone music.