Earle Brown

With Ev Grimes

Rye, New York

January 21, 1987

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cassette Side a:                                                                                                            pp. 1-12

Musical background--music making as joyous activity--importance of jazz background in writing classical music--playing in dance orchestras in high school--Kirkpatrick recording of Ives Concord Sonata--pilot in the Air Force--playing in bands--Schillinger School of Music--study with Roslyn Brogue Henning--writing twelve‑tone compositions--first composition for Carolyn Brown--learning pre‑compositional planning and potential of compositional manipulation from Schillinger techniques--importance of jazz and Schillinger in music writing.

Cassette Side b:                                                                                                            pp. 12-22

Opening Schillinger studio in Denver--meeting John Cage and Merce Cunningham--invitation to work with John Cage and David Tudor on electronic music project--Three Pieces for Piano, Music for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Perspectives for Piano based on Schillinger techniques‑influence of Calder and Pollock--search for balance between spontaneity and control--French symbolist poets--Kenneth Patchen--musical mobiles (open form scores)--experience as trumpeter in orchestra helpful in composing--graphic symbols.

Cassette Side c:                                                                                                            pp. 22-32

Four Systems for David Tudor--Folio pieces and Four Systems--Magnetic Tape Project--Cage's Williams Mix--Time Spans--discipline of Cage--difference between Cage and Brown--origin of Tape Music Project--International Concert of Electronic and Tape Music at University of Illinois--Music for Cello and Piano--working for Brentano's--recording engineer at Capitol Records‑travel to Europe for purpose of getting music known.

Cassette Side d:                                                                                                            pp. 32-41

Meeting Boulez, Berio, Maderna--Europe--Stockhausen--American and European viewpoints-- Webern, Varèse--Boulez' Book of Music for Two Pianos--producing records for Time Mainstream-- Pentathis--Available Forms I, II--other pieces.

 Cassette Side e:                                                                                                            pp. 41-52

Available Forms I, Pentathis, Available Forms‑II--Gertrude Stein--Max Ernst--Cage, Feldman-- lecturing and conducting in Europe--Guggenheim Fellowship--prediction of good fortune‑appointment to Peabody Conservatory--Time article.

Cassette Side f:                                                                                                            pp. 52-62

Time article--residency in Berlin--New Piece--commissions from Venice Biennale and German Olympics--Time Spans--New Piece Loops—Centering--Windsor Jambs--visiting composition professor at Cal Arts--composer in residence at USC,Berkeley--relationship of teaching to composing.

Cassette Side g:                                                                                                            pp. 62-71

Residencies at Tanglewood and Aspen--changes in music--Modules--columns of sound--Cross Sections and Color Fields--Sounder Rounds--current commissions--Cincinatti College Conservatory-- Indiana University--American Music Center.

Cassette Side h:                                                                                                            pp. 71-78

Fromm Music Festival--contemporary music programming--deKooning anecdote--Rauschenberg—open form scores similar to collages--European music festivals‑Corroboree.

Earle Brown

with Vivian Perlis

Mamaroneck, NY

December 17, 1996

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cassette Side i:                                                                                                            pg. 1-17

Folio II (Eberhard Blum, graphic notation)--New York School (Cage, Feldman, Wolfe)--Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL--Folio I--Roslyn Brogue Henning--color sketching--Bob Rauschenberg, Tracer--jazz, quotation (or lack thereof)--Joel Chadabe--From Here--Dean Drummond, Centering--composer as inventor/researcher--Time Spans--Tracking Pierrot--Summer Suite--Earle Brown, Works for Piano (recording)--David Arden: first meeting, Gorecki.

Cassette side j:                                                                                                            pg. 18-32

Composition on computer--un-pianistic piano-writing--sketches, Schillinger background, Modules I and II--composition methods--more on Feldman and Cage--Carolyn (former wife), Merce Cunningham and Cage--Trisha Brown--Boulez--Berio--Stockhausen--German radio, Darmstadt--Available Forms I--Kagel--German musical life vs. French--Gilbert Amy--recordings: Sony Classics, Hat Art Records--Time Mainstream’s ownership of masters--Universal Edition--new piece, Bloom.