AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                  165 a,b

Frederic Rzewski

With Vivian Perlis

New Haven, CT

December 2, 1984

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a                                                                                                             pp. 1-16

Pronunciation of his name--family origins--growing up in Massachusetts--early musical experiences--early piano teacher--discovering Schoenberg's music--religion--attitude of his family towards music--juvenilia--composer, philosopher, or performing musician?--going to Harvard--Harvard Music Department--Randall Thompson--interest in philosophy--meeting Christian Wolff--Cage and Tudor--Stravinsky--Princeton--studying Greek--performing new music--working with Sessions and Babbitt--working with Dallapiccola--playing Boulez Flute Sonatine with Gazzelloni--organizing festival of avant-garde music with Charlotte Moorman.

Side b                                                                                                                        pp. 16-30

Performing Stockhausen's Tenth Piano Piece--Fulbright in Europe--Self-Portrait--Earle Brown--Musica Elettronica Viva--improvisatory pieces--Composition for Two Players--Self-Portrait--Spacecraft--personnel involved in MEV--studies in Greek--MEV in the U.S.--more on MEV--moving back to New York--Sound Pool--Work Songs--rethinking the relationship of art to the surrounding world--Composer's Collective--Living Theater--teaching and playing in the U.S.--Coming Together--Attica--Squares.

Frederic Rzewski

with Vivian Perlis

Yale School of Music

New Haven, Connecticut

February 20, 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side c                                                                                                                         pp. 1-17

Eric [Hofsbaum’s] book, The Age of Extremes and view of music of late 20th century--pessimism vs. optimism; Italian thinker, Antonio Gramsci--Perspectives, “Inner Voices”: music vs. science vs. religion--systematicism of musical composition--60’s: improvisation and electronic music--applying other fields’ techniques to musical composition, “turning the page,” Feldman--Cage, compositional process--Harold Bloom: poetics of meaning--irrational reality vs. Mozart--musical composition of sounds of “inner world”--composer labels (political, serialist, minimalist)--abstract composition--Sudwestfunk Orchester commision--composition limitations--orchestra business--composing at piano--composing with respect for performer--conductor’s role

Side d                                                                                                                        pp.17-32

Orchestra politics--Composers’ Collective, Pierre De Geyter Club--McCarthyism--John Rockwell’s book--The People United Will Never Be Defeated, political music--North American Ballades--Musicians’ Action Collective, Pete Seeger--expatriotism--Conservatoire in Liege, Belgium, Pousseur--popular culture, disintegration of high art cultural establishments--De Profundis, Tony De Mare, Larry Brose--Antigone