Henry Cowell
with John Edmunds
c. 1959
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side a pp. 1-19
Writing music for instruments ahead of their time--Varèse,Ives--Carl Ruggles, sense of sonority, form--melody, diatonic and chromatic, serialism--the sliding tone and Oriental music--classical Chinese drama--form in 20th century music--Roy Harris--Asiatic music--twelve-tone music and neo-classicism--inspiration from non-Western music--different scales--Chinese music--John Cage, Harry Partch, and Lou Harrison--the American composer--future of electronic music--electronic studio at Columbia and Princeton Universities--music put on tape--different sounds in the future of music--stereophony--Varèse and Poème électronique--antiphony
Side b P. 19-20
the present stereophonic recording idea--Antiphony for Two Orchestras
AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES 246c
Henry Cowell
with Beate Gordon
October 16, 1962; December 17, 1962; and an unknown date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview No. 1: October 16, 1962
pp. 1-15
Parents’ literary background--early musical experiences on mandolin, harp, and violin--deciding at age 8 to become a composer--earthquake of 1906--shape-note hymns--Des Moines , Iowa: only public schooling--Charles Seeger, studying unofficially at UC Berkley--joining faculty at Berkley--returning to California at age 13, learning piano--beginning formal musical training at age 16--performing own pieces at age 16--Cowell’s self-discipline--training self as a composer while a child--chord-based method of ear training--acting as advisor for Music Teachers’ National Association and Music Educators’ National Conference--more on early academic career--early financial support of Professor Seward--joining army--accompanying Richard Buhlig to Europe--
pp. 15-31
Cowell’s early compositions--approach of finding different musical rules for different musical ideas--extreme modernist pieces written while in the Army--five “dissonant” early American composers: Cowell, Ives, Seeger, Ornstein, and Ruggles--Cowell’s influence in early years (Bartók and Berg)--reception of early work in Germany and the U.S.--playing in Russia--playing in Vienna and review by Dr. Korngold--article in Punch--touring Europe, teaching on East and West Coast--Guggenheim, studying with Von Hornbostel in Berlin--extensive study of Oriental musics--study of Ugandan drumming--Devoting more time to composition after 1931--serving in the office of War Information during World War II--
pp. 31-45
working with Pan-American Union after World War II--teaching and lecturing--Rockefeller Grants--Sidney Cowell’s work as folk music specialist--influence of Cowell’s folk music study on his compositions--other composers’ influence on Cowell (Bartók, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern)--Cowell as autodidact--founding New Music Edition in 1927 and its philosophy--phenomenal development of American Music--Music education and school bands--difficulty of working as a professional musician--new programs to fund arts--smaller series to fund lesser-known singers and solo artists--Cowell’s activities as musicologist and lecturer--
p. 45-60
Cowell’s contact with Japanese muscians (Tanada and Jinn)--Japanese students--Koto Concerto--Ongaku--composing for non-Western instruments (Persian Set, 13th Symphony)--16th Symphony--performances of Cowell’s music around world (11th Symphony, 12th Symphony)--Piano Concerto--other works for piano and orchestra--7th Symphony in Vienna--Cowell’s views on serialism, electronic music, and aleatory--influence of Cowell’s early piano music on John Cage--Cowell’s early experiments in indeterminacy--Cowell’s later works--“adopting” 1205 grandchildren in Japan--writing.
Interview No. 2: December 17, 1962
p. 61-78
Attending rehearsals of the San Fransisco Symphony under Henry Hadley--meeting Saint-Saëns at World’s fair--hearing Boston Symphony under Muck--hearing Gustav Mahler conduct--Alfred Hertz--meeting Sergei Rachmaninoff and having a composition lesson--Jack London--Ambrose Bierce--Richard Buhlig--Arthur Schnabel and his private interest in modern music--Concert through the Melos Gesellschraft--more on Schnabel’s private interest in modern music--meeting Busoni and D’Albert--working as secretary for Paderewski--Paderewski as pianist--Paderewski’s love of Poland--
p. 78-94
Cowell’s teachers and “musical tree” (Blodgette and Huntington-Woodman)--Bartók--concert in Paris arranged by Bartók--visiting Bartók--Bartók’s field recordings of Magyar music--Bartók asking for permission to use tone clusters--Berg--Berg’s method of composing Lulu--Bartók as a person--Schoenberg--attending Schoenberg’s composition class--Schoenberg’s “keyhole” lessons with Brahms--Schoenberg’s character--Schoenberg and Freud--Schoenberg’s few private students--Schoenberg teaching Hollywood composers--classes with Hindemith--Hindemith’s and Schoenberg’s contrasting philosophies of composition--
p. 94-102
Differeing ideologies of composition in present time (1964)--decrease in amateur performances of chamber music--more anecdotes--working with Webern (Symphonietta)--meeting Stravinsky--meeting Ives in 1927--Ives’ health problems later in his life.
Interview No. 3: date unknown
pp. 102-109
Cowell’s percussion orchestra--Harrison and Cage developing percussion orchestras--percussion instruments used--Partch--percussion orchestras developing form needs of modern dance (Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman)--developing “flexible rhythm” system of collaboration with Martha Graham--more thoughts on composer-dancer collaboration process--
pp. 109:127
[note: the rest of the interview is concerned with Cowell’s reflections on Charles Ives]
Cowell’s attitude toward Ives before meeting him--meeting Ives through New Music Editions--speaking with Ives at his office--Ives’ poor health in later years--Ives’ early musical education--Ives’ study at Yale--Ives’ decision to work in insurance--Myrick--Myrick and Ives’ “non-profit” philosophy of insurance business--Ives’ innovation in insurance business--Ives as innovator in music--Ives’ use of popular tunes--Ives’ unique combination of simplicity and complexity--Ives’ orchestral group at Yale and its inspiration for his rhythmic writing--more on complex rhythms--Ives’ use oftone clusters and church congregational singing--Three Places in New England and “dueling” marching bands--Fourth Violin Sonata and “Children at the Campground”--dueling fiddlers--combination of humor and pathos--Concord Sonata--Ives’ cantankerous character traits--Ives’ interest in flexibility within a score as a harbinger of indeterminacy--Ives’ combination of earnestness and joviality--ilness and isolation later in his life--Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic--The Unsanswered Question--
pp. 127-142
Ives and dance--collections of orchestral pieces--songs--celeste part in 4th Symphony--Ives’ influence on other composers--relationship with publishers, including Cowell--more on Ives’ reception and influence--Ives’ training--Ives’ circle (Cowell, Bernard Herrimann, John Becker, Ruggles, Slonimsky)--Copland--Ives’ opinion of other composers (Ruggles, Riegger, Copland, Cowell)--Mrs. Ives--working as both businessman and composer--114 songs--beginning of public recognition with 1930 performance of Concord Sonata--difficulty of orchestral pieces--Eugene Goosens--controversy surrounding Ives’ instrumental writing--Ives’ generosity--Ives’ idealism and disappointment over World War I--Ives reharmonizing hymns in church.
