James Tenney 196 a-d
With Gayle Young
Toronto, Ontario
June 10, 12, 1988
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side a pp. 1-17
Early musical education, developing interest in composition and twentieth century music--piano studies at Juilliard School of Music, 1954‑55--private composition studies with Chou Wen‑Chung, 1955‑56 Bennington College, 1956‑58; composition and piano with Lionel Nowak--move to New York, 1958‑59--electronic music studies at U. of Illinois, 1959‑61; studies with Lejaren Hiller--theoretical work on META + HODOS: A Phenomenology of 20th‑century Musical Materials--assistantship for Harry Partch.
Side b pp. 17-29
Computer music at Bell Telephone Laboratories, 1961‑64; working with Max Mathews--Yale University, research associateship, 1964‑66--teaching at Brooklyn College, 1966‑70--Carl Ruggles (digression back to 1956‑58) ‑ as friend and informal teacher--Tone Roads Ensemble, New York, 1963‑70--Edgard Varèse, further contact through Tone Roads Performance Art and Fluxus group--film music for Stan Brackage's first film (digression to 1952)--film music for Carolee Schneeman's Viet Flakes, 1966 Performer on keyboards with Steve Reich and Philip Glass--reasons for leaving New York, 1970.
Side c pp. 27-43
Performing with the Harry Partch Ensemble (digression to 1959‑61)--Folkways recording of Charles Ives songs, 1966--piano studies with Dorothy Taubman, 1968‑70--Meta Hodos, its influence on subsequent compositions--move to California, teaching at Cal. Inst. of the Arts, 1970‑75--teaching at Santa Cruz, 1975‑76--move to Toronto, teaching at York University, 1976 to present--Conlon Nancarrow, writing about the music--first piece for Player Piano (digression to 1964; description of "perfromance" by J. Lawrence Cook of Aolean Player Pianos--Spectral Canon for Conlon Nancarrow, 1974.
Side d pp. 43-57
Minimalism in 1970's compositions--For Ann (rising), 1969--Orchestral pieces composed in California--Impressions of Toronto, York University--Three Indigenous Songs, 1979--Composition stimulated by receiving commissions--Theoretical work on Consonance and Dissonance--Harmonium I, and others in the series--Glissade, 1982--John Cage and the Theory of Harmony--Introduction to multi‑dimensional harmonic space theory re. Changes: Sixty‑four Studies for Six Harps, 1985--Perceptibility of harmonic space by the listener—Changes--further discussion.
James Tenney 196 e-g
with Libby Van Cleve
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
May 20, 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side e: pp.1-15
Critical Band -- evolution of harmony in early 20th century (reference to Schoenberg’s Opus 11, Webern’s Bagatelles, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring) -- Cage’s reaction to Critical Band -- tuning and perception -- form of Critical Band -- tuning and specific instruments (vibraphone, piano, harpsichord)--Critical Band orchestration -- spiritual aspects in music -- nature and the harmonic series -- expressivity and beauty -- working methods -- compositional process -- Pika-Don --fascination with the invention of the atomic bomb
Side f: pp.15-31
Rumor about Tenney’s exposure to radiation -- Form pieces -- Varèse, Shoenberg, Busoni, and Wolpe --Feldman and Cage -- octatonic scale and Form pieces --use of the golden mean, sine wave, cosine --Spectrum pieces -- control and indeterminacy -- serial technique -- second Viennese school --Varèse -- Ives -- Cage --Meta+Hodos -- multi-dimensional timbre-space and harmonic space -- Ben Johnston -- Longé-Higgins -- new approach to music theory -- Cognate Canons -- eclectic approach to style -- Ergodos III
Side g: pp. 31-39
In a large, reverberant space -- In a large, open space -- changing social conventions regarding concert presentation -- stretching the tuning capabilites of standard instruments -- Voice(s) -- Glissade -- favorite works -- chamber orchestra piece --