John Harbison

with Vivian Perlis

Santa Fe, New Mexico

July 29, l982

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tape a                                                                                                                        pp. 1-19

Importance of Cambridge to his work--Creative identification with the Midwest--Growing up in Princeton--Relationship to the town--Playing in a jazz band--Musical heroes--Classical music background--”Pop” music writers in family--Composing music--Jazz influence on his compositions--Family approval of music as career--Reasons for choosing MIT--Importance of teaching--Teaching at MIT--Babbitt, Sessions,--Reworking pieces--Writing for specific performers, Bob Miller, Jan DeGaetani and Elegaic Songs, The Flower Fed Buffaloes, Viola Sonata, Winter’s Tale (opera), Violin Concerto

Tape b                                                                                                                       pp. 19-37

Writing for his wife, Rose Mary Harbison--Compositional process--Lavorkis--the Montali songs--The Variations--Sketchbook--Attending performances--As a conductor--Conducting his own works--Sound in music--TheTrio--Commissions--Opera--Learning to Composer--Value of composer-critic conference--”Inventing your world.”

AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                                98 c,d

John Harbison

with Vivian Perlis

New Haven, CT

March 5, 1984

Composers’ Seminar--held at Yale University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SIDE C                                                                                                                        pp. 1-12

Mottetti di Montale (1981)--arranging song cycles for new music ensemble--Robert Bly as poet and anthologist--Mirabai’s life--Mirabai Songs (1982)--Indian style settings--Chris Rouse--dedication of songs to singers--Bly brought Spanish and German poetry into consciousness of American poets--revolution in American poetry--[taped music of one song]--residency with Pittsburgh Symphony--other orchestral residencies--Meet the Composer--putting new pieces on orchestras’ subscription series--rehearsal scheduling problems--responding to submitted scores--advice to young orchestral composers--smaller orchestras sympathetic to composers--audience reaction--successful program placement of premieres.

[Edited by Vivian Perlis due to indistinct passages in question/answer session.]

SIDE D

[Not transcribed because of poor recording quality.]

AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                                          98 e-g

John Harbison

with Vivian Perlis

Sept. 30, l997

Tarrytown, N.Y.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side e                                                                                                                                     p. 1-18

Recorded works--recording and performing travels--conducting--Handel’s L’Allegro  and Crumb’s Ancient Voices (with Dawn Upshaw)--all Dallapiccola concert and reception of his music--working in the Boston community--teaching at MIT--Emmanuel Church--Between Two Worlds--motets from Koch--Ave Verum--professionalization of the music at Emmanuel Church--support from the Boston community--connection with the BSO and Tanglewood--work in Aspen--contrasting musical attitudes in NY and Boston--Jim Maddalena--chamber festival in Wisconsin--astists’ colony in Genoa Italy:  Istituto Studi Ligure--location and what it means to Harbison as a composer--struggle for time to compose--Gatsby opera--Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of Israel Project--reading and thinking about Judaism--Emmanuel Music and setting liturgical texts--Samuel Chapter--Reconciliation Requiem--Gatsby--problem of the Holocaust--Harbison’s religious attitudes and involvement

Side f                                                                                                                         p. 18-33

Dispute at Emmanuel Church--Gatsby--Mirabai Songs--Violin Concerto--Second Symphony--Remembering Gatsby--sketches--scene added to scenario of Gatsby--Harbison as librettist of Gatsby, Winter’s Tale, Full Moon in March--Mark Lemos as director--his influence--the idea of set pieces in the opera--preliminary rehearsing to test balance--James Levine--Ken Noda--subject matter and setting of opera--problems with opera--narrative impulse--form in opera--attaching events to characters in Gatsby--“radical” idea that people sing on stage--Schubert’s Alfonso and Estrella--other operas not heard enough--Midsummer Marriage--Israel project as a break from Gatsby-- Pittsburg composer-in residence experience--working with Ernest Fleischmann

Side g                                                                                                                         p. 33-44

Augusta [Read Thomas]--retrenchment in orchestra programming--Flight into Egypt--Second Symphony--Second Quartet--Pittsburgh--L.A. and Ernest Fleischmann--Tanglewood--MacArthur award--The Most Often Used Chords--work as “Creative Chair” in St. Paul--the Viola Concerto--performing on piano and fortepiano--Concerto for Double Brass Choir and Orchestra--Cello Concerto--Yo-Yo Ma--knowing who you are writing for:  Lorraine Hunt for the part of Myrtle in Gatsby,   Ransom [Wilson] for Flute Concerto, Rose Mary [Harbison] for Violin Concerto--helping younger composers--an American musical century--possibilities of concert music becoming evident to a wider public