Vladimir Ussachevsky 201 a-w OHV
with Joan Thomson
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
February 17th, 1977
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[This table of contents conforms to the original audio format and the original transcript, not the corrected version.]
Interview No. 1 pp 1-40
Tape recorders: composers considered sounds as objects—work at Columbia in 1951; supervising repairs and maintenance of the equipment—buying an Ampex tape recorder—early interest in things electrical—living in China because of his father’s military position—fur trapping—coal deposits—Ussachevsky’s family; mother an excellent pianist, father a theatre and choral man—playing the piano for silent movies—brother studying to be mining engineer at Berkeley—brother’s return to music—emigrating to the US—father’s imprisonment and release—mother’s life in the US—playing Russian gypsy jazz—epidemics of typhoid, etc—meeting artist Richard Taggart—studying with organist Clarence Mader—writing inventions—studying composition—going to Pasadena Junior College—composing pieces for piano—attending Pomona College—giving lessons in Hollywood—winning a prize in piano competition—composition teacher Walter Allen—compositions: a Baroque-type suite, The Legend, and a piece for chorus—acceptance at the Eastman School—Theme and Variations for Orchestra—composers at Eastman: Gardner Read, Kent Kennan, Bob Ward, Whitemore Lowe, Ed Haines—Howard Hanson—Ph.D in composition—Cantata to celebrate Pomona’s 50th birthday—contact with Robert Shaw—review of the piece by Elliott Carter in Modern Music—return to California—entering the army—work in the State Department—teaching public school in California—teaching in Putney, VT—getting a job at Columbia—meeting Otto Luening.
Interview No. 2 pp. 40-76
Musical wartime activities—academic education—activity in composition at the university level in the US, as opposed to Europe, where it was based at the radio stations—Pierre Schaeffer in France—Peter Mauzey—WKCR radio at Columbia—working with feedback—variable feedback machine—frequency shifter, ring modulator—first experimentation—Composer’s Forum—first concert of electronic music in 1961: Intermezzo for Piano and Orchestra—Autumn Songs—studies in transposition and feedback—Waltz—Sonic Contours—teaching at Columbia—Virgil Thomson’s favorable reaction to the Composer’s Forum concert—Folkways recording—Incantation: first joint composition, Luening and Ussachevsky—Luening’s compositions: Fantasy in Space, Inventions on 12-tone Theme, Low Speed—Moon Flight—Sonic Contours—mixing.
Interview No. 3 pp. 76-119
Peter Mauzey’s “box”—production of feedback—first mixer (on the “box”)—intermediate mixer—Rockefeller Grant (1953)—Rhapsodic Variations for Tape Recorder and Orchestra—Concerted Piece for Tape Recorder and Orchestra—filters and oscillators—Peter Mauzey building the mixer—Manny Ghent’s mixer—location of the electronic studios at Columbia and Princeton—building mixers for other locations—proliferation of electronic studios—electronic switch—frequency shifters—Composers Forum (1952)—Intermezo—revolution in music?—Bennington Conference—Peter Mauzey’s “box”—creating counterpoint—change in quality of sound—sense of space—experiments with instruments in the area of speed transposition—Oliver Daniel and the October concert at the Modern Museum—work at Cowell’s cottage—work in Toscanini’s basement—studio at Union Theological Seminary—work at studio across from the public library—Sonic Contours—audience at the museum concert—John Cage—Berio and his Studio di Fonologia Musicale—musique concrète—Stockhausen—Dave Garroway Show.
Vladimir Ussachevsky
with Joan Thomson
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Studio
April 14, 1977-December 13, 1978
Interview no. 4 April 14, 1977 pp. 120-136
Garroway--WNYC--trip to Paris--trouble with the State Dept.--First Congress of Experimental Music in France--trip to Cologne: meeting Stockhausen, Eimert--early musique concrète--Henry Cowell’s concert--Stockhausen--first Rockefeller Grant--Incantation: a commission by Stokowski, a joint effort with Luening--using material from Sonic Contours--Rhapsodic Variations.
Interview no. 5 April 21, 1977 pp. 137-150
Incantation--equipment--tape recorder and its use for creative purposes--splicing of tape--phonogène: a French device made at the special request of Pierre Schaeffer--Bode Melochord--Trautonium--Bode in the U.S.--ring modulators--frequency shifter--Walter Carlos--speed variation--devices available at the time of Incantation--Rhapsodic Variations for Tape Recorder and Orchestra--performance of Incantation.
Interview no. 6 April 28, 1977 pp. 151-163
Crime of blossom--Music and Mathematics--Louisville Orchestra Commission--Rockefeller Foundation Grant--combining instruments and tape--Rhapsodic Variations--Poem in Cycles and Bells--Concerted Piece for Tape Recorder and Orchestra--tape music as a way of enriching the palette of orchestral sounds--electronic music and the critics--working on the commission; trying out movements at Bennington--composing the fourth movements of Rhapsodic Variations at Bennington--tape recorders functioning as a portable recording studio.
Interview no. 6 [continued] pp. 164-204
Rhapsodic Variations--working together with Luening--Poem of Cycles and Bells-Concerted Piece--notation--conductor in relation to the tape--recording of Davidovsky’s Synchronisms--transitional section--Sonic Contours--Rhapsodic Variations--Buchla equipment--Line of Apogee--Colloquy for Symphony Orchestra, Tape Recorder and Various Chairs--collaboration between Luening and Ussachevsky--notation--Poem in Cycles and Bells--Sonic Contours--Rhapsodic Variations--Louisville Orchestra--more on the collaboration--recording of Rhapsodic Variations--Of Identity--first experiments recorded on Folkways Records used as an accpt for dance--composing for dancers--orchestral score written around Low Speed, Fantasy in Space and Sonic Contours--sounds made by glass and pottery--using sounds of the plates in Spell of Creation--“tuning bells”--other Chinese plates--Linear Contrasts--intent to compose more with the modified sounds of instruments--ring modulator as a modifier of sound--synthesizers.
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Cassette Side M April 10, 1978 pp. 205-234
Performance of Poem in Cycles and Bells--problem with flute tuning--reaction to the piece--CRI recording--Rockefeller grant to travel in Europe--recording of Rhapsodic Variations--synchronization problems with Poem in Cycles and Bells--Concerted Piece--Colloquy--Rhapsodic Variations--Davidovsky’s Synchronisms no. 8--performers and the tape--Les Paul and his overdubbing--John Cage’s Imaginary Landscape--Paul’s design of the eight-track recorder for AMPEX--Robert Bloom--Paul’s Chester and Lester--1955 report prepared for the Rockefeller Foundation: history of electricity and electronics in music in general--music for King Lear--Marc Blitzstein--Orson Welles--RCA demonstration of the Olsen Belar Sound Synthesizer--recording of the RCA synthesizer--Milton Babbitt’s work on the machine--record made--Mark II Synthesizer--possibility of controlling the sound up to 32 times a second.
Cassette side N pp. 235-245
Mark II Synthesizer--Babbitt--exploring the synthesizer--uniqueness of the synthesizer--oscillators--Rockefeller grant--Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.
Cassette O September 20, 1978 pp. 246-273
Sounds of glasses and bowls at the Furniture Barn--collection of and library of sounds--musique concrète vs. electronic sounds--Stockhausen’s Hymnen and Gesang der Jünglinge--technology in China--Chou Wen-Chung’s request to present a demonstration to the Chinese--cultural exchange with the Chinese--founding of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music center--Milton Babbitt & Princeton’s involvement--NY 125th St. location--original grant--RCA Synthesizer--Berio--Wuorinen and Time’s Encomium--Babbitt and Philomel--Sessions--Paul Henry Lang--Sollberger--Group for Contemporary Music--Bulent Arel--Mario Davidovsky--Hali Mildav--Chico Toyama.
Casette P pp. 274-306
Charles Wuorinen--Columbia musicologists--Edgar Varèse--Varèse’s Poème Élèctronique--Déserts--Concerted Pièce: a Bernstein commission--grant application--more on Concerted Piece--Rhapsodic Variations--problems with the union--first concert of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center--pieces on the program--Ussachevsky’s Creation Prologue--Jacob Druckman--Charles Dodge.
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Cassette Q October 4, 1978 pp. 307-331
Ussachevsky’s film scores: Circle of Fire, A Boy Who Saw Through Walls, No Exit, Line of Apogee--controlling use of his music--sounds used in film.
Cassette R October 5, 1978 pp. 332-354
Financial arrangements made with Lloyd Williams for Line of Apogee--The Creation--No Exit: financial arrangements--King Lear--lecturing--An Incredible Voyage--No Exit--Line of Apogee--working with filmmakers and dancers--Incredible Voyage--sounds in Line of Apogee and Incredible Voyage--advice to young composers wanting to do film--Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Cassette S pp. 355-368
Other composers and film: Prokofiev, Copland, Stravinsky, Walton--Robert Moog--John Cage--Switched-On Bach--King Lear--Orson Welles--Marc Blitzstein--Buchla Synthesizer.
Cassette side T November 16, 1978 pp. 369-393
Initial exposure to Bell Labs and computer music--Max Matthews--Godfrey Winham--Lejaren Hiller--using computers to generate sound--developing a synthesizing process--early studio at Bell Telephone--Music Five Program--57 second composition--Columbia riots--Jean Claude Risset-- Computer Piece Number One--Two Images of a Computer Piece--“Super Splicer”--Concerted Piece--South American and Mexican Tour.
Cassette side U November 17, 1978 pp. 394-418
Percussive interlude between the two images of the computer piece--groove system--Computer Piece Number One--Sketches for a Computer Piece--working with Moog--Two Sketches for Computer Piece--random sound generation by groove--Conflict--Perennial Creation--Mark Zukerman’s computer program--Sinclarier and other synthesizers--difficulty of synthesizing the timbre of music instrument--Di Giugno’s Synthesis of String Tones--Arp Synthesizer--IRCAM--Risset--Stockhausen--Tracey Peterson.
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Cassette side V December 13, 1978 pp. 419-444
Two Images of a Computer Piece: A concert at the Whitney--lecturing around the world--speaking in Moscow; experiences in Russia--electronic music in Russia--Pierre Schaeffer--Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Yarostowski visit to Columbia--visiting in Russia--machine which divided the octave into 60 parts--State Dept. tour of South America.
Cassette W pp. 445-
More on South American tour--Ginastera--composers at Tanglewood--Koussevitzky--going to Boston and meeting Koussevitzky.