AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                              180 a-i

William McKinley

with Ev Grimes Reading

Reading, Mass.

October 4, 1986

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a                                                                                                                         pp. 1-13

Hometown and family background--ear1y drumming 1essons--piano lessons at

age five--improvising at an early age--p1aying in dance bands--fusion of popular music and jazz--pit bands in small towns--1istening to records in music store--dream of being concert pianist--interest and ability in jazz--first phonograph and recordings--p1aying at local dancing school--library of sheet music--travelling with dance bands--being drawn towards Pittsburgh.

Side b                                                                                                                                    pp. 13-22

Playing in clubs in Pittsburgh--jazz/classica1 tension--meeting Johnny Costa--audition for Carnegie Conservatory--study with Leonard Eisner--Frederick Dorian--Niko1ai Lopatnikoff--decision to become composer.

Side c                                                                                                                         pp. 23-34

Tension between classical, jazz, and commercial music wor1ds--jazz pianist and classical composer idea taking ho1d--hearing own first string quartet confirmed decision to become composer--style of early music--being idealist and out-of-step--conflict between artist and entertainer--facility for imitating musical sty1es--winning BMI prize--acceptance at Tanglewood--Copland's help--study with Copland, Schuller, Foss--negative feelings about building "career"--Gunther Schuller's similar background.

Side d                                                                                                                                    pp. 34-45

Playing jazz and teaching after return from Tanglewood--style of jazz ahead of its time--not building a career--being prolific--phone call to Mel Powell--turning point--study at Yale--desire to be famous but not wanting to have to deal with becoming famous--Fromm commission--piaying jazz in New Haven--reconciling jazz playing and Yale study--Powel1's encouragement of intuition--sty1e of music composed at Yale.

Side e                                                                                                                         pp. 45-55

Yale years--Yehudi Wyner, John Kirkpatrick, Ralph Kirkpatrick--Fromm commission--second summer at Tanglewood--teaching position at University of Chicago--playing at the Modern Jazz Showcase--Triple Concerto written

for Chicago Symphony--famous vs. shallow--getting in tune with the masters-­invitation to teach at New England Conservatory.

Side f                                                                                                                         pp. 56-67

Jazz in Boston--integration of jazz and c1assica1--wife's graduate degree-­style of music in early Boston period--Ralph Shapey and jazz element in music--beginning to receive grants and fellowships--reconnecting with Richard Stoltzman--moment of "epiphany"--radica1 change in musical style--early music influenced by current style.

Side g                                                                                                                         pp. 67-78

Influence of minimalism on his sty1e--different standards in judging talent of today's composition students--contemporary performers' opin­ions of contemporary music--"return to innocence"--"Gocid Bye"--change in direction--l980 marks return to neo-tonal musical style.

Side h                                                                                                                                    pp. 78-90

Recording of works from newer period--oratorio Deliverance Amen-­"pent-up tona1ity"--Gerard Schwarz--works in new style--upcoming per­formances of new works--teaching--serving as buffer between student and academia--being prolific--separation of intuition from reason--getting students in touch with their intuitions--Schoenberg anecdote.

Side i                                                                                                                          pp. 90-93

Yielding to performers' interpretative powers--Berg and Schoenberg ideas distorted--music from the heart--1iving at peace may bring return of natural harmonies.