Etler Brass Quintet

Alvin Etler

Alvin Etler was born in Battle Creek, Iowa on February 19th, 1913. He was an oboist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and studied composition with Arthur Shepherd at Case Western Reserve and Hindemith at Yale. He received two Guggenheim fellowships in 1940 and 1941and taught at Cornell University, University of Illinois and Smith College. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, solo and choral compositions and a book called Making Music: an Introduction to Theory.

From Grove Music Online:

Etler's earlier compositions exhibit a harmonic vocabulary and instrumental treatment resembling that of Bartók and Copland, with occasional flights into jazz. After his remarkable Quintet for Brass Instruments (1963) he abandoned his earlier style, experimented with serial procedures, and began to give greater prominence to timbral and textural elements. He used free rhythms, frequently interspersed with sharp, often jazzy accents, and strong dissonance, combined with sophisticated, multi-metric background textures. In spite of these doubtless self-conscious explorations, Etler's music never became academic, and never lost its stubborn aggressiveness and sensuous vitality.

Today we studied Alvin Etler's Brass Quintet, which is considered one of the greatest works for brass quintet of the 20th Century. Some of the notable features of this work include:

1. The first three movements all end with a single voice. Movement I concludes with a ppp trill in the 2nd trumpet. Movement II ends with the horn statement of the three "dots" of the S.O.S. theme. Movement III ends with the first trumpet playing a pianisissimo decrescendo. The fourth movement ends in one of the rare total homo-phonic statements of the S.O.S. theme - drawing even more attention to the conclusion.

1. Frequently, the music does not reflect the written meter and alludes to an alternate meter, much like the distorted reality in the artworks of of Dali and Escher. Like chromaticism, this may have been designed to disorient the listener.
   
2. Etler uses extended techniques (flutter tongue, half-valve, mutes) quite effectively, without over-using them.
   
3. Etler's rhythmic language is complex, and seems to be one of the central forces of the piece.
   
4. Like many modern composers, Etler utilized dissonant harmony, angular melodic material, and push the boundaries of range of the instruments, but to an effective end.
   
5. As I mentioned, there was a (very believable) rumor that the reason this piece sounds so angry and utilizes Morse Code is that Etler's son died in the Korean War and was a radio operator. It's a fantastic story, but totally untrue, as this transcript of an email interchange between myself and Etler's grandson, Jim, confirms:

I am the grandson of Alvin Etler and I came across your blog mentioning him. I have a professional picture of him if you would like that i can e-mail to you. I am actually surprised there are no pictures of him on the web anywhere at all. Drop me a line if interested.

Jim,

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Jim,  

One thing I wanted to clear up - Alvin's Brass Quintet, a work I make all my students study, is for many reasons remarkable. Sometimes in the void of information, people invent details. Many have heard that part of that quintet, which seems riddled with quotations from morse code, alludes to Etlers son, "who died in the Korean war". I have never seen or heard any evidence to that fact, but it makes for a romantic story. Is there any truth to it? If not, do you know of any influences of morse code in his life/writing? Thank you for your insight.--

- John

..... .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  .....  ....

lol funny, but I know that information started on a CD cover. Imagine

my uncle's surprise that he found out he was dead in the Korean war when he was only about 10 years old. I don't know how that started, but my uncle is alive and well on Cape Cod. It has become a big family joke. That piece you are talking about with the morse code, it is "S.O.S." Another unknown fact on my grandfather is that he used to ghost-write for commercials and the like. He told my uncle that he wrote the theme song to the 1950's childrens show "The Pinky Lee Show". I wondered why he would have done that until I looked it up on YouTube and saw that the show was sponsored by Tootsie Roll. That theme song shows his humor. From what my mother says he had a great sense of humor. He was also able to tap out 3 different rhythms at once, one on his left foot, another on his right and then a third on his hands. Its hard to do, I know I have tried and its pretty much impossible.

Take care, Jim Etler

Check out the clip below of an episode of the Pinky Lee show to hear Etler's Silly Song which was the theme song for the Pinky Lee show:

Bernstein Dance Suite

Today we listened to Leonard Bernstein's final composition (1989) Dance Suite for Brass Quintet performed by the Center City Brass Quintet. Not only was the piece his final composition before his death in 1990, but it was the only piece he composed for brass quintet. It was fitting he asked the Empire Brass to premiere it since he was instrumental in encouraging them to form at Tanglewood and including them in the premier of his Mass in 1971.

Read more about this piece at LeonardBernstein.com

Overview

Bernstein's final composition, each of the five movements is dedicated to a choreographer-friend of his:

I. Dancisca, for Antony (Antony Tudor)
II. Waltz, for Agnes (Agnes de Mille)
III. Bi-Tango, for Mischa (Mikhail Baryshnikov)
IV. Two-Step, for Mr. B (George Balanchine)
V. MTV, for Jerry (Jerome Robbins)

The piece was premiered by Empire Brass, at American Ballet Theater's 50th-anniversary gala, at the Metropolitan Opera House on January 14, 1990.

NOTES

Dance Suite is the last work to be written, mostly in late 1989, by the composer. It was premiered as part of the 50th Anniversary Gala of American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, on January 14, 1990. This light-hearted divertissement was not danced, however, even though that was the original intention of the ballet company. A choreographer began work on it, but apparently it was felt that the movements were too short for danceable development. It was presented instead on stage, in front of the traveller curtain, as an independent instrumental work. The performers were the Empire Brass Quintet, to whom the Suite is dedicated "with affection:" Rolf Smedvig and Jeffrey Curnow, trumpets; Eric Ruske, horn; Scott Hartman, trombone; and Sam Pilafian, tuba. The first movement alone was doubled simultaneously with the Quintet members by the ballet orchestra in the pit.
Each movement is dedicated to a choregrapher-friend: Antony Tudor, Agnes DeMille, Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balenchine and Jerome Robbins. More than a piéce d'occasion, there are other layers of meaning in the work since each movement had its origin in other formats. These are mostly anniversary pieces composed for family and friends.

I. Dancisca, for Antony (Antony Tudor)

The portmanteau work DANCISCA is the title for what was originally a piano piece. Written for the composer's granddaughter, Francisca Anne Maria Thomas, "For my Rhymy Girl, with thanxgiving and love, Tata, " it was completed "21 Nov. '89."

II. Waltz, for Agnes (Agnes de Mille)

The ironic WALTZ, which sometimes is in 3/4 time (alternating with common time) has wry overtones. Dated "22 Nov. '89," it was conceived as "The NEA Fovever March," after the composer refused the National Medal of Arts from President Bush. A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to Artists Space, a nonprofit gallery in New York City, had been revoked because of its AIDS exhibit, "Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing." This was unacceptable to Mr. Bernstein, whose lyrics for the March were:

Everyone got a medal but Bernstein,
The President gave twelve medals,
Not to Bernstein.
Well, actually there showed up only ten to toast,
'Cause one of the dozen couldn't make it,
And the other was just a ghost.
But ten out of twelve is better than most,
And the President was a very lovely host.
So everyone had a great time but Bernstein.
The Lord be praised!

III. Bi-Tango, for Mischa (Mikhail Baryshnikov)

The bitonal BI-TANGO is based on a "Birthday Serenata" composed for a violinist friend, Paul Woodiel, "17 Nov. '89" with words in Spanglish for "Señorito Pablito."

IV. Two-Step, for Mr. B (George Balanchine)

The TWO-STEP was at first "A Spiky Song," written for the composer's grandson, Evan Samuel Thomas: "Two weeks old, from his loving Granddaddy, 28 Oct. '89." ("Spike" was the name given to Evan prior to his birth by his father, David Thomas.) Its words include:
Hooray, ni-hao, Little Spike. So glad, thank God, Didn't call you Mike(ae)l, Stephen, Paul,...
Hip, hip, loud cheers, little tyke.
Welcome, warning:
Livin' ain't a bike ride,...
Hooray. Thank heaven for Evan.

V. MTV,  for Jerry (Jerome Robbins)

MTV is in part a tribute to the ubiquitous Music Television. The middle section was also a song, written for the mother of the Bernstein grandchildren, Jamie Bernstein Thomas: "7.II.86, for Jamie, to be continued... Love, LB." This one was inspired (if that is the appropriate word) when Mr. Bernstein watched an episode of "Miami Vice" on TV. The composer's lyrics for it were loosely based on actual dialogue. The words are found partly in the manuscript, and have been in part recalled by a family friend, the conductor Michael Barrett, as:
He said: You wash my back and I'll wash yours. With the baby lyin' in a shoe-bag on the floor
So she stabbed that rapist crime for crime.
He was a small-time stand-up comic anyway,
Very small-time.
Now ain't that nice? Miami Vice.
-note by Jack Gottlieb
© Copyright 1992 by Jack Gottlieb
All rights reserved.

Dahl, Hindemith and Dukas

 

Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970)

In class today, we heard three landmark works of the 20th century for brass ensembles, including "Music for Brass Instrument"(1944) composed by Ingolf Dahl as recorded by the American Brass Quintet. As I mentioned, the piece was written as a brass quintet (two trumpets, horn, tenor trombone and bass trombone) with an optional tuba part in the score.

Here is a description by Joseph Stevenson (from AllMusic.com) 

The Hamburg-born Dahl (his parents were Swedish) left Germany before World War II and based his musical career in Los Angeles. By 1944 he was working as a regular accompanist for comedienne Gracie Fields and it was while touring with her that he completed this composition for brass quintet (two trumpets, horn, and two trombones) with optional tuba in Toronto in May, 1944. It is a pivotal work, for it is regarded as not only having been the one in which the composer found his authentic personal voice, but as the source of the modern revival of the brass quintet. It has even been called (by Julian Menken) "... the most outstanding work in brass repertory."

It is a thoroughly American-sounding piece in three movements, adding up to fifteen minutes. Jazzy figurations merge seamlessly with Baroque-style gestures in the faster parts. The opening "Chorale Fantasy" is based on the old German chorale tune "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (Christ Lay in the Bonds of Death. The joyful second movement evoked spontaneous applause at the work's premiere, and the third movement, a fugue, brought only redoubled cheering. In addition to the old chorale, musical material of the piece includes transcriptions of the telephone numbers of Universal Studios and composer Gail Kubik, Dahl's friend and the composer of the score for the Gerald McBoing Boing animated short film

What is Gerald McBoing-Boing? (from Wikipedia)

"Gerald McBoing-Boing is an animated short film about a little boy who speaks through sound effects instead of spoken words. It was produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and given wide release by Columbia Pictures on November 2, 1950. It was adapted by Phil Eastman and Bill Scott from a story by Dr. Seuss, directed by Robert Cannon, and produced by John Hubley.

Gerald McBoing-Boing won the 1950 Oscar for Best Animated Short, Gerald McBoing-Boing is In 1994, it was voted #9 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field, making it the highest ranked UPA cartoon on the list. In 1995, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Here is a YouTube video of the short film. See if you hear any similarities to Dahl's Music for Brass Instruments.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)

Morgenmusik is the first part of a much longer work written by Hindemith for a day-long music festival at a boarding school in Plön, in Northern Germany. To commence the day-long festival, it was performed from the tower of the Plon Castle.

Plön Castle

Plöner Musiktag

The aim of this ambitious initiative is to bring young musicians and professionals together and approach the composer's ideas "playfully": "I hope, on the one hand, that this music is perceived as a highlight of Hindemith's educational oeuvre and among his complete works", says conductor Jobst Liebrecht. "On the other hand, I hope for the Hans Werner Henze Music School in Marzahn-Hellersdorf or, in general, for the educational policy in Berlin that people remember the roots and ideals with which the music school movement began, and that they move forward from the right sense of tradition."
The "Plöner Musiktag" sets a whole day to music: The four parts, Morgenmusik [Morning Music], Tafelmusik [Table Music], Kantate [Cantata] and Abendkonzert [Evening Concert] have been written for different levels of difficulty and instrumentations – from recorder trio to orchestral piece and three-part choir. Hindemith wrote the work for a four-day stay in a boarding school in Plön, Schleswig-Holstein in June 1932 where he made music with pupils.

 
From Fanfare Magazine by James H. North -

On June 20, 1932, A Day of Music at Plön . The day opened with Morning Music , a complex set for brass instruments. Much of the day was spent rehearsing individuals and ensembles. For a boy who could play only the xylophone, Hindemith wrote a part, on the spot; for three boys who couldn’t play any instrument, he wrote recorder trios and had them trained to play the instrument. During breaks between courses of midday dinner, the orchestral Table Music was played. In the afternoon, a cantata (“Admonition to Youth to Apply Themselves to Music”) for two soloists, three choruses, and orchestra which urges children to learn music was sung, spoken (a melodrama), and played. Hindemith was renowned for his sense of humor; the cantata is supposedly mostly tongue in cheek, but any wit therein doesn’t translate—the texts seem deadly serious, almost boarding-school punitive in attitude. The Evening Concert , a 35-minute series of orchestral, ensemble, and instrumental works, closed the day.

The point of it all was performing, not creating music for the ages to be heard by the general public or even the Serious Record Collector. So there seems little point in evaluating the music (by what standards?) or the performances (measured against whom?). While parts of Table Music have a light touch, most of the Plön music is in Hindemith’s heavy, neobaroque style of the early 1930s. Morgenmusik and sections of Abendkonzert have been recorded before, but I have not previously encountered the cantata. This seems to be the first recording of the complete Plöner Musiktag.

A similar day took place at Montepulciano, Italy, in August of 1980, with local school children premiering Hans Werner Henze’s opera Pollicino. Jobst Liebrecht led another performance and a recording in December 1980, sung and played by Berlin school children ( Fanfare 28:1). Liebrecht founded the Marzahn-Hellersdorf Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2005 and performed Plöner Musiktag in 2008, at which time the music school was named after Henze. The booklet lists every performer—258 of them, by my count—but does not tell us who (or which ensemble) performs what. One must assume that all mix into most of the works; for example, there are not enough brass players in any one of the ensembles to fill out Morning Music . This studio recording documents that day in 1932 and a slice of Hindemith’s oeuvre, which Wergo is slowly producing in toto —at least the majority of it that is owned by Schott Music & Media, the label’s parent company.

The boarding school was the King Alfred School. Here is a link translated from German page.

The entire Plöner Musiktag program included these movements:

1. No. 1, Mässig bewegt
2. No. 2, Lied
3. No. 3, Bewegt
4. No. 1, March
5. No. 2, Intermezzo
6. No. 3, String Trio
7. No. 4, Waltz
8. Advice to Youth to Apply Itself to Music
9. No. 1, Prelude for orchestra
10. No. 2, Flute solo with strings
11. No. 3, 2 Duets for violin & clarinet
12. No. 4, Variations for clarinet & strings
13. No. 5, Trio for 3 recorders
14. No. 6, Quodlibet for orchestra

Ingolf Dahl Biography form Schott EAM

Born in Hamburg, Germany to Swedish parents, Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970) began his formal music education with Philipp Jarnach at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik, with whom he studied from 1930 to 1932. Fearing the oppression of the Nazi party coming to power, he fled to Switzerland and continued his studies at the University of Zürich with Volkmar Andreae and Walter Frey. Dahl's first professional assignment out of school was as conductor and coach for the Zürich Stadttheater. In 1938, Dahl emigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where he worked as a composer and conductor for radio and film, gave lectures and piano recitals, and attended master classes with Nadia Boulanger. He became a naturalized citizen of the US in 1943, and two years later joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he taught until his death. As conductor of the university's symphony orchestra, Dahl gave West Coast premieres of a wide variety of contemporary works from the US and Europe. His close collaboration with Igor Stravinsky had a significant effect on Dahl's own work, leading him to lecture, perform, and arrange Stravinsky's music as well as translate his Poetics of Music (1947). Dahl served on the faculty of the Middlebury Composer's Conference in Vermont and taught at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood (1952-1955). In 1961 and 1962 he gave goodwill concerts in Germany sponsored by the US State Department, and from 1964 to 1966 he directed and conducted at the Ojai Festival in California. In his last years, Dahl conducted the Los Angeles Guild Opera and again the University of Southern California symphony orchestra. Among Dahl's many honors are two Guggenheim Fellowships, two Huntington Hartford Fellowships, an Excellence in Teaching Award from USC, and the ASCAP Stravinsky Award. His music has been recorded on a number of labels including Boston Records, Capstone, Centaur, Chandos, CRI, Crystal, Klavier, Nimbus, and Summit.

 

Paul Dukas (1865-1935)

Paul Dukas composed his ballet La Péri in 1912. Today we listened to his Fanfare to precede that ballet, and like many overtures, it has taken on a life of it's own in the brass world. We heard the Cincinnati Pops recording from 2004 with Erik Kunzel recording. What is a Peri?