Chapter 76: The New Virtuosity of the Modern Age
The works of George Crumb and John Cage
Adriane Hill, Yoon Kang, Gavin Wade, Kacie Boniberger, Kathryn Severing, and Kate Nichols
Summary:
Avant-garde is an advanced group in a specific field whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods. As music progresses, this group dominates; their musical styles call for a new breed of instrumentalists and vocalists to cope with the music’s technical demands. New techniques have been developed to obtain new sounds, such as a vocalist singing vocalize, a wordless melody. These special techniques have caused some who have mastered them to gain fame, such as Jan DeGaetani, who premiered George Crumb’s Ancient Voices song cycle in 1970, and Cathy Berberian, who premiered John Cage’s Aria in 1958. George Crumb, born in 1929, was the professor of composition at the University of Pennsylvania until his retirement in 1999. He has been recognized for the emotional character of his music, and his compositions have won him numerous awards and honors, including a Pulitzer and a Grammy. He drew inspiration for the majority of his works from the poetry of Frederico Garcia Lorca, a poet killed by fascists during the Spanish Civil War. His song cycle, Ancient Voices of Children, is a cycle of songs for soprano, boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, electric piano, and percussion. This odd combination of instruments produces a sound reminiscent of a rhapsodic East Asian melody, yet it contains the improvisational spirit of a Spanish flamenco song.
Questions:
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List several of the newly developed techniques for vocalists and instrumentalists. What techniques did vocalists use to train their voices for this new style of music?
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When was George Crumb born? What were the highlights of his career? Where did he draw inspiration from for his works?
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What is unique about Cathy Berberian’s musical scores, and how does this embody the avant-garde musical style?
Listening Guide 51 (p. 426, G. Crumb, “First Movement” from Ancient Voices of Children)
1. What kind of piece is this, and who composed it?
2. What are its performing forces? What impact does this have on the listener?
3. What sort of techniques does the main performer use?
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