George Rochberg, American Composer

Do not miss Robin D. G. Kelley's Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, for it will stand as the definitive biography of the great American composer and pianist for many years to come. What distinguishes Kelley's treatment of Monk's complicated and enigmatic life is the sheer depth and breadth of primary research, including, for the first time, the active cooperation and involvement of Thelonious Monk's family. In his acknowledgments, Kelley describes a long process of convincing Thelonious Monk, III to grant permission culminating in a six-hour meeting in which his knowledge, credentials, and commitment were thoroughly tested and challenged. Once he had secured “Toot's” blessings, as well as that of his wife Gale and brother-in-law Peter Grain, Kelley was introduced to Nellie Monk, Thelonious Monk's wife, and a wide range of family and friends who shared their memories and personal archives of photos, recordings, and papers. This is not an authorized biography, however, since Thelonious Monk, Jr. never demanded the right to see drafts or dictate the content. Rather Kelley was admonished to “dig deep and tell the truth.”

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George Rochberg's Road to Ars Combinatoria, 1943–63

Journal of the Society for American Music ◽

10.1017/s1752196318000044 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 119-150

Author(s):

AMY LYNN WLODARSKI

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

The Other ◽

World War ◽

Self Assessment ◽

The Road ◽

Historical Figures ◽

Ethical Conflicts ◽

George Rochberg ◽

Cumulative Process ◽

Ethical Criteria

AbstractGeorge Rochberg often attributed his postmodern shift to the death of his son in 1964. Accordingly, the literature has described his practice of ars combinatoria (“art of combination”) as an “abrupt about-face”—a sudden rejection of modernist aesthetics. But the composer's unpublished essays, diaries, correspondence, and musical sketchbooks suggest that the road to ars combinatoria had well-laid roots in two of his least considered biographical periods: his service during World War II and his serial period. During these two decades, Rochberg actively sought positive models for humanistic composition, historical figures who rose to the level of musical heroes in that they served humanity through their art. But as the war had taught him, heroes are necessarily defined by their struggle against nemeses in ethical conflicts. Correspondingly, he constructed the other side of the artistic world as a realm of vain egoists who sought self-promotion and seemed unconcerned with humanistic modes of expression. As his ideas matured, Rochberg assigned different figures to these archetypes, but the guiding ethical criteria remained fairly consistent throughout. I therefore argue that ars combinatoria was less a sudden aesthetic reversal than it was the result of a longer cumulative process of self-assessment and compositional maturation.

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GEORGE ROCHBERG (1918–2005)Fantasies (1971)

Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century, Volume 1 ◽

10.1093/oso/9780199391028.003.0072 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 261-264

Author(s):

Jane Manning

Keyword(s):

Diverse Range ◽

Small Frame ◽

George Rochberg ◽

Voice And Piano ◽

Breath Control

This chapter examines George Rochberg’s Fantasies, written as a present for his wife on their thirtieth wedding anniversary. A set of four haiku-like miniatures for medium voice and piano, Fantasies makes an ideal introduction to a modernist vocal idiom for those who have yet to lose their inhibitions and plunge into new territory. A flexible mezzo would perhaps be best suited to the diverse range of styles packed into such a small frame. Clear projection is essential, in view of the economy of the vocal writing, and a certain forthright strength, as well as a poised lightness. There are just a few moments of Sprechstimme, whispered as well as spoken, and a couple of long, arching melismas, which require considerable breath control. In contrast, speech rhythms are also deftly employed. It is the pianist, however, who has the lion's share in shaping the narrative and illustrating the texts, in a most satisfying part, full of wit and humour, and incorporating some challenging figurations.

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Electronic Music

Artful Noise ◽

10.5622/illinois/9780252043130.003.0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 107-117

Author(s):

Thomas Siwe

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

Real Time ◽

Electronic Music ◽

John Cage ◽

World War ◽

Karlheinz Stockhausen ◽

Edgard Varese ◽

American Composer ◽

The Difference ◽

Musique Concrete

With the end of World War II came the rebirth of European radio. Government stations in both France and Germany established experimental studios for research, from which arose a new kind of music, “electronic music.” The station in France, Office de Radiodiffusion Télevision Française (ORTF), was directed by the engineer/composer Pierre Schaeffer and his partner, Pierre Henry, who called their musical creations musique concrète. In Germany the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) studio produced music through the process of “synthesis.” This chapter will explain the difference between the two approaches used to create electronic music with examples from the percussion solo and ensemble repertoire. Early experiments using wire recorders, test records, and tape recorders by composers Halim El-Dabh, John Cage, and Edgard Varèse precede the major electronic works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mario Davidovsky, and the American composer Stephen Everett, whose use of computers in “real time” brings the reader into the next century.

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