Music now; Harold Schiffman and Karl Kroeger

Music No. Music written to be played not to be heard now. Music of our own day created by composers of our time to express and interpret the life of the mid 20th century. Music now is produced and recorded by the broadcasting services of the University of Alabama on drug grant from the National Educational Television and Radio Center and cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the sixth in a series of nine programs demonstrating the accomplishments of the American composer at mid-century the music you are hearing on this series is the work of 16 composers resident and six southeastern states. It is music varied in style and content. Music expressive of American culture of the present day. In America as in many countries the art of music is flourishing today in a manner unprecedented even one generation ago.

Our culture is producing composers who can rival those of any country and imagination skill and productivity. What this growing number of composers would something to say and the means to say it. The need correspondingly grows for a wider and more deeply interested audience. One of the best methods of reaching this wider audience is through the medium of radio. Radio is the ideal communications medium for music since it concentrates the listeners attention on the music without the distractions that can result from musical productions through other media and radio reaches out to a wider segment of the American public than any other medium of communication. We have the composers we have the music and we have the means of reaching the great audience for which this music is being written. That audience can make its contribution to the growth of American culture by listening with an open but discriminating mind. It is not enough to accept all music on an equal

basis because not all music is equally valid to develop and to deepen our American musical culture. This country needs an audience that not only is larger but an audience that is knowledgeable and is capable of forming opinions on artistic matters. That audience is developing today. The opportunities to hear new music and to hear American music are increasing steadily and every indication is that the American musical public is seizing these opportunities and an unprecedented matter. It remains only for that musical audience to exercise its discrimination and its taste to demand the best that American composers have to offer. For from ever higher demands on the part of the American audience surely will come better and more significant music from American composers. The achievement of American composers often in the face of appalling odds already has impressive music now is striving to show something of the nature of that achievement what the future holds even greater accomplishments provided that the

American composer continues to be supported by an ever increasing public. It must be a public that increases not only in numbers but in depth and seriousness of approach and in severity of artistic standards. If the American musical audience develops along such lines there is nothing that can prevent the gradual establishment of the United States as the creative musical center of the world just as it has been for some years. The musical performance center of the world. The importance of artistic leadership partly can be overestimated from such a leadership flow dividends that are too great to be assessed but their fruits are readily apparent in those countries which have in the past enjoyed such positions of preeminence American composers already are bending every effort toward the establishment of that leadership. It is up to the American musical public to provide the support vital to that effort. First of two works on this programme is the cup Riccio's so moved on from the string quartet by

Harold Shipman. Now a graduate student at Florida State University is studying with John Boehner announced on the money. Mr. Schiffman has been a student of Roger Sessions. He is a native of North Carolina. The cup Riccio's so mobile we are about to hear is music of intense and unrelenting vigor. They direction Cup Riccio's so only partly suggest it's character for a capricious and as often gives away to passages of greater seriousness and of elemental force. The four instruments are treated with great freedom each one living an independent life of its own the possibilities of the string quartet medium are explored with thoroughness and singleness of purpose and a musical texture both contrapuntal a break and rhythmically alive the LDM of the Schiffman quartet is not atonal nor is the work a 12 tone composition but the harmony as a stranded and thoroughly contemporary and fact harmonic tension exist at a high level almost continually. And together with great rhythmic activity it contributes a

large share of the excitement with which the work is endowed. It is remarkable that the composer has been able to fashion so individual a style without reference to the stylistic peculiarities of any of the major figures of 20th century music. Let us hear now the cup Riccio's of movement from Harold shifted one string quartet. The performances by the Atlanta Symphony string quartet. And.

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You have just heard the Capri Sun from the string quartet by Harold Shipman. It

was performed by the Atlanta Symphony string quartet. As the remaining work on this program we will hear the Partido for five brass instruments by Carl Kroger. Mr. Kroger is a graduate student in the music school of the University of Louisville. Studied with George Pearl and Claude Altman. His Partita is in five short movements the titles of which are reminiscent of the Partitas of Bach. They are Sinfonia Caroll full gata aria and the style of the music however is of the 20th century and there is no attempt at the restoration of antique styles. The writing for the brass in fact. Is in the best contemporary variety Bosso matter making at times extreme demands upon the players most of the Partido as contrapuntal and its musical treatment except for the corral where rich full blown harmonies create a welcome point of repose. They forget it is jaunty and rhythmically vigorous. A fine modern example of this

ancient musical form they Partita concludes with a sheik of exceptional vigor bringing the work to a brilliant and jubilant conclusion. The Kroger partied as in the great tradition of brass music dating back to the 16th century. The revival of interest in this medium on the part of many 20th century composers has resulted in the wealth of important music for brass ensemble in recent years. And his PARTIDO Kroger demonstrates the extent to which the brass instruments may be used in an independent and self-sufficient musical ensemble. Given a composer with sufficient skill and imagination through his varied and imaginative handling of the medium Kroeger has succeeded in producing a work of solid musical worth and a fascinating instrumental color. Let us hear now the Partido for five brass instruments by Carl Kroger. The performances by members of the Florida State University brass ensemble. Nothing.

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The work you have just heard was the Partido for five brass instruments by Carl Kroger.

It was performed by members of the Florida State University brass ensemble heard earlier was the pre-chosen movement from Harold Schiffman string quartet what the playing of the Kroger PARTIDO we conclude the sixth in a series of nine programs designed to bring new representative American music of the present day. All of the music on this series is the work of members of the Southeastern composers League an organization of composers of the southeastern states for the past seven years the Southeastern composers league has fostered and encouraged interest in American music throughout the southern United States. The work you are hearing on music Gnawa are performed at the 10000 year old composers forum of the University of Alabama. The composers forum is a joint production of the University of Alabama and the Southeastern composers lead music knowledge presented by the music department of the University of Alabama. This series is written by JF Bo's'n coordinated by David Cohen and produced by

David Marx or your commentator has been Jim all day. Music now was produced and recorded by the broadcasting services of the University of Alabama under a grant from the National Educational Television and Radio Center. And is being distributed by the knife most of the nation of educational broadcasters. This is the end AB Radio Network.