Arthur Kreiger, "Passacaglia on 'Spring and All'"

-- Liner Notes from Finnadar 90850-1 --

Side One

Band 1

PASSACAGLIA ON "SPRING AND ALL" (5:02)
By ARTHUR KREIGER

Text by William Carlos Williams
Tape part realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, New York, NY.
Recorded in April 1986. Paul Goodman, engineer. Borbaro Tager, producer.

ARTHUR KREIGER (b. 1945) holds degrees in English literature and music from the University of Connecticut. He eamed his doctorate in composition from Columbia University. His electronic music has been recognized by the League of Composers-ISCM, ACA Recording Awards, and the Groupe de Musique Experimentole de Bourges. Ricent honors include the Rome Prize and grants from CAPS and NEA. Mr. Kreiger presently teaches at Columbia University and at Baruch College. Passacaglia on "Spring and All" (1981, published by APNM) is the third work for chorus and electronic tape written by Kreiger for Peter Schubert ond The New Colliope Singers. The electronic portion strives to create an homogeneous blend with the singers. It is closely synchronized with the vocal lines, producing many coincidental attacks of chords and noises. The composer acknowledges the generous support of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation during the creation
of this work.

Funding for this record was provided by The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Alice M. Ditson Fund, and many private donors.
Grants coordinator: Sally Durgerian.

Cover art:
from "Upstanding Twiggy Stuff" by Deborah Phillips Chodoff
Art director: Caml BoboIh

Passacaglia on
"Spring and All"
by Arthur Kreiger
Text by William Carlos Williams

By the road to the contagious hospital
under the surge of the blue
mottled clouds driven from the
northeast - a cold wind. Beyond, the
waste of broad, muddy fields
brown with dried weeds, standing and fallen

patches of standing water
the scattering of tall trees

All along the road the reddish
purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy
stuff of bushes and small trees
with dead, brown leaves under them
leafless vines -

Lifeless in appearance, sluggish
dazed spring approaches -

They enter the new world naked,
cold, uncertain of all
save that they enter. All about the the
cold, familiar wind -

Now the grass, tomorrow
the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf
One by one objects are defined -
It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf

But now the stark dignity of
entrance - Still, the profound change
has come upon them: rooted, they
grip down and begin to awaken

[William Carlos Williams, THE COLLECTED POEMS OF WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS. Copyright 1938 by New Directions Publishing Corporation. Used by permission of the publisher.]

Arthur Kreiger, "Short Piece"

-- Liner Notes --

Arthur Kreiger
Short Piece (1974)

In Arthur Kreiger's composition, Short Piece, careful attention has been given to the construction and treatment of phrases. These phrases, often articulated in a highly pungent manner, serve as contrast to those sections of the work which are more sustained and static in character. Both types of gestures explore the richness of percussionlike timbres. Short Piece was realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, where it was completed in November of 1974. Kreiger's works include compositions for standard instrumental ensembles in addition to music for electronic tape.

Arthur Kreiger, "Theme and Variations"

-- Liner Notes (Continued) --

"The formal scheme of THEME AND VARIATIONS is more tightly defined. This later piece consists of a set of 17 variations on the opening tune. The variations differ in length, timbre and texture, and in the degree to which they reflect the character of the original. The theme can be heard quite clearly in the first and third variations; in later statements the relationship is not as readily apparent. The final statement, however, contains phrases that sound similar to those of the original theme. THEME AND VARIATIONS won second prize at the Sixth International Electroacoustic Music Awards in Bourges in 1978."

Arthur Kreiger, "Dance for Sarah"

-- Liner Notes --
AMERICAN COMPOSERS ALLIANCE RECORDING AWARD

Each year, the American Composers Alliance chooses several member composers to receive the ACA Recording Award. These awards are given either to stimulate the career of a talented young composer or to call attention to the recognized achievement of a mature musician. Occasionally, the birthday of an outstanding composer is celebrated with the Award. In all cases, the selection is made by a jury of the composer's peers, whose principal criterion is artistic excellence.

Frank Wigglesworth
President

ARTHUR KREIGER
DANCE FOR SARAH (1976)
Tapes realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

ARTHUR KREIGER (b. 1945, New Haven, CT) attended the University of Connecticut where he received an undergraduate degree in English literature and master's degree in music. He earned his doctorate in composition with distinction from Columbia University. While still a student, Kreiger received fellowships from the Berkshire Music Festival and the Composer's Conference. In 1974 his electronic music won an award from the League of Composers-ISCM. Subsequent honors include the Rome Prize (1979) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (1980). In 1982 he was living in New York City and teaching at Columbia University. He writes:

"DANCE FOR SARAH (1976) and THEME AND VARIATIONS (1977) were designed to explore a rich palette of electronic sounds. Timbres are often presented in a state of flux, approximating the opulence of acoustic instruments without imitating their specific colors. The sounds manipulated in these compositions were generated on the now-standard assemblage of classical analogue tape equipment bolstered by an early model Buchla Synthesizer. Cutting, splicing, and mixing - techniques handed down from the first makers of tape-recorder music - were used to extend short segments into longer melodic lines and m&e dense textures.

"Flamboyant, raucous gestures characterize portions of DANCE FOR SARAH. The material presented in the opening undergoes considerable change as the work progresses and new elements appear, creating two broad sections. In 1977 DANCE FOR SARAH received honors at the Fifth International Electroacoustic Music Awards held in Bourges, France. The composition celebrates the birth of the composer's niece and is infused with the noisy energy of her first years.

Arthur Kreiger, "Variations on a Theme by Davidovsky"

-- Liner Notes --

Arthur Kreiger
Variations on a Theme by Davidovsky
Tape realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

Arthur Kreiger (b. 1945) holds degrees in English Literature and in Music from the University of Connecticut. He earned his D.M.A. degree, with distinction, in composition from Columbia University in 1977. While still a student, Kreiger was the recipient of fellowships from the Berkshire Music Festival and the Composers' Conference. His electronic music has been recognized by the League of Composers-ISCM, American Composers Alliance Recording Award and the Groupe de Musique Experimentale de Bourges. Recent honors include the Prix de Rome and grants from CAPS and from the National Endowment for the Arts. Kreiger is presently on the faculty of Columbia University and is affiliated with the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. His Dance for Sarah and Variations may be heard on CRI SD 483.

Kreiger writes: "Electronic sound is a remarkably fluid medium. One is enticed by the unlimited possibilities in instrument designs, the infinite capacity for subtle shadings in timbre, and the potential richness of musical gesture found in the sound material. Variations on a Theme by Davidovsky. . explores an extensive palette of electronic tones and noises. Delicately shifting colors characterize this homage to one of the classic works in the electronic field. The composition recalls the opening ten measures of Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 6 for Piano and Electronic Sounds (1970) as a thematic subject. The theme appears 45 seconds into the piece "reorchestrated" for tape alone. It is preceded by a short introduction and is followed by a series of widely differing variations. Classical analog tape techniques (cutting, splicing and mixing) together with complex synthesizer patches have served in producing and shaping the variety of musical settings. The version presented on this recording is a stereo reduction of the 4-track master. The composer acknowledges the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for its generous support."

This recording was funded by the Jerome Foundation and by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.