Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

[oddoneout]

How were you listening? I waited until it was up on Sounds and am listening on headphones to Gay Guerilla at the moment. A relentlessly changing landscape, perhaps but no more relentless, as such, than the final movement of Schubert's 9th. I feel a fair few Eastman imports from QOBUZ coming on.

I was listening "as it came" as I'm not set-up for anything else.
The relentlessness of Schubert 9 I can take( although I wouldn't want to repeat my experience of playing in the viola section - 45 years later I still remember it) but the Eastman suffered from two difficulties as far as I am concerned, firstly that it didn't engage my interest sufficiently for the duration but also, and more importantly, the sound of the hammering piano I found not only unpleasant but actually physically uncomfortable, hence feeling battered.
The Proms concert (or rather the repeat of it) which included his work would have been where I saw/heard about him. I did try a couple of searches but neither came up with that, so thank you for the reference.
It will be another of those "good to have had the opportunity, but won't take it any further thank you" occasions I think.

[Bryn]

. . . It will be another of those "good to have had the opportunity, but won't take it any further thank you" occasions I think.

I know that feeling, though sometimes a re-encounter with something put to one side will bring a mini-epiphany. I have no problems with, for instance, Reich's Six Pianos or the 2 pianos, 8 hands version or Varese's Ameriques, so hammering pianos provoke no negative response from me.

[Quarky]

I know that feeling, though sometimes a re-encounter with something put to one side will bring a mini-epiphany. I have no problems with, for instance, Reich's Six Pianos or the 2 pianos, 8 hands version or Varese's Ameriques, so hammering pianos provoke no negative response from me.

I'm suspending judgement; just to note that he has attracted a lot of attention from the cognoscenti. As regards the Proms, he was featured in a recent concert by the Manchester Collective::https://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/c...f-39742dca43d0 :: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ys34

My personal view is that minimalism, and African inspired music, is not structured, as in European Music, but is more a "river of sound". Somebody said "Let's stop this mad rush towards the End".

[Bryn]

I'm suspending judgement; just to note that he has attracted a lot of attention from the cognoscenti. As regards the Proms, he was featured in a recent concert by the Manchester Collective::https://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/c...f-39742dca43d0 :: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ys34

My personal view is that minimalism, and African inspired music, is not structured, as in European Music, but is more a "river of sound". Somebody said "Let's stop this mad rush towards the End".

"Mad Rush", is, of course, the title of a work by Philip Glass, though he does not much like the description "minimalism" when applied to his music.

[cloughie]

"Mad Rush", is, of course, the title of a work by Philip Glass, though he does not much like the description "minimalism" when applied to his music.

Does he prefer ‘unclassified’?

[Bryn]

Does he prefer ‘unclassified’?

His music education went honourably beyond 'unclassified'. His own preferred description of what he composes is "music with repetitive structures". Boringly straightforward, as a description, what?

[cloughie]

His music education went honourably beyond 'unclassified'. His own preferred description of what he composes is "music with repetitive structures". Boringly straightforward, as a description, what?

Surely ‘unclassified’ could fit any level of musical education !

His description - Yes and depending on whether or not you like what you hear - ‘interesting’ or ‘not a lot of tune’!

[Serial_Apologist]

His music education went honourably beyond 'unclassified'. His own preferred description of what he composes is "music with repetitive structures". Boringly straightforward, as a description, what?

Well for me it would be mostly boringly straightforward as a listening experience, but I haven't checked out Ahkenaton, which some admire, nor much of the music Glass composed in the 1960s.

I'm glad I've decided to listen to the entire week devoted to Eastmen.

[Padraig]

Well for me it would be mostly boringly straightforward as a listening experience, but I haven't checked out Ahkenaton, which some admire, nor much of the music Glass composed in the 1960s.

I'm glad I've decided to listen to the entire week devoted to Eastman.

Me too S_A - I'm glad I listened. I'm still picking away at pieces played, and replayed. I'm inclined to enjoy the whole scene called Minimalism, so I don't find Julius Eastman's music at all boring, nor straightforward. One of my first responses to the week was to return to Meredith Monk's music and re-listen to some of it with great enjoyment, and to try to place Eastman in that context - he was one of the crowd and he seemed to like taking part in Monk's ensembles, and to have adopted some of her technique.

I'm listening to Femenine at the moment and I can stand the repetition, which disappears, while still remaining - if you listen! - and I find that it gradually coalesces into an orchestral piece, via some interesting riffs on wind instruments, with lots of drama building up throughout. Dare I say that it suggests a touch of Bach in that you have to try to unravel some of the lines as you go along? Well, that's what I think, now.

Not exactly text book stuff, but my own, S_A. I was hoping that there would have been more comment to stir the imagination, and maybe provide a lifebelt, as I feel I'm jumping off the pier into cold deep water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKfFcZeGYm4

[Padraig]

Brrrrr! It's freezing in here. But I'm staying on it so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxtLoItArrc

[oddoneout]

I know that feeling, though sometimes a re-encounter with something put to one side will bring a mini-epiphany. I have no problems with, for instance, Reich's Six Pianos or the 2 pianos, 8 hands version or Varese's Ameriques, so hammering pianos provoke no negative response from me.

I did listen to other pieces during the week and found the instrumental ones an easier, (and more interesting) listen than the piano, but overall it's still "thank you, but no thank you". But without COTW I wouldn't have even got that far.

[Padraig]

I did listen to other pieces during the week and found the instrumental ones an easier, (and more interesting) listen than the piano, but overall it's still "thank you, but no thank you". But without COTW I wouldn't have even got that far.

Still, O1O, by dabbling among the many pieces on you tube I'm finding more to enjoy, whether vocal, instrumental or piano. At least, I still try out what's there because I find it sad that JE had such a difficult time in his short life and kept on producing his music. I find too that over time my ear has come to enjoy listening to different sounds which I used to find off-putting. This piano piece, for example - what do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCtW_C6X95I

[Padraig]

. This piano piece, for example - what do you think

Maybe not as interesting as this piece, featuring - you must wait for it - the tambourine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgmadIqSv8

There are other versions.