Harrison, Lou (1917 - 2003)

[jean]

I had never heard of him (I'm ashamed to say) until I happened on his Mass for Saint Cecilia's Day on Late Junction on St Cecilia's Day.

Two extracts, at 19 and 44 minutes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017cjqy

I thought it was wonderful... surely not only because it reminded me so much of plainsong (I know there's some real plainsong in there too).

[Serial_Apologist]

I believe Harrison to have been the inventer of the "tack piano" - something similar to the prepared piano, which I understand Harrison invented before Cage's invention. Like yourself Jean I have never heard any of his music.

[MrGongGong]

Lou Harrison is a really interesting composer
one of the pioneers of introducing Gamelan into America
and (like Harry Partch and La Monte Young created much music using intonation systems other than equal temperament
worth exploring

[jean]

Like yourself Jean I have never heard any of his music.

But I have now!

Follow the link above and you can too, for the next six days. There's a gamelan in there, I think.

Here's a review of a performance last year, also by the Hilliard Ensemble:

This programme of American and antipodean choral works, from Ars Nova Copenhagen and director Paul Hillier, certainly tied in with the festival's New World theme – but it also showcased the vocal ensemble's talent for contemporary music. Works by classic American minimalists Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Lou Harrison...

Taken individually, each of these works would have been striking; together, they added up to more of the same.

The one exception was Lou Harrison's Mass for St Cecilia's Day, although this was something of an endurance test, as a substantial mass setting entirely in faux-medieval plainchant. With Andrew Lawrence-King accompanying on a variety of instruments, including a hurdy-gurdy, the performance was an interesting exercise in plainchant interpretative variety. Overall, though, it was strictly one for the connoisseurs.

[Chris Watson]

Thought I might correct a few things! No gamelan - just ALK on his various pluckings and his hurdy-gurdy. And there is no 'real' plainsong in the Mass, as far as I'm aware - Harrison wrote the modes himself. I'm not Entirely sure about the hymn (not broadcast) but I think it just sounds medieval. And the concert review is nothing to do with the Hilliards, but (as it says) from an Ars Nova concert (in last year's Edinburgh Festival). The disc it's taken from - http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/reco...cific-rim.aspx - is rather fun. I am particularly fond of the Ross Edwards Sacred Kingfisher Psalms.

[makropulos]

Lou Harrison is a really interesting composer
one of the pioneers of introducing Gamelan into America
and (like Harry Partch and La Monte Young created much music using intonation systems other than equal temperament
worth exploring

Very definitely - he's fascinating. I find this set full of interesting and beautiful things:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Nimbus/NI2571%252F4

At less than a fiver a disc it's a pretty good deal too. Very good performances.

[Bryn]

Very definitely - he's fascinating. I find this set full of interesting and beautiful things:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Nimbus/NI2571%252F4

At less than a fiver a disc it's a pretty good deal too. Very good performances.

And it's even less (under £15 including p&p, new, via the amazon.co.uk marketplace, though I got my set last year for even less still. Quite agree; fascinating music, well worth hearing.

[jean]

And the concert review is nothing to do with the Hilliards, but (as it says) from an Ars Nova concert (in last year's Edinburgh Festival).

Neither was the broadcast - but in both Ars Nova were directed by Paul Hillier, and I carelessly assigned him to his original group. Sorry.

It was the Introit I thought was 'real' plainsong - as soon as the Kyrie started, I knew that wasn't. But I can hear now from some suspicious intervals that the introit isn't either, though being much less melismatic than the Kyrie, it's not so clearly something else.

[Lat-Literal]

The best American symphonist of the last half century. He may in time be recognised as such, for his achievements could be starker with political changes. That is, if the US increasingly goes towards protectionism, for good or ill. For some composers express themselves as individuals. Others extend to the nation state. A third category - often interestingly idiosyncratic - finds individual expression in internationalism but not so much in nationhood. In contrast, the best of Lou Harrison's symphonies - especially No 3 - are an individual cohesive expression of the nation with some substantial global references as much as they are anything else. As such, they are well placed to represent a past era.

Symphony No 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27I8YOlRZSM

(with lots of pictures of bridges etc)

[teamsaint]

There's a new CD of the Violin and Percussion Concerto and other works out this month on Naxos, and available to hear in the Naxos Library.


A previous recording under William Kraft seems to have got a bit of a pasting from Amazon reviewers. But I'm rather enjoying this new offering.
Folk inspired and Rhythmically driven, I'd say.

Edit: The Grand Duo, which I didn't know, but seems to be quite frequently recorded, is well worth hearing.
Would be great in a lunctime chamber concert on R3, or lunchtime Prom.

[teamsaint]

And it's even less (under £15 including p&p, new, via the amazon.co.uk marketplace, though I got my set last year for even less still. Quite agree; fascinating music, well worth hearing.

I managed to pick up a second hand set for a tenner , which arrived from the US this morning.
There is some discussion about the quality of the discs on Amazon . Is there any problem with them , in terms of deterioration etc ?

Anyway, looking forward to a bit of Lou Harrison immersion....

[Pulcinella]

I have this Argo CD, titled 'A portrait'; the main item is the Symphony number 4.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lou-Harrison-Portrait-Barry-Jekowsky/dp/B0000042HA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1503741604&sr=1-1&keywords=Harrison+portrait

Might just give the CD a bank holiday spin.

[Lat-Literal]

Such an underrated composer:

Lou Harrison - Concerto in Slendro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwfBKvFW968

Lovely.

Sorry but McPhee is not in the same ball park - and, yes, I should very much like a Lou Harrison prom if not an immersion day.

This and a couple of his others give Samuel Jones 3, Roy Harris 11 etc a run for their money vis a vis US symphonies post war.

Lou Harrison - Symphony No. 4 - "Last Symphony" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN4P5WXTX9M

Time will tell!

The three key popular music references which make it so of it's time and culturally relevant historically and in the long term, just as Harris 11 is too in its own way:

Joni Mitchell/Jaco Pastorius - Coyote : The Last Waltz - '77-'78 - (reference in the extensive Jarreau sung lyric) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbr0hXkArWg
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (first main rap song really, '79, hence original - natural end date '90s ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7sKNb4UUE
Sylvian & Sakamoto - Forbidden Colours - ('83- '84 - Far East and noticeable associative references in the refrain) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1YkHJJi-tc

Many good things start with Joni.

[Bryn]

from the Other Minds festival 2017.

[Dave2002]

Some of the links to a 4 CD set earlier don't seem to work any more.

I think these are currently OK - https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/cl...semble-gamelan

http://www.musicweb-international.co..._NI2571-74.htm (review)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harrison-Mu...1+Lou+Harrison (only gets 1 star on this site ... but only 1 review ...)