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Work Title Apartment House 1776 |
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Date Composed in 1976. Premiered in Boston, September 29, 1976, with Renga. |
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Ensemble Type Large Ensemble |
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Work Length indeterminate |
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Instrumentation For four voices optionally on tape, and any number of instruments. Materials for a 'musicircus' for any number of musicians, in observance of the bicentennial of the U.S.A. to which are added, live or recorded, Protestant, Sephardic, and American Indian songs, and Negro calls and hollers, to be played with or without Renga (EP 6818). The 44 Harmonies and 14 Tunes from Apartment House 1776 are available separately. The 44 Harmonies may be played on any keyboard instrument; the 14 Tunes may be transposed and played on any instrument. |
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Comments The title of this work derives from the idea that at any given time in any apartment house, many things may happen at once. Its musical materials are derived from compositions by other composers, i.e. music from the time of the American Revolution and from the Drum Book by Benjamin Clarke. Alterations to these original works were made using I-Ching chance operations, resulting in 44 Harmonies, 14 Tunes, 4 Marches, and 2 Imitations. The performers make a program of what parts to perform. The four vocalists represent peoples living in America 200 years before: Protestants, Sephardim, American Indians, and Negro Slaves. They decide which songs they will sing, the only stipulation being that the materials be authentic. One or more voices may be performed on tape. Apartment House 1776 may be performed with Renga. Some material from this work has been performed separately, i.e. Imitations II and Thirteen Harmonies. As well '44 Harmonies from Apartment House 1776' has been published separately by Edition Peters, arranged for String Quartet by Irvine Arditti. The score is available by Edition Peters No. 68258 and 68258a (for a set of parts). This arrangement it intended for two violins, viola, and violoncello. |
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Publication Peters Edition EP 6819, 68258, 68258a |
