2/15/08

Composer of the Day!

Today's Composer of the Day is Elliott Carter.

(b. 1908)

That's right. He's still alive! Mr. Carter will turn 100 this December. If I was a reasonable, patient man I would have waited until then to write about him. Oh, well.

Mr. Carter has written approximately one bazillion works.

He writes for voice, piano, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and about every combination you can think of. He is very prolific!

He is a longtime New Yorker.

Since it's the centenary of his birth, many many events are planned to celebrate him in New York, and elsewhere.

A good example of his early style is the Cello Sonata. It's neo-romantic-y and accessible.

His five String Quartets are justifiably popular, and famous. They are more abstract and thorny. They explore ideas about space and rhythm and time. He "invented" a technique called "metric modulation".

I also recommend his Concerto for Orchestra. It's...good.

You should listen to his music. Like Canaries for tympani. Oh, here is a score for you to look at!


13 comments:

Empiricus said...

Hey Sator,

I added a Youtube link to the post.

Love,
Empiricus

Empiricus said...

By the way, that's a very fun picture to look at. All those books behind him, though, makes him look like an elitist dick. Right, Bernard?

Sator Arepo said...

Thanks for the youtube link. I've been forgetting to search for those. Going to youtube.com makes me feel...I don't know. Good work, though.

Also: Looking at pictures that are fun to look at is fun!

I thought the score was cool, too. You can click on it to enlarge it, I forgot to mention that.

Empiricus said...

Regardless of how it makes you feel, Youtube has some really, really cool stuff, including new music stuff.

Did you check out the Messiaen yet? That's some really cool stuff.

Anonymous said...

That's the same photo of E. Carter that is hanging in my office.

Weird.

Murderface said...

AnthonyS is a nerd.

Joshua Kosman said...

Would that be Elliott Carter you have in mind perchance?

Ordinarily this would be too picayune a point to mention, but I know how devoted you boys are to le mot juste.

Sator Arepo said...

@ Joshua Kosman:

Crap. Crap crap crap. Thanks for the errata. Usually I check this closely. Fixing now...fixed.

Whew. Thanks again!

Joshua Kosman said...

My pleasure. And a tip of the hat on taking the correct attitude toward errors and corrections (i.e. grateful not defensive).

Enjoying your site immensely, although I can't say I've been getting the kind of tough love lavished on Holland, Ward, Schweitzer, et al. What, I don't write crap with the best of 'em? [sniff]

Sator Arepo said...

Hey, wow. Thanks for reading. I'm glad you're enjoying our little project.

I'd love to link your blog if you don't mind (and vice versa?!).

Also, I have some serious thoughts about the acceptance of other art forms vs modern music (re: your post of 1/18/08.

http://pacificaisle.blogspot.com/2008/01/modern-music-explained.html

If you want, you know, to talk about it.

Also, anytime you think you've written some utter crap, just let us know and we'll happily comply.

Best regards,
S. Arepo

Empiricus said...

Don't worry Sator (and Josh for that matter), I keep a close eye on the Chronicle, being "my" hometown paper and all. So no free passes, Josh!

Empiricus said...

Don't worry Sator (and Josh for that matter), I keep a close eye on the Chronicle, being "my" hometown paper and all. So no free passes, Josh!

Empiricus said...

Twice!!