Response Paper #2

Espinal, Jose Antonio

MUS 537F: American Music

The Catholic University of America

March 16, 2017

Creating a God: The Reception of Edgard Varèse and Frontiers Figures

After finishing both readings, it came to my mind the notion of how complex it is to try to define
what the Music of United Stated of America is all about. It is probably more complex than in the
history of Music in any other nation in Western Europe. Because of the mixture of races, United
States is a nation of many nationalities, it is a nation of immigrants. This come to my mind with
the words of Ex-president Obama: “Unless you are Native American, we are all immigrants”. That
obviously, create a problem when we attempt to create something called “American Music”
under the European Standards of what NATIONALISM, and how the Music of a country should be
composed, to be considered “Regional” or “Nationalistic”.

Of course, it is easier to say that a Russian folk song (even Russia is immensely bigger than the
USA) but still, the language, the cultural background, Russians have always been…well Russians.
or to take Folk songs from the Alpes, to compose a Symphony and call that music “Austrian”. Or
to be Hungarian and compose Czárdás, or from Poland and compose “Polonaises”.

To be American and to compose “American Music” means….well…according to Dvořák using

Negro Gospel Songs…later expanded to “Native American” melodies. This statement, so strongly
rooter, created not only piano pieces, or Symphonies, but even Operas under this criteria: POIA
by Arthur Nevin’s; NARCISSA, by Mary Carr Moore; NATOMA, by Victor Herbert, and we have to
add Gershwin Porgy and Bess. A curious case would be THREEMONISHA by Scott Joplin, since it
was composed not only by a Black composer, but a composer who is PROMOTING a style he has
not only probably invented, but at least, promoted it his entire life: RAGTIME. In HIS case, he was
not in search of a folk Negro tune to sound American. He WAS composing on HIS style.

This heavily rooted idea of having to compose using folk tunes, later expanded to Plantation
songs, West cowboy melodies, Negro Melodies, Creole tunes, and depending of what Colony the
composer is living, even Gaelic tunes, Irish tunes, etc. (after a strong debate on what being
“American folk tunes” really mean, since Afro-Americans are “not more Americans than an Irish-
American, or a Latin-American or more specific, Mexican-American specially in Texas, California,
etc.) even when was strongly argued, it was still followed by composers of XX century composers!
We can’t stop thinking of Aaron Copland’s music without associating him with this Nationalism.
We can’t just think of Aaron Copland as the avant-Garde XX century composer, the way we regard
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse.

And here is where my second part of my response comes. Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse,
a Frenchman, who mas NOT by any Standard “American”. He was ALWAYS a European composer.
BUT he was heavily PRAISED as… “The NEW voice of composition in AMERICA”.

Varèse was living in New York, in Greenwich Village, meeting important contributors to American
music, promoting his vision of new electronic art music instruments, conducting orchestras, and
founding the short-lived New Symphony Orchestra. He even met in New York Léon Theremin and
other composers exploring the boundaries of electronic music.

It was also about this time that Varèse began work on his first composition in the United States,
Amériques, which was finished in 1921 but would remain unperformed until 1926, when it was
premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski (who had already
performed Hyperprism in 1924 and would premiere Arcana in 1927). His music was in many ways,
considered “American” because it included City of New York…noises (sirens from ambulances,
Police, etc.). He was given all the credits for inspiring many American musicians, as eclectic as a
composer from far California could be, like Frank Zappa, and I could add John Cage almost with
no doubt.

Every composition that Varèse composed, from the ones written for a small ensemble like
Offrandes, for Soprano and Ensamble, Hyperprism for wind and percussion (every time growing
in size) to compositions for full expanded orchestra like Amériques and Arcana, was PERFORMED
with the most important orchestras in the USA: The Philadelphia, the New York Philharmonic,
and even a new Orchestra he founded: The New Symphony Orchestra. This situation, is very rare
to occur in the life of a composer. It seems that American orchestras were just waiting for him to
finish his latest composition, and the reviews were in general excellent, with few exceptions. But
the not so good reviews, were mostly about Varèse as a conductor, not as a composer. So, we
could say safety, that his music was considered proudly, “American” because it was composed,
and conceived in America. There is a recording of Amériques, that is available on YouTube,
performed by the Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris and the prestigious “Ensemble
intercontemporain” conducted by Matthias Pintscher, current director of “Ensemble
Intercontemporaine”, on 2015. So, in France, that is considered a masterpiece that it is necessary
to join forces by a specialist group in Contemporary music, which its extremely high level of
musicianship well known by everybody, with a Conservatory Orchestra, maybe because getting
the “Philharmonie de Paris” is much more complicated. By today Standards. But looking back,
when we picture that Amériques, was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by
Leopold Stokowski in 1926, we may understand how important was Varèse in America. The fact
that Composers like Frank Zappa would say later that Varèse was his FIRST passion, and also the
fact that many years later, he would “return the favor”, that is, recording HIS music in Paris with
the Ensemble Intercointemporaine, conducted by Pierre Boulez, and Boulez commenting that
Zappa was a real talented phenomenon as a composer of both, Rock music and serious music,
give us a hint of how important was Varèse for future contemporary composers (including Cage).
I would even go further: I parallel Varèse’s influence with to the huge mark that Dvořák left in
American Nationalists composers, talking even about composers like Aaron Copland.

So, what is AMERICAN MUSIC? Nationalism? Music based on Folk Negro, Native-American, Latin-
American, Mexican, Creole, Gaelian, Irish (and the so) tunes? Operas composed INSPIRED (not
necessarily REAL folk tunes) on Native-American or Afro-American plots (POIA, NARCISSA,
NATOMA, PORGY AND BESS, THREEMONISHA)? Music composed in the EMERGING language of
America called Blues/Ragtime/Jazz/Bluegrass/Country? (Think of Hoedown by Copland). Or on
the Other Hand, a complete breaking with Tradition, a real DADAISM (heavily rooted on Marcel
Duchamp, revered in New York, like Varèse)? The “man who destroyed music” as he has been
called many times, JOHN CAGE from “Tradition-less California” could take his roots on Varèse
and Duchamp, has influenced Frank Zappa (admitted by him when conducting in Germany a
composition with many improvisations from the orchestra). And if we go also with Minimalism,
a pure Californian invention, we must call that “American Music” Too. Minimalism in return, has
influenced European composers: Louis Andriessen (Netherlands); Brian Eno (The U.K.);
Rabinovitch-Barakovsky (Russia); Michael Nyman (born in the UK); Tibor Szemző (Hungary);
Renaud Gagneux (France); Mike Oldfield (born in the UK); Vladimir Martynov and Anton Batagov
(Russia) and even one composition of Henryk Górecki (Poland). Same like Rock and Roll was born
in America and exported to the rest of the world, same like Jazz, Minimalism took Europe by
surprise.

To conclude: All of the music mentioned above, is definitely AMERICAN MUSIC. From NATOMA
to PORGY AND BESS to WEST SIDE STORY, to CAGE and Steve REICHT. In a way, by trying to find
a way in “tradition” or Folk Tunes, composers were finally able to find their own language, some
by following the Directions given by Dvořák, and some, doing exactly the opposite: Trying to NOT
to follow his instructions, but following more the example of Varèse, and creating their new, free
language.