The Eighteenth Annual Festival/Conference of the American Society of University

Composers: The Composer in the University Reexamined

Author(s): Lisa R. Dominick
Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 21, No. 1/2 (Autumn, 1982 - Summer, 1983), pp. 378-
392
Published by: Perspectives of New Music
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/832881
Accessed: 12/09/2010 08:12

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless
you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you
may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.

Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at
http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=pnm.

Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed
page of such transmission.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Perspectives of New Music is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Perspectives
of New Music.

http://www.jstor.org
 ANNUALFESTIVAL/CONFERENCE
THEEIGHTEENTH
OF THEAMERICAN
SOCIETYOF UNIVERSITY
COMPOSERS:
THECOMPOSER REEXAMINED
IN THEUNIVERSITY

LISAR.DOMINICK

Louisianaexperienceda burstof musicalexcitementwhen the

EighteenthAnnual Festival/Conferenceof the AmericanSociety of
UniversityComposerswas hosted by the LouisianaState University
School of Music in Baton Rouge. The conference, which spanned
February23-27, was held in conjunctionwith LSU'sThirty-Eighth
Festivalof ContemporaryMusic,an annualevent foundedin 1944 by
LSUProfessorHelenGundersonwith the intentionof providingpublic
concertsof twentieth-century
music,including"classics,""avant-garde"
worksand LSUstudentcompositions.
The conference exploded into existence with an exuberant
concert by the LSUWind Ensembleunder the directionof Frank
Wickes.The high points were undoubtedlyRichardBrooks'Collage
and the spectacular Band Piece (Chromatic Fantasy) by Bruce Taub,
both of which were receivedenthusiasticallyby the large audience.
ThequintessentiallyromanticCollage playeduponthree ideas, culled
from the first four measures of the piece:four chordalsonorities,a
crescendo-diminuendo and a rapid"riff"in the marimba.
"silhouette,"
Incessantlyrepeatedsix-notesegmentsof the D-majorascendingand
C-majordescendingscales, derivedfrom the marimbariff,propelled
the work forward through a dense frenzy of material.Band Piece,
intendedas an homage to composerRoss Lee Finneyon his seventy-
fifthbirthday,set up a consistentmomentumdramaticallyterminated
by stupendous,reiteratedsonorities.The program'stwo remaining
ASUCcompositions,Variationson a Themeof Guillaumede Machaut
by David Keane and ChromaticSuite Concertanteby RobertRollin,
 379

politely"pillaged"the musicalpast; in Keane'scomposition,material

from Machaut'sMesse de Notre Dame was mutated through the
applicationof varioustwentieth-centurytechniques,while in Rollin's
piece, American traditionaltunes were blended, Ives-like,into a
celebratorymusicalmeltingpot.
The succes fou of the festival was LarryAustin's stunning
CanadianCoastlines:CanonicFractalsfor Musiciansand Computer
Band,performedwith elan by membersof the BatonRougeSymphony
Chamber Orchestra. (Canadian Coastlines has met with success
elsewhere,as well; John Cage so admiredthe piece that he commis-
sionedAustinto writethe scorefor MerceCunningham'sCoast Zone,
premieredin New YorkCity on 18 March 1983.) Eight musicians
performedfour voices of an eight-voicecanon; the remainingfour
voices were playedas "digitalsynthesizersequencespre-recordedon
tape, each voiceenteringin turnin exact melodic/rhythmicimitation."
Theeight voices each followed a differenttempo;the musicianswere
fed differingtempoclicktracksthroughheadphones,timedso that the
eight parts melodicallyand rhythmicallycoincidedfive times during
the piece. Melodiccontour,intervalchoice, texturaldensity,dynamic
change, and rhythmicdesign were determinedby a graph of the
Canadian coastline, hence the title. Another canonic composition
performedon the same programwas SarvamKhalvidamBrahmaby
RobertNewell; the title, taken from Vedic Sanskrit,is an aphorism
expressiveof the Easternphilosophicalpreceptthat one fundamental,
omnipresentunity (Brahmanin Hinduism,Tao in Taoism)underlies
the multiplicityof phenomena,a tenet also held by the psychologist
C.G. Jung, Albert Einstein,and the composersJohn Cage and Ton
deLeeuw,among others. In Newell's work,the canonicprinciplewas
used as a unifyingdevice in a musical manifestationof the maxim
expressed in the composition'stitle; the resultantsound was quite
consonant,at timeseven tonal. Also performedon the programwere
ElliottSchwartz'sTexture,envisaged as an etude for college-level
orchestrason a variety of notational,improvisational,and textural
techniques, and Leo Kraft'splayful Strata for three instrumental
 380

groups (three winds, trombone,four strings),which focused on the

interactionsof varying tempos and characterconsiderations;both
works were warmlyreceived.
The programperformedby the instrumentalensemble Tone
RoadRamblerswas one of the festival'sfinest.The hypnotic,minimal-
isticThrenodyIIby MichaelUdowwas mysecond-favoritecomposition
of the conference (behind LarryAustin's piece). The commencing
section was stronglyreminiscentof Koreanmusicboth in timbreand
texture:rhythmicallynonsynchronouslayersof persistentlyrecurrent
motivespiled up over a repetitive,insistentfoundationalrhythm.The
music later became timbrallymore Western-sounding,and at one
point featuredclapping noises. MorganPowell'sDuet II,a powerful
play of composed and improvisedactions and reactionsbetween a
solo clarinetistand five other players, was as suspense-filledas a
mysterythriller.Numeroussilencesseparateda wide rangeof musical
gestures, includingone bit that sounded like a rhythmicallyout-of-
phase Dixielandband. Jack Fonville'sAn afTenooN with AnRonat
the cafe was jazzy, lurching,and humorous.Phyllotaxisby Robert
Fletcheremployedastoundinglyattractiveverticalsonorities;its title is
from the word for the distributionof leaves on a stem, which is
geared to the Fibonacciseries used to govern the temporaland tonal
relationshipsof the limitedmaterialsof the composition.
As a pianist,I was delightedthat the nineteenth-century king
Fleisheremployedastoundinglyattractiveverticalsonorities;its title is
from the word for the distributionof leaves on a stem, which is
geared to the Fibonacciseries used to govern the temporaland tonal
relationshipsof the limitedmaterialsof the composition.
As a pianist,I was delightedthat the nineteenth-century king
of instrumentswas well representedin both measure and stylistic
scope. TwoOctave Etudesfor solo piano by Alex Lubet,an eloquent
exegesis on "secondconsecutivenon-paralleloctaves,"elicitedpraise
from the pianists in the audience despite a somewhat slipshod
performanceby pianistMichaelRickman.Thefirstetude,dedicatedto
the memoryof Sri B.S. Subrahmanya,in whose home the composer
 381

stayed duringa visitto Bangalore,Indiain 1975, was redolentof the

expositorytechniquesof the North Indiandhrupad,one of the oldest
Hindustanivocal genres still performedtoday. In the improvisatory
olap that serves as an introductorysection to the main body of the
dhrupad,the rosa (character)of the governingraga (melodicmode)is
slowly establishedthrough pitch, motivic,and registralexploration;
similarly,the commencementof the firstetude featuredthe persistent
reiterationof a single pitch, around which emerged and moved
recurrentmotives,all in the same high register.Descendingregistral
expansion was graduallyeffected until,finally,the entire keyboard
was utilized.
Sonata for Piano by James D. Wagoner and Upstanceand
Bringforthfor Solo Piano by HaroldWofford,both performedwith
professionalverve and technicalflair by pianistWillisDeloney,were
highly-charged, virtuosiccompositionsin the lush pianistictraditionof
the nineteenthcentury,grandiose enough to hold their own among
the surroundingcompositionsfor dance and tape. Wofford'spiece
was uncomfortablylanguid and voluptuous,whereas Wagoner re-
spectfullyrestrainedhis emotionalgenerositywithin a more tightly-
packed construction.John Downey's PortraitNo. 1 for solo piano,
performedby the composer,was dense with aggressive gesture and
tortured testimony, the epitome of expressionisticgroping. I was
alternatelyembarrassedby its psychologicallyrevelatorybursts of
feeling, and angered that I was forced to emphaticallyshare in the
composer'sFreudianobsessions. Its pianisticbombastand excessive
length left me weary and drained;however, I must admit to a long-
standing prejudiceagainst compositionalconfessions.The fastidious
language of Frank Stemper's Four Piano Pieces for solo piano,
performedby Stemperon the same program,was, in contrast to
Downey'slanguage, lean and austere;Stemper'sclear pianistictone
and preciseattentionto an array of articulationtypes enhancedthe
stringencyof the music.
The compositions for two pianists were among the best
offeringsof the conference;particularlyimpressivewas DennisKam's
 382

piecefor two pianos,TheEpistemologyof DelicateTimein BlueThree,

meticulouslyand sensitively performedby Daniel and Boyce Sher.
Kamsaid that the piece representeda "newdirection"in his music,a
turn toward "clearaural perceptibility" through "simpleand direct
musical statements,"as well as an explorationinto the subjective
experienceof time (as impliedin the title).Most fascinatingwas the
almost palpable rhythmicand motivicdialogue or communicative
interplaythat transpiredbetween the pianos,admirablyand precisely
rendered by the Shers. The Shers also performed Roger Brigg's
composition for two pianos, In the Midst of Calmes, a delicate,
hauntingwork featuringtrance-inducing,minimalisticmotivicrepeti-
tion; as the piece unfolded,the two pianos graduallymoved in and
out of rhythmicphase or synchronization.
ThomasMoor's Metamorphosis,a virtuosicwork for piano,
fourhands,was brilliantlyperformedbyduo-pianistsGenevieveChinn
and Allen Brings,for whom the piece was composed. The work is
indeed a "metamorphosis" of Webern'sSymphonyOp. 21; the title
might also referto the work'sconstantalternationof quietand single
tones with energetic outbursts of massive sound events, which
producedthe effect of continualtransformation.Space:Inner/Outer
by MichaelF. Hunt,performedby PhilYoungat the piano keyboard
and JudithGeiger on the piano strings, moved through time with
dream-likestealth,the illusoryqualityenhanced by scrapingson the
strings eerily indicativeof the cry of a wounded elephant. Small,
recurrentmotives protrudedfrom widely-spaced,reiteratedchords
performedon the keyboard,answered by various pluckingsand
scrapingson the stringsinsideof the piano.LightYearsfor Pianoand
Electromagnetic Tapeby ArthurWelwoodwas to have been performed
with a preparedpiano, but universityregulations irrationallypro-
hibitedthis,to the indignationof the performer,EstridEklofWelwood,
the composer,and audiencemembers.The work was conceivedas a
dialogue between the piano, which representedthe humanpersona,
and the tape sounds, which depicted the soul (thoughts,emotions,
moods)of our galaxy.
 383

A largenumberof windcompositionswere scheduledthrough-

out the conference.The highly virtuosicSoliloquiesfor B-flatand A
Clarinetby VioletArcherand Realms(B-flatclarinetsolo) by Johnvan
der Slicewere both admirablyexecuted by clarinetistCharlesWest.
Westalso performedMiltonBabbitt'sMy EndsAre My Beginningsfor
B-flatand bass clarinets,sixteen minutesof tedious motivicintricacies
almost unrelievedby superficialchange or contrast (except for the
changes of instruments); becauseof Babbitt'seminence,Iassume that
myperception of the piece(shared,however,by manyof mycolleagues)
was due to underdevelopedauditory expertise or lack of multiple
hearings.
James Chaudoir'sCithaeriasEsrneralda,performedby flutist
Jean Rickman,was an elegant, charming,and occasionallyhumorous
portrayalof the butterflynamed in the title of the piece. In Fiona's
Flute,also performedby Rickman,composerJack Behrensmanaged
to sustaina highdegree of interestwith a limitedamountof recurrent
motivicmaterial,which was derivedfroma set of pitchesassociated
with the name FionaWilkerson,for whom the work was composed.
Intermezzoby Samuel Pellman, a lyrical pastoral for two flutes
performedby RuthWitmerand PhyllisYarborough,was a delightful
depictionof rusticreminiscences.
Charles Bestor's gorgeous LyricVariationsfor Oboe with
Violaand Tapewas beautifullyperformedby oboist EarnestHarrison
and violist Jerzy Kosmala.The fascinating,often imitativeinterplay
among the piece'sthreeconstituentswas consummatelymanipulated,
and the motivicrepetitionof the work aided accessibility.Two oboe
works, Capriccio-Variant2 for solo oboe by Derek Healey and
Preludeand Fuguefor Solo Oboe by LarryMcFatter,both performed
by oboist PerryTrosclair,were inequitablysandwichedbetween two
grandiloquentcompositionsfor tape and dance, renderingfair ap-
praisal difficult;their respective virtues did not seem sufficientto
distinguishthem fromamong theircompositionalsurroundings.
The compositions for solo violin and string quartet were
disappointingto the extreme.The violin Fantasyby James Greeson,
 384

performedwith acumen by violinist Dinos Constantinides,effused

expressionisticpalaverremindfulof the murkymaquillageof American
abstract-expressionistpainting.The expressivityof Sonata for Violin
Unaccompaniedby Jackson Hill,also performedby Constantinides,
was more competentlydispensed, refreshinglyrelievedas it was at
times by dry pointillismand momentsof humor.Of the five string
quartets comprising the seventh program of the conference, all
performedby the estimableNew TimesStringQuartet,only George
Heussenstamm'sStringQuartetOp. 15 rose above mediocrity.
The brass compositions held more promise. Allen Brings'
Quintet, performedby the LSU-Southern FacultyBrass Quintet, re-
flected"principlesof dramaturgy"in its TheaMusgrave-likeimaginary
theatricalpersonificationsand sectional characterizations,conveyed
throughparticularcombinationsof tempo,dynamic,articulation,and
timbre types. Divertimentofor Brass Quintet by Hugo Norden,
performedby the same ensemble,was a cheerful,light-heartedpiece
based on the harmoniesin the five lines of Bach'schorale"Herr,wie
du willst, so schick'smit mir,"and featuringa recurrentthree-note
motivein the secondand fourthof its four movements.Musicfor Two
Trumpetsand Piano by WilliamAlexander, performedby David
Hobbs and Mike Ruppelt,trumpets,and EugeneCline, piano, con-
tainedmotivesof fourthsand fifthsset intoa freelytonal atmosphere.
Don Freund'sFour Pieces for Horn Quartet, performedby David
Adcock,LukeSellers,JulieGiroux,and KevinAndryas the last piece
of the "Musicfor Brass"program,was a luxuriantyet virilework.
LyricPiece for Trumpetand Harp by RichardHervig,performedby
James West,trumpet,and Hye YunChung,harp,on a laterprogram,
was an entrancingtwo-instrumentdialogueof ethereal lyricism.
The vocal offerings includedsettings of poems for accom-
panied voice, choral compositions, and two one-act operas. My
favoritevocal compositionwas SanfordHinderlie'sPeace Is a Fiction
of our Faith,a sensational work descriptiveof the "constantbattle
between true peace and all else that fights against it," the text of
which is by EmilyDickinson.The performingensemble-soprano,
 385

clarinet,cello, percussion,synthesizer,and lights (the lightswere not

used in this performance)-generated the electric excitementof a
rock group; the music was popularisticin its use of repetitionand
ostinatiand in its considerablevolumeas well. SingerThereseCostes
enunciatedthe text with an arrayof whispers,shouts, spokenwords,
gilssandi,and sung sounds. Ethnicitywas tenuouslyapproximatedin
OrlandoJ. Garcia'ssetting of a PeruvianQuechua Indianpoem, In
This Darkness,and AlexanderE. Sidorowicz'sFiveAncient Chinese
Poems, both of which were sung by soprano ScharmalSchrock.
Sidorowicz'swork was structuredin pyramidicor archform,with the
thirdpoem, Dreams,as its musicaland textualapex. The movements
were linkedtextually (throughrecurrentreferencesto dreams and
musical instrumentsand textual restatements),texturally(the third
and fourth movements are both thin in texture), and motivically
(through the repetition of a rising set of diminishing intervals).
Sidorowiczfailed, however,to adequatelyenter into the mind-setof
the Chinese poems; the overtly Europeanstructuraltreatment, in
particularthe use of climacticconstructions,is inconsonant with
Oriental philosophicalthought, and renderedthe poems inert and
ineffectual.Incontrast,A. B.Marcus'ssurrealistSong Cycleon poems
by DylanThomasand WarrenDarcy'sSongs of Darknesson poems
by Shelley, Yeats, Fletcher,and Axlerod, both beautifullysung by
soprano Sandra Kungle,were sensitive musicalextensions of their
respectivetexts; Darcy'smusicdramaticallydetailed the compressed
spiritualfervorand oppressiveterrorof the poems without accom-
panying emotional excess. Also to be commended is M. Donald
Maclnnis's Death by Water for soprano and woodwind quintet,
superblysung by sopranoConstanceNavratil,the text of which was
taken fromT. S. Eliot'sThe WasteLand.
Of the two operas, DinosConstantinides'sIntimations,staged
by the LSU Opera Theatreunderthe directionof RichardAslanian,
was the more successful in the conveyance of its limited subject
material.The opera's cast of two includeda blind woman and a
young girl,both lamentingthe recentdemiseof the male head-of-the-
 386

household,who was poisoned,presumablyby accident,by the blind

woman. Tensionrose as the two nervouslyawaited the arrivalof the
dead man's wife, still unaware of the tragedy. The blind woman's
struggleto containher mountinghysteriawas marvelouslyechoed in
the terse, tautly-constructedmusic provided by the instrumental
ensemble of violin, clarinet,harp, and percussion.Tom Benjamin's
opera TheRehearsal,staged by the RiverCityOperaWorkshopunder
the directionof EugeneCline,musicdirector,and JamesJordan,stage
director,portrayeda love triangleamong the constituentsof a small
opera company busily engaged with the rehearsalof Mozart'sThe
Impressar!o; thethemesof "competition, around
love,and renunciation"
which The Rehearsalwas constructedwere echoed in the Mozart
scenes. While I found the plot easily comprehended,many of the
audience membersconfessed to an inabilityto follow the story's
twistingpath.The pathosof unrequitedlove was humorouslyrelaxed
by the incongruousbits of scenes culled from the opera under
rehearsal,the Mozarteanstyle of which contrastedeffectivelywith
the prevailingdramaticstyle of the work as a whole.
The choral compositions were performed by the LSU A
Cappella Choir under the directionof Victor Klimash.Dona Nobis
Pacemby Ann Silsbeewas the mostvocally-experimental composition
of the group, and reportedlycaused the choir consternationduring
rehearsal;the performance,however,was quite effective.The music
unfoldedin several successivearcs, each of which began simplyand
at a low dynamiclevel, continuedwith an intensificationof material
and dynamic level to a peak level of density and excitement,and
terminatedabruptlyin a descending vocal slide or sudden silence.
Vocal effects includeddrone-likechantingand speaking,often simul-
taneouslyexecuted at a multitudeof non-synchronousrhythmsand
tempos.Moreconservativebut pleasantlyaccessibleand appropriate
for church performancewere Two Psalms for Mixed Chorus and
InstrumentalEnsembleby DianeThomeand the sunny, Renaissance-
likeLaudatePueriby JohnRussell.HubertBird'sconservativebutvery
prettyA LarkSang moved with majestic,dream-likeslowness and
 387

naturalease. DavidWard-Steinman's choralsuite Of Windand Water

coupled meticulous choral writing with scintillating, shimmering
percussionand piano accompaniment.
Of the electroniccompositions,myfavoritewas ReedHolmes's
marvelous,minimalisticMoire,an ebullient,energeticwork for tape
and dancers, enthusiasticallyinterpretedby choreographerGaye
Meyerand the LSUDanceTheatreDancers.Don Wilson'sSymphony
No. 1 for ElectronicInstrumentssported interplayamong timbres
imitativeof traditionalinstruments,nonimitativetimbres,and colors
resultingfrom mixturesof these timbres;although the piece was
generallyacclaimed,manymurmuredthat it was uncomfortablyloud.
SylviaPengilly'sSonusFluens,an electronicworkaccompaniedby non-
geometriclaserfigures,was also well-received.WhileBartonMcLean's
The Last TenMinutes,performedin conjunctionwith his lecture"An
Explorationof Gesture as a PrimaryComposing Tool," may have
been well-conceived,the distressing nature of its subject matter-
"theterror,anguish, poignancy,and humanityof the last ten minutes
of the human race on earth duringthe holocaust"-and the incon-
gruous morninghourfor such horrificmeditations,raisedan almost
universalcry of complaintamong the membersof the audience.
The 1982-83ASUC-SESAC StudentCompositionAwardswere
presentedto James Boros (first prize)and David Kowalski(second
prize).Boros'swinning composition,Quintet No. 2 for violin, flute,
clarinet, cello, and piano, provoked prodigious protest from the
audience; LarryAustin yelled out "Bad piece!",while more polite
personagesconfinedthemselvesto dazed looks and statementssuch
as "Idon't know how that piece won." Boros'steacher at Rutgers
University,GeraldC. Chenoweth,was representedat the festivalwith
a performanceof his Five Bagatelles for Clarinetand Piano, an
elegant but inconsequentialwork deserving of its title (bagatelle=
trifle).
Throughoutthe conferencethere was talk among the com-
posersof a move in theirmusictoward "conservatism," by whichwas
meant a more pervasive use of recognizablemelodies, intervalsof
 388

fourths and fifths, recurrentstructures, and a tendency toward

modalityand tonality,all of whichwere evidentinthe musicperformed.
Manyof the works held programmaticor philosophicalconnotations.
Few fringe pieces were performed,a fact partially reflective,of
course, of the performers'tastes; the compositionsregarded most
avant-gardeby the composers were the relativelyfew minimalistic
works,whichwere generallyscornedby the olderfestivalconstituents.
That serialism still continues to exert attractionwas evident in a
numberof compositions;its use, however,was often temperedby the
melodicand tonal tendencieslistedabove. Mostinterestingto me was
the frequentuse of dialogue or colloquyamong instrumentsor other
compositionalcomponents.
Inhis ASUCkeynotespeech, "TheComposerin the University
Revisited,"Milton Babbittaddressed what are perhaps his favorite
(certainlyrecurrent)topics with characteristicwit and aplomb.Rapid-
firebutgood-naturedinvectiveswere hurledagainstthose alembicated
academicians who have the audacity to adjudge the "university
composer"an anomalyor miscreant.The insufferableinsoucianceof
university performersand musicologists toward their composer-
colleagues was ferventlydecried. The regnant distaste for contem-
porary music among the general public was declared lamentable.
Babbitt,however,did not addressthe sourcesof and possiblesolutions
to this regrettablestate of affairs.Perhapsinsight,albeit one-faceted,
can be gained from a situational comparison of the university
composerand the universityvisual artist.
The plight of the universitycomposer parallels that of the
universityvisual artist in both type and provenance. Neither is
concededthe academicrespectnormallyaccordedto their university
colleagues in scientific,mathematical,and historicalfields.The blame
for this lies partly in the nineteenth-centuryromanticmyth of the
composer/artistas genius, the "great man" theory that is unfortu-
natelyeven now perpetuatedby all too many musicologistsand art
historians.Althoughthe continuanceof this cursedcult of exaltation
may benefita few (Stockhausen,Picasso),those of less than demigod
 389

status mustsufferthe stigmaof comparison,theirworthadumbrated

by the shadow of the great.Whilea few scientistsand mathematicians
are so revered (Curie, Einstein),fields other than music, art, and
perhaps literaturehave not sustainedthe "greatman"theory.As a
result,many academiciansdismiss the universitycomposeror visual
artistas a failedgenius, withoutthinkingto applythe same criteriato
themselves.
The academiccredibilityof the composerand visual artist is
perhaps also hampered by the perception on the part of their
colleagues that currentcompositionaland artistic practicesare not
governedby any definiterulesof "better"and "worse."Whileresearch
in manyfields follows an establishedroute or processthe departure
from which is unacceptable,compositionaland visual artisticwork
has no suchdeterminablenorm;althoughcompositionsand paintings
can be distinguishedas serialor minimalistic,abstract-expressionistic
or photo-realistic,one trendor type cannotbe said to be "better"than
the other,and deviationis often encouragedin the guise of originality.
Indeed,composersand visualartistsare extremelyhesitantto criticize
or discommendthe work of a confrere;this was particularlythe case
at the recentASUCconference.Whereasmusicologistsand theorists
openlyand often vehementlyattackworkthat is perceivedas pooror
incompetentat the meetingsof theirrespectivesocieties,the composers
at the ASUCmeeting(withthe exceptionof LarryAustin)only voiced
objectionsin the smallest whispersto their closest friends;in fact, in
his speech Babbittspecificallybeseeched the composersto lay aside
theircriticismsin the spiritof comradeship.Pettycriticismis not to be
commended,of course, but one wonders what might resultif, in the
manner of other academic conferences,time were scheduled after
each ASUCperformancefor queriesand comments.
Accordingto Babbitt,universitycomposershave endeavored
to effectuate academic respectabilityprimarilythrough the written
word; numerouscomposers produce scholarlyexplicationsof their
work, imitativeof the academic paper. Here, the situations of the
universitycomposerand visual artistdiverge;articlesand papers by
 390

art historiansabound, while the numberof musicologistswritingon

currentcompositionalpracticesis ridiculouslyminuscule.Whythis is
so, I do not know;to the deprecationof musicologists,the composer
must carry his own torch, if it is to be carriedat all. While many
composershave developedadequateverbaland writingskills,it must
be rememberedthat theirprimarymediumis not the writtenword (a
fact painfullyin evidence duringthe paper-readingsessions). More-
over, musicalarticlesare often excruciatinglyboring in comparison
with theirliveliercounterpartsin the visualarts,and not only because
they are not writtenby professionalwriters;for some unfathomable
reason, many musicalanalyses eschew all but the driestof technical
considerations,whereas analyses of visualart moretypicallyinclude
philosophical,social, aesthetic, and critical as well as technical
materials,frequentlypresented in a more journalisticthan strictly
scholarlystyle.
Thedecriedrampantpublicaversionto contemporarymusicis
a phenomenonI believe not encounteredby contemporaryvisualart.
While it is true that currentpracticesin the visual arts often incur
publicderision,contemporaryart is avidlycollectedby many individ-
uals as well as by museums,and exhibitionsof such art attractlarge
audiences and extensive media attention. The reasons for this are
varied.The collectibilityof visual art rendersit potentiallyprofitable
financially.Art historians, museum curators, and gallery owners
promotecontemporaryart with an enthusiasm not matched in the
feeble effortsof orchestraconductors,performers,and musicologists
on behalfof contemporarymusic.Manyhave reasonablyarguedthat
visual art is inherentlymore accessible than music; it can be as
justifiablypostulated, however, that the particularmodes through
which twentieth-centuryvisual artistic sensibility is expressed are
moreapproachablethan those chosen by composers.Inthe cases of
art and architecture,there has been a generaldeflectionto simplicity.
Although the bourgeois individual may not have liked the arid
architecturalboxes of Mies van der Roheand the geometricsuprem-
atism of Malevitch,and no doubt mournedthe demise of Victorian
 391

magnificenceand sentimentality,the technicalmeans throughwhich

the new artistic values were expressed were at least simple and
straightforward enough for himto comprehend,once the shockof the
new wore off. Music,on the other hand, became in many instances
increasinglycerebral;for the potentialbourgeoisappreciator,Stella's
colorfulshaped canvases are moreeasily comprehendedthan are the
complicatedcantations and calculationsof Babbitt'smusic. While
there are, of course, exceptions to this thesis, it is nevertheless
generallyvalid.
If one holds, as many do, that "serious"music is for the
initiated,discriminatingfew, then technicalcomplexityis not an issue
for concern;here, the only problemsare in the determinationof the
constituencyof the fortunateelect, and the provisionfor theirmusical
pleasure.Forthose who believe that musicshould receivethe public
enthusiasm now accorded contemporaryvisual art, the situation is
more abstruse. At least two possible, though divergent, courses
emerge, the success of both of which is highly dependent on the
availabilityof the musicto the public:1) Musiccontinuesits technically
complicatedand labyrinthinepath;the publicis subjectedto extensive
education in the belief that education will lead to pleasurablecon-
sumption;2) Music becomes at least superficially,if not essentially,
simplertechnically,and perhaps, like Pop Art, even popularistic,in
the beliefthat publicconsumptionand pleasureare more likelyto be
engenderedby simplicitythan complexity.Objectionscan be madeto
both courses.The firstcourse, although logicallythe most appealing
to the composer, is at the same time most chauvinistic;while it is
supposedlyreasonablefor the universitycomposerto exact academic
esteem from his colleagues, is it rationalto demand his pleasureas
well? Certainlythe composerfeels no obligationto enjoy or under-
stand the work of the universityphysicist,mathematician,or even
historian;who among us regularlyattendsand enjoysthe presentation
of geological papers? One could, of course, answer that the com-
parisonis unfairbecause music,as an art form,differsin naturefrom
the sciences, but in so doing would heightenthe disparitythat is in
 392

part the source of the composer'slack of academic recognitionand

respect. The second course is objectionable in that it limits the
compositinalchoicesavailableto the composer.
The Netherlandsis one countryin whichconcertsof twentieth-
centurymusic,particularly contemporaryDutchmusic,draw relatively
large numbers of nonmusicians. Thisadmirablesituationwas effected
primarily throughthe consciouseffortsof a smallnumberof composers
with a three-prongedapproach:politics,propaganda,and populariza-
tion. The composerspetitionedthe governmentfor financialsupport
in all areas of contemporarycomposition-publication,distribution,
performance,recording,and promotion-with the fervorof religious
zealots.Theyactivelycourtedmediaattention,inundatingthe editorial
pages with letters and infiltratingthe newspapers as critics.They
launcheda massive appeal to the public, linkingthemselves with
popularpoliticalmovementsand promotinggiganticoutdoormusical
extravaganzasin publicparks.They created performancesituations
redolentof rockconcerts,and alternatedmorecomplicatedor abstruse
musicwith popularisticimprovisational or minimalisticmusicat multi-
media musicalevents. As a result,contemporaryDutchmusic now
has a cult followingof considerablemagnitude,composed primarily
nonmusicians
of young,educated,politicallyliberal,pseudo-intellectual
for whom appreciationof the artisticavant-garde(music,film,dance,
theatre, the visual arts) is a requisiteof social acumen or "cool."
Although originallyenticed by the musical avant-garde for what
composers might well consider the wrong reasons, many of these
young appreciatorshave since developed a true interestin contem-
porarymusic,an interestthat has widenedto includeabstruseas well
as popularisticmusic and that, hopefully,will continue throughout
their lives.
The UnitedStates, I believe,has a potentialmusicalaudience
of likeconstituency,an audiencejust now being tapped by musicians
such as LaurieAnderson.The universitycomposerworks in the midst
of a conceivablemusicalhotbed,the college campus;the decisionto
cultivate,however,mustbe his.