INFORMATION TO USERS

This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI
films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some
thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may
be from any type of computer printer.

The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the

copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality
illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins,
and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.

In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete

EW
manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if
unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate
the deletion.
I
Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by
EV

sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and

continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each
original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in
reduced form at the back of the book.
PR

Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced

xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white
photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations
appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly
to order.

University Microfilms International

A Bell & Howell Information C om pany
300 North Z eeb R oad. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA
313/761-4700 800/521-0600

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 W
IE
EV
PR

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
 Order Num ber 9326618

The m ulti-percussion w riting o f W illiam K raft in his

“Encounters” series w ith three recitals o f selected works o f Erb,
Ptaszynska, R edel, Serry, and others

W
Bridwell, Bany D., D.M.A.
University of North Texas, 1993
IE
EV
PR

UMI
300 N. Zeeb Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout perm ission.
 W
IE
EV
PR

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
 Bridwell, Barry D. The M u l t i - P e r c u s s i o n W r i t i n g of

William..Kraft -in, H i s Encoun t e r s Series with Three Recitals

of S e l e c t e d Works of Erb. Ptaszynska. Redel. Serry. and

Others. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May, 1993,

107 pp., 5 tables, 12 mu s i c a l examples, 7 illustrations,

b i b l i ography, 49 titles.

W i l l i a m Kraft occupies a pr o m i n e n t p o s i t i o n in t h e

h i s t o r y of percussion,

EW
in that he was one of the first

p e r c u s s i o n i s t s to re c e i v e w i d e s p r e a d a c c l a i m as b o t h a

p e r f o r m e r and a composer. His composi t i o n s frequently

f e a t u r e percussion, and his t r e a t m e n t o f these instru m e n t s

I
EV

r e f l e cts the k n o w ledge o f a c o n s u m m a t e performer.

The Encounters series is a c o l l e c t i o n of ten works

w h i c h span the years 1966 to 1992, but the m a j o r i t y w e r e

PR

c o m p o s e d b etween 1971 a n d 1982. For the most part, t h e y are

c h a m b e r works: six duets, one solo with e l e c t r o n i c tape, one

solo with quartet accompaniment, and two unaccompanied

solos. A l l of the pieces except one utilize at least one

p e r c u s s i o n performer, usually p l a y i n g o n m u l t i - p e r c u s s i o n

set-ups.

The paper is d i v i d e d into six chapters. The first two

p r o v i d e a brief summary of the e v o l u t i o n of multiple

p e r c u s s i o n and b i o g r a p h i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n about Kraft. The

r e m a i n i n g chapters are a n e x a m i n a t i o n o f the origin, sound

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 sources, compositional style, and p erformance problems of

the ten E ncounters pieces. The paper concludes w ith several

appendices, including a chronological lis t i n g of Kraft's

comp o sitions which use percussion, a list of pe r c u s s i o n

e quipment and notational symbols u s e d in the E n c o u n t e r s

pieces, a n d a discography of Kraft's music.

Due to t h e shortage of reference m a t e r i a l p e r t a i n i n g to

Kraft, m u c h of the information used was t a ken f r o m p ersonal

co m m u nication between the author a n d the c o m p o s e r . Copies

W
of c o rre s p o n d e n c e a n d a transcript of a t a p e d in t e r v i e w are

inclu ded in t h e appendices. Scores and recordings of

IE
K r a ft's compositions, as well as compos i t i o n s which

i n f l u e n c e d him, also consti t u t e a major portion of the

EV

sources consulted.
PR

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout perm ission.
 THE M U L T I - P E R C U S S I O N W R ITING OF W ILLIAM KRAFT

IN HIS E N C O U N T E R S SERIES W I T H THREE RECITALS

OF S E L ECTED WORKS OF ERB, PTASZYNSKA,

- REDEL, SERRY, A N D OTHERS

B a r r y D. Bridwell, B.M., M.M.

W
IE
APPROVED*
EV

M a}or
PR

Minor

Committee Member

jXL QJL^
Committee Member

Dean of the College of M u s i c

Ikr—
Dean or the Robert B. Toulouse School of
G r a duate Studies

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 W
IE
EV
PR

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
 THE M U L T I - P E R C U S S I O N WRITING OF W I L L I A M KRAFT

IN HIS E N C O UNTERS SERIES WITH THREE RECITALS

OF SELECTED WORKS OF ERB, PTASZYNSKA,

REDEL, SERRY, AND OTHERS

DI S S E R T A T I O N

W
P r e s e n t e d to the Graduate Council
IE of the

University of North Texas in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements

EV

For the Degree of

PR

DO C T O R OF MUSICAL ARTS

By

Barry D. Bridwell, B.M., M.M.

Denton, Texas

May, 1993

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my sincere, appreciation to the

fol l o wing parties for their assistance in the preparation of
this dissertation:

To Robert Schietroma, for his instruction, advice, and

encouragement;

To Paul Sternhagen, Steve Grimo, John Beckford, a n d

Robert Winslow, for providing information and research
materials;

W
To P h i l l i p McIntyre, for the use of facilities,
instruments, and the computer on which this document was
typed; IE
To John Holloway, for sharing his expertise in computer
technology;

To Karen Burnett, for her tireless efforts in

proofreading, drawing symbols, pasting up musical examples,
EV

and h elping to prepare this document for submission;

To Steve Gillespie and Greer High School, for assisting

with the printing;
PR

To Sparta n b u r g School District One of South Carolina,

for their support and encouragement, and for making it
possible for m e to complete this project;

Finally, a special thank-you to Wil l i a m Kraft, for

without his cooperation this project would have been an
i m p o s sible task.

iii

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 TABLE OF C O N TENTS

LIST OF M U S I C A L EXAMPLES ..................................... v

LIST OF I L L U S T R A T I O N S ......................................... vi

I N T R ODUCTION .................................................... 1

Chapter

I. THE BIRTH AND EVOLUTION OF MULTIPLE PERCUSSION . . 3

II. W I L L I A M KRAFT ........................................ 8

III.

IV.

V.
SOUND SOURCES IN ENCOUNTERSEW
THE ENCOUNTERS S E R I E S ................................ 14

COMPOS I T I O N A L STYLE IN ENCOUNTERS

.......................

................
21

36

VI. P ERFORMANCE PROBLEMS IN E N C O U N T E R S .............. 4 8

I
EV

A p p e n dix

A. CORRESPONDENCE FROM W I L L I A M KRAFT ................ 61

B. INTERVIEW WITH W I L L I A M KRAFT ..................... 67

PR

C. CHRONO L O G I C A L LISTING OF WORKS BY W I L L I A M KRAFT

WHICH UTILIZE PERCUSSION ........................ 77

D. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENCOUNTERS

S E R I E S ................................................82

E. PERCUSSION EQUIPMENT USED IN E N C O U N T E R S ........... 8 6

F. PERCUSSION SET-UPS USED IN E N C O U N T E R S ............. 8 9

G. SYMBOLS USED IN E N C O U N T E R S .......................... 95

H. RECORDINGS OF WILLIAM KRAFT'S COMPOSITIONS . . . 101

BIBL I OGRAPHY 10 4

iv

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 L IS T OF M USICAL EXAM PLES

Example Page

1. E n c o u n ters I I I , 1st Movement, showing

angular m e l o d i c l i n e ............................... 37

2. Encounters I I I . 3rd Movement, showing

conjunct m o t i o n .................................... 38

3. Encounters ITT. 1st movement, showing Landini

c a d e n c e ............................................... 38

W
4. Encounters VII. two vibraphones, showing
cluster chords .................................... 39

5. E n c o u n ters I I I . 3rd movement, trumpet and

graduated drums, showing hemiola ............... 40
IE
6. Encounters III. 3rd movement, trumpet and
graduated drums, showing p o l y r h y t h m ............. 41
EV

7. Encounters TV. 3rd movement, trombone,

showing use of Morse c o d e ......................... 41

8. En co unt er s I . vibraphone, s h owing rhythmic

improvisation ...................................... 45
PR

9. Encounters IV. 3rd movement, percussion,

showing pitch improvisation ..................... 45

10. En c o u n ters I V . 3rd movement, trombone and

percussion, showing cells ........................ 46

11. En c o u n ters I . graphic representation of

electronic tape sounds .......................... 47

12. Encounters VI. letter "L", roto-tom soloist

and percus s i o n quartet, showing d e s i g nation
of cueing responsibility ........................ 60

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 L IST OF IL L U S T R A T IO N S

Illustration Page

1. Suggested set-up for Encounters I .................... 90

2. Suggested set-up for Encounters I I I ..................91

3. Suggested set-up for Encounters V .................... 91

4. Suggested set-up for Encounters I V ................... 92

5. Suggested set-up for Encounters V I I ..................93

W
6. Suggested set-up for Encounters V I I I ................ 94

7. Suggested set-up for Encounters I X ................... 94

IE
EV
PR

vi

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 INTRODUCTION

In the notes prefacing his score for C o n f i g u r a t i o n s :

C o n c e rto for Four PercussioniS-ts_and Jaz^. O r c h e s t r a . W i l l i a m

K r a f t wrote:

The days of percussionists being second-class citizens

in the musical society are clearly over. The last of
orchestral families to be exploited, they have come of
age in the twentieth century— not unlike the v iolin in

W
the s eventeenth and eighteenth centuries.^-

There have been three major developments in percussion

IE
w r i t i ng d uring the twentieth century:

1) The evolution of the role of percussion

2) The increased density of percussion scoring

EV

3) The search for new sounds

The t ransformation of the orchestral percussion section from

PR

s u p p o r t i v e role to prominent feature led to the creation of

chamber music for independent percussion ensembles and,

eventually, solo percussion literature. Throughout this

evolution, composers gradually increased the density of

percussion scoring by (1) including more players in their

scores, (2) writing more complex parts, and (3) developing

the concept of multiple percussion. The exploration of new

percussion sounds was an outgrowth of the other two trends.

1. Kraft, Configurations (New York: MCA, 1968).

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 2

_William Kraft occupies a prominent position in the

history of percussion, in that he was one of the first

percussionists, if not the first, to receive widespread

acclaim as both a performer and a composer. As one might

expect, his compositions frequently feature percussion, and

his treatment of these instruments reflects the knowledge of

a consummate performer. Numerous percussionists have taken

up c o mposition for pedagogical purposes, but Kraft has

W
distinguished himself as a creator of truly artistic works.

Kraft's contri b u t i o n to percussion

IE literature includes

approximately 16 un a c c o m p a n i e d solos, 5 concertos, 9

p e r c u s s i o n ensembles, and 15 chamber pieces. This paper

will examine a group of his pieces which share a common

EV

title: Encounters. Specifically, the paper will explore the

s o u n d sources used in these compositions, Kraft's

PR

compositional style, and suggestions for their performance.

There are several appendices which will provide useful

i nformation to those wishing to pursue further study of this

important composer.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 C H A PTER I

THE BIRTH AND EVOLUTION OF MULTIPLE P E R C USSION

In 1918 Igor Stravinsky composed a chamber work

entitled Histoire du S o l d a t ^. which included a percussion

part calling for one player to cover a battery of seven

instruments. This innovation opened the door to new

W
p o s s i bilities in scoring for percussion. One player,

assigned to cover m u l tiple instruments,

IE could:

1) switch from one instrument to another between

m u s i c a l passages

2) p e r f o r m a single rhythmic line which incorporated

EV

several different instruments

3) p e r f o r m two or more lines simultaneously

PR

4) play rhythmic unisons on two or more instruments

The last point was not new in the twentieth century; some

Romantic composers, such as Rossini, had specified that

1. It has become a common practice to refer to this work as

L ' histoire du S o l d a t . but Stravinsky himself never used
the definite article. Cf. the letter from Robert Craft
to William Kraft in K r aft's edition of the percussion
part (Van Nuys: New Music West, 1992). "Histoire" means
"history," as in the history of the universal soldier.
" L'histoire," on the other hand, means "story," as in the
story of one particular soldier, which is the case with
S t ravi n s k y ' s composition. Although it is grammatically
incorrect t o omit the article, the author has chosen to
do so in respect of the composer's preference.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 4

their bass drum and cymbal parts be performed by one player.

Stravinsky is a c k n o w l e d g e d as the first to write for

multiple percussion, but the practice itself had been in

e x i stence for more than a quarter of a century when

H istoire first appeared. Even longer, if one wishes to

include the af o r e m e n t i o n e d bass drum/cymbal parts, which

date back to the early nineteenth century, or kettledrums,

w h i c h had been played in pairs for centuries. There h a d

even been concertos written for timpani, in which the

W
soloist p l a y e d as many as ten drums.

Credit for originating the concept of m u l t i p l e

IE
percussion, and guiding its development during the early

stages, rightfully b e longs to the first drum set players, a

EV

g r o u p of forgotten performers whose imaginations

r e v o l u t i o n i z e d the art of drumming. Drum set playing was a

b y - p r o d u c t of jazz, which originated in the late nineteenth

PR

century with the brass bands of New Orleans. These groups

performed frequently in parades, so they usually had two

d r ummers--one for the snare and one for the bass. Their

play i ng style reflected a strong m i l i t a r y influence; the

bass drummer kept the pulse and reinforced the syncopated

accents of the music, while the snare drummer p layed

r u d i m ental p a t t e r n s . This division of responsibility

2. J. G. Kastner, M e t h o d e de Timbales (Paris: 1845), 72,

cited in James Blades, Percussion Instruments and Their
H istory (London: Faber and Faber, 1984), 258.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 5

continued even when they were not marching.

At some point, a drummer positioned the bass and snare

side by side and p e r formed both functions simultaneously.

The new technique was referred to as "double drumming." Its

date of ori g i n is unknown, but it was in widespread use by

18 93, and continued to be used by some players into the

1920's, well after the invention of the bass drum p e d a l .^

Double drummers began to use their ingenuity to design

devices which would facilitate their task, and their efforts

W
a t t r a c t e d the attention of other would-be inventors. Some

of th e innovations were short-lived, but others became

IE
permanent fixtures. The snare drum stand was patented in

18 98,® and the suspended cymbal mount in 190 9. The bass

EV

d r u m pedal, the most important addition, appeared in a

nu m b e r of prototypes before 1910, when W i l l i a m F. Ludwig

p e r f e c t e d the basic mechanism used today.®

PR

Since these inventions f acilitated performance on

mult i ple instruments, drummers experimented with other

percussion sounds; these were called novelty instruments, or

"traps." A trap rack or trap table, full of assorted sound

3. "The Great Jazz Drummers: Part 1," IV/3

(June/July 1980), 17.

4. T h eodore Dennis Brown, A History and Analysis of Jazz

D r u m m i n g to 1 9 4 2 . 2 vols. (Ph.D. dissertation,
U n iversity of Michigan, 1976; Ann Arbor: University
Mi crofilms, 77-7881), 98-99.

5. Brown, 64. 6. Brown, 106-107,

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout perm ission.
 6

effects, came to be a standard part of the drummer's set-up.

S p e cialty items, such as a set of graduated cowbells or

Chinese temple blocks, were often identified as a particular

player's trademark. The one-man percussion section p layed

an integral part in early jazz and ragtime groups, as well

n
as vaudeville shows, circus acts, and silent movies.

It was inevitable that m u l tiple percussion would make

its way into more serious forms of music, but it did not

h a ppen until E u r opean composers started to take an interest

W
in American jazz. Stravinsky's Histoire was the first

j a z z - i n f l u e n c e d composition to employ a solo percussionist,

IE
and it was followed in 1923 b y William Walton's Facade and

Darius Milhaud's La Creation du M o n d e . It was M i l h a u d who,

EV

in 1929, wrote the first concerto for a multi- p e r c u s s i o n

soloist, the C o ncerto pour b a t t e r i e et petit orchestre.

When the New York Philha r m o n i c was preparing to play the

PR

American premiere of this piece, the percussion section

thought the percussion part was supposed to be split among

several players.®

Bela Bart6k was another composer who a d v a n c e d the cause

of m u l t i p l e percussion, from his use of four graduated

cymbals in his First Piano Concerto (1926) to his celebrated

7. Brown, 95-98.

8. M i c h a e l Rosen, "Terms Used in Percussion: William Kraft

Comments on Milhaud's Percussion Concerto," Percussive
N o t e s . X X V I 1/2 (Winter 198 9), 39.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 7

Sonata fo r Two Pianos a n d P e rc us s io n (1936).

The 1930's and 1940's saw the emergence of the

p e r c u s s i o n ensemble as a legitimate compositional genre.

The works of Amadeo Roldan, E d g a r d Varese, w i l l i a m Russell,

H e n r y Cowell, Lou Harrison, John Cage, Carlos Chavez, and

Alan Hovhaness paved the way for the lasting success of this

medium, while continuing to e xpand the possibilities of

mu ltiple percussion.

There were composers, p a r t i c u l a r l y at the Paris

W
Conservatory, who f o l lowed the example of M i l h a u d and

created solo works for mu l t i p l e percussion. These

IE
compositions for percussion with piano accompaniment

required the percus s i o n i s t to play a wide array of

EV

instruments, but rarely more than one at a time. In

general, these pieces have more pedagogical than a r tistic

value.
PR

The big b r e a k t h r o u g h for solo percussion came in 1959,

when Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote Z y k l u s . This c omposition

is noteworthy because of its use of cyclic form, g r aphic

notation, pictographic symbols, indeterminacy, and

improvisation, as well as the fact that it was w r itten for

an u n a c c o m p a n i e d percussion soloist. Coincidentally, the

American premiere of this masterpiece was pe r f o r m e d by

W i l l i am Kraft.^

9. W i l l i a m Kraft, taped interview, July 5, 1991.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 CHAPTER II

WILLIAM KRAFT

William Kraft was born on September 6, 1923 in Chicago.

His f amily name was originally Kashareftsky, but his parents

A m e r i c a n i z e d it to Kraft after emigrating from Russia. The

family moved t o California when Kraft was three years old,

W
wh e r e he began his study of piano. He later took some music

courses at San Diego State College and UCLA,

IE and s t u d i e d

p e r c u s s i o n with Murray Spivack in Los Angeles.^-

In 1943, Kraft entered the armed forces, where he

s e rved as a pianist, drummer, and arranger in military

EV

bands. While he was in Europe with the Army he took some

courses at Cambridge University. After being discharged he

b e g a n to make a living as a percuss i o n i s t in various jazz

PR

bands.

In the summer of 19 48 Kraft e n r o l l e d in the Berkshire

M u s i c Center in Tanglewood. There he s t u d i e d composition

with Irving Fine a n d conducting with L e onard Bernstein. The

following year he e n t e r e d Columbia University, where he

e a r n e d his b a c h e l o r ’s and master's degrees (1951, 1954).

1. "Kraft, William,"
M u s i c . 8th ed., revised by Nicholas Slonimsky (New
York: Macmillan, 1992), 958; W i l l i a m Kraft, telephone
interview with the author, Jan. 5, 1993.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 9

His c o m p o s i t i o n teachers there included Jack Beeson, Seth

Bingham, Henry Brant, Henry Cowell, Otto Luening, and

Vlad i mir Ussachevsky. Kraft also studied privately with

Saul Goodman (timpani) and Morris Goldenberg (percussion) at

the Juilliard School while he was attending Columbia.^

Golden b e r g so respected Kraft that he e n listed his help

w hen he wrote his classic method book, Modern School for

Snare Drum (published 19 55). Kraft wrote the section

entitled "Guide Book for the Artist Percussionist," up to,

ironically,

w o n d e r that he developed
I EW
the part dealing with multiple p e r cussion.^

When one considers Kraft's teachers,

into a composer who

it is little

liked to

e x p e r i m e n t with new sounds. Henry Cowell is remembered for

EV

i n t r o d u c i n g percussive eff e c t s on the piano; his experiments

p a v e d the way for the development of the prepared piano by

pupil John Cage. Cowell was also one of the first composers
PR

to write for percussion ensemble; his Os t i n a t o Pianissimo

appeared in 1934, just three years after Roldan's Ritmicas

and Varese's I o n i z a t i o n . Cowell's music included such

unorthodox instruments as g r a duated rice bowls, automobile

brake drums, and thunder sticks.^

2. "Kraft, William," B a k e r 's . 958; New Music West,

b i o g r a p h y of William Kraft, (Van Nuys, CA); John Vinton,
D i c t i o n a r y of Contempora r y Music (New York: E. P.
Dutton, 1974), 407.

3. Rosen, Pe r c u s s i v e Notes XXVII/2, 39.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f th e copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission .
 10

Henry Brant was an early advocate of spatial music and

p l a c e d musicians in unusual configurations for performances.

His pieces called for tin cans and kitchen utensils to be

us e d as instru m e n t s . ^ Otto L u ening and Vladimir U ssachevsky

were pioneers in the field of electronic music. Their

Rh ap so di c V a r i a t i o n s , which a p p eared in 1954 before the

premiere of Varese's D e s e r t s , was the first work to ever

combine real sounds on an electronic background.®

After his graduation from Columbia in 1954, Kraft

W
accepted a position as a percussionist with the Dallas

Symphony.^ The following year he began an a s s o c i a t i o n that

was to last for thirty years

IEwhen he joined the Los Angeles

Phi l h armonic Orchestra. Kraft served in Los Angeles as a

EV

pe rcussionist for eight years and as timpanist for eighteen.

From 1969 to 1972, he was also the Assistant Conductor of

o
the orchestra.
PR

In 1956 Kraft organized the First Percus s i o n Quartet, a

group which he believes was actually the first percus s i o n

4. G e rald Abraham, The C o ncise Oxford H i s t o r y of M u s i c .

(Oxford University Press, 1990), 853; Karl Peinkofer and
Fritz Tannigel, Handbook of Percussion I n s t r u m e n t s .
(Mainz: Schott, 1976), 79, 137, 173.

5. "Brant, Henry," B a k e r ' s . 2 37.

6. "Luening, Otto," B a k e r 1s . 1091-1092.

7. P a trick Wilson, "Kraft: The Composer as Orchestral

Timpanist," Pe r c u s s i v e Notes XXV/1 (Fall 1986), 37.

8. N ew Music West, biography.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.
 11

quartet. It consisted of the percussion section from the

Los Angeles Philharmonic: Walter Goodwin, Forrest Clark, Leo

Hamilton, and Kraft. When Leo Hamilton left the group, he

was r eplaced b y Robert Winslow. The quartet performed

numerous programs in the public schools and frequently

appeared on the Monday E v ening Concerts, a Los Angeles

series c o m m i t t e d to the pe r f o r m a n c e of new m u s i c . ®

As the group began to expand its repertoire and p e r f o r m

w orks which r e q u i r e d more players, Kraft changed the name to

W
the Los A n g e l e s Percussion Ensemble and Chamber Players.

They presented a number of important premieres and made

several recordings.
IE
During this period, Kraft had the

o p p o r tunity to perform the A m e r i c a n p r e m ieres of

EV

Stockhausen's Zyklus and Boulez's Le m a rteau sans maltre. as

well as r e c o r d Histoire du Soldat under the direction of

Igor Stravinsky.
PR

Kraft is an expert on the subject of H i s t o i r e . When

Chester Music issued a new edition of the work in 1989,

e d ited by John Carewe and James Blades, Kraft wrote a review

of it for Notes, a journal pu b l i s h e d by the Music Librarian

Association. His analysis, in which he compared the e dition

to the original, was so detailed and so articulate that he

won the Eva Judd O'Meara Award for the best review of the

9. W i l l i a m Kraft, telephone interview, Jan. 5, 1993.

10. New Music West, biography.

R ep ro d u ced with p erm ission o f the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited w ithout p erm ission.