FOLKWAYS RECORDS FTS 31313 STEREO

• amcz an In cz czw or Pczrformad b4 tha Gamalan Son of Lion

,. . ;, ... .,

FOLKWAYS RECORDS FTS 31313 STEREO

Side 1 Circular Thoughts-Daniel Goode

16:00 Machine Shop-Dika Newlin

3:55 D.N.A.-Elena Carey

3:25

Side 2 Braid-Barbara Benary

9:33 Sleeping Braid-Barbara Benary

2:10 Gamelan II-Philip Corner

8:25

© 1979 FOLKWAYS RECORDS AND SERVICE CORP. 43 W. 61st ST., N.Y.C., U.s.A. 10023

Gamczlan in lhcz nczw World Potfonnczd blf thcz GamaJan Son of Lion DESCRIPTIVE NOTES ARE INSIDE POCKET

COVER DESIGN BY RONALD CLYNE

COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY ROSALIE F. WI NARD

FOLKWAYS RECORDS FTS 31313 STEREO

FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FrS 31313 © 1979 by Folkways Records & Service Corp., 43 W. 61st St., NYC, USA 10023

Gamelan in the New World Performed by Gamelan Son of Lion

RECDRD OOTES The garnelan is basically an enserrble of

Gamelan Son of Lion is a charrber ensemble variable size whose core instrurrentation

perfonning on traditional instrurrents of consists of rretallophones and gongs. Each

Indonesia. In addition to playing the set has its CMIl unique tuning system and

court music of central Java, this group is narred for its characteristic sound. Son

has developed a unique repertoire of new of Lion is an adaptation of the village-style

music written by Arrericans for the garnelan. iron keyed garrelan, built in Arrerica by

It is this new music repertoire which is composer-et.hnJmusicologist Barbara Benary.

represented on this album. It contains a few substitute materials

inspired by its enviroI'lIreI1t of origin, such Vbr ld music is a source of increasing

as hubcaps and fcx:x1 cans - these being influence for twentieL~ century composers.

chosen, of course, for their fine reso~e. Since the time of ~bussy many have been

inspired by the sound of the Javanese or The instrurrents of Son of Lion are in two

Balinese gamelan and have used its scales, tuning SystEmS traditional to Indonesia:

melodies, effects or techniques in a variety the five-tone slendro and the seven-tone

of ways. The carposers who have written pelog. Those heard on this recording are

for Son of Lion have undertaken to work in the pelcg tuning, a scale whose irregular

directly with ethnic instrurrents using intervals canrot be matched on most instru-

rrethods and aesthetics of the avant garde, ments of the \<Jest, but which in effect is

rather than seeking to transpose eastern close to a D-minor with an augment fourth.

music to our a-m more familiar musical In the music of Java, the g anelan I s

equiprent.

characteristic sound is a soft, clear

ringing. Sharper sotmds and IIDre striking

qrnarnics are used in the garrelan music of

Bali. In exploring the possibilities of

these instrurrents, ~ Arrerican carposers

have fotmd that i::l'e instruments adapt them-

selves well to ~ aesthetics arrl inagina-

tion of the conposers. The new ccnposi tions

evoke a wide spectrum of lIDods- atonal,

peaceful, roman ti. c or fran tic . A gentler

effect, closer to the Javanese, is heard in

"Circular Thoughts" and "INA" v.hile the rrore

dynamic extreme appears in "Garrelan 'J'v.x)" and

"The Mach1.n= Shop".

.restletically these pieces are of a typ=

which may be called "indetermina te" or

"procedural" or "mininalist". Brief ly ,

chis rreans that the length of the piece is

not fixed but nay vary fran perfonnaIX:Q to

perfonra.n::e; the piece nay be stru::::tured

2

to bring out a sirqle musical effec t or

pro CESS and to do so minimi. 2E!S otrer Im.lSical

effe ct.s to bring at 1ention to the main one; ,

the nain structure or process is defined l:¥

t:l'E score while the details of CDnpl eting

the piece may be left to the inprovisatory

skill of the players.

The notation system used is based on the

modern Javanese cypher-system, in which the

numbers I to 7 designate the degrees of the

scale. To this has been added a variety of

verbal instructions and pictoral lay-outs to

guide the performers. These are included in

part with the description of the pieces.

Garrelan Members

Xrstia Bemko Barbara Benary Elena Carey Philip Corner Frank Giasullo Susan Gilligo Daniel Goode

Susan Marlin DikaNewlin Denise Rightmire Evan Schwartzman Jarres Walsh Rosalie Winard

Photos by Rosalie Winard

Circular 'lhoughts by Daniel Goode

The upHard seven note scale IIDving oonstantly

genera tes itself slo.ver, then dc:wnward, then

in patterns of 4, 3, 2, with overlaps of

pattern by means of accents of already

SOtmding notes of the original scale. Gongs

ptmctuate phrases as in traditional garrelan

music and the whole IIDves gradually fran

slo.v to fast. The garrelan is divided into

two antiphonal groups.

ou. t.-E<'--________ .....;<~<:::....!u~e::...-~~2

(.5 / 0 W

1/:4{j ~nd accel

Jl:~

13~~

a.. c c e t.

a.c. cef/t: e very peats

JJ:1a

:;;nerv-;Fattern.: .1 3 5" 7 2 4" ~o(.(.--t-~ renter)

on -~~~ ac.ceI1-Li nore~y~, __ ~~~ue~ __________________ e_v_ey~~~1~_b_~ __ 6 __________ ~

OtL"t

3

Circular Thoughts was originally carposed

for unaccarpanied clarinet and performed

by the oorrposer using circular breathing

to keep the scale pattern going without

a break. The illusion of several parts

going simultaneously was created with

accents and a resonant performance space.

This transcription for gamelan neM makes

that process nore explicit especially for

the superimposition of the upward and dCMl­

ward sIeMer noving scale patterns at the

same time. The actual length of any perfonn­

ance is variable to suit the occasion, since

the internal sections of the piece can be

expanded or contracted at the will of the

leader of the ensemble.

At the beginning of the piece, the scale

Machine Shop by Dika Nevlin

Players should be seated so that they have

minimal o:mtact with one anJther. Player:

nove your instrurrent a~ from others, sit

with your back to the group- as perfonnance

space penni ts .

You ma.y play either a gamelan instr1.lITeI1t or

sane other metallic instrurcent (a "cricket",

for exanple) .

Select a tone. When you are ready, start

repeating it at a ma.chine-like, regular pace.

Set your CMn "work terpo" without reference

to others in the group. Feel like a worker

in a machine shop concentrating only on the

regular rhythm of your CMl machine. Tone

quality is not important; a "clunky" sound

is pennitted, even encouraged. notes enter in randan order at a level that is

only just audible. In playing the recording,

the volume level should be set to reflect this.

4

The beginning tempo will probably be rather

slav. After it has gone on for a time,

gradually begin to speed up your pace. A

frantic, rushed feeling should set in, as

you start to get a sense of "working against

the clock" to finish your task.

When you hear a mighty stroke of the large

gong ... drop eVeJ:Ything and run fran the

perfonnance space. It's QUITrIN3 TIME!

- Suggested by the sounds of presses, paper­

punchers, electric staplers, and electric

comb binders in the print shop of Beneficial

Management, M2>rris tCMl, N. J.

D.N .A. by Elena Carey

While some rorrpositions CX)ffie about only

throu:]h trial and error, much culling, re­

doing and extensive midwifery, this one came

in a flash. Sitting in Dr. Perper's Genetics

class, I was in fascinated CMe as he presented

the Watson-crick nodel of the chEmistry of

the gene. His CM1 joy in the precise organi­

zation' elegant sirrplicity, and beautiful

pattern repetition was thinly veiled and

rontagious. '!he blueprint for everything in

Creation is in the repetition and corrbination

of just four nitroqen bases: adenine (A),

cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).

I thou:]ht of putting it to music. Wi th amuse­

ment I realized that, theoretically, you

could hear the mutations.

In a strand of rnA, the nitrogen base is

connected to the five-cartX::>n sugar, and the

to a phosphate and on and on.

On the right of the diagram (belcw) are

'the bases. '!hese can be anyone for four here.

Hcwever if there is adenine here, it must be

paired in the opposite strand with thymine.

So adenine and thymine always go toqether, and

guanine is always paired with cytosine.

'!he gamelan seemed a particularly suitable

vehicle for working out these patterns and

relationships. In this piece tone nurrber I

is assigned to adenine, and tone 5 to thymine.

'!hese two will always be sounded together.

Tone number 3 and 6 are also paired and repre­

sent cytosine and guanine respectively. '!hese

canbinations provide the harrrony in the slON

melody line played by two groups of instruments.

In the five carbon sugar, carlxms #3 and #5

are involved in the linkage that fonns the strand.

'!he peking, the highest instrument, plays this

five carbon sugar is ronnected to the phosphate. pattern, alternating groups of three and five

This little three piece enserrble is strung into notes. fuving fran one strand of the INA to

one of the strands of the DNA molecule by

attaching a sugar to a phosphate to a sugar

the other, the 3-5 beCOIl'eS 5-3 and the peking

pattern reverses itself.

DNA DouBLE HELIX

Dl\A

PEKING 111. .I ••• 1111 1 ••• • • • & •••• • ••• 1111 1 ••• • • • • 111 • • • • • • ••• • •••

SARONS 55 •• 5.5. 5665 6155 1556 615. 6665 6135 & )

GENDER;:) 11 •• 1.1. 1331 3511 5113 351. 3331 3561

GONGS (G) ® (G) small ® large

Braid by Barbara Benary pair lll1til the series is a:mplete. pitch

Based on a fourteen rote sequence perfonned changes occur ad libitum while attention to

with interlocking rhythm by three groups of overall sorority and the pacing of hanronic

players. '!he "braiding" process is the changes is the focus of the ensarble. 'TIle

gradual replacement of each note of a repeated result is a music-box of ever shifting tones.

6

Sleeping Braid by Baibara Benary elaborating part is overlayed based on a

pennutation of the reM. This is perforrred

The tone rON of Braid beoorres a canon per- by saron and tjelumpung (zither).

fonned by the main rrelody inst.runents. In An accanpanirrent for Lyra Samara Silverstein,

tribute to traditional Javanese style an then six l1nnths old.

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Garnelan '!Wo: Nurrber Measure Increase lX:Jwrt.Jard

by Philip Corner

This piece is the second in a nurrbered,

continuing series entitled Gamelan

which may be

as chamber ensemble music. She holds a doctorate

in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University at

which she received the training and inspiration

to build the garrelan and lead it in its

played by, and Javanese repertoire. which are (-in my mind)

echoes of the spirit of that Indonesia orchestra. Elena Carey

And of its actual instrurrents- realizable on Born in Ohio in 1939. Began COTlX>sing and

them, as on resonant rretals in general. playing piano in early childhood. studied

Long prolonging sounded cycles. with George Martin of the Wagner College faculty

All these based on a hierarchy in piano and is also trained in classical singing.

of pitch made to coincide with durations- She is presently majoring in Biology and Music

proportion: lCM to long; high to short. at Livingston College while simultaneously

these are special f onus of "pulse: measured" raising five boys , three dogs, a charrpion

The piece I s title describes its technique. rabbit and a leghorn chicken in Edison, NJ.

In this rendition all players cluster around

the highest pitched instruments of the set:

the saron peking and bonang panerus, using

a cx::mbination of slendro and pelog tuning.

About the ccmposers

Bamara Benary

Perfonner, COTlX>ser and ethnomusioologist

currently teaching at Livingston College of

Ru tgers Uni versi ty, New Brunswick, NJ. A

violinist by background she has extended her

string playing to include instrunents of India

(Karnatic violin), China (erh-hu) and Bulgaria

(gadulka). Has been cx::nposing since childhood,

for traditional instrunents as well as ethnic

instrum:mts, opera and theatre music as well

9

Philip Corner

Born in the Bronx, NY. April 10, 1933- G ~ ! conjunct in Y . Received the pen name

<Man Pok, "contE!tplating waterfall", while

in Korea. A musician who writes words and

notes, plays the piano and natural things.

Past services to the new music o:mnunity

have included the co-founding of "Tone Roads",

and many collaborations with dancers and

the "Sounds out of Silent Spaces" group which

uses sound and meditation in a collaborative

setting. The scoring of his creative work

has involved an exploration into the callig­

raphic and poetic aspects of notation.

Educated at City College, NY (B.A.), Colurrbia

U. (M.A.), and Conservatoire de Paris.

Currently teaches in the theory and <XlTIp)si tion

theatre groups. He has rrore recently initiated programs of Livingston College.

10

Daniel Goode

Born 1936, N. Y. City. Studied carposition

with Henry Cowell and Otto Luening at Columbia

U., and Kenneth Gaburo and Pauline Oliveros in

California. His compositional works are for

clarinet, (his main perfonning inst.rln'lalt) ,

for chamber groups of various sizes, for tape,

tape with live instrurrents, and i.rrprovising

groups. He has undertaken a creative musical

exchange with the fiddling ccmmuni ty on Cape

Breton Island and with various bird populations

around the rountry.

He is director of the Livingston College

Electronic Music studio which he founded

in 1971.

DIKA NEWLIN, born November 22, 1923, (St. Cecilia's

Day); Scorpio, Saggitarian cusp. Carposition with

Schonberg and Sessions. piano with Serkin and

Schnabel. Her doctorate in musicolCXJY (1945) was

the first ever grant~ by Columbia University; the

thesis, "Bruckner, Mahler, Schonberg", has becx::JIT'e

a classic, reprinted this year by W. W. Norton.

Has written for all rredia; the \<,Drk for "Son of

Lion", the first garnelan piece - an oI'Boing series

intended. A willing participant in "Sounds Out Of

Silent Spaces". Presently Professor of Music at

Virginia Commonwealth University, develop~ a

doctoral prog-rarn.

11

About the Carpositions

"Circular Thoughts for Solo Clarinet" is

published by 'Iheodore Presser Corrpany and

the transcription for gamelan is in VOlUTe

4 of Pieces. Other works by Goode are

published in Pieces 3, The Painted Bride

Quarterly and Ear Magazine.

"Braid" and "Sleeping Braid" will be available

in volume 4 of Pieces. Other canposi tioos by

Benary may be found in Far Magazine and Waren's

WJrk. "Gamelan 'lW:>", alon:J with other scores

of the "Garrelan" series are published in Pieces,

volunes 2 and 3. Other scores by Corner are

published by C. F. Peters, and Cassette tapes

are available through Audiog-raphic series

of New Wilderness Foundation.

About the Rerording

"D.N.A." and "'Ihe Machine Shop" were taped

in performance by John Child at Experirrental

Intenredia Foundation, NY City. All other

pieces were recorded at the studio of Rutgers

University at Newark.

For Add it ion a I I n form a t ion Abo u t

FOLKWAYS RELEASES

of Interest .:-:.:.:-:. :-:-:-:-:-:

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