Ralph Swickard, Kenneth Heller
Sermons of Saint Francis / Hymn of Creation / Labyrinth (LP)
LabelOrion Read, The Library Of CongressGenreElectronic
Out of stock
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Excellent and obscure 1970 Orion split LP coupling the lovely piece for cello and tape by Kenneth Heller with Ralph Swickard's truly amazing ear-splitting electronic pieces.
"Swickard's tape pieces employ electronic sounds to set off spoken texts, which themselves are occasionally used in echo form. For the St. Francis sermons, the sounds have a quite musical feeling, particularly since there are detectable rhythmic patterns. Intimations of gongs, bells and birds contribute to a mystical, ritualistic background suitable to the words. “Hymn of Creation,” from the “Rig Veda,” is more ab truse in textual meaning and more abstruse in its tape background, which has many explosive sounds. The texts are read rather flatly by William DuBay, a former priest who won national at tention in 1964 when he wrote to Pope Paul VI asking for the removal of Cardinal James Francis McIntyre for his failure to offer moral leadership in the civil rights crisis in Los Angeles. Heller's “Labyrinth” is an imaginative and attractive pitting of a live cello against tape, much of which consists of prerecorded cello sounds. This gives cohesion to the piece, which, while it is long, manages to hold the intere st with a kind of cyclical han dling of mood. It is an un commonly good work for composer who is only 21. The solo cello is extremely well performed by Douglas Ischar, who plays a beautiful‐sounding Cuypers instrument, dated 1750. The maker would be astonished to what use if is put here."
This edition
condition: EX/VG (sleeve and spine wear + stamped promo sticker on front + hand-written sticker on top corner of the back cover)
Format
"Dolby Process" on labels.
Sermons of Saint Francis for narrator and tape.
Hymn of Creation for narrator and tape; words from Hymn 129 of Book 10 of the Rigveda.
Labyrinth for cello and tape.
About Labyrinth:
The tape utilizes in several sections four prerecorded cello tracks (recorded by the soloist) which, in performance, are played through two speakers placed on either side of the soloist. These cello sections themselves (both live and prerecorded) are serially organized for duration as well as for pitch. The piece attempts to combine the simplest rhythmic timbre and rhythm cycles, and the most traditional form of sound production (the stringed instrument) with the newest form (electronic and tape). All-in-all the composition was meant as an exploration into new ways of shaping the basic musical materials into coherent and interesting musical experiences.
Mr. Ischar's instrument was made by Jean-Francois Cuypers in 1750.
Release notes
"Dolby Process" on labels. Sermons of Saint Francis for narrator and tape. Hymn of Creation for narrator and tape; words from Hymn 129 of Book 10 of the Rigveda. Labyrinth for cello and tape. About Labyrinth: The tape utilizes in several sections four prerecorded cello tracks (recorded by the soloist) which, in performance, are played through two speakers placed on either side of the soloist. These cello sections themselves (both live and prerecorded) are serially organized for duration as…
| A1 | Sermons Of Saint Francis | ||
| A2 | Hymn Of Creation | ||
| B | Labyrinth |
- Kenneth Heller
- Liner Notes
- Ralph Swickard
- Liner Notes
- William DuBay
- Liner Notes
