MUSIC I HAVE HEARD 1982/1998
Alvin Curran
American Composer. Rome.
"People Often Ask Me What Music
I Listen To"
The answer is : "not very much"
(I don't own a record player, radio or television set), none
the less, I have heard a modest quantity of music in 43 years.
From memory I have compiled a list of composers, compositions,
places, and sounds (in no particular order) which have remained
an integral part of me. My father's trombone; my mother's stride
piano; Spike Jones; old men humming and buzzing while dav'nin
(praying) in the Synagogue; The hope st. Tunnel bus in Providence;
Art Tatum in Newport; Kosugi in a bag in Rome; Steve Lacy the
MEV Studio (Rome); Cornelius Cardew; Cantor Jacob Hohenemser;
Kontarski plays Franco Evangelisti; The Dagar Brothers; The Band
of America; Amos 'n Andy; The Lone Ranger; The Green Hornet;
Casablanca; Ed Norton; Clark Coolidge's first drum set (black
and yellow); Boat Horns at night in the Port of Providence; Billie
Holiday; "Easy Living"; Bartok; Memphis Slim; Elliott
Carter; Duke Ellington; Josquin des Pres; Peanuts Hucko; Charles
Ives; Gesualdo; Leroy Vinnegar; Prelude: Act III, Lohengrin;
The Scratch Orchestra; Chopin; John Cage and David Tudor singing
on the radio; Cage and Tudor singing on the streets of Rome;
Thelonius Monk (at the Five Spot); "Sweet Betsy from Pike";
Bismallah Khan; Guy Lombardo; Aunt Adele playing the cornet from
her porch on the 4th of July; the Providence Train Yard at night;
The Beatles; Brahms; Louis Armstrong; Simone Forti singing an
italian fishing song; Teddy Wilson; Webern; Monteverdi; Fats
Waller; Alban Berg; Lester Lanin; Giuseppe Chiari performing
"Maria at the American Church in Rome; Terry Riley; Bud
Powell; Guillame de Marchaut; Ellis Larkins; Maryanne Amacher
listening to the Boston Harbour; Misja Mengelberg; Phil Napoleon;
Clark Coolidge's poetry; Horace Silver; Frederic Rzewski; Fog
Horns in the (Narragansett Bay); Ivan Vandor's tenor sax; Earl
Hines; Phil Glass; John Coltrane; Giacinto Scelsi; Varese; Charlie
Parker; Harold Arlen; Lee Konitz; late Beethoven; Clifford Brown;
Stravinsky; Braxton; IND subway at 72nd st. NYC; T.R. Mahalingam;
Cecil Taylor; Chinese New Years (NYC '79); Alan Bryant "s
amplified rubber bands; The Living Theater; Temple Emanuel Choir-Martin
Curran tenor soloist; "Darktown Strutters Ball"; "Giant
Steps"; "As Time Goes By"; Schumann Lieder; George
Gershwin; Tibetan Monks; Jimmy Hendrix; Lester Young; "Alterations"
(Bim Huis); Loons in Maine; the Korean Court Orchestra; Ella
Fitzgerald (Newport '52); Frescobaldi (on the radio '81); Lenny
Tristano; Sardinian Goat Bells; George Lewis in a tent in Florence;
Winter Woods in Vermont; Gunther "baby" Sommer; Pope
Giovanni Paolo II saying "Merry Cristmas" in Swahili;
Die Winterreise; Jack Teagarden; Garret List; Frank Sinatra;
Nam June Paik; Johnny Cash; Conlon Nancarrow; Edith Schloss sings
Ravel's "Bolero"; Yoko Ono; Ron Nelson; MEV perform
for 3 minutes as the warm-up group for the Pink Floyd (London
'68); Mozart C minor fantasy; "I Can't Get Started";
Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations; Malcolm Goldstein's nomadic
violin; Joannie Mitchell; The Brown University Band; Robert Ashley's
"Wolfman"; Charlie Morrow; Michiko Hirayama; Evan Parker;
Harry Carney; Steve Reich; Annea Lockwood's "Glass Music";
Roswell Rudd; "Georgia On My Mind"; the Amsterdam Zoo;
Carl Orff; Charlemagne Palestine; Archie Shepp; Joan LaBarbara;
Chet Baker; Nono; Berio; Nuova Consonanza; Gerry Mulligan; a
Starling Migration (Rome '81); Cicadas in Maremma; Pietro Grossi
in Venice Laurie Anderson; Leroy Anderson; Phil Niblock; Phil
Corner; Don Cherry; Earle Brown; Cardini; Verdi-Othello; Morton
Feldman at the Rome Opera; Miles Davis at Storeyville; New Years
in Gabon; Serge Chaloff; Pete Seeger; Max Eastley; "Red
River Valley"; Shenendoah; Billy Boy; Il Barbiere Di Siviglia;
Karl Maria von Weber; Prima Materia; "I am Sitting in a
Room" by Alvin Lucier; Mahler; "Moonlight in Vermont";
the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar); Nunzio Zambello, Neopolitan
puppeteer; Kindertotenlieder; Altenberglieder; Lou Cedrone, Band
and Accordian; Marty Curran Orchestra-Music for Every Occasion;
A Grange Hall in Wickford, R.I.; Eddie Wittstein Orchestra; The
Catskills; Train Couplings in theSouthern Railway yard, Winston
Salem N.C. "Out of This World"; "Come Rain or
Come Shine"; "When Sunny Gets Blue"; "Sophisticated
Lady"; "Woodn'You?"; "Mood Indigo";
"I Got It Bad"; "Ida Lupino"; "Joy Spring";
"I Should Care"; "Body and Soul"; "Foggy
Day"; "Darn That Dream"; "Green Dolphin St.Naima";
"God Bless the Child"; "The Duke"; "Don't
Get Around Much Anymore"; "Daahoud"; "Con
Alma"; "Angel Eyes"; "Alone Together";
"All The Things You Are"; "The Fantastiks";
AMM with Tilbury and Cardew, Ed and Lou; Satie; Yves Montand;
Debussy; Ravel; Tamia; Edith Piaf; Salvation Army Band; Sardinian
Launeddas; Louis Andriessen; Paul Rutherford; Jon Phetteplace;
Lotte Lenya; Kurt Weil; Darmstadt; "Der Blaue Engel";
John Philip Souza; Haendel; FIG-Feminist Improvisation Group;
The People Band; The Spontaneous Music Ensemble; Chief Rabbi
of Peking; Court Singers of Niger; A Roman street musician playing
a bay-leaf; The Chicago Arts Ensemble nude in Amougies; Richard
Teitelbaum in a Javanese Gamelan Orchestra; Harry Partch; Mary
Lou Williams; Marlene Dietrich; Franz Bruggen; Fischer-Dieskau;
Jimmy Garrison; Jon Gibson; Dave McKenna; Oscar Pettiford; Albert
Ayler; Broadus Earle; Charlie Mingus; The Inkspots; John Adams;
The Tink's Lost Haftorah; The Soft Machine; Meredith Monk; Velvet
Undergrond; Cappuchin Monks (Ara Coeli-Rome); Sylvano Bussotti;
Carla Bley; Vittorio Gelmetti's Deserto Rosso; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Einstein-first piano teachers; James Johnson-second piano teacher;
Caspar-my dog who sang; Kagel; Donatoni; Castiglioni; The Classical/Central
High School Band -Eddie McCabe dir.-; Martin Fischer; Arlan Coolidge;
Yuji Takahashi; E.E. Cummings; The Narragansett Indians (in spirit);
Philly-Joe Jones; "Orfeo Negro"; Slam Stewart; "Four";
"I Remember Clifford"; "Bernie's Tune"; "Blue
Monk"; "Round Midnight"; K and J; Kenton; Gil
Evans; David Behrman; Joe Celli; Milford Graves; Pete Rugolo;
Sun Ra; Paul Desmond; Antonello Salis; Pierre Boulez; Leo Smith;
Wolves in the Abruzzi Mountains; Nina Simone; Roscoe Mitchell;
Eugenio Colombo; Shelley Mann; Ezra Pound reading at his home
in Venice; Akio Suzuki; Giorgio Battistelli; Bill Smith at the
american academy in Rome; Joe Morello; Michael Nyman; Giancarlo
Menotti; MEV2; MJQ; Stravinsky shaking my hand; Varese saying
"hello"; "Celito Lindo"; "Tennessee
Waltz"; "Goodnight Irene"; Scelsi's Om Konk Pax;
Derek Bailey; Linton Kwesi Johnson; Purcell; Dowland; Morley;
Michael Parsons; "Der Rosenkavalier"; Dallapiccola;
Ralph Shapey; Buel Neidlinger; Steve Potts; " Stockhausen's
Gesang der Junglinge"; the Brooklyn Bridge; B.B. King; Ray
Charles; "The Original Amateur Hour"; Berlioz; Aaron
Copland; Ferde Grofe; George Antheil; Venice at night; Jed Curtis
at the Red Garter in Florence; Hugh Davies; Jerry Hunt; Maria
Monti; Robert Moran; Antonello Neri; Willem de Ridder; Annie
Sprinkle; Snoop Doggy Dog; Beck; Nick Cave; John Rose and the
Roumanian Gypsy Band; Moondog; Elk in Yellowstone Park; 12 million
bats in Texas; Canadian Geese in Minnesota; Julius; Kristina
Kubisch; Hildegard von Bingen; Barbara Heller plays Fanny Mendelsohn
thru my computer; Dr. Dre; William Winant; Zorn; Charley Morrow
's conch shell band; Charles Amirkhanian; Rova Sax Quartet; The
Golem; Julius; Denis Russel Davies play Mozart; Carles Santos;
Walter Zimmerman; Zap Mama; Dieter Schnebel; Christian Wolff;
Peter Kowald; the Tuvan singers from Mongolia; Globe Unity; the
Kronos; Bang on a Can ensemble; Ethyl Smyth; Kaya Sarajaaho;
Lois Vierk; Mary Jane Leach; Michel Waisvisc; Moniek Toebosch;
Bessie Smith; Sofia Gubaidulina; Salimat Ali Khan; Orlando di
Lasso; New Years at Battery Park; Arnold Dreyblatt; Salomone
Rossi; Leonard Bernstein; Count Basie; Benedetto Marcello; Purcell;
Schnittke; Carlos Zingaro; Messiaen; Honegger; Tristan Honsinger;
Katie Duck; Sean Bergin; "Just a Closer Walk with Thee";
"Sweet Lorraine"; "Ida"; "After You've
Gone"; "Come Rain or Come shine;" Bob Brookmeyer;
Big Bill Broonzy; "On Top of Old Smokey"; Cole Porter;
Hoepoes, peacocks, nightingales, mockingbirds, orioles, and the
London Zoo; Jerome Kern; Elvis Presely; Maggie Nichols; The Beatles;
Ille Strazza; Coleman Hawkins; Fog Horns on Governor's Island;
Wilson Pickett; Pierre Schaeffer; Murray Schafer; Han Bennink;
Ligeti; Muhal Abrams; Ornette; Roberto Laneri; Sidney Bechet;
Leoncavallo; Ansermet; Prokofiev; Murolo; Maderna; Giovanni Gabrielli;
Dufay; Barbara Strozzi; Myra Hess; Astor Piazzola; John Sebastian;
George M. Cohan; Pandit Pranath singing at Sargentini's house
in rome; Harold Budd; New Phonics Art Ensemble; Salvatore Martirano;
La Serra di Lerici; The Bay of La Spezia; The R.I. Philarmonic
Orchestra; Roberto Leydi; Mel Powell; The Nantucket Lightship
II; "Canti di Capricorno" by Scelsi; "Shenandoah";
Pergolesi; Hoagy Carmichael; Carol Plantamura; Bauhaus; The Hichiriki
ensemble; Christian Wolff; Crawling with Tarts; Sonic Youth;
Paul Lovens; Mike Sahl; Tony Scott; Demetrio Stratos/Area; The
Percussion Ensemble of Rebibbia Prison (Rome) led by Toni Esposito;
The Town Band of Bomarzo. Diamanda Galas; Die Einstuerztenden
Neubauten; Die Toedliche Doris; Fireworks by Pierre-Alain Hubert;
Yuji Takahashi play Xennakis; Xennakis at the World's Fair in
Brussels l956; Bison mating in Wind Cave Park North Dakota; Peter
Garland; The Harbour, Sydney Australia; The terrorist attack
and explosion at La Belle Discotec in Berlin l986. Yvar Mikhashoff
plays wall to wall everything; random Gunfire in Oakland; The
Hub; Ellis Larkins at the Carnegie Tavern; Max Neuhaus at little
carnegie hall; Tom Johnson; Esther Ferrer; Joelle Leandre; Joe
Celli; Jon Gibson; Robert Dick; Barbara Monk Feldman; Hans Peter
Kuhn; Aki Takahashi; David Moss; Miya Masaoka; Victor Cavallo;
Ivan Vandor's tenor sax; Erick Samakh in Linz; Orazio Vaggione;
Serge Tcherepnin; Eliane Radigue; Joan Jonas; Pauline Oliveros;
Pierre Clementi plays the saw; Trisha Brown laugh; A tufo quarry
in Matera; Petr Kotik; Phill Niblock; Ben Neil; Phil Corner;
Guy Klusevsek ; Allison Knowles beans; Ursula Oppens; Laurie
Spiegel; George Brecht's caged violin; Llorenc Barber; Limpe
Fuchs; Judith Malina and Julian Beck in living anarchy; Chris
Newman sing his own Lieder; Rhys Chatham kill a gong; Glenn Branca
makes Cage faint in Chicago; paul Klerr's "Magic Carpet;"
David Hammon's "Charlie Parker" at PS 1; Leo Kupper's
Klangkuppel; The School of Hard Knocks of Jacob and Yoshiko at
the Venice Biennale; Trevor Wishart; Arditti Quartet; Harry Partch;
Lilly Boulanger; Fela Kuti; Oum Kalsoum; Tito Puente; Jimmy Hendrix;
Souza; George M Cohan; Carl Stallings; John Tilbury play Feldman;
Cardew, Neiman and Bryars play Reich's "Drumming";
Clarence Barlow play a Turkish bus on the computer; Logos Duo;
Cicadas in Tuscany; The marble quarries of Carrara; Nicola Bernardini;
Douglas Ewart with bells on his ankles; Emmet Williams and Annie
in Warsaw; Stefan Tiedje; Sun Ra at Symphony Space; Il Teatro
Beat 72; Antonello Salis; Webern; the destruction of the Berlin
Wall; Rome/Napoli soccer match; Maria Tipo play the Goldberg
Variations; Miles and Coltrane at Storyville in Boston; Betty
Carter in Rome; David Toop in London; MEV Sound Pool, at La Musee
d'Art Moderne de Paris; Horizontal Radio 1995; A building demolition
in Frankfurt; a man snoring in a Wagon Lits; Children singing
at the Jewish orphanage in Rome; Inuit throat singers; Melissa's
backward Austrian Yodeling tape; Mego's America the Beautiful
over the telephone; Making a cobblestone pavement in Warsaw;
a Sardinian peasant woman singing in a courtyard in Rome; High
tension wires in Sardinia; Loons in Maine; Bullfrogs in Texas;
The London Zoo; Maryanne Amacher at Harmony Ranch. Bjork; Der
Klangturm in St. Poelten; Lightning that blew-up my Computer
in Genzano; Henry Cowell plays an Irish pub. Carlota teaching
"Clave" to the cats. All the muezzin in Istanbul. Jim
O'Rourke in Pietralata. Susan Levenstein playing the nineteenth
century on the Tiber River. John Cage laughing through it
all.
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