the "Godmother of my Chromatic Organ" - H. Partch

Mildred Couper fans everywhere will be glad to know two of her pieces for two
pianos tuned 1/4 tone apart have now been recorded, 73 years after their
premiere: Xanadu and Dirge. Couper was Harry Partch's savior in the 30's while
he was on the road and stopped by her Santa Barbara home. She knew Cowell
(Xanadu was premiered on the same concert that the Rhythmicon was unveiled),
Boulanger and Stravinsky. She heard Ives' Three 1/4 tone pieces in the 1920s and
wrote at least 4 pieces in 24TET. They are gnarly, exciting and very
"pianistic". Maybe they will now become standard rep...

They appear on the CD If Tigers Were Clouds: Eight Decades of Women in
Experimental Music played by Zeitgeist on the innova label.

Details:
http://www.innova.mu/artist1.asp?skuID=36

Philip

P,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, PhilipBla@a... wrote:
> Mildred Couper fans everywhere will be glad to know two of her pieces for two
> pianos tuned 1/4 tone apart have now been recorded, 73 years after their
> premiere: Xanadu and Dirge.

Better late than never!

I hope people on the tuning list realize what a good thing it is to have Philip Blackburn join the mix. If nothing else, he knows I owe him a reply to an email from earlier, since he can tell my computer and internet connection are still working...

Cheers,
Jon