Ives Variations on America

Anyone who has any inside information on this piece please let me know.

Hi, colleagues:

As far as I know, the Variations were written when Ives was 16 years
old.

There is also a version for pipe organ. An effective recording, in my
opinion, is one played by Andrew Davis at the organ in Roy Thomson Hall in
Toronto built by Gabriel Kney with approx. 5,207 pipes. Dramatic contrasts
in sonorities, including the two 32' ranks are featured. This is on a
Marquis CD, ERAD109, distributed by EMI Music Canada.

Hope that is useful. Otherwise, Henry Cowell's book on Charles Ives
might provide the needed information on this work.

Cheers! Peter

----------
> From: ElodiL010@aol.com
> To: tuning@onelist.com
> Subject: [tuning] Ives Variations on America
> Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 12:59 AM
>
> From: ElodiL010@aol.com
>
> Anyone who has any inside information on this piece please let me know.
>
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On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, weekswyl wrote:
>> From: ElodiL010@aol.com
>> Anyone who has any inside information on this piece please let me know.
>
> As far as I know, the Variations were written when Ives was 16 years
> old.
>
> There is also a version for pipe organ. [snip]

"Also"? I thought the pipe organ version was the original, which was
then orchestrated.

--pH <manynote@library.wustl.edu> http://library.wustl.edu/~manynote
O
/\ "Do you like to gamble, Eddie?
-\-\-- o Gamble money on pool games?"

Paul Hahn is right. The organ piece "Variations on a National Hymn" (1891
with polytonal interludes added somewhat later, but probably before 1894)
was orchestrated by William Schuman.

----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Hahn <PAUL-HAHN@LIBRARY.WUSTL.EDU>
To: <tuning@onelist.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 9:45 PM
Subject: Re: [tuning] Ives Variations on America

> From: Paul Hahn <PAUL-HAHN@LIBRARY.WUSTL.EDU>
>
> On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, weekswyl wrote:
> >> From: ElodiL010@aol.com
> >> Anyone who has any inside information on this piece please let me know.
> >
> > As far as I know, the Variations were written when Ives was 16
years
> > old.
> >
> > There is also a version for pipe organ. [snip]
>
> "Also"? I thought the pipe organ version was the original, which was
> then orchestrated.
>
> --pH <manynote@library.wustl.edu> http://library.wustl.edu/~manynote
> O
> /\ "Do you like to gamble, Eddie?
> -\-\-- o Gamble money on pool games?"
>
>
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[Paul Hahn:]
> "Also"? I thought the pipe organ version was the original, which
was then orchestrated.

That's right (Jan Swafford's book, _A Life with Music_, gives the
first performance by the young Charles Ives as February 17, 1892, at
the Brewster, New York, Methodist Church). The orchestrated version
was William Schuman's, and was re-popularized not to long ago by way
of the Wynton Marsalis' (and Seji Ozawa) "Marsalis on Music" PBS
series. I also have a version of the _Variations_ arranged for piano
by Nina Deutsch.

Dan

Just a brief off-topic aside here... Yesterday I wrote, "the
orchestrated version was William Schuman's, and was re-popularized not
too long ago by way of the Wynton Marsalis' (and Seji Ozawa) "Marsalis
on Music" PBS television series..." Awhile back I was having a brief
off-list discussion with either J. Link or J. Pehrson, in which I said
something along the lines of, "just stay away from the Ozawa conducted
version of Ives' Fourth Symphony..." Well I just listened to it again
today, and I really do feel sorry for the person who goes to this
piece and hears this recording first - Yikes! What happened? I just
find it to be so incredibly lifeless... has anyone else had a similar
reaction?

Dan

The Ozawa is a foggy mess. If you can find the lp of Carlos Surinach (who
assisted Stokowski at the premier), you'll probably be much happier. I hope
that Peter E�tv�s will release a recording some day.

Daniel Wolf

> From: "D.Stearns" <STEARNS@CAPECOD.NET>
>
> Just a brief off-topic aside here... Yesterday I wrote, "the
> orchestrated version was William Schuman's, and was re-popularized not
> too long ago by way of the Wynton Marsalis' (and Seji Ozawa) "Marsalis
> on Music" PBS television series..." Awhile back I was having a brief
> off-list discussion with either J. Link or J. Pehrson, in which I said
> something along the lines of, "just stay away from the Ozawa conducted
> version of Ives' Fourth Symphony..." Well I just listened to it again
> today, and I really do feel sorry for the person who goes to this
> piece and hears this recording first - Yikes! What happened? I just
> find it to be so incredibly lifeless... has anyone else had a similar
> reaction?
>
>
> Dan
>
>
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>

Awhile back I wrote:

>That's right (Jan Swafford's book, _A Life with Music_, gives the
first performance by the young Charles Ives as February 17, 1892, at
the Brewster, New York, Methodist Church). The orchestrated version
was William Schuman's, and was repopularized not to long ago by way of
the Wynton Marsalis' (and Seji Ozawa) "Marsalis on Music" PBS
series. I also have heard a version of the Variations arranged for
piano by Nina Deutsch.

Well I also just stumbled upon a 1964 concert band transcription
(based on the orchestral version by William Schuman) by William E.
Rhoads, and though I seem to have forgotten how or why this thread
even started, I thought I'd pass it on in case anyone was interested:

<http://www.yale.edu/yaleband/cband/programs/ives2.html>

Dan