- Steve Hicken unpacks a key element of "The Composer as Specialist."
- Read Frank Oteri's 2001 interview with Babbitt (h/t Alex Ross, who linked to it a few days ago).
- Alex links to Babbitt: Portrait of a Serial Composer, a film about Babbitt by the late Robert Hilferty.
- Andrew Patner also discusses the film.
- Elaine Fine reproduces and quotes a touching letter to Bernard Zaslav from Babbitt.
- Elaine also posts the recording that Babbitt wrote to Zaslav about the (release, after 35 years in the can!) of the Zaslav Duo's 1970 recording of a Babbitt piece.
- Tim Rutherford-Johnson has a personal obit.
- Tim also links to a fine Greg Sandow article about Babbitt, published in 1982. (Would that Greg were writing more of this sort of thing and spending less time advocating use of Twitter during concerts!)
Lisa Hirsch's Classical Music Blog.
The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time.
Berce mollement sur ton sein sublime
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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
More on Babbitt
More on the late composer:
The Zaslav Duo made their recording of the Babbitt in 1970, but it didn't make it "out of the can" until 2005.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteWhy all this attention towards Milton Babbitt? The man wasn't exactly a great composer... Most of his music just isn't very good.
By the way, I think critics exaggerate about public fleeing at the first sign of dissonance. Dissonance is not really the issue. Of course Babbitt's music will remain hidden, not because people don't want to hear it, but because MUSICIANS don't want to perform it.
That tells you a lot.
Hmm...well, opinions differ as to the quality of Babbitt's work. I think if you ask around, you'd find plenty of musicians who love performing it.
ReplyDeleteElaine, thank you - I have corrected the posting.
ReplyDelete