Well, it's been two years (maybe more?) since I put up my first set of page in a loose grouping of works in "progress"--which was/is just an excuse for me to post poems, etc. from a manuscript that follows my preoccupation with music, or rather with the way dissonance and melody, song and noise, come together in our attempts to create sounds out of the world around us. Also, tied in with this theme is the notion of pushing boundaries--exploring edges, within ourselves and the landscape, or within our very idea of what we call music (as opposed to noise)--and also about how we use music to create myths from history.
Enough justification...
This poem is an homage to ragtime composer Scott Joplin, and particularly his piece "Maple Leaf Rag."
Also, tied into it is the whole notion of dance, rap, the blues and the physical pleasure of
moving your body around to the beat (however you want to do that). Music as catharsis.
Ah..."FIREORGAN: AN INSTALLATION"
a poem I've been fond of but no editor has seemed to care much for (so far)...
essentially a tribute, a reaction to the work of German/Seattle sound artist Trimpin,
whose music cannot be recorded because it is visual as well as auditory. He brings
together odd instruments--cast off bits & pieces--and makes instruments of them.
What I love is the way his art explores the randomness of music and sound, the
melodies within the dissonance. The actual "FireOrgan" piece, created
several years ago, was written about in the local papers--which is how I
heard of him--but its whereabouts now are a mystery to me
"ON THE SEVENTH DAY PETALS FELL IN PETALUMA"
About three years ago I finally paid attention to Neile's goading that I might
like Harry Partch. Coincidentially, this was right about the time several biographies
were published and a large part of his ouvre was made available on CD. Partch--
who died in 1974 at the age of 72--was a hobo, a proofreader, a university lecturer,
a craftsman---and above all an unusual composer. He created his own instruments to
play the half and quarter tone notes which he believed would bring about a revolution
in contemporary classical music. He sought to reinvent our notion of music, with "just
intonation" and "corporality" [bringing the musicians on-stage].
"Petals" is set in a period of Partch's life after he'd returned to California and was gearing up to write the stage opera "Delusion of the Furies." The title of his musical notations for "Delusions" is also the title of this poem. On first arriving at the abandoned hatchery, Partch walked under just such a canopy of falling petals.
If you'd like to know more, explore "the Corporeal Meadows" homepage dedicated to Partch.
Charles Ives sparked my interest because he worked outside the "mainstream" of academic music in the early part of this century---writing most of his compositions on holidays and while travelling on the train from his home in New Haven, Ct. to his office job in New York City. There were almost no performances of his work during his lifetime. Also, his compostions stretched the boundry of what was then considered music--including snippets of old hymns, patriotic songs, and making dissonance a strong element in the pieces.
The poem, "Good Dissonance For A Man", takes its title from a short video I saw a few years ago.
Ok, that's it for now. I'm hoping in the coming months to post more new poems.
Hey, thanks for your patience--you've made it this far.
You deserve a reward. No one should get this far into my madness without an escape. So, try this oasis.
Here are some places where you can see more of my poems on the web, should you so desire:
"Terrian: A Journal of the Built & Natural Enviornments"