Monday, March 21, 2005
Things I'd like to find
It only occurred to me to day that I could ask about these:
1) Anybody have any idea about the whereabouts of any extant pieces by Israel Citkowitz? Citkowitz, as people may or may not know, was a protege of Copland's. Only six of his pieces--all songs to poems from Chamber Music by Joyce--were published (by Cos Cob Press). The '54 Groves lists a bunch of other pieces: A String Quartet (which was played at the first Yaddo Festival), a Piano Sonata, songs on poems of Blake and Frost. I've been able to find two pieces which were in Nadia Boulanger's papers at Harvard. As far as his family knows he destroyed everything he could, having decided it wasn't good enough, which is too bad, since, although it's maybe uneven, some of the songs are really beautiful and interesting. Anyway, if anybody has any ideas....
2) A recording of Erwin Schulhoff's setting of the Communist Manifesto. I've only recently become aware of it. ("It has long seemed strange to me that nobody has yet made an oratorio out of the Communist Manifesto of 1848 by Max and Englels. It is a text of remarkable eloquence, and for many an article of faith proudly held."--Virgil Thomson, Music With Words). I'd love to hear it. I haven't actually tried to check with his publisher to see if they have a recording, but as far as I can tell there's not a commercial one. Anybody know?
Thanks
posted by Rodney Lister
10:15 PM
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