The other minimalists

[torut]

The techniques are very different. The LSI is bowed and the Excited Strings are percussion instruments? (I don't have time to watch the video.)

Yes, it is played by hitting the wire strung on a double bass with a bow. The orchestra sometimes sounds like gamelan.
This video shows how the instrument is actually played.
http://vimeo.com/15385126

[torut]

Stephen Scott - New Music For Bowed Piano

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Rainbows I, for bowed piano
https://www.youtube.com/v/itINrvadrAQ

The rhythmic parts recall Steve Reich's music to me. Very beautiful.

I have not watched it in full, but this video contains a performance of the bowed piano. The performers look very busy.
https://www.youtube.com/v/pyH16IzZz8c

[torut]

Glenn Branca - Symphony No. 3 (Gloria) Music for the first 127 intervals of the harmonic series

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Part III
https://www.youtube.com/v/W5nzkk4yuhQ

http://www.glennbranca.com/

This is the first time I listened to Branca's music. I chose Symphony No. 3 because of its subtitle. After the drums enter, the music eventually reaches a very loud climax, but the beginning and the 3rd movement are quite beautiful. It does not sound like a guitar ensemble.

Allmusic review

[...] his musicians were for the most part no longer utilizing traditional (though retuned) electric guitars. Instead, homemade instruments had been created, wherein guitar strings and pickups were attached to two-by-fours that were laid in banks horizontally and played with small sticks or mallets. In performance, one interesting effect of this technique was that, through amplification, an enormous volume of sound was capable of being produced by very slight and gentle tapping of the strings.

I read this interview with interest. He talked about the influence of minimalist composers.
http://media.hyperreal.org/zines/est/intervs/branca.html

In the other thread, Octave mentioned John Cage's dismissal of Glenn Branca's Indeterminate Activity Of Resultant Masses.

"My feelings were disturbed ... I found in myself a willingness to connect the music with evil and with power. I don't want such a power in my life. If it was something political it would resemble fascism" (John Cage, 1982).

Cage's main objection to the music is the way in which the band of musicians are required rigorously to follow the will of the composer / conductor (Branca) in order to produce music which appears to consist of a sustained climax, an overwhelming statement of pure, awesome power, which the audience can only submit themselves to.

It is interesting that Boulez criticized John Cage's chance operation and anti-art attitude, claiming that it will lead the society to fascism, in an interview in the early 1970s. In any case, it seems that the musical goal of Branca is the opposite to that of Cage.

"I love La Monte Young and I think what he's doing is incredibly important and his music will be listened to for hundreds of years. But he concentrated his energies completely on the tuning system and on demonstrating that system. It's very beautiful, but what I'm concentrating on is what I think of as rigorous composition. This is the point that I am selling, and that I try to get every young composer I meet to understand. Maybe the trend now is in that direction and doesn't need any more help from me. I don't think we've heard rigorous composition since the beginning of the century. It was dropped for effects, and for systems, and for processes - everything but composition. It's such hard work, and I'm certainly not patting myself on the back, I don't think I've come anywhere near to achieving it."

[Mandryka]

Who was Harley Gaber? I'm wondering whether to go to this concert tomorrow.

http://cafeoto.co.uk/apartment-house-harley-gaber-the-winds-rise-in-the-north.shtm

[7/4]

I like the microtonal Branca, I had #3 for a long time before I heard the other symphonies. It took me a while to get used to the drums, but they work for me now.

Not sure, but I think he gave up microtonality because it was too much trouble.

[milk]

I like the microtonal Branca, I had #3 for a long time before I heard the other symphonies. It took me a while to get used to the drums, but they work for me now.

Not sure, but I think he gave up microtonality because it was too much trouble.

How does a guitar guy get into microtonality? Isn't it difficult on the guitar?

[North Star]

How does a guitar guy get into microtonality? Isn't it difficult on the guitar?

Bending, tuning, or more practically with microtonal frets or fretless guitars.

[7/4]

Bending, tuning, or more practically with microtonal frets or fretless guitars.

custom instruments with frets placed for the tunings
open strings only
slide
fretless

[milk]

custom instruments with frets placed for the tunings
open strings only
slide
fretless

I saw some youtube videos with specially fretted instruments. Well, I have to check out the symphony stuff. I'm curious if he's got a whole ensemble with special instruments or what. But I will check it out.

[7/4]

I saw some youtube videos with specially fretted instruments. Well, I have to check out the symphony stuff. I'm curious if he's got a whole ensemble with special instruments or what. But I will check it out.

I think Branca was an instrument builder for his symphonies.

[milk]

I think Branca was an instrument builder for his symphonies.

That makes it much more interesting in a way. How do you like the music?

[7/4]

That makes it much more interesting in a way. How do you like the music?

Love his microtonal music! Too bad he gave it up AFAIK (see previous comments).

[torut]

Love his microtonal music! Too bad he gave it up AFAIK (see previous comments).

Symphony No. 14 for symphony orchestra (work in progress) uses harmonic series intervals, according to this article. I don't know about other works.
http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/glenn-branca-where-my-ears-want-to-go/

I actually use the harmonic series with symphony orchestras often. I've created an analog of the series that can be played by orchestral musicians who have been familiar with microtonality for many decades now. In fact the first movement of a new orchestral piece I'm writing, Symphony No. 14 (The Harmonic Series), uses entirely harmonic series intervals and has already been performed by The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

[7/4]

Symphony No. 14 for symphony orchestra (work in progress) uses harmonic series intervals, according to this article. I don't know about other works.
http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/glenn-branca-where-my-ears-want-to-go/

Good news! I thought he gave it up.

[milk]

Unfortunately, with N. 3 at least, I can't stand the cymbal bashing drum style. I like what he's doing otherwise but the drum style there is a deal breaker.

[7/4]

Unfortunately, with N. 3 at least, I can't stand the cymbal bashing drum style. I like what he's doing otherwise but the drum style there is a deal breaker.

It took me years to get used to the drums, but the sound of the orchestra is amazing.

[milk]

It took me years to get used to the drums, but the sound of the orchestra is amazing.

I'm hooked on all this stuff that plays around with intonation and harmonics and tunings. I need to find out more. Branca built instruments for this? Am I going to end up listening to Sonic Youth again?

[7/4]

I'm hooked on all this stuff that plays around with intonation and harmonics and tunings. I need to find out more. Branca built instruments for this? Am I going to end up listening to Sonic Youth again?

If Sonic Youth did anything with microtones, none of the microtonalists are talking about it. I don't think they're Just Intonation guys.

[milk]

If Sonic Youth did anything with microtones, none of the microtonalists are talking about it. I don't think they're Just Intonation guys.

No. But they played around with tunings and were influenced by Branca. What is it called? "Beating"? I think they achieve that effect sometimes. They also played around with screw drivers. But I never read about what they were trying to do. It just sounded "cool" to me when I was listening to it. Microtones should be the next thing for indie rock. Sampling some other Branca stuff I see he's sometimes a kind of rock band.

[torut]

It took me years to get used to the drums, but the sound of the orchestra is amazing.

Which symphonies are your favorites? I like Symphony No. 3 a lot, but I am hesitating over which one to try next. Some of them (No. 1, 5, 13) sound really rockish. However, Symphony No. 7 (for orchestra) sounds like Steve Reich's large ensemble work. (I just heard short clips of those.)