Ann Southam - Glass Houses

[nanabush]

Is anyone familiar with these?  I've only heard a recording on the Canadian Music website, and saw the first page of that particular 'glass house', and saw another video on youtube, but know nothing of the others.  I requested to borrow the sheets, and they should be coming in this week.

Ann Southam says that in the particular piece that I heard on the website, the left hand has an ostinato of 7 notes; the right hand has 'tunes' that range from a few eighth notes to entire passages.  These are played in what she describes as a pattern of numbers (I saw this on the page that was available on the website and was baffled).  I tried it out and did not even know how to begin to get the hands to fit together.

This reminds of the Nancarrow Tango where different lines of music have different meters in a sense.

This stuff is so interesting!  If anyone knows anything about them, or any other strange contemporary stuff that this would remind you of, share your knowledge!

The LRCM syllabus here in Canada is what led me to this piece - and a bunch of other Canadian stuff that I had never heard of but am loving!

This is what I've found... took a bit of digging, because the youtube video was not the easiest thing to come across.

https://www.musiccentre.ca/media/scoreSamples/Southm_50079_GlassH9_X.pdf  (pdf sample of one of the pieces)
https://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=composer.FA_dsp_sample&authpeopleid=435&by=S (sample recording of the pdf)

[quantum]

I've actually been exposed to a lot of Southam's music.  My teacher plays quite a bit of it.  

Take a look Southam's Rivers - it is similar in style, but the music is written out in full.  There are three books of rivers.  The piece listed in LRCM is from the fast book.  (Actually I'm quite attracted to it and was glad to see it in the syllabus).  

Regarding Glass Houses 9:

The LH is constant, it keeps going throughout the whole piece.

The RH gets layered ontop of the LH.  As you can see there is a lot of asymmetry between the cells in the RH against the LH.  This creates somewhat of a phasing effect.  There is a specified amount of repetition that goes on, but because of the asymmetry of the phrases it happens independently in each hand.  

So instead of doing things like this

Code: [Select]

RH  ||: 1234 1234 1234 :||
LH  ||: 1234 1234 1234 :||

You get this using the instructions for line #1

Code: [Select]

RH || 1&2&3&1&2&3&1&2&3&1&2&3& 1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4& ||
LH || 123456712345671234567123 45671234567123456712345671234567 ||


[nanabush]

Whew, that's what I was thinking it was going to be like.  Thanks for clarifying it 
I can't wait to try this and the other ones; it's not a matter of technical difficulty, it's the complexity behind the timing of hands together that's really going to get to me.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take a look at the Rivers too.

[birba]

I'm wondering if Glass Houses is a play on words for Phillip Glass.  Because it sounds a lot like him.

[retrouvailles]

Yeah, I agree with the previous comment. It's really nothing special. it's like a combination of Philip Glass, early John Adams, Hans Otte, and very tame Nancarrow. Where is the innovation in this? Even more important, where is the musical content and expression in this?

[nanabush]

Well I'm sure it was influenced by other people; I'm a big fan of Glass's stuff too... I'm not so much into the really atonal and experimental contemporary music.  I just like how the Glass Houses (the one's I've heard) aren't too offensive sounding (for my ears), seem playable, and are by a Canadian composer 

[quantum]

Having sat through several performances of Southam's works, I feel that it is music that puts you in a particular time and space.  Believe me, it sounds much better in person than on YouTube.  You really have to take time to absorb the sounds.  The ideas are more implicit rather than concrete.  Not all the musical content is outlined in her scores, as the composer often notes she leaves much to the performer to "discover" the music. 

Besides as nanabush points out, there are some very interesting demands on the performer.  I find her music rather intriguing. 

[lontano]

With the rather small samples provided, I'm fascinated, and want to hear/see more. Are the Glass Houses and Rivers available on CD?

L.

[quantum]

The complete Rivers is available on CD - I believe it is a 3 disc set.  Contact the Canadian Music Centre for details.  

I attended the world premiere of the complete set and would highly recommend it.  

I dug up a link:
https://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspItemDetails&buyItemsID=1441

[lontano]

The complete Rivers is available on CD - I believe it is a 3 disc set.  Contact the Canadian Music Centre for details.  

I attended the world premiere of the complete set and would highly recommend it.  

I dug up a link:
https://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspItemDetails&buyItemsID=1441

Thanks, I just downloaded the album from Amazon. In some very small ways some of the Southam works in this style brings to mind both "Piano Media" and "Time Cycle" by Toshi Ichiyanagi (far more primitive and intense), and the arpeggio technique of Lubomyr Melnyk (just ever so slightly). Nice to listen to when something more complex is not appreciated.