Across the River - a wave to Florence Price

[ted]

This one is somewhat different,  having been driven by pure musical impulse without a moment of conscious or haptic intervention. I couldn't have been less ready, I had a bronchitis from an infection, I hadn't slept properly for days, I hadn't practised, my technique was execrable and I had several personal issues to sort out. Nonetheless, I feel I "courted the flame", as Jarrett once put it, better than I have for a long time. On the basis of this solipsistic assumption I shall post the whole thing, split into two and slightly degraded to fit the size restrictions. Make of it what you will.

[ted]

Just to get things in the right order.

[frodo3]

I enjoyed hearing excerpts of this.  From 8:00 to 12:00 – reminded a little to me of Medtner’s Nightwind sonata first mvt?  After 1 listen - has a similar chaotic, meandering sound to my ear with similar textures and harmonic vocabulary in places.  Being spontaneously improvised, it of course lacks the structure and organization of a composed work.  Do you see any similarities of portions of this improvisation to works composed by others?

[ted]

Thanks for listening, glad you found something to like.

Do you see any similarities of portions of this improvisation to works composed by others?

No, at least not consciously.

[frodo3]

Thanks for listening, glad you found something to like.

No, at least not consciously.

You played very well, especially for someone recovering from illness - great stamina!.  Hope you are recovered now.  I'm sure at the time you improvised this, you were not thinking of any composers or works.  I was thinking about when you listen to this music AFTER you created it.  I'm sure you have a vast knowledge of the piano repertory from romantic to modern to popular.  Listening to your improvisation now, do you hear any similarities to other composers?  Maybe just broadly - similar to late romantic period and maybe some popular music of the early to mid 1900"s?

[ted]

Listening to your improvisation now, do you hear any similarities to other composers?  Maybe just broadly - similar to late romantic period and maybe some popular music of the early to mid 1900"s?

I do have an abiding fondness of the English group of the early twentieth century, especially Elgar, Delius, Bax, Bridge, Ireland, Finzi and Havergal Brian, but it is more an assimilation of the spirit of the music rather than the use of specific features. The same applies to the lovely music of Florence Price, which I have inexplicably only recently heard, but never after the manner of direct imitation. What I hear and imagine while listening to my own music is too individual and variable to bear thinking about but the reason I record is certainly to listen to it into the future, sometimes the distant future. Although I do enjoy the act of improvising, it is far from the end objective, which comprises the recordings themselves.

[frodo3]

I do have an abiding fondness of the English group of the early twentieth century, especially Elgar, Delius, Bax, Bridge, Ireland, Finzi and Havergal Brian, but it is more an assimilation of the spirit of the music rather than the use of specific features. The same applies to the lovely music of Florence Price, which I have inexplicably only recently heard, but never after the manner of direct imitation. What I hear and imagine while listening to my own music is too individual and variable to bear thinking about but the reason I record is certainly to listen to it into the future, sometimes the distant future. Although I do enjoy the act of improvising, it is far from the end objective, which comprises the recordings themselves.

I’ve been listening to Rubbra’s symphonies 3 and 7.  There is some great music there. It’s interesting that Bax, Bridge and Rubbra were all very popular, then all of a sudden neglected for many years starting in the 1950’s. 

Your style in improvising often changes without notice, maybe 1 minute of late romantic then all of a sudden in a different era.  Add to this the huge length of your improvisations => there is no doubt that all is unrehearsed and not planned in advance.  You truly do spontaneous creation.

[ted]

Your style in improvising often changes without notice, maybe 1 minute of late romantic then all of a sudden in a different era.  Add to this the huge length of your improvisations => there is no doubt that all is unrehearsed and not planned in advance.  You truly do spontaneous creation.

In part all this was due to the recent technology of recording devices; tapes used to run out after 30 to 45 minutes. Twenty-five years ago I heard the solo concerts of Jarrett, just at a time when I was tiring of most conventional music and musical processes. Just also at the time I retired and had more time so I thought why not try free improvisation as my primary medium. Prior to that I had written a lot of compositions but felt they were all derivative in one way or another. I don't like all of Jarrett's sounds per se, I like my own, but the underlying implication that it was "all right" to improvise freely for a recorded end product seemed pretty new at the time. I wasn't much good at it to start with but then after a while I made the occasional one which didn't sound too bad and I have amassed around 700 hours since. It isn't right for everyone but for me it was a good decision. 

[quantum]

There are many beautiful moments in this!  I sense the opening theme, or at least its sentiment, makes several return appearances, like it was cast in different light each time.  There were a couple of places that reminded me of Scriabin in either harmonic movement or figuration. 

In my experience, improvisations that are created after a return from a break in playing tend to have a renewed sense of creative energy.  Perhaps that is what was happening here.  Hope you have recovered well. 

I am on my second listen as of this writing, and sense a certain ease in the flow of ideas. 

[ted]

Thanks for listening Neil. Yes, I am back to full aerobic and resistance training now. Oddly enough, my wife caught Covid but I did not. Instead I caught this less celebrated but long lasting bronchial virus which has been doing the rounds here. As we have discussed before I am much better at creating moments than large structures but you are right about the recurring ideas here. Price's music has a highly individual plaintive quality to it which is very striking; a lyricism closer to a spiritual than to a blues but not entirely disparate from the latter either. You are right too about the self-reference being one of sentiment rather than precise cells. Direct conscious imitation has ceased to interest me for many years. It has merit as a learning tool when young I suppose but ultimately we must be ourselves in any form of art.   

[ted]

I am on my second listen as of this writing, and sense a certain ease in the flow of ideas.

Yes, this one flowed particularly easily. In the course of an hour or more I usually find myself in places I use conscious intervention of one sort or another to get out of, but not here. I don't suppose conscious intervention is something most listeners would discern anyway but you have obviously detected its absence. Curiously, my teacher, like many professionals, improvised consciously all the time, what amounted to remarkably rapid mental arithmetic. He knew exactly what had happened and what was going to happen. I respect the ability because I am not very good at it but as it usually doesn't produce the sort of music which surprises and moves me I haven't strained myself to develop it beyond a certain point.