"November [1836] - Lord Mayor's Day"
George Cruikshank - from
The Comic Almanack
an Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry
Tales, Humorous Poetry, Quips and Oddities, First Series, 1835-1843
Texts
Recorded
December 15, 2024
Yakety Yak - The Coasters [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
a work song
of the chore sort
Land of 1,000 Dances - Chris Kenner [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
this is the test at the end of the term
Spiral I for Electronium and Short Wave Radio - Karlheinz Stockhausen - Harold Boje
inscrutable as a matter of principle
however
the desire
to
not deal
with the concert music industry
on terms that industry
understands
seems valid
only in academia
does any attempt get made
to straddle both
worlds
making each
to be more like the other
didactic synthesis
is self-fulfilling
(self-emptemptying?)
treats music as a matter of material science
music
is its sound
only
(no fury)
The Singer - The Fifth Dimension [a Rescued Record]
crooner crooning
a stage moment
not for porch singing
Candy's Room - Bruce Springsteen [from Darkness on the Edge of Town]
demonstrating
that some words
really should have been sung
instead of recited
European Female - The Stranglers [a Rescued Record]
the cool clean surface
of manufactured sound in the 80s
it don't mean a thing
if it ain't got that sheen
December 16, 2024
Assembly Rechoired 42 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Wally Shoup [February 5, 1988]
a fipple flute's sound
is unstable
as to pitch count
partials
erupt
at tiny perturbations
but
that's
just Wally
finding the fipple flute
at the heart
of his
saxophone
a long poem
for sax drums and piano
the line is a breath
the line is a figure
the line is a
comment
finding the larger breaths
below the lines
a line might answer
or
a line might comment upon
or
a
line might translate
exposing the sound behind the curtain
December 17, 2024
Banned Rehearsal 492 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Anna K, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [April 25, 1998]
doing emerges
from settling in
music emerges
from doing listening
what is
or isn't music
isn't subject to dogmatic assertion
but
is
rather
a matter of spontaneous individual
apprehension
results will vary
the apprehension
as music or as not music
by one party to a shared
experience
has no bearing or force
upon the apprehension
as
music or as not music
of another party to that shared experience
whether they agree or not
musichood
isn't in the signal
do we objectify music
because the only other way to explain it
as
a phenomenon
involves telepathy?
a gastromancy of thought
we think of a sound to make
and in making that sound
we have
inscribed a translation of that thought
into a social space
as
sound
(typically)
the listener translates that sonic inscription
into a thought
the miracle
is
that we often agree
at all
not the universal language
but
relatively porous apprehensions
as musics
across cultural differences
{journal entry of March 25, 2006:
open:
puttering sounds
lowkey percussion
used
by the
big fat music-y piano
and drum
as a ground
upon which
to measure out
a lovely
still
space
Billie Holiday
would come across
as spritely
in this
venue
outlining distinct idea spaces
sonically linked
by the reflexivity
of their time-warping
gradually
both worlds gain menace
we are a train
rolling through the landscapes
we are the
landscapes
beholding the train
{an unfortunate glitch in the
transfer}
{another - about 1/2 way through}
much glitchier
as it goes along
perhaps
a problem with a badly fragmented
hard-drive}
theatrical cues
with ears to each other
and
to their own
dramaturgy
Zither Film 9 - Keith Eisenbrey [February 10, 2008]
tuning in
to a vacuity
whatever
is here
there is less
out there
where
even whispers
are rare
slow absorption
into the music behind nothing
passing by
at
an immense distance
can these pitches
be properly described
as being members
of
such things as pitch classes?
intervals
are not
a distance
Untitled Track 3 - The Blue Ribbon Boys [from Five Songs]
the vocals aren't in the same timeworld
as the band (interesting effect)
more or less on the beat
but not
with it
trust me guys
I didn't understand a word you were saying
17 Prepuntal Contraludes - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded live at The Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle, February 24, 2018]
I still like these pieces
the performance has some nice interpretive
touches
but a lot of wrong notes too
Snohomish Piece 1 - Keith Eisenbrey, S. Eric Scribner, Neal Kosály-Meyer [from Four]
I guess I have this track in several places
oh well!
so:
is this music?
is all of it music?
could it be
music
as a whole
if some part of it
isn't music?
even
partly?
Geistliche Chor-Music, Op. 11, SWV 369-397 (1648), Volume 2: XXVII. Der Engel sprach zu den Hirten: super Angelus ad pastores Andreae Gabrielis - Heinrich Schütz - Capella Augustana
concord stands for correctness
in an harmonic world
now that
George
is how to write an hallelujah!
Canzona in C major, BuxWV 166 - Dieterich Buxtehude - Simone Stella
the elaborate contrapuntal forms
of the late 17th Century
surely
arose
out of musicians
showing off
in order
to
land jobs
Cinqueieme Ordre (la) La Vendangeuses. Rondeau - François Couperin - Kenneth Gilbert
so matter-of-fact about its ornateness
if the lines imply harmonies
they use those means to do so
that
lines have
but
independently of the other voices
doing the
same thing
even
when the two lines
imply the same harmony
they imply it separately
by different paths
Keyboard Sonata in C Minor, Kk. 254 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
repeats so often
and at such strange measures
we lose our
place
we have become ecstasied
Sinfonia for Double Orchestra in E Major, Op. 18 #5 - Johann Christian Bach - Failoni Orchestra - Hanspeter Gmür
two orchestras
for double the pleasure
of double the splendor
not available in all locations
complete with coordinated crescendo
it's all the rage this year
fruits of conquest
as dainties for the king
Sonata in C Major, Wq. 55/1 - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach - Miklós Spányi
1
bursts of furious activity
punctuated with a polite little
bow
2
a lament
to be sung with lute
in serenader guise
3
later
we can stroll in the gardens
and have a nice chat
Sonata in C Major, K. 330 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Vladimir Horowitz [from Horowitz in Moscow]
light touch
never slurred
finds an odd little detail in the final
cadence of the first movement
String Quartet In E Major, Op. 54 #3 - Franz Joseph Haydn - Tatrai Quartet
figures
with numbers of note-items
a number
can be a thought in common
Mass in D Major, Op. 123 "Missa Solemnis" - Ludwig van Beethoven - Vienna Philharmonic, Otto Klemperer, Ilona Steingruber, Else Schuerhoff, Ernst Majkut, Otto Wiener, Akademiechor
a mono recording
as though through a door
pulled from voice to voice
repetitions provide comfort
the parts are crammed together
melody is found
as necessary
fugal exposition and elaboration
attempts to control the uncontrollable
(Beethoven never met a fugue he couldn't and didn't break)
ritual acts inhabit a cyclic eternity
violin solo blesses from on high
peccatas
set in a chain
linked by common tones
Ständchen, D. 957 #4 - Franz Schubert - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
that the introductory measures
are in a tried-and-true pattern
is
crucial
to the interpretation of the text
the image of
inevitability
Variations on "The Little Bell" by Paganini - Robert Schumann (completed by J. Draheim) - Florian Uhlig
sparkly delight
and sharp bass jabs
to soften it up
Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33 #4 - Frédéric Chopin - Vladimir Ashkenazy
keys change
but possibly only in a portion of the music
Storkenbotschaft - Hugo Wolf - Dieterich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim
nor tried nor true
harmonic pattern
to set this
a hint of a figure or two
Etude in F-sharp Major, Op. 42 #4 - Alexander Scriabin - Ruth Laredo
this key
is dreaming of another
in Scriabin's figures
a note
can be a beginning
or a
continuation
or a change in rhythms
contrapuntled independently
Preludes, Book 2: General Lavine, Excentric - Claude Debussy - Paul Jacobs
astonishing
but clearly
and without pretense of cultural
importance
composed so that
watching the player piano playing it
would be
selling point
Piano Sonata - Ruth Crawford Seeger - Jenny Lin
starts with a jump scare drama gesture
then a slower bit
this
moves like a parody
or a foreshortened view
of an appropriately
dramatic Romantic Piano Sonata
the formal construction of this
is rather interesting
in thrall of
Scriabin yet?
just the juicy bits
John the Baptist - Rev. Moses Mason [from Anthology of American Folk Music]
lost locutions of incantatory song
we get a long reading from the
Gospels
baptism and temptation
L'Album de Mme Bovary - Darius Milhaud - François Choveaux
music composed to stand aside
now exposed to merciless view
fleeting
as the flickering image on screen
Mathis Der Maler (Opera): "Du Bringst Es Über Mich, Mein Freund" - "Wer Kann So Erfassen Wie Ihr Mein Handeln" - Paul Hindemith - Radio-Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Leopold Ludwig, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Donald Grobe
clearing the brush
that had accumulated around first principles
not one for unapproached dissonance or other non sequiturs
Study No. 11 (mid 1930's) - Charles Ives - Charles Ives [from Charles Ives plays Charles Ives]
smearing oil on canvas
Lost On The River - Hank Williams [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
each stanza starts with a traditional sounding line
and gradually
particularizes the story
Tiger Man - Rufus Thomas [from Sun Records Definitive Hits]
tom tom spectacular
a brag song
roars and growls
Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
maybe baby
funny honey
backup singing the extra drumming part
The Savage - The Ventures [from Walk Don't Run]
jungle drums
were hip and happening
sounds more like Rudimental Rumpus
than jungle
but what do I know
Dance To The Music - Sly and the Family Stone [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
instructional:
how to listen
and dance
step by step
Turn on the Radio (stereo) - Jerry Tawney [a Rescued Record]
letter home from tour of duty
All of Me - Willie Nelson [from Stardust]
at a tempo
where dancers
can see each others faces
The Bare and Peeling Painted Walls - Jill Borner, Keith Eisenbrey, Dan Sedia [recorded live at Bard College, March 18, 1983]
in which
I clap two rocks together
and crumple some paper
Lilith - Deborah Drattel - Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz
within a culture of institutions
the preservation of those institutions
is paramount
the institutions
consume creative work
but
are resistant to
transformation
by creative work
so
they seek out such work
as will not trouble their digestion
I was a regular audience member of the SSO
at the time this recording
was released
it
the piece
was not
to my recollection
ever
programmed
nor
were any of the other works on the CD
I am
forced to presume
they recorded them
for hire
possibly
at the behest of the label?
all surmise of course
transactional music production
the vibe
is that of a soundtrack
for the movies or games
has some low brass vomits at the end
but is essentially inert
("...finish, then, Thy new creation...") - Keith Eisenbrey - Summer Strings, Dell Wade [a sight-reading September 10, 1998]
a reading rehearsal
of a (now withdrawn) piece for string orchestra
adapted
from a (never performed as such) organ score
bravely
ventured
by an amateur pick-up ensemble
in the basement
of a
church
up on Phinney Ridge
if memory serves
opens with lugubrious Shostakovichianism
the 90s were
for me
a time in which
I was working out what
sort of music
I had in me
(there were several false starts)
this piece is overly complex for an amateur ensemble
and wouldn't have
been all that great even if played well
Isaac chatters happily throughout
When I Dance - Jonathan Richman [from I'm So Confused]
a brag and an instruction
Banned Rehearsal 647 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Neal Kosály-Meyer [March 21, 2003]
picks up moss as it rolls
BR has been a lifeline for me
a society
in which my ear can be at
home
without a public face
this one has sedatory vibes
not a lot of go
go mostly we're
working at developing a shimmery gauze
moody evocations for moody visuals
this music makes no demands that we
keep track of it
Attitude - Doug Palmer - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded live at the Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle, April 12, 2014]
I must have opened with this
start your recital with a furious tale
of uncertain outcome
Watercolors: Geode - Craig Pepples - Julia Hsu [from Open Space 47]
the readings are ominously precise
probing you
to see
of
what mettle and worship
ye be made
Banned Rehearsal 1072 - Jennifer Chung, Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [March 13, 2023]
as though
in were outdoors
and out
were in
the synthesis
is incomparable
with its constituents
their
conjointure
utterly transforms them
(from telepaths 98)
Hoonah jostles and squeezes in
a tight fit
an elaborately composed ensemble conversation
with the audience
leaping from recitative to song
just how quickly can we sing in French?
that's a bushel of silent
letters spilling out between the sixteenth notes
Se equivoco la paloma - Carlos Guastavino - Teresa Berganzo, Juan Antonio Alvarez Parejo
type-changes
to measure the lines
and organize the stanzas
Tackin' Em Down - Van and Schenk [from That Devilin' Tune]
advice for dancing
or something else
a Vaudeville stage is required
to project the proper wink wink nudge
nudge
Samba Classico - Heitor Villa-Lobos - Teresa Berganzo, Juan Antonio Alvarez Parejo
late entry into the National Pride Registry
our dance is our badge
Touch Me Light Mama - George Bullet Williams [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
more paths through the rhythm field
than performers
In Session at The Tintinabulary
December 15, 2024
Medfield - Keith Eisenbrey
December 16, 2024
Banned Rehearsal 1115 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Neal Kosály-Meyer
Postscripts
Drops
recordings of my compositions (and more!) can be found at keitheisenbrey.bandcamp.com - free to download or stream
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