"Courteous Reader,
Divaricating from the beaten track of all my predecessors in the Celestial
Art, whose method it hath ever been to leave the interpretation of their
symbolical prefigurements to be explorated and divined by the subtlety of the
ingenious reader himself, - by the which they did shroud, in a tenfold
tenebrosity of Cimmerian gloom, their no-meaning mysteries, and ambiguous
puzzlements; - deviating, I say, from such a course, I do herewith not only
present thee, as hath been my custom, with an Hieroglyphic 'adapted to the
times,' but lifting the veil of obscurity, wherein it is shrouded from vulgar
apprehension, lay patent and exposed the hidden meaning thereof.
It hath
in it the three grand postulates or requirements of a veritable Hieroglyphic,
videlicet, - It is Astroscopical, Astrological, and Prophetical:-
It
is Astroscopical, as it is founded on an observation of the Stars.
It
is Astrological, as it is indicative of planetary potency and lunar
influence; and
It is Prophetical, inasmuch as it not only
presenteth the present, but futurizeth the future."
from The Comic Almanack an Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humorous Poetry, Quips and Oddities, First Series, 1835-1843
Texts
Recorded
January 25, 2025
Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key - Billy Bragg & Wilco [from Mermaid Avenue]
a game of E rhymes
and rhyming chords
Gradus 41 - Neal Kosály-Meyer [April 28, 2003]
in written language
there is a species of agreement
as to
what signs
signify
which species of agreement
doesn't
exist
as to
what signs signify
in music
is the notion
that music
communicates something
beneath
or above
or around the side
of conscious signification
a Romantic fantasy?
that
it seems
to do so
for us
we witness to
at first
Gradus was purely A-tonal
January 26, 2025
Symphony 1, 3rd Movement - Chuck Graef
what counts as worthy
in commercial music?
:mood:
its job
in the commercial world
(movies, games)
is to
provide a mood-color
music
which fails
at being commercial
in that sense
often does so
by allowing the logic
of the musical material
to override
the prevailing mood
rather than
having
that mood
override
any internally generated musical flow
which
can be frustrating
for a listener
whose ear
seeks out
what the music is doing
rather than
its
flavor profile
any detail
that might pull a viewer
out
of the immersion
of movie viewing
or game playing
is systematically eschewed
errant pitches
grind the guardrails
A Blue Bird!
January 27, 2025
Light Body - Hanna Benn [from Divide]
a thick paste
bright inclusions
Sinfonia 6 (midi) - Keith Eisenbrey [March 26, 2023]
note-string lengths
note-string count
a study example
Madrigals, Book IV: Volgea l'anima mia - Claudio Monteverdi - Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
setting a poem to a music
makes the time of the poem
concrete
palpable
a different kind of objectification
than ink and paper
Geistliche Chor-Music, SWV 369-397: No. 7, Viel werden kommen, SWV 375 - Heinrich Schütz - Capella Augustana, Matteo Messori
instructs us
in the import
of the pericope
Puer Natus in Bethlehem, BuxWV 217 - Dieterich Buxtehude - Simone Stella
a gloss
upon the lesson
like a halo
Deuxieme Ordre (re) - Rigaudon - François Couperin - Kenneth Gilbert
figuration contour
interacts
with metrical scansion
"Komm, Du Süße Todesstunde" BWV 161 - Johann Sebastian Bach - The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ton Koopman
gently throbbing pulse
congregational response
offering testimony
the gospel
is a community endeavor
all music
leads back
to the hymnbook
Sonata in G Major, Kk. 259 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
a landscape spread before us
a feast of dainties
Sinfonia in D Major, Op. 18 #6 - Johann Christian Bach - Failoni Orchestra, Hanspeter Gmür
bright and vigorous
calm and considered
industrious and efficient
jovial and hearty
our household
in its many moods
a mummery
Rondo in A minor, Wq. 56/5 - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach - Miklós Spányi
figurations
within immediate groups
and among adjoining groups
within the voice-leading
master of the long pause
Sonata in F Major, K. 332 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Kristian Bezuidenhout
vehement fist pound accents
melodic treatment
in order to render
the dramatic poetry
of the time
as something
someone
might say
pulses in disguises
String Quartet in F minor, Op. 55 #2 - Franz Joseph Haydn - Tatrai Quartet
time passing
is a room
to be in
is a matter
to
consider
from many angles
is a game of cards
and
conversation
Ihr Bild, D. 957 #9 - Franz Schubert - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore
an era of lyric poetry
in ascendance
time passing
doesn't
6 Etudes de concert d'apres des caprices de Paganini, Op. 10: No. 3 in G minor - Robert Schumann - Florian Uhlig
prestidigitation spectacular
Mazurka in G-sharp minor, Op. 33 #1 - Frédéric Chopin - Garrick Ohlsson
from inside and outside at once
a remembrance
Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 22 #1 - Alexander Scriabin - Dmitri Alexeev
the hollow space at its core
where the key might have been
Preludes Book 2, "Homage a S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C." - Claude Debussy - Paul Jacobs
firm
placid
stern
innocent
Iris - Lionel Belasco's Orchestra [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
a lively dance
in a moderate three
Epônina - Ernesto Nazareth - Marcel Bratke
small venue music
allows lighter fare
redolence of the street
and spa
if
well dressed
and well mannered
Old Time Baptism Part 2 - R. M. Massey [from Really The Blues]
singing hymns in church
is not a performance
but a corporate
abasement
a release into the word
In a Mist - Red Norvo [from That Devilin' Tune]
jazz
as an historic mode of music doing
has always
it seems
included
a significant instrumental tradition
not as tied to song
as rock and roll
this
for instance
is a sophisticated marimba piece
with
light accompaniment
baritone sax and guitar?
Mitchell Blues - Wade Mainer [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
single microphone
proximity engineering
the band
learns
to do
the mic dance
shave and a haircut
kiss-off
Four Transcriptions from Emerson (1938): No. 3 (beg.) - Charles Ives - Charles Ives [from Charles Ives Plays Charles Ives]
sounds in a heap on the floor
broomed to a corner
Wanderer's Swing - Rip Ramsey and His Texas Wanderers [from That Devilin' Tune]
country hip
bunch of guys
As The Life of a Flower - Chuck Wagon Gang [from Goodbye, Babylon]
camp meeting song
popular hymnody
social song
Western Movies - The Olympics [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
pop culture self reference
across media
a hermetic seal
Louie Louie - Paul Revere and The Raiders [from The Legend of Paul Revere]
an excuse
for a fancy guitar solo
the band keeps their cool
throughout
meaningfulness requirement
quota
must have our preachin'
Speech Songs - Charles Dodge
playing with a new toy
pitch analysis
would be not worth the time
as
it could
illuminate nothing
particularly interesting
it is play
for amusement
Stranded in a Limousine - Paul Simon [from The Essential Paul Simon]
street events
Walking Song - Los Lobos [from ...And a Time to Dance]
coming home
to the medicine
blues
trouble's all I have
the band
however
is having a blast
Sonata in 2 Movements - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey [February 18, 1988]
the processes of time
and multiple dubbings
have done interesting
things
to the sound of that piano
(a Yamaha)
{NB:
the
recording linked above
is more recent
and on a different piano}
I recorded this
immediately upon its completion
composing a piece
and learning to play it
were results
of
the same process
the question
was always
whither now?
it was supposed to be a Scherzo
but it went funny peculiar
the quick cut to the second movement
is perfect
music requires belief
the seeds of things
can be hidden
in the remains of things
how very like Lockrem Johnson's F minor Prelude
this passage is!
still love it
Chanson d'amour - King's Singers [from Chanson d'amour]
popular music
has some strange fetishes
Banned Rehearsal 497 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Anna K, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer [June 6, 1998]
entering warily
taking samples
at all points
radio frequencies
are made audible
then
set in a corner
to simmer
even when cases are being opened
we never exit
the session's
ear
a sharp squeal
from a feedback
oops
this
is not a chamber symphony
this
is a soundportrait
in sounds
like music has
squeeze box reeds
change the subject
tiny playback
in the wee can
white noise
scrubbit clean
the sound
collapsed into laughter
collects itself
relaxed attention
engaged
but easy going
harvest!
hash!
Gate Closing at Sand Point - Christopher DeLaurenti
security apparatus display
notes
in their relationships
situated
at a certain
point
the question
of going on
becomes an issue
January 30, 2025
Forked - Sage [from Forked]
song
as poster
for band
whose songs
are posters
for bands
demos
for bookers
of dive bars
so dive bars
can sell
more beer
Hail - Keith Eisenbrey [February 25, 2018]
plunking the furnace chimney
no beer was sold
1996 - Pete Comley [from Paintronics, Volume 6]
signals excite vibrations
in a medium
by mechanical means
the mechanical means
being earthy
do not
perfectly
excite
the signals' potential
for precision
- hallelujah!
Benvenuto Cellini, Act II, Tableau 4 - Hector Berlioz - Orchestre National de France, Chorus of Radio France, John Nelson, Gregory Kunde, Patrizia Ciofi, Joyce DiDonato, Laurent Naouri, Jean-François Lapointe, Renaud Delaigue, Eric Salha, Marc Mauillon, Roman Nédélec, Éric Huchet
this music
does not move
with the inexorable logic
of a
Beethoven symphony
it moves
as a series
of nuances
upon a dramatic face
per the practice
of the time
a
sequence
of set-pieces
the sheer quantity of orchestrational ideas
is astounding throughout
Down Home Blues - James Reese Europe [from Really The Blues]
peep show film strip
Ole Miss - Original New Orleans Jazz Band [from That Devilin' Tune]
caricature engravings
long ago
at 1412
a door opened
and shut
and a
recitation
began
now
theories from older sources
a book
is described
and
that description
is polluted
by the book
being described
a novel
that concerns itself
with a novel
that concerns
itself
a fearless forehead
holy bones of Saint Hubert
uncontrollable
nighttalkers
here comes everybody
problem passion play
a royal divorce
ladies circle
cloaks
may be left
standing room only
emergent Welsh fusiliers
clean minded giant
that homogeneous man
a ripe occasion
to provoke it
water break
his first assumption
of his birthday suit
he met
a cad
with a pipe
the reductions
known as the sayings
saluting corpses
as a matter of course
his trusty snorer
forgotten
words
the deep sleep
sea gossip
from all
sources
(a breather)
(a drinker)
absent
from his usual
wild and wooly haunts
the defense
orates
a few more
just to celebrate yesterday
and the rhyme's world
was
by a reason
the richer
under the shadow
of the monument
of
the should have been
legislated
may his hairs
be rubbed in dirt
his Percival namesake
it's ballad time!
audite audite
music cue
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
sh
Don't Speak To Me - Lottie Kimbrough [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
sisterly advice
avoid the dice rollers
and the liquor still
and
response?
I Don't Intend to Die in Egyptland - Joshua White [from Goodbye, Babylon]
mix and match mythology
Memphis Blues - The Nite Owls [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
an amplified world
has aris'
advertising itself
That's All I Ask Of You (alternate take) - Billie Holiday [from Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia]
selling the idea
of technical progress
(the newest recording tech)
Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano: Sonata I - John Cage - Boris Berman
fact:
this is wonderful keyboard music
even without the prep
distinct activity figures
In Session at The Tintinabulary
January 26, 2025
Geneva - Keith Eisenbrey
Zoo - Keith Eisenbrey
a few seconds of Kea squawk and conversation
January 27, 2025
Banned Rehearsal 1118 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt
Postscripts
Drops
My 16 Sinfonias were composed, in part, in order to discover ways in which they might sing themselves differently on different keyboard instruments. I offer them here as performed on piano. The recordings were made at my home in 2023 and 2024.
recordings of my compositions (and more!) can be found at keitheisenbrey.bandcamp.com - free to download or stream
