Why you need Carl Ruggles in your life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ธ.ค. 2020
- Carl Ruggles (1876-1971) lived to the age of 95, but published only 8 works in his lifetime - less than an hour of music. In this video, I present an overview of this enigmatic composer, as well as an analysis of Lilacs, the central movement of Men and Mountains, for orchestra (1924).
The recording excerpted in this video is by Michael Tilson Thomas, conducting the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
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The return of the king.
Would LOVE for him to break down some of Howard Shore’s music for Lord of the Rings
There's a story (apocryphal?) about Ruggles that someone (John Kirkpatrick is the person identified by the person who told me this tale) waited outside Ruggles house one day and for 'some long time' (hours?) Ruggles kept playing a single chord on his piano, over and over and over. When he finished, Kirkpatrick knocked and was greeted by the composer; and asked him what was going on, and Ruggles said he was trying to see if the chord could last, could stand the test of time.
This is a superb introduction to a composer I have never heard about. I'm only 7 minutes in but I'm already more interested in Carl Ruggles than most composers I have known about for my entire life.
Thanks. I just spent the past hour listening to Carl Ruggles Sun Treader and Men and Mountains, and ordered the sheet music for Evocations (piano). Just so you know how rare this is - I typically never spend more than a few minutes listening to a composer's piece, especially post-Impressionist era. But Ruggles's music fascinates and delights me in ways I had never comprehended. He truly has a remarkable sound, it's epic in scope, yet dissonant - basically, a kind of music I always dreamed of writing. Thank you for this phenomenal video.
Will Carl Ruggles get me through struggles?
Either him, or one of the other muggles.
Try The Buggles
It seems we now have walked that road to the end. Snuggles to all.
better than druggles
this gives me the chuckles
2020 is definitely a year for this kind of music
There was at least some interest in Ruggles in the UK within his lifetime. The first piece of his I heard was 'Angels' in a BBC arts programme in about 1970. I thought this remarkable and it triggered my interest. I still have the Tilson Thomas recording of 'Sun Treader', with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which I bought at the time with my pocket money! Thanks for this and all your other insightful videos.
I think he was performed at the Proms in the 70s. Probably Suntreader
Was this the show?
th-cam.com/video/mVqlMklOboE/w-d-xo.html
@@marcallen4532 Wow! Could well have been (I'd thought the show I saw aired when he was still alive, but it was 50 odd years ago!). Thanks for finding this (includes very nice reminiscences of Ruggles and Ives too).
Lilacs- 'music wistful, frail, tenuously complicated, telling of the ebbing away of humanity from the scenes of its old conquests, of sagging rooftrees and rotting farmhouses, of the soft footed advance of the forest back over the land which man had wrested into his own hands, of dust on deserted hearthstones, of 'brush in the pastures' - that New England phrase which to any Yankee brings up the whole picture'. - from the sleeve notes of CBS 1980 vinyl set of complete works. I've been a fan for a while.
Thank you SO MUCH for this! The detail is unbelievable and it is so fulfilling to be able to discover such amazing music so easily!
My pleasure. Happy holidays.
Thomas's recording of 'Sun Treader' is brilliantly powerful. I purchased it way back in the mid-seventies. Mr Andreyev, I thank you for this series of talks. I came for the Captain Beefheart and am enjoying my stay!
Your lectures are great - perfectly shaped, very codensed, easy to understand but in no way simplifying. The best thing: They make you want to listen to the music. (This also as an answer to the question: Does music theory kill … the music?) And last but not least: Although you talk quite fast, me, as a german listener, I do understand every word. Thanks a lot. (And now I’m going to listen to your „A propos du concert de la semaine dernière“!)
Vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht. Grüße aus Elsass!
@@samuel_andreyev Oh, so nah! Grüße zurück aus Schleswig-Holstein!
"But Ruggles didn't go that way." Incredibly interesting analysis and overview of his work! I had not heard his music prior to your video. Thank you!
Your content is amazing, You hunt down the most interesting and underappreciated composers. Chromatic, avantgardre atonal music is so underrated. Videos on the other composers mentioned in this video would be awesome!
Thanks, you might enjoy my Ruth Crawford Seeger video.
@@samuel_andreyev Already watched! as well as schoenberg and bartok. Do you think it is the complexity of the music that puts people off initially, so it feels mentally stressfull as opposed to calming like minimalist or pop music. If people were expecting to be mentally stimulated rather than relaxed it would be more popular?
@@parmenides9036 Carl Ruggles is the Wim Hof of music. Seek discomfort! It makes you stronger ;)
I was hesitant to watch this video thinking what on earth do I need to know about this man whose name sounds like an odd character from a Sinclair Lewis play. But I did and found it richly rewarding. From the opening excerpt of the string ensemble adagio I was struck by a sense of rare beauty emanating from these rich and sensuous dissonant harmonies. Turns out he is somewhat of an odd character but one who was dedicated to crafting music of high aesthetic value and deep expression. Sometimes when I’m in the mood for 12 tone music I end up streaming pieces that are too busy and percussive, or that have a singing part where a soprano is making obnoxious leaps in the upper register, and I turn it off after a couple of minutes. What I was actually looking for is the kind of texture and tempo I heard in this video about Ruggles, just didn’t know where to find it. I’m looking forward to listening to his oeuvre.
Ah-ha, just spotted your other vid on Ruggles from 4 years ago. Once again, thanks
Another atonal composer that many look over is Artur Schnabel, who I immediately thought of when you were describing Ruggles approach to composition.
Just tried listening to carl ruggles on my run. Wow fascinating!
awesome. what an introduction to this ruggles fellow. thank you!
WOW ! Thankyou again ! How have I ignored this oft- cited or spoken about but never heard famous[?] American composer for so long .Riegger maybe is worth some time for a video . Thankyou . Your work is important and much needed . It's terrible that some names like Guston and Cage are so famous but only those who really need to know ever seek out what these people are about and doing . 95 years ? He must have written lots but not gotten much published .So a huge archive of sketches and incomplete music from a composer who hadn't studied formally and he doesn't have a system (another Feldman ? ) yet a rigorous thinking craftsman .WOW again ! Amazing in itself .
Certainly a bit of an overlooked individual of early 20th century. I basically discovered him by accident because of the Robert Browning poem 'Pauline'.
The piece Suntreader was inspired by it, particularly the line "Sun-treader, light and life be thine forever" which also happened to be one of my favourites.
Anyway, another fine analysis.
A wonderful conversation about Carl Ruggles music. Thank you Samuel!
My pleasure
Interesting stuff. Completely unknown to me, so many thanks for this.
Very interesting, as always. Thank you
In March, I binged all of your videos while laying around, sick with Covid-19. That inspired me to start my own music/analysis/composition channel, which has added a new dimension to my professional career that i couldnt possibly have forseen. So, thank you, Samuel- and please keep doing what you do!
Wow-That's amazing! good luck!
Thank you. I don't know who to blame but I have heard hardly a thing by Ruggles. The internet rocks because of content like this.
I remember catching part of Suntreader on the radio and deciding that I needed Carl Ruggles in my life.
Thanks for the video. Needed this
Thanks, Samuel! Very esoteric and interesting
Outstanding video. I am an eclectic listener, and I am embarrassed to say I never heard of Ruggles before.Thanks for this excellent introduction. I will be listening to all things Ruggles this week.
Great to see a new analysis!
this channel is great
After listening to most of Ruggles' work today it makes sense to me that he would be one of your favorite composers. His music is immediately fascinating and engaging, yet esoteric and mysterious which seems to be something like approaching your ideal of what music should be. I'm sure I will listen to these works many, many more times!
A great composer indeed. Thanks a lot!
Sun-Treader is the only Ruggles piece I have in my collection, but your video has peaked my interest in the rest.
I love Sun-Treader.
When I hear this piece by Ruggles, I am immediately reminded of what Takemitsu would write a little over 30 minutes later in his Requiem. Of course the two composers hailed from very different aesthetic and cultural backgrounds, but how two composers across time seemed to be converging on a phenomenologically similar musical sound world is absolutely fascinating!
Despite the theoretical overlays, I think what Ruggles does is still to a considerably significant extent deeply influenced by and rooted in late Romantic 'expressivity'; there is definitely a strong musical dramaturgy that underpins the logic of the local sectional structures and the shape of the global formal design. What is remarkable is that during the piece you never get a moment of release harmonically, but then the last chord of the movement is an extended Eb minor 9th(?). That alone is worth the wait!
P.S.: Rediscovering this video only recently, absolutely love your work and thank you Samuel for having kept up with these quality contents over the years!
P.S. 2: Would it be of any interest if you opened up a Discord community to expand your work? A contemporary classical music focused music-community could be very interesting and probably unchartered but explore-worthy territory!
Yes, I am looking onto opening a Discord server. Thanks for the interesting comments.
Love your videos.
Thanks!
Have listened and loved Carl Ruggles for decades. SunTreader is my favorite.
Huzzah! A new analysis video!
Very interesting video. I discovered Ruggles music some years ago. In Chile we had a similiar figure, a composer called Acario Cotapos, who wrote also very few compositions but with a very distinctive voice.
I'll look for his music. Thanks
It’s all exquisitely beautiful music.
Sounds like the music used to build tension in movies and TV shows from the 70's. That was my no music background first impression. Non resolving dissonance but the ebb and flow gives you some relief. It can take a turn at any moment as if something happened.
Such a intriguing video
Very important discussion.
I was a bit puzzled when I fist heard Exaltations. It seems to bear little surface resemblance to his other works, yet it somehow shares his distinctive voice.
Yes, I just listened to that piece too and had the same impression. I did read that it was a tribute to his late wife, so maybe that caused him to be a bit more romantic in writing it.
Exaltations is the Pluto of Ruggles' œuvre, the disputed 9th planet.
Great composer.
he reminds me of Dukas- like 2 and 1/2 works published, amazing music, perfectionist, and should be played more.
its interesting, Wagner is of course very chromatic in the horizontal plane as you say, but he definitely also builds on triads as well. the same is true of Richard Strauss - i think it is worth noticing because it is a key to both of their incredible staying power as melodists.
God I love these videos, Sam
Glad to hear that
Brilliant.
I remember a release of Suntreader being reviewed in Time magazine around '75. The review was positive.
Never even heard of him, but I intend to check him out closely.
Thanks.
Thanks for your channel! I was never a music major, and can't even play any instrument. But I love a lot of "modern" music. Please consider talking about Harrison Birtwistle and Brian Ferneyhough.
I have a Ferneyhough video.
24:39 so cool... great video.
I appreciate your videos, greatly illuminating. I'm a currently out of work musician, recently graduated from undergrad and looking to start composing myself. I have theory chops and decently well developed ears, could you give some advice on how to start writing? Helpful books, videos, or exercises, anything at all. Thanks for the videos
Oof
Is Takemitsu's Requiem somehow related to Ruffles work? Sounds close.
Can you do a video about Sorabji?
Will he?
sorabji is musically useless
Listening to you talk about 20th Century counterpoint caused me to think about a piece that I call Rock Counterpoint. That would be the cover of the blues song Spoonful by the group Cream. The performance I’m interested in is that recorded on Christmas Eve 1967. The counterpoint is between guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, with Ginger Baker on drums. It is the greatest work they ever did. It is on the live disk of the two disk album called Wheels of Fire…
Thank you…
.
Oh, I wanted to mention that there is a section of Spoonful that reminds me of a Stravinsky Octet…
Its hard not to picture a movie going on. that's too bad. It seems that the price we pay for movies is this.
totally interesting
thanks
Samuel when are we getting a video on Scriabin his insanity and of course his mystic chord?
I'm curious if you've done a presentation on Charles Ives? Perhaps you have and I've yet to come across it? In any event thank you for the Ruggles, you do a very good job on these, and I am enjoying them very much, glad to have come across your work
I have -- you can find the video on my channel. Thanks for your kind comments.
How interesting.
Do you think you would ever do a video on a xenakis piece? There are lots of different things you could look at. A good piece to look st could be "eonta" for piano and horns, or some of his later works, they dont get looked at very much
Xenakis is great. I would also love to see something on Barraqué.
I don't remember it being mentioned in the video, but Ruggles was also a painter who sold quite a few works. That could be another reason why he didn't compose more music.
By the way, for the true Ruggles fanatic, some of his painting appear to be available to buy for a few hundred dollars USD or less. The ones I saw are okay, but don't seem particularly distinguished to me (not that a devoted fan would care, if their interest was mainly for the souvenir value).
On the topic of composers rejecting both traditional tonality and atonal process, will we ever see a Ben Johnston analysis? His later quartets especially will move between complex serialism, gradual polyrhythmic process, and folk idioms between movements
15:58 - I hear the very first chord as rootless hendrix chord (Bb7#9) , but without 7th (the root is on top)
Samuel, would you do a study on cybernetic composer Roland Kayn's music? I know he did some works for orchestra before using synthesizers. a video on both would be great.
Спасибо Ютубу что открыл для меня музыку Рагглза! И спасибо за видео!
The idea of open search you are referring to sounds rather similar to Ives. Would be interesting to make a comparison of those two
Ruggles is the essential model of what the new generation of composers should be
wonderful work highlighting lesser known composers, Andrew! do you have a paypal acct.?
Thank you. Yes I do: andreyev.payments@gmail.com
i need ruggles in my life from now on. merci.
Good to hear from you, Andreas.
@@samuel_andreyev before your videos I did not even heard his name. He fills some gaps I felt were missing...
This channel is a conservatory.
Do Ruggles’ sketches reveal anything about how he generated the space(s) of possibilities from which he constructed his “small fragments”? I’m curious how systematic this local component of his composing was, and how local/global his considerations were as he composed.
I'm presently obtaining copies of the sketches. I'll let you know :)
@@samuel_andreyev Thanks! I look forward to it.
analysis on angels?
He was "unaware of the contemporary ADVANCES being made in Europe". Well, that is debateable, whether the explorations of Schoenburg, Weburn et al were 'advances' or just experimentation. Painters were showing blank or white or slashed canvases, or abandoning perspective, going abstract, importing African perspectives, showing 'ready-mades' and so on, and that experimentation let us breathe after strict 'realism'. But we don't need to repeat those experiments and forms, we have launched out in different directions since then.
And so for the 'difficult' explorative orchestral works of early 20thCentury, the ones that emptied the concert halls. Serialism was exhausted, and the interesting work was done in the USA, with 'native', themes, folklore, local history, until Minimalism happened, which is heavily rhythmic, rhythm being what had got lost in some places.
Perhaps 'contemporary developments' would have been a more accurate term.
I feel that Ruggles resonates with both Webern and Varese for different reasons
oh my god I relate so much :/
I wonder what he could have achieved with a computer and a software like Sibelius, to accelerate the process of making these systematic variants!
Samuel: do you know the music of Barbara Pentland? If you're interested, there's quite a lot of it on youtube currently; I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Reminds me of myself 😁🧐
"Threnody for Frank Zappa "
"She dances in the wind" composer
Tony villodas
Is the hi hat in-frame decorative?
No. It's one of the first instruments I ever bought. I got it for 20 bucks from a junk shop on Queen West in Toronto and used it in many of my early songs.
Who would the other four composers in your "Top 5 favorite composers" be, if you had a favorite composer?
Movies have killed this kind of music…at least in our minds.
xlnt breakdown, esp for a musical idiot like me - reminds me a lot of harold budd
25:04, do you think you (and others in general) break down a thick chord like this into a chord of 4 notes of the bottom four, and of a chord of 4 notes in the top 4 because you're a pianist? Do you think there is any value in analysing thick note stacks like this by looking at the 2nd to 5th note as a chord, etc. Do you ever think about them that way?
depends on the context and how the music arrived at that point.
do you play the hi-hat while playing the piano?...I do
every time i try modern classical it sounds the same. maybe i'm not old enough to approach this kind of complex mood. anyway. thanks for the recommendation sam
Does anyone have a magic spell to make Sony reissue the impossibly rare Ruggles Complete Works single CD???
Pitch-wise, Ruggles is spectacular, but his Achilles heel is form. It's all A-B-A, with an all too literal recap.
Ruggles in terms of musical output.....the American Jean Barraque or vice versa?
His Suntreader has been one of my favorites for years. The word “visceral” may be overused in descriptions, but I believe it to be an apt one for Suntreader. It`s a man`s piece.
Think you Samuel. DO you speak french? hh
Yes
@@samuel_andreyev Merci Samuel, pour vos analyses. En fait je suis un musicien Tunisien je prépare ma thèse de doctorat j'aimerai bien savoir votre avis sur la ou les méthodes d'analyses adéquates à la musique arabe contemporaine ( harmoniser, orchestrer) et surtout sur le problème de l'harmonisation à quart de ton. Merci
1:43 "There is something about his music with its abundance of apparent total contradictions within its language that is a very rich source of inspiration." 9:46 "Somehow his music manages to reconcile [these] two totally unreconcilable qualities." Love it! Thank you for this lecture and your all other equally INVALUABLE contributions.
The American Wagner, not only for his music but for other, far more unpleasant things as well.
Yes, he was a racist and an obnoxious jerk. It's odd how many excellent composers seem to have deeply messed-up personalities.
@@alkanista Chopin and Liszt were perfect examples. They were crudely anti-Semitic. And Beethoven was quite obnoxious in his own way.
@@kafenwar Unlike Chopin, Liszt eventually lost his anti-Semitic views. But in the beginning, both, like other 19th European composers, seem to have had a sort of unthinking and impersonal kind of anti-Semitism that was just part of their social conditioning and environment. Wagner was of a different, and very deliberate, sort. And Ruggles - well, he's too obscure to matter much, but he really should have known better, in my opinion.
@@alkanista I'm amazed he maintained his friendship with Wagner despite this apparent loss of antisemitism on his part... 🤔
As always, a great video musically. Been listening to Ruggles since the ‘70s, and have always had a bit of a problem with him. Great composer? Debatable. Quite limited, very small output, narrow range of ideas. But very much a reprehensible human being - quite the antisemite, homophobic, racist, just an all-round bigot. I’ll pass. There’s far too much other music to consider and appreciate.
Thanks love Ives Ruggles Varese..
Ruggles destroyed many of his own music
No one starts a video as jarringly as Samuel andreyev
You got that right
I'm single 😥😥😥😥😥
Carl doesn't mind 🔥
@@samuel_andreyev, he is single too for now.
What if you come to composition from the perspective of indefinite pitch? There's a lot less prejudice. Jamie Briton@@veirant5004
Woow woow 😍💋 💝💖❤️