>
2020 |
Founder:
Len Mullenger Editor
in Chief:John Quinn
|
![]() |
Henry COWELL (1897-1965) |
Crotchet AmazonUK AmazonUS |
Henry Cowell is an example of a composer who was many things to many people, from avant-garde experimentalist to folk/traditional music adept. This disc is dominated by, though not entirely, the latter aspect of his musical personality. The title piece of the disc, though not a very accurate reflection of the disc as a whole, is the Persian Set. It dates from just after a three month sojourn in Iran in the 1950s and incorporates elements of that country's musical tradition. It is, to these ears, a fairly successful cross-fertilisation and, in many ways, ahead of its time. That said, it is not my favourite piece on the disc - there are several far stronger and far more memorable works. The Hymn and Fuguing Tune is one of a set of eighteen, written between 1944 and 1964, inspired by the great New England "shape-note" hymn composer William Billings. This is the second, for string orchestra (another, for oboe and strings, appears on a classic Argo ASMF/Marriner disc of Ives Third Symphony, Barber's Adagio and Copland's Quiet City), and is typical in that it provides a more gentle derivation of Billings than, say, William Schuman's otherwise excellent New England Triptych. Listeners may even be reminded of the string works of Finzi at times (e.g. Prelude). |
Return to Index |
Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.
|