James Cohn was born
in 1928 in Newark, New Jersey. After
having completed early lessons in piano,
violin and composition, he studied with
Wayne Barlow, Roy Harris and Bernard
Wagenaar. He majored in Composition
at Juilliard, graduating in 1950. His
present varied output includes eight
symphonies, chamber and choral music,
orchestral works and a one-act opera
The Fall of the City Op.17
(1952). His Symphony No.2 Op.13
(1949) won a prize at the Queen Elizabeth
Composition Competition in Brussels
whereas his Symphony No.4 Op.29
(1956) was awarded an A.I.D.E.M. prize.
Paul Paray introduced his Symphony
No.3 Op.27 (1955) and his Variations
"The Wayfaring Stranger" Op.34
(1960, either for orchestra or wind
ensemble).
These four discs provide
a fairly comprehensive survey of his
present output, since one of them includes
a fairly recent work, the Piano Concerto
completed as recently as 2000. His music
may be best described as Neo-classical,
and is characterised by clarity, economy
of means, tunefulness and instrumental
colour, with a pinch of light-hearted
humour and – at times – bittersweet
irony. Most pieces in these discs are
fairly short, perfectly proportioned
and all superbly crafted, so that the
music never outstays its welcome. This
often unpretentious and good-natured
music-making may not plumb any great
depths, but it is most refreshing and
attractive. Moreover, the concertos
display a remarkable resourcefulness
(particularly evident in the Concertina
Concerto), as do the somewhat unusual
Sonata Romantica Op.18 (for
double bass and piano) and the Sonata
Robusta Op.55 (for bassoon and
piano). Listening to these beautifully
made pieces often had me thinking of
Poulenc, Ibert and Sauguet, which –
I think – gives a fairly good idea of
what the music sounds like. Add to this,
the not infrequent quotations of American
hymn tunes or folk songs, which brings
the composer into the orbit of American
composers such as Copland or Thomson.
Now, of course, I would really like
to hear the symphonies for a fuller
assessment of his achievement.
Many of his works are
laid-out in traditional patterns, i.e.
often in three compact movements (Moderate
– Slow – Fast), although some of them
are scored for unusual instrumental
forces, such as the delightful Concerto
da Camera Op.60 for violin,
piano and wind quintet. This was commissioned
by the McKim Fund to be premiered during
the bicentennial of the first treaty
between the Netherlands and the United
States. So, as requested, the composer
appropriately includes music "known,
played or sung" by Dutch settlers
in New York. Thus, the final movement
is a free fantasia on two Dutch tunes.
The Second Wind Quintet is in fact the
re-working of an earlier work that originated
as a septet for a rather unusual combination
(flute, two clarinets, horn, trumpet,
viola and cello). As most pieces here,
it is in three short, contrasted movements
(Sinfonia – Nocturne – Scherzo).
Though not as unusual, the Serenade
Op.68 ( three movements : Aubade
– Nocturne – Festival) is
scored for flute, violin and cello.
The third movement is a quodlibet (a
form apparently much favoured by the
composer). Am I right (or wrong) in
spotting an allusion to Paganini’s ubiquitous
Caprice (yes, THE caprice)
in the amusing finale? The Piano Trio
is very similar to the Serenade, in
that the slow movement and the dance-like
finale have some inflections of popular
music. The orchestral Mount Gretna
Suite Op.69 is a tone-poem in
four movements obliquely re-telling
the history of the village of Mount
Gretna in Southern Pennsylvania : 1783:
A wild garden of the forest, 1883-1893:
Development, 1894-1984: Dwelling places
and changing times, 1991: An evening
stroll around Mount Gretna. This
colourful piece is scored for the same
orchestral forces as the original version
of Copland’s Appalachian Spring,
viz. thirteen players. On the whole
it is quite similar to Copland’s work,
at least in spirit, if not necessarily
in the letter.
The second disc under
review is entirely devoted to chamber
works which – I think – are fully representative
of Cohn’s music-making. The various
sonatas here display a remarkable instrumental
flair and are all beautifully written
for the instruments, including the somewhat
rarer double bass for which Cohn composed
a beautiful sonata. As I remarked earlier
in this review, these concise sonatas
are perfectly proportioned and never
outstay their welcome. The other pieces
are written for small chamber ensembles,
such as the delightful Little
Overture Op.59 (for wind quartet),
the enjoyable Goldfinch Variations
Op.61 (for three treble instruments)
or the very fine Quintet for Winds
Op.36b, the latter being a re-working
of the Third String Quartet of 1961.
I consider this particular disc the
best possible introduction to Cohn’s
music.
Homage Op.31
was actually composed as a tribute to
John Foster Dulles, the former American
Secretary of State who was then terminally
ill. This elegy opens in a somewhat
Elgarian noble mood, but the music,
lavishly quoting The Star Spangled
Banner, gets a bit too crudely jingoistic
as it unfolds. In fact, I find it a
bit too much of a good thing and the
only disappointing work in this selection.
Cohn has composed quite
a number of concertos, among others,
two for piano (there exists in fact
an early Piano Concertino Op.8
of 1946), two for clarinet and one each
for trumpet and concertina. So, what
we have here, is his almost complete
series of concertos. Curiously enough,
the earliest one is the one for the
most unusual instrument, the Concertina
Concerto Op.44 completed in
1966. It is again in three movements:
Capriccio – Romanza (more of
a slow dance than a romance, I think)
– Rondo. There is much invention
and imagination in this attractive piece,
which should not be overlooked, since
there are not that many concertos for
concertina. Incidentally, the sound
is not very different from that of the
harmonica, and I wonder whether it would
be possible to play it on the harmonica.
Anyway, a most welcome, and at times
intriguing curiosity that deserves to
be better known. The Trumpet Concerto
Op.76, again in three concise
movements, might be described as "updated
Haydn", which I do not mean as
a criticism, but rather as an indication
of what to expect from this delightful
work. The first movement is replete
with fanfare-like gestures and bravura
passages including a brilliant cadenza.
The second movement is a nostalgic "Blue
Waltz" and the final movement Parade
is a lively Rondo with a ritornello
that makes me think of You are in
the army now... The Second Clarinet
Concerto Evocations Op.75 is
dedicated to Christopher Jepperson,
who was then Principal Clarinetist in
a Colombian symphony orchestra. To a
certain extent, this is the most classical
of these concertos, although the concluding
Carnival is appropriately full
of Latin-American dance rhythms, somewhat
à la Milhaud in his Brazilian
mood. The most recent concerto is the
Piano Concerto Op.79 completed
in 2000. In fact, it is a re-worked
and expanded version of an earlier piano
quartet, although the third movement
(a tango) is entirely new; the final
movement of the piano quartet was not
deemed brilliant enough as a finale
for a piano concerto. The music moves
along the same lines as in most other
pieces, with some jazzy touches, as
in the slow movement (shades of Gershwin
here). A Song of the Waters Op.53
is a tone-poem in all but the name,
laid-out as a set of free variations
on Shenandoah; a sort of American
Vltava, evoking the journey of
the river from its birthplace in the
mountains to its final entrance into
the sea. (One may also think of Maconchy’s
Proud Thames.) This is
a very fine, attractive piece of music
and a splendid conclusion to this most
welcome release.
The last disc is more
of a tribute to Jon Manasse’s artistry,
although Cohn is also represented by
his beautifully-made arrangement of
Gershwin’s Three Piano Preludes
(for clarinet and piano in 1987 and
scored for strings for the present recording)
and by his substantial Clarinet
Concerto Op.62, actually his
first clarinet concerto completed at
Manasse’s request.
In short, these discs
provide for a fair survey of James Cohn’s
varied output which may be best described
as Neo-classical with a clear American
touch. This places him in the same American
symphonic orbit as Piston, Creston,
Copland and Thomson as well as being
close to the Gallic tradition of Poulenc,
Ibert and Sauguet. None the worse for
that, of course, for there are many
fine works here that clearly deserve
wider exposure. The performances and
recordings are excellent, and make for
a couple of hours of musically satisfying
listening.
Hubert Culot
Cohn: neo-classical
with an American touch. Close to the
Gallic tradition of Poulenc, Ibert and
Sauguet. Fine works deserving wider
exposure. Performances and recordings
excellent ... musically satisfying listening.
... see Full Review
The Leonardo Triob; The Quintet of
the Americasa; The XLNT Sinfonietta