The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice

ABSTRACT

Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IX continues to be a bifurcated work filled with incongruities between its clarinet (IXa) and alto saxophone (IXb) versions. Dozens of unexplained discrepancies exist between these two versions, such as differences in pitch, rhythm and temporal duration, missing material, and expressive markings. It also appears that many technical concessions were made in regard to the saxophone version’s octave registration, low register articulations, and cut passages. Furthermore, some practical problems are associated with the saxophone version of Sequenza IX, such as unreliable multiphonic fingerings and difficult page turns. This study addresses these heretofore unresolved issues by interviewing musicians who collaborated with Luciano Berio in creating and performing Sequenza IXb, including Iwan Roth, John Harle, and Claude Delangle. This study also engages in comparative analysis of all published editions and examines Berio’s primary documents, manuscripts, and correspondence archived at the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland. The genesis, development, and evolution of Sequenza IXb are illustrated through establishing a new oral chronology. An exhaustive catalogue of every observed discrepancy and change between each manuscript and edition of Sequenza IXb is created, as well. Finally, this study synthesizes the aforementioned findings to produce practical recommendations for saxophonists, including suggested changes to the score, revised program note material, alternative options for multiphonic fingerings, suggestions for navigating the problematic page turns, and performance practice considerations. The findings from this study will allow saxophonists to achieve more authentic performances and teaching of Luciano Berio’s cornerstone unaccompanied saxophone work, Sequenza IXb.

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YEAR AND DEGREE

2023, Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, Contemporary Music.

COMMITTEE

John Sampen, D.M.A. (Committee Chair)
Hyeyoung Bang, Ph.D (Other)
Ryan Ebright, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Marilyn Shrude, D.M.A. (Committee Member)

PAGES

139 p.

CITATIONS

Heaney, J. (2023). The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399
APA Style (7th edition)

Heaney, Joshua. The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice. 2023. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399.
MLA Style (8th edition)

Heaney, Joshua. "The Development of Luciano Berio's Sequenza IX and Its Implications for Performance Practice." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1683814666450399
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

More than a Rough Draft: Debussy’s Rapsodie Pour Orchestre et Saxophone

PREFACE

            The standard repertoire of the concert saxophone is an eclectic collection of works by composers who are generally not considered to be household classical staples. Supplementing these esoteric titles are a small amount of works written by better known composers, among most famous of which being Claude Debussy and his Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone (1903). Despite the significance of a composer like Debussy writing for the saxophone and his relative fame in comparison to other composers in of concert saxophone’s standard repertoire, Rapsodie remains largely unrecognized by musicologists in the context of Debussy’s compositional output and musical development.  In fact, this work does not even merit any entry or footnote in the Grove Dictionary of Music! Greater understating of this phenomenon can be garnered through investigation of the work’s genesis and development, musical analysis of compositional distinctions and outside influences, and investigation of entrenched historical fallacies. This investigation will elucidate the misconceptions that surround the work and conclude on how the work was originally intended to be approached in performance situations.

ORIGINS & DEVELOPMENT

            Despite its French name, the Rapsodie’s origins lie in the United States, starting with a commission by a Boston native named Elise Hall. Mrs. Hall was a woman of high social standing, married to Dr. Richard Hall, a physician famous for his feat of conducting the first successful appendectomy.[1]  Mrs. Hall contracted a case of typhoid fever between 1894 and 1896, resulting in significant loss of hearing. In order to prevent further degradation, Dr. Hall suggested that Elise begin learning a wind instrument. She chose the saxophone and, after learning of a townsperson who played the instrument, proceeded to study privately with him.[2]

            After her husband’s ironic death from appendicitis 1897, Mrs. Hall was left with a large sum of money and a growing passion for the saxophone and orchestral music. Using her newly acquired wealth, Mrs. Hall relocated from Santa Barbara back to Boston and, in 1899, fostered the formation of an amateur ensemble called the Boston Orchestral Club.[3] This ensemble was founded with the chief purpose of providing an orchestral experience for amateurs; it would later evolve into a platform from which Elise Hall would promote and perform new repertoire for the concert saxophone, both as an ensemble member and as a soloist. Through this club and the guidance of her friend and new saxophone teacher, French oboist Georges Longy, Mrs. Hall first approached Claude Debussy in 1901 concerning the commission of a single-movement “fantasie” for saxophone and orchestra.[4] The composer promptly accepted payment in advance for the composition in order to pay off legal debts incurred by a previous publisher. Unfortunately for Elise Hall, work would not commence on the new composition for another two years.

            Debussy delayed starting the composition for several reasons, the most important of which was that he was incredibly focused on the rehearsal and subsequent premiere of his opera, Pelléas et Mélisande.[5] Nearing the completion of the first set of performances in June 1902, Debussy wrote to Robert Godet:

To tell you the truth, I’m suffering fatigue to the point of neurasthenia, a de luxe illness I never believed in ’til now. […] I really can’t wait for the Pelléas performances to finish! It’s time they did, I may say: it’s beginning to sound like a repertory opera![6]

In fact, for the next several months, Debussy wrote write no music at all and only produced a few articles of musical criticism. Debussy went go as far as to write to his friend and colleague, conductor and composer André Messager to complain about “his poor brain” being “like a squeezed lemon.”[7] This break was interrupted, however, by an unexpected visit from Mrs. Hall and Longy, who arrived in Paris unannounced in May of 1903 in order to ascertain the status of their forsaken commission. Debussy wrote of his annoyance with both the unexpected visitor and compositional writer’s block to his wife, Lilly:

It appears that Longy and the saxophone lady are in Paris!—Longy came to see me and although he was cordial I sensed that one must not keep them waiting too much longer; I am thus trying to finish this goddamn piece as quickly as possible. Naturally, the musical ideas take particular care to flee from me, like wry butterflies, and I spend hours of indescribable irritation. The fact that I would like to achieve something very good, in order to reward these people for their patience, only makes matters worse.[8]

            In June, Debussy and Lily vacationed in Bichain in order to ease his exhaustion and lack of compositional drive. Despite his initial hesitance and the delay in starting the work, Debussy eventually found new footing and a renewed vigor to create original sounds. In fact, the composer wrote in various letters that he wished to “go off in a completely new direction” and admitted,

“I had forgotten its [the saxophone] special sonority to the degree I forgot ‘this commission’ at the same time.”[9]

The piece was initially titled “Rapsodie Arabe” and originally intended to portray the moorish rhythms and soundscapes found in cities such as Biskra in northern Algeria (as Debussy described in a letter to Pierre Louÿs).[10] Other rejected potential titles included “Rapsodie Orientale" and “Rapsodie Mauresque pour Orchestre et Saxophone Obligé.”[11] These early exotic aspirations, unfortunately, were not majorly realized in the final product; Debussy instead chose to go in yet another “new direction” and draw from a different inspiration. Despite this, there are some remaining timbral qualities in the finished work that hint at its exotic-minded origins. Certain orchestration choices sound “maursque,” such as when Debussy has small groups of woodwinds and tambourine play in jaunty dancing rhythms that allude to moorish dances played by indigenous traditional instruments (see example 1).

Example 1. Small groups of wind and percussion instruments playing dance-like figures

Almost all dancing motives are initially stated by woodwinds rather than strings, a deliberate choice that highlights the desired exotic tone quality. These particular moments allude to the timbres of the indigenous instruments used in moorish and Algerian secular music such as wooden flutes, the zurna (an Algerian double reed instrument akin to the oboe), and the adufe (a moorish percussion instrument akin to the tambourine). 

NEW DIRECTIONS

            Rather than relying on purely exotic inspirations, Debussy would accomplish his new direction by means of utilizing a totally new source for motivic material.  The first motive in the saxophone part in measure 14, (see example 2) bears a strong resemblance to the call of le cordonnier (see example 3), which translates to “the cobbler.” 

Example 2. The saxophone’s initial motive

Example 3. The call of le cordonnier

Many calls of this nature were captured and notated in Les Voix de Paris, an anthology of French merchant calls collected by Georges Kastner, a contemporary of Debussy’s. This is not an isolated incident, as over 27 instances of calls are quoted from a variety of merchants, handymen, coachmen, and river-men throughout the piece.[12] Even if Debussy was not actively aware of and referencing findings in Kastner’s collection, he certainly would have heard these calls outside of his window every day. The streets of Paris were still alive with domestic and foreign merchant melodies at the time, all of which provided a soundtrack from which Debussy could draw motives for the Rapsodie. The sheer amount of quotes and their prominence in the motivic material is evidence that Debussy was actively drawing from the calls of these merchants, regardless if he actually referenced Kastner’s collection or not.

            In addition to the motivic material used, the way in which the saxophone part was written helps to provide the singing vocal quality that Debussy wished to emulate. The Rapsodie consists of strongly contrasting lyrical and dancing sections and, to the chagrin of some concert saxophonists, is simply not a particularly technically demanding work for the soloist. The soloist is almost exclusively featured in lyrical sections of the piece (see example 4), “murmuring melancholy phrases,” as Debussy wrote.[13]

Example 4. A slower section of the piece, the saxophone “murmuring” lyrical phrases

These lyrical sections, which comprise of simpler and more lyrical merchant calls, are written in a medium register of the saxophone in order to emulate the sound of a woman’s voice. The range of the solo part only extends from G♭3 to F♭5; the latter pitch only occurs once as the last note of the piece for the soloist. Meanwhile, the range of a female alto voice is commonly referred to as ranging from G3 to F5. This strong correlation of range is indicative that Debussy may have consciously avoided use of the highest or lowest registers of the saxophone in order to closely mimic an alto singer’s vocal range. The orchestral responses sharply contrast with the saxophone’s lyrical quality, lightly dancing and drawing their motivic material from the more technically challenging merchant calls (see example 1). These dances feature a lilting duple feel in the 6/8 sections, contrasting with the more lyrical 2/4 sections.

            The most rhythmically demanding material for the soloist appears in the 2/4 sections while the orchestra provides supporting texture. These rhythmic solo lines are not dancing in quality, however, and serve more as elaborate grace-note or decorative figures upon an implied simple melody (see example 5).

Example 5. Elaborated melodic rhythms in the saxophone part

In the 6/8 sections, the saxophone primarily plays simple lyrical lines with supportive orchestral accompaniment. Whenever the 6/8 sections become more dance-like or increase in tempo, the saxophone does not join the dance. Instead, the saxophone provides moments of punctuation or accompagnato support to the woodwinds (see example 6).

Example 6. Saxophone and brass supporting the melody in the high woodwinds

As a whole, the saxophone part is much more lyrical in nature, only playing technically when it does not sacrifice the ability for the audience to clearly hear the unique timbre of the instrument; there are no moments when both the saxophone and orchestra are featured in unison or playing tutti in an virtuosic manner. Whenever the saxophone plays in dancing sections, it is more supportive in nature and indicative of how the instrument may have been used if it were considered a “traditional” orchestral woodwind. The nature of the dialogue between the orchestra’s moments and the saxophone’s moments, combined with a solo part that is not virtuosic in nature, results in a work that is not like a typical concerto. Instead, the piece more akin to a musical tableaux that draws from merchant calls and moorish soundscapes and that also happens to prominently feature the saxophone as a decoration to the ensemble.[14]

            By August of the same year, Debussy had completed a short-score version of his Rapsodie; however, he did not contact Elise Hall to inform her of the composition’s near-completion or provide proof of any work. Additionally, he neglected to continue preparing the orchestral score and parts. Instead, the composer returned to Paris to meet with Jacques Durand in order to sign a contract for the exclusive publication of his Rapsodie for 100 francs; despite having never properly filled the original commission or provided any score, Debussy managed to be paid twice for the same work![15]  Shortly after this development, he promptly began to compose his famous La Mer, which decidedly distracted from the business of completing the finishing touches and orchestral score of the Rapsodie. As a result in 1905, two years into his publication agreement, neither Durand nor Ms. Hall had received any kind of complete score. Debussy, who appeared to harbor feelings of guilt for twice selling an incomplete piece, wrote to Durand asking to kindly renege on the agreement:

Madame E. Hall, the “saxophone-lady,” is politely asking me for her fantasy; I’d like to oblige her, because she’s been as patient as a Red Indian [sic] and deserves some reward.[16]

Unsurprisingly, Durand declined this proposal, so the composer hastily obtained a hologram-copy of a handwritten sketch manuscript for the work, entitled Esquisse d’une‘Rhapsodie Mauresque’ pour Orchestre et Saxophone Principal, to be sent to Mrs. Hall later. The manuscript did not make it to her, nor would any complete orchestration of the work to Durand before the Debussy’s death in 1918, due to him being distracted with his next big project, La Mer (1903-1905).

ALL FOR A TYPO

            Following Debussy’s death, Jean Roger-Ducasse was given all of the composer’s remaining works by his second wife, Emma, in order to see to their completion and publication. Roger-Ducasse fully realized the orchestration marks seen on Hall’s copy of the short-score (see example 7).

Example 7. Debussy’s orchestration markings in the Hall manuscript

James R. Noyes, a scholar on the subject, summarizes:

Roger-Ducasse’s orchestral manuscript [MS 1001] incorporates sixty-two of Debussy’s original sixty-five indications, a retention rate of more than 95 percent. Thus, Debussy’s faithful friend remained true to his colleague’s intentions […] To “fill out” the orchestration, Roger-Ducasse created parts for five additional instruments (piccolo, tuba, timpani, triangle, and suspended cymbal) and doubled many of the original lines, scoring woodwinds with the high strings, bassoons and timpani to reinforce the bass, and horns to fill in the middle register, all of which are implied by the Hall manuscript.[17]

In addition to completing the orchestration, Roger-Ducasse also saw to arranging a piano reduction of the work; this is his biggest contribution, more derivative than any of the orchestration found in the full version. Finally, for reasons unknown, the title was simplified to, Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone (L. 98).

            Roger-Ducasse’s involvement with the score preparation and publication of the Rapsodie, unfortunately, has served a platform for musicologists to assume that the work was flippantly composed and never truly finished. This trend was started by Léon Vallas, the first musicologist to write about this work in his book, Claude Debussy et son temps(1932). Vallas wrote that the composition was a “disagreeable task,” “ridiculous,” and “nothing more than a rough draft.”[18] These statements were clearly written in error and do not take into account the actual events that took place throughout the piece’s genesis, development, and prolonged completion. This is made especially evident when one considers the fact that Debussy himself enthusiastically wrote of the saxophone’s “special sonority.” Another blatant error attributed to Vallas’ slanted view is seen when he wrote:

In 1911, [Debussy] again set to work on the instrumentation [of Rapsodie]. But he wrote nothing more than a rough draft on three or four staves, and in this form the work was delivered to Mrs. Hall. [19]

This statement is in error, especially when considering that there is no proof or evidence that Debussy touched the composition after 1903. Instead, Vallas was erroneously referring to the Première Rhapsodie (L. 116) for clarinet and orchestra, confusing the two similarly-titled works. This is evidenced by Debussy’s own writing to Durand in two separate occasions, where the composer misspelled the title of his clarinet Rhapsodie as “Rapsodie,” omitting an “h”. Analyzing the content of the letters finds that he clearly was referring to this clarinet work, especially in a letter from December of 1911, where Debussy specifically discussed the reception of a Russian performance of his recently-orchestrated clarinet “Rapsodie” (misspelled with no “h”).[20] Debussy’s misspellings, combined with Vellas’ misinterpretation of his findings, resulted in a subsequent snowballing of misinformation among musicologists. Noyes succinctly concludes:

Vallas’s “disagreeable task,” became Thompson’s “abandoning the task in despair,” which in turn became “he just could not force himself to the task” according to Seroff.[21]

While Vallas cannot be totally condemned for the publication of his innocent misunderstanding (which may have happened to also verify his personal opinions), it is truly unfortunate that subsequent musicologists chose to base their scholarly writing concerning this piece on the flawed work of another musicologist, rather than approach the work with a fresh perspective via the use of primary documents.

CONCLUSION

            At first glance, Claude Debussy’s Rapsodie is beleaguered by several factors, such as the lack of technical virtuosity demanded from the soloist, the complicated series of events resulting in the piece’s development, and the accumulation of negative associations of uninspired compositional flippancy and insignificance at the hands of mistaken musicologists. However, fresh analysis of this work in a modern context, starting with an investigation of primary documents, reveals a new level of understanding as to why the piece continues to be wrongly thought-of and also provides many answers to fill the gaps in knowledge presented by prior scholars. Additionally, it reveals a wealth of new information regarding the development of the piece; including but not limited to the composer’s references to moorish timbres, his integration of French merchant calls, and the nature and extent of the orchestration completed by Debussy and Roger-Ducasse. These aspects of the piece’s development are unique to this composition within the context of Debussy’s canon of works. They also tell a more comprehensive narrative in regards to how the work came to be in its present state. Finally, it reveals perhaps the most important point: this work has too often been portrayed as a flawed concerto, which is further evidenced by a wealth of new editions that transplant orchestral material into the soloist’s part.[22] Alternatively, this piece instead should be approached as an orchestral tableaux that happens to feature the saxophone, serving as a piece to welcome its new timbre to the orchestral winds.

            Jean-Marie Londeix, a world-renowned French concert saxophonist and a preeminent scholar on the concert saxophone repertoire, stated that while it is disappointing that Debussy never wrote saxophonists a virtuosic showcase, it does not take away from the beauty of the work; he admits he was mistaken to classify and approach the piece as something it was not.[23] Based on the information accumulated, Debussy likely intended this work to be a nationalistic celebration, representing the voices of his beloved Paris through their inclusion as motivic inspiration, complete with a slightly “mauresque” twist evident in the timbres of his orchestration choices. No other work in Debussy’s cannon can attribute its motives to such sources, making the Rapsodie quite unique in this regard and a one-of-a-kind piece of music. Ultimately, this piece represents a new direction that regrettably did not see more development due to the composer’s untimely death and preoccupation with other aesthetic developments. With these revelations in mind, it is only a matter of time until future scholars must recognize Claude Debussy’s Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone for the “new direction” that it represents.

FOOTNOTES

[1] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 16-17.

[2] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 21.

[3] William H. Street, “Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts” (DMA diss., Northwestern University, 1983), 28.

[4] Robert J. Seligson, “The ‘Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone’ by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions” (DMA diss., University of North Texas, 1988), 6.

[5] Smith, Richard Langham, "Pelléas et Mélisande." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed September 15, 2016, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/O002420.

[6] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 127-28.

[7]  James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 420.

[8] François Lesure, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918) (Paris: Gallimard, 2005), 736.

[9] François Lesure, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918) (Paris: Gallimard, 2005), 742.

[10] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 136.

[11] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 422, 432.

[12] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                               Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

[13] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 136.

[14] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                               Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

[15] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 423.

[16] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 158.

[17] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 429.

[18] Léon Vallas, Mare O’Brien, and Grace O’Brien, Claude Debussy: His Life and Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933), 161-62.

[19] Léon Vallas, Mare O’Brien, and Grace O’Brien, Claude Debussy: His Life and Works (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933), 162.

[20] Franc Lesure and Roger Nichols, Debussy Letters (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1987), 248.

[21] James R. Noyes, "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited” The Musical Quarterly 90/1 (2008), 417, 418.

[22] Robert J. Seligson, “The ‘Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone’ by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions” (DMA diss., University of North Texas, 1988),  9-35.

[23] Jean-Marie Londeix and William H. Street, "Debussy and the Rhapsody for                  Saxophone” (video lecture, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cottrell, Stephen. The Saxophone, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012.

Debussy, Claude. Esquisse d'une Rhapsodie Mauresque. Paris: Durand & Fils, 1908. Manuscript.

Debussy, Claude. Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone. Paris: Durand & Cie, 1919. Orchestral score and Parts.

Debussy, Claude. Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone. Arranged by Jean Roger-Ducasse. Paris: Durand & Cie, 1919. Piano Reduction.

Liley, Thomas, and Stephen Trier. “The Repertoire Heritage.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone. Edited by Richard Ingham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Lesure, François, Denis Herlin, and Georges Liébert, eds. Claude Debussy Correspondance (1872–1918). Paris: Gallimard, 2005.

Londeix, Jean-Marie, and William H. Street. "Debussy and the Rhapsody for Saxophone." Lecture video, World Saxophone Congress XVI, Buchanan Theater, St. Andrews, Scotland, July 13, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hie1vGOl1do (Accessed October 23, 2015)

Miele, Peter. A Comparative Analysis of Three Works for Saxophone and Orchestra. MM thesis, Duquesne University, 1989.

Nichols, Roger. Debussy Letters. Edited by François Lesure. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987.

Noyes, James R. "Debussy's Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Revisited." The Musical Quarterly 2007, 90/1 (2008): 416-45.

Seligson, Robert Jan. 1988. The “Rapsodie for Orchestra and Saxophone” by Claude Debussy: A Comparison of Two Performance Editions. DMA dissertation, University of North Texas. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI.

Smith, Richard Langham. "Pelléas et Mélisande." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/O002420. (Accessed September 30, 2015)

Street, William. Elise Boyer Hall, America’s First Female Concert Saxophonist: Her Life as Performing artist, Pioneer of Concert Repertory for Saxophone and Patroness of the Arts. DMA dissertation, Northwestern University, 1983.

Trezise, Simon, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Debussy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Trier, Stephen. “The Saxophone in the Orchestra.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone. Edited by Richard Ingham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Vallas, Léon. Claude Debussy: His Life and Works. Translated by Mare O’Brien and Grace O’Brien. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1933.

Morton Subotnick’s “In Two Worlds”: A Timeline

PREFACE

Morton Subotnick’s In Two Worlds is a seminal work for alto saxophone and electronics. Subotnick’s work presented many innovations for its compositional era and was among the first works for saxophone that integrated live sound processing, live synthesized MIDI sounds, and instruments such as the Yamaha WX7 Wind Controller and Air Drum. The work can accordingly be seen as an early precursor to today’s works that utilize Max/MSP for live audio processing. In Two Worlds’ development was less than straightforward, however, in part due to its cutting-edge nature. The following timeline outlines the major events during the genesis, development, and subsequent revival of In Two Worlds. It is my hope that performers and scholars will find this timeline to be a convenient resource in their own study of this work.

TIMELINE

1984: In Two Worlds was commissioned with a National Endowment for the Arts Consortium Grant for $18,000. The consortium was lead by saxophonists Kenneth Radnofsky, John Sampen, and James Forger.

• The grant was for a 3-piece project, which also included Concerto by Donald Martino and Whirled Series by Milton Babbitt.

• Subotnick wrote In Two Worlds at the same time as a multimedia project, Hungers. These works extensively share musical material but present/order the material differently for the purpose of different objectives.

  • This occurred because, from 1983-1985, Subotnick moved to Pecos, NM and attempted to earn his income solely from composition revenues. 

August 27, 1984: John Sampen was endorsed in a letter written by Yuval Zaliouk, conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, to the NEA. This helped bolster the application’s clout and played a role in the grant being secured.

September 24, 1984: John Sampen wrote a letter to Mr. John Hancock of the Toledo Symphony that detailed the NEA grant, commissioning details, and proposed premiere of Subotnick’s composition with the Toledo Symphony.

1985: Subotnick returned to CalArts as Mel Powell Chair of Composition.

1986-1987: Subotnick contacted John Sampen and suggested using an "electronic saxophone" for the piece. 

• In 1986, such a wind controller was only in experimental stages and was unavailable.  Morton acquired a prototype of the new WX7 Yamaha Wind Controller sometime in 1987 and he experimented with the instrument in composing In Two Worlds, but Sampen was unable to acquire his own WX7 instrument until December 1987.  

• The London premiere for the entire piece (Wind Controller/Saxophone and Orchestra) was scheduled for performance in January of 1988. Thus, Sampen had only six weeks to acquire and learn to play the WX7 Wind Controller. 

  • As he was en route to London for the performance, Subotnick was detained at customs and almost sent home because the Electric Symphony had not issued him a work permit.  

1987-1991: Sampen and Subotnick collaborated several times in creating and sampling sounds for the piece. At least twice they worked in the BGSU Electronic Studio with the assistance of Mark Bunce.  

• Sampen also traveled to Pecos, NM to work with Subotnick during this period. They also took a joint trip to MIT in Massachusetts where they experimented with the technology and electronics.  

October 16, 1987: In Two Worlds was premiered by John Sampen with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and Yuval Zaliouk.

• This was a partial performance of Part II, for Saxophone, Orchestra, and Computer, due to the Yamaha WX7 wind controller not yet being commercially available.

• This performance made use of a Macintosh II computer and Subotnick’s own “Interactor” software.

• This version required use of external sound processors, such as the Yamaha SPX90, and a sound technician to control effects such as reverb, delay, and pitch shifting.

Morton Subotnick, Yuval Zaliouk, and John Sampen at the premiere of In Two Worlds with the Toledo Symphony, 1987.

October 22-24, 1987: Morton Subotnick and his wife Joan LaBarbara were guests at the 8th Annual BGSU New Music Festival and Sampen worked with Subotnick during this time. 

• Sampen recalls many hours sitting together with Morton in creating sampled sounds which often were destroyed when the computer program crashed.

January 16, 1988: In Two Worlds was performed in full (35 minutes) by John Sampen, the Electric Symphony Orchestra, and Richard Gonski at The Corn Exchange in Cambridge, England.

• This performance made full use of the Saxophone, WX7 Wind Controller, Air Drum, Amplified Orchestra, and Computer.

• Wind controller was used to trigger “advance” cues from each sound event to the next. This proved extremely problematic and unreliable in performance. The Air Drum also proved problematic.

• The publisher, Schott, considers this performance to be the true premiere of In Two Worlds.

March 11, 1988: The full version of In Two Worlds receives its USA Premiere performance by John Sampen, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and Neal Stulberg at Popejoy Hall, University of New Mexico Fine Arts Center, Albuquerque, NM.

• Orchestra amplification was removed.

• In an attempt to make live performance more reliable, Subotnick adjusted triggering commands so that a computer technician could assist with advancing or correcting cue states. Reliability still proved problematic.

April 14, 1988: A premiere performance of a new version of In Two Worlds for solo WX7 Wind Controller and Computer by Kenneth Radnofsky took place at MIT Media Lab.

• Material from Parts I and II (35 minutes) was condensed into a shorter 20-minute composition. WX7 triggers were still unreliable, and the computer crashed mid-performance. This consequential performance ultimately led to Subotnick abandoning the WX7 in favor of alto saxophone and computer.

July 18, 1989: John Sampen performed and demonstrated In Two Worlds with Morton Subotnick on wind controller at the California Summer Arts Festival at Humboldt College.

November 2, 1989: John Sampen and Morton Subotnick gave a demonstration and performance of In Two Worlds at the International Computer Music Conference (Ohio State University). 

• At this convention there was a near "melt-down." Both Subotnick and Sampen had spent several late-night hours on November 1st preparing the electronic set-up, and they left signs saying, "Do Not Disturb."  

  • On the morning of the performance, the conference staff members elected to "borrow" the prepared equipment for other performance events. At this point, the normally affable Subotnick threatened to leave the conference. He eventually agreed to stay (he was one of their special guests) and the set-up was again "cobbled together" for a reasonably successful performance. 

January 16, 1990: John Sampen at University of California Los Angeles premiered a new version of In Two Worlds for solo Alto Saxophone and Computer. He also performed this version at Lewis & Clark College.

• The Wind Controller and Orchestra were removed.

• The work was shortened to 18 minutes, prompted by audience feedback provided by John Sampen. Sound events were reprogrammed to be triggered via pedal controlled by the soloist as well as computer technician intervention. This version was described as “strong and electronically secure” by John Sampen. 

• This is version is most related to the version that is published and sold today.

1992: In Two Worlds (version for solo alto saxophone and computer) was recorded by John Sampen on “The Contemporary Saxophone” on Neuma Records. The record was engineered by Mark Bunce.

• This recording was the premiere commercial release of In Two Worlds.

• The track was positively reviewed by Linda Dusman of the Computer Music Journal and an anonymous reviewer in the Saxophone Journal.

John Sampen’s The Contemporary Saxophone (1992), Neuma Records #450-80

April 28, 1992: John Sampen performed the Alto Sax and Computer version of In Two Worlds at New Music Chicago.

• This concert was shared with the Black Swamp Saxophone Quartet.

September 6, 1992: A new orchestra version of In Two Worlds was premiered by John Sampen and the Orchestra Internazionale D’Italia with Lu Jia at the 10th World Saxophone Congress at Pesaro, Italy. This version included Saxophone, Computer, and Orchestra.

• The WX7 Wind Controller and Air Drum were eliminated from this orchestral version. The work’s length was reduced from the original 35 minutes to a more condensed 22 minutes, mostly due to removed sections that originally employed wind controller and Air Drum. 

• This concerto version is currently available for performance via rental through European American Music Distributors.

• This performance was considered the premiere of the finalized orchestral setting.

1993-1996: In Two Worlds was performed approximately 16 times throughout the USA, Canada, and Europe by John Sampen and Mark Bunce during various tours and guest performances. These performances continued to use the outdated “Interactor” and outdated hardware components.

1995: Macintosh II computer system and “Interactor” software were no longer commercially available. In Two Worlds began to enter a decade of neglect and becomes increasingly unplayable over time.

Summer 2007: Following consultation and permission from Morton Subotnick, Mark Bunce, assisted by Jeff Heisler, reprogramed the 1990 version of the work in Max/MSP. This new version implemented real-time effects processing and no longer requires external sound processors as before.

• Bunce located external sound equipment and hardware from the 1990 version of the work. A Macintosh II Quadra 650 and Yamaha TX 802 tone generator provided rendering of MIDI sequences to sound files. Yamaha SPX90 analog sound processing and “Interactor” software functions were recreated using Max/MSP objects and modern digital signal processing.

• Jeffrey Heisler and John Sampen uniformly credit Mark Bunce as the primary technical lead behind this project.

October 25, 2007: The premiere of the updated MAX/MSP version was performed by Susan Fancher at the Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina Greensboro, in Greensboro, NC.

April 16-17, 2008: “In Two Worlds” (Max/MSP version) was performed by Jeff Heisler at the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference at University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

2009: Susan Fancher releaseed her recording of “In Two Worlds” (Max/MSP version) on her CD album, “In Two Worlds,” on Innova Records.

Susan Fancher’s In Two Worlds (2009), Innova Records #736

May 2010: Jeffrey Heisler’s doctoral document, “Anatomy and Evolution of Morton Subotnick’s In Two Worlds for Alto Saxophone and Interactive Computer” was approved by a committee consisting of John Sampen, Ronald Shields, Mark Bunce, Jacqueline Leclair, and Kenneth Thompson.

2011-2021: The Mark Bunce and Jeffrey Heisler’s Max/MSP And Saxophone and Computer version of In Two Worlds was performed approximately 42 times throughout the USA and Canada by John Sampen and Mark Bunce during various tours and guest performances.  

• These performances often featured several cuts in the concerto to accommodate the recital format.

Today: Morton Subotnick’s In Two Worlds continues to be available through Schott Music Corporation. The 2007 Max/MSP version (18-minutes) is for sale and the 1992 Orchestral Concerto version (22-minutes) is for rent. Versions that used the WX7 Wind Controller, Air Drum, and other analog equipment are no longer commercially available.

WORKS CITED

Fancher, Susan. “In Two Worlds.” Liner notes for Subotnick, Morton. In Two Worlds. Susan Fancher. Innova Records #736. CD. 2009. Accessed October 10, 2021.

Heisler, Jeffrey. "Anatomy and Evolution of Morton Subotnick’s In Two Worlds for Alto Saxophone and Interactive Computer." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1268962567.

“Morton Subotnick - in Two Worlds.” Project Schott New York. Accessed October 14, 2021. https://www.eamdc.com/psny/composers/morton-subotnick/works/in-two-worlds/.

Subotnick, Morton. In Two Worlds. New York: Schott Music Corporation., 1987.