one Asian under a groove

Sp-t-fy playlist here. This is a broad (2+ hours) overview rather than a holistic (shorter) introduction; for the latter, there’s An American Journey by Michael Tilson Thomas and the SF Symphony. This playlist includes excerpts from all his major instrumental works, punctuated by songs. If you particularly like something then check out the source album obv.

Leonard Bernstein discusses Charles Ives

While there’s more to Ives than quotation, it’s fundamental to much of his music, as Lenny illustrates.

Symphony No. 2 : III. Adagio cantabile and V. Allegro molto vivace (Bernstein/NY Philharmonic, Columbia)

Bernstein conducted Ives as a national composer a la Sibelius, which seems the best approach to the Second.

Song: “Memories” (Thomas Hampson)

Symphony No. 3: III. Communion (Tilson Thomas/Concertgebouw)

The Third is a more subtle work — perhaps too subtle. MTT appreciates the spirituality of the final movement.

Song: “The Housatonic at Stockbridge” (Jan DeGaetani)

Violin Sonata No. 4 (Hahn/Lisitsa)

The violin sonatas are minor works, but Hahn and Lisitsa have the capacity for fun to make minor matter.

Three Places in New England (Sinclair/Malmo)

Really what’s greatest about Ives is his affection for American music. Three Places, his tribute to American song from church to plantation contains his best bad marching band imitation.

Song: “Vote for Names” (Paul Sperry)

Orchestral Set No. 3: II. An Afternoon, or During Camp Meetin’ Week (Sinclair/Malmo)

He left his Third Orchestral Set unfinished, but the attempt to complete it excerpted here stands with most of his work.

Holiday Symphony: The Fourth of July (Tilson Thomas/Chicago)

Grab a drink, grab a glass, after that I’ll grab your ass.

Song: “Serenity” (Jan DeGaetani)

Piano Sonata No. 2: I. Emerson (Aimard)

Other movements are dedicated to Hawthorne, Thoreau, and the Alcott family. Transcendentalism for aesthetes and families.

Symphony No. 4: II. Comedy (Tilson Thomas/Chicago)

Ives’ most ambitious work isn’t a start-to-finish success like Three Places, but this picaresque movement and the questing finale are as great as anything he did.

Song: “General William Booth Enters into Heaven” (William Sharp)

String Quartet No. 2 (Juilliard)

Ives at his most arch-modern still has room for “Turkey in the Straw” (again).

Song: “Grantchester” (Mary Ann Hart)

The Unanswered Question (Kalmar/Oregon)

The 1906 version was revolutionary, but this 1934 revision is more accomplished. Stillness punctuated by the classical equivalent of honking.

Song: “They Are There!” (Charles Ives)

The only one who could answer that question is Ives himself, and an honest answer must be incomplete.

For more information: Scott Mortensen’s A Charles Ives Website has a trove of information, which I relied on heavily. It hasn’t been updated since 2006, which should be kept in mind when browsing the lists of recordings. The Charles Ives Society website includes by professional Ivesians like Jan Swafford and James Sinclair.

My personal top five Ives discs (c.f. Mortensen’s top ten):

1. The Three Orchestral Sets (Sinclair/Malmo)

2. Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 (Tilson Thomas/Chicago)

3. Jeremy Denk Plays Ives (Spotify-available alternative: Aimard & Graham, Concord Sonata & Songs)

4. String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 (Juilliard)

5. Symphonies Nos 2 & 3 (Bernstein/NY Philharmonic)