innova 962eric stokes the lyrical pickpocket

© Merilee Klemp. All Rights Reserved, 2017. innova® Recordings is the label of the American Composers Forum.

Woodwind Quintet #21. MidsummerWeedlot3:182. ThePhantomFakir2:303. BlueMountainValentine5:504. TheSeagullWaltz4:19 RiversideWinds

Song Circle5. NightbyLakeCalhoun3:466. ChameleonWedding2:397. Onion3:518. Car3:229. TheGodandGoddessofCarrots3:02 MariaJette,soprano;TrudyAnderson,flute; KathyKienzle,harp

10.Give & Take 3:28 MerileeKlemp,oboe;JimJacobson,cello

Four Songs11. WaitingBoth4:2312.WesternWind1:3213. InscriptionsforaPealofEightBells5:0114.AnUpbraiding3:44 MariaJette,soprano;MerileeKlemp,oboe

The Lyrical Pickpocket15.Bull‘Gine‘n’Tarriers1:5716. Travelin’theRockyRoad2:2017. BreathCanBlowBothWays… HotonColdFingers…ColdonHotSoup3:0018.PoptheWhip2:0119.Go’WayfromMyWindow…fromthedoor …mybedside…bothermenomore3:0720.OvertheDeepBlueMoon4:01 RiversideWinds;SonjaThompson,piano

67:09

Musicisforthepeople,forallofus.Thelandofmusiciseveryone’snation--histune,herbeat,yourdrum--onesong,onevote.Composersarecalledtoservethepeople.Performersarecalledtoservealsobypresentingthemusicindistinctiveways.Thepeo-pleareinvokedtowitnessthisservicewhichiscelebrationofourtime--spunbeing--theineluctabledanceofsound-spelledLife.

—EricStokes(1930-1999)

Introduction: Eric Stokes was a “musical citizen” in the Twin Cities for almost fortyyears,teachingintheMusicSchoolattheUniversityofMinnesota.Erichasbeenvariouslydescribedasacrusty,eccentric,wonderfullyhumorous,veryhealthyandresourcefulAmericancomposerofgentle,witty,lyricallyaccessiblemusic,withatasteforfolkloricAmericanaanda“Whitman-esque”ear(Baker’s).HisoperashavebeenperformedbytheMinnesotaOpera:Horspfal,1966,andTheJealousCellist,1979.DennisRussellDavieschampioned Eric through commissions, performances and recordingswiththeSaintPaulChamberOrchestra:OntheBadlands:Parables,1972;FiveVerbsofEarthEncircled,1973;Pack-Rat(2-step)Slow(March)Drag,1976. The Minnesota Orchestra commissioned The Continental Harp &BandReportforthe1975openingofOrchestraHall inMinneapolis.TheUniversity of Minnesota Wind Ensemble and Chorus performed his lastworkOutoftheCradleEndlesslyRockinginSpring2000.WhenhediedinanautoaccidentinMarchof1999,DavidZinmanwasinterviewedfortheobituaryandspokeabouttheirlifelongfriendshipandmusicmakinginthisway:

Wedreamedthesamedreamswhenwewereyoung.Iwentmyway,andhewenthisway.Idon’tknowifhewasverywellunderstood.Hismusicwashisown.ItwasveryAmericanandverypoetic.Ithinkhewrotepoemsev-erydayofhislife.Ihavealotofthepoemshejustwrotetomeandletters.Someofhismusicwasperhapsalittlecrude,buttherewasalwaysmagicinit.Hismusicwillliveoninthenextcentury.Butwhateverhappenswithhismusic,myfriendisgone.

Early Training: EricwasbornandraisedinHaddonHeights,NewJersey,locatedabouttenmilessoutheastofPhiladelphia.HisfatherwasdirectorofaPhiladel-phiaofficeofanimport-exportfirmandhismotherwasanartisticinflu-ence with her sharp musical insight and vocal skills. Eric talked abouttheplaceofmusicinhischildhoodinaninterviewwithscholarAnnMc-Cutchanin1996.“Asakid,Ilovedmusic.Icouldhardlyeverhaveenoughofit,especiallytheclassics,andIwantedtobepartofthat.”Hesaidthathewascalled“toalifeinmusicbytheSundayradiobroadcastsofcon-certsandoperathatmymotherandsistersangalongwith.”Hetalkedaboutthegramophoneandradiointroducinghimtoragtime,jazz,swingbands,country/western,andpopularsong.Whenhewassix,hebegansingingasaboysopranointhechurchchoir.Hecontinuedsinginginthebasssectionwhenhisvoicechanged. Inthesameinterview,Ericgoesontodiscusshis“calling”tocompose.

“IrememberonedaywhenIwasatthepianointhebackbedroom,andIwassupposedtobepracticingformyweeklypianolessons.Well,Iwasbored with my assignment and drifted into endless improvisations. Myyoungersisteropenedthedoorandsaid,“You’rejustmakingthatupasyougoalong!”Shewasrightandthat’swhatI’vebeendoingeversince:makingitup.Afteryearsandyears,composingseemsliketheonlythingto do -- it’s the one thing that keeps presenting interesting challenges.Everypieceisnewanddifferent.”

Formal Training: Aftergraduating fromHaddonHeightsHighSchool inNewJersey in1948,EricStokeswenton toLawrenceUniversity inAppleton,Wisconsinand graduated in 1952 with a BM in Theory/Composition. He studiedcompositionunderarigoroustraditionalist,JamesMing,“allthestandardEuropeanthings,butnotawhisperaboutAmericanmusic.”HereceivedaMMdegreeinCompositionin1956fromtheNewEnglandConservatoryofMusicstudyingwithCarlMcKinley. WhileinBoston,Erichadthechancetowritetheatermusic.Hewroteincidentalmusicforfiveplaysthatgavehimanearlyopportunitytoex-periment.Realizing that itwouldbedifficult tomakea livingasa free-lancecomposerinBoston,heandhiswifeCynthiaStokesmovedtotheTwinCitiesin1959becausehehadreceivedafellowshiptopursueaPhDattheUniversityofMinnesota.“(Teaching)wastheonlywayIcouldseetosubsidizewhat Iwanted todo.”Ericcontinuedhiscompositionstud-ies with Paul Fetler, who had been a student of Hindemith at Yale. HealsostudiedorchestrationwithDominickArgentoandreceivedhisPhDinCompositionin1965.HebeganteachingattheUniversityofMinnesotain1961andremainedthereuntilhisretirementin1988.

Musical Influences: OneofEric’smostimportantinfluenceswasthemusicofCharlesIves.Ericknew littleabout Ivesuntilheenrolled inJohannesRiedel’sclassesattheUniversityofMinnesotaintheearly1960’s.Ina1982interviewwithVincentPlush,EricrecalledRiedelas,“aGermanwithunboundedenthu-siasmforthingsAmericanwhowasdishingouteverythinghecouldthinkofaboutIvesinhisclasses-thiswasabigshotinthearm.”Withthedis-coveryoflandmarkfigureslikeIves,therecametherealizationthatonecanbeanAmericancomposerwithoutapology,thatthere’snoneedtobeEuropeaninoutlookorattitudeoreventogotoEuropeforasortoffinishingprocess.MuchofStokes’musicafterthemid-1960’sisrootedinsomethingquitesimilartoIves’sensibility. StanislawSkrowaczewskiwasinhissecondseasonasconductorofthe

MinnesotaOrchestraintheFallof1961whenheprogrammedAntiphonyIbyHenryBrant.Fiveorchestrasareplacedatvariouslocationsthroughout the concert hall. “I remember Northrop Auditorium with these fiveorchestras in thehall. Itwasmarvelous. Itwasa stunning thing.”Brant’sexperimentalapproachtowardssound,instruments,andspatiallocationbecameaninspirationforEric;theybeganalifelongfriendship. In1964, EricheardJohnCageperformhispiece,WhereAreWeGo-ingandWhatAreWeDoing?atHamlineUniversity.ThreetaperecordersplayedCage’sreadingofatextonthreesidesoftheroomwhileCagesatandreadthesametextlivefromthestage.Ericrecalledinaninterview,“TheworkofJohnCagechangedmywayofthinkingaboutwhatismusi-calandwhatisnot.ThefirsttimeIheardhimlecturewaslikebeingthrowninto thefirstmeltof the lakes in springtime!” Localconductor TomNee,whowouldbecomeamajorchampionofEric’smusic,extendedtheinvi-tationtoCageandcontinuedtoplaytheroleofimpresarioandmusicalprovocateurintheTwinCitiesandCaliforniaforthenexttwodecades. Eric summarized these threeencounterswith the ideasandmusicofBrant,Cage,Ivesinhis1996interviewwithAnnMcCutchan.“Theyservedmewell.Theyrestoredmetoakindofchildlikeinnocenceaboutsound.Theyrescuedmefromconservatoryattitudesastowhat ismusicalandwhatisnot.Theyopenedmyears--whichhadbeenstuffedtoneardeaf-nesswithacademicgivensandprescriptions--tothewondersofsound.”

Commentary on the music: The chamber works I have selected for this recording were writtenbetween 1962 and1993 and represent thematuration of Eric’smusicalvoiceoverthreedecades.FourSongsforVoiceandOboewascomposedin1962andwasoneofhisfirstcommissions.TheWoodwindQuintet#2,completedin1981,compilesmusicofthreedecadesdemonstratingEric’sfascination with sound, space, chance, humor, and lyricism – “Midsum-merWeedlot,” “ThePhantomFakir,” “BlueMountainValentine,”and “TheSeagullWaltz.”Give&Take,aone-movementduoforoboeandcello,waswrittenin1984ontheoccasionofthemarriageofRandallDavidsonandMerileeKlemp.TheLyricalPickpocketwascommissionedby theSylmarChamberEnsemble.SongCirclewaswrittenfortheJubalTrio(Flute,Harp&Soprano)in1993andfundedbyChamberMusicAmericawithfundsfromThePewCharitableTrusts.

Woodwind Quintet #2wascommissionedbyaYoungAudiencesquintetandpremieredin1981.AswithmanyofEric’scompositions,variousmove-mentscallforaudienceparticipation.Inthefirstmovement,“MidsummerWeedlot,” audience members are divided into five choirs of sound tosimulatetherandomsoundsofwind,weeds,insects,andwater:tongueclicks,fingersnaps,pencilsclicks,gentlehissing,handrubbing,palmsrub-bing,fingerssnaps,and“playing”thetinesofacomb.Similarly,thequintetomitsoneoftheplayersin“ThePhantomFakir”asstudentsguesswhichpartisthe“phantomfaker.”

Song Circlewaswrittenin1993fortheJubalTrio,premieredinNewYorkonJanuary16,1994andcommissionedwithfundingfromChamberMu-sicAmericaandThePewCharitableTrusts.ThewhimsicalpoemsbyRob-ert Samarotto, EricStokesandKeithGunderson (all threegood friends)formamusico-dramatictourdeforcerequiringthesingertobehumorous,suspenseful,virtuosic…andapercussionist.

NIGHTBYLAKECALHOUN(EricStokes)Barkgloved,BobbinbranchedYourneedlingfingersthreadingwindWyndthatscufflingsound,ThatautumnwoundSoftlyroundtheheart.

CHAMELEONWEDDING(KeithGunderson)lizardmarriedlizardonaleafyesterdayandthebridesmaidsallworeredlovelyredno,brownno,greenno,redlovelyredowellanywaynonethelesswhat-the-hellonaleafyesterday,lizardmarriedlizardanditlookedo.k.

ONION(RobertSamarotto)Tearjerker–sobsisteryouarethefruitofsorrow.Yourstoryisasoldaslife.

ForthedeathofmyfatherImournedthreedays,formymotherIcryonlyfeathersanddust.ButwhenyoucomeapartinmyhandstearsbloominmyeyesIswimyoursorrow,universalsorrowinwaterdenseasblindness.

CAR(EricStokes)Godpliesmythrottle IdoHisspeedunderHisfoot mypedalsworkWeaccelerate.Mytiretreadsgo ‘roundrosariesunnumbered.theyrepeat. thebrakesaremany.Theymarkmyway.Heholdsamirrortomypast seesthroughglassmydark’ningroad andintonightfallasWego,mybeamslikemotesinothers’eyes, myspeakersgivinguselessnewsandmelodiesthatplayacrosstherhythmsofmyracingheart Hedrives.

THEGODANDGODDESSOFCARROTS(KeithGunderson)Thegod Thegod- ofthe -dessofcarrots carrotsis isorange greenall allorange. green.Grumpy Sheand lieswithstiff thewind,he shesulks wavestoina thehole. rabbits.

Give & Take demonstrates Eric’s sense of humor that can be found insomuchofhismusic. It is inaverytraditionalABAform–theAsectionexploresofthetuningpitch“A-440”withpitchbendsforbothinstruments.TheB section is jazzyanduses theoctatonic scale inaconversationaldialogue(somewouldsaya“marriedargument”)betweentheoboeandcello.

Four Songs for soprano and oboe isanearlycommission receivedaf-terEric’smovetotheTwinCities.During1963,agroupoffriendscommis-sionedhimtowriteasurprisefarewellforUniversityofMinnesotaphysicist,WarrenCheston(afineoboist)andhissopranowife.ThepremieretookplaceatthehomeofHelenRiceandArnoldWalker–withHelensingingandoboistPhyllisBlood.

WAITINGBOTH(ThomasHardy)Astarlooksdownatme,Andsays:“HereIandyouStand,eachinourdegree:Whatdoyoumeantodo,--Meantodo?”

Isay:“ForallIknow,Wait,andletTimegoby,Tillmychangecome.”–“Justso,”Thestarsays,“SomeanI,SomeanI.”

WESTERNWIND(AnonymousOldeEnglish)OWesternWind,whenwiltthoublowthatthesmallraindowncanrain?Christ,ifmylovewerestillinmyarmsandIinmybedagain.

INSCRIPTIONSFORAPEALOFEIGHTBELLSAfterARestoration(ThomasHardy)

I. ThomasTremblenew-mademeEighteenhundredandfifty-three:WhyhedidIfailtosee.

II.Iwaswell-tonedbyWilliamBrine,Seventeenhundredandtwenty-nine:Now,re-cast,Iweaklywhine!

III.FifteenhundredusedtobeMydate,butsincetheymeltedme‘Tisonlyeighteenfifty-three.

IV.HenryHopkinsgotmemade,AndIsummonfolkasbade;Nottomuchpurpose,I’mafraid!

V.Ilikewise;forIbangandbidIncommonermetalthanIdid,Someofmebeingstolenandhid.

VI.I,too,sinceinamouldtheyflungme,Drainedmysilver,andrehungme,Sothatintin-liketonesItongueme.

VII.Innineteenhundred,so‘tissaid,Theycutmycanonoffmyhead,Andmademelookscalped,scraped,anddead.

VIII.I’mthepeal’stenorstill,butrueit!Onceittooktwotoswingmethroughit:NowI’mrehung,onedoltcandoit.

ANUPBRAIDING(ThomasHardy)

NowIamdeadyousingtome Thesongsweusedtoknow,ButwhileIlivedyouhadnowish Orcarefordoingso.

NowIamdeadyoucometome Inthemoonlight,comfortless;Ah,whatwouldIhavegivenalive Towinsuchtenderness!

Whenyouaredead,andstandtome Nodifferenced,asnow,Butlikeagain,willyoubecold Aswhenwelived,orhow?

EricStokes:“The Lyrical Pickpockethastakenmebacktosomefavor-itefolksongsstillflourishingatthegrassrootslevel. I’vecombinedsome,addedsomeofmyowntunesandsetthemoutinafairlystraightforwardmanner.”AmericanfolksongsoftenfoundtheirwayintoEric’smusicdur-ingthe1970’sandcontinuedtofindexpressionthroughouthiscatalogofworks.EricoftenadvisedhisstudentstolookforfolkmaterialineitherAlanLomax’scollectionsofAmericanfolksongsorinthecollectionsofCecilSharp.Thefirstpieceinthiscollection,“Bull‘Gine‘n’Tarriers”isanoldrail-

roadworkerssongcalled“DrillYeTarriers”foundinLomax’sSongsofNorthAmerica. The second movement, “Travelin’ the Rocky Road,” draws onAmericanshapenotehymntunetraditions.“BreathCanBlowBothWays”and“OvertheDeepBlueMoon”arefromanunfinishedmusicalfarce,TheGooseSingsLow,thatwascomposedtwoyearsbeforethiscommission.“PoptheWhip”isbasedonanoxdriver’ssong.“Go‘WayfromMyWindow”hasthesamephrasestructureasthewell-knownlamentintheFitzwilliamVirginalBook,butthetuneisentirelyoriginal.Writtenin1990fortheSylmarChamberEnsemble,TheLyricalPickpocketwascommissionedwithfundsprovidedinpartbytheJeromeFoundation.

—MerileeKlemp

The Performers:Trudi Anderson (flute) is an active freelance musician and recitalist inthe Minneapolis-St. Paul area performing regularly with Augsburg Col-lege’sfacultyRiversideWinds,theSaintPaulChamberOrchestraandtheCivicOrchestraofMinneapolis.SheisafoundingmemberofFluteSpira-tionQuartet (flutespiration.com).Herarrangements forflutequartetareavailable through ScoreVivo (scorevivo.com). Ms. Anderson teaches atAugsburgCollegeandBethelUniversityandwasPresidentoftheUpperMidwestFluteAssociation.HerdegreesarefromAugsburgCollegeandNorthwesternUniversity.ShehasstudiedwithSamuelBaron,JuliaBogo-rad-Kogan,WalfridKujala,andMaryRobertsWilson.

Jennifer Gerth(clarinet) isprincipalclarinetof theDuluth-SuperiorSym-phonyandanactivememberof theTwinCitiesmusiccommunityper-formingwiththeMinnesotaOrchestra,MinnesotaOpera,MillCityOpera,andotherfreelanceorchestras.SheisafoundingmemberoftheProspectParkPlayersandplaysintheLakesChamberMusicFestivalinAlexandria,MN.HerdegreesarefromSt.OlafandNorthwesternUniversity.JenniferisonthefacultiesofAugsburgCollegeandtheUniversityofSt.Thomas.Shemaintainsaprivatestudioaswell.

Laurie Hatcher Merz(bassoon)isamemberoftheMinnesotaOperaOr-chestraandisabusyfreelanceplayerintheTwinCitiesperformingwiththeMinnesotaOrchestra, SaintPaulChamberOrchestra,VocalEssenceand Minnesota Sinfonia among many other ensembles. She has beenteaching artist and featured soloist at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg Interna-tionalMusicFestivalinGermanyandsheisonthefacultiesofAugsburgCollegeandCenturyCollegeinMinnesota.Astrongadvocatefor intro-ducingchildrentoclassicalmusic,MerzperformseducationaloutreachprogramsforThursdayMusicalwithherwindtrio,TheSecondWinds,andwithfellowAugsburgfaculty,theRiversideWinds.

James Jacobson (cellist) isprincipalcelloof theMinnesotaOperaOr-chestraandperformsregularlywiththeMinnesotaOrchestra,SaintPaulChamberOrchestra,BostonSymphony,PortlandSymphony,IntergalacticContemporaryEnsembleandmanyMinnesotachamberensembles.HehasstudiedatNewEnglandConservatoryandtheUniversityofMinnesota.JacobsonteachescellolessonsprivatelyaswellasatAugsburgCollege.

Soprano Maria Jette’s career encompasses everything from early Ba-roqueoperatoworldpremieres.ShehasappearedassoloistwithdozensoforchestrasthroughouttheUS;pluswiththeBerkshireOpera,Roanoke

Opera,SacramentoOpera,andthesadlydefunctExMachinaAntiqueMusicTheatreinherhomebaseofMinneapolis-St.Paul.She’softenheardwithVocalEssence,ChamberMusicSocietyofMinnesota,MinnesotaSin-fonia, Schubert Club, Lyra Baroque Orchestra, and on the last 21 yearsofGarrisonKeillor’sAPrairieHomeCompanion.HerdiscographyrangesfromBritten’sfolksongarrangementsthroughP.G.Wodehouse’slyricsforearlyBroadwaymusicals.www.mariajette.com

Kathy Kienzle(harp)joinedtheMinnesotaOrchestrain1993afteralongaffiliation with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera,andthePeninsulaMusicFestival.ShereceiveddegreesfromtheJuilliardSchoolandtheUniversityofArizona.ShehastaughtatBethel,Macalester,St.Thomas,St.Catherine,MacPhailCenterandiscurrentlyonthefacultiesoftheUniversityofMinnesotaandAugsburgCollege.

Merilee Klemp (oboeandEnglishHorn) isamemberof theMinnesotaSinfoniaandisheardfrequentlyindiversemusicalcollaborationswithhercolleaguesatAugsburgCollege,pianistLorieLine, theGuthrieTheater,andwithnumerousmusicensemblesandartistsinMinnesota.Herdiscog-raphydocumentsherwideinterests:commissionedworks(FritzBergmann,DanKallman,CaryJohnFranklin,RandallDavidson)andpremiererecord-ings(StephenPaulus,WilliamGrantStill,JanetJackson,MariahCareyandEltonJohn).ShehasproducedthisrecordingaswellasFallsFlyer:newmu-sicforoboeandguitar(SchubertClub).Dr.KlempreceiveddegreesfromAugsburgCollege(musiceducation), theUniversityofMinnesota(musi-cology)andtheEastmanSchool(oboeperformanceandliterature).Hermentors includeRichardKillmer,JamesCaldwell,JohnMackandmusi-cologistSusanMcClary.SheisaProfessoratAugsburgCollegewheresheteachesmusichistory,oboeandchambermusic.

Sonja Thompson (piano) enjoys a varied professional life as educator,churchmusician,theatermusician,conductor,coachandperformer.SheisAssistantProfessorofMusicandCollegeOrganistatAugsburgCollegeandMusicAssociateatPlymouthCongregationalChurchinMinneapolis.Sheisafrequentcollaboratorwithensemblesandartiststhroughoutthecountryandabroad.SonjareceiveddegreesfromtheUniversityofMinne-sota(theory/composition)andtheJuilliardSchool(accompanying)whilestudyingwithMargoGarrett,SamuelSandersandMarshallWilliamson.

Matt Wilson(FrenchHorn) isprincipalhornoftheMinnesotaOperaOr-chestra and regularly appears with the Saint Paul Chamber OrchestraandMinnesotaOrchestra.HehasalsoperformedwiththeFloridaOrches-

traandSouthDakotaSymphony.HeiscurrentlyprincipalhornoftheCrest-edButteMusicFestivalandhas taughthornatnumerouscollegesanduniversitiesinMinnesotaandWisconsin.HeisonthefacultyofAugsburgCollegeandamemberofRiversideWinds.

Credits:ThisrecordingwasmadepossiblebyanAugsburgCollegeDean’sGrant,aMinnesotaStateArtsBoardArtistInitiativeGrant,andanAugsburgCol-legeInnovationGrant.

SpecialthankstoCynthiaStokesandRandallDavidsonfortheirsupportandassistance.

Special thanks to the sound effects “team” for Woodwind Quintet #2 –PhilipAdamo,JoeBlack,BenjaminDavidson,RandallDavidson,MichaelDuran,andPatrickRomey.

ProducedandeditedbyMerileeKlempandRandallDavidson.Engineer,mastering:RussBorudAll recordings were produced in Sateren Auditorium on thecampusofAugsburgCollegebetweenNovember2009andJuly2015.

InnovaDirector,design:PhilipBlackburnOperationsDirector:ChrisCampbellPublicist:TimIgel

InnovaissupportedbyanendowmentfromtheMcKnightFoundation.

www.innova.mu

www.ericstokes.com