“Simplicity or Complexity?” Crumb and His Three Selected Works

for Violin and Small Ensemble between 1966 and 1976

Ang-Cheng Kris Ho1

United International College, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University

Abstract. George Crumb is a twentieth century American experimentalism composer. During Crumb’s

career, he wrote a few pieces for violin and piano before 1976. Three selected chamber works of Crumb

composed between 1966 and 1976 are Eleven Echoes of Autumn (Echoes I) (1966), Four Nocturnes (Night

Music II) (1964) and Dream Sequence (Images II) (1976). In these pieces, Crumb utilizes both western and

non-western conventional instruments including Japanese temple bells and the Thai buffalo bell. Through

them, he discovers the volume of the sonority, the color of the timbre and the way of the performance. The

center focus in this three selected works is the quiet mood, imagination and reflection of life. He attempts to

convey the sound between reality and fantasy by the use of the instrument. In each piece, he indicates

different concepts and expects individual performers to portray the shape of the music to fulfill the space.

Crumb not only explores the timbre of the instrument but also extends the performance from on-stage to off-

stage. Although, this way of performance was unusual and strange in the 1960s or 1970s, today it sounds not

too peculiar to the audience. These pieces are full of challenge for the performer, yet have not been

performed as often as other pieces such as Black Angels (1970). In exploring these issues, this research will

examine the challenges of performance and the historical and cultural forces that characterized these works.

Keywords: George Crumb, Violin, Graphic Notation, Experimental Music.

1. Introduction

The repertoire of string compositions by George Crumb has evolved greatly over the course of the

century. New compositional ideas emerged in the second half of the century. These techniques were created

by composers to express their musical ideas. Composers were influenced by each other and the advent of

technology, particularly computer. For example, Luciano Berio (1925-2003) is noted by his computer music.

Iannis Xenakis (b. 1922) was one of pioneer composers who use architectural designs to switch conventional

musical thinking with new concepts of sound composition. In 1960, Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933) used

non-conventional notation, graphic notation in his Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. He is famous by

his avant-garde musical techniques and complex textures of notation. These European composers had

influence on the non-conventional notation of American composers.

Contemporary notation is innovated and developed by different composers in the twentieth century.

Crumb, Berio, Xenakis and Penderecki are examples of it. They develop, create and define their symbols to

notate their music. As defined by Stone in Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook

(1980), [1] these notation types consist of symbolic notation, improvisational notation, graphic notation,

metric notation and spatial notation. Crumb utilizes these designs and concepts in his writing. Particularly,

Crumb uses it as a tool to draw and depict his soundscape, leads the performer and the audience into a realm

that takes inspiration from the world, but which transforms it into slightly different dimensions. Among all

his music, from the start, he has mesmerized and enchanted broad audiences as well as fellow musicians.

Most of Crumb’s music has to be prepared and rehearsed considerably as many times as possible before it is

recorded in the studio or performed in public. The stage setting has to consider the application of sound and

atmosphere defined by Crumb. It is normally explained and described in the first page of the score.

George Crumb’s music is economical and elegant from the beginning and followed by the development

of the music which has mesmerized and enchanted wide audiences as well as fellow composers and

musicians. [2] Crumb’s music challenges audience and musicians in both two aspects: listening and

performance. Listening or performing his music is like an unexpected journey or sitting in a rollercoaster,

starts from gentle and moderate speed, gradually increases the speed and diversification of the timbre and

Corresponding author. Tel.: 00-86-0756-362-0802; fax: 00-86-0756-362-0888.

E-mail address: krisho@uic.edu.hk. 85

DOI: 10.7763/IPEDR. 2014. V71. 16

sonority completed in a surprise ending. This paper is to exemplify three pieces written between 1966 and

1976 for violin with piano or ensemble. In Crumb’s music, the ideas of the music may not be found in a

distinctive and discernible way.

2. Background and His Musical Characteristics

Crumb’s music often juxtaposes various musical styles, ranging from western art-music tradition, to

hymns and folk music, or to non-Western music. Many of Crumb’s works include programmatic, symbolic,

mystical and theatrical elements, which are often reflected in his unique and precisely notated scores. [3]

One of Crumb’s early musical influences was Anton Webern (1883-1945) but Crumb does not really

consider himself as a minimalist composer. In an interview with Robert Shuffett, [4] Crumb states his

compositional influence also includes Béla Bartók (1881-1945), Luciano Berio (1925-2003) but Claude

Debussy (1862-1918) was the most profound impact on his writings. [5] These composers can be divided

into two aspects: simplicity and complexity. From perspective of notation or musical styles, Webern is an

example of simplicity and Berio is an example of complexity. Meanwhile, Debussy is between simplicity

and complexity. The concept of simplicity and complexity can be found in every Crumb’s work. For

example, in the first movement of Four Nocturnes for violin and piano, Crumb uses major seventh, minor

seventh and inverted intervals as harmonious basis on both instruments, and varied by glissando, passing

note, Appoggiatura, or neighbor note. The sound production is simple but the notation and the musical and

technical demand is complex. (See Fig. 1)

Fig. 1: Contrasting of simplicity and complexity, George Crumb, Four Nocturnes for Violin and Piano. © 1971 C. F.

Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [6]

3. Three Selected Works between 1966 and 1976

George Crumb, whose music burst on the scene in the late 1960s, was for his entire career as a

distinguished member of a university faculty. [7] During this time, he received an award from the American

Academy of Arts and Letters and a Pulitzer Prize for his Echoes of Time and the River in 1968. Crumb

taught at the University of Colorado in 1959-1964. During this time, he composed Night Music I, a chamber

work that includes Crumb’s first of many settings of Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca (1898-1936). He

developed idea when he was a student and also started his Night Music I (1965) was the beginning of his

exploration of sonic journey.

Between 1966 and 1976, except his most significant string quartet, Black Angel (1970), Crumb

composed three violin solo and ensemble works: Four Nocturnes (Night Music II) (1964), for violin and

piano, Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) (1966), for violin, alto flute, clarinet, and piano and Dream

Sequence (Images II) (1976), for violin, cello, piano, percussion (one player), and off-stage glass harmonica

(two players). Even though Crumb instructs his instruments with “electric”, common practice is to simply

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amplify the sound of the instrument though microphones. Amplified violin is not meant to be played on

“electric violin.”

3.1. Crumb’s Common Ideas in 1960s and 1970s Crumb is a composer who regularly reuses and extended his ideas in his works. He uses series title in his

different works that were written in different times or where he extended the use of instrumentation in

different works. This can be ascertained by either listening to a recording or reading the score of three of

Crumb’s violin compositions where his musical style does not follow the conventional format. There are five

common ideas can be found in these three works:

Imagination: Dream, and scenery of Autumn.

Amplification: traditional instrument with amplifier.

Solo and ensemble: violin with other instruments such as clarinet, cello and piano.

Extended playing techniques: unusual bowing techniques, sonority and sound production. (See Fig. 1,

2 and 3)

Visual art notation: use of graphic notation. (Figure 3)

During these years Crumb also produced works with strong visual aspects.

In addition, Crumb’s scores themselves are exquisitely beautiful, handwritten works of visual art, with

curving staff lines, and scores shaped into circles, such as in Dream Sequence (Images II) (1976). [8]

3.2. Crumb’s Writing Style and Performance Requirement Like other twentieth century composers, Crumb has his unique voice in the writing. Crumb, one of

experimental music pioneers, his music represents an extension of traditional music and innovative

performance manners. The comparison of simplicity and complexity can be seen in these three pieces. In this

paper, simplicity is defined as the music idea, style or performance manner used in the traditional classical

music; complexity is defined as the musical idea varied and developed by Crumb in his compositions. First,

the sonority (f and p) and tempo variation are commonly used in Baroque music to distinguish tutti

(ensemble) and solo (solo or a section leader to play major melody). Crumb develops this simple idea in his

music and explores the volume of the tone production from pppp to fff or ffz and the range of tempo between

78 semiquaver beats per minute and 30 quaver beats per minute. In the past, most of markings are indicated

by composers such as Andante (at a walking pace 73–77 BPM) or no markings on the score. Performers have

freedom to perform the music and depict the music by their understanding. In Crumb’s works, he gives

precise instruction and limit freedom to performers. For example, in his Dream Sequence (Images II) for

violin and cello, he indicates “breathing” ♪ = 60 and phrases = 10-13 sec. on the score for both instruments.

(See Fig. 2)

Fig. 2: “breathing” ♪=60 and phrases = 10-13 sec. Violin and Cello, Dream Sequence (Images II). © 1976 C. F. Peters

Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [9]

3.2.1. Notation

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Graphic notation, a compositional skill, uses visual and innovative symbols on the musical writing,

outside the realm of conventional notation. It evolved in the 1950s, and is often used in combination with

traditional music notation, particularly in the experimental music. [10] Relied on the conventional notation,

Crumb applies his own ideas into the music such as visual symbols and altered notation. He presents music

on the score in a graphic or unconventional manner such as spirals or circles. (See Figure 3).

Fig. 3: An example of graphic notation. Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) for violin, Alto flute, Clarinet and

Piano. © 1972 C. F. Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [11]

3.2.2. Comparison of Indication and Markings These works has shown the dynamic indication between pp and pppp. The change is very petite

challenging any of performers to portray the sound and tone colour as well as the shape of the music. These works also requires all performers to use pitch or music to draw the picture or tell the story to the audience as Crumb explains in the subtitle. Most of them would refer to his childhood or life in the rural area in United States. The imitation of the environmental sound has to be distinguished by the performer. It requires very good understanding of the instrument and the energy of the performance. Most of sound and tone colour has to be very delicate and unique. No performance will be exactly the same, even the music performed by same performers. Even though, they perform in the same venue, however, they might play the music on different days and the sound production would not be the same. [See Figure 1, 2, 3 and 4]

Fig. 4: An example of timbral possibility in Echo 3 Prestissimo, Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) for violin,

Alto flute, Clarinet and Piano. © 1972 C. F. Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [14]

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3.2.3. Symbolism and Timbral Possibilities Symbolism is a vehicle that Crumb indicates and uses as a power to portray particular timbre or

theatrical movement who requires players to do unconventional things such as using their instruments in ways they may not have been trained as conventional performer. Performers have to explore the timbral possibilities of the instruments. For instance, in Crumb 1966’s composition Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I), he indicates violinists to play the violin on different part of the body and produce usual sound to reflect his personal imagination. Each of the eleven pieces has its own character instructed by Crumb. For example, a delicate aura of sympathetic vibrations emerges in Echo 3. [12] Crumb indicates the violinist has to hold the violin like a mandolin. [13] The violinist has to make a very rapid tremolo on the G string with the fingernail (forefinger) or the fingernail and thumbnail (held closely together). A very rapid lateral motion of the nail should produce an effect resembling a plectrum tremolo on a mandolin. (See Figure 4).

3.2.4. Performance Requirement: Conventional or Non-Conventional The definition of conventional and non-conventional playing skills in this research is based on the

comprehension of the musical performance. I believe performers might have to adjust and re-define it while

learning Crumb’s music before the performance. As Crumb applied a lot of playing techniques in these three

works, such as harmonics, pizzicato, rapping sounds (on the wood of the violin). They have become so-

called conventional playing techniques in the twentieth century. Crumb applies these skills in his works

cannot be thought in a simply way even though these skills are not too unusual. While learning Crumb’s

music as part of performance preparation, the performer must look at the instruction carefully and think

about the timbre production, interpretation, collaboration and performance. It is not only a solo performance

but also an ensemble. The performance is not as tranquil as executing Baroque or Classical music. The

performer has to seek for a way to produce the sound, combing with imagination, visual exhibition and

amplification. At this point, the idea of the conventional has been extended and it would become a variety of

non-conventional performance.

Crumb utilizes various languages in his writing, particularly Spanish. He uses this idea into notation and

musical intentions with the text or pitch. Using different language in musical performance is certainly not an

entire new idea. This idea has been used since Renaissance period or even earlier time. However, using an

instrument, either string or keyboard, to imitate vocal sound and to interpret the image of the music can be

thought as a new way to execute the music. I believe a lot of performers have to get rid of their traditional

playing and explore new ways to imitate vocal-like sound or play and speak simultaneously. In addition, it

would go against the hearing of the performer and the way of playing the instrument. Performers must

relinquish the beauty of the sound and re-discover the possibility of the sound can be produced from the

instrument itself. Can we still convince conventional and non-conventional playing techniques exactly and

precisely?

4. Conclusion

Since Crumb’s first composition, he has composed over sixty pieces, but only few used violin as main

instrument in the music. Most of them are his early works and the time he starts showing his maturity in his

compositions. Crumb’s contribution to violin music has challenged performers to re-think and change the

way of performance practice and execution. He has raised the awareness of new manner of performing the

twentieth century music.

5. Acknowledgements

I am grateful to United International College, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University

for their generous 2013 UIC research grant without which this investigation could not have been completed.

6. Reference

[1] K. Stone. Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,

1980.

[2] L. Botstein. “George Crumb.” American Symphony Orchestra, 2013, accessed on 10 March 2013,

http://www.americansymphony.org/concert_notes/george-crumb.

[3] Yale School of Music, “Concerts: New Music New Haven Hosts Renowned Composer George Crumb Nov. 15,”

89

November 9, 2012, accessed on 10 March 2013, http://music.yale.edu/news/?p=7654

[4] R. Shuffet. “The Music, 1971-75, of George Crumb: A Syle Analysis.” D. M. A. diss., Peabody Institute, 1979.

[5] D. Gillespie. Profile of a Composer: George Crumb. New York: C. F. Peters, 1986, pp. 34-37.

[6] G. Crumb. Four Nocturnes for Violin and Piano. New York: C. F. Peters, 1971.

[7] L. Botstein. “George Crumb.” American Symphony Orchestra, 2013, accessed on 10 March 2013,

http://www.americansymphony.org/concert_notes/george-crumb.

[8] Music Academy Online, 2007, “George Crumb,” Accessed on 10 March 2013,

http://www.musicacademyonline.com/composer/biographies.php?bid=121

[9] G. Crumb. Dream Sequence (Images II). New York: C. F. Peters, 1976.

[10] A. Pryer. “Graphic notation.” The Oxford Companion to Music. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 08

March. 2013.

[11] G. Crumb. Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) for violin, Alto flute, Clarinet and Piano. New York: C. F.

Peters, 1972.

[12] Crumb: Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale). Performed by New Music Concerts Ensemble and Robert Aitken.

Naxos 8.559205, CD, 2006.

[13] A mandolin is four strings, lute-like plucked or strummed string instrument, tuned in perfect fifths and plucked

with a plectrum.

[14] G. Crumb. Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) Alto flute, Clarinet and Piano. New York: C. F. Peters,

1972.

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