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Unlvorslty . r . =,‘ gHgADI‘: This is to certify that the thesis entitled LESLIE BASSETT: HIS LIFE AND MUSIC WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS 0N mUNDS REMEMBERED presented by BARBARA ROENNECKE BALLARD has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for MASTERS OF ARfl’egree in MUSIC Major professor Date __1]:_9fi0___ 0-7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 0 . ‘\ PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE mi? 2 3 {is} " S-J‘lg"\ «i. 3-4" ‘ A“? Ti 9 199‘: fi—Jl MSU Is An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity mm empiric-o: LESLIE BASSETT: HIS LIFE AND MUSIC WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON SOUNDS REMEMBERED By Barbara Roennecke Ballard A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Music 1990 ABSTRACT LESLIE BASSETT: HIS LIFE AND MUSIC WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON SOUNDS REMEMBERED By Barbara Roennecke Ballard Leslie Bassett is a twentieth-century American composer who has received the Pulitzer Prize and Prix de Rome. A prolific composer who is also a teacher. Bassett has been the head of the Composition Department at the University of Michigan For many years. The present study summarizes his liFe with a survey of his music and analysis on the chamber work, Sounds Remembered. This piece For saxophone and piano was written H1 homage txa the late Spanish serialist composer, Roberto Gerhard. He was a teacher. colleague and good Friend to Bassett whom he respected greatly. The information provided in this study is a gathering of the little data that has already been published on Bassett. In addition, this study will provide a personal view of the composer which was taken From three interviews with him. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. BASSETT'S LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. BASSETT’S MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 III. SOUNDS REMEMBERED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 IV. CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 APPENDICES A. SCORE OF SOUNDS REMEMBERED . . . . . . . . 50 B. LESLIE BASSETT: LIST OF WORKS . . . . . . . 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 ii PREFACE A significant number of twentieth-century composers have been successful in their field. Not all "successful" composers are necessarily well known to the general public or even to some of their fellow musicians. One factor contributing to this problem is simply the great number of composers in today's world. In this study I present a view of one such composer—-Leslie Bassett. Although I am very interested in twentieth—century composers, I was not familiar with Bassett. I am indebted to Dr. James Niblock for giving me the original idea of studying Bassett. Leslie Bassett has been a successful composer; however, there is very little published information available regarding him. In this study I have attempted to gather as much data on Bassett as I could acquire and to put this small amount of information into a logical order. This published data has been supplemented with the information I was able to obtain from Bassett himself in three interviews I had with tuna H1 1982, 1984 and 1990. I enjoyed these opportunities to meet with Bassett and found the interviews most helpful. especially for the insights they provided into his life and his views on music. iii This study fecuses on Bassett’s life and a survey of his musicu While analyzing his music, I became intrigued with Sounds Remembered because of its improvisatory nature; therefore, I decided to study this work in some detail. Because Bassett was so generous with his time and supplied me with helpful information (especially his List of Works printed in Appendix B), I am greatly indebted to him. He is a benevolent and caring individual, in addition to being an excellent composer, whom I have had the great honor to know and deeply respect. iv CHAPTER I BASSETT’S LIFE Leslie Raymond Bassett was born on January 22, 1923, in Hanford, California, one of two sons born to Archibald and Vera Starr Bassett. Idis father was a rancher in California's Central vallewu His grandfather supervised ranches in this region; therefore. Leslie’s father and uncles worked on these ranches. During the Depression the bank foreclosed on the ranches forcing Archibald Bassett to seek employment elsewhere. For a few years Leslie’s family moved around frequently in the Central Valley to accommodate Archibald Bassett's occupation. When Leslie was seven the Bassett family settled in Fresno, California, which became their permanent residence for many years. The Bassett family was rather musical. When Bassett was five his mother gave him his first piano lessons, and soon afterwards he began taking piano lessons from a piano teacher. He attended the public schools in Fresno. At fourteen Bassett started studying the trombone: he later received lessons on the cello as well. He was partial to the trombone which became his favorite instrument. Bassett also sang in the church choir and played trombone solos in church. His brother played clarinet. and the two of them I 2 enjoyed playing duets together. When Bassett was attending Central Union High School in Fresno. he played trombone in the orchestra. band, and different jazz groups. Bassett and his brother had summer jobs playing jazz in nearby towns. Bassett remembers these days and says. "We cflayed these summer band jobs and got paid for it; It was much better than picking grapes."l Bassett started composing while still a youth. These first experiments were for the piano. When Bassett was sixteen. he composed his first piece for band. This first composition was a march which was performed by the Fresno Central Union High School Band. Of this first ensemble piece Bassett says. In the end. it worked pretty well. but it didn't work for the French horns. The French horns were all written too high. so their sound was always flooding the texture. I didn’t realize that that high French horn had that kind of breaking quality. And that is a lesson that you remember for the rest of your life. I still watch for it now.2 Bassett graduated from high school in 1940 with an award in music and a college scholarship at Fresno State College. He entered Fresno in the fall of 1940 and lLeslie Bassettu 'Eaped Interview with Author. (Ann Arbor. MI. January 8. 1990). 21bid. 3 attended for less than two years. In 1942 during World War II. Bassett’s college education was interrupted for a three- and-a-half—year duty in the Army. Bassett was stationed in California. Texas. France and Germany while in the Army. He was with the Thirteenth Armored Division Band. playing the trombone and arranging jazz band charts. This was during the era of Big Band Jazz when Tommy Dorsey was very popular. Bassett played the high trombone solos like Tommy Dorsey’s at the U.S.O.'s. hw the Army Bassett enjoyed arranging which became a vehicle which involved him in composing. for he was creating and trying to be as different as he could. He thought that one can utilize one’s creativtby in the introductions and bridges. Bassett felt that there is much practicing of one’s craft while arranging. To Bassett it was an exercise in orchestration as well as a stepping stone to actual composition. In 1945. while still in the Army. he heard Bartok’s Concerto for Orcheggré. He said. "The Concerto is a flowing piece and it was a real revelation to me. That one piece had the greatest influence on me to become a composer."3 After the Army duty in 1946. Bassett returned to continue his studies at Fresno State College. He composed his first concert work for orchestra in 1946 while in 3Kenneth B. Kelley. [Shown as Leslie B. Kelley in Article]. "The Choral Music of Leslie Bassett." Chonal Journal 19. n.4, (1978):16. 4 college; this piece. Suite in C. was introduced on December 3. 1946. by the Fresno Symphony. A year later in 1947. Bassett received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music. He then moved to Michigan to begin his graduate studies in music at the University of Michigan School of Music. Bassett studied composition with Homer Keller and Ross Lee Finney. Referring to his beginning composition pieces. Bassett recalls. The first ones weren’t really original. They were sort of a rip-off of someone else's. I think the way a person becomes a composer is by imitation of things that you find attractive. And then gradually you become embarrassed about imitation. and cover it up a little bit. and move into things that seem more your own. But inevitably. when you start out. you imitate.4 In 1949 Bassett received his master’s degree in composition. He then decided to stay at Michigan for his doctorate and was appointed a teaching fellow there. Also in 1949 Bassett received his first award for his First String Quartet in the James Phelan Contest in California. On August 21. I949. Bassett married Anita Denniston. a composer and pianist. whom he had met at the University of Michigan School of Music. Bassett and Denniston had three children. two are presently living (a son and a daughter). In 1950 and 1951. he was on a Fullbright Fellowship to study 4Leslie Bassett. Taped Interview with Author. (Ann Arbor. MI. January 8. I970). 5 composition with Arthur Honegger at the Ecole Normale de Musique in France. This was an exciting and important period for Bassett. Referring to these times. he says. "It was very interesting over there because you see how the French musicians think about their craft. I enjoyed my studies in France and I cherish those memories."5 Bassett’s wife. Anita. was in France with him studying harmony awn: piano accompaniment with Nadia Boulanger. Consequently. Bassett studied harmony with Boulanger also. After his studies in France. Leslie and Anita briefly moved back to California in 1951. For a short time he was employed as a band teacher at a junior high school. He soon afterwards returned to the University of Michigan to join the faculty as an instructor in theory and composition in 1952. In 1954 he received two awards. The first was the Publication Award from the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors for his Qggrtgt for Trombones and Sonata for Horn and Piggg. The second award was from the Composers Forum in New York. Bassett received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 1956 from the University of Michigan. A turning point in his life came in 1960 when Roberto Gerhard. a Spanish serial composer. came to the University of Michigan School of Music as a visiting professor. 51pm. 6 Bassett studied composition with Gerhard and became good friends with him. Gerhard’s teachings influenced Bassett's writing. Bassett says that he was influenced the most in his writing by Finney. Honegger. and Gerhard. In 1961 Bassett received an award from the Society for the Publication of American Music for his Five Pieces For String Quartet. FWXMn 1961 through 1963 he was the recipient of the coveted Prix de Rome and studied at the American Academy in Rome. Bassett matured as a composer while in Rome and sees this time as the beginning of his professional composing. the feels the compositions written before his visit to Rome were apprenticeship-like in style. While in Rome Bassett composed the orchestral piece Five quements for Orchestra and the chamber work Inga; String Quartet. both of which displayed his maturing compositional style. The Fivngovements for Orchestra was introduced in Rome by the RA! Orchestra in 1962. while the Third String Quartet was premiered by the American Quartet in Rome in 1963. Bassett's next composition was the famous Variationsvfor Orchestra. for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1966. He composed the lariationg for Orche_s_1:_r;_a_ while still in Rome; it was introduced by the RAI Orchestra in July 1963. In the United States. the y_a_[_i_a_t_1_o_rl§_ was premiered in 1965 with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Variations for Orchestra was 7 chosen to represent the United States at the 1966 UNESCO International Rostrum for Composers in Paris. Throughout the mid-1960’s. Bassett was composing music for a wide array of ensembles. This variety encompassed solo pieces for organ. piano and voice. as well as ensemble works fkn~ chamber groups. winds and choral ensembles. In 1964 Bassett received a citation and grant from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He then became interested in another field and studied electronic music with Mario Davidovsky in 1964. The study of electronic music with Davidovsky led Bassett to become one of the founders of the Electronic Music Studio at the University of Michigan. He wrote a few electronic pfieces in 1965 and 1966. but then moved away from that idiom and returned to composing for acoustic instruments and voice. In 1966 Bassett received a grant from the National Council for the Arts and Humanities and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. He continued to teach at the University of Michigan while he was composing. He instructed classes in music theory. counterpoint. and composition. and even initiated a course in canon and fugue. U1 1967 because Bassett could not find an existing book suitable for his teaching of counterpoint. he wrote a textbook called Manual of Sixteenth C4entury Counterpoint. It was published in 1967 and was successful as a textbook. During the late 1960's. Bassett was commissioned by several 8 different organizations to compose pieces for ensembhes ranging ffiwwn high school bands to universities to philharmonic orchestras. Bassett was active in supporting contemporary musical performances; and in this connection he was a member of the Committee of the Policy for the Ford Foundation on the MENC Contemporary Music Project from 1967 to 1970. He also administered the University of Michigan’s Contemporary Musical Performance Projects. which were sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. from 1969 to 1973. In 1970 Bassett became head of the Composition Department at the University of Michigan. He has enjoyed University life; throughout his career as a professor. he has been a guest composer at many institutions euud universities throughout the country. Bassett also has served as judge for several national composer competitions. Bassett continued composing music for all idioms throughout the 1970's. In 1971 he wrote Sextet for Piggg and Strings. which was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation at the Library of Congress. The Sextet was introduced in Washington. DC. in April of 1972. (Bassett subsequently won the Walter Naumberg Award in 1974 for the recording of this work.) Also. Bassett’s lejggt for choir and tape was one of the few American works performed at the 1972 International Choir Festival at both Lincoln and Kennedy Centers. 9 Bassett has always been interested in all style periods of music. from Renaissance to Contemporary. It was during the early 1970's that he began working on editions of older music. In 1972 Bassett wrote the continuo part to an older work by Cesare called Le_Hieronym§. He thereafter provided continuo parts for other editions of older music. From 1973 to 1974 Bassett was a Guggenheim Fellow; during this fellowship. he took a sabbatical leave to compose one of his most famous works. Echges fromefl Invisible World. 'Hwis work was commissioned for the American Bicentennial celebration of 1976 by the Philadelphia Orchestra as part of a major project initiated by six of America’s finest orchestras with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. (Bassett was one of only six Americans to receive such commissions.) The world premier of Echoes from an Invjeible World was given in February 1976 with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. The other five principal orchestras (Chicago. Los Angeles. New York. Boston. and Cleveland) also performed Bassett's Echoee from en Inviejble World soon thereafter. There have been over sixty performances of Echoes and a recording by the Baltimore Symphony. It was selected by the International Society for Contemporary Music League of Composers as the winner of the National Composers Competition in 1979. Subsequently in 1980 it was chosen by 10 the ISCM-League of Composers to represent the United States at the World Music Days in Tel Aviv. Festivals of Bassett's music were held at Drake University in Iowa and at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls in 1976. Bassett received the Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor Award in 1977 at the University of Michigan. He was elected senior fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows from 1977 to 1981. In 1978 Bassett was named Distinguished Alumnus of the California State University in Fresno. That same year he received a citation and grant from the National Council for the Arts. The 1980’s were just as productive for Bassett as the preceding decades. His compositions were numerous. in part because of the many commissions. Bassett received as many awards and citations as in the previous years; in 1980 he was awarded his second Guggenheim Fellowship (for 1980 and 1981). The University of Michigan gave him a citation from the Alumni Society of the School of Music in 1980. The following year Bassett was elected a member of the American Academy and of the Institute of Arts and Letters. He received the Artist Award from the Michigan Council for the Arts in 1981. Bassett continued his teaching of composition at the Lkuversity and in 1984 was named the Henry Russell Lecturer. which is the University of Michigan's highest honor. 11 At the present time. Bassett is busy working on a new piece. the just finished Illuminations which is for flute and piano and which was premiered in February. 1990. in Ann Arbor. Leslie Bassett has enjoyed the life of a recognized. successful composer. Being at the University has enabled him to hear the performance of every composition that he has written. He is a gracious man who feels quite fortunate to be involved in music. Composing music is his life. and he is emersed in the music world. Bassett often speaks fondly of musicians and has said. "I’ve always had wonderful teachers and wonderful colleagues. Musicians are a wonderful bunch. and it's fun to be one."6 Bassett is extremely fascinated with nature; this fascination can be seen in the titles of some of his works: Celebration in Praise of Eerth. Moonrise. Of Wind end Earth. and others. 51bid. CHAPTER II BASSETT’S MUSIC Bassett’s musical style is a continuously evolving process. He commented. "One piece feeds into the next piece and so on."7 He becomes fond of certain sounds for a while. then moves on and favors others. There are no defined stylistic time periods in Bassett's compositions other than his apprenticeship style and his mature style. Most of his music was written after 1961 which would place it in his mature period; Bassett feels pleased with all the music he has written since that time. As previously stated. Bassett was influenced by three notable composers. Ross Lee Finney. Arthur Honegger and Roberto Gerhard. All three teachers had important ideas which Bassett contemplated. Ross Lee Finney had considerable influence on Bassett fin-'the very fact that Finney has worked with Bassett for the last 40 years. On Finney. Bassett has said. "He's a wonderful man and fine teacher who proved to be a very good 71pm. 12 13 example for me."8 Finney himself was a student of Berg. Boulanger and Sessions and was influenced by European musical thought. Finney later became an educator and is a gifted teacher who has had several talented students in addition tn: Bassett. namely Albright. Crumb and Reynolds. By the time Bassett was under Finney’s guidance. Finney was involved in the serial process. Finney became interested in highly sophisticated serialistic formations. He even devised a dodecaphonic method of composition which he called "complementarity." All these serialistic ideas generated by Finney influenced Bassett. Serialism has had a profound impact upon Bassett's musical language and thought--it is a basic part of his teaching--yet it is always reflected rather than stated.9 Arthur Honegger was a composer whose style was quite different from that of Finney. Honegger. who was Swiss. was a member of the French "Les Six." He had little in common with the group except for the French Neoclassic Style. Much of Honegger's music is monumentally conceived. grandiose.10 Perhaps this aspect of Honegger's musical 81pm. 9Ross Lee Finney. "Leslie Bassett" BMI. The Many Worlde of Music. (July 1966):l6. l0Joseph Machlis. Introdaetion to Contemporapy Music. (New York. W.W. Norton and Company. Inc.. 196l):228. 14 philosophy influenced Bassett. He recalls. "Honegger said things about music that the other people hadn't said yet. He talked about the large shape and the emotional shape."ll Bassett was in France studying with Honegger toward the end of Honegger’s life. U1 fact. while Bassett was in France. Honegger suffered heart problems and was hospitalized. Bassett admired his elder and cherished the time he spent with him. Even though Bassett studied with Nadia Boulanger when he was in France in 1950 and 1951. he does not feel that Boulanger really influenced him. He thought she was a wonderful teacher and was very impressed by her. However. Ross Lee Finney had studied with Boulanger previously. and Finney’s views on music reflected some of hers. such as meticulousness. One can conclude that Boulanger was a secondary influence on Bassett through Finney’s teaching. Roberto Gerhard. another serialist. also influenced Bassett’s musical thought. Gerhard was a Catalonian composer who had studied with Schoenberg for five years. Bassett called him the "Spanish Serialist." When Bassett worked with Gerhard. Gerhard encompassed the serial technique in many aspects of his pieces. He would write a twelve-section piece that was determined by the series. Bassett was still tossing around twelve-note thought and llLeslie Bassett. Taped Interview with Author. (Ann Arbor. MI. January 8. 1990). 15 came to the conclusion that twelve sections are just too many for one piece. unless you break them up and make variations. In summary. concerning Bassett's musical education and influences. three men helped shape his musical thought. Honegger was the respected teacher. whereas Finney and Gerhard were respected colleagues and friends as well as teachers. “Hue latter two instructors were serialistic which had a profound influence on Bassett. As Bassett states. "I was never. nor am now really serialistic. but I use all twelve notes very often."12 Bassett has a distinct philosophy of music. He once said. "Music is like a house of cards. It is the accumulation of taste and culture. Composers always shape the music of their time."13 He feels that beautiful sound is the foundation of music and that the concept of what is beautiful changes from one generation to the next as the language of music changes. Also. music is an expression of emotions with its syntax depending upon an initial kernel which gradually unfolds and grows. This unfolding and growing of the kernel can be seen in Bassett's music. Every piece. no matter how simple or lzlbid. 13Kenneth B. Kelley. [Shown as Leslie 8. Kelley in Article.) "The Choral Music of Leslie Bassett." Choral Journal 19. n.4, (1978):16. 16 complex. unfolds; it moves toward a high point and then moves away from that high point. Bassett often begins a composition with an idea and develops it by building the structure around that central idea. In reference to his own music. Bassett said. "There is always either a pitch or .a chord which is "want as an anchor for the piece. This anchor recurs throughout the composition."14 U1 his works he utilizes a note or chord. moves from that note or chord. and finally returns. Bassett considers himself a disorganized composer. In my opinion. however. Bassett is organized in his compositional process. When he starts to conceive a composition. he thinks of'nany conditions. First he decides what type of ensemble the music will be written for. The majority of Bassett’s music is commissioned. and often the commission specifies the choral or instrumental ensembhe. If by chance the piece is not for a commission. Bassett chooses a medium for which he is in the mood. He is very comfortable composing for a variety of ensembles because he is fascinated with all the many different groups and finds them all beautiful. He gives consideration to the performers in his commissioned pieces. If a high school band commissions a piece. he cannot write as freely as he would for the many virtuoso performers who play his works. l41mm. 17 After deciding on the medium. Bassett considers the length of the piece. He plans how many minutes the work will be; often the duration is suggested by the commission. With the time frame in mind. he chooses the so-called form. Bassett uses the term "form" very freely in this sense. He feels form is a discussion. not a mold; he would never compose music to a rigid form. Form. in this sense. means movements or sections. theme and variations. or a rhapsodic through-composed work. He is fond of sections or movements because he believes that the audience likes to change sitting positions. or cough. or just take a deep breaU1 between movements. Bassett composes intuitively; he writes what he finds beautiful. He composes in various ways depending on the piece. Sometimes he works at the pfiano with a desk top mounted right on the piano. He enjoys the feel of the piano; the digging away or hunting and pecking for the sounds. One drawback to this compositional technique is that his ear can become fatigued more quickly than when composing away from the piano. There are other times when Bassett does not get near the piano and composes in his head. Sometimes the piano can get in his way. If he composes f%n~ solo violin. saxophone. or other instruments whose sound cannot be reproduced adequately on the piano. he doesn‘t use the piano. In his teaching of composition. he 18 suggests that students use whatever method works best for them. The majority of Bassett’s music is written for virtuosos. unless commissioned by teaching associations or high school bands. Bassett feels that a virtuoso performance gives the composition a certain intensity. Bassett’s music is fully chromatic. He grew up with a fully chromatic repertoire in his ears. Still. he considers himself a tonal composer; consequently. one could call his music "tonal chromaticism." He uses tonal centers that are recurring sounds with primary levels more prominent than other levels. When first hearing or looking at Bassett's music. it appears to be serial. In fact. Bassett very often uses twelve tones in a line. but his music does not adhere to a system. The twelve notes do not govern or control his sounds. Bassett has freedom; he chooses his notes carefully and uses what his ear likes. He feels that a serialistic system makes for a great theoretical paper. but not necessarily beautiful music. "If a composer just writes a dozen notes." states Bassett. "it doesn’t necessarih/ amount to nmmwn Sometimes serialistic pieces do not sound that great."15 He is worried about the destruction of the potency of pitch by serializing too much. Bassett strives 15Leslie Bassett. Taped Interview with Author (Ann Arbor. MI. May 10. 1984). 19 to make the notes beautiful. This beauty cannot be controlled by a system. In his compositional process. Bassett often automatically uses ten or twelve notes in his melody lines with no obligation to those twelve notes. Bassett says. I tend to use pretty much all twelve notes. It doesn't matter if I leave one out or duplicate one. I write seven. eight or nine different notes. then I stop and consider what happens next. I often check back and look what notes I haven't used yet, and sure enough that note or notes left out sound very beautiful at that spot. A chromatic line of twelve notes is shown in the piano in Example I. The A is duplicated. while the C-sharp is omitted. EXAMPLE 1. L. Bassett. Echoes from an Invisible World. p.8. Mano Ped._.p———="—-"—-"'l When Bassett is dealing with harmonic progressions. he uses the same method. He often writes five-note chords l6Leslie Bassett. Taped Interview with Author. (Ann Arbor. MI. January 8. 1990). 20 because he is fond of the sound. Five-note chords are not too dense and cluster-like. but they produce rich. warm harmonies which Bassett finds beautiful. In using five-note chords. he uses five different notes in the first chord; five other notes in the second chord; for the third chord. he uses the two notes "left over" (which were not used yet) and adds three of the notes from the first chord. He continues this mixing of notes which makes up interesting harmonies. The piano plays these five—note chords in Example 2. EXAMPLE 2. L. Bassett. Sextet. p. 16. Mano He uses three-. four- and six-note chords in this way also but not as often as his favorite five-note chords. Bassett has used clusters rather frequently in his music: however. in his later works he has moved away from that particular sound. He feels that clusters tend to be too sterile. Often in Bassett’s music there are pedal points. These pedal points produce a stabilizing. controlled effect. 21 Bassett’s form is somewhat free but very logical. His music unfolds and keeps opening up. however. always returning to previous sounds. He feels that any type of exposition needs a summary at the end in the form of a conclusion. Thus. the B and the C-sharp in the openhu; three measures of the piece below return in the ending of the first movement (Examples 3 and 4). EXAMPLE 3. L. Bassett. Music for Saxophone and Piano. p. 1. BEGINNING Fast J . at least 112 Saxophone (actual sounds) Pian 22 EXAMPLE 4. L. Bassett. Music for Saxophone and Piano. p. 6. ENDING Bassett's use of rhythm is quite versatile and refreshing. He often uses very complex rhythms. He also likes to write unmetered music and meters that are unstable; he is fond of moving in and out of meter. In this area. one can see the aleatoric influence on his music. Unmetered music and timed holds and rests are shown in Example 5. 23 EXAMPLE 5. L. Bassett. The Jade Garden. Maple Leaves. p. I. Soprano —(Ped.l Bassett has composed eight major works for orchestra. His first two orchestral pieces. Five Movements for Orchestra and Variations for Orchestra. were the only orchestral works that were not commissioned by an orchestra. Bassett usually writes for a large. full orchestra. He is interested in different colors and textures; he often 24 exploits the extreme registers of many instruments. He is fond of piling up layers of sound. The Variations for Orchestra. as noted previously. was the last work composed while Bassett was the recipient of the Prix de Rome at the American Academy in Rome. He began the work in November. 1962. and finished it May. 1963. Bassett composed this piece with the knowledge that the Radio Orchestra of Rome would be giving the premiere. He had attended many of the Radio Orchestra of Rome’s concerts and concluded that RAI was an excellent orchestra. He composed Variations with this in mind and wrote things that would be beyond the capabilities of lesser orchestras. Bassett states. I wanted to write a large. powerful. single- movement work that would place the listener in the midst of a form he could perceive and yet at the same time involve him in the gradual unfolding of a thematic-motivic web that would require his most thoughtful attention.l7 Variations is not a traditional theme and variation piece; it is not based on a theme. The opening introduction consists of f%nn~ short phrases or motives. each of which provides a memorable color or mood rather than a theme. and serves as the source for some of the variations. There are l7Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Richard Donovan. "Passacaglia on vermont Tunes" and "Epos." Leslie Bassett. "Variations for Orchestra." (New York. Composers Recordings Inc.. CRI $0203). 25 eight variations in all. The first variation grows from the short repeated notes that appear early in the introduction. The second variation is taken from a quintuplet figure from the second motive. The third variation comes from the short. soaring clarinet line in the third motive. The fourth motive. made up of melodic seconds. provides the source for the fourth variation. Examples 6—9 show these four motives. EXAMPLE 6. L. Bassett. Variations for Orchestra. p. I. Motive 1. Fume Oboe EngHsh Horn 26 EXAMPLE 7. L. Bassett. Variations for Orchestra. p. 4. Motive 2. VI Via Vc CB EXAMPLE 8. L. Bassett. _V_a_riations for Orchestra. p. 5. Motive 3. Clarinet ; jf L 7’ 22 ' Bass fl ‘ fi-._, C'arinet I." 5“- ’ - 27 EXAMPLE 9. L. Bassett. Variations for Orchestra. p. 6, Motive 4. The final four variations use aspects of the introduction other than the four small areas noted above for color and mood. At the end of the work. there is a conclusion that is similar to the beginning. Bassett states. The musical material of the Variations came about by very personal means. I was fascinated by orchestral texture and conceived each section from a textural point of view long before pitches were considered. At the opening. for example. the double‘basses are divided four ways. resulting in a quiet. low-pitched blur of sound that would convey the impression of introduction. of expectation. of upbeat. Likewise I strove to maintain what might be called a backdrop of basically unimportant sounds (colors. really; soft percussion. muted figures. harmonies. etc.) that would continue the expectant quality of the introduction into many of the variations that followed. giving the entire form a thrust toward the conclusion. One twelve-note series appears occasionally and certainly had some influence upon the musical language; but this work is quite removed from serial process. There is an unobtrusive tonal organization. nonfunctional in 28 the usual sense. yet meant to increase the significance of two or three pitches." Bassett’s orchestral piece Echoes from an Invisible flagig has also received world—wide recognition. and as noted before. the work was written for the U.S. Bicentennial. The title of the piece is taken from the nineteenth—century Italian literary scholar Giuseppe Mazzini. (Jf this piece. Bassett states. I have long been attracted to Mazzini’s remarkable definition of music as the "echo from an invisible world." The title is suggestive. not descriptive. Only a few sounds could. by any stretch of the imagination. be called echoes: quiet tones that remain after a sharp attack in another instrument. repeating sounds that diminish in intensity following a sharp attack. etc. Much of the music springs. instead. from sources that are implanted within the score. yet are comparatively insignificant. One of the more obvious of these is the opening three—chord piano figure whose twelve tones recur in many guises throughout the work and contribute to the formation of other sounds and phrases. The principle of unfolding and growth from small elements is basic to the work. as is the principle of return to them. The musical material came about by very personal means. often prompted by the many exciting possibilities of orchestral texture and gesture. The three movements are similar to the extent that they end quietly. have intense passages as well as quiet ones. fluctuate between metered and unmetered music. and require extensive dividing of the strings. The outer movements are essentially fast. the middle one slow.19 leibid. 19Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Leslie Bassett. "Echoes from an Invisible World." Henri Lazarof. "Concerto for Orchestra." (New York. Composers Recordings Inc.. CR1 $0429). 29 The sharp attacks moving to quieter tones in other instruments can be seen in Example 10. EXAMPLE 10. L. Bassett. Echoes from an Invisible World. p. 7. o , I "I. 0 dim. , III. 0 din. 30 Bassett has composed six pieces for band or wind ensemble and is very fond of this medium. These works are for large groups. mostly written for university bands. Designs. Images and Textures. for band. has five movements. each of which was first imagined as shapes. patterns. textures and contours. These initial graphs or patterns were later realized in musical notation. Bassett. as noted previously. was a versatile and accomplished trombonist. He has written ten works for brass ensembles. Most of these compositions were not commissioned but written because of his long-time interest. The Sonata for Trompone and Piano written in 1954 was first premiered by Bassett and his wife. Anita. Bassett played trombone. while Anita played the piano. There are five works written mainly for trombone. Bassett has a special knowledge of the brass instruments; this knowledge can be seen in the interesting lines of melody and the coloristic effects he writes. The studies in electronic music by Bassett were rather short lived. However. he was extremely influential in this field for he was one of the fOunders of the University of Michigan’s Electronic Studio. Bassett feels that the electronic music novelty passed by quickly but that there is a great deal of electronic music everywhere in our society today. Bassett also feels that he has "used up his 31 bag of tricks" in this field and prefers to compose for musical instruments. In choral music Bassett has been prolific. Much of his choral music is sacred. while many of the secular works pertain to nature. U1 the early 1960’s. the chordal harmonies of these early works are based on triads and dissonant seconds and sevenths. In the later 1960’s. he tends to be more linear than chordal. These works contain much more dissonance. adding augmented fourths along with the seconds and sevenths. He uses twelve-tone rows as a device in some of these works; but as stated above. the music is not serialized. Some of his choral works use simple organ accompaniment. while others use full orchestral accompaniment. In the 1970’s and later. Bassett's choral works use more avant—garde ideas such as sound clusters. electronic tape accompaniments. shouted and whispered sounds. undetermined and unmetered pitch. and constant meter changes. He uses tone rows. again without serialization. and linear writing dominates his music. Bassett is very careful when choosing his textual material. He first begins with the concept for the work. This concept may be only a title or subject; and then he finds texts that will match this idea. He uses texts freely; he will take perhaps only a few words from a poem or Ia book and will often edit the text to fit his particular use. Bassett skillfully suits the music to the texts. He 32 often uses complicated rhythms. but they are a natural expression of the text. which make these complex rhythms singable. Example 11 shows this natural expression of the text and mixed meters. EXAMPLE 11. L. Bassett. Five Love Songs. To My Dear and Loving Husband. p. 9. mp .4 ml —— .——3-— l prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, or all the rich- as e------- n---— My love I: 33 Bassett has written several types of solo works: voice. clarinet. trombone. guitar. bells. organ and piano. Most cu: his solo compositions are difficult to master and use unusual effects. its likes to call for the unexpected; “1 these works. Bassett carefully uses each instrument in such a way as to achieve its utmost color and beautiflul sound. Bassett’s chamber music makes up his largest volume of work. The 27 works which fall into this category are written ka‘ea wide variety of small ensembles. Bassett is quite knowledgeable of all the instruments and writes very idiomatically for each cwmu In Music for Saxophone and Eiaag. Bassett writes notes in the ultissimo register. He uses the high F-sharp which virtually did not exist before that time (1968). However. today Music for Saxophone and Ptano is cited as one of the required pieces in mastering saxophone technique. This vunfi< is not serial but employs all twelve tones freedyu There are four movements which are related. The first movement is fast and starts out with a strong fortissimo. The second movement starts slow. then picks up speed and dynamic level to a climax. then subsides. The third movement is metrically free. Example 12 shows the unmeasured rhythm. 34 EXAMPLE 12. L. Bassett. Music for Saxophone and Piano. p. 10. .. I 1;.'_I._.* ' I i' 4V "I' M, 3 Q A i a a assess: a... /S. £34447 7 3f I 225 I f §-.E=t:: Id I I 4— I [Ii r I ’1 3.1:: 1.1m 1 mp: 5- 1 air." i' rrrtww‘ ~I-“i' d The fourth and final movement is fast and ends the work with a recap of the opening. There is a climactic cadenza in the saxophone as seen in Example 13. 35 EXAMPLE 13. L. Bassett. Music for Saxoghone and Piano. p. 16. gradually . . "no. . . and - . pruning . forward 36 Bassett composed Music for Saxophone and Piano with a free. improvisatory jazz quality. The saxophone part is written out. but sounds like it is improvised because it is written in such a fluid manner. In addition to the interesting saxophone part. the piano utilizes several unusual performance techniques such as stopping and damping notes on the strings. Trio for Clarinet. Viola and Piano was written during Bassett's apprenticeship period in 1953. It is basically contrapuntal with four movements. It begins with a major seventh chord--precisely the same chord that closes each movement. These four movements. related by this chord. illustrate the importance Bassett places on the use of recurring sounds. Sextet for Piano and Stringa. commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation. was composed for piano and strings in 1971. It is an intense piece written for the virtuosos of the Julliard String Quartet plus two other virtuosos. Bassett states. The piano was added for its incisive quality and extended low register and the extra viola to improve the balance between strings and piano and to add warmth. I strove to make the work structurally clear. to project many moods. and to call upon a rich variety of instrumental colors. The music alternates between clearly metrical passages. which predominate. and unmetered areas “1 which metrics gradually move out of phase or disappear entirely. Metrical passages. often closely—knit rhythmically. usually place the piano and the strings in dialogue. The first two movements are restless and fast. though quite 37 different in mood and content. Both rise to climactic points. then end quietly. The third movement is slow. the fourth assertive and driving. Much of the musical material emerges from the three consecutive major thirds on D—flat. D-natural. and E—flat above middle C. played against a pedal E—natural in the same octave. These closely grouped notes generate in turn many lines and sounds which have strong influence on all major areas of the music. Bassett again utilizes special performance techniques. especially in the piano part. The beginning of the work starts with one such technique. plucking the E string inside the piano with the performer’s fingernail (Example 14). EXAMPLE 14. L. Bassett. Sextet for Piano and Stringa. p. I. vmfint WmmZ want WmaZ I cum I” gradually a an phat th fingernail Hm» ‘ ’ 20Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Naumburg Award Winners. Erb. "Three Pieces for Brass Quintet and Piano." MacDougall. "Anacoluthon: A Confluence." Edwards. "Kreuz und Quer." Bassett. "Sextet for Piano and Strings." (New York. Composers Recordings. Inc.. CRI SD 323). ”Ems 38 The strings also use unusual performance techniques throughout the work as seen in the viola and cello parts (Example 15). EXAMPLE 15. L. Bassett. Sextet for Piano and Strings. p. 16. I! Music for Violoncello and Piano. 1966. was an enjoyable piece for Bassett to compose. He wrote it for the college he attended. Fresno State and incorporated a portion of its Alma Mater into the conclusion of the work. The music evolves and keeps unfolding throughout the four sections of the work. The piano is not used here as accompaniment. but interacts with the cello more in a manner of a duet. Bassett creates a somewhat free. fluid sound moving back and forth between the cello and piano. CHAPTER III SOUNDS REMEMBERED Sounds Remembered was written in 1971 in homage to Roberto Gerhard who passed away the previous year. It was commissioned by the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress and premiered in Washington. DC. December. 1972. The piece. which was written for violin and piano. provides the listener with something of a dialogue between the violin and piano; there is a substantial amount of antiphonal writing as well as free. fluid. independent lines. Bassett employs special performance techniques as is his custom. One such technique in the piano part is the stopped notes that requirwe'the performer to press the strings inside the piano. Bassett also utilizes several harmonics in the violin part as well as other special sounds. In writing this piece. Bassett had in his ears many different sounds of Gerhard’s music--remembrances of several of Gerhard’s later works. These remembrances were exactly that (only remembrances) rather than accurate quotations of Gerhard’s music. These sounds encompass many of the different aspects of Gerhard's musflc such as a chord. an insistent high note. a quickly ascending line and other fragments. In looking back through Gerhard’s scores. 39 40 Bassett concludes that many of these fragments he indeed remembered inaccurately. for example on different levels and pitches” He calls these sounds "Gerhard-like" in spirit. and they serve as the generative basis for Sounds Remembered. Bassett recalls that there was one work of Gerhard’s in particular called Gemini from which many of these fragments are derived. As always. Bassett utilizes these sounds and builds and transforms them. and later brings them back periodically to become etched in the listener’s memory. This unfolding process is a typical Bassett compositional device that can be seen in his other works. Gerhard’s Gemini was written in 1966 for violin and piano and was also titled Duo Concertante for VioliQaagd Pianoforte. It was premiered in London in September. 1966. In Gemini. Gerhard. like Bassett. calls for unusual performance techniques for the two instruments; the piano and the violin appear to have equal importance. Gerhard uses pedal points frequently in the piano part. The duration of the piece is twelve minutes. and it is a through-composed. single- movement type of piece. though it hints at divisions. Gerhard states. The work consists of a series of contrasting episodes. whose sequence is more like a braiding of diverse strands than a straight linear development. Except for the concluding episodes. nearly every one recurs more than once. generally in a different context. These recurrences are not 41 like refrains. and do not fulfill anything remotely like the function of the classical refrain.21 Gemini is serial. and these episodes are systematic in character. Sounds Remembered by Bassett is a four—movement work with a duration of fifteen minutes. It has a rhapsodic quality to it: an unfolding process where one step leads to another. an almost question—and-answer type of organization. The work starts with a twelve—note ascending line in the viodiri'that suggests that the ensuing piece may be serial (see Appendix 1). But Sounde Remempered. like the majority of Bassett's works. is fully chromatic utilizing all twelve notes; it is not serialized. although this ascending twelve-note line is repeated. transformed. fragmented. and inverted throughout the four movements. The piano part begins with low C which is a recurring tonal center in the work” Bassett favors this low C. frequently played alone and also coupled with an E or E-flat. These very low sounds which support the high sounds in the violin appear to be a remembered fragment from Gerhard’s music as seen in Example 16. ZlRoberto Gerhard. Gemini. Composer“s Note in Inside Cover. (Oxford University Press. London. 1970). 42 EXAMPLE 16. R. Gerhard. Gemini. p. 1. Colmo( J. 92) an ............. I I 1,], ‘ {'1‘ ff .5 E , [gin ‘g D l h ' Violin @‘i :- '{ _"_;:_._;”.fi19""“‘1ijli yr i T'I “I" f-————--—'{-j fl e E: _31 it I “' If o + l. H.oiu.llet ring) Calmo (J . 92) 3;: Push the piano stand backwards so that the ‘- tett hand has access to the lust two inches at the bottom sttmgs. between the tummy pm I Pianriinrlo l and the piano 5 mtemal Name On pianos I Quote cluster . :- .- emote the stand cannot be pushed back sul- 953734 “C"!MIV. take it out ot the slots and run “on I: too at the rolls instead — -- Although these particular low notes are seen in Gerhard’s music. Bassett frequently uses pedal points in many of his works” He feels that pedal points give the music stability. There are opening diminished-seventh chords in the piano below the high sustained E in the violin on page I. and both of these sounds (low C and E or E-flat and diminished-seventh chords) reappear later in the piece. Already on the first page. Bassett’s rhythm is changing. and it moves into unmetered music on the bottom of page 2. At rehearsal A on page 2. the violin plays a sweet lyrical motive over that low sustained C and E in the piano that Bassett introduced at the beginning. On the bottom of page 2. there are chords in the piano part with brief violin 43 responses that continue through the first system on page 3. These question-and-answer type of responses (dialogue between the violin and piano) seem to be fragments from Gerhard’s music that Bassett remembers. The playing against each instrument. yet fitting in with each other on page 3. second system. is also another Gerhard characteristic. At rehearsal B. the seconds and thirds in the violin part are again Gerhard-like in character. as can be seen in Example 17. EXAMPLE 17. R. Gerhard. Gemini. p. 4. These seconds. thirds and even fourths in the violin part on page 3 in Sounds Remembered come back on page 4 and on page 6 on new levels. On page 7. rehearsal E presents the conclusion of the first movement. which brings back fragments from the beginning such as the low C and E-flat. the open seventh chords in the piano. and the high E in the violin. 44 The second movement starts out unmetered. with the piano playing percussively. and the rhythm throughout this movement is very unstable. At rehearsal F. the violin comes in with a chromatic line which becomes more angular on page 9. On the following page (page 10). the ascending line from the opening is in its original form except for rearrangement of the G—sharp to the position of the highest ending note. There are also several fragments of the ascending line on page 11 that Bassett refers to as "rockets." Repeated chords are played in the piano on both pages 10 and 11 which create increased tension. There are short tremolos in the piano starting on the top of page 12. The ending of the second movement at rehearsal K is similar to rehearsal G in the violin part and proceeds to remind us of the opening of the entire work with the low C in the bass and the open sevenths in the piano. below the sustained high E in the violin. The third movement begins as a dialogue between the two instruments. with touches of the original opening ascending fragment in the violin part on the bottom of page 15. Rehearsal M begins with imitation between the violin and the two hands of the piano making a three-part canon for a brief time. At the bottom of page 17 and on page 18. the violin's line is chromatic and intense. Imitation continues on the bottom of page 18 in the piano part. On the top of page 19 and at rehearsal P. Gerhard-like seconds and thirds 45 reappear again. The original ascending figure in the violin is now transformed into a descending line at the bottom of page 19. The piercing high E in the violin returns an octave higher on pages 20 and 21. The third movement ends abruptly with a triple sforzando chord. The fourth movement begins with the open A diminished seventh chord from the first movement over another lower note-A. At the top of page 23. there is a repeated figure from the first movement followed by a short quasi-tremolo. On the bottom of page 23. once again the ascending figure appears on another level using different pitches. This time the figure consists of only eleven chromatic pitches. with G being duplicated and D and B-flat being omitted. The original fragment is then found in the piano at the bottom of page 24. Repeated notes and chords dominate page 26 with the beginning of the free piano part that continues on page 27. This piano line. which freely alternates back and forth with high and low notes. appears fifteen different times in one form or another throughout the work. The ending chords in the piano on the final two pages are warm. five-note chords which are generated by alternating the twelve different tones as noted on page 20. The piece ends with the pedal point on low C and an open major seventh high above in the violin. In Sounde Remempereg. as with all of Bassett's music. he utilizes ascending lines rather than descending lines 46 ninety percent of the time because energy rises and forges ahead with an ascending line. The tonal character of the work is also typical of his other music—~I call it "tonal chromaticism." In analyzing the piece. one can note several twelve-tone lines along with specific tonal centers (especially C). Bassett usually writes notes in the violin part that are not used in the piano part; thus the two different instruments usually play different notes. Bassett is fond of harmonics in the violin part which can be seen often in Sounds Remembered. Another performance technique. :3 Gerhard-like characteristic of using several successive down bows in the violin. can be seen throughout the work. One of the most important factors in Sounds Remembered is the unity of the piece: motives. chords and fragments recur throughout all four movements with slight transformations and development. 46 CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION Leslie Bassett is a typical twentieth-century American composer; Many American composers of his generation have had txfifli European and American musical training. Bassett has been fortunate to experience both of these musical cultures and philosophies which have helped shape his world. Bassett’s early traditional music lessons paved the way for a fflill. twentieth-century chromatic palette which he employs. His output has been substantial for he continually has inspiration to create. Bassett strives for beauty in his creativity and puts that aspect of music above all others. He refuses to be ruled by a system (serialism). although his music often appears and sounds dodecaphonic. Like so many other composers of today. Bassett is both a composer and a university professor. Being at a university has permitted Bassett to enjoy a full musical way of life in that he is able to hear all of his compositions. As is the case with other contemporary composers. Bassett has experimented with a variety of avant-garde techniques. He is not afraid to try something new. With his expert knowledge of many instruments. he creates music designed to fully exploit the capabilities of each instrument. such as 47 48 using extreme registers or a variety of other special performance techniques. He writes music for the new virtuosos but not exclusively. Bassett’s music is not as intense as the new virtuosity music of George Crumb and Charles Wuorinen. It is difficult to categorize Bassett’s music into a specific style or school. Here again is a similarity to other twentieth-century American composers whose music does not fit into a specific style. In addition there are several twentieth-century composers today who adopt a style for a period and then progress to another format and continue to develop several different so-called "styles." The key word here is "experimentation" which is utilized by ‘the contemporary composers. As stated previously. Bassett has been experimental. however. not to the degree of composers such as John Cage. His music ranges from conservative to the avant-garde as has been demonstrated throughout his career. The works of Bassett mentioned in this study represent only a small sample of his music. For the pieces of music listed. I have also given a brief description. A complete list of his works is contained in Appendix B. Bassett often writes music divided into movements. He also strives to make sense of his sounds by treating them in different ways but always returning to them. An example of a multi-movement work involving this kind of variety 49 within unity can be seen in Sounds Remembered. This piece was written almost twenty years ago. but Bassett could very well write another work such as Sounds Remembered tomorrow. His musical style is growing and evolving. and he is continually composing. Bassett once compared his musical style to a spiral going ’round and 'round. I am confident this spiral will continue to develop because Bassett’s music is well worth understanding. APPENDIX A SCORE OF SOUNDS REMEMBERED Commissioned by the McKim Fund In the Library of Congress for performance in the Coolidge Auditorium SOUNDS REMEMBERED 1 LESLIE BASSETI' J. so 3 8._......"‘.‘ % _____ crest.-. ___..___.___-_-.__-.f one half the resonance of these chords) eat ‘—-'—' 3 Copyright 1975 by C. F. Peters Corponuo' n 373 Park Avenue South. New York. N.Y. l00|6 5“" *5 “elude" intention-i Copyright Seem-ed. All Riot-n Renewed. by special permission Roch vorbehal Edition Peter! 66490 of C . F . Peters Corp . A”. to ten. 50 52 poco accel. e crest. 3 J-63 . - IJ-c3v_ - - J, 54 55 . l A . _ _. .. _———___——_ - .u—.—.— —v-—__—_—_—_ .- . 5—— —, ‘ —_.-_— 56 Silently E3 d‘P'm v ”'1 r (93’) ‘ g (uh) rug (cluster) g .5 ) 57 P isost. 9A) pick up part of reverberation. 58 59 % . slightly uneven 61 ace]. 1 (pom. 64 crest. - poco - 67 68 69 silently depress (clusters) sost. Pad let Plano sound vibrate 12 — 15 secs" then - attacaa _(sost. Pad.) Ihnld thrnughl _ 71 J - «~43 add Damper Ped 73 24 74 a tempo A 75 26 Slower J‘— 54 -- g??? %‘ £395; #3“; 9;: g ~ I l — l — dim , pace with state. attack 76 5 j: J‘ or slightly {met A much pedal 27 28 E E :F f -‘:XE Il9-Daem. _4secs. “3"“ . To— t vv ’ ‘ it .Q lb: ham silently depress ( clusters) l T (stepped) T L ‘ i 8.5M 3081. 8.....J Ped Add Damper Fed J APPENDIX B LESLIE BASSETT: LIST OF WORKS <_ .moc_0t mmo .mN‘-_nm .ucoo .u_oz sm_Lo ..coLo .>_c= wxmgo 050m .Nw~ Imus ..ucoU .m_oowgm .mEom mo coLo .Exm _UcmELo .coLo m_ca_mum_.ca mwsloln ..Ucoo .m__mmom .mEOm mo .zoLo _.ca oxmgo. mgouvm 0.0m IN. mmuLoL mULum .060 .9500 m ._mmv .cmmo o .mcmma N ._o a .m.0 N .:N .mno N .m.» N .oo_a ‘_N ogumocoLo Lou mucvem>oz o>_m mmLum .ocan_ou .nc .ugma v ._mvv .cme o .mcmmn N ._o a .m_0 N .:m .mno N .oo_n .m_m N .o. xmmmqqmm mmuum .ocau_oo .n: .oLoa v ._mvv .cme o .mcmmn N ._o a ‘m_ .m_0 N .zm .mno N .m_u N .oo_a u_Loz m_n_m_>c_ cm 50L» amenom mmLum .ac .ocan_mo .oLoa mLoe Lo m ._MNv ”ammo o .cmmn ._o .cc 0cm .00 ._m ..oo_a .mN mgummcoLo Lou mco_um.gm> "(mhmmzumo “>0 oocmELowme umL_m mxmoz no hm_4 co.mm.EEou ummoa \Locm__naa 1600 me> m x~ozmaa< co_umucoeagumc_ .o.».» co.» umLao «thmm2 .mow£v_ .mw.ImNIv ..Ucou ._pm_vumm .u .Ucmm .m.: A>zv mums». :o .mmuom ._helv_lo_ ..Ucoo .me_0¢ .0 .mmm._oo mow—_mxuc.3O—mm @m‘-_-__ ._= .ucm_u_z ..ucoo .coeo_uu_o .mmz ..ssm ucm_n_z vm~lswmtv .IO .onm_op ..Uc00 .x:o__mN _m>:> ..e>m ovo_oh .cp_em m.ccmo sslnomuv ._: .ucm.n_: .m0ca .mmLLmq 00cm: ugom a mauh mu._mz ..uc0o .memmw coo .E>m Ocm_U_z “acme m: momcu_v mLoumm Avon—.00 oom._m:-c.zu_mm. «Louma Amzogo mmm>mgp Ucm zmc_mmm .ucm_o.z Lou muL< mzu Lam .xoUCN .pmzv mLmuma A.E>m 000.0hv mgmuoa A.cugo .E>m Ucm_u~zv mumuma vmm. osm— www— m®¢_ wh¢_ mcaao oLma v .ma ._mmv .xm .cou .xmm o»_0 N ._o n ..o 09.0 .mugoa v c. ago—o .mno N .m_m N .ou_a .N. mouauxoh ummlmmmme_xamamwmwo mamtuwzw :2.) 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Num— msa_ nom— vam— Acne—ueoo .we05EOLu .me__o.> N. uuwmmwm .5 >5 o:e.ueoo .eu_Em eew_o .N mmmwo nemxwuweom «ewwum _w_ewo Acne—“eon .weoneoLu .uau Lo c__o_>e uuommwm .5 >5 o=c_ucoo .eu_em ccm_o >5 umu_uo .__ accommwo omen» .o_oo_m .ppwm .o.o Ao:e_veoo .we05Eoe». uuwnmwm .5 >5 one—wean .e».Em eew_o >5 nwu.nw .v wE>50ew_z w5 "wewmwu .z .o_o one—peou new mweomeoeh mama .m N Lou mumcom ..c.emz o_mm_m 0—m3t mmo50 mo mzo_h_cu .N. Aw>_mv meo.uwemm_meou .m. Aew>wmv mwnaiuem weunwmueo Aweumweoeo Lone: wwm. new moew_a oz» Lou ouewoeou BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Adler. Samuel. "Out of the Emerging Composer’s World." Pan E;2§§. 63.n.2 (January 1971):2-S. Bassett. Leslie. Echoes From an Invisible World.. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1966. . Five Love Songs. Bryn Mawr. Pennsyhmwfia: Merion Music Inc.. 1977. . The .Jade Garden. Bryn Mawr. Pennsylvania: Merion Music Inc.. 1977. . Music For Saxophone and Piano. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1969. . Music For Violoncello and Piano. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1971. . Sextet For Piano and String_. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1975. . Sounds Remembered. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1975. . Taped Interview with Author. Ann Arbor, Michigan: April 24. 1982. . Taped Interview with Author. Ann Arbor, Michigan: May 10. 1984. . Taped Interview with Author. Ann Arbor. Michigan: January 8. I990. . Variations For Orchestra. New York: C.F. Peters Corporation. 1966. BorroFF. Edith. "Leslie Bassett." New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Edited by H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie. 4 vols. London: MacMillan Press Limited. (1986). 1:159-160. 91 92 Borroff. Edith. "Leslie Bassett." New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Edited by Stanley Sadie. 20 vols. London: MacMillan Publishers Limited. (1980). 2:262. BorroFf. Edith. "Ross Lee Finney." New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Edited by H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie. 44 vols. London: MacMillan Press Limited. (1986). 23127-129. Bradshaw. Susan. "Roberto Gerhard." New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Edited by Stanley Sadie. 20 vols. London: MacMillan Publishers Limited. (1980). 7:251-255. Ehle. Robert C. "From Sound to Silence: The Classical Tradition and the Avant-Garde." Music Educators Journal. 65. (March l979):36-41. Finney. Ross Lee. "Leslie Bassett." BMI. The Many Worlds of Music. (July l966):l6. Gerhard. Roberto. Gemini. London: Oxford University Press. 1970. . Is New Music Growing_Qld? Vol. 62. No. 18. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. School of Music Series Number Two, August 10. 1960. i Hitchcock. H. Wiley and Sadie. Stanley. The Na Grov Twentieth-Century Ameripan Masters. New York: W.W Norton and Company, 1988. Q Kelley. Kenneth 8. [Shown as Leslie 8. Kelley in Article]. "The Choral Music of: Leslie Bassett." Choral Music. 19. n.4. (1978):16-l7. Machlis. Joseph. Introduction to Contemporary Music. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Inc.. 1961. Morgan. Robert P. "Music of the Twentieth Century." The Musical Quagterly. 68.n.2 (1982):262-270. Routh. Frances. "The Composer Today." Composer. 55. (Summer I975):lS-22. Rovics. Howard. "The Piano in Contemporary Chamber Music." The Piano Quarterly. 18.n.70 (Winter 1969-1970):l4-16. 93 Salzman. Eric. Twentieth Century Music: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Englewood CliFFs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.. 1974. Simms. Bryan R. Music of the Twentieth Century. New York: Schirmer Books. 1986. Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Leslie Bassett. "Echoes From an Invisible Word." Henri Lazarof. "Concerto For Orchestna." New York: Composers Recordings. Inc.. (CRISD429). Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Naumburg Award Winners. Erb. "Three Pieces For Brass Quintet and Piano." MacDougall. "Anacoluthon: A Confluence." Edwards. "Kreuz und Quer." Bassett. "Sextet For Ffiano and Strings." New York: Composers Recordings. Inc.. (CRISD323). Unsigned Record Liner Notes. Richard Donovan. "Passacaglia on Vermont Tunes" and "Epos." Leslie Bassett. "Variations For Orchestra." New York: Composers Recordings Inc.. (CRISDZOB). Watkins. Glenn. Soundings. New York: Schirmer Books. 1988. MICHIGAN STATE UNIV. LIBRARIES llIll”WINW“I”Wll”IIIIWIIIIHWIII”W 31293007875291