University of Iowa Iowa Research Online eses and Dissertations 2012 e percussion ensemble music of Robert Moran Lucas James Bernier University of Iowa Copyright 2012 Lucas J. Bernier is dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: hp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3430 Follow this and additional works at: hp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Bernier, Lucas James. "e percussion ensemble music of Robert Moran." PhD diss., University of Iowa, 2012. hp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3430.
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University of IowaIowa Research Online
Theses and Dissertations
2012
The percussion ensemble music of Robert MoranLucas James BernierUniversity of Iowa
Copyright 2012 Lucas J. Bernier
This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3430
Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd
Part of the Music Commons
Recommended CitationBernier, Lucas James. "The percussion ensemble music of Robert Moran." PhD diss., University of Iowa, 2012.http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/3430.
First and foremost I must thank Dan Moore. I have the privilege of calling him
my teacher, mentor, and friend. The wisdom, guidance, and support he continues to
provide are more than I ever could have imagined. For this, I am forever grateful. I would
also like to give a special thank you to Liesa Moore. Thank you for your friendship and
for keeping me on task.
I would to thank my committee members Dr. Kristin Thelander, Dr. David
Gompper, Dr. William Larue Jones, and Dr. David Gier. These individuals have
supported me through two degrees, served on numerous recital and exam committees,
and have always looked out for my future.
I owe a great deal of gratitude to Robert Moran for his music, humor, and for
allowing me to write about him. He has been more than supportive throughout the writing
process and I feel honored to call him my friend.
My family also deserves a big thank you. I want to thank my Mom for putting up
with my drumming in the house, my Dad for encouraging me to read, my brothers Ben
for always having my back, and Chris for being my inspiration to pursue music.
Thank you to my teachers at both The University of Iowa and Minnesota State
University Moorhead who have also been encouraging throughout my education and
professional career.
Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife Niki. There is no one
person who has been more supportive and encouraging. Without her unending love and
patience, this document and degree would not be possible. As my editor and critic on
many projects, she has helped me organize my thoughts and write clearly. There are no
words that can describe the amount gratitude I have for her. Her emotional support has
helped me through the most challenging times of three degrees and her ideas about life
and education have helped me become a better person and teacher.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 Statement of Problem and Need for Study .......................................................1 Purpose .............................................................................................................2 Procedures.........................................................................................................3 Limitations........................................................................................................3 Review of Related Literature............................................................................4
II. BIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................7 Education ..........................................................................................................7 The San Francisco Years ................................................................................10 Northwest, Northeast, and Northwestern........................................................11 New York........................................................................................................12 Philadelphia ....................................................................................................13 1990s...............................................................................................................14 2000 and Beyond ............................................................................................15
III. OVERVIEW OF COMPOSITIONAL STYLE..............................................16
City Pieces ......................................................................................................17 Theatrical, Interactive, and Media Works ......................................................20 Drone Pieces ...................................................................................................21 Dance Pieces ..................................................................................................22 Opera and Choral Works ...............................................................................23 Graphic Scores................................................................................................24 Percussion Ensemble Compositions ...............................................................28
IV. OBRIGADO ...................................................................................................31
Form and Harmony ........................................................................................32 Rhythm ...........................................................................................................35 Texture and Thematic Material .....................................................................36
V. BOMBARDMENTS NO.2.............................................................................39
Graphic Notation and Its Relation to Improvisation ......................................41 Instrumentation ...............................................................................................42 Navigation of the Score ..................................................................................44 Symbols ..........................................................................................................45 Analysis of Dan Moore’s Solo Version of Bombarments No. 2 ....................46
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VI. BY ANY OTHER NAME..............................................................................49 Movement 1: Munich Miniatures- Var. I .......................................................50 Movement 2: Satyagraha Variation ...............................................................54 Movement 3: Libations...................................................................................58
VII. STIRLING: IT’S RAINING CATS AND DOGS..........................................63
VIII. CONCLUSION...............................................................................................72
APPENDIX A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT MORAN’S PERCUSSION COMPOSITIONS..............................................................................................................74
Percussion Ensemble Works...........................................................................74 Variable Ensemble Works ..............................................................................78
APPENDIX B CONCERT PROGRAMS .........................................................................79 Percussion Music of Robert Moran: Iowa Percussion....................................79 New Literature Session PASIC 2011: Iowa Percussion.................................84
(2007), and By Any Other Name (2008). Three of the four selections have also been
recorded on two releases by Innova Records.
Analyses of traditionally notated scores will include basic formal analysis with
particular attention to harmonic, rhythmic, and thematic content. Graphic scores will be
analyzed in such a way that will provide possible realizations of the score as well as
interpretive suggestions.
Limitations
Many of Moran’s percussion ensemble pieces utilize graphic notation, which
intrinsically warrants individual interpretation. Personal views are necessary in
interpreting and providing performance suggestions for graphic pieces, therefore the
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analysis of these works will be more subjective. Works that use traditional notation will
receive a more objective analysis.
Robert Moran has enjoyed a storied career of over 50 years as a composer and he
has written hundreds of compositions. Although it is beyond the scope of this project to
delve into his other works, an overview of compositions and compositional style will be
presented to illustrate the depth and breadth of his work throughout his half-century of
composing.
Review of Related Literature
There are surprisingly few resources directly focused on Robert Moran. Other
than basic biographical information, his name is only mentioned in various articles
regarding avant-garde music and graphic notation. However, two dissertations include
detailed analyses of Moran’s compositions.
Patrick Coyle, in his doctoral dissertation Significant Male Voice Repertory
Commissioned by American Gay Men’s Choruses, analyzed selected choral
compositions.2 His analysis of Moran’s Night Passage, composed for the Seattle Men’s
Chorus, provides thorough detail focusing on harmonic content and how those harmonic
devices shape the text.
Structural Functions of ‘Musical Gesture’ as Heard in Selected Instrumental
Compositions of the Twentieth Century: A Graphic Analytic Method by Richard Brooks
covers multiple compositions, including Moran’s graphic score Four Visions.3 Brooks
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2 Patrick O. Coyle, “Significant Male Voice Repertory Commissioned by American Gay Men’s
Choruses” D.M.A. diss., University of Cincinnati, 2006.
!"!Richard James G. Brooks, “Structural Functions of ‘Musical Gesture’ as Heard in Selected
Instrumental Compositions of the Twentieth Century: A Graphic Analytic Method,” Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1981.
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describes his approach to interpreting graphic notation, but leaves room for further
research, especially with regard to compositions for percussion.
Multiple dissertations and articles have been written about graphic notation and
modern notational systems; however, few provide any recommendations as to how to
perform a graphic score. Dissertations from Rachel Julian-Jones4 and Scott Shepherd5
detail various notational practices specifically utilized in percussion. As their focus is on
alternative notational systems, both documents fail to adequately provide suggestions for
performances of graphic scores. Articles such as “Visual Music”6 by Stuart and Sylvia
Smith describe the phenomenon of graphic notation. Though no analysis is included, the
description of graphic notation contends that it is a necessary and legitimate convention.
John Cage’s book Notations (1969) is a collection of scores from hundreds of
composers, including notable names such as Stravinsky, Berio, Bernstein, and many
others. This now-famous collection gathered a single page of a composition that each
composer was working on at the time. While there is little information regarding the
compositions, it is noteworthy that a high number of graphically notated pieces, including
Moran’s Sketch for a Tragic One Act Opera,7 are included.
The book New Voices: American Composers Talk About Their Music by Geoff
Smith and Nicola Walker Smith presents interviews with several composers. Their
interview with Moran provides excellent detail into his background, education, and
compositional process. Though limited in length and scope, the first-hand account is
notable from a biographical standpoint.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4 Rachel Carissa Julian-Jones, “A survey of multiple percussion notation with an emphasis on
timbre staff notation and setup,” D.M.A. diss., University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1999.
!#!Scott Lawrence Shepherd, “Notational Practices of Percussion Since 1950: An Analysis of
Selected Chamber Works,” M.A. Thesis, University of California Los Angeles, 1977.
!6 Stuart Smith and Sylvia Smith, “Visual Music,” Perspectives of New Music 20:1/2 (1981) 75-93.
!7 This work inspired Dan Moore to ask Moran to compose the percussion opera Bats in the Belfry,
an Opera in Five Acts and Four Murders for Four Solo Voices and Large Percussion in 2010.
6!
Numerous articles and dissertations have been written about other important
composers for percussion along with analyses of their works. No such research has been
conducted about Robert Moran. This document is intended to fill that gap in research.
7!
CHAPTER II
BIOGRAPHY
“By the way, WHO is this Robert Moran anyway?”8
The career of composer Robert Moran is nothing short of extraordinary. He has
studied with master composers. He has held teaching positions at multiple universities.
He has written hundreds of pieces, some allowing up to 100,000 performers. He has
received commissions from all over the world. He has composed in nearly every genre of
contemporary music over the past five decades, yet his original style defies labels and
categorization. This chapter will provide a detailed overview of the life and
compositional career of this truly unique contemporary American composer.
Education
Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1937, Robert Moran developed a keen interest in
music at a young age. His parents frequently took him to the opera, where young Robert
became fascinated with the genre, and enrolled him in a drama course for children at
Denver University at age seven.9 Though his formal education in music did not begin
until much later, this early exposure to opera and drama was clearly influential in his
career.
Moran’s first years as an undergraduate student took place at an educational
college in Colorado, an experience he deemed “totally unsatisfactory.”10 According to
Moran, the institution offered nothing in the realm of music composition, so he decided
to pursue it on his own. During a family vacation to Europe in 1957, an opportunity arose
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8 Robert Moran, email correspondence with Lucas Bernier, November 23, 2011. 9 Geoff Smith and Nicole Walker Smith, New Voices: American Composers Talk About Their
Music (Portland: Amadeus Press, 1995), 200.
10 Robert Moran, interview with Lucas Bernier, St. Paul, MN, September 10, 2011.
8!
for him to study music in Vienna.11 Moran took a break from his university education to
study twelve-tone composition with Hans Erich Apostel, who was a student of both
Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg.12 Apostel only accepted a small number of students,
so this was a fortunate opportunity for Moran. It marked the beginning of his formal
education in composition as well as his studies with world-renowned composers. During
one of his first lessons, Apostel was editing the individual parts of Berg’s opera Wozzeck
and handed the original manuscript to Moran. The fact that he was actually holding
Berg’s manuscript left him nearly in shock, as he describes the score as being “like the
Bible to composers.”13 In another lesson, Moran remembers having this exchange, which
he described as typical of his study with Apostel:
I would say, “Mr. Apostel, I just bought the score of the Webern Symphony and I can’t find the twelve-tone row. It’s not laid out like I would think.” He [Apostel] said, “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Then he would go over to the desk and pull out a packet of letters from Webern. He’d pull out a letter and say, “Here it is, Webern wrote me about this new symphony he was writing and here is the row. So write it down, put it down in the score.” So I would get a pencil and I would mark 1, 2, etc. on the notes directly from Mr. Webern’s letter. That was Apostel.14
Moran mastered twelve-tone composition and the art of variation under Apostel,
whom he credits as an excellent teacher.15 In Vienna, Moran was not only studying
composition, but was also attending a seemingly endless banquet of superb live music,
ranging from Wagner at the Vienna State Opera to the Modern Jazz Quartet. During this
time, Moran absorbed an astonishing amount of musical knowledge and experience.
After studying in Vienna, Moran briefly returned to Denver, then moved to San
Francisco where he completed his undergraduate degree at San Francisco State College.16
There, according to Moran, the composition teacher even had him write the syllabus and
outline for a course in twelve-tone music.17
Directly after completing his undergraduate degree, Moran enrolled at Mills
College in Oakland, California. The early 1960s proved to be an opportune time to study
at Mills College because both Luciano Berio and Darius Milhaud were faculty members.
He completed his Master’s degree in composition under the tutelage of both men.
Berio drew an interesting assortment of students to his courses. Moran’s
classmates included Phil Lesh and Tom Constanten, who later formed the Grateful Dead,
and the now-renowned minimalist composer Steve Reich. The community at Mills
College offered direct contact and interaction with world famous composers and
musicians. During his studies with Berio, Moran was encouraged to write for ensembles
of varying instrumentation, which, in a way, led to Moran’s affinity for graphic notation
and non-standardized ensembles.
Studying under Milhaud brought Moran into contact with virtuosic artists who
were Milhaud’s close associates and friends: the other five of “Les Six,” Pablo Picasso,
Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein, and others.18 Moran had a cordial relationship with
Milhaud, about whom he recalls:
Every time he would say “You’re going back to Vienna after you leave here? Would you like me to write a letter of introduction to Universal Edition?” That was Milhaud. Same thing with John Cage. They would bend over backwards. “Can I write you a letter here? You must contact this person there.”19
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!16 San Francisco State University, “SF State Facts 2011-2012,” San Francisco State University,
http://www.sfsu.edu/~puboff/sfsufact/ (accessed August 29, 2012).
17 Moran, interview, 2011. 18 Milhaud was one of Les Six, a group of French composers that also included Georges Auric,
Louis Durey, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, and Germaine Tailleferre.
19 Moran, interview, 2011.
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As he was finishing his Master’s degree in 1963, Ravi Shankar invited Moran to
study with him in Bombay, India. He was also invited to assist Berio on a new
composition in Europe. In order to aid his decision, he consulted the I Ching.20 Moran
chose to assist Berio in Milan, but only remained there for a brief stay before returning to
Vienna. During his second stay in Vienna, Moran took one of his graphic scores to
Universal Edition, a music publishing company that he jokingly refers to as the “Mafia of
Stockhausen, Nono, Berio, and Ligeti.”21 Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, a Polish
composer, worked at Universal Edition at the time and happened to be quite interested in
graphic notation. According to Moran, he presented his piece Four Visions to Ramati,
saying, “I have written it and I dedicate it to you.” Ramati replied, “That’s very lovely.
Where can I send you the contract?”22
The San Francisco Years
Moran returned to the United States later that year and began teaching at the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition to teaching courses in composition, opera
literature, Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and piano, he also co-directed the New Music Ensemble
with founder Howard Hersh.23
During his years in San Francisco, Moran was in close company with influential
individuals in the creative arts. He lived around the corner from Janis Joplin at the top of
Casper Hill, and the two became close friends — even walking their dogs together.24
http://members.macconnect.com/users/r/rbtmoran/biography.htm (accessed December 10, 2011).
29 Moran, interview, 2011.
12!
Following his time in Buffalo, he taught at Northwestern University in Evanston,
Illinois, for one year. There he started the New Music Ensemble and completed one of his
most important collaborations, The Waltz Project, a collection of 25 contemporary piano
waltzes written by some of the best-known modern composers including John Cage, Lou
Harrison, Philip Glass, Milton Babbitt, and Charles Wuorinen.30 He and Robert Helps
compiled the project, which, according to Moran, began with a humorous phone
conversation:
I called up my friend Bob Helps, who’s a concert pianist and composer, and I said, “I’m really slipping. I’ve just written a waltz. I think I’ve lost my mind.” He said, “Don’t worry about it, I’ve lost mine too. I’m just working on a waltz here.” His was Waltz Mirage and it’s quite wonderful. We invited his Bernstein and Copland friends to contribute a waltz. We also invited Frank Zappa, and I even wrote a letter to Boulez saying, “We’re doing this waltz project and we’d love to have you write a waltz. My friend has a $5 bet that you can’t write a waltz.” I had a very charming letter back saying, “Thank you for the invitation, but unfortunately I can’t write the waltz because I am very busy.” We received twenty-five new waltzes and not one was a commission. The rules were: it’s a waltz if you call it a waltz! It could be easy or extremely difficult, five minutes in length or open, like Cage. That’s how it happened.31
New York
In 1978, following the one-year appointment at Northwestern, Moran moved to
New York City and was able to compose full time, living solely on commissions.32 In
1984, Moran and renowned minimalist composer Philip Glass shared a residency at the
Third Street Music School Settlement,33 which led to an important collaboration, The
Juniper Tree — one of his most famous works. 34
Philadelphia
Later in 1984, Robert Moran settled in Philadelphia where he still lives.35 The
premiere of The Juniper Tree came just a year after his move,36 but this important
collaboration began in New York.37 According to Moran, one of the board members
approached him about writing an opera for the children at the school. Moran replied,
“Well, that sounds like fun, but why don’t I write a one-act opera and find another
composer to write another one-act opera?”38 The only other composer he could think of
was Philip Glass. According to Moran, Glass responded, “That sounds like fun, but I
think it would be more fun if we wrote an opera together. That means you can do all of
the work and I’ll just pick up the checks [laughs].”39 So the creative process began and
the two debated about topics for the plot. Moran turned to fairy tales “because they’re
primal, everyone gets it, all the elements are there, and it’s supposed to be for kids.”40 A
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!33!The Third Street Music School Settlement is the oldest community music school in the U.S.
(started in 1894) located in New York City.!!!
!34 The Juniper Tree is an opera that was commissioned by the American Repertory Theatre in
Cambridge Massachusetts. The opera was co-composed by Robert Moran and Philip Glass with the libretto by Arthur Yorinks. The plot is based on a tale by the Brothers Grimm.
!35 Moran, interview, 2011.
36 Robert Moran, “Biography.”
http://members.macconnect.com/users/r/rbtmoran/biography.htm. (accessed December 10, 2011).
37 Nathan Rubin, John Cage and the Twenty-Six Pianos of Mills College: Forces in American
Music from 1940 to 1990, a History (Moraga, CA: Sarah's Books, 1994), 111.
38 Moran, interview, 2011.
39 Ibid.
40 Ibid.
14!
friend directed him to Maurice Sendak, who was unable to collaborate, but directed them
to a collection of stories.41 Upon reading The Juniper Tree, Moran proclaimed, “This is
pure opera. I mean it was cannibalism and ruthless brutality to children and redemption
and all this stuff.”42 Philip Glass was less excited by the story. Moran responded, “Are
you kidding? You’ve got two kids; you know they’ll love it. It’s the parents that’ll turn
green and freak out.”43 Moran and Glass divided the writing of the opera; Arthur Yorinks
wrote the libretto. Directly after the premiere, the Houston Grand Opera approached them
about performing The Juniper Tree the following summer.
1990s
The 1990s marked a successful period for Moran, especially for his operas and
choral works. The success of The Juniper Tree led to more commissions. David Gockley
commissioned Moran to write the opera Desert of Roses. The Minnesota Opera also
programmed Desert of Roses and commissioned Moran to write another opera, From the
Towers of the Moon. He had world premieres of two operas in consecutive months.44
Also during this time various recording projects were taking place, including releases on
notable record labels such as Columbia (BMG), Decca, and Argo.
In 1995, Night Passage was commissioned and premiered by the Seattle Men’s
Chorus. In just the first half of the 1990s, Moran had four new operas performed by
major ensembles in the United States. According to Moran’s website, in the 1990s, he
wrote 35 works that were premiered around the world by notable ensembles and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!41 Maurice Sendak is the well-known author and illustrator who wrote the popular children’s story
Where the Wild Things Are.
42 Moran, interview, 2011.
43 Ibid.
44 Ibid.
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soloists.45 Although he composed numerous other chamber works during this time,
Moran refers to this decade as “lots of choral and lots of opera.”46
2000 and Beyond
Robert Moran has shown no decline in activity since the turn of the twenty-first
century. He continues to compose and receive large-scale commissions. In 2004, he
began collaborations with Innova Records, which produced and released four albums
solely of Moran’s compositions: Open Veins (2004), Mantra (2008), Cabinet of
Curiosities (2011), and Trinity Requiem (2011).47
For Moran, the 2000s also marked a return to the genre of percussion ensemble.
Numerous percussion works were written for and premiered by Iowa Percussion
including Kboco, Stirling: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs, By Any Other Name, Meister
Ekhard and the Point of No Return, Bats in the Belfry, and Cabinet of Curiosities.
In 2011, Trinity Wall Street and organist Robert Ridgell commissioned Moran to
write Trinity Requiem (scored for children’s chorus, organ, harp, and four cellos) to
commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New
York City. In October 2011, Moran had another large premiere titled Buddha Goes to
Bayreuth, for two choruses and two string orchestras. Two more premieres came in
November 2012, Game of the Antichrist conducted by Alexander Hermann in Munich
and The Lottery performed by Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah. Robert Moran’s career
47 “Robert Moran,” http://www.innova.mu/composers/robert-moran, (accessed January 26, 2012).
16!
CHAPTER III
OVERVIEW OF COMPOSITIONAL STYLE
“And we’ll have plenty of time for going blah, blah until you run for the exit.”48
Moran’s style as a composer is nearly impossible to conclusively pinpoint. Over
the five decades he has been composing, Moran has written for nearly every genre of
contemporary music. When questioned about his style, he answered with another
question: “Wouldn’t it be different for each piece?”49 With his breadth and depth of
compositions and determination not to be pinned down to any one category, he has been
able to successfully escape any sort of stylistic captivity. He notes that many composers
and artists have failed due to the confining descriptions of critics, who:
…always want to pigeonhole. And I just don’t want to get bored, and so you’ve got to keep going on and that confuses them.…And I think the pieces, whatever you’re doing, should determine the costume that you’re putting on. You don’t want to wear the same costume all the time. I don’t.50
As mentioned previously, Moran’s formal education began with intense study in
twelve-tone composition, but none of those works are published.51 He explained,
“Nobody wanted to perform them and in all honesty, not too many wanted to hear
them.”52 His early studies of twelve-tone music with Apostel benefited his entire career,
because Apostel would not let him touch the piano, requiring Moran to hear the sounds
first.53 This helped him to truly understand what was being written on the page. He
!77 NYC Ballet, “The Waltz Project,” NYC Ballet http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/w/the-waltz-
project.aspx (accessed November 28, 2012).
!
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Dance Company among others.78 Numerous other dance companies and ballets have
commissioned or choreographed his works including the Scottish Ballet, Netherlands
Dance Theater, Toronto Dance Theater, and the Royal Ballet.79
Moran has developed a style that works easily for choreographers. Dance works
or ballets will often require a set amount of time for each piece. Moran will then compose
individual repeatable sections. Using this technique he found it was easy to tailor a
performance to the needs of the dancers by allowing them to collaborate with the
musicians to determine for themselves the number of times each section should be
repeated. Choreographers can then select which sections they like best, those that fit with
appropriate choreography, and time considerations. Rather than having portions of a
composition cut from a performance due to the previously mentioned reasons, Moran’s
entire composition will be performed, though perhaps some sections heard more than
others.
Opera and Choral Works
Moran has written multiple operas, including commissions from the Houston
Grand Opera and the Minnesota Opera. He has had an in interest in opera since he was
young. He feels that opera is an all-encompassing artistic experience and states: “Opera
includes drama, music, humor, sex, and violence, all of the elements that make up movies
and television in modern entertainment.”80 When asked if opera represents the real
Moran, he replies:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!78 “Robert Moran,” WQXR, http://www.wqxr.org/#!/people/robert-moran/ (accessed November
28, 2012).
!79 Moran Website, “Chronological Index.”
80 Moran, interview, 2011.
24!
Oh yes, when I was a little kid I was taken to the opera, and I didn’t need to know or want to know what the words meant. Operas were my fairy tales. It [opera] was always popular. It’s goofy and fun and passionate. Now, in the USA, we see a decent amount of opera on TV.81
Moran often dismisses the question when asked about his compositional process.
He states that he does not think of it as a process, rather he just creates. When composing
choral or operatic works Moran notes that “when the libretto is already in place, the
structure is in place.”82 Moran remarked that once he gets a libretto, he is often
immediately hearing musical ideas and visualizing characters.83 Frequently for Moran,
plots and musical direction will just occur naturally. On occasion he will map out some
sketches, but it depends on the piece.84 The topics of Moran’s operas range from serious
to humorous: fairy tales as in The Juniper Tree and Desert of Roses (based upon the Story
of Beauty and the Beast), horror stories like The Dracula Diary, social issues in Night
Passage, and even a plot-less opera titled Remember Him to Me.85
One of Moran’s newest operas was written in 2010 for Dan Moore and Iowa
Percussion. Bats in the Belfry is subtitled “an opera in five acts and four murders for four
solo voices and large percussion.” This is another piece with unusual instrumentation,
which calls for percussion ensemble accompaniment rather than a typical pit orchestra.
Graphic Scores
Moran turned primarily toward graphic notation beginning in the mid-1960s and
moved away from it near the end of the decade, but still employs it today when needed.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!81 Smith, New Voices, 201.
82 Moran, interview, 2011.
83 Smith, New Voices, 200.
84 Ibid.
85 Robert Moran, “Remember Him to Me,” Robert Moran,
http://members.macconnect.com/users/r/rbtmoran/Remember%20Him.htm, (accessed December 9, 2011).!
!
25!
Moran composed a multitude of graphic scores during that time and some of these works
helped him gain international notoriety by acquiring publishing contracts with Universal
Edition and Schott and Sons.
This style of notation began as a way to free both composers and musicians of the
bounds of conventional notation. Early graphic score pioneer Earle Brown began with
ideas of combining visual art and musical interpretation.86
However, the concept of graphic notation inherently leaves the composer with far
less control over the composition. While serial compositions adhere to exact details over
every musical element, graphic notation is nearly the complete opposite granting control
to the performer. The performers are now in some sense becoming co-composers. While
traditional notation gives, in a sense, only one correct option in performance (i.e., playing
the right notes versus the wrong notes), graphic notation allows for more multiple correct
solutions. Haubenstock-Ramati states, “Notation necessitates composition as opposed to
improvisation.”87 But, at the same time since there is no standardized way of interpreting
graphic scores, improvisation and interpretation are naturally at the forefront of any
performance.
This concept of improvisation or spontaneous performance can be misconceived
as a haphazard or undisciplined art form — just as some may assume that modern artists
such as Jackson Pollock are merely splattering paint. However, this concept does not
necessarily free the performer from preparation or artistic considerations. A quite
opposite approach is needed in order to create a compelling and inspiring performance.
Moran recalls John Cage’s point on the subject:
“It’s what Cage always talked about, when he talked about being responsible for your own actions…because you can hear if it’s just someone diddling around on a
87 John C. O’Neill, “Recent Trends in Percussion Notation,” Percussive Notes 18:1 (1980): 20.
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clarinet. That’s not the piece, it sticks out, it’s very clear you’re not listening to other people.88
Different types, or rather different methods, of graphic notation have also
developed including Earle Brown’s concepts of mobility taken from artist Alexander
Calder’s mobiles.89 Brown’s compositions can be thought of as navigating through a
three dimensional mobile where the piece may realign itself and change during the
performance.90 Herbert Brün utilized what is called graphic analog, which is actually just
a “slice” of the process of a pictorial representation.91 In actuality, each graphic score will
most likely be different than the next depending on the composer’s intentions and goals.
A common idea often emerges regarding all notation is that the score is not music, rather
it only represents the music. The true music is what the performer performs and the
listener hears, and not what is printed on the page. That can also be true of graphic scores,
Brün notes:
The graphic displays turn into scores as soon as an interpreter translates their structural characteristics into the instructional code of another medium (music, movement, etc.) and following his translation recreates the simulated process by analogy."92
When interpreting notation Sylvia Smith writes, “Notation is defined by its
function and not by its appearance. The fact that a note-head may be replaced by a bird or
a rose does not changes its essential function.”93
With any performance art there are elements and practices that must be adhered to
in order to present effective and engaging performances. These include preparation and
95 Michael Udow, “Visual Correspondence Between Notation Systems and Instrument
Configurations.” Percussive Notes Research Edition 18:2 (1981): 16.
96 Moran, interview, 2011.
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ensemble, and Bombardments No. 2 for percussion ensemble. When asked why he moved
away from purely graphic notation, Moran recalls:
It just happened and then you move on to the next… I did enough of the graphics and that moved into tonal sort of drone pieces, slow things that kept shifting and didn’t need that notation any more. It was moving into something that needed to be clearer in its repetition of sound than this. Equally valid, but it was time to put on a different costume.97
Moran collaborated with early graphic composers like Christian Wolff, Morton
Feldman, and John Cage employing multiple approaches when composing graphic
scores. One such technique is purely artistic without reference to musical symbols or
notation (Figure 3.2). Scores that do not employ musical symbols often look more like a
work of art than a musical composition. This allows for freedom of interpretation and
performance. Another method is musical symbol distortion. Here musical symbols,
staves, clefs, notes, rhythms, etc. are utilized, but in very non-traditional ways (Figure
3.3). His graphic scores may or may not contain performance notes. Dan Moore writes:
Some [graphic compositions] are designed to evoke a particular attitude, feeling, idea, or location, and offer no specific instructions, instrumentation, or form. Others have quite specific directions as to how to proceed through the work, including instrument choices or groupings, a key giving precise instructions as to what each graphic notation represents, and a plan for developing the form.98
Percussion Ensemble Compositions
The majority of Moran’s percussion pieces were written either at the beginning or
later in his career, with a large gap from roughly 1970 to 1994, then another hiatus from
1996 to 2006 simply because “nobody asked for them.”99 Moran had composed five
percussion works before 1971: Eclectic Boogies (1962), Variations for Six (1963),
Bombardments No. 2 (1964), Bank of America Chandelier (1968), and Borrby Boogies
107 The premiere of the full version of Obrigado took place on October 28, 2007 in Iowa City, IA,
by the University of Iowa Percussion Ensemble directed by Dan Moore.!!!
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Table 4.3 shows a segmented breakdown of each individual section. With this
methodology, a modified rondo form can be applied.
Section # Section Letter Rondo Form
1 A
2 A1
A
3 B
4 B2
5 B3
B
6 C
7 C1
C
8 D D
9 A4
10 A5
11 A6
A
12 E E
13 A7 A
Table 4.3 Obrigado, Modified Rondo Form
While each A section is slightly varied in some fashion, the overall character and
harmonic content remains the same, making the A sections remarkably recognizable and
providing thematic stability. For example, A and A4 are nearly identical, but A4 is varied
rhythmically (Figures 4.1 and 4.2). Likewise, sections with the same classification letter
contain similar identifiable content, but may be presented with different variations.
Figure 4.1. Obrigado, Section 1
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Figure 4.2. Obrigado, Section 9
Obrigado, like many of Moran’s works, is based around tonal centers. The work
is primarily rooted in E major, but also moves to related keys (E minor and G major)
during the middle sections. Harmonic chord progressions at the phrase level are present
and align with common harmonic practices. As expected, Moran’s harmonies make use
of non-chord tones, and with often random or misplaced notes. These tones provide not
only dissonance, but also foreshadow other chords. Though many of these harmonic
workings can be analyzed and described in various levels of detail, Moran was not
specifically concerned with applying compositional devices. When asked about the
harmonic content in Obrigado, Moran laughs:
Ha, Ha. How would I know? I just composed the thing for the percussion in the National Orchestra, [Washington] D.C., and the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center. I just felt that a tonal center with a few notes that “do not fit” can make it structurally weak enough to fall into the next center. I guess this is done internally since I do it all the time. I write out the sound cluster or a group of notes in a tonality, make sure that a few simply don't fit and use those pitches to move on into the next set. It's sort of like a game I have with myself.108
The final section returns to the primary tonal center of E major, and the work ends
with a direct dominant-tonic authentic cadence. This cadence provides finality and a bit
of humor. Throughout Obrigado, Moran implies, avoids, and distorts the traditional
!115 Glenn Watkins, Soundings: Music in the Twentieth Century, (New York: Schirmer Books,
1988), 566.
116 Moran, interview, 2011.
117 Ibid.!!
!118 Anthony, Pryer, "Graphic Notation" In The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison
Latham, Oxford Music Online, accessed December 2, 2011.
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Composers turned to graphic or alternate notation in the early 1950s and 60s as a way to effectively express their ideas. Graphic composers were particularly interested in unlocking the creative energies of classical musicians, who were not typically predisposed to improvisation. As Moran said, “There had to be a way to get these uptight classical musicians to loosen up and let go, and graphic notation seemed to be the way to get them to do it.”119 !!
In the score of Bombardments No. 2 Moran states, “If a conductor is not used,
performers treat the work as a free improvisation.”120 When performing graphic works as
an ensemble, listening is the most important interaction. Performances of Bombardments
No. 2 and many other graphic scores can be treated as a dialogue. Moran’s instructions
include three basic rules of engagement: agreement, when all players agree on musical
style, tempo, harmonic material, and other points; disagreement, when some or all players
disagree; and indifference, where performers neither agree nor disagree yet continue to
listen and interact with each other. If an ensemble is actively listening and constantly
engaging each other with these rules, a graphic composition can become a unique musical
journey allowing for creativity and expressivity. !
For the novice performer of graphic notation, Bombardments No. 2 and many
other graphically notated scores might initially appear overwhelming and difficult to
interpret. When performing a graphic score, many decisions must be made by the
performer such as choice of instruments, interpretation of non-standard notation, style,
attitude, and tempo, to name only a few. This is a very different experience from a
traditionally-notated piece where many of these decisions are already made for the
The first challenge for percussionists when learning a new graphic score is
determining instrumentation. Many of Moran’s graphic scores are written for a “variable
ensemble,” meaning any combination of performers and instruments. This opens the door
to infinite possibilities, allowing percussionists a wide sonic palette from which to
choose.
Selecting instruments is contextual. In some cases, found objects are preferable to
traditional instruments and vice versa. Mixing instruments or keeping them in families —
such as western or non-western, traditional or non-traditional, electric or acoustic, can
provide a cohesive feeling for a graphic composition. In this author’s opinion, two factors
should be observed when making these choices: the title of the piece and the visual
appearance of the score. If, for example, the score is linear and abstract, perhaps metallic
and articulate instruments could be selected. If the score uses circular figures, instruments
that impart a warm and legato sound might be considered. Matching the timbre of
instruments to the visual appearance of a score is an effective approach. In the end,
however, there are no right or wrong interpretations of this music. As John Cage is often
quoted as saying, “Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only
make.”121
Depending on the piece, selecting an instrumentation of all found objects is a
creative method of allowing individuality into a composition. Care should be taken when
selecting instruments, especially when performing with an ensemble. A variety of sounds
will make for more sonic interest. In certain situations, avoiding more than one of the
same types of instruments is preferred while at other times it can make perfect sense.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!121 This quote is taken from “Ten Rules for Students, Teachers, and Life” complied by Sister
Corita Kent and is often attributed to Cage who is mentioned directly in Rule Number 10.
43!
In planning for the recording of Cabinet of Curiosities, Dan Moore spent months
planning a singular instrumentation for each track of the recording. He writes, “More
than 100 instruments and implements were used to create this recording. Much care was
taken to ensure that each track features a unique instrumentation, and only a few standard
percussion instruments appear in more than one piece.”122
His efforts did not go unnoticed. In his review of Cabinet of Curiosities, music
critic Robert Carl wrote,
This is the sort of thing that can elicit enormous self-indulgence, and end up sounding homogeneous from one piece to another. Let me testify right now that this is not the case here. In fact, this is one of the finest releases I’ve ever heard to take the indeterminacy bull by the horns and make refined, engaging, and varied music from it.123
Utilizing extended techniques on traditional instruments is another option for
performance. Creating new or non-traditional sounds on existing instruments is a great
way to begin learning graphic notation and exploring new timbres. This can be as simple
as using the handle of a marimba mallet to strike the resonators or as unusual as dropping
ping pong balls on marimba bars. The main objective is to allow for as many new and
creative timbres using existing instruments as possible.
Moran’s suggested instrumentation for Bombardments No. 2 contains elements of
both traditional instruments and found objects. The performance instructions suggest
extended techniques by using “wooden mallets or coin” and “attack made with hand.”124
While the specific instrumentation for Bombardments No. 2 is listed, other instruments
may be added to taste (Table 5.1).
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!122 Moore, Liner Notes to Cabinet of Curiosities.
123 Robert Carl, "Interiors II: Uncharted lands. Elegant Journey. Salagrama. Cabinet of Curiosities.
Meister Eckhard and the Point of No Return. Electric Boogies. Bombardments." Fanfare: The Magazine
For Serious Record Collectors 34:6 (2011): 319-320.
124 Robert Moran, Bombardments No. 2 (New York: C. F. Peters Corporation, 1966).
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Player! Instrumentation!
Player 1! high hat, 1 pair of bongos, 1 snare drum (without snares), guiro, 3 suspended cymbals, 2 gongs (high, low), 3 timpani, 4 cowbells, marimba!
Player 2! triangle, car coil, maraca, 1 snare drum (with snares), 2 brake drums, 2 pairs of bongos, 3 temple blocks, 3 tom-toms, symphonic chimes!
Player 3! piano (top removed), celesta, radio, anvil, bass drum, wind chimes (metal and tubular), 3 wood blocks, small metal cricket (toy)!
Player 4! triangle, car coil (lower than player 2), 1 pair of bongos, 2 tabla, 2 cowbells, 3 timpani, wooden wind chimes, 2 brake drums, xylophone!
Analysis of Dan Moore’s Solo Version of Bombardments No. 2 !
Dan Moore recorded a solo version of Bombardments No. 2 for the Innova CD
release Cabinet of Curiosities in 2011. Instead of 5 performers playing simultaneously,
Moore recorded each part individually. To maintain an improvisatory character, each
track was overdubbed as a reaction to the previous track(s). Table 5.2 shows Moore’s
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!126 Robert Moran, Bombardments No. 2 (New York: C. F. Peters Corporation, 1966).
127 Moran states “car coil” although the intended instrument is a large car spring taken from the
suspension of an automobile.
!
47!
instrumentation. Though it is not exactly what Moran prescribes in the original score,
many similarities exist. When asked about the original instrumentation, Moran replied: “I
thought it was a great collection, but it is completely open.”128 !
!
Track! Instrumentation!
Track 1! Snare drum (snares off), hi-hat, ride and crash cymbals, bongos, almglocken, small gong, water buffalo bell!
Track 2! Two guiros, Puerto Rican scraper, three bullfrog scrapers, five high pitched blocks, seashell wind chimes, bamboo wind chimes, rawhide maracas!
Track 3! Wind-up toy drumming bear, five nipple gongs, triangle, two cowbells, brass maracas, small splash cymbal, key wind chimes, metal wind chimes!
Track 4! Three tom-toms, wind gong, sound tube, two small suspended cymbals!
Track 5! Toy piano, crotales, Chinese gong, maracas, old toy music egg!
Table 5.2. Bombardments No. 2, Instrumentation for Dan Moore’s solo realization !
!!
Variables such as instrumentation, improvisation, and personal interpretation will
naturally inspire significantly different performances of this work. Moore’s recording
will serve as a constant for this analysis, which will provide insight into performances of
this piece and one possible realization of the score.
Even with a graphic score and a multi-tracked recording, distinct formal sections
are apparent in Moore’s eleven-minute realization. His journey through the score begins
with spacious sound effects including that which sounds like a wind-up-cymbal-crashing
toy bear. Drums enter around 0:36 foreshadowing their important role later in the work.
By 1:01, the toy bear returns as well as other introductory material, closing the first
section of the performance.
The next section begins at 1:28 with the presence of a steady scraper. Tom-toms
and bongos contrast against the opening material with more active and metrically stable
figures. As this section progresses, themes are being introduced, and tempos increase and
solidify. A hierarchy of instruments also forms with primary thematic instruments being
supported by supplementary material. Starting at 2:15, almglocken enter and begin to
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!128 Robert Moran, phone interview, 2012.
48!
form a melodic theme, which appears at approximately 2:40. Other timbres such as
woodblocks often accent or highlight parts of the theme. A woodblock closes this section
at 4:07.
In contrast, long spacious tones occupy nearly the next three and a half minutes.
This ethereal character is provided mostly by ringing metal instruments such as gongs,
cymbals, wind chimes, and bells. Moore is playing in agreement with the other tracks at
this point. Staccato attacks on suspended cymbals, struck with drumsticks rather than soft
mallets, demarcate the next section. This lasts for roughly thirty seconds before a gong
signifies a change to a new section.
The next section begins at 7:47 with rapid, bombastic drum figures and staccato
interjections — a completely contrasting mood from the ethereal gongs. A steady groove
forms, creating a solid foundation for the toy piano at 8:21. Aside from the almglocken,
the toy piano is the only other pitched instrument to hold a steady theme, while muted
gongs provide a countermelody. This groovy section lasts until 9:00.
As the steady beat dissipates, other mallet instruments enter, bongo and tom-tom
interjections relate back to earlier in the piece, and shakers and scrapers tie together
previously heard music. The final two minutes provides a brief summary or recap of the
entire work. However, the hi-hat makes its first appearance and provides a new timbre
until legato cymbal hits and scrapes fade out to close the performance.
Moore’s journey through the score took the listener in many directions. The
instrumentation resembled that of Moran’s; attitudes of agreement, disagreement, and
indifference were utilized; improvisation was at the forefront of the performance; and
returning thematic material existed allowing for a cohesive formal plan.
For those interested in graphic notation, Bombardments No. 2 is an excellent
launching point. Moore’s successful solo realization can be used as a model for future
performances. With the considerations and methods presented in this chapter, the author
hopes for a resurgence of this work back onto the concert stage.
49!
CHAPTER VI
BY ANY OTHER NAME
“Well, I’ll just write an easy piece for marimba quartet.”129
The marimba quartet By Any Other Name,130 composed in 2008, was written for
and dedicated to Dan Moore and Iowa Percussion. During the summer of 2008, the Iowa
River flooded the Voxman Music Building, forcing the School of Music to relocate into
temporary locations throughout Iowa City. This composition served as a house-warming
gift written to ease the tension of the flood and the relocation to new facilities.131
By Any Other Name is written in three contrasting movements. The outer
movements are lively and rhythmically intricate while the second movement is slow and
introspective. This is a challenging work to perform, though that was certainly not the
intention of the composer. Moran notes: “Well, I’ll just write an easy piece for marimba
quartet. As I was writing, it seemed like it was reasonable.”132
There are two main challenges: rhythm and harmony. These challenges pertain
mostly to the ensemble performance. The individual parts are not extremely demanding,
but they do require advanced preparation. Technical complications arise due to some
writing that might not be considered idiomatic to the marimba. Un-nested rhythms133
$"%!By Any Other Name is scored for three 4.3-octave marimbas and one 5-octave marimba.
Though a 5-octave instrument is designated, a 4.5-octave marimba could be used. Simple octave
transpositions make it possible to perform using a 4.5-octave instrument without sacrificing musical
content.
!131 Dan Moore, Program Notes, By Any Other Name, University of Iowa New Literature Session
Concert, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, November 10, 2011.
!132 Moran Interview, 2011. 133 The concept of nested and un-nested rhythms is adapted from Joel Lester’s book, The Rhythms
of Tonal Music. There he describes evenly grouped patterns (i.e. two eight-notes subdivide into four 16th
notes) as nested rhythms. Unsynchronized subdivisions occur when odd groupings such as eighth-note
triplets against two eighth-notes are paired together. Therefore any polyrhythmic pattern that does not fit
(nest) within the framework of hierarchy could be considered an un-nested rhythm.!!
50!
appear among the four parts frequently causing challenges in ensemble execution.
Harmonic dissonances used throughout the piece are subtle. Generally, an interval of a
fourth or ninth may be present, creating slight tension within the chord, and this effect
can often sound like an error. Understanding these potential pitfalls will aid the
performers and director when learning the piece, especially from an ensemble standpoint.
Movement I: Munich Miniature- Var. I
The first movement, Munich Miniature- Var. 1, is short, quick, and many subtle
compositional nuances may go unnoticed upon first hearing. Moran writes that this
movement:
Was inspired by a note written to me, complete with drawings, from the five-year-old son of a friend in Munich, a choral member there. The note, in the most basic of German, told about his kindergarten class and their pet “haus maus,” with only minimal information on “Mimi” the mouse.134
Rhythm and Texture
The main rhythmic material is uncomplicated and contains simple rhythms,
primarily quarter and eighth notes. The interest lies in syncopation and the use of unison
rhythms. Frequently throughout the movement, simple rhythms will be placed in three
marimbas while the fourth marimba will have a moving line or will occupy the spaces
between the other three. In Figure 6.1, the bass fills in many of the rests of the other three
parts.
Unison rhythms among all four parts also occur frequently. There is a stark
contrast between these block chords, especially when one or two lines emerge suddenly
out of the texture (marimba 3 and marimba 4 in Figure 6.1, measure 6).
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT MORAN’S PERCUSSION COMPOSITIONS
Percussion Ensemble Works
Eclectic Boogies (1962) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers
Premiere: 1976, at Buffalo State University, conducted by James Kasperwitz, Buffalo, NY.
Instrumentation: 13 Players: triangle, maraca, temple blocks, 3 cowbells, bongos, 3 suspened cymbals, 3 tom-toms, gong, piano, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, chimes Notes: Traditional notation. Written as an exercise in serialism at the suggestion
of Luciano Berio. Partner piece to Meister Ekhard and the Point of No
Return (2010). Recorded on Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792. Variations for Six (1963) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: Never performed. Instrumentation: Variable percussion instrumentation. Notes: Graphic notation. Bombardments No. 2 (1966) Publisher: C.F. Peters Corporation
Premiere: March 18, 1965, Manhattan Percussion Ensemble, Paul Price, Director, New York, NY.
Instrumentation: Player 1: hi-hat, 1 pair of bongos, 1 snare drum (without ! snares), guiro, 3 suspended cymbals, 2 gongs (high ! and low), 3 timpani, 4 cowbells, marimba! Player 2: triangle, car coil, maraca, 1 snare drum (with snares), ! 2 brake drums, 2 pairs of bongos, 3 temple blocks, 3 ! tom-toms, symphonic chimes! Player 3: piano (top removed), celesta, radio, anvil, bass drum, ! wind chimes (metal and tubular), 3 wood blocks, ! small metal cricket (toy)! Player 4: triangle, car coil (lower than player 2), 1 pair of ! bongos, 2 tabla, 2 cowbells, 3 timpani, wooden wind ! chimes, 2 brake drums, xylophone! Player 5: finger cymbals, claves, 1 drum (low pitch), 3 ! suspended cymbals, 2 gongs (medium, low), 2 pair ! bongos, 3 roto-toms, 4 temple blocks, vibraphone! Notes: Recorded on Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792.
75!
Bank of America Chandelier (1968) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: August 1968, MacDowell Colony, Buffalo Percussion Ensemble. Instrumentation: Written for a hanging glass chandelier with extra instruments to be suspended from the chandelier. 4 players.
Notes: The instruments: a construction in the shape of a multi layered chandelier hangs center stage, below it is a small table with the circular score; the four musicians play the chandelier which is made up of pieces of hanging glass, wind chimes, small bells, any other such small and delicate-sounding instruments (great to have the stage very dark with just a light from above the chandelier, casting shadows).
Borrby Boogies (1970) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: 1970, San Francisco, CA. Instrumentation: Variable percussion instrumentation.
Notes: There is no full score, but rhythmic parts. The instrumentation is 'open'; any small/large percussion ensemble may be used. The conductor shapes the work as it progresses. Many performances throughout the USA through l989.
Obrigado (1995) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers
Premiere: March 1996, Kennedy Center, National Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin, Director, Washington DC.
Instrumentation: Player 1: vibraphone, 3 wood blocks, 3 timbales Player 2: vibraphone, tam-tam, chimes Player 3: marimba (4.3 octave), 3 temple blocks Player 4: timpani (B, E, F#), bass drum Player 5: piano (optional) Notes: Written at the request of the National Orchestra, Washington DC, for the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center. The piano is not required, but in the words of Moran, it is “so much more fun with it.” The premiere was performed without the piano part. The premiere
with the piano part was given by Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, in 2008. Recorded on Mantra Innova 714.
76!
Kboco (2006) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: 2006, Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, Iowa City, IA. Instrumentation: Player 1: 3 tom-toms, vibraphone, chimes! Player 2: bongos, timpani (1 drum), 3 blocks (medium temple ! blocks), tam-tam ! Player 3: marimba, bongos, 3 toms, glockenspiel ! Player 4: 3 wood blocks, bongos, xylophone, bass drum! Player 5: marimba, 2 suspended cymbals ! Player 6: vibraphone, 3 tom-toms, snare drum! Player 7: piano/prepared piano, celeste Notes: Some instruments may be replaced: for example, timbales for bongos in Player 4, Chinese bangu for snare drum in Player 6, Chinese toms for tom- toms in Player 3. Recorded on Mantra Innova 714. Stirling: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs (2007) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: April 12, 2008, Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, Iowa City, IA. Instrumentation: Group A: 4 marimbas (4.3 octave), glockenspiel, thunder sheets (1 or more), didgeridoo, 1 prayer bowl, 1 wine glass Group B: 2 vibraphones, celeste, triangle, timpani (could possibly be done with one drum range= B-G), bongos, wind chimes, 1 wine glass Group C: 2 vibraphones, 3 timpani (32, 29, 23), 3 suspended cymbals, tambourine, ocean drum, 1 prayer bowl, bongos Group D: prepared piano, toy piano bass drum, chimes, timpani (23), wind chimes, 1 prayer bowl, bongos Group E: 2 marimbas, 3 tam-tams, tambourine, thai gongs (G#, C#, A), xylophone, seed pods, 3 wine glasses
Notes: Combination of five different percussion ensembles, performing at the same time overlapping one another. Conductor required. Recorded on Mantra Innova 714. By Any Other Name (2008)
Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers, available from Cricket City Music and Media (www.dan-moore.com)
Premiere: Dec. 14, 2008, Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, Iowa City, IA. Instrumentation: 4 marimbas (one 5-octave marimba, three 4.3- octave marimbas) Notes: Could be performed with a 4.5-octave instrument instead of a 5-octave marimba, only some low octave doubling would be lost.
77!
Meister Ekhard and the Point of No Return (2008) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers
Notes: Proportional notation. Decelerated partner piece to Eclectic Boogies. Recorded on Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792. Cabinet of Curiosities (2010)
Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers, available from Cricket City Music and Media (www.dan-moore.com)
Premiere: Dec. 4, 2010, Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, Iowa City, IA. Instrumentation: Found objects, mallet instruments, left up to performer(s) Notes: A collection of six graphic scores. Instrumentation, number of performers, and length are all open to interpretation. Recorded on Cabinet of
Curiosities, Innova 792. Bats in the Belfry (2010) Publisher: Charotte Benson Music Publishers
Premiere: Dec. 4, 2010, Iowa Percussion, Dan Moore, Director, Iowa City, IA. Vocalists: Stephen Swanson, Kitty Eberle, Lisa Hearne, Adam Webb
Variable Ensemble Works Interiors (1964) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: 1965, Charlotte Moorman New Music Festival, New York, NY. Instrumentation: variable ensemble
Notes: Graphic score. Recorded on Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792. Elegant Journey with Stopping Points of Interest (1965) Publisher: Schott and Sons (Mainz)
Premiere: Spring 1970, Music of Robert Moran Concert, Grace Cathedral, SF New Music Ensemble, San Francisco, CA.
Instrumentation: variable chamber ensemble
Notes: Graphic score. Written as a birthday gift to Darius Milhaud. Recorded on Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792. Divertissement Number One (1967) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: 1967, San Francisco, CA. Instrumentation: Electric frying pan and any variable ensemble
Notes: Performers with large circus sunglasses with musical staves taped on the lenses. As the popcorn pops and flies into the air, performers play the notes they see as the popcorn crosses the lines of their sunglasses.
Waltz in Memoriam Maurice Ravel (1970) Publisher: Peters Edition Premiere: 1978, Chicago Arts Institute, Chicago, IL. Instrumentation: Originally for solo piano, works well for marimba and vibraphone duo. Notes: Originally recorded on Nonesuch Records, 1981. Part of The Waltz
Project. Salagrama (1979) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers
Premiere: 1979, Graz Styrian Festival, Graz, Austria. Instrumentation: Organ, variable percussion instruments — Moran notes that it is
most effective with bells, chimes, and gongs. Notes: Written for the restoration of the organ in the Grazer Dom. Recorded on
Cabinet of Curiosities, Innova 792. Performed once in the Mt. Holyoke, MA, area with two organs and Chinese percussion.
Rocky Road to Kansas (1994) Publisher: Charlotte Benson Music Publishers Premiere: 1998, Toronto Ballet, Toronto, Canada. Instrumentation: Percussion, keyboards, guitar Notes: Commissioned and recorded by ARGO Records, Argo 444540.
79!
APPENDIX B
CONCERT PROGRAMS
Percussion Music of Robert Moran: Iowa Percussion
80!
81!
82!
83!
84!
New Literature Session PASIC 2011: Iowa Percussion
85!
86!
87!
88!
89!
90!
91!
92!
BIBLIOGRAPHY Brooks, Richard James G. “Structural Functions of ‘Musical Gesture’ as Heard in
Selected Instrumental Compositions of the Twentieth Century: A Graphic Analytic Method.” Ph.D. diss., New York University, 1981.
Cage, John. Notations. New York: Library of Congress, 1969. Carl, Robert. "Interiors II: Uncharted lands. Elegant Journey. Salagrama. Cabinet of
Curiosities. Meister Eckhard and the Point of No Return. Electric Boogies. Bombardments." Fanfare: The Magazine For Serious Record Collectors 34:6 (2011): 319-320.
Cornall, Andrew and Robert Moran. Liner Notes to Mantra. Innova 714. CD. 2008. Coyle, Patrick O. “Significant Male Voice Repertory Commissioned by American Gay
Men’s Choruses.” D.M.A. diss., University of Cincinatti, 2006. Davies, Hugh. “Musical Notation Old and New.” In Eye Music, 12-20. London: Arts
Council of Great Britain, 1986. Drew Joanna and Michael Harrison. “Preface.” In Eye Music, 4. London: Arts Council of
Great Britain, 1986. Evarts, John. “The New Musical Notation: A Graphic Art?” Leonardo 1:4 (1968) 405-
412. Accessed through JStor July 27, 2011. Francois, Jean Charles. “Percussion Sound Sculpture.” Percussive Notes Research
Edition 18:3 (1981): 40-70.
Griffiths, Paul. “Sound Code-Image.” In Eye Music, 5-11. London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1986.
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