{"id":248,"date":"2015-11-06T14:11:13","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T14:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ripm.org\/cnc\/?p=248"},"modified":"2023-06-27T17:51:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:51:01","slug":"no-3-remembering-edgar-varese-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnc.ripm.org\/?p=248","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Edgard Var\u00e8se on the 50th Anniversary of his Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuilliardReviewCover\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"VareseinStudy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 [The Juilliard Review <\/em>I, no. 3 (Fall, 1954): 4\/5]<\/p>\n

50 years ago today, on November 6, 1965, French composer Edgard Var\u00e8se died in New York.\u00a0 During his lifetime, Var\u00e8se was a lightning rod for controversy, particularly among American concertgoers after he founded the International Composers Guild, the first U.S. society dedicated to championing the music of contemporary composers. The first mention of Var\u00e8se in the RIPM databases occurs in 1916 with the following article in which the \u201cultra-modern music of the futurists\u201d is discussed:<\/p>\n

\"FirstMentionVarese\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[New Music Review<\/em> 15, no. 177 (August, 1916): 270]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the composer\u2019s 70th<\/sup> birthday, the following article appeared in The Juilliard Review <\/em>in honor of Var\u00e8se, recalling how early performances of his works in New York and Philadelphia were received with catcalls, hisses, and applause.\u00a0 In fact at the end of one concert, opinions were so divergent they led to a fistfight:<\/p>\n

\"VareseAppreciationTitle\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"VareseCatcalls\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[The Juilliard Review<\/em> I, no. 3 (Fall, 1954): 3-10]<\/p>\n

And yet, the actions of Var\u00e8se were closely watched in the musical press, which tracked his professional activities (the progress of the International Composers\u2019 Guild and his first appearance as conductor of the New Symphony Orchestra) as well as his personal life (his marriage, and even an auto accident).<\/p>\n

\"VareseAutoAccident\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"NewOrchDebut\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Musical America<\/em>\u00a024, no. 19 (September 9, 1916): 14] \u00a0 \u00a0[Musical America\u00a0<\/em>24, no. 25 (April 19, 1919): 2]<\/p>\n

\"VareseMarriage\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"IntlComposersGuild\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Musical America<\/em>\u00a035, no. 14 (January 28, 1922): 2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [The Baton<\/em> III, no. 4 (January, 1924): 12]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Var\u00e8se\u2019s music also attracted the attention of fellow composers, as evidenced by this discussion of his music by Henry Cowell.<\/p>\n

\"HenryCowellWritingAboutVarese\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Modern Music<\/em> V, no. 2 (January-February 1928): 9-19]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When questioned whether it was necessary for people to understand his music to truly enjoy it, Var\u00e8se replied simply: \u201cYou have just to listen with unprejudiced ears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VareseCaricature\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Modern Music<\/em> V, no. 2 (January-February 1928): 19]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following two documentary films offer fascinating insights into Var\u00e8se\u2019s music and life. The first (with English subtitles) contains an interview with the composer in which he recounts how he moved to New York with only $90 (around 1:42).\u00a0 The documentary also contains interviews with Iannis Xenakis and Olivier Messaien, who was not surprised by the public\u2019s intense reaction to modern music (around 8:00).<\/p>\n