Lou Harrison takes "Old Granddad" out for a ride

Synopsis

On today's date in 1974, the San Francisco Chamber Music Society presented its annual holiday concert at Lone Mountain College. In addition to seasonal works by Corrette and Rheinberger, their program featured the premiere performance of a new piece by the American composer Lou Harrison titled "Suite for Violin and American Gamelan."

For years Harrison had been fascinated by the Javanese gamelan—an orchestra comprised of tuned bronze gongs. In 1967, Harrison met William Colvig, an electrician and amateur musician with an interest in acoustics. Together, they constructed their own gamelan from bits and pieces of aluminum and steel retrieved from discarded gas tanks and furniture tubing found in scrap metal heaps.

Now, traditionally, Javanese gamelans are given poetic names, like "Venerable Golden Rain," or "River of Flowing Honey," but the title Harrison and Colvig came up with for their "American gamelan" was more homey than poetic. They dubbed their junkyard creation "Old Granddad." The 1974 premiere of "Suite for Violin and American Gamelan" was one of "Old Granddad's" early public outings.

Mixing of Eastern and Western traditions and instruments has been a hallmark of Harrison's music. "It seemed perfectly natural to me," said Harrison. "I don't think of it either as a problem or as a distinction. It's all part of making music as far as I'm concerned. There's no THEY and ME."

Music Played in Today's Program

Lou Harrison (1917-2003) Suite for Violin and American Gamelan David Abel, violin; American Gamelan; John Bergamo, cond. New Albion 15

On This Day

Births

• 1837 - French composer Emil Waldteufel, in Strasbourg;

• 1882 - Spanish composer and pianist Joaquín Turina, in Seville;

Premieres

• 1721 - Handel: opera "Floridante" in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Dec. 20);

• 1832 - Berlioz: the lyric monodrama "Lélio, ou Le Retour à la vie" (Lelio, or The Return to Life" - performed with "Symphonie fantastique" as its sequel - in Paris, with François-Antoine Habaneck conducting and the composer performing as an extra timpanist;

• 1836 - Glinka: opera “A Life for the Tsar,” at the Main Theater in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Nov. 27); This work was originally to be titled “Ivan Susanin” after its lead character, but as a tribute to the Tsar was retitled (After the Russian Revolution, it was staged under its original title);

• 1842 - Glinka: opera “Russlan and Ludmilla,” at the Main Theater in St. Petesrburg (Julian date: Nov. 27);

• 1900 - Debussy: "Nuages" and "Fêtes" (two of the three "Nocturnes" for orchestra), in Paris at a Lamoureux concert conducted by Camille Chevillard;

• 1905 - R. Strauss: opera "Salome," in Dresden at the Hofoper, conducted by Ernst von Schuch;

• 1906 - Glazunov: Symphony No. 8, in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 22);

• 1926 - Milhaud: "Carnival d'Aix" for piano and orchestra, in New York, with the composer as the piano soloist;

• 1928 - Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Piano Concerto No. 1, in Rome;

• 1938 - Cage: "Trio for Percussion," in Santa Monica, Calif.;

• 1939 - Cage: "First Construction (in Metal)," for six percussionists, in Seattle;

• 1942 - Copland: "Danzón Cubano" for Two Pianos at a League of Composers 20th Anniversary concert at the Town Hall Forum, with the composer and Leonard Bernstein; At this concert, the piece was billed as "Birthday Piece (on Cuban Themes");

• 1949 - Barber: Piano Sonata, by Vladimir Horowitz, in Havana, Cuba;

• 1950 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 27, posthumously, in Moscow;

• 1969 - Peter Maxwell Davies: "Vsalii Icones," in London;

• 1974 - Lou Harrison: Suite for Violin with American Gamelan, at Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, with violinist Lauren Jakey;