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Beth Anderson

More Notes on Pieces

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Orchestra

REVELATION
       (14')

REVEL
       (7') recorded on Opus One # 100; performed: Richmond Sinphonia, The
       Baltimore Women's Symphony, New Britain Symphony in Connecticut; Themes
       include a meditative 6-note scale, dueling trumpets, a Spanish/gypsy
section, an
       E-major melody, a brass chorale and cut-ups of the themes.

MINNESOTA SWALE
       (10'11") for flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon, B-flat trumpet,
2 French horns,
       percussion and strings (8,8,6,6,2). Includes an improvised percussion cadenza.
       Commissioned and premiered by the Minnesota Synfonia with Jay Fishman
       conducting; performed by the Wellesley College Orchestra, conducted by Joel
       Suben; recorded by Opus One in 1995 in Bratislava with the Slovak Radio
       Symphony. This piece is available on New Music For Orchestra, Opus One.

Operetta

QOHELETH
       words by Roye Dendler, for baritone, contralto, harpsichord, percussion,
       commissioned by the Soho Baroque Opera, 1998

Opera

QUEEN CHRISTINA (90') words assemblage
       produced: Mills College; one act

Oratorio

JOAN (20')
       words from the trial of Joan of Arc commissioned and produced by
Cabrillo
       Festival

Chorus

MAGNIFICATE
       for SSA and organ/piano, 1998

PRECIOUS MEMORIES (10')
       words by Jo-Ann Krestan and the composer; commissioned and produced by
       Eclectix, NYC

WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, & NOD (4')
       words by Eugene Field; performed by the Mount Sterling High School Madrigal
       Singers, John Stegner conducting

Musical Comedies

THE FAT OPERA (75')
                                              The book and lyrics are a collaboration
                                              between the composer and Jo-Ann Krestan.
                                              The Fat Opera is about dealing with the issue
                                              of weight. The cast includes a very large
                                              woman who is quite outgoing/romantic, a
                                              medium sized sweet/thoughtful/depressed
                                              woman, a thin bulimic woman, and a cute
                                              male exercise instructor.) It was produced at
                                              the Greenwich House Music School in New
                                              York City as a one evening equity showcase.
                                              It was remounted non-equity at Caffe e
                                              Dolce, Asbury Park, NJ, directed by George
                                              Hansel for 3 weekends. Selections were also
                                              performed at The Golden Fleece, Theatre 22,
                                              NYC.

                                              NIRVANA MANOR (90')
                                              book and lyrics by Judith Morely
                                              produced by Eccentric Circles off-off
                                              Broadway
                                              ran 3 1/2 weeks
                                              It is about a suburb that is supposed to be
                                              heaven, but isn't. It takes place between
                                              1950 and 1976 and involves a cast of three
                                              generations.

ELIZABETH REX: Or, The Well-Bred Mother Goes To Camp (90')
       book and lyrics by Jo-Ann Krestan
       Produced at the Carter Theatre, off-off Broadway, ELIZABETH REX ran 3 1/2 weeks.
       Selections were also performed at Golden Fleece, NYC. This musical is about a
       mother, Elizabeth, who is determined to make Kate, her high church Episcopalian
       lesbian daughter, straight. It's also about Kate's lover, friends, and a drag queen
       named Lilly who is in love with Elizabeth's minister, Justin, who also loves Lilly.


Music For Theatre

AVON (60')
       Avon is a new musical theater work with words by Stephen Paul Miller. In the play
       William Shakespeare writes and presents a play (within a play) about Stephen Paul
       Miller's attempt to explain his Ph.D. Dissertation, Three Self-Consuming
       Mechanisms of the Mid-1970's: John Ashbery's "Self-Portrait" in a Convex
       Mirror, The Watergate Affair, and Jasper John's Crosshatch Paintings, to John
       Ashbery, Richard Nixon and Jasper Johns. In 1997, Duke University Press is slated
       to publish a revised version of this dissertation entitled The Seventies Now:
       Nixon/Ashberry/Johns.

       Jasper Johns sings Eruch Jessawala Said. (Eruch Jessawala is one of Meher Baba's
       closest disciples. Baba was silent for 44 years, and Eruch interpreted Baba's hand
       gestures to the world.) Nixon in China sings Talks To Teachers. Shakespeare, who
       has not been invited to a poetry reading for almost four hundred years, sings
       Lately, I've Been Working As A Model In A Life Study Class as he walks across the
       Williamsburg Bridge on a beautiful Spring day when the bridge is closed to
       vehicular traffic due to a structural defect.

       Thomas Buckner sang in the premier of "Avon" and premiered all four songs in
       concert. Avon was produced at 8BC and also at St. Mark's Poetry Project in NYC
       with Tom Buckner and Taylor Mead.

WHATEVER BERNHARDT GOETZ
       play by Stephen Paul Miller
       produced at 8 BC's National Theater For The Lower East Side and also at The Bad
       Museum, NYC with Taylor Mead, Mary Sutton, Peggy Lowenberg, Julius Klein, and
       Phil Suraci

Theatre Pieces

RIOT ROT (11' 9")
       a text-sound and music theatre piece designed for radio (rock band with singer,
       two speakers)

SOAP TUNING
       (two speakers)

ZEN PIECE
       (two speakers)

Band

SUITE FOR WINDS AND PERCUSSION
       commissioned and performed by The Staten Island Symphony, conducted by
       Robert Kogan

OVERTURE FOR BAND
       performed Damrosh Park, NYC by The New Wilderness Band

Multimedia

SHE WROTE
       (2 violins, mezzo with multiphonics, tape) texts by Gertrude Stein and Kathy
       Acker
       written for Stein's 100th birthday
       first performance 1750 Arch Street
       M.A. thesis composition, Mills College
       also performed Cabrillo Festival and The Kitchen NYC

HE SAID
       (two clarinets, video tape, speaker, audio tape) commissioned by the San
       Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble, John Adams conductor
       also performed at The Kitchen, NYC
       video by Jack Briece

THEY DID IT
       (piano and tape) first performance The Kitchen, NYC
       also performed by Sorrel Hayes in Europe

RECITAL PIECE
       (piano and tape) graphic score
       first performance Ann Marie Mooney, Mills College

TOWER OF POWER
       (organ and quad tape) graphic score
       first performance Linda Collins, Mills College Chapel

TULIP CLAUSE
       (tenor voice, alto flute, B-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, string bass, cello,
       organ, timpani, tape) commissioned by The San Francisco Conservatory's New
       Music Ensemble, John Adams, conductor
       numerologically derived pitches
       graphic score
       tape based on lecture regarding Jupiter at Chabot Observatory
       also performed Cabrillo Festival
       published in a book entitled ED VOGELSANG-"VIEWS BESIDE..." edited by Fritz
       Balthaus, Berlin 1982

VALID FOR LIFE
       (tape and large strung instruments and large soft membranophones
       piano strings and timpani can be used with large soft beaters) graphic score
       published in ASSEMBLINGS edited by Richard Kostelanetz
       first performance Mills College by the composer and Sybl Chickenmint

PEACHY KEEN-O
       (tape, female voices, organ, electric guitar, vibraphone, large membranophones,
       improvisatory dancers, light) graphic score
       first performance Mills College with Hysteresis

GOOD-BYE BRIDGET BARDOT OR HELLO CHARLOTTE MOORMAN
       (cello, tape, with or without dancer and green cloth) performed 1750 Arch Street,
       Berkeley, CA and Composers' Forum, NYC

SKATE SUITE
       (violin, mezzo, cello, electric bass, tape) Commissioned by the Diane Jacobwitz
       Dancers. Also performed at The Kitchen, NYC.

MORNING VIEW & MAIDEN SPRING
       (tape, speaker, slides, light)

MUSIC FOR MYSELF
       (piano, mirrors, vibraphone, voice, light)

THE MESSIAH IS COME
       (revised to be THE BRIDEGROOM IS HEAR)
       collaboration with sculptor, Paul Cotton
       human sculpture with internal and external sound sources, tape, string bass, flute,
       voices, speakers, piano, percussion, slides
       produced at 1750 Arch Street, Berkeley, CA

HALLOPHONE
       (environment, 2 sax, steel guitar, voice, tapes, slides, dancers
       commissioned and produced by Nanny Goat Hill, San Francisco, CA

Tape

GERMAN SWALE
       commissioned and played as an environment for three German art galleries

ODE
       (heard The Kitchen, NYC)

TULIP CLAUSE AND BUCHLA BIRD HISS DOWN THE ROAD OF LIFE

JOAN
       (15 track version of the pitches only in the oratorio)

THUS SPAKE JOHNSTON
       (uses the voice of Jill Johnston) broadcast KPFA

String Quartets

JANUARY SWALE
       (Clearwater String Quartet, first performance) This is a swale that includes a lot
       of partying framed by a theme going forwards at the beginning and backwards
       near the end, a Janus. Because it was written with Carol Buck and her children in
       mind, there is a small children's theme just after the introduction which runs in
       and out later on in the piece. An aeolian alleluia interrupts and returns later a
       half-step down. It ends with the feeling of a "starry night" at the original tonal
       center.

PENNYROYAL SWALE
       (Soldier Quartet, first performance) Pennyroyal is a member of the mint family
       and a healing herb with a distinctive odor. Pennyroyal Swale combines
        folk-related vernacular music with "classically" developed techniques in an open,
       somewhat repetitive form. The work is dedicated to Mr. James Roy, the now
       deceased ex-head of Concert Music at BMI, a great Southern man who was a big
       help to women composers and to me especially. It has been performed at the New
       Music Festival at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, the Soho Baroque Opera
       Company, and at St. Michael's in New York City.

ROSEMARY SWALE
       (Soldier Quartet, first performance) Rosemary Swale is dedicated to Rosalie
       Calabrese who ran American Composers Alliance for many years. Rosemary is not
       only a cooking herb but is also a fixative for perfume--perfect for Rosalie who
       combines functionality with aesthetics.

MUSIC FOR CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
       (graphic score)

I AM UH AM I
       (graphic score)
       performed Mills College, Oakland and Intersection, San Francisco by Ear Ensemble
       exhibited various shows

Brass Quintets

SATURDAY/SUNDAY SWALE
       (Saturday Brass Quintet, first performance, Eclectix, NYC)

THE BRASS SWALE
       (Saturday Brass Quintet, first performance, Eclectix, NYC)

Brass Quartets

THE BRASS SWALE
       (quartet version) first performance The University of the Redland's New Music
       Ensemble, Barney Childs, director

Mixed Ensembles for 3-8 players

PIANO CONCERTO
2 violins, viola, cello, string bass, percussion includes marimba and drum
set+, piano; The first performance was at Merkin Hall, NYC 10/97 on the
Interpretations Series with Joseph Kubera, soloist.

NEW MEXICO SWALE
       (flute, percussion, violin, viola, cello) first performance Music Under
       Construction, NYC
       The swatches in this piece are in a variety of styles and feeling states somewhat
       descriptive of the diverse regions of New Mexico.

AUGUST SWALE
       (flute, oboe, French horn, bassoon, violin, viola) first performance Bennington
       College's Chamber Music Conference (Frank Wiggelsworth, musical director)
       where I was in residence
       also performed Muisc Under Construction, NYC
       The swatches in this piece are in a variety of styles and feeling states including
       anxious modernity, cheerful Americanism, passionate "gypsiness" and round,
       modal resolution--a sort of life cycle.

BELGIAN TANGO
       (violin, accordion, piano) performed and recorded by The Tango Project for
       Newport Classics
       performances at Bard College & Nell's in NYC
       piano solo version exists, as well

NET WORK
       ( saxophone quartet and two pianos) commissioned by Barbara Jo Fleming's
       Commotion Dance Company
       a piano solo version exists, as well

REVEL
       (electric violin, B-flat clarinet, E-flat saxophone, B-flat trumpet, trombone, piano,
       percussion, string bass) commissioned and performed by the University of the
       Redlands' New Music Ensemble, Barney Childs, conductor
       also performed by the Brooklyn Symphony, Tania Leo, conducting
       orchestral version exists, as well

TRIO: DREAM IN "d"
       (violin or flute, cello, piano) recorded for Tirreno
       performed by Downtown Music Productions
       also by Aviva Players, NYC and by Gramercy Ensembles, NYC

THE EIGHTH ANCESTOR
       (violin, flute, cello, piano; or, flute, oboe, cello, piano; or, flute, clarinet, cello,
       piano; or baroque flute, alto recorder, cello, harpsichord)
       first performance DelBarton Baroque Ensemble
       also performed by The ISCM in Belgium
       published by Joshua Corp/General Music, order # 1234 ($12.95) via The Boston
       Music Co.

SKATERS' SUITE
       (violin, flute, cello, piano
       or, flute, oboe, cello, piano
       or, baroque flute, alto recorder, cello, harpsichord
       or, violin, cello, string bass, mezzo) pub. Joshua Corp./General Music, order #
       1235 ($12.95) via The Boston Music Co.

WATER STRIDER COURRENTE
       (flute, clarinet, string bass, percussion, organ, piano) orig. a part of SKATE SUITE
       first performance Experimental Intermedia, NYC

ALLELUIA
       (two celli and two tenors; or, two trumpets & two tenors)

LITTLE TRIO
       (flute, cello, guitar)

Instrumental Solos/Duets:

RHODE ISLAND SWALE
       (harpsichord or piano solo) first performed by Elaine Comparone, Harpsichord
       commissioned by Bobby Buecker.
       The piece begins with a Phrygian folk-like tune which ends with a turn (BCBAB).
       This is followed by a lochrian tango and an aeolian melody in which the
       harpsichord sings words whose text remains mysteriously hidden under the
       music, ending with a turn (ABAGA). The text is derived from an English translation
       of the Heine poem "Auf flugeln des gesanges", "On Wings of Song", as loosely
       condensed and paraphrased by Jason Serinus (the prize-winning whistler who
       performed Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" as the voice of Woodstock in an
       Emmy-nominated Peanuts cartoon). The next group of swatches includes an
       aeolian minimalistic section marked "mindfully", a d-minor tune, a G-major
       choral, a C-major folk-like tune, and some lochrian mysterioso, along with
       various kinds of connective tissue. In the next section the original musical groups
       are cut up with some fiddle music, moving backwards and forwards and in new
       tonal areas. The work ends with a shortened version of the Heine section on 'e',
       rather than 'a'. The figuration at the end is a turn (EF#EDE). The poem within the
       piece is: "On wings of song my beloved, I shall take you away/ Away to the banks
       of the Ganges/ There I know the loveliest spot/ The birds will sing, the gazelles
       will leap/ And arm in arm, we shall fall into a dream/ A dream of bliss. "

SEPTEMBER SWALE
       (harpsichord or piano solo) first performed by Elaine Comparone, Harpsichord,
       Beucker & Harpsichords; also performed at the Butler Institute of American Art,
       Youngstown, Ohio; at Richmondtown Branch Library on Staten Island and 80
       Langdon Street in San Francisco by Joseph Kubera; and in Allentown, PA, by Elaine
       Comparone

GUITAR SWALE
       (two acoustic guitars) commissioned and performed by University of the
       Redlands' New Music Ensemble, Barney Childs, director
       also performed at Cal State Hayward's Musica Delle Donne
       It combines various oriental scales with Satie-like lyricism.

MAY SWALE
       (viola) commissioned by Mimi Dye
       premiered by Mimi Dye at Old First Church in San Francisco on 5/30/97

FLUTE SWALE
       (flute) commissioned and performed by Andrew Bolotowsky

PREPARATION FOR THE DOMINANT: OUTRUNNING THE INEVITABLE
       (ocarina or flute or violin solo) for Andrew Bolotowsky, published by Joshua
       Corp./General Music order # 1237 ($4.50) via The Boston Music Co.

SHAKUHACHI RUN
       (flute with or without hand drum) for Andrew Bolotowsky

THE PRAYING MANTIS AND THE BLUEBIRD
       (flute and piano) for Andrew Bolotowsky, published by Joshua Corp./General
       Music order # 1238 ($4.95) via The Boston Music Co.

LULLABY OF THE EIGHTH ANCESTOR
       (flute or violin and piano) published by Joshua Corp./General Music order # 1236
       ($4.95) via The Boston Music Co.

DR. BLOOD'S MERMAID LULLABY
       (flute or violin or cello and piano) for Andrew Bolotowsky
       also performed by the Aviva Players, NYC

BELGIAN TANGO
       (3' piano solo) commissioned and performed by Yvar Mikashoff

WALLONIAN WALTZ
       (3' piano solo) often performed with BELGIAN TANGO as a pair

MANOS INQUIETAS
       Part I, II, and III (piano solo) parts may be played singly-15'-20'@- or together
       commissioned by Bonnie Schiebman Dancers
       first performance Cunningham Studio, NYC
       Part II performed by Joseph Kubera at Cami Hall, NYC

QUILT MUSIC
       (30' piano solo) commissioned by Daniel McCusker Dancers for his choreography
       entitled TAKING SIDES, performed St. Mark's Dance Project, NYC

NET WORK
       (10' piano solo) A version for sextet and a 6' version for piano solo both exist. A
       longer version was commissioned by Montclair State College and first performed
       at their Spring Dance Festival.

Songs

LULLABY
       (a capella low voice or low voice with keyboard/guitar chords) 1997, words by
       Stephen Paul Miller

LULLABY
       (mezzo or baritone and piano) 1998, words by W.H. Auden, dedicated to Ned
       Rorem

THE ANGEL
       (12') (soprano, harp, celeste, 2 violins, viola, cello) words by Hans Christian
       Andersen as translated by Mrs. E.V. Lucas with additional lyrics by Anthony
       Calabrese
       The Angel was commissioned and first performed by The Shore Festival of Classics
       in Ocean Grove, NJ. It has also been performed at Greenwich House Music School
       and Beucker & Harpsichords
       The Angel tells the story of a sick girl who died, and was taken to heaven by an
       angel, who allowed her to pick flowers to take to God who would choose one. To
       this one flower, He would give a voice so that it could sing in heaven. The child
       chose the flower that had been her only comfort on earth and God gave it a voice.

AVON
       (Four songs for medium voice and piano) words by Stephen Paul Miller
              TALKS TO TEACHERS
              ERIC JESSAWALA SAYS
              THE NEW TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK
              LATELY I'VE BEEN WORKING AS AN ARTIST'S MODEL IN A LIFE STUDY
CLASS

DREAMING FIELDS
       (song cycle of 3 medium voice songs with piano) words by Eugene Field. These
       may be sung singly or together.
           1.THE SUGARPLUM TREE
           2.THE DUEL
           3.WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD

KNOTS
       (medium voice with piano) Knots has words by R.D. Laing, the eminent
       psychotherapist. They are taken from his book, Knots, (1971). In his introduction
       he writes, "The patterns delineated here have not yet been classified by a Linnaeus
       of human bondage. They are all, perhaps, strangely, familiar. In these pages I have
       confined myself to laying out only some of those I actually have seen. Words that
       come to mind to name them are: knots, tangles, fankles, impasses, disjunctions,
       whirligogs, binds."

A WAY BACK HOME
       (low G to High F) voice and piano; words by Joann Krestan

THE LAND OF COUNTERPANE
       (soprano and piano) words by Robert Louis Stevensen

JUNK LOVE
       ( medium voice and piano) words by the composer

THE ONLY ONE I WANT
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer

WOMANRITE
       (contralto and piano) words by Ana Perez
       performed City University of NY Graduate Center by Julius Eastman

TWINKLE TONIGHT
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer

TIME STANDS STILL
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer

BEAUTY RUNS FASTER
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer

HE SAYS HE'S GOT
       (medium voice and piano or guitar) words by the composer

IN SIX
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer

PARANOIA
       (medium voice and piano or medium voice with two C-flutes) words by the
       composer
       first performance University of Kentucky
       also performed at The Kitchen, NYC

A DAY
       (medium voice and piano) words by the composer
       first performance at the University of Kentucky; A Day was also performed at The
       Music At DelBarton Series, The Kitchen, and the Soho Baroque Opera Company. A
       Day is not meant to be heard by anyone's employer.

A POSTCARD
       (medium voice and piano)
       A Postcard was first performed at the University of Kentucky. IT has also been
       performed at The Music At DelBarton Series, The Kitchen, and the Soho Baroque
       Opera Company. The words for A Postcard were very difficult to copyright
       because of their common usage.

Rounds

MY LAUGHING CHILD
       words by Bici Forbes, now known as Nye Ffarrabas
       published in ROUNDS GALORE!, 1994, edited by Sol Weber, >


Rounds

MY LAUGHING CHILD
       words by Bici Forbes, now known as Nye Ffarrabas
       published in ROUNDS GALORE!, 1994, edited by Sol Weber, >
	available from Sol Weber/Astoria Press, [email protected] 25-14 37th Street,
       Astoria, NY 11103-4228

IF YOU HAVE A THOUGHT IN YOUR HEAD
       words by the composer
       to be published in ROUNDS GALORE! Vol. II, edited by Sol Weber, 
available from Sol Weber/Astoria Press, [email protected] 25-14 37th Street,
       Astoria, NY 11103-4228

       Chant/Mantra

       INCLINE THINE EAR TO ME
              words from The Bible
              first performance The Kitchen, NYC
              also performed Buecker & Harpsichords

       Text-Sound

       Text-sound is the use of words and phonemes to make a kind of vocal-percussive
       music.

       IF I WERE A POET
              (1m17s) solo voice
              recorded for NPR

       COUNTRY TIME
              (1m 41s) voice, drum set, with or without taped bird calls
              recorded for NPR broadcast

       THE PEOPLE RUMBLE LOUDER
              ( 52s) voice with tape
              recorded for NPR

       YES SIR REE
              (1m 25s) voice and percussion
              recorded for NPR

       LET IT
              (2m 47s) solo voice

       I CAN'T STAND IT
              (1m 57s) voice and drum set: recorded Dial-A-Poem Poets LP and private
              label and for NPR
              performed Whitney Museum of American Art

       I WISH I WERE SINGLE AGAIN
              (1m 3s) solo voice

       OCEAN MOTION MILDEW MIND
              (1m 27s) voice and drum set
              recorded for private label and NPR

       JOHN CAGE
              (20s) solo voice
              other name poems for: Alison Knowles, Jackson MacLow, Martha Graham,
              John Giorno, various others

       TORERO PIECE
              (7m 53s) two voices
              3'30" version recorded on1750 Arch Records
              published in a book entitled ED VOGELSANG-"VIEWS BESIDE..." edited by
              Fritz Balthaus, Berlin 1982

       SIX STORIES IN SERIES
              (6m 40s) speaker and piano

       SALLY'S SUCCESS
              speaker and piano

       CRACKERS AND CHECKERS
              solo voice

       HE'S NOT AFRAID OF MARRYING ME
              solo voice

       NONGOVERNMENTAL PROCESS
              solo voice

       TWELVE BAR BLUES
              solo voice

       KITCHY KITCHEN
              solo voice

       PE-YO-TE
              solo voice
              published in a book entitled ED VOGELSANG "VIEWS BESIDE...", edited by
              Fritz Balthaus, Berlin 1982

       Film Score

       WORLD HONEYMOON
              for Sunrise Films

       Radio Production

       POETRY IS MUSIC
              for National Public Radio
              eighteen 8' programs designed to be used as drop-ins for magazine shows
              each one presenting a different text-sound artist and his/her work