Charles Ives (1874-1954)

á          Bio: Received early exposure to music as son of Civil War band master George Ives, a very experimental, progressive-minded man.  George had a special piano constructed that could play Òin the cracksÓ (quarter tones), because he wanted to be able to reproduce sounds of chiming bells.  George also introduced Charles to polytonality: family sang song in E-flat while George accompaniment on piano in C.  In addition to family background, Charles had formal musical training: studied at Yale with Horatio Parker.  Ives had about 20 productive years as composer, but did not compose for a living. He had career as insurance broker, became head of largest insurance company in country at that time.

á          Ives considered all of human existence as fair game for musical resources. Charles listened to all around him, including traditional resources like hymns (he played organ in church) and non-traditional.  One example in microcosm is Yale Princeton Football Game (1898).

á          Ives liked to create works that juxtaposed contrasting ideas, e.g. Ragtime Dances (1890Õs; final form 1904). The elements of ragtime are present (steady bass, syncopated melody), but also contrasting ideas.

á          Other kinds of opposing forces: sometimes depicted outdoor events where different bands were playing at the same time (e.g. at a fair, opposite ends of fairgrounds); heÕd also include crowd noise, circus songs, etc.  The Unanswered Question (1906) is good demonstration of this kind of technique: has 3 performing groups, gives them contradictory material. 

á          string orchestra plays consonant chord progressions, dreamy atmosphere

á          solo trumpet states atonal idea asking perennial question of existence

á          quartet (usually flutes, but instrumentation is flexible) answers with increasingly agitated outbursts of dense tone clusters - very dissonant

á          groups can be separated, giving spatial dimension

á          Other techniques of Ives, many of which would be ÒdiscoveredÓ a few years later in Europe: 

á          polytonality

á          set two lines of harmony against each other as if they were melody (counterpoint)

á          rhythmic complexes, e.g. groups of five notes against thirteen

á          mixed meters were common in his msuic; one of first composers to write without regular barlines or time signatures