Charles Ives (1874-1954)

Charles Ives was another composer in New England around turn of the century, but not too influenced by Europeans and not a member of the Second New England School

· Early training from father (George Ives) was very unconventional. George was Civil War band master but really experimented

· Charles did receive formal music training from Horatio Parker at Yale.

· Composition traits:

· All sounds were fair game, musical or occurring in nature.

· Liked to use opposing and contradictory ideas: e.g. The Unanswered Question (1906). Has 3 performing groups: string orchestra or quartet; solo trumpet; and quartet of woodwinds that play disparate ideas

· Ives often borrowed from various sources: associations that came with other songs provided powerful images.

· In Flanders Fields contains melodic fragments from Columbia, Gem of the Ocean, The Marsailles, and America. Song is about the World War I

· Many works depict patriotic scenes or events, e.g. Holidays Symphony has 4 movements that depict American holidays

· Ives was not understood or appreciated much in his lifetime; did receive Pulitzer Prize for Third Symphony in 1947 (composed 1904). Ives used many musical techniques which would later be “discovered” in Europe; some Americans, esp. Henry Cowell, took an interest in his music