Spirituals
Image from an Irene Oliver publicity card
Settings For Spirituals
In 1976, with the intention of enhancing the beauty and strong character of the originals, I used our Moog synthesizer, a PDP-11 computer, and software written largely by Roger Meyers, to generate settings for a group of spirituals. The spirituals had been sung and recorded by Irene Oliver, an opera singer and friend from my days in Italy. John Eaton, also a friend in Italy, helped with the recording and, to provide a context, accompanied the last spiritual in the group with a piano. My idea was to create a setting with electronics, the way we might think of a setting for a jewel, to bring this music into a larger public.
Settings for Spirituals was available on a Lovely Music disc in 1985. And it was presented on May 15, 1977, at the Experimental Intermedia Foundation in New York. When Irene passed through New York a few months later, I played it for her and she said, “You know, I’m not sure there’s a market for this.”
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For other compositions, click on a title
Blues Mix 1966
Albany Music 3 1966
Jack in January 1967
Street Scene 1967
Drift 1970
Ideas of Movement at Bolton Landing 1971
Echoes 1972
From The 14th On 1973
Flowers 1975
Settings for Spirituals 1977
Solo 1978
Scenes from Stevens 1979
Follow Me Softly 1984
After Some Songs 1995
Spring Drum with Pierre’s Words 1997
Many Times … 2001
One World 1 2006
Micro Fictions 2009
Different Cities 2013