was very well-received), including works of Ray Green, Gerald Strang, William Russell and myself. For this next concert Johanna Beyer has written 3 movements for percussion.32 Henry Cowell has written a new work, Lou Harrison has completed his 5th Simfony.33 We would like very much to present some work of yours. Rehearsals begin April 10th. We have 5 good players, and three not so good (they could play easy parts). We have 7 gongs, 3 cymbals, 4 tom-toms, two timpani without pedals, many wood blocks, and can improvise instruments from junk yards or construct things, given specifications of sorts, etc.
Please let me know about this as soon as convenient for you.
To Henry Cowell
[ca. July 1939] | Location not indicated
Dear Henry:
Thanks for the card telling about playing the records at the N[ew] S[chool].34 I’m anxious to know whether you have the two little records of the First Construction with Roldan’s Ritmica on one side. I sent them with two scores to the Guggenheim and never received any word from them about receiving them. I deduced from one of your letters that you had this record of the Construction; but I can’t tell for sure. I’d appreciate your letting me know about this, because I wanted to be certain that the scores and records reached Moe.35
Thank you for playing the record at the ns. I imagine from Johanna’s card that you played the three pieces for woodblocks and drums and bamboo sticks. I’m glad she liked them.
I’m enjoying my work on the Recreation Project.36 The first few days weren’t so good because I didn’t have very much to do. But now I’m getting very busy organizing groups of children writing articles for recreation publications, giving demonstrations making instruments, etc. Made a Chinese woodblock of which I’m very proud and intend to make some Teponatzles (spelling?)37 out of bakelite. This was Lou’s suggestion which I think is excellent. Will also make marimbula, and claves as soon as they have lathe. I work with Italian children at Telegraph Hill. Children in the S.F. Hospital. Negro children out on Divisadero and Chinese children in a Catholic Mission. The Negroes are astounding, and all I do is give them instruments and they play the most amazing rhythms, complex and marvelous. I never can believe my ears. And they leave the instruments and begin dancing just spontaneously. The only teaching I did was to suggest first a 4-measure phrase and then an 8-measure phrase within which they improvised. They were able to play cross rhythms and accents off the beat, grupettos across the bar, etc., and still stop cleanly at the end of either phrase length. They played on everything they could see in the room and asked me to bring new instruments next time.
The Mills class is going well now.38
The Chinese children in the Catholic Mission don’t seem very imaginative, but they follow directions well. I’m hoping to get things around to the point of their having ideas of their own. The work they did before with percussion was a rhythm band that was directed by Sister —— who played the piano and the children just played bang bang over and over again. I was surprised to find something so unholy.
Please let me know, if you do know, whether my score + records reached the Gugg[enheim].
To Mr. and Mrs. John H. Ballinger
September 14, 1939 | Cornish School, Seattle
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger:
During the past year I presented, in Seattle (at the Cornish School), two concerts of modern American percussion music. The group of players which I direct is the only group of the kind in the country. The concerts here were of such importance musically that, while I was teaching at Berkeley this summer, I was invited to give a concert at Mills College, which I did. Since the establishing of this work, the number of composers writing percussion music has doubled; the scores are sent directly to me for performance with my group.
A few weeks ago I received a letter (from Miss Cornish) to the effect that many of the instruments which I had used last year would not be available this coming year. These instruments were Chinese gongs, cymbals, tomtoms and woodblocks belonging to Lora Deja (the German dancer who was formerly on the Cornish faculty). She has requested that the instruments be sent to New York.
In order to have the proper materials I have, heretofore, borrowed, constructed and invented instruments to supplement Miss Deja’s collection. It is not, however, possible to replace her instruments in any other way than buying them. So that, although I have invariably in the past acquired instruments at my own expense, it now becomes necessary, in continuing this work, to ask for sponsorship.
I can refer you to Charles Paige Wood and George McKay of the University’s Music School, to Dr. Richard Fuller of the Art Museum, who has kindly assisted me, as has Mrs. Thomas Stimson, and to Mr. Alfred Frankenstein, music critic of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Among the composers who would be immediately indebted to you for performances are Jose Ardevol, Johanna Beyer, Franziska Boas, Henry Cowell, Ray Green, Lou Harrison, Amadeo Roldan, William Russell, Gerald Strang, Edgar Varese, and myself.
Since this work is new and experimental I may take the liberty of describing it as an exploration of sound and rhythm. It will, I believe, be thought of in the future as a transition from the restricted music of the past to the unlimited electronic music of the future.
In replacing the instruments taken by Miss Deja, the initial expense would be $150.00, toward which Dr. Fuller and Mrs. Stimson have each contributed $25.00. In order to avoid any further interruption of this work, it has been agreed upon by the Cornish School that these instruments when acquired shall belong to me, as I am the only one in the country active in this field. For this reason, if you see fit to sponsor this work, please make checks payable to me, care of the Cornish School, Roy at Harvard North, as I am on the School’s faculty.
In these uncertain days I feel it is exceedingly important to make music wherever it is yet possible. We shall, this coming year, present as many concerts as possible, and shall also take the group on tour to the University of Idaho, Reed College in Portland, and other cultural centers.
To Charles Ives39
[1939] | The Cornish School, Seattle
I am enclosing some programs of percussion music which we have given. Do you have any scores which use mostly percussion? Or would you be interested in writing a score for percussion? I have at present 11 players; our next program will include works by Roldan, Cowell, Harrison, Russell (his Fugue) and Beyer. Also Couper. It would be very fine indeed if could we perform some of your work here.
To Archie N. Jones
November 20, 1939 | Location not indicated
Dear Mr. Jones:
I have your letter of last spring telling of your interest in presenting one of our percussion concerts in Moscow.40 I am at present planning a tour to take place in January. We are to be in Walla Walla, Whitman College, Thursday, January 11th, and in Portland, Reed College, Saturday, January 13th. Because of the fact that I am arranging to take the group on one tour, it is possible to offer a reduced fee of $75.00 for each concert. If the University could arrange to have the concert anytime Friday the 12th between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., it would be possible for us to offer the same reduced fee.
This summer I gave a very successful concert at Mills College, under the auspices of the Bennington School of the Dance. The program we are offering now would be similar to the one
