Milton Babbitt Total Serialism

I'm very surprised to find that we evidently don't have a Milton Babbitt thread here. (I searched - did I miss it? If so, let me know and I'll ask the mods to merge this into that one.)According to wikipedia , Milton Babbitt (1913-2011) 'is particularly noted for his serial and electronic music.' He studied under several teachers including Roger Sessions, and his students included Stephen Sondheim and Frederic Rzewski.According to his New York Times obituary , 'Mr. Babbitt was the first to use this serial ordering not only with pitches but also with dynamics, timbre, duration, registration and other elements.

• Serialism Artist
• Milton Babbitt Who Cares If You Listen
• Milton Babbitt Reflections

His methods became the basis of the “total serialism” championed in the 1950s by Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono and other European composers.' He became most famous probably not for his music but for an essay that someone else titled, 'Who Cares if You Listen?'

The article argued 'that contemporary composition was a business for specialists, on both the composing and listening end of the transaction, and that the general public’s objections were irrelevant' (NYT). Babbitt wrote, 'The time has passed when the normally well-educated man without special preparation could understand the most advanced work in, for example, mathematics, philosophy and physics. Advanced music, to the extent that it reflects the knowledge and originality of the informed composer, scarcely can be expected to appear more intelligible than these arts and sciences to the person whose musical education usually has been even less extensive than his background in other fields.' The Telegraph obituary quotes Alex Ross's declaration that Babbit's music was 'so Byzantine in construction that one practically needed a security clearance to understand it.' I suspect that Philomel and 'All Set' have become his most famous works, but I am not confident about that. His string quartets seem to be popular as well. His works for synthesizer are also famous, but, as far as I know, hard to find on CD or vinyl.

According to the Guardian , 'Notable in his output are Composition for Twelve Instruments (1948), Sextets, for violin and piano (1966), Reflections, for piano and tape (1975), and Quintet, for clarinet and string quartet (1997).' I feel quite the same about some of your favored composers, which we've already discussed rather congenially in PM's some time ago. I don't recall enough of those, but do not think horrible was in any of them, nor did either of us need to put 'music' in satiric air quotes:-)Just sayin' so as to match the as I perceive it gratuitous nature of your post.It certainly wouldn't matter to me what you think of Elgar, RVW, or Shostakovich for example. So, in that spirit, it really shouldn't matter what I say about Babbitt if you really enjoy his music, right? I was just telling people how I felt about this 'composer' and since this is his thread, I have every right to express that opinion just as anyone would have the right to express their dislike for whatever composer they don't care for. Babbitt was head of composition at Yale, and Steven Sondheim was one of his students.

Sondheim remembers their analysis of popular songs. Babbitt was a sax player, and played in some popular music bands. As did Allan Forte, also of Yale, and America's top music theorist. Forte frequently analyzed 'Over the Rainbow' in his analysis classes.Babbitt not only applied serialism to non-pitch elements; he also was instrumental in identifying certain forms of serial sets, such as 'all-interval sets' which were sought out for their symmetry characteristics. Elliott Carter was also interested in sets like this, as was George Perle. This created an American school of serialism, with its own unique thrust.Look for the Youtube clip on Allen Forte, called 'Music makes a better person.'

Babbitt's music has its own unique beauty, as reflected in works like Philomel, the Piano Concerto, and all the piano works (as mentioned). It certainly wouldn't matter to me what you think of Elgar, RVW, or Shostakovich for example. So, in that spirit, it really shouldn't matter what I say about Babbitt if you really enjoy his music, right? I was just telling people how I felt about this 'composer' and since this is his thread, I have every right to express that opinion just as anyone would have the right to express their dislike for whatever composer they don't care for.We know this, and respect your feelings, neo; but it's rather like a vegan at the table, complaining, while I'm trying to enjoy my steak.

Serialism Artist

Milton Babbitt Who Cares If You Listen

We know this, and respect your feelings, neo; but it's rather like a vegan at the table, complaining, while I'm trying to enjoy my steak.So we should just all be sheep and follow what the others are doing on the same thread? I don't think so. A composer thread isn't just meant for positive reinforcement, it's also meant to express negative opinions, otherwise, all you have is a white page with nothing on it.

Milton Babbitt Reflections

I look at it as conversation and not as myself trying to 'pick a fight with the Babbitt fans.' You or anyone else can spin it however you want, I'm out of here.