Gamelan as World Citizen:
American Experimental Music and the Internationalization of Indonesian Arts
(Ph.D. Dissertation)
AbstractSince the 1970s, the idea of something called "American gamelan" has circulated widely, simultaneously gaining currency in some circles and evading precise definition. Most commonly associated with the composer Lou Harrison, the term "American gamelan" may refer to percussion instruments built by Americans, musical ensembles that use gamelan instruments, compositions for gamelan by American composers, or even a cultural movement centered on gamelan. This dissertation investigates the experimental wing of what I refer to as the "North American gamelan subculture" in order to understand the ideas, values, and priorities that motivate it. I focus my attention on the composers' collective Gamelan Son of Lion (1976-present) based in New York City. This dissertation is based on extensive archival research, interviews with composers and instrument builders, and participant observation through the performance of gamelan music.
Chapter Three Sample In this chapter I propose a methodology for the study of tuning systems that considers the ways gamelan tunings change over time. I trace the histories of the Gamelan Son of Lion tuning as well as the Berkeley Gamelan tuning as they changed instrumental, musical, and cultural contexts.
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After providing relevant background and critical perspectives in the Introduction, this dissertation proceeds by examining four interrelated facets of Gamelan Son of Lion. Chapter One zooms in on the lived experiences of composer-ethnomusicologist Barbara Benary, artistic director and co-founder of Gamelan Son of Lion. Initially standing in opposition to the creation of new works for gamelan ensembles, Benary eventually came to lead one of the most prolific ensembles in the United States to focus on just that. This chapter examines the circulating contemporaneous discourses of ethnomusicology and experimental music as they pertain to Benary's graduate student experience and early professional career. Chapters Two and Three analyze the practices of American gamelan instrument building and tuning by comparing the instruments of Benary and Daniel Schmidt. I show how the different values and priorities of these builders interacted with their respective of knowledge of Indonesian practices to produce instruments and tunings that reflect their different perspectives and articulate different aspects of the North American gamelan subculture. Chapter Four analyzes compositions for Gamelan Son of Lion, contextualizing these approaches within New York's experimental music scene. I conclude the dissertation by considering how local practices of musical experimentalism create the possibilities of fostering an international network of like-minded individuals brought together by gamelan.
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The Music of Malcolm Goldstein
(MA Thesis)
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My Masters' thesis investigates the works of composer-improviser Malcolm Goldstein. As one of the first scholarly projects on Goldstein's work, this thesis considers Goldstein's music from the perspectives of physicality, especially his work with dancers; improvisation, such as his solo violin improvisations called Soundings; and graphic notation, which I analyze by tracing the develop of his String Quartet compositions. This thesis also includes transcribed programs from the Tone Roads Concert Series organized by Goldstein, Philip Corner, and James Tenny in the 1963s that helped to codify a sense of the American Experimental Tradition.
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Where Indeterminacy meets Improvisation: Cornelius Cardew's Piece for Guitar (For Stella)
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This project shows one intersection of my performance and scholarship. Investigating Cornelius Cardew's little piece for solo guitar guitar, I created four different methods of realizing the composition paired with a historical narrative about the piece. Cardew's score consists of 16 phrases, labeled A–P, and the instructions "Play with these pieces. Over and Over. Change anything. Add and take away." These open ended instructions pose intriguing questions and possibilities for the performer. Each of my four realizations represents a different level of performer control, ranging from a strict score created by change operations to a free improvisation/meditation on the material Cardew provides. Recordings of my realizations can be found under the Guitar page of this website.
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