Ruggles at Carnegie Hall

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1949, at Carnegie Hall, Leopold Stokowski conducted the New York Philharmonic in the first performance of the last major work of the American composer Carl Ruggles.

In a letter to his friend Charles Ives, or “Charlie” as he called him, Ruggles hinted that in this piece, he was perhaps, "stumbling on something new.” Another composer-friend, Edgard Varèse, agreed, but wrote: “The use [of intervals of] 5ths and 4ths is very remarkable, because that was done hundreds of years ago—let’s call it ‘Organum’.” And so “Organum,” a word referring to an early medieval polyphony, became the title of Ruggles’ final orchestral piece.

After that, Ruggles, then already 73 years old, pretty much gave up on the musical establishment and devoted himself to painting. In 1966, he moved to a nursing home, where he died in 1971 at the age of 95.

Shortly before his death, Ruggles was visited by Michael Tilson Thomas, who recalls the feisty old man saying, “Now don’t go feeling sorry [for me]. I don’t hang around this place, you know. Hell, each day I go out and make the universe anew—all over!”

Music Played in Today's Program

Carl Ruggles (1876 – 1971) Organum Japan Philharmonic; Akeo Watanabe, cond. CRI 715

On This Day

Births

• 1897 - American jazz pianist and composer Willie ("The Lion") Smith, in Goshen, N.Y.;

• 1911 - Finnish composer Erik Bergman, in Uusikaarlepyy;

• 1927 - American composer Emma Lou Diemer, in Kansas City, Missouri;

• 1934 - Russian composer Alfred Schnittke, in Engels, near Saratov;

• 1953 - American composer, conductor and cellist Tod Machover, in New York City;

• 1960 - American composer and double-bass virtuoso, Edgar Meyer;

Premieres

• 1726 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 52 ("Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht") performed on the 23rd Sunday after Trinity as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27);

• 1839 - Berlioz: dramatic symphony, "Romeo and Juliet," at the Paris Conservatory;

• 1874 - Dvorák: opera "King and Collier," in Prague;

• 1876 - Tchaikovsky: opera “Vakula the Blacksmith,” in St. Petersburg (Gregorian date: Dec. 6);

• 1886 - Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99, in Vienna;

• 1888 - Tchaikovsky: symphonic fantasy overture “Hamlet” (after Shakespeare), in Moscow (see Julian date: Nov. 12);

• 1932 - Hilding Rosenberg: opera "Voyage to America," in Stockholm;

• 1944 - David Diamond: "Rounds" for string orchestra, by the Minneapolis Symphony, Dimtri Mitropoulos conducting;

• 1945 - Elie Siegmeister: "Western Suite," by the NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini conducting;

• 1949 - Carl Ruggles: "Organum" for large orchestra, by the New York Philharmonic, Leopold Stokowski conducting;

• 1984 - Christopher Rouse: “The Surma Ritornelli “ for chamber ensemble, by the Syracuse (N.Y.) Society for New Music;

• 1987 - Michael Torke: “Adjustable Wrench” for chamber ensemble, at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival by the Lontano ensemble, Odaline de la Martinez conducting;

Others

• 1859 - The legendary American soprano Adelina Patti makes her operatic debut at age 16 in New York City, singing in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor";

• 1963 - Leonard Bernstein conducts New York Philharmonic in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 as JFK Memorial Concert telecast on CBS-TV;