KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Henry Cowell at the KPFA piano & Critics Circle on Censorship in the Arts

Analog Audio

Event Type

Interview and Music

Origin

KPFA

Identifier

C.1949.08.16

Program Length

10 min

Dates

| broadcast
| 1949-08-16 | created

Description

Here are three brief excerpts from a transcription disc of some of the earliest broadcasts on KPFA, recorded in mid-August of 1949. The first and probably most interesting clip includes three excerpts of early piano works by Henry Cowell, presumably performed by the composer himself. Heard are bits of “Tides of Manaunaun,” perhaps his best known tone cluster piece, “Aeolian Harp” in which the strings of an open piano are strummed, and “Lilt of the Reel,” with Cowell commenting on the harmonization strategy he employed in its creation. Following this four and half minute segment there follows a short example of the type of eclectic conversation that was heard on KPFA in 1949, a discussion of Freud’s theory of sex and the role of sin in Christian thought. The last segment is little more than an introduction to a panel discussion on censorship in the arts. Whether this refers to the previous discussion or represents a different program is uncertain. Either way, while very short and incomplete this transcription disc provides an intriguing window into the philosophy and practice of KPFA at its conception.

Genres

New music
Current Events

Musical Selections

Tides of Manaunaun, for piano [excerpt] (ca. 1917) (1:08) / Henry Cowell -- Aeolian Harp, for piano [excerpt] (ca. 1923) (1:28) / Henry Cowell -- Lilt of the Reel, for piano [excerpts, with commentary] (1930) (1:39) / Henry Cowell

Performers

Henry Cowell, piano

Subjects

New music
Piano music
Sin -- Christianity

Acknowledgment

Digitized by the California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP) supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Related places

Berkeley (Calif.) (was recorded at)
Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)

Related Entities

Cowell, Henry, 1897-1965
McGiniss, James
Harris, William J.