Edition Christian Wolff, Vol. 7
Incidental Music and Keyboard Miscellany
Christian Wolff, piano & melodica
CD 1
Incidental Music (2003-04)
1. 1 (0:42)
2. 2 (0:13)
3. 3 (0:21)
4. 4 (0:52)
5. 5 (0:43)
6. 6 (0:32)
7. 7 (0:23)
8. 8 (0:07)
9. 9 (0:21)
10. 10 (0:32)
11. 11 (1:53)
12. 12 (0:32)
13. 13 (0:57)
14. 14: For Ray Charles (0:25)
15. 15 (0:23)
16. 16 (1:13)
17. 17 (0:58)
18. 18 (0:34)
19. 19 (1:12)
20. 20 (0:50)
21. 21 (0:43)
22. 22 (0:19)
23. 23 (1:04)
24. 24 (1:03)
25. 25 (0:47)
26. 26 (0:24)
27. 27 (0:19)
28. 28 (0:40)
29. 29 (1:26)
30. 30 (0:24)
31. 31 (0:10)
32. 32 (0:16)
33. 33 (1:28)
34. 34 (0:47)
35. 35 (0:43)
36. 37 (0:45)
37. 40 (1:14)
38. 41 (0:50)
39. 42 (0:33)
40. 43 (0:28)
41. 44 (0:35)
42. 45 (0:29)
43. 47 (0:34)
44. 48 (0:18)
45. 49 (0:21)
46. 50 (0:20)
47. 51 (1:38)
48. 52 (0:47)
49. 53 (0:10)
50. 54 (0:39)
51. 55 (1:16)
52. 56 (0:11)
53. 57 (0:29)
54. 58 (0:39)
55. 59 (0:19)
56. 60 (0:27)
57. 61 (0:20)
58. 62 (0:48)
59. 63 (0:18)
60. 64 (0:32)
61. 65 (0:11)
62. 66 (0:33)
63. 67 (1:05)
64. 69 (1:17)
65. 70 (1:23)
66. 71 (0:14)
67. 72 (0:10)
68. 73 (1:20)
69. 74 (0:32)
70. 75 (0:38)
71. 76 (0:50)
72. 77 (0:51)
73. 78 (1:56)
74. 80 (1:29)
75. 81 (0:47)
76. 85 (1:06)
77. 86 (0:17)
78. 87 (1:14)
79. 88 (0:37)
80. 89 (0:25)
81. 90 (0:29)
82. 91 (2:31)
83. 92 (0:36)
84. 93 (0:50)
85. 94 (0:58)
86. 95 (1:41)
87. 97: For J.A. (John Ashbery) (1:04)
88. 99 (1:17)
89. 100 (0:21)
90. 5 (0:31)
91. 83 (0:56)
92. 89 (alternate version) (0:35)
93. 97: For J.A. (John Ashbery) (alternate version) (1:50)
CD2
Keyboard Miscellany (1997–)
1. 70 (and more) for Alvin (7:36)
2. Keyboard Miscellany No.11 (0:48)
3. Keyboard Miscellany No.6 (1:06)
4. Keyboard Miscellany No.5 (3:30)
5. Keyboard Miscellany No.12 (1:35)
6. Keyboard Miscellany No.9 (0:09)
7. Keyboard Miscellany No.2, for David Tudor (0:48)
8. Keyboard Miscellany No.3, for Alvin Lucier (1:58)
9. Keyboard Miscellany No.11 (alternate version) (0:49)
10. Keyboard Miscellany No.13, for Björn Nilsson (2:57)
11. Melody 2 (1998) (4:14)
12. Variation on Morton Feldman’s Piano Piece 1952 (1988) (4:00)
13. Melody (X.13–14.98), for Gisela Gronemeyer and Reinhard Oehlschlägel (5:47)
14. 60 for John T. (February 8, 1996) (1:37)
15. 40 for Jan Steckel (VIII.22.02) (0:39)
16. A Valentine (1997) (0:25)
17. 70 for Earle (12.27.96) (1:58)
18. 50 for Holly (8/28/93) (0:51)
19. Sixty for Charles Dodge (V.28.02) (1:57)
20. Name Piece (for Charles Hamm) (5.29.91) (0:59)
21. 40 for Jan Steckel (alternate version) (0:44)
22. For Kurtág (7.97) (1:25)
23. Travelling Melody (XII.16-27.98), for Walter Zimmermann (2:31)
24. 70 (and more) for Alvin (alternate version) (8:32)
Definitive performances of the composer playing his own keyboard works.
Incidental Music and Keyboard Miscellany, are sets of piano music (Wolff also performs some on the melodica). Though both consist mostly of quite short musical items, each have as a whole different origins and different shapes.
Keyboard Miscellany is an ongoing collection which began with the Variation on Morton Feldman’s Piano Piece 1952 in 1988. In 1991 Wolff started making pieces for individual people and occasions, usually birthdays, just short communications.
Incidental Music came about when Wolff was asked to play for a Merce Cunningham Dance Company “Event” in 2004. Cunningham’s dance “Events” were ad hoc arrangements, different each time. The accompanying music (which, as usual with Cunningham dances had no direct relation to the dance, they are simply co-existing) could be any music the musicians chose. This work became a series of 100 small, quick drawings which could be used as a basis for improvisation.
Liner notes by Christian Wolff.