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All American Ives?

What links baseball, life insurance and American art music? Charles Ives does! Tom Service explores the experimental composer's unique life and work.

What links baseball, life insurance and American art music? Charles Ives does! Unknown during his lifetime in Connecticut and New York the experimental composer and church organist created his unique style entirely on his own terms away from the contemporary music world, whilst running his insurance company Ives & Myrick. One day in his early fifties in 1927 he came downstairs with tears in his eyes and told his wife he couldn't compose anymore - nothing sounded right. He spent the rest of his life revising and promoting his pieces. He was eventually admired and championed by Bernard Herrmann, Leonard Bernstein and Arnold Schoenberg.

His music incorporates everything from hymn tunes to brass band marches but foreshadowed many ideas and innovations that were later used widely in 20th-century classical music. As the conductor Leonard Slatkin puts it, 'knowing one Ives piece may not prepare you for another!'

Tom Service looks beyond the quirks of Ives's unusual life as a composer and explores how his incredible music actually works.

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 30 Jun 2023 16:30

Music Played

  • Charles Ives

    Variations on 'America', orch. William Schuman [orig. for organ]

    Conductor: Leonard Slatkin. Performer: Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
    • RCA.
    • 09026-61282 2.
  • Charles Ives

    2 Contemplations K.V.23 for chamber orchestra

    Orchestra: New York Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 429 220-2.
  • Charles Ives

    Three places in New England (Orchestral set no.1) K.V.30

    Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas. Performer: San Francisco Symphony.
    • RCA.
    • 09026-63703.
  • Charles Ives

    Holidays - symphony in four parts

    Conductor: Leonard Bernstein. Performer: New York Philharmonic.
    • SONY.
    • G010001400715F.
  • Charles Ives

    He is there! (They are there!) K.Z.104 for voice and piano or unis. voices and orchestra

    Performer: Charles Ives.
    • NEW WORLD RECORDS.
    • NW80642.
  • Charles Ives

    2 Contemplations K.V.23 for chamber orchestra

    Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas. Performer: Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
    • CBS.
    • MK42381.
  • Charles Ives

    Orchestral set no. 2

    Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas. Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
    • SONY CLASSICAL.
    • G010004407199G.
  • Charles Ives

    Yale-Princeton football game KV.10 for small orchestra

    Conductor: James Sinclair. Performer: MalmΓΆ SymfoniOrkester.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8559370.
  • Charles Ives

    Old home days K.Z.97 for voice and accompaniment

    Performer: United States Marine Band.
    • NAXOS.
    • 8570559.
  • Charles Ives

    Sonata no. 2 K.X.19 (Concord) for piano

    Performer: Marc-AndrΓ© Hamelin.
    • HYPERION.
    • CDA67469.
  • Charles Ives

    Holidays - symphony in four parts

    Conductor: Leonard Bernstein. Performer: New York Philharmonic.
    • SONY.
    • G010001400715F.
  • Charles Ives

    He is there! (They are there!) K.Z.104 for voice and piano or unis. voices and orchestra

    Performer: Charles Ives.
    • NEW WORLD RECORDS.
    • NW80642.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 25 Jun 2023 17:00
  • Fri 30 Jun 2023 16:30

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