Joseph Schwantner: Wild Angels of the Open Hills; Ben Johnston: String Quartet No. 6
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL497     Release Date: 2011-05-15
Jubal Trio (Constance Beavon, soprano; Sue Ann Kahn, flute; Susan Jolles, harp); New World String Quartet (Curtis J. Macomber and William Patterson, violins; Robert Dan, viola; Ross T. Harbaugh, cello)

Joseph Schwantner writes:

"Wild Angels Of The Open Hills, commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation for the Jubal Trio, was composed between June and October of 1977, with much of the work completed a t the MacDowell Colony that August. The scoring includes a multiple instrumentation for each performer, a procedure consistent with other of my recent works which attempt to explore and expand the articulative, gestural and timbral possibilities of an ensemble. Besides the employment of the expanded instrumentation, the players are required at times to narrate, whistle, whisper and sing...

Ben Johnston writes:

"In String Quartet No. 6, I undertook the problem of endless melody so fascinating to late nineteenth century composers. Since it seemed to me that this concept never really met successfully the tests to which it was subjected, I was especially anxious to make it succeed in a non-dramatic, non-programmatic context. The melodic phrases are completely elided, avoiding all cadences. The punctuation, the rise and fall, and the climax placement of these lines and accompaniments are controlled by an elaborate application of proportions from the Fibonacci series. The length of the solos and their tempos are strictly proportional and result in a gradual increase of activity up to double the initial tempo.


This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Various Artists

Joseph Schwantner: Wild Angels of the Open Hills; Ben Johnston: String Quartet No. 6

MP3/320 $13.00
FLAC $13.00
WAV $13.00
CD-R $13.00
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

Wild Angels of the Open Hills: I. Wild angels of the open hills
Joseph Schwantner
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Wild Angels of the Open Hills: II. Angels of the shadowed ancient land
Joseph Schwantner
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Wild Angels of the Open Hills: III. There
Joseph Schwantner
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Wild Angels of the Open Hills: IV. Coming of age
Joseph Schwantner
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Wild Angels of the Open Hills: V. The hawk shapes the wind
Joseph Schwantner
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String Quartet No. 6
Ben Johnston
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