Charles Ives

Charles Ives was preoccupied through all his creation to experiment: polytonality, polyrhythm, tone clusters, aleatoric music, quarter tones. He was encouraged on this way since he had been a child: his father was a marching band leader and on weekends the kid was going to the town square where he was listening simultaneously several bands placed in different sides of the square. Hence his first thoughts on bitonal and multitonal harmonization.

His musical biography was dramatic: he made a very successful career in the insurance industry, so he was able to dedicate only his free time for composing. And he was one of the greatest musicians of modern times.


(Musica Nova)

Arvid - Mobile Uploads

Watching a photo made by Arvid to one of his recent paintings while listening the Concord Sonata. Two extremes. The joie de vivre, the légèreté of the Southerner gentleman who is Arvid. The dramatic attempt to recreate the Transcendentalists' universe, from one of the greatest personalities in the music of the XXth century. I will come back on Concord Sonata. I am fascinated. It's the realm of the fantastic. The daring music of Ives and the daring ways of thought of Emerson and the other fellows.

When I see the works of Arvid, I feel I am in the presence of a very good friend who simply enjoys my company and loves to share with me his great wines. While the sonata of Ives is a synthesis of a spiritual space that couldn't be anywhere but in New England.

(P&C Art)