Performance Guide Cowell PDF

A PERFORMANCE GUIDE FOR SELECTED WORKS
FOR PIANO BY HENRY COWELL
by
ALLISON RACHELLE CLOUGH
AMANDA W. PENICK, COMMITTEE CHAIR

LINDA PAGE CUMMINS
TANYA L. GILLE
STEPHEN V. PELES
P. STEPHEN CARY
ANGELA B. BARBER
A DOCUMENT
Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements

for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
in the School of Music
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA
2013
Copyright Allison Rachelle Clough 2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT
The four works selected incorporate a number of the innovations that Henry Cowell
brought to writing for the piano. The chord clusters of The Tides of Manaunaun and Tiger and
the direct manipulation of the strings (strumming with the fleshy part of the finger or with the
nail, scraping, plucking) in Aeolian Harp and The Banshee are just two of the techniques that
forced Cowell to develop new notational symbols and made it necessary that he accompany these
with detailed explanations and performance instructions. Cowell’s own variations from the
written score in his recordings have set an example for other performers to take liberties in their
performances of these pieces.
The performance guide consists of one chapter for each work. Each chapter includes a
brief history of the inspiration and background of the piece, offers strategies for the practical
handling of physical difficulties encountered in producing sounds in unconventional ways
(including those caused by differences in the construction of pianos), and deals with deciphering
the notational complexities. A presentation of suggestions and considerations for preparing these
pieces for performance is included, and each chapter concludes with a comparison of selected
available recordings showing the range of interpretations given by artists including Cowell, and
comments on how closely Cowell’s own interpretations have colored those of others.
ii
DEDICATION
This document is dedicated to the memory of my great-grandma, Georgia “Georgie”
Peterson; to my grandparents, Jack and Marge Peterson; and to my parents, Everette and Sandy
Borg. Although I was never able to meet Great-Grandma Georgie, it was her talent and love for
the piano and the gift of her baby grand piano that sparked the beginning of my musical studies. I
will always be grateful to Grandpa Jack and Grandma Marge for their love, encouragement, and
interest in my life and studies, and to Mom and Dad for their many years of love, sacrifice,
patience, backing, driving to and paying for lessons, and being my best cheerleaders.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my committee members—Amanda Penick, Linda Cummins, Tanya Gille,
Stephen Peles, Stephen Cary, and Angela Barber—for their thoughtful comments and
suggestions and for taking their time to guide me in my writing process. My piano professor,
Mrs. Penick, deserves much gratitude for her instruction, encouragement, and guidance during
my doctoral program at UA. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Cummins for the ample amount of time
she spent reading and commenting on this document, responding to dozens of emails, and
helping me through the development of my topic.
I would not have been able to finish this document without my family’s loving help. I
appreciate the many delicious meals, the patience that Dad and Mom showed while I created
messy work spaces all over their home, the encouragement to finish, the motivation and technical
support from my brother Anders, and the tender care of my baby girl, Lexi, by so many family
members but especially by Dad, Mom, and my brother Benjamin, allowing me time to write.
Much love and appreciation goes to my supportive and remarkable husband, John Paul
Clough, for always encouraging me throughout this degree and in so many other ways. His
patience, kindness, Christ-like example of love for me, and support are just a few of the amazing
things that I deeply admire about him.
Most importantly, I praise my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He loved me and had mercy
on me enough to die for me. I am so grateful that he has enabled me to finish my DMA degree
and to serve him with the music that he gives me.
iv
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ ii
DEDICATION ........................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................... vii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................. viii
1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1
2. THE TIDES OF MANAUNAUN ............................................................6
a. Background ..............................................................................................6
b. Innovation and Notation ..........................................................................9
c. Performance Guide.................................................................................14
d. Comparison of Recordings ...................................................................18
3. TIGER ....................................................................................................26
a. Background ............................................................................................26
b. Innovation and Notation ........................................................................28
4. AEOLIAN HARP ..................................................................................40
a. Background ............................................................................................40
v
5. BANSHEE .............................................................................................57
a. Background ............................................................................................57
6. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................83
REFERENCES ..........................................................................................85
DISCOGRAPHY .......................................................................................90
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................94
APPENDIX B ............................................................................................95
APPENDIX C ............................................................................................96
vi
LIST OF TABLES
2.1 Development of Tone Clusters in Tides...............................................11
2.2 Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Tides of Manaunaun ........19
2.3 List of Performance Lengths for The Tides of Manaunaun .................19
2.4 Metronome Markings...........................................................................20
3.1 Recordings Used in the Discussion of Tiger........................................35
3.2 List of Performance Lengths for Tiger ................................................36
4.1 Layout of Aeolian Harp .......................................................................44
4.2 Differences between First and Final Statements ..................................46
4.3 Recordings Used in the Discussion of Aeolian Harp ..........................51
4.4 List of Performance Lengths for Aeolian Harp ...................................52
5.1 Explanation of Symbols Chart .............................................................63
5.2 Dies Irae Motifs in The Banshee .........................................................66
5.3 Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Banshee............................73
5.4 List of Performance Lengths for The Banshee ....................................74
5.5 Changed Pitches in Pizzicato Measures ...............................................77
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
2.1 Measures 1-6 ........................................................................................10
2.2 Measures 22-25 ....................................................................................12
2.3 Half Note Tone Cluster ........................................................................13
2.4 Quarter Note Tone Cluster ...................................................................13
2.5 Tone Cluster with Sharps .....................................................................13
2.6 Tone Cluster with Flats ........................................................................13
2.7 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for The Tides of Manaunaun .20
3.1 Silent Cluster........................................................................................29
3.2 Right-hand Staccato Tone Clusters ......................................................30
3.3 Measures 34-36 ....................................................................................33
3.4 Measure 59 ...........................................................................................34
3.5 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Tiger ................................36
4.1 Vertical Wavy Lines ............................................................................43
4.2 Measures 1-7 ........................................................................................45
4.3 Strings of an Upright Piano..................................................................47
4.4 Strings of an Upright Piano, Wide .......................................................47
4.5 Strings of a Baby Grand Piano.............................................................48
4.6 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Aeolian Harp ...................52
5.1 Symbols for Crosswise and Lengthwise Sweeps .................................62
viii
5.2 Measures 32-33 ...................................................................................63
5.3 Measures 25-26 ....................................................................................64
5.4 Dies irae Contour in The Banshee ......................................................65
5.5 Haunting Motif ....................................................................................65
5.6 Steinway Model D ..............................................................................71
5.7 Steinway Model M ..............................................................................71
5.8 Steinway Model M, Front View .........................................................71
5.9 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for The Banshee ...................75
5.10 Measures 8, 20, and 33 ......................................................................76
5.11 Measures 38-40 ..................................................................................81
ix
1. INTRODUCTION
This document concentrates on four works for solo piano by Henry Cowell: The Tides of
Manaunaun, Tiger, Aeolian Harp, and The Banshee. The study offers background information
including a brief history of the composition of each work and the inspiration behind it; an
explanation of the notation used in each; suggestions for preparing the works for performance;
and a study of recorded performances. This study tracks the performance practice beginning with
Cowell’s own recordings from the 1950s and progressing chronologically. Although Cowell's
own recordings may not necessarily be considered definitive, as the earliest available recordings
of these works they may well have influenced other artists who later recorded the pieces. The
liberties that Cowell took in his performances, including variation from the scores that can be
heard even from one recording to another of the same work, may have suggested to other artists
that such variations from the score were not only permissible but appropriate.
These pieces were written during the years circa 1911–1929. Cowell eagerly focused on
creating new sounds on the piano, often using new methods of playing to produce those sounds.
He developed a number of unconventional techniques: the tone clusters in The Tides of
Manaunaun and Tiger and the sounds created inside the piano in Aeolian Harp and The Banshee
were steps in his quest to create new sounds to reflect his inspirations. His imaginative
adaptation of moving beyond the keys to the inside of the piano has been used up through the
present day by many other composers seeking unorthodox methods of creating sounds in their
music, including John Cage, Lou Harrison, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
1
Some of the unusual sounds that Cowell created are well outside the range of standard
piano music. Therefore, in order to discuss these pieces in this document, descriptive terms
without conventional musical meaning are sometimes used—e.g., moaning, screaming, and
rumbling. At the first use of such terms, a description of how each sound is produced is included
to aid in the understanding of the term.
Cowell wrote over one thousand works, of which approximately one hundred are
incomplete fragments. He wrote approximately three hundred and twenty works for keyboard
which includes seventy-nine published works for solo piano. William Lichtenwanger cataloged
these works in The Music of Henry Cowell: A Descriptive Catolog. Lichtenwanger’s catalog
number, prefaced by the letters HC, will appear at the beginning of each chapter that discusses an
individual work.
Henry Dixon Cowell (March 11, 1897–December 10, 1965) was born in Menlo Park,
California. His father, Harry Cowell, had emigrated from Ireland and married Carissa Dixon. His
parents divorced when Henry was six years old, and although Henry lived with his mother, he
remained in close contact with his father, who taught him songs and dances from his native Irish
heritage.1 Both of his parents were writers and encouraged Cowell to be a freethinker. He spent
much of his time at home with his mother and was homeschooled by her for most of his
formative years.
As a young child, Cowell studied violin but eventually stopped the lessons due to the
symptoms of Sydenham’s chorea, and his parents sold the violin.2 This illness, commonly known
as “milkmaid’s grip,” causes the afflicted to exhibit violent movements, sometimes clenching
1
Cowell, Essential Cowell, 13.
2
Koch, Reflections on Composing, 62.
2
fists along with other spastic muscle movements. Cowell suffered from Sydenham’s chorea from
age six until the approximately age fourteen.3 He knew he wanted to be a musician, but lacking
an instrument, he decided to become a composer. Before acquiring a piano, he claimed he would
sit for an hour daily, preparing to become a composer by listening to the sounds in his
environment and contemplating how to recreate each sound.4
When Cowell was a teenager, his mother developed breast cancer. During her illness, he
supported both himself and his mother by working odd jobs such as wildflower peddler, farm
laborer, yard worker, and janitor and by 1912 was able to save enough money to buy a second-
hand piano for sixty dollars.5 The following year his mother underwent a mastectomy, but she
ultimately lost her struggle with cancer, dying in 1916.6
Throughout his life, Cowell was interested in the sounds around him and often
incorporated them into his music. He referred to himself as being “bi-musical” or “multi-
musical.”7 Living near San Francisco’s Chinatown district, he was familiar with Chinese music
and often visited the Chinese opera. In the 1930s, while studying in Berlin on a grant from the
Guggenheim Foundation, he learned to play gamelan music and studied both North and South
Indian music and music theory with Sarat Lahari and Professor Sambamoorthy.8 One of
Cowell’s frequent lecture topics was “Music of the World’s Peoples.” His desire was to make
people aware of and able to play modern and world music.9 His life and music seem to be
characterized by his statement, “I want to live in the whole world of music!”10
3
Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, 47; Carwithen, “Henry Cowell: Composer and Educator,” 30–31.
4
Perlis and Van Cleve, Composers Voices, 159; Cowell, Essential Cowell, 13.
5
Cowell, Essential Cowell, 13; Nicholls, “Cowell, Henry.”
6
Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, 48.
7
8
Galvan, “Fleisher Collection,” 166; Weisgall, “Music of Henry Cowell,” 485; Stone, Sidney and Henry Cowell.
9
10
Weisgall, “Music of Henry Cowell,” 498.
3
In 1914, Cowell began formally studying composition with composer and musicologist
Charles Seeger at the University of California at Berkeley. Seeger encouraged Cowell to
“systematize his musical resources” and to “create a repertoire using his innovations.”11 Cowell
began writing New Musical Resources in 1919. Written as a “technical primer for
experimentalists,”12 New Musical Resources included Cowell’s thoughts and theories of
overtones, tone clusters, rhythm, dynamics, form, and tempi to explain some of the techniques he
used in his music.
In the 1920s, Cowell was privileged to be asked by the Pleyela Company of France to
record five of his pieces on piano rolls for its player pianos. He recorded The Tides of
Manaunaun along with four of the Five Encores to Dynamic Motion. After the rolls were
recorded and placed in the stores, Cowell went to one of the stores and, without revealing who he
was, asked to hear a piano roll by Henry Cowell. The salesman “put in the selected roll, turned
on the mechanism-then looked down at the [piano] in consternation. First all the notes on one
side of the keyboard went down, then all those on the other side.”13 Thinking that something was
wrong, the salesman apologized and tried another roll. When the same thing happened with the
next roll, Cowell rescued the distraught salesman by telling him who he was and explaining tone
clusters to the man.14
Cowell suffered heavy criticism when he first introduced the public to his new ideas of
playing the piano. Some laughed, others thought his ideas were embarrassing or simply child’s
play, and still others threw books and programs at him while he performed.15 Luckily, the
criticism did not stop Cowell from writing new music, and some even defended his ideas. Some
11
Cowell, New Musical Resources, 50.
12
Oja, Making Music Modern, 143.
13
Goss, Modern Music-Makers, 270.
14
Goss, Modern Music-Makers, 270; Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, 130.
15
Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, 111–12.
4
of the people in the cities that he visited while on various performing tours received his ideas
well. The encouragement and openness on the part of Cowell’s supporters helped to pave the
way for further exploration and changes in modern music.
In an article in Persectives of New Music entitled “A Memoir and Appreciation,” Richard
Franko Goldman writes, “All of us, whatever our musical tastes and practices, owe him a great
deal. He [Cowell] helped two generations to see and think and hear, and he helped to create and
build a foundation for ‘modern’ music in America. This is not a small achievement; it is a
gigantic one, and should not be forgotten.”16 As Frederick Kock, one of his students, explained,
“There was never a moment in [Cowell’s] life when he devoted himself to any one thing. It is for
this reason that his ideas in his music are always overlapping.”17 Cowell imagined a variety of
unique sounds for his music and developed inventive methodologies for producing them on the
piano as well as establishing an accompanying system of notation. He was widely influenced by
world music and Irish folklore and experimented with ways to embody those sounds and ideas.
His music, while fascinating, presents a challenge to those who are more accustomed to
traditional methods of playing.
16
Goldman, “Henry Cowell: A Memoir,” 28.
17
Koch, Reflections on Composing, 70.
5
2. THE TIDES OF MANAUNAUN
Cowell described the creation of The Tides of Manaunaun (HC 219/1):
When I was fifteen years old [1912] I was invited to write music
for an Irish play, the theatrical music which would introduce the
home and the deep tides of Manaunaun, the god of the sea. I had to
write some music that would put you in the mood of the deep tides,
as well as the waves of the sea. This was rather a big job for a
fifteen-year-old boy. I tried a couple of low octaves in a certain
rhythm. They sounded just a little too definite, so then I tried a
couple of chords, which were better than the low tidal rhythm, but
this wasn’t quite enough. Then, I had the idea of having all thirteen
of the lowest tones of the piano played together at the same time,
but since I didn’t have thirteen fingers in the left hand, I played this
with the flat of the hand, being very careful to get all of the notes
exactly equal and to have what I considered a reasonable tone
quality there. In other words, I was inventing a new musical sound
later to be called tone clusters.18
Background
Cowell wrote The Tides of Manaunaun for The Building of Bamba,19 the theatrical play
(Cowell later referred to this as an opera)20 mentioned in the quotation above. The play was
written by John Osborne Varian (1863–1931), a mystical poet whom Cowell met at Halcyon, a
Theosophical community (also known as the Temple of the People) headquartered in
California.21 Cowell’s interest in his Irish ancestry, first encouraged by his father, continued
when he was introduced to the Irish mythology espoused by Varian. Cowell retained his interest
18
Perlis and Van Cleve, Composers’ Voices, 160–61.
19
Some scholars refer to this as The Building of Banba; Hicks, Henry Cowell, Bohemian, 85.
20
Cowell, Piano Music, Smithsonian/Folkways, Track 20.
21
Perlis and Van Cleve, Composers’ Voices, 155.
6
and efforts to study Irish mythology and wrote several pieces based on Irish legends; one of
them, The Banshee, will be discussed in chapter five of this document. The Tides of Manaunaun
serves as the prelude to The Building of Bamba and sets the stage for the Irish god, Manaunaun.
In the score, the heading above the piece reads:
Story according to John Varian; Manaunaun was the god of

motion, and long before the creation, he sent forth tremendous
tides, which swept to and fro through the universe, and
rhythmically moved the particles and materials of which the gods
were later to make the suns and worlds.22
The Building of Bamba was presented at The Temple of the People in Halcyon in August,
1917, five years after Cowell claimed he began the piece. Discrepancies in dating have never
been resolved.23 Sidney Robertson Cowell, Henry’s wife, explained in 1983 after his death that
her husband “had for many years given the date for Tides as 1912, ‘but later decided he was
mistaken and that it should be 1914.’”24 Though the piece was probably begun in 1911 or 1912,
it was probably not written down, or at least in its final form, until later. Biographer Joel Sachs
writes, “Although it reached its final form in 1917, Sidney thought he probably worked on it for
about five years and may even have played it in one or more preliminary forms.”25
Two important life events occurred in in the years surrounding the composition and
performances of The Tides of Manaunaun for piano: Cowell began studying with Charles Seeger,
and Cowell’s mother passed away.
22
Cowell, Piano Music, Vol. 1 (Associated Music Publishers), 2
23
Some sources, including Lichtenwanger and Johnson, cite 1917 as the year in which The Tides of Manaunaun was
written (Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell, 54; Johnson, “Worlds of Ideas,” 17). Other sources, such as the
score by Associated Music Publishers and the liner notes to Cowell’s 1963 Folkways recording, list the year 1912.
Cowell gave both 1911 and 1912 as the dates the piece was written (Woodstra, Brennan, and Schrott, All Music
Guide to Classical Music, 324). Gilbert Chase, in America’s Music from the Pilgrims to the Present, relays that
Cowell believed Tides was performed in a concert on March 10, 1912, but fifty years later, an individual who had
searched the San Francisco newspapers for information about concerts given on that date, suggested to Cowell that
the date was incorrect (Chase, America’s Music, 457).
24
Hicks, Cowell’s Clusters, 433.
25
Sachs, Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music, 5.
7
The Tides of Manaunaun uses the technique Cowell coined “tone clusters,” which he
developed as he experimented with the piano. Michael Hicks, author of Cowell’s Clusters and
Henry Cowell: Bohemian, has suggested that Cowell might have first experimented with chord
clusters as a child because of the violent muscle movements of his Sydenham’s chorea.26 Cowell,
however, claimed to have heard the clusters in his head before reproducing them on the piano.27
Tone clusters were used to some degree by other composers such as Charles Ives in the Concord
Sonata and Leo Ornstein in Piano Concerto with Selected Orchestra, but Cowell explored both
diatonic and chromatic clusters and developed a method of notation for them.28 Cowell is often
credited with the invention of tone clusters, and composer Béla Bartók, who met Cowell in
December of 1923, asked Cowell’s permission to use tone clusters in his own compositions.29
Cowell wrote tone clusters in a piece called Adventures in Harmony (HC 59) written in 1913, but
The Tides of Manaunaun was his first published piece, issued as sheet music in 1922 by
Breitkopf & Härtel.30 Tides is published in a set called Three Irish Legends for solo piano, which
consists of The Tides of Manaunaun, Hero Sun, and The Voice of Lir. All three pieces contain
tone clusters, although Tides is the most well-known of the three. In 1940, while Cowell was
imprisoned on a morals charge, he orchestrated The Tides of Manaunaun in a set named Four
Irish Tales.31 This orchestration was at the request of conductor Leopold Stokowski.
Cowell explained a tone cluster in an essay written in 1921:
The tone-cluster is simply a group of two or more minor seconds;

that is, it is a cluster of three or more tones, each a half step from
its neighbor, sounded simultaneously. If we drop a book flat on the
26
Hicks, “Cowell’s Clusters,” 431–32.
27
Hicks, Henry Cowell: Bohemian, 47–48.
28
Davies, “Instrument Modifications.”
29
Nicholls, “Cowell, Henry.”
30
Woodstra, Brennan, and Schrott, All Music Guide, 324; Cowell, Piano Music, Smithsonian/Folkways, from the
introductory essay in the liner notes by Sorrel Hays.
31
Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell, 181–92.
8
piano keys we achieve a tone-cluster, although, not forming part of
a musical structure, the result will be nothing but noise.32
Rather than “nothing but noise,” Cowell’s chord clusters are notated specifically to produce
exact pitch combinations. He began writing tone clusters for piano only, but later wrote them for
chamber and orchestral works in the 1940s and 1950s.33 He wrote in New Musical Resources
that:
There is less possible variety on the piano than with orchestra,

where clusters are at their best; nevertheless, there is more variety
than would appear at first, made possible by changing the length of
the clusters, as well as by their innumerable relationships to chords
in other systems.34
Innovation and Notation
Cowell’s tone clusters were well conceived and certainly not random. He spent much
time in his writings explaining the theory and performance of them. Tone clusters have two main
functions: to add color to a piece such as decorating a simple melody or as the main sound that is
used in the piece.35 As Madeline Goss points out in Modern Music-Makers: Contemporary
American Composers, “although at times the tone-clusters give an impression of extreme
dissonance—as in the piano pieces Tiger, Antinomy, Advertisement,—where they are used softly
as an accompaniment to a leading melody, the effect is enriching rather than dissonant.”36
Cowell writes a melody, somewhat reminiscent of Irish folk music, in the right hand of Tides and
colors it with non-dissonant sounding tone clusters in the left hand.
In New Musical Resources, Cowell writes that “On the piano smaller clusters of any sort
are playable, but larger ones are more easily played if they are either chromatic, including all the
32
33
Nicholls, “Cowell, Henry”; Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell, 15.
34
Cowell, New Musical Resources, 120.
35
Nicholls, “Cowell, Henry.”
36
Goss, Modern Music-Makers, 271.
9
keys between specific outer limits, or all on black keys, or all on white keys.”37 In Tides, Cowell
primarily uses chromatic clusters but includes some black-key or white-key clusters at the climax
of the piece.38 The left-hand tone clusters in The Tides of Manaunaun provide the underlying
motion of the piece, increasing in dynamic level and size (from one-octave through two-octave
spans to two-octave plus a third or a fourth) to a climax in measures twenty-four and twenty-five
before fading to the end. The right hand amplifies the opening ostinato in measures three through
six 39 (see Figure 2.1) but through the rest of the work presents a B-flat minor diatonic melody,
primarily in octaves with some chords filled. The right hand follows the dynamic plan of the
ostinato pattern and fades to single pitches in measure twenty-nine through the end of the piece.
See Table 2.1.
Figure 2.1: Measures 1-6
THE TIDES OF MANAUNAUN

By Henry Cowell
Copyright © 1922 (Renewed) by Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI)
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted by Permission.
37
Cowell, New Musical Resources, 119-120.
38
Nicholls, American Experimental Music, 156.
39
Godwin, “Music of Henry Cowell,” 26
10
Measures 1–11 12–21 22–23 24–25 26–36
Climax
Tone A-D ostinato A-D ostinato Two-octave Two-octave A-D ostinato

Clusters One-octave Two-octave clusters with clusters plus a One-octave
chromatic tone clusters top note third or fourth clusters
clusters; RH creating arpeggiated
joins ostinato counter-
until melody melody
starts in mm 7
Dynamics pp-mf f-ff fff ffff f-ppp
Table 2.1: Development of Tone Clusters in Tides
The piece is marked “Largo, with rhythm,” and there are many interpretations for how slowly the
piece should be played, as can be seen later in Table 2.3. The time signature is common time
(4/4), although it changes to alla breve (4/2) for four measures starting in measure twenty-two.
The tempo does not change, but there is a greater sense of motion during the four measures of
the alla breve. The left hand climbs chromatically in measures twenty-two and twenty-three and
contains the large arpeggiated tone cluster chords in measures twenty-four and twenty-five
during the climax of the piece. See Figure 2.2.
11
THE TIDES OF MANAUNAUN

By Henry Cowell
Cowell developed a notation for playing tone clusters so that each note would not have to
be written out individually each time. He developed some notation for “primitive tone-clusters”
in his earlier piece Adventures in Harmony.40 In that piece, Cowell “began writing [each tone
cluster] out, note for note, but by p17 he was merely indicating the outside notes and adding ‘arm
chord,’ then ‘arm.’”41 The tone clusters in The Tides of Manaunaun are much more mature. They
are notated with standard note heads specifying the outer notes of the cluster with a vertical bar
connecting them indicating that the performer should play every note between the outer two
notes. On open head notes such as half notes and whole notes the bar is open in the middle to
40
41
Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell, 15.
12
match the note heads, but on solid notes such as quarter notes and eighth notes, the vertical
connecting bar is filled in.42 Examples of these can be seen in Figures 2.3 and 2.4.
Figure 2.3: Half Note Tone Cluster. Figure 2.4: Quarter Note Tone Cluster.
On the back page of the score by Associated Music Publishers, Oliver Daniel (1911-
1990) includes a page of playing instructions for Cowell’s symbols. His instructions declare that
when a sharp or flat is placed above or below the chord cluster symbol, only the black notes
between the outer notes should be played. See Figures 2.5 and 2.6.
Figure 2.5: Tone Cluster with Sharps. Figure 2.6: Tone Cluster with Flats.
A natural sign above or below the tone cluster symbol indicates that only white keys
should be played between the outer notes. As in many of the tone clusters in Tides, if the cluster
does not contain a sharp, flat, or natural, all of the black and white notes between the two outer
notes are to be played. The instructions are very particular:
42
The Tides of Manaunaun contains whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes. Some other pieces, such as Tiger,
contain eighth notes.
13
The tone clusters indicated by these symbols are to be played with
the forearm, with the flat of the hand, or with the fist, depending
upon the length of the cluster. All the tones should be played
exactly together and the pianist must see to it that the outer limits
of the clusters are absolutely precise, as written, and that each tone
between the outer limits is actually sounded.43
Cowell wrote the tone clusters with exact notes in mind, making sure to write the outer
notes as consonant intervals. In a 1921 essay, he wrote:
Experiment shows that clusters of which the outside limits form a

consonant interval are more pleasing than those which form a
dissonant interval. A cluster of twelve semi-tones, the outside
notes of which are an octave apart, seems less dissonant than one
of two semitones, the outside notes of which are a major [second]
apart; and the ear seems readily to recognize consonance in
clusters formed by filling in the fourth, third, and other very
consonant intervals.44
Performance Guide
With the care that Cowell takes in choosing his outer notes, playing them accurately is
essential. Taking care to play the exact outer notes could be a problem due to variations in hand
and arm lengths between performers. Cowell indicates the use of the flat of the hand or the
forearm. However, where one performer might find the octave an easy reach with the flat hand,
others may find that their hands are too long. In such cases, those performers would need to tilt
the hand so that the hand comes at the keys at an angle and only presses the notes within the
octave. A similar problem arises with forearm clusters. However, the explanation of symbols and
playing instructions in the score suggests a remedy: “The arm should be held in a straight line
along the keys, but if the arm of the pianist is too long, it must be partly dropped off the keys at
43
Cowell, Piano Music, inside of back cover.
44
14
an angle to give the proper length.”45 It takes practice to gain precision since the pianist will need
to lean to the left and play the notes with part of the arm, avoiding striking extra keys, while
playing the melody in the right hand.
To play the single octave chromatic clusters, the pianist can either place his hand with all
the fingers facing the fallboard and stretch out the hand, making sure to play all of the black and
white notes or turn the hand so that the thumb is facing the fallboard and the fifth finger is on the
outside. All of the black and white notes between the outside notes should be played, taking care
to position the hand so that the edge of the black keys are near the middle of the palm, allowing
the hand to press all of the keys between the octave. When playing the double-octave tone
clusters, the pianist should use the forearm and, depending on arm length, either open the palm
of the hand or vary the hand position. The arm might be angled, but not so much as to miss
notes, making sure all black and white notes within the two octaves are sounding evenly.
Musically, the pianist must keep the left hand ostinato “smooth” and with “full tone” as
the directions indicate. To produce the smooth, full tone, “the forearm should not be stiff, but
relaxed; in most cases, its weight is enough to produce the tones without the need for adding
muscular effort.”46 The directions specify that, “in legato passages, the keys should be pressed
down rather than struck, in order to obtain a smooth tone quality and a unified sound.”47
When preparing for performance, several decisions face the pianist. One of these
decisions is how to interpret Cowell’s “Largo, with rhythm” marking. It is important to think of
the Irish mythology upon which this piece was based before determining the tempo. Manaunaun
was a very powerful Irish god. He created tides so large that they swept through the entire
universe and moved substances that later made the worlds, and the tempo must be slow enough
45
Cowell, Piano Music, Vol. 1, inside of back cover.
46
47
Ibid.
15
to portray this image. Additionally, the tempo must be slow enough to allow the deep sounds
from the steel and copper strings from the lowest notes on the piano to resonate and begin to
clear before adding the twelve or more tones of the next tone cluster on top of the deep sounds
already produced. On the other hand, the tempo must not be so slow that it drags or remains
static. Largo, between forty and fifty-six beats per minute, is quite a broad range, so the
performer must decide the exact tempo, considering the performance hall‘s acoustics and the size
of the piano, both of which will affect how soon the chords begin to dissipate. Cowell himself
performed the piece faster than the largo marking at approximately sixty-three beats per quarter
note, leaving the pianist to decide whether to follow Cowell’s example or his written
instructions.
After determining the tempo, the performer must map out the full range of dynamics for
the complete piece, which includes starting softly and not increasing volume too quickly,
reserving the swell in dynamics for the ffff climax beginning in measure twenty-four. The reverse
is true after the climax; the pianist must avoid fading away too quickly without pacing the
decrescendo until the end. One consideration is that the right-hand entry in measure three begins
with only single or double notes at a marking of mpp, but when it increases to mf at measure
seven, it is playing a four-note chord two octaves higher. The unusual marking mpp most likely
means louder than pp but softer than the p marking in measure five. There will be no need to
increase the weight on the keys as the sheer number of notes and playing in the middle register of
the keyboard will naturally increase the dynamic level, thus saving room to increase the
dynamics later. The same is true in measure twelve when the left hand goes from playing one-
octave to two-octave tone clusters, in measure thirteen when the right hand begins again after a
measure of rest (thus naturally decreasing the dynamic level so that it can give the appearance of
16
a continual climb), and in measure eighteen when the right hand has a four-note chord an octave
higher over two-octave tone clusters in the bass.
To begin the piece with greater control, the performer might wish to start the first two
measures marked pp with both hands instead of just using the left hand, thus dividing the left
hand part into two hands. The left hand would then take over in measure three when the right
hand joins the left. Measures twenty-two and twenty-three require an important mechanical
consideration where the top notes in the left hand have the counter-melody. Cowell writes in the
score that the “top notes [should be] emphasized melodically.” He advises that the “melody tones
may be brought out with the knuckles of the little finger in the playing of clusters.”48 The pianist
must ensure that the top notes of the left hand are brought out, while not overpowering the
melody flowing through the right hand. Also, when bringing out the top notes of the left hand,
careful practice will allow the other notes to be played evenly and specific notes to be neither
omitted nor over emphasized. Cowell reiterates the importance of playing specific notes in his
comments on the 1963 recording: “It should be obvious that these chords are exact and that one
practices diligently in order to play them with the desired tone quality and to have them
absolutely precise in nature.”49
The arpeggiated chords in measures twenty-four and twenty-five will be played either as
Cowell played them on his recordings, on the beat with the right hand chord and finishing after
the beat, or else starting before the beat and ending the arpeggio at the same time the right hand
chord is struck. Performing artists differ in their interpretations of these measures, and Cowell
gives no indication of his preference. The performer must practice the arpeggiated chord on the
same piano that will be used in the performance since each piano responds uniquely. The
48
49
Cowell, Piano Music, Smithsonian/Folkways, Track 20. Transcribed by author.
17
arpeggiated tone clusters should be rolled slowly, and to avoid a clump of notes at the bottom
and then at the top (sounding like two chords instead of one long arpeggio), the arm should be
lifted prior to striking. The movement leading into the arpeggio should be started prior to the
arm’s meeting the keys by raising the elbow, followed in a wave-like motion by the wrist and
before the forearm drops to the keys. This movement can be done with artistic flair to embellish
the visual interest of the performance.
The performer must also decide the frequency of each pedal change when preparing The
Tides of Manaunaun. Cowell’s instructions simply say, “with pedal.” Choosing to sustain the
pedal longer requires a tempo that is slow enough for the chords to begin to dissipate so that the
sound does not become muddy, but the tempo must still be fast enough that it does not drag.
Comparison of Recordings
The Tides of Manaunaun was recorded on piano roll by Margaret Nikoloric in 1922.50
Cowell recorded a number of his own pieces, including Tides of Manaunaun, but his first
recording of the work was released on LP with Composers Recordings, Inc. (CRI) in 1956. 51 A
second recording of this work was released by Folkways Records on LP in 1963.52 Several other
artists have recorded his pieces since Cowell’s own recordings. Table 2.2 lists the recordings of
Tides evaluated in this document:
50
A MIDI file of this recording is available through the International Association of Mechanical Music
Preservationists.
51
This recording was reissued on CD by New World Records in 2010.
52
Folkways Records was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987. Cowell’s 1963 recording as Folkwsays
3349 on LP was reissued on CD in 1993 by Smithsonian/Folkways Records 40801 with an introduction by Sorrel
Doris Hays.
18
Performer Album Name Recording Date53
Henry Cowell Music of Cowell, Pinkham and Hovhaness 1956
Henry Cowell Henry Cowell Piano Music 1963
Sorrel Doris Hays The Piano Music of Henry Cowell 1977
Steffen Schleiermacher The Bad Boys! (Antheil, Cowell & Ornstein) 1994
Susanne Kessel Californian Concert 2006
Richard Zimdars American Piano Music: 1900-1930 2009
Daniele Lombardi Musica futurista, Vol. 7 2010
Table 2.2: Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Tides of Manaunaun
Each recording contains differences as each artist displays a unique interpretation of
Tides. Cowell also varies his performance between his two recordings, thereby setting the stage
for other pianists to take some liberty in the piece. The total performance times in Table 2.3 and
Figure 2.7 show at a glance the variety in tempi. The table is listed in chronological order
according to the first release of each recording.
Performer Length of
Performance
Henry Cowell (1956) 2:19
Sorrel Doris Hays (1977) 3:10
Steffen Schleiermacher (1994) 3:50
Susanne Kessel (2006) 4:49
Richard Zimdars (2009) 4:01
Daniele Lombardi (2010) 3:11
Table 2.3: List of Performance Lengths for The Tides of Manaunaun
53
Recording date if known or first release date.
19
Total Perfomance Time in Minutes
6:00
4:48
3:36
2:24
1:12 Total Perfomance Time in

Minutes
0:00
Figure 2.7: Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for The Tides of Manaunaun
Each artist varies the tempo throughout the piece to some extent, but the average
metronome markings for each recording can be seen in Table 2.4.
Performer Quarter note =

(approximately)
Henry Cowell (1956) 63
Henry Cowell (1963) 63
Sorrel Doris Hays 52
Steffen Schleiermacher 44
Susanne Kessel 30
Richard Zimdars 44
Daniele Lombardi 52+
Table 2.4: Metronome Markings
Cowell’s 1956 recording is the shortest of all. His average tempo is approximately
quarter note = 63, but he increases the tempo significantly over the course of the piece.
Additionally, finding his exact tempo marking is difficult because he clips the ends of beats,
especially half notes, moving on to the next chord instead of holding the chords for the full two
20
beats. The right hand is choppy even though it is marked legato, which could be due to lifting the
pedal while lifting the hands instead of clearing the pedal after the next note is played, causing a
rough transition between chords. At times, when he changes the pedal, there is an audible hiccup
in the sound, such as between measures five and six and between measures eight and nine. In
addition to lifting the hands when changing the pedal, Cowell also seems to change the pedal
very frequently, starting every first and third beat at the beginning and becoming more frequent
later. Though not always consistent, he appears to change the pedal on every note starting on the
right-hand quarter-note triplets in measure seven. Other times, he changes the pedal on the first
and last quarter-note triplets. In measure twenty-two, he changes the pedal on every left-hand
chord.
Cowell has very little dynamic variation within the piece. The beginning is slightly softer
than the rest but sounds more like mf than pp within his overall dynamic scheme. He brings out
the melody notes throughout the piece, and in measures twenty-two and twenty-three, the
counter melody in the left hand can be clearly heard in the top notes of the left hand, although the
rest of the chord in the left-hand is a bit hard to decipher because it is so soft. His arpeggiated
chords in measures twenty-four and twenty-five start on the beat with the top note coming after
the beat. He slows down on each ritardando but only slightly. The right-hand arpeggiated chord
in measure twenty-eight is played so rapidly that it sounds as though the pitches are played
simultaneously.
Cowell’s 1963 recording is not as strict as his 1956 recording. His tempo is nearly the
same as his first recording at about quarter note = 63, but he observes the ritardando markings
more and also takes time in other areas, such as measures twenty-two through twenty-five. The
arpeggiated chords are struck on the beat with the last note coming after the beat as in the first
21
recording, but the top notes are not as clean and precise. Instead of emphasizing only the highest
note and playing it cleanly, he plays some extra notes at the top of the arpeggio. He plays the
rhythm in seventeen differently than written, playing two quarter notes instead of two half notes
as it is written in the score. Overall, however, this later recording is better as it does not feel as
rushed as the first one.
Sorrel Doris Hays’s54 rendition brilliantly portrays a picture of the Irish god through her
tempo, dynamic scheme, and smooth sound between tone clusters. She has become well-known
for her performances of and advocacy of new music. She won first place in 1971 in the
International Competition for Interpreters of New Music and premiered Cowell’s Piano Concerto
in 1978. In 1993, she wrote the introduction for the liner notes in the reissue of Cowell’s 1963
recording. In her 1977 recording of Tides, the tempo is roughly quarter = 52, slower than both of
Cowell’s recordings. Her dynamics are well mapped out, taking the listener on a continuous
journey from start to finish as the dynamics gradually rise to the climax in measures twenty-four
and twenty-five and then diminish again. She begins the ritardando in measure twenty-seven at
the beginning of the measure instead of the third beat and then takes the ritardando very
seriously, giving the impression that the piece is coming to a close as she draws out the
arpeggiated chord in the right hand. As the sound dies away, she matches the dynamic level at
the beginning of the coda and finishes out the piece.
Hays’s pedal changes are less frequent than Cowell’s. She seems to change roughly twice
per measure until the climax, where she changes more frequently, and she makes a much more
legato sound than Cowell. In the chromatic tone clusters in measures twenty-two and twenty-
three, she brings out the top note of each chord, but all the notes can be heard much more clearly
54
Sorrel Doris Hays (b. 1941 as Doris Ernestine Hays) was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
22
than in Cowell’s recordings. The arpeggiated chords starting in measure twenty-four are played
on the beat with the right hand and finished after the beat, as in Cowell’s recordings.
Steffen Schleiermacher’s55 performance tempo is approximately quarter note = 44. He
rarely changes the pedal. Because his tempo is so much slower than the tempi chosen by Cowell
or Hays, he is able to allow each chord to resonate and begin to clear before moving to the next;
he can avoid a pedal change or use only a partial change. Unlike the Cowell and Hays
recordings, Schleiermacher starts the arpeggiated chords in measures twenty-four and twenty-
five ahead of the beat instead of on the beat and finishes them on the beat, striking the last note
with the right-hand chord. Schleiermacher begins very softly, and with each written dynamic
change, he abruptly rises to that dynamic level. In measure twelve, he noticeably increases the
dynamic level to f followed by another immediate rise to ff in the next measure. He rolls the
chord in measure twenty-seven slowly but not quite as slowly and drawn out as Hays does.
Overall, his performance is very steady and precise.
Susanne Kessel56 gives the slowest performance of all the recordings at about quarter
note = 30 (eighth note = 60) and her total time is the longest of all the recordings. At this tempo
the piece sounds dark and foreboding, but it seems to drag and loses the overall sense of
direction. Since the piece is already very slow, the places marked ritardando become extremely
slow. The dynamics are well mapped out throughout the piece, rising to the climax and falling
again to almost nothing. Unlike Cowell’s recording, the arpeggiated chords starting in measure
twenty-four are played before the beat and end on the beat with the right hand, yet they are
played very quickly, so quickly that they almost sound like they are being struck on the beat.
55
Steffen Shleiermach, (b. 1960) is a German pianist who exclusively performs twentieth-century music.
56
Susanne Kessel (b. 1970) is a German concert pianist.
23
Richard Zimdars’s57 recording is nearly the same tempo as Schleiermacher’s recording at
about quarter note = 44. However, he takes more liberty with the tempo throughout the piece
making his total recording time almost a minute and a half longer than Cowell’s second
recording. His pedaling is infrequent and allows the strings to resonate as in Schleiermacher’s
recording. In measures twenty-four and twenty-five, the tone clusters in the left hand are all
allowed to resonate equally. As a result, the counter melody in the top notes is not heard
distinctly. The arpeggiated chords in measures twenty-four and twenty-five are played very
quickly and are begun before the beat, ending with the right-hand chord on the beat as
Schleiermacher does.
Daniele Lombardi58 begins with a tempo similar to Sorrel Hay’s tempo at about quarter =
54. However, the tempo does not remain consistent. By measure twenty-four he is playing at
about quarter note = 76. His pedaling is infrequent, allowing the chords to resonate. Like
Schleiermacher and Zimdars, Lombardi performs the arpeggiated chords in measures twenty-
four and twenty-five before the beat, ending on the beat with the right hand chords. The sound in
measures twenty-two through twenty-four is uneven and messy because Lombardi does not bring
out the top notes consistently and strikes other notes that are not written in the score. His
dynamics rise to the climax and wane afterwards, but the overall dynamic range is not as wide or
dramatic as in some of the other recordings.
From the recordings discussed in this chapter, all of the pianists who have recorded The
Tides of Manaunaun since Cowell’s recordings clearly have played the piece with a slower
overall pulse and have taken more time throughout the piece. Partly due to choosing slower
57
Richard Zimdars (b. 1947) is currently Despy Karlas Professor of Piano at Hodgson School of Music at the
University of Georgia.
58
Daniele Lombardi (b. 1946) is an Italian pianist who focuses on avant-garde and twentieth-century piano works.
He has directed the New Italian Music and New Music International in Rome. He currently teaches piano at the
Milan Conservatory.
24
tempi, the recordings later than Cowell seem to have less frequent and smoother pedal changes
and to employ a larger dynamic range. The arpeggiated chords are played two different ways,
with the three earliest recordings each playing the arpeggiated chord starting on the beat and with
the right hand and ending after the beat, while the last four recordings begin the arpeggiated
chord before the beat and end on the beat.
Through the writing of The Tides of Manaunaun, Cowell opened the door to further
creativity in making music using the piano. Finding a way to notate his tone clusters paved the
way for other composers to experiment and notate non-traditional music. John Cage, one of his
students who wrote pieces for prepared piano, said, “I think that when one thought of Henry
there was the tendency to smile rather than to look sad. His openness of mind was cheering, and
yet it was almost inherent in him and from a very early age. I don’t know how old he was when
he began playing the piano with his arms and with his fists, but it needed a very open-minded
person to do that. And he did it.”59
59
Perlis and Van Cleve, Composers' Voices, 179.
25
3. TIGER
Cowell used tone clusters in a number of works for piano including Tiger (HC 463/2):
Tiger was suggested originally by William Blake’s poem on

“Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright.” Perhaps one might add to this that
in some of these pieces there are the use of tone clusters—tone
clusters being on the piano whole scales of tones used as chords, or
at least three contiguous tones along a scale being used as a chord.
And at times, if these chords exceed the number of tones that you
have fingers on your hand, it may be necessary to play these either
with the flat of the hand or sometimes with the full forearm. This is
not done from the standpoint of trying to devise a new piano
technique, although it actually amounts to that, but rather because
this is the only practicable method of playing such large chords. It
should be obvious that these chords are exact and that one
practices diligently in order to play them with the desired tone
quality and to have them absolutely precise in nature.60
Background
Though Cowell states that Tiger was inspired by Blake’s poem (see Appendix A), it
developed from a reworking and expansion of an incomplete sketch from 1922 with the working
title Conservative Estimate.61 A 1926 version of the piece was entitled Dash! Tiger,62 and Cowell
continued to revise the work until circa May 1929. The final name, Tiger, was applied as early as
October 18, 1927, when Cowell first performed a version of the work in a lecture recital in San
60
61
62
Ibid., 126.
26
Joaquin, California. An article in the San Joaquin Daily Evening Journal reviewed Cowell’s
performance of the piece as “a great deal of ‘well-governed NOISE.’”63
Cowell was the first American composer to be invited to the Soviet Union. As a result of
that trip, Tiger was first published in Moscow as the second of a set entitled Two Pieces; the first
was Lilt of the Reel.64 Reports of the year of publication vary. Oliver Daniel, in the score
published by Associated Music Publishers, gives 1928 as the Moscow publication date,65 but
William Lichtenwanger claims it was published in 1930. Lichtenwanger’s date coincides with a
publication shortly following the time that Cowell was in the Soviet Union in the spring of
1929.66 Associated Music Publishers later published a reproduction of the Russian score, but
split up the two pieces. Tiger was published in 1960 in Piano Music by Henry Cowell, and Lilt of
the Reel was published in 1982 in the second volume of The Piano Music of Henry Cowell.67
Cowell’s visit to the Soviet Union was not all glory as he experienced firsthand some of
the harsh realities of life under the Soviet communist regime. He had trouble obtaining a tourist
visa because the United States had not yet recognized the Soviet Union, he had trouble securing
a hotel room and so slept on a park bench while protecting his passport from theft, he was so
cold on the train that he slept on the wooden train bed in third class and used the mattress as a
blanket, and he was forced to pay enormous prices for basic food.68
His compositions met with varied responses in the USSR. One of his concerts, scheduled
for May 2 by the All-Soviet Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (VOKS), was
cancelled after Cowell played his pieces for the VOKS committee as his compositions were
63
Ibid., 126–27.
64
Cowell, Piano Music, Vol. 1, inside of front cover; Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell,127. The Associated
Music Publishers edition claims that Tiger was published by the Russian State Edition. Lichtenwanger claims that
Tiger was published by the Soviet State Publishing House.
65
Cowell, Piano Music, Vol. 1, inside of front cover.
66
67
Ibid.
68
Sachs, Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music, 164-165.
27
considered “far too radical for Soviet citizens.”69 This concert was later rescheduled for May 27
(which VOKS covered by saying that it had only been postponed instead of cancelled), but the
All-Soviet Society made many attempts to sabotage the concert by refusing to give out programs,
announcing pieces during applause, scheduling the concert during dinnertime, and delaying the
start of the concert for an hour.70 At other concerts while in Russia, his compositions piqued so
much interest that he had to repeat works, sometimes as many as seven times.71 Conflicting
governmental policies opposing individualistic expression and emphasizing uniformity in music,
along with the impossibility of importing foreign scores due to the inability to convert the ruble
to foreign currencies, left Soviet students with an insatiable desire for new music. They wanted
to hear the pieces repeated in order to gain a better understanding of the music rather than out of
simple enjoyment of the works. Some students heard Cowell’s pieces so many times they were
able to write them down from memory.72
For granting permission to publish his music, Cowell was paid royalties in advance by
the Soviet publishing company. When Cowell learned that the publishing company based its pay
on the number of quarter notes that were written, he joked that he should not have written so
many tone clusters since each cluster was only worth one quarter note even though each cluster
contains many notes; instead he should have written them all out individually. 73
The tone clusters in Tiger are more aggressive than those in The Tides of Manaunaun:
faster, louder, and often spanning greater intervals. Tiger also uses more cluster variations, from
69
Ibid., 163, 165.
70
Sachs, Henry Cowell, 169.
71
72
Sachs, Henry Cowell, 168.
73
Ibid.
28
tone clusters as small as two notes to over fifty notes. Cowell notated some of the tone clusters to
be played with one forearm, some with both forearms, some with the hand, and some with the
fist. The large tone clusters contain too many notes for each to be written into the score, so they
are notated as in The Tides of Manaunaun with standard note heads specifying the outer notes of
the clusters and a vertical bar connecting them and indicating that the performer should play
every note between the outer two notes. Most of the clusters in Tiger are eighth notes with a
filled in vertical bar connecting the note heads, but on the few open note heads in the piece, such
as half notes and whole notes, the bar is open in the middle. Some of the smaller tone clusters are
to be played with the fist. These clusters are marked with a plus symbol.74 The instructional notes
on the score are all written in Russian, English, and German. The dynamics in the piece range
from ppp to ffff. At times, triangle-shaped note heads are written to indicate the keys of the piano
to be pressed down without sounding. See Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1: Silent Cluster
TIGER
By Henry Cowell
Reprinted by Permission
74
In the Associated Music Publishers edition, the fist clusters in Tiger are marked with “+” but in another piece,
Advertisement, they are marked with “x.”
29
The silent-cluster lifts the dampers but does not allow the hammers to strike the strings. Certain
tones from the last chord that was played can be retained without striking another note. The
silent-clusters are often played just prior to a single-note melody in the right hand. As Reiko Ishii
points out in her treatise, “The Development of Extended Piano Techniques in Twentieth-
Century American Music,” “The melody of single tones following the [silent] chord is the
reinforcement of overtones generated by the chord.”75 Later in the piece, the silent tone clusters
are played just prior to staccato tone clusters played with the right forearm. See Figure 3.2.
Figure 3.2: Right-hand Staccato Tone Clusters
TIGER
By Henry Cowell
75
Ishii, “Extended Piano Techniques,” 26.
30
The extremely loud dynamic levels are produced by using great force and playing large
tone clusters (spanning even fifty or more notes) that are repeatedly struck while the pedal is held
down. Eighth notes are almost constant in both hands throughout the piece. The range between
the dynamic levels is astounding. Pianist Sorrel Doris Hays describes her experience of playing
tone clusters by saying, “Playing cluster music, as the resonances accumulate in a kind of roiling
sonic mud and cleanse themselves as the sediment settles, I feel a power to the piano that is like
the mightiness of an organ, but organically profiled by percussive attack and natural tone decay.”
The piece begins in common time (4/4), but the meter changes occur twenty-two times
throughout the piece. Aside from common time, Cowell uses time signatures of 2/4, 3/2, 3/4, 5/4,
7/8, 9/8, and 6/8. Younger and less-experienced pianists may find the five-against-four in
measure nine difficult.
The tempo marking is “Tempestuously” in Cowell’s draft written in pencil but appears as
Allegro feroce in the score.76 Both markings communicate the furious aggression that is
necessary when playing the piece. The allegro tempo marking is more concrete than the
markings in some of Cowell’s other pieces. Tiger remains at a steady tempo throughout the
piece, except for a ritardando in measure eighteen, until changing to poco accelerando in
measure seventy-eight. In measure eighty-one, Più mosso is indicated before increasing to Presto
in measure ninety.
Cowell uses several textures to make up the piece, creating a mosaic-like structure with
smaller pieces laid out in no readily apparent pattern coming together to give an overall
impression. The textures used in Tiger include large repeating chords, (mm 1–3), hand clusters
with one hand while the opposing hand plays single notes (mm 19–26), chords in one hand with
76
31
arm clusters in the opposite hand (mm 31–33), fist clusters (mm 37–41), silent chords (mm 6),
arm clusters using both arms (mm 86–93), and single-note melodies either alone (mm 7–8) or
with harmony (mm 17–18). The dynamic scheme begins at ff, decreases to ppp in measure
twenty-one, and ebbs and flows a bit throughout the piece until it grows to ffff with a sf and
double arm clusters in measure eighty-eight. The heightened dynamic level and large tone
clusters of the climax continues for four additional measures until Cowell writes softer dynamics
and smaller fist clusters and written chords in the last seven measures (from mm 93–99).
Performance Guide
Of the four pieces selected for this document, Tiger has the highest level of difficulty for
the performer. As the score is detailed and specific concerning pitches, octaves, dynamics, and
tempo, the pianist has little leeway in those areas of the performance.
The tone clusters that are to be played with the fist require a different technique than the
ones played with the hand or forearm. The playing instructions on the back cover of Piano Music
by Henry Cowell, Volume One describe, “When playing in this manner [with the fist], the wrist
should be relaxed, with the fist half-opened, not clenched tightly. The tone quality produced by
the fists is different from that produced by the fingers.”77 The pianist must not hit the piano but
should press the keys quickly with the bottom part of the fist (the thumb side up and the fifth
finger side down). The closed hand enables a smaller amount of notes to be played at a fast rate
of speed. Measures fifty-six through fifty-eight contain very difficult fist tone clusters. Both
hands play fist clusters on every eighth-note pulse in each measure. Each measure contains
clusters that are played in contrary motion between the right and left hand. This takes much
practice and hand-eye control to play cleanly while emphasizing the top notes of each cluster.
77
32
Measures thirty-four through thirty-six are also difficult. See Figure 3.3. The right hand
plays fist clusters similar to the ones played in measures fifty-six through fifty-eight, but the left
hand plays two-octave forearm clusters concurrently. The pianist will need to lean to the left to
reach the bass chords, which will distort the vision for the right-hand fist clusters. Since the
right-hand clusters move step-wise, they are easier to navigate than the fist clusters in the later
measures.
TIGER
By Henry Cowell
33
The fist clusters beginning in measure thirty-seven and then at the end of the piece are
easier because one hand plays only black notes while the other hand plays white notes and
because each chord repeats multiple times. The pianist should quickly move to the next position
as soon as the last note of the previous position is played. Positioning early will allow the pianist
to play more accurately and quickly as well as making the performance easier.
Measures fifty-nine and sixty-two are notated with three tone clusters. See measure fifty-
nine in Figure 3.4. The bass-clef cluster is played with the left hand, and the remaining two
clusters are played with the right hand. The pianist’s forearm must be angled so that the wrist and
hand are playing the indicated black notes and the upper part of the forearm is playing the
indicated white notes. The middle of the forearm should play both the black and white notes in
the overlapping sections between the two treble-clef clusters.
Figure 3.4: Measure 59
TIGER
By Henry Cowell
34
Cowell is very clear about indicating which notes should be emphasized. These notes are
marked with either tenuto markings or accents. When the melody shifts from the right hand to
the left hand, the notes are marked with accents such as in measure twenty-one where the left
hand takes over the melody which was previously in the right hand.
Cowell performed Tiger many times and recorded the piece in 1963 with Folkways
Records. Unlike Tides, Aeolian Harp, and Banshee, however, he did not record Tiger on the
1956 recording. Additionally, while there are some variations between other pianist’s recordings
and his own, the differences between recordings are fewer in Tiger than in the other works
studied in this document. This increased uniformity is due, in part, to a more measurable tempo
marking with little flexibility and to a more conventional approach to playing the piano. While
Tiger uses extended techniques including the various tone clusters and silent clusters, the piece is
played completely on the keyboard with much of the work written in standard notation.
The pianists who have recorded Tiger and are discussed in this chapter are listed in Table
3.1.
Performer Album Name Recording Date78

Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal
Joel Sachs Music, Vol. 1 1990
Anthony de Mare Wizards & Wildmen 2007
Table 3.1: Recordings Used in the Discussion of Tiger
78
35
The total times for the length of performance for each of the recordings range from nearly
three minutes to just under three and a half minutes and are much closer than the other
recordings discussed in this document. See Table 3.2.
Performer Length of
Performance
Sorrel Doris Hays 3:20
Joel Sachs 3:01
Steffen Schleiermacher 2:50
Anthony de Mare 3:05
Daniele Lombardi 3:25
Table 3.2: List of Performance Lengths for Tiger
The largest difference is between Cowell’s recording with the most time and Steffen
Schleiermacher in 1994 with the shortest total time. See Figure 3.5.
Total Performance Time in Minutes

3:50
3:21
2:52
2:24
1:55
1:26
0:57 Total Performance Time in
0:28 Minutes
0:00
Figure 3.5: Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Tiger
36
Cowell increases and decreases the tempo throughout the piece on his recording. He
pauses on each tenuto marking on the first beat of measures three and four and pauses on other
notes throughout the piece as well. He slows the tempo almost in half in some measures, such as
measures thirty-one and seventy-three when the left forearm has two-octave clusters, and then
proceeds to accelerate in the following six measures. He takes time in other measures, such as
measure forty-five, as he plays the motif with the right forearm and in measure fifty-one just
before starting measure fifty-two. When the melody shifts from right hand to left hand or vice
versa, the melody is brought out and very clearly distinguished. His dynamic range tends to be
louder than softer, without much variety.
Sorrel Doris Hays’s recording is very similar to Cowell’s recording but is more
controlled. She starts out slightly slower than Cowell but does not take as many pauses. The total
recording times are very close, with Hays’s time being slightly shorter. Her performance is
steady while still taking a bit of liberty with the tempo, especially at the beginning and ends of
phrases. She has more dynamic contrast than Cowell.
Joel Sachs’s79 recording has the greatest range of dynamics from barely audible, like a
sneaky tiger, to extremely loud and frantic. The contrast is intensified by the way Sachs begins
very softly and slowly increases the sound and then brings the dynamic level down with gradual
diminuendos. Like Cowell, Sachs takes time between phrases and speeds up in other sections,
but Sachs does this more than Cowell, making the piece sound like it consists of many different
sections. After a long pause, Sachs often begins a section slowly and then accelerates within each
section. He pauses at the end of measure fifty before beginning with a soft, sneaky start in fifty-
one and accelerating as he makes a crescendo. He does the same thing in measures fifty-three
79
Joel Sachs is Professor of Music History, Chamber Music, and New Music Performance at the Julliard School. He
has written a biography, Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music, published by Oxford University Press.
37
and sixty-seven. At the end of the piece, he holds the pedal in measures ninety-six and ninety-
seven unlike Cowell or Hays.
Steffen Schleiermacher starts the piece more slowly than Cowell and keeps a very steady
rhythm throughout it. He increases the tempo immediately in measures eighty-one and ninety
where new tempo markings are written but keeps the tempo steady each time it is changed. He
does not take any pauses for tenuto markings, large tone clusters, or difficult rhythms or sections.
His playing sounds almost computerized because it is so strict and exact. His dynamic range is
similar to Cowell’s range, but Schleiermacher’s dynamics are more convincing in the way he
maps them throughout the piece, similar to the way Sachs does.
Anthony de Mare plays the piece more slowly than Cowell but not as slowly as
Lombardi. De Mare’s performance is steady and plodding. He does not bring out the melody
notes like Cowell does but instead plays all the notes equally. His soft sections are gentle and
pleasant, and he takes time within these measures, such as measures sixteen through twenty-six
and measure fifty, but the other sections, ranging from from mf to ffff, are played with great force
and little variance within the dynamic levels. In measure fifty-two, he plays the two groups of six
eighth notes as two groups separated by a pause, instead of one large group of twelve notes as
Cowell does.
Daniele Lombardi’s tempo is slower at the beginning than all the other recordings of this
piece, but his tempo is not consistent. As in de Mare’s performance, the melody or accented
notes are not emphasized. Lombardi is not as precise and careful with the exact notes as Cowell
and even plays wrong notes in measure sixty-four. His performance is less distinct than the other
recordings, but his dynamic range is similar to Cowell’s.
38
Unlike The Tides of Manaunaun, the overall total times for the recordings of Tiger are all
shorter than Cowell’s total time, although they are all very close to each other. Many of the
pianists follow Cowell’s example of including several pauses, slowing down in sections, and
speeding up in others. The recordings after Cowell’s show more dynamic contrast, with many of
the artists using more gradual or dramatic crescendos and diminuendos throughout the piece. On
the one hand, Scheiermacher plays the piece strictly with little variation, adding a bit more
dynamic variation than Cowell but taking less freedom with pauses. On the other hand, Sachs
varies the tempi and dynamics and even adds an unwritten pedal hold at the end, thereby going
beyond Cowell’s example and taking even more liberties with the piece.
Cowell gives the pianist enough information to present an accurate performance of Tiger
that will engage listeners as they envision the fierce yet sneaky tiger. While the performer must
decide the exact tempo to be played and has a little bit of flexibility with phrasing choices, most
of the decisions are clear-cut. The pianist’s main job in this piece is to practice and present a
vibrant and engaging performance.
39
4. AEOLIAN HARP
On his 1963 Folkways recording, Cowell says of Aeolian Harp (HC 370):
When I wanted to compose a piece around the idea of an Aeolian

harp, which is a tiny wind harp to be hung in a window so that the
wind will produce sound from the silk strings, the tones of the
piano seemed a little bit too crass. So it suggested itself to me that
if one could only play the harmonies on the strings of the piano
directly, that you could have those gusty differences between loud
and extreme soft that you might get on a real Aeolian harp. And so
a method of playing the chords on the strings was worked out. 80
Background
The Aeolian harp is an ancient instrument that may date back as far as Old Testament
times. 81 However, in 1650, Athanasius Kircher, a German Jesuit monk living in Rome, made the
earliest documented Aeolian harp . 82 The harp, whose name derives from Aeolus, the god of
wind in Greek mythology,83 is sometimes known as a wind harp because it is played by the wind.
Aeolian harps were most popular from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century until late in
the nineteenth century84 and were used during the Romantic era in European homes as well as
sometimes being hung in “grottos, gardens, summer-houses or inhabited châteaux, or
80
81
Montagu, “Aeolian Harp”; Engel, “Aeolian Music (Concluded),” 481. The Bible passage is in Psalm 137.
82
Engel, “Aeolian Music (Concluded),” 480.
83
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, “Aeolian Harp.”
84
Oxford Dictionary of Music, “Aeolian Harp.”
40
uninhabited châteaux or even strung between the spires of two churches.”85 Some artisans still
craft Aeolian harps today.
The Aeolian harp is similar to a zither in form, but models range widely in size and
shape. Though often made of wood, wind harps can be constructed from several different types
of materials and typically have between four and twelve strings (sometimes even as many as
twenty-four or forty-eight) of varying thicknesses. 86 The strings on the harp were traditionally
made of catgut, later of wire or covered in wire, and occasionally of other materials such as silk,
as noted by Cowell in the quotation at the opening of this chapter. 87 The strings are usually all
tuned to the same pitch, but a few may be tuned an octave lower. 88
When the Aeolian harp is hung from a tree or set in a window allowing the wind to move
across it to create sounds, the various thicknesses of the strings create harmonics. 89 Carl Engle
writes, “According to the swell of the air, the tones—running through the harmonics of the
fundamental tone, in a compass occasionally extending to six octaves—will increase and
decrease in loudness and in rapidity of succession, with a variety of effects astonishing and
charming.” 90 The sounds can range from soft and angelic to screaming and eerie. Depending on
the speed and direction of the wind, a single string, several strings, or all of the strings might be
heard either in unison or in different pitches.
Aeolian harps have also been used in China and Indonesia, 91 and Cowell’s interest in
world music may have introduced him to the sounds of this instrument. Cowell’s choice to
recreate or approximate the sounds of the wind harp by direct manipulation of the piano strings
85
Bonner, “Aeolian Harp.”
86
Bonner, “Aeolian Harp.”
87
Cowell, Piano Music, Smithsonian/Folkways, Track 20; Engel, “Aeolian Music (Concluded),” 479–80.
88
89
Montagu, “Aeolian Harp.”
90
91
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, “Aeolian Harp.”
41
produced a new kind of playing which he treated as a different instrument. He referred to this
instrument as the “stringpiano.” 92 Aeolian Harp was the first solo piano work to be written that
entails playing inside the piano.93
Aeolian Harp was written around 1923 (although it may have been written prior to 1920
as he sometimes spoke of an earlier date, according to Sidney Cowell).94 In 1923, Cowell gave a
European tour, performing his own compositions, but not everyone enjoyed his new
compositional style. In an article from the Detroit News on January 21, 1959 he recounts one of
his concerts in Leipzig, Germany:
“I was engaged to play a recital of my own compositions,” Cowell

recalled, “and I had been going about one minute when the trouble
began. Some of those in the hall shouted for my immediate
departure from the city. Others defended me. They said it was
terrible music, but that I should be permitted to play the concert.
The first attackers swarmed onto the stage by a stairway at the
side. The others leaped across the footlights. They were brawling,
and I was playing the piano, and it sure was a stageful. The police
came and arrested 20 people. I went on playing, and every number
was hissed. I wondered why they didn’t walk out on me if they
disliked the music so much, but they all stayed and hissed all
evening long. All but the 20 that were taken to the hoosegow, that
is.” Cowell laughed heartily, and then suddenly became grave.
“Very funny now, very funny indeed,” he mused, “but I can assure
you it wasn’t funny that night. Did you ever try to play a concert
while two opposing factions fought all around the piano?”95
While some disapproved of Cowell’s new sounds, others were interested in these new
ways of playing the piano. Cowell wrote other pieces using only the inside of the piano,
including Piece for Piano with Strings and The Banshee and used Aeolian Harp as the basis for
92
93
Percy Grainger directs the pianist to “Strike the strings of the piano with medium-wound Marimba mallet” below
the last three notes of the score in the third movement of his piece, In a Nutshell (1916). Although some pianists
have performed inside the piano, In a Nutshell is the only work known to have been written for stringpiano prior to
Cowell’s pieces.
94
95
Galvan, “Fleisher Collection,” 159, quoting Mossman, Joseph, “Composer’s Success Aid: A Sense of Humor,”
Detroit News, 21 January 1959.
42
other pieces as well. In 1930 or 1931, Cowell used Aeolian Harp as a harmonic accompaniment
to a vocal melody. The words to the song are from a free-verse poem, How Old Is Song?, written
by his father (see Appendix B).96 This piece was first performed by Judith Litante, accompanied
by Cowell, at Town Hall in New York on March 9, 1931. Over a decade later, Cowell arranged
the piece for violin and piano with violinist Joseph Szigetibut in mind. Szigetibut had the piece
published as a surprise and support for Cowell, but in 1950 it was withdrawn due to a copyright
issue.97
Aeolian Harp uses both the keyboard and the strings inside the piano. To indicate the
string use, the piece is notated with standard notes, but a vertical wavy line that resembles an
arpeggio symbol precedes each chord with either an up arrow or down arrow (see Figure 4.1).
The arrows indicate whether the string should be strummed from high to low or from low to
high.
Figure 4.1: Vertical Wavy Lines
AEOLIAN HARP
By Henry Cowell
96
Cowell set eight of his father’s poems and seventeen of his mother’s poems to music.
97
43
The pianist sits on the bench or stands at the keyboard in front of the bench when playing
the piece. To sound, the pianist silently presses the notated chords on the keyboard, releasing the
dampers of the desired notes so that only those select strings will vibrate; the opposing hand then
strums the strings inside the piano with one finger in the same register as the written notes. From
measures one through five, the up and down arrows alternate. The remainder of the piece,
however, contains all up arrows. From measure fourteen until measure sixteen, the instructions
require the back of the thumb nail to sweep the strings. In all the other measures, the flesh of the
finger is used. There are four chordal sections that each end with an arpeggio marked pizzicato.
David Nicholls states in his book American Experimental Music: 1890–1940, “These two effects
have structural significance, as the piece consists simply of four varied statements of a modal,
chordal pattern, each of which ends with a plucked arpeggio.”98 The alternating sections can be
seen in Table 4.1.
Measure 1–5 6–7 8–12a 12b–13 14–18a 18b–19 20–24 25–26
Pattern Chordal Pizzicato Chordal Pizzicato Chordal Pizzicato Chordal Pizzicato
Table 4.1: Layout of Aeolian Harp
The piece contains a total of twenty-six measures. The first seven measures (five
measures of chords plus two measures of an arpeggio) are restated faithfully at the end of the
piece. (See measures one through seven in Figure 4.2).
98
44
AEOLIAN HARP
By Henry Cowell
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved
The first statement differs from the last in three ways. The first difference is that each chord in
the final statement is strummed from the lowest note to the highest whereas the first statement of
the chordal section alternates the direction of the strumming with each chord. The second
difference is that the final statement requires slowing down at the end. Measure twenty-four
contains a ritardando followed by an a tempo for the first two beats of measure twenty-five, and
then a ritardando continues from the third beat of measure twenty-five until the end. The last
difference is that the end of the piece is played on the inside (or center) of the string, whereas in
the first statement, only the chordal section is played near the center of the string. The
arpeggiated measures (measures six and seven) are to be played outside, near the tuning pegs.
See Table 4.2.
45
First Statement: mm 1–7 Final Statement: mm 20–26
Strumming alternates in chordal section Strings are all strummed from low to high
No ritardando Ritardando in mm 25-26
Chordal section played inside/pizzicato section Both chordal and pizzicato sections played
played outside inside
Table 4.2: Differences between First and Final Statements
The only pedal markings in the piece are notated underneath the arpeggio measures,
starting during the chord immediately preceding each one. The printed instructions at the top of
the score, however, include instructions that the pedal should be used on each chord as soon as
the finger swipes the strings, while the keys are being pressed and then released before the next
strum of the following chord.
Cowell provides dynamics in the score, but he does not indicate crescendo or
decrescendo markings. The dynamics range from p to ff, but in light of his recorded comments of
the piece where he espouses the “gusty differences between loud and extreme soft,”99 it seems
peculiar that he does not insert a pp marking anywhere in the piece. One rationale may be that
because the piece is played inside the piano, very soft dynamic levels would not be able to be
heard well in a concert setting.
Cowell’s manuscript designates the tempo marking as “Lento, in improvisatory style.”100
In the published score, the tempo marking is “tempo rubato.” As with The Tides of Manaunaun,
artists who have recorded Aeolian Harp since Cowell have chosen many different tempos. When
performing Aeolian Harp, artists including Cowell himself occasionally select various tempos
99
100
46
within the piece. His tempo markings, both in the manuscript and the printed score, allow ample
provision for this flexibility within the piece and from one artist to another.
Performance Guide
The pianist performing Aeolian Harp must first understand the construction of the piano
on which the piece will be performed in order to ensure that there is available access to all of the
strings required to play the piece. According to Michael Hicks, author of Henry Cowell,
Bohemian, Aeolian Harp was written to be played on an upright piano.101 Today, it is generally
performed on a grand piano, and Cowell also seems to have used a grand piano if the photos in
the liner notes of his 1963 recording are any indication. An upright piano would be very
conducive to the performance of this piece due to its convenient layout. The pianist could
remain seated yet reach the strings inside the piano without straining. All of the necessary strings
are clear of any obstructions and can be strummed and plucked easily, as can be seen in Figures
4.3 and 4.4. The upright piano would be ideal in a home setting but might be too soft for a larger
concert setting.
Figure 4.4: Strings of an Upright Piano, Wide
Figure 4.3: Strings of an Upright Piano
101
47
A performer could not successfully play the Aeolian Harp on certain pianos, including a baby
grand piano. In the baby grand design, the strings in the octave needed to be accessed cross
under the lower strings leaving insufficient room for the finger to navigate the higher strings
necessary to play the piece. This limitation can be seen in Figure 4.5.
Figure 4.5: Strings of a Baby Grand Piano
The piano can be prepared ahead of time by marking the strings for the arpeggio sections.
This can be done with a small label on the top of the damper. The strings in the chord sections do
not need to be marked as they are played on the keyboard which lifts the dampers needed, giving
visual cues of where to strum on the strings.
Professional piano technicians acknowledge that playing directly on the strings may not
be good for the piano. Richard Bunger, author of The Well-Prepared Piano, writes, “The point is
that there are countless way to damage a piano if one is careless or ignorant.”102 To protect the
piano as much as possible, the pianist should maintain clean hands and wipe the strings with a
102
Bunger, Well-Prepared Piano, 1.
48
dry cloth after playing to remove body oils from the finger contact points as much as possible.
Bunger adds, “Clean, dry hands will not corrode strings. On piano strings which have been
recently polished, finger smudges may dull the luster slightly, but this will not affect the tone of
the instrument. (If shiny strings are important to you, ask your piano tuner to rub them with
Polita Steel Polish erasers).”103
The performer must decide which hand should play the keyboard and which hand should
play on the strings as the score does not indicate hand preferences. Although the piece is written
in treble clef, it changes to bass clef for the first two to four notes of each of the plucked
arpeggios before returning to treble clef. It would make sense to play the keyboard with the right
hand since the chords are all written in treble clef and the first part of each of the plucked part is
in the bass clef where the left hand could easily reach inside the piano. Yet in measure fourteen,
the instructions specify that the pianist is to strum the chords with the back of the thumb nail.
This could be done with either hand, but because the chords through those measures are to be
swept from the lowest note to the highest, and since those three measures are marked ff,
sweeping the strings with the right hand seems simplest. By leading with the elbow for leverage
in pulling the hand to the right while sweeping the strings with the thumb fingernail, sufficient
force could be used to produce the dynamic level required. These four measures contain the
climax of the piece.
The liner notes of the 1963 Folkways recording include a picture of Cowell playing one
of his pieces. Based on the hand position on the keyboard, he appears to be playing the beginning
of Aeolian Harp. His left hand is positioned on the keyboard, and his right hand is inside the
keyboard sweeping the strings. Cowell’s picture indicates that the right hand should play the
strings. The right hand needs to reach across the body in order to play the beginning arpeggio
103
Bunger, Well-Prepared Piano, 1.
49
notes in the bass strings but will have an easier time playing the thumb nail section starting in
measure fourteen. Using the left hand to play the strings is consistent with the keyboard chords’
being written in the treble clef and being played with the right hand. The left hand can easily
reach the pizzicato notes in the bass and only rises to the middle of the piano. Whether to play
the left-hand or the right-hand inside the piano is left up to the performer to determine.
Every piano produces unique sounds, so the piece should be practiced on the stage piano
in order to determine the desired touch and timbre. The keys must be depressed silently,
requiring an optimal rate of speed into the keys and weight of the hand. Because each piano has a
unique keyboard resistance, this piece must be practiced on the performance piano to depress the
keys as silently as possible.
The pianist must also consider whether to follow the written score or Cowell’s example
by taking some liberty within the piece. When deciding the tempo of the piece, the pianist has
some freedom. With the given marking of “tempo rubato,” the performer is encouraged to
determine the speed. If following Cowell’s example, the tempo will not be strict and will have
two average tempi for the two alternating sections. The fact that Aeolian Harp was written to
represent an instrument played by fluctuating gusts of wind implies that significant flexibility in
performance technique is not only acceptable but perhaps even desirable.
Considering the range of sounds created by different sizes and shapes of Aeolian harps as
well as the wind variation from a light summer breeze to a strong gust, one wonders whether
there would be even broader diversity in sounds if Cowell hadn’t recorded the piece himself. On
the 1963 recording, when he speaks of the inspiration for the piece, he appears to suggest two
separate ideas about how the piece should sound. On one hand, in reference to composing about
a “tiny wind harp to be hung in a window so that the wind will produce sound from the silk
50
strings,”104 he seems to have envisioned a piece based on the smallest wind harp with dainty
strings, which would not produce quite as great a range of timbre or dynamics. Conversely, when
he referred to it as creating “gusty differences between loud and extreme soft,”105 he projects
another image. It seems that there is abundant room for performance interpretation of the piece.
What is a reasonable level of personal interpretation? Perhaps Cowell’s own
improvisational performances have set the stage for others to diverge from the score not only in
tempo but in written notes as well. Since Cowell’s own recordings lack much dynamic contrast,
it is unclear whether he would want his piece to be played by others with more color and variety
than his own playing. Adding diminuendos and crescendos within the piece seems logical, as this
would be the case with the wind playing the instrument which inspired the piece.
Along with The Tides of Manaunaun and The Banshee, Aeolian Harp has become one of
Cowell’s most-performed pieces. Table 4.3 lists the recordings of Aeolian Harp that are
discussed in this document.
Performer Album Name Recording

Date106
Robert Miller Sound Forms for Piano 1976
Table 4.3: Recordings Used in the Discussion of Aeolian Harp
104
105
Ibid.
106
51
Table 4.4 shows a list of the total performance lengths of the recordings of Aeolian Harp.
Though the piece is short, differences in performance times are obvious. Both of Cowell’s
recordings have nearly the shortest total times (except for Robert Miller’s total time). See Figure
4.6.
Performer Length of
Performance
Robert Miller (1976) 1:33
Anthony de Mare (2007) 2:24
Table 4.4: List of Performance Lengths for Aeolian Harp

2:52
2:24
1:55
1:26
0:57
Total Performance Time in
0:28 Minutes
0:00
Figure 4.6: Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Aeolian Harp
Cowell recorded the piece in 1956 and again in 1963, and his recordings are almost
identical. They have some elasticity in tempo in different places, but the overall tempos are the
52
same. The dynamic scheme and tone quality are also the same. In both recordings, he deviates
from the published score. In each pizzicato section, he adds one note between the first and
second written notes. Instead of playing an octave as the first two notes, he plays a fifth,
followed by a fourth (or the written octave note above the first note). In measure six he adds B-
flat2 between the first two notes of the measure, in measure twelve he adds E3 between the third
and fourth beats, in measure eighteen he adds D3 between the third and fourth beat, and in
measure twenty-five he adds B-flat2 between the first two notes of the measure.107 These extra
notes give a nice full sound as they fill out the octave, but they diverge from what he originally
wrote.
His tempo is also inconsistent throughout the piece. He begins slowly but increases the
tempo by the third chord. The tempos within and between the pizzicato sections are also
inconsistent, but Cowell generally plays each quarter note in those sections equivalent to the
half-note chord section so that one quarter note equals one half note.
Each chord sweep is quick, but the louder the dynamic level, the faster Cowell’s sweeps
tends to be. Though it is not written in the music, Cowell slows down on the last three or four
chords on all four chord segments before picking up the tempo again in the plucked segments.
While slowing down, he also adds a diminuendo as he prepares for each plucked segment.
Robert Miller108 recorded the piece in 1976.109 He follows Cowell’s example by
including the extra notes that are not written in the score in the plucked sections. While he uses a
tempo that is slightly faster than Cowell’s overall tempo, Miller keeps his quite steady with little
107
The pitch identification system used is the Acoustical Society of America system which identifies Middle C as
C4, the octave below as C3, and the octave above as C5.
108
Robert Miller (1930–1981) was a pianist and lawyer born in New York City. He specialized in performing
contemporary music of American composers. One piece, Synchronisms No. 6, was written especially for him by
Mario Davidovsky and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971.
109
This recording was issued on LP in 1976 and reissued on CD in 1995.
53
rubato. His sweeps on the strings of the piano are faster than Cowell’s, giving a more aggressive
sound even in the softer sections, and the dynamics change little throughout the piece.
Sorrel Doris Hays’s recording is slower and more consistent than Cowell’s. Her
recording is similar to Cowell’s in the speed of the string sweeps as well as her adding the
unwritten notes in each of the plucked sections, taking some liberty with the tempo, and slowing
down in each of the chord sections. The rate of speed with which she sweeps the strings is the
same or nearly the same as Cowell’s. She makes use of rubato as Cowell does, she but does not
take as much liberty with the tempo as he does. Hays’s total playing time is almost a minute
longer than Cowell’s total time because Hays plays the chords at a much slower tempo than
Cowell does, and keeps the tempo more consistent. She slows down at times, such as at the end
of each chordal section and at the end with a drawn out ritardando. She plays most of the
plucked notes in the arpeggios as quarter notes as they are written rather than mirroring the
variations found in Cowell’s recorded performances, but she follows Cowell’s performance
example when she adds the second note of the arpeggios, playing a fifth above the starting note
each time. Her dynamic scheme is also very close to the one Cowell uses on his recordings.
Steffen Schleiermacher’s recording is closer to the written score than either of Cowell’s.
He does not add the unwritten notes that Cowell plays, choosing instead play exactly what was
written and only slightly utilizes the rubato marking. He plays the chords at a tempo that is a bit
slower than Hays’s, but he shows more consistency in each section than she does.
Schleiermacher plays the pizzicato sections as written, with each plucked note equal to a quarter
note, instead of as Cowell’s recording, where each plucked note is equal to a half note. His most
noticeable difference from Cowell’s recording is his dynamic scheme. Schleiermacher grows
54
from nearly inaudible to extremely loud and then diminishes back to a soft ending that compels
the hearer to listen attentively as it almost fades away.
Anthony de Mare110 does not add the extra notes in the plucked sections but plays the
arpeggios as written, as Schleiermacher does. De Mare’s tempo is slower than Cowell’s, and he
does not change his tempo throughout the piece except for the three ritardando markings in
measures nineteen, twenty-four, and the last part of twenty-five through twenty-six. The only
deviation from the score is that instead of playing the arpeggio measures as quarter notes, he
plays them as half notes as Cowell does, but de Mare is much more strict and consistent. His
sweeps are slower at the beginning of the piece, giving a gentler sound, and are quicker in the
climax of the piece, increasing the intensity. His dynamic changes are sudden, and there is no
crescendo or decrescendo leading up to them.
Daniele Lombardi’s recording is very steady throughout the piece. He plays the arpeggios
as written and does not follow Cowell’s example of adding the unwritten notes. Lombardi’s
tempo starts out the same as Cowell’s, but instead of speeding up as Cowell does, Lombardi
stays at the same tempo continually except for a few times where he stretches the tempo a bit
near the ends of phrases or at the ritardando markings. His rate of speed on the string sweeps is
similar to Cowell’s, but instead of becoming faster in the climax, Lombardi’s sweeps remain at
the same speed. The quarter notes in the pizzicato segments are played as half notes, modeling
Cowell’s recording. There is little dynamic contrast between the soft and very loud sections.
Both dynamic levels have the same tone color and are almost at the same level.
Each pianist plays Aeolian Harp differently. Some of the artists, such as Miller and Hays,
follow Cowell’s example of adding notes that are not written in the score, while the other
110
Anthony de Mare (b. 1958) is from Rochester, NY. He is currently professor of piano at the Manhattan School of
Music and New York University. He specializes in contemporary music.
55
pianists play the notes that are written in the score but follow Cowell’s example in other ways,
such as using fast sweeps on the strings, playing the pizzicato sections differently from the
written rhythm, or choosing the same tempi. In each recording, the pianist varies the piece in
some way, however, whether it is in tempi, taking time throughout the piece, the speed of
sweeps, dynamic contrast, use of rubato, or written notes and rhythms.
Aeolian Harp is a rather simple yet interesting piece that allows opportunity for
personalization, variety, and improvisation primarily because of Cowell’s example. Each pianist
can introduce the audience to the sounds of the wind harp (or stringpiano) while performing this
historic and groundbreaking work.
56
5. THE BANSHEE
On the 1963 Folkways recording, Cowell explains the history of the Banshee (HC 405):
The Banshee is an Irish family ghost. “A woman of the inner

world”, the word means. And she will be an ancestor of yours who
is charged with the duty of taking your soul into the inner world
when you die. So when you die, she has to come to the outer plane
for this purpose. And she finds the outer plane very uncomfortable
and unpleasant. So you will hear her wailing at the time of a death
in your family while she’s there for the purpose of taking your soul
back into the inner world—or whatever member of the family it
might be.111
Background
John Osborne Varian, Cowell’s contemporary and mentor who encouraged his
exploration of Irish folklore and heavily influenced his composition of The Tides of Manaunaun
(see Chapter 2), was actively inspirational in The Banshee as well, possibly in the choice of title
for the piece and in its instrumentation. Varian occasionally wrote poems that he would send to
Cowell with the hope of having them set to music. One of these was called “The Ban Shee.”
Varian thought his poem should be scored for “A very high soprano or a very deep contralto but
of course the very first necessity is a good interpretation[,] some one who can feel like a Ban
Shee.”112 Cowell considered but ultimately abandoned setting the text and instead used the title
for a novel work to be performed on the piano. 113
111
112
From a letter from Varian to Cowell circa 1924 as quoted in Johnson, “Cowell, Varian, and Halcyon,” 12.
113
57
At odds with this account, however, Cowell writes in a letter written to conductor Nicolas
Slonimsky, “The name of The Banshee was added after the piece was written, to give the musical
idea to people who do not have good enough ears to take interest in the music itself, without
some exterior prop, such as a literary suggestion.”114 Regardless of whether the name was
decided before or after the piece was written, the title and the concept of the ghostly creature
correspond well. Seeger reports, as Cowell put it, “The musical style was then based upon the
title (or vice versa) and the materials and title were meant to fit.”115
Varian also corresponded with Cowell about his inventions of new instruments. As
Steven Johnson, in his article “Henry Cowell, John Varian, and Halcyon,” reports, one of these
resembled a harp, although much larger and fitted with a keyboard and two sounding boards.
Cowell and Varian communicated about this instrument very often in their letters. Although
Varian patented the instrument in 1911, it was never completed. Johnson suggests that this harp-
like instrument influenced Cowell’s “invention” of the instrument for which The Banshee and
Aeolian Harp were scored, the “stringpiano.”116 Rather than inventing a completely new
instrument to represent the mythological Banshee, Cowell used an old instrument but further
developed the method of playing that he used with Aeolian Harp to produce unusual and
haunting sounds. The following is from the program notes to Cowell’s concert on February 2,
1926, at the Aeolian Hall in New York City:
New tone qualities are difficult of achievement on old instruments.

Therefore one turns to the idea of new instruments, for additional
possibilities in the future. The production of newly invented
instruments is costly, however, and usually only a few specimens
of each are made, even where the inventor is fortunate enough to
be able to build his product.
114
Brainard, “Henry Cowell’s Long Arm,” 29–30.
115
As told by Charles Seeger, quoted in Brainard, “Henry Cowell’s Long Arm,” 30.
116
Johnson, “Cowell, Varian, and Halcyon,” 10–12.
58
It is a great pleasure therefore, to find a new instrument
capable of almost endless variety, which has the incalculable
advantage of being already in nearly everyone’s drawing-room.
Such an instrument is the strings of the piano-forte, playing upon
directly. Since the sounds, and the technique necessary to produce
them, are entirely different from keyboard piano playing, I have no
hesitation in calling the piano strings when played after this
fashion, a separate instrument, which I term “stringpiano.”117
The Banshee is the first piece for solo piano written to be played on the piano but totally
free of keyboard use.118 Cowell explains the performance of the piece on the last track of his
1963 Folkways recording:
On The Banshee, the sounds are obtained by the player standing at

the back of the piano with the pedal open and the coils on the
lower bass strings are played on horizontally. If the piano is in
tune, this will produce a very eerie sound roughly four octaves
above the keyboard sound with a strange tone quality of its own,
and with the possibility of wailing sounds which will be heard.119
Performance of this piece involves two individuals. Maria Cizmic, in her article
“Embodied Experimentalism and Henry Cowell’s The Banshee,” reflects my own experience
performing this piece with my then six-year-old brother.120 The first person sits at the keyboard
as one would expect the performer to do. However, this person never strikes a note on the piano
but is simply the assistant who is responsible for depressing the damper pedal for the full
duration of the piece.121 In my case, this assistant was my young brother dressed in his tuxedo
with tails. The second individual goes to a position at the curve of the piano where a singer
117
Program notes from the Henry Cowell Collection, New York Public Library. Quoted in Cizmic, “Embodied
Experimentalism,” 438.
118
Cowell’s first “stringpiano” piece, The Sword of Oblivion HC 367, was never published; Hicks, Henry Cowell,
Bohemian, 113; Lichtenwanger, Music of Henry Cowell, 93.
119
120
Cizmic, “Embodied Experimentalism,” 436.
121
The Banshee may be played with one performer and without an assistant. In such case, the piano bench may be
used instead of the assistant by wedging the bench under the piano to hold down the pedal. Much care should be
taken that the bench is wedged firmly so it will not slip off during the performance.
59
would stand. Rather than facing the audience, this performer turns around to face the piano with
the back to the audience. The actual performer located at the piano curve then leans over into the
piano and plays directly on the strings.
The Banshee may have been composed as early as 1923. In his book, The Music of Henry
Cowell: A Descriptive Catalog, William Lichtenwanger speculates that The Banshee may have
been included on a program of his own pieces Cowell performed to accompany dancer Yvonne
Daunt (1899–1962) at the Salon D’Automne in Paris on December 16, 1923.122 The first
documented mention of The Banshee appears in a letter written by Cowell to his father on
February 3, 1925. The letter mentions having performed the piece in a concert where “The
Banshee had to be repeated.”123
On April 15, 1928, Cowell accompanied another modern dance program this time with
dancer Doris Humphrey (1895–1958) at the John Golden Theater in New York (called the
Theatre Masque at the time). In this program, when Cowell played The Banshee, Humphrey
brought the creature to life through dance. From an article in Dance Scope magazine from the
spring edition of 1966, Sidney Cowell is quoted as saying, “She came in on a wire, like Peter
Pan. She had a piece of grey chiffon, and she ran with it over her face and with her mouth open.
Henry liked that. He thought it was just what a banshee should look like.”124 Also in 1928,
having found success with the piece, Cowell arranged The Banshee for stringpiano and chamber
orchestra. This arrangement became the first movement of his Irish Suite.
122
123
Ibid. The recital location and exact date of the recital are not known.
124
Ibid. Quoting Dance Scope 2:2 (Spring 1966), 8.
60
The method of notation for playing inside the piano became an issue for the composer as
well as the pianist. Out of necessity, Cowell developed his own notation system which the
performer must learn to read. Producing the notation was not without struggle, as Cowell
explains on his 1963 Folkways recording in the last track, entitled “Cowell’s Comments:”
There are of course many slight variations in the method of

producing this [the sounds in The Banshee], all of which are given
in the printed music which finally was accomplished triumphantly
after a great many trials and errors in ways in which these curious
sounds might be notated.125
Cowell’s pencil draft was written on one bass clef staff with unmetered measures.126 The
published score contains one bass clef staff but with a time signature of 2/2. Specific notes
written in standard notation on the bass clef staff indicate which strings should be played. To
designate how the strings should be played, Cowell gives a separate list of instructions labeled
“Explanation of Symbols” on the preceding page. The symbols page instructs the pianist to play
the entire piece, except for the plucked notes, an octave lower than written. The explanation of
symbols lists letters A through L, which correspond to twelve playing-technique combinations.
These combinations consist of three basic motions mixed with various parts of the hand to be
used on the strings. The three motions are plucking the strings, sweeping across the strings like a
glissando, and sweeping along the length of one string or multiple strings (see Table 5.1). The
crosswise sweeping of strings in a chromatic fashion resembles playing a glissando on a harp,
progressing either from a low note to a high note or from high to low, strumming every pitch
between the outer notes. The lengthwise sweeping motion is accomplished either on one string at
a time or on a group of strings together, starting up near the dampers and sweeping along the
125
Cowell, Piano Music, (Smithsonian/Folkways) Track 20. Transcribed by Author.
126
61
string or strings away from the dampers. These two sweeping motions will be referred to as
crosswise or lengthwise sweeps. The plucking motion is indicated in the places marked pizzicato
in the score. The score notates the sweeping motions with a wavy diagonal line for crosswise
sweeps and a wavy horizontal line starting from the indicated note for lengthwise sweeps. See
Figure 5.1. The wavy line is similar to a trill symbol.
Figure 5.1: Symbols for crosswise and lengthwise sweeps
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
Warning: Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited by Federal Law
and is subject to criminal prosecution.
The alphabet letters indicate which basic motion to use as well as whether to play on a
single string or multiple strings and whether to use the flesh of the finger or group of fingers, the
whole hand, or a fingernail or fingernails. The abbreviations r.h. or l.h. are written in the score to
indicate which hand should be used. Table 5.1 shows the specified techniques used in the piece
broken down into the three main categories. The bold letters A through L correspond to the
twelve letters in the “Explanation of Symbols” instructions page in the score.127
127
Cowell, Piano Music, 8.
62
Sweep strings crosswise Sweep strings lengthwise Pluck specific strings
Sweep with flesh of finger Lengthwise on one string with Pluck with flesh of finger
from lowest to note given: A flesh of finger: B (where written vs. 8vb): D
Sweep back and forth with Lengthwise on three strings
flesh of finger: C with flesh of finger: E
Sweep with one finger on each Lengthwise on one string with
hand in contrary motion: H fingernail: F
Sweep with flat hand instead As B, with opposite hand, thus
of single finger: L partly dampening sound: G
Lengthwise on five strings
with flesh of finger: I
Lengthwise on five strings
with fingernails: J
Lengthwise on cluster with
nails of both hands: K
Table 5.1: Explanation of Symbols
The tempo marking at the beginning of the piece is Tempo Rubato. In measure twenty-
five the tempo is marked Faster for one measure and then Presto in measure twenty-six. There is
a fermata in measure thirty-one followed by one measure with a crosswise chromatic glissando
using a flat hand and then the tempo marking of “slow” from measure thirty-three to the end. See
measures thirty-two and thirty-three in Figure 5.2. There are two ritardando markings which are
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved
63
found in measures five and twenty-nine. Curiously, there is an a tempo marking in measure
thirteen without a tempo change or ritardando marking prior to this after the a tempo marking in
measure six.
The dynamic scheme begins at pp but rises progressively to ff in measure twenty-five.
Measures twenty-five and twenty-six are clearly the climax of the piece. See Figure 5.3. At this
point, the number of notes being played has increased from one string to a cluster, the dynamics
have risen from very soft to very loud, the sweeping of the strings has changed from the flesh of
the finger to both hands together using the fingernails, and the tempo has increased from tempo
rubato to presto. Following the climax, the dynamics, number of notes, and tempo all subside as
the piece fades away.
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
64
Some authors have pointed out the apparent Dies irae structure within The Banshee.128
The Dies irae (“Day of Wrath”) melody from Catholic liturgy is used in many other pieces by
other composers to represent death. Cowell does not use the actual notes and intervals of the
Dies irae but retains the overall shape. See Maria Cizmic’s illustration of the contour in Figure
5.4.129
Figure 5.4: Dies irae Contour in The Banshee
The beginning of the Dies irae is used four times, followed the first three times by a haunting
motif which is played pizzicato. (See the first instance of the haunting motif in Figure 5.5).
Figure 5.5: Haunting Motif
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
128
Cizmic, “Embodied Experimentalism,” 444–46; Nicholls, Whole World of Music, 26.
129
Cizmic, “Embodied Experimentalism,” 445.
65
Each time, the way that the Dies irae motif is played intensifies until the final occurrence (see
Table 5.2). The first time, in measures one through six, the motif is played using the flesh of one
finger. The finger plays a crosswise glissando on the strings up to the melody note, which is then
played lengthwise on the string away from the dampers. In the second instance, in measures
fourteen through nineteen, the flesh of one finger is used to sweep crosswise on the strings up to
the melody note, but the nail is used on the lengthwise sweep followed by the flesh of the
opposing hand to partly dampen the strings. In the third occurrence, in measures twenty-six
through thirty-one, the finger sweeps crosswise on the strings only up to the first melody note
and then continues with only the melody notes played lengthwise on the strings. The fingernails
are used in the motif during this third occurrence, and a cluster of notes are swept with the
melody notes being the highest notes given in each cluster. The final statement of the Dies irae
motif, in measures thirty-four through thirty-seven, uses the crosswise sweep on the strings only
on the first note of the melody, the same as the third occurrence. The melody notes are played
this final time with the flesh of the fingers lengthwise on the strings in chords of three strings
with the melody notes being the highest notes given.
Measure 1–6 13–18 26–31 34–37

(Climax)
Part of finger Flesh of finger Fingernail on one Fingernails Flesh of fingers
hand/flesh on the
other
Number of One One on each hand All fingers of Three
finger/nails used both hands
Dynamics pp f ff p
Table 5.2: Dies Irae Motifs in The Banshee
66
The “Explanation of Symbols” page included with the score directs the performer how to
correctly play the various techniques required of the piece. However, there are still many
decisions a performer must make in order to produce the desired effect. David Nicholls, in his
book, American Experimental Music: 1890–1940, put it well when he wrote, “The performance
instructions are relatively clear but the aural picture difficult to imagine.” He goes on to say, “We
find a situation in which the traditional performer-interpreter becomes a performer-creator
making fundamental decisions concerning the music’s public appearance.”130 Cowell’s notation
is new, but his explanations of his techniques are quite thorough. However, there is still
insufficient direction concerning interpretation for such things as tempo, speed of sweep, and
exact sounds which are meant to be produced.
Performance Guide
The performer wields considerable control over the sound that is produced, and The
Banshee is written to offer a wide range of moods and effects. The tempo rubato marking gives
the pianist leeway. There must be an underlying pulse, but the flexible tempo allows the
performer enough time to execute the various nontraditional performing techniques.
Additionally, the pianist can be creative with the specific dynamics, perhaps deciding whether to
produce a sudden rush of sound or to allow the sound to grow out of nothing.
The crosswise glissando on the lowest bass strings gives a low resonating sound which
adds to the ghostly ambiance. Some of the artists in the recordings, such as Hays, Bongelli, and
Lombardi, maximized the low tones, while others played them very softly throughout, like
Cowell, or swept them so quickly that they sounded as if they were struck instead of swept,
resulting in a sound like a whip, as Seltzer and de Mare. As the performer determines how to
130
67
play these glissandi, the performer must maintain the mental image to be communicated and use
the sound that best conveys that picture to the audience. The pianist can vary the sound by
changing the pressure on the strings or by changing which finger plays the glissando. When
playing the glissandi with the whole hand, if the pianist is striving for a soft sound, the hand
should be flat. If the hand is curved, the sound will be louder. When playing the glissandi more
slowly, the sound will produce more individual pitches, while a faster sweep will combine the
pitches. It is important that, whatever the case, the performer produces an even sound throughout
each glissando.
When I was learning this piece, I experimented with the different sounds I could make on
the strings. When teaching this piece, I have the student practice the crosswise glissando with
different fingers to see which finger produces the best sound. Next, I have the student play the
glissando at different points on the string: up near the dampers, down near the pins, and in the
middle of the strings. To help the student determine the most appropriate sound for the piece, I
encourage the student to begin the glissando slowly and then try accelerating mid-glissando and
also to try starting with fast sweeps from the beginning of the glissandi. On the lengthwise
glissandi, I instruct the student to begin with a slow glissando using the entire length of the
string, which produces lower harmonic pitches and a completely different sound from the higher
harmonic pitches of the faster sweeps. I also have the student experiment with faster glissandi as
well, using both a small amount of string length and the whole string length. Lastly, I instruct the
student to practice obtaining a smooth sound on the lengthwise glissando by using one
continuous sweep that does not have any stops in the middle. However, if the student wishes to
produce the vibrato effect at the end of the piece that Cowell displays, I direct the student to
68
shake the wrist side to side as the arm pulls the finger lengthwise down the string. The student
could practice this wrist motion on a table before playing it on the string.
When applying the sweeping technique, one must be careful to avoid allowing the bass
strings to buzz against each other. The lowest strings can strike against each other if they are
played too aggressively. Since the response of the strings will differ with each piano, the tension
on the strings, and the touch of the performer, it is very important to practice for weeks ahead of
time on the same piano that will be used in the performance and to adjust accordingly.
When plucking individual strings, the pianist should experiment with different places
along the string and with different fingers. The closer to the end of the string one plays, the
thinner and tinnier the sound will be. The more centered the pluck, the fuller the sound will be.
The actual sound will vary depending on the particular string, the speed and force used on each
pluck, and whether the fingernail or the pad of the finger is used.
The Banshee requires the performer to play the instrument in an unfamiliar way and to
learn, at least to some degree, how the piano works as an essential element of learning how to
play on the strings. The training, technique, and muscle-memory that a pianist acquires for the
keyboard will have no bearing on navigating the inside of the piano.
The performer should remove the music stand from the piano since it is not necessary for
playing inside the piano. Removing it will provide more space for the performance, allow a bit
more sound to come out of the piano, and ensure that the stand will not be pushed in the way to
block strings or dampers that are needed to play the piece. Memorizing the piece will liberate the
pianist to focus on performing the music instead of awkwardly trying to read the score inside the
piano at the same time as playing and locating the correct strings. Memorization will also make
more room for the pianist to move about inside the piano since there is not a convenient place
69
inside the piano for the score. If the score is necessary, it can be placed on the iron struts inside
the piano.
The performer must become very familiar with the internal design of the concert piano,
and must practice on that particular piano for weeks ahead of time. If the placement of the iron
struts interferes with the playing of the piece, the performer must either choose another piano, if
possible, or make an adjustment with the available piano, which can be done by shifting octaves
within the piece, by playing lower on the strings away from the dampers, or by crossing over the
struts on the glissandi, or changing the actual pitches as Cowell did in his recordings. To cross
over the struts during a crosswise glissando, the glissando should be played using the left hand
up to the strut and then completed with the right hand. A great deal of practice will be required to
make a smooth transition between hands. In her dissertation, Off Key: A Comprehensive Guide to
Unconventional Piano Techniques, Laurie Marie Hudicek suggests transposing the piece,
keeping the same interval relationship, to stay within the same string section.131
If the piano contains a removable diagonal stress bar that interferes with the piece, that
bar (or multiple bars) can be unscrewed and removed. The bar is included to give an “even
amount of pressure throughout the iron-cast frame when moving the piano.”132 This bar must be
replaced after practicing or performing. Figure 5.6 is a picture of a piano with stress bars
inconvenient for playing The Banshee. The piano in the picture is a Steinway Model D (8’ 11¾”
long concert grand) and contains a strut in the bass separating E2 and F2 as well as two horizontal
stress bars.
131
Hudicek, “Off Key,” 199.
132
Proulx, “Pedagogical Guide,” 19.
70
Figure 5.6: Steinway Model D
Photo used by permission from David Yost. http://yost.com/art/steinway/
A popular open-frame piano found in many university practice rooms is the Steinway
Model M. The open frame makes The Banshee easier to play as written. The Steinway Model M,
however, is only 5’ 7” and therefore not a concert grand. The shorter piano will produce a
smaller sound. See Figures 5.7 and 5.8.
Figure 5.7: Steinway Model M Figure 5.8: Steinway Model M, Front View
Photo used by permission from Silverio Mazzella, Photo used by permission from Mike Ford, Ford
White Plains Piano Company. Piano. http://www.fordpiano.com/wp-
http://www.whiteplainspiano.com/s1917_2.JPG content/uploads/2010/12/steinway-m.jpg
71
A pianist is accustomed to seeing a set of notes and unconsciously opening the hand and
finger span accordingly, but the strings of the piano are evenly spaced, unlike the black and
white keys of the keyboard. This difference necessitates learning the new spacing in order to play
directly on the strings, and this learning process can be aided by marking the necessary strings.
Small labels or pieces of tape may be placed on the top of the dampers of each string to be
marked. Gentle touch is required when labeling the dampers as they are very fragile. Hudicek
recommends lifting the dampers while administering the tape so that the felt is not pushed onto
the strings. She also suggests using a tape or label with removable adhesive and leaving one side
overlapped off of the end of the damper for easy removal after playing the piece. She
recommends using removable memo notes cut into small squares and folded up on the edge.
Alternatively, she proposes a clothesline method where a string or yarn is stretched between the
struts with labels attached and hung so that the labels line up with the respective strings. This
method is not invasive for the piano and can be stored and reattached for later use.133 Embroidery
thread may substitute for string or yarn.
Not every string that is played should be marked ahead of time. A0 does not need to be
marked because it is the lowest string. This string is used in all but ten measures out of the forty
total measures. B-flat1 should be marked since the glissando from the bass stops on this note and
several other chords use the B-flat as the top note. A-flat1 would not need to be marked since the
pianist could count down two strings from the B-flat1 to that string. G-flat1 should be marked,
however, as another reference point. The pianist should mark as many strings as needed but
avoid over-marking strings which may cause confusion and give the pianist too many visual cues
while playing. As an alternative method, one also used by professional pianists such as Steffen
133
Hudicek, “Off Key,” 53, 56, 59–60.
72
Schleiermacher, Hudicek suggests labeling only the dampers of the corresponding black notes or
else the corresponding white notes. Schleiermacher labels the strings of the corresponding white
keys, labeling every C and G either green or red. He attaches the label to the frame instead of to
the damper.134
As instructed in Cowell’s Aeolian Harp, the pianist should take precautions to protect the
strings inside the piano when playing The Banshee as well. He should wash his hands prior to
playing and should wipe the strings with a dry cloth after playing. Wiping the strings will help to
remove any excess oil or sweat coming from the fingers and prevent rusting or the deadening of
the strings.
The broad variety of sounds and ambiance that may be produced when playing The
Banshee can be clearly heard in the recordings of the piece. See Table 5.3 for a list of prominent
recordings.
Performer Album Name Recording

Date135
Robert Miller Sound Forms for Piano 1976
Henry Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and Vocal
Cheryl Seltzer Music, Vol. 2 1984
Chris Brown New Music: Piano Compositions by Henry Cowell 1997
Fausto Bongelli From the New World: Rassegna di Nuova Musica, I 2006
Table 5.3: Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Banshee
134
Hudicek, “Off Key,” 54.
135
73
There are perhaps as many different variations of the piece as there are performers, with
varying levels of faithfulness to the score and a broad range of different sounds produced within
the score. Obvious differences appear in the broad range of total times for the different
recordings of the piece over the past fifty years. See Table 5.4 and Figure 5.9. The Banshee has
the greatest variety of total times out of all of the pieces discussed in this document. Cowell’s
first recording has the shortest total time, and the longest recording, performed by Fausto
Bongelli, is more than twice that of Cowell’s.
Performer Length of
Performance
Robert Miller (1976) 2:23
Cheryl Seltzer (1984) 2:07
Chris Brown (1997) 3:24
Fausto Bongelli (2006) 4:40
Anthony de Mare (2007) 2:41
Table 5.4: List of Performance Lengths for The Banshee
136
Time adjusted for Cowell’s introduction of the piece.
74
6:00
4:48
3:36
2:24
Total Performance Time in
1:12 Minutes
0:00
Figure 5.9: Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for The Banshee
Cowell recorded the piece in 1956 and again in 1963, and the two recordings are vastly
dissimilar. In the 1956 recording, Cowell obtains a strong “screaming” effect by using fast
sweeps on the strings. The crosswise sweeps starting on the lowest note up to the given note of
the Dies irae theme can be heard more distinctly than in the 1963 version. The louder crosswise
sweeps in the 1956 recording contribute significantly more rumble to as the low notes from the
bass strings resonate beneath the lengthwise sweeps on higher-pitched strings.
Cowell deviates from the score in both recordings. In the 1956 recording, he omits
measures nine through twelve and measures twenty-one through twenty-four. Though difficult
to hear because of the rumble and the harmonic notes, it sounds as though his lengthwise sweeps
are not always played on the strings designated in the written score. The plucked notes, however,
are very clearly altered from the written score. Except for three measures, the entire piece is to be
played an octave lower than written. This direction appears not in the score but on the preceding
75
instructions page. The three excluded measures are measures eight, twenty, and thirty-three,
which contain a haunting motif played pizzicato. See Figure 5.10. The instructions for these three
measures to be played as written instead of an octave lower is on the instruction page under letter
D. In both recordings, he plucks different notes than the ones written in measures eight, twenty,
and thirty-three. Though he retains the intervallic relationship, the altered pitches differ in the
two recordings. Some performers have followed this example while others follow the written
notes. See Table 5.5. The bold column headings list the written notes while the rows list the
notes played by the performers.
Figure 5.10: Measures 8, 20, and 33
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
76
Performer M. 8 – D4, Db4, Bb3 M. 20 - D4, Db4, Bb3, G3 M. 33 – D4, Db4, Bb3
Cowell (1956) B3, Bb3, G3 Ab3, G3, E3, Db3 Ab3, G3, E3
Cowell (1963) Db4, C4, A3 Db4,GCGGG
4, AG
b
3, G 3 B3, Bb3, G3
Miller D4, Db4, Bb3 D4, Db4, Bb3, G3 D4, Db4, Bb3
Hays D4, Db4, Bb3 D4, Db4, Bb3, G3 D4, Db4, Bb3
Schleiermacher Ab3, G3, E3 Ab3, G3, E3, Db3 Ab3, G3, E3
Seltzer D4, Db4, Bb3 D4, Db4, Bb3, G3 D4, Db4, Bb3
Brown Ab3, G3, E3 Ab3, G3, E3, Db3 Ab3, G3, E3
Bongelli Ab2, G2, E2 Ab2, G2, E2, Db2 Ab2, G2, E2
de Mare Ab3, G3, E3 Ab3, G3, E3, Db3 Ab3, G3, E3
Lombardi D4, Db4, Bb3 D4, Db4, Bb3, G3 D4, Db4, Bb3
Table 5.5: Changed Pitches in Pizzicato Measures
Cowell may have taken the liberty of altering the pitches because of the variations in
internal structures between pianos. Since the placement of the iron struts varies from one piano
to another, the piano may contain bars which interfere with the playing of the piece. The struts
divide the strings into different sections, and the number of struts dividing the strings into
sections varies by model. If one of these struts or one set of strings overlapping another obstructs
the strings that are needed to play the piece as written, the pianist is forced to play different
pitches while keeping the same intervallic structure (as Cowell did), play the same notes in
another octave, or find another piano without obstructions.
Cowell’s earlier recording is faster not only in tempo choices and quicker sweeps but also
between one section and another. While his second recording and some other performers have
pauses between the different sections of the piece, Cowell’s first recording quickly moves from
one to the next. The fermata in measure thirty-one is almost nonexistent. He moves quickly from
the fingernail cluster in measure thirty-one to the flat-hand chromatic sweep in measure thirty-
two.
77
Cowell gives a very convincing performance on his 1963 recording. The broad variety of
sounds that he produces is noticeably greater than on his 1956 recording. Although the rumble of
the low strings resonating from the crosswise sweeps is less distinct on the sweeps at the
beginning of the piece, the presence of the bass strings can still be heard. Measures thirty-one
through thirty-five sound as if Cowell is digging his nails into the strings, which gives a new
element to the piece.
Robert Miller’s performance is similar to Cowell’s 1963 recording except that he plays
all the notes as written in the score instead of altering the pitches as Cowell does. Miller’s tempo
choices, variety of sounds, total time on the recording, and dynamics closely mimic Cowell’s
example. Yet Miller does not capture as much distinction in his sounds as Cowell, such as how
Cowell digs his fingernails into the strings, producing a scraping sound.
Sorrel Doris Hays produces the most variety in her sounds, and her recording is more
captivating and convincing than Cowell’s own. Hays’s performance begins softly with the deep
resonating strings in the bass, followed by moaning single strings in the first six measures. She
produces the moaning sounds by slowly dragging her fingers along the strings lengthwise rather
than quickly sweeping them to produce more of a screaming or whipping sound. Cowell
produces some moaning sounds, but his are much less dramatic than Hays’s. Cowell’s
lengthwise sweeps are faster and use less pressure on the strings. Hays’s total time on the
recording is almost a minute longer than Cowell’s 1963 recording. In measures nine through
twelve, measures twenty-one through twenty-four, and again in measures thirty-four through
thirty-seven, Hays brings out all of the strings in each of the chords. Her sound gives the
impression that several inner-world spirits are vocalizing, which could be due to the pressure that
she uses on the strings and the speed of the sweeps allowing higher overtones to sound or could
78
be due to the texture of the specific strings of the piano on which she recorded. Her fingernail
chords in measures twenty-five through thirty-one are surprisingly loud and scraping. It appears
that she uses her nails to dig into the strings and slowly sweeps them using the whole length of
the string. The last three measures resemble Cowell’s and are slow, almost sounding like vibrato
produced as the fingers slightly move side to side as they sweep down the string. Overall, Hays
takes Cowell’s example and improves upon it.
Cheryl Seltzer137 includes extra sounds that are not part of the score and that may arise
from careless technique. Her total performance length is the shortest of all the recordings and her
piece has the least variety of sounds. In measure twenty, as well as other measures, she hits the
bass strings. Her hands can be heard hitting the strings on several occasions and she seems to be
sweeping the strings in two different directions at times instead of all from the top of the string to
the bottom. Instead of hearing moaning or screaming sounds, a whip-like sound is heard as the
fingers quickly sweep the strings. In measures twenty-six through thirty-one her chords are fast
and furious, but her fingernails digging into the strings cannot be heard as well as in some of the
other performances. The fingernail-scraping technique can be heard better in measure thirty-one
as she slows down for the fermata and digs into the strings instead of lightly sweeping the tops of
the strings with her fingernails.
Steffen Schleiermacher plays the piece with less variety of sound than the first three
recordings. Each lengthwise glissando is swept very fast, which makes it sound slippery, or like a
whip instead of slowly producing more of the moaning sounds that the first three performances
produce with slower sweeps. Schleiermacher produces moaning sounds only in the last three
measures of the piece when he begins to fade away, and the sweeps become slower.
137
Cheryl Seltzer studied at Mills College in Oakland, California, with composers Milhaud, Kirchner, and Moss.
She is on faculty at the Lucy Moses School of Music and Dance in New York.
79
Chris Brown138 gives a very even yet subdued performance in comparison to Cowell’s
and Hays’s performances. His total time is the same as Hays’s total time, but he does not
produce the extremes of sound that Hays does. The chromatic sweeps are very soft and can
hardly be heard aside from the first instance. The dynamic level rises from the pp at the
beginning but only slightly. He bumps the bass strings in the measures between twenty-six and
thirty-one, losing the impact that scraping the strings alone could have on the listener. The
scraping itself sounds more like a whip or slipping along the strings instead of the loud and
frightening scraping that Hays produces by slowly digging her fingernails deeply into the string.
Fausto Bongelli139 takes more liberty than the artists in any of the other recordings. His
performance time is over two minutes longer than Cowell’s second recording and the longest of
all the recordings. The longer total time is due to a slower tempo, dragging fingers and
fingernails more slowly along the strings, making use of both of the ritardando markings, and
taking time between sections, including pausing between each chord in the Presto section
starting in measure twenty-six. Because his tempo is slower, he sweeps each chord in the last
three measures instead of using one continuous sweep and keeping the ties as Cowell does and as
it is written. (See the last three measure of the piece in Figure 5.11). His decision to use separate
sweeps instead of one continuous sweep may be due to his slower tempo and his need to start at
the top of the string at the beginning of each measure to avoid running out of string length.
Bongelli not only uses different notes than are written in the plucked measures, but he also plays
them in a lower octave, possibly due to the structure of the piano that he uses in the recording.
138
Chris Brown (b. 1953) is an American composer, pianist, and electronic musician. He teaches Composition and
Electronic Music at Mills College in Oakland, California.
139
Fausto Bongelli is an Italian pianist. He has performed more than one hundred fifty premieres of works for
composers including Nancarrow, Brown, Feldman, Harrison, and Mencherini. He has made several recordings for
New Albion, Col legno, RCA, Wergo, Ricordi, Stadivarius, Rai-Trade, Bongiovanni, and Edipan.
80
THE BANSHEE
By Henry Cowell
Anthony de Mare’s performance is similar to Schleiermacher’s recording both in sounds
and total recording time. His fast sweeps create whistling sounds in contrast to Cowell’s
moaning sounds. De Mare strikes his chromatic sweeps from the lowest notes very quickly,
making them sound as if he is hitting the bass strings, a sound reminiscient of Cheryl Seltzer’s
recording. He elects to inject large pauses after measure six and measure nineteen before going
into the up and down sweeps of the following measures. He waits for the sound to dissipate
completely and treats these measures similar to the fermata marking in measure thirty-one.
Finally, although Daniele Lombardi does not produce quite the variety of different effects
that Hays does, he obtains an overall feeling of spooky, ghost-like sounds that would capture an
audience’s attention. His strokes are slow enough to create the moaning sound required, but not
to the extent that Cowell and Hays do. His dynamic contrast is similar to Hays’ and greater than
that in the other recordings.
While acknowledging Cowell’s specific instructions regarding the techniques he
developed for playing The Banshee and taking care to avoid damage to the instrument, the
81
performer will find Cowell has left ample room for artistic license in the interpretation of this
piece. Because Cowell uses many different sounds and even diverges from the score, he leaves
each performer to decide the best way to create the ghostly, creepy, moaning, and screaming
inner-worldly sounds of the Banshee as she arrives to collect the dead soul. The performer of The
Banshee has the pleasure of introducing the audience to the world inside the piano while
astonishing them with the amazing diversity of sounds which the stringpiano can deliver.
Cowell performed The Banshee along with three of his other compositions (Tides of
Manaunaun, Sinister Resonance, and Advertisement) in a concert at New York’s Julliard Concert
Hall in 1962. In a New York Times article entitled “Music: Concert Honors Henry Cowell,”
writer Harold Schonberg proclaimed of the performance, “It was, almost, as is if Franz Liszt had
walked out to play the Galop chromatique. For Mr. Cowell’s piano pieces were in a way to the
Nineteen Twenties what Liszt’s earlier works were in shock value to the Eighteen Thirties.”140
Performances of The Banshee have shocked and continued to shock and awe audiences from its
first performance in the 1920s through today.
140
Galvan, “Fleisher Collection,” 165; Shonberg, “Music: Concert Honors Henry Cowell.”
82
6. CONCLUSION
Cowell’s example of departing from his own scores on his recordings as well as varying
the performances between recordings of the same piece has encouraged other performing artists
to take liberties in his pieces as well. Cowell’s reasons for performing his pieces with differences
from the written scores are uncertain. Perhaps his basic character as a non-conformist expresses
itself also when performing his own pieces. The changes he made in performing the music may
have been due to his being less adept at playing than he was at composing. Whatever the case,
although his recordings are not dictatorial, they may have influenced pianists who have played
and recorded his music after him. Before playing Cowell’s pieces, each pianist must have an
awareness of the history and intent of the piece, an understanding of the notation for the
nontraditional techniques, and a knowledge of the piano and of how to create the desired sounds
on or inside the piano, but then the pianist is free to experiment with various sounds that can be
produced to better convey each piece to the audience. As can be seen in this study, the pieces that
contain more nontraditional techniques allow more personalization to be employed by the
performer, demonstrated by Cowell and followed by other pianists. On the recordings, the broad
range of dynamics, flexibility in tempi which changes the overall character of the piece, taking
leeway with the written score, the various kinds of sounds produced, and the different ways in
which the sounds may be produced all show a trend in performance practice of Cowell’s works
that offers more freedom.
83
The Tides of Manaunaun, Tiger, Aeolian Harp, and The Banshee are representative of
Cowell’s works and are used as examples in many anthologies of twentieth-century music. Each
piece represents an important innovation in the development of nontraditional piano music.
Cowell's new developments were significant to American music and his influence as a
freethinking composer encouraged similar creativity in others. His influence is widespread and
covers the contribution of his works as well as his student list, which includes George Gershwin
(briefly), Alan Hovhaness, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Burt Bacharach, and Stuart Feder. Cowell
was willing to think outside the box and to write music as he imagined it without conforming to
any particular pre-existing style or genre and without conforming to the expectations placed on
composers. As he said:
I have never deliberately concerned myself with developing a

distinctive “personal” style, but only with the excitement and
pleasure of writing music as beautifully, as warmly, and as
interestingly as I can. If I am to develop the “personal” style that
seems to be the aim of so many composers today, I’ve always felt
the music itself must do this for me, and that my job is simply to
go on making music.141
American composer Virgil Thomson well said of Henry Cowell in 1953:
Henry Cowell’s music covers a wider range both in expression and

technique than that of any other living composer. His experiments,
begun three decades ago in rhythm, in harmony, and in
instrumental sonorities, were considered by many to be wild.
Today they are the Bible of the young and still, to the
conservatives, “advanced . . . .” No other composer of our time has
produced a body of work so radical and so normal, so penetrating
and so comprehensive.142
141
Weisgall, Music of Henry Cowell, 498.
142
Henry Cowell, Piano Music, liner notes.
84
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DISCOGRAPHY
Hart, Mary Ann, mezzo-soprano and Jeanne Golan, pianist. “How Old is Song?” Henry Cowell,
composer. From Songs of Henry Cowell. Albany Records, 1998. Compact disc.
Aeolian Harp
Cowell, Henry. “Aeolian Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Music of Cowell, Pinkham and
Hovhaness. New World Records. Copyright 2009 Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.
Produced 1996 Composers Recordings, Inc. Compact disc. [Released 2010. Originally
issued on LP as CRI-109, 1956.]
———. “Aeolian Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Piano Music. Copyright
Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40801, 1993, with introductory essay by Sorrel Hays.
Compact disc. [Originally issued as Folkways 3349, 1963.]
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Piano Music of Charles Ives, Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison. Anthology of Recorded
Music, Inc. 2007, MP3 file.
Hays, Sorrel Doris. “Aeolian Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Piano Music of Henry
Cowell. Town Hall Records. 1997, Compact disc. [First released on Finnadar Records as
SR 9016, 1977.]
Lombardi, Daniele. “Aeolyan [sic] Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Musica Futurista,
Vol. 7. Cramps Records. 2010, MP3 File.
Miller, Robert. “Aeolian Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Sound Forms for Piano.
Originally released as New World LP NW 203. Produced 1976, Copyright 1995
Recorded Anthology of American Music, Inc. Compact disc.
Schleiermacher, Steffen. “Aeolian Harp.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Bad Boys!:
George Antheil, Henry Cowell, Leo Ornstein. Hat Hut Records. 1994, Compact disc.
90
The Banshee
Bongelli, Fausto. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From From the New World:
Rassegna di Nuova Musica, Vol. 1. Stradivarius. 2006, MP3 File.
Brown, Chris. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From New Music: Piano Compositions
by Henry Cowell. Recorded 1997. New Albion Records. 1999, MP3 File.
Cowell, Henry. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Music of Cowell, Pinkham and
Hovhaness. New World Records. Copyright 2009 Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.
Produced 1996 Composers Recordings, Inc. Compact disc. [Released 2010. Originally
issued on LP as CRI-109, 1956.]
———. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Piano Music. Copyright
DeMare, Anthony. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Wizards and Wildmen:
Piano Music of Charles Ives, Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison. Anthology of Recorded
Music, Inc. 2007, MP3 file.
Hays, Sorrel Doris. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Piano Music of Henry
Cowell. Town Hall Records. 1997, Compact disc. [First released on Finnadar Records as
SR 9016, 1977.]
Lombardi, Daniele. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Musica Futurista, Vol. 7.
Cramps Records. 2010, MP3 File.
Miller, Robert. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Sound Forms for Piano.
Originally released as New World LP NW 203. Produced 1976, Copyright 1995
Recorded Anthology of American Music, Inc. Compact disc.
Schleiermacher, Steffen. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Bad Boys!:
George Antheil, Henry Cowell, Leo Ornstein. Hat Hut Records. 1994, Compact disc.
Seltzer, Cheryl. “The Banshee.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Henry Cowell: Instrumental,
Chamber and Vocal Music, Vol. 2. Copyright 2005 Naxos Rights International, Ltd.,
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91
The Tides of Manaunaun
Cowell, Henry. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Music of Cowell,
Pinkham and Hovhaness. New World Records. Copyright 2009 Anthology of Recorded
Music, Inc. Produced 1996 Composers Recordings, Inc. Compact disc. [Released 2010.
Originally issued on LP as CRI-109, 1956.]
———. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Piano Music. Copyright
Hays, Sorrel Doris. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Piano
Music of Henry Cowell. Town Hall Records. 1997, Compact disc. [First released on
Finnadar Records as SR 9016, 1977.]
Kessel, Susanne. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Californian
Concert: Music of European Immigrants and their American Contemporaries. Oehms
Classics. 2006, MP3 file.
Lombardi, Daniele. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Musica
Futurista, Vol. 7. Cramps Records. 2010, MP3 File.
Schleiermacher, Steffen. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Bad
Boys!: George Antheil, Henry Cowell, Leo Ornstein. Hat Hut Records. 1994, Compact
disc.
Zimdars, Richard. “The Tides of Manaunaun.” Henry Cowell, composer. From American Piano
Music: 1900–1930. Albany Records. 2009, MP3 File.
92
Tiger
Cowell, Henry. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Piano Music. Copyright
DeMare, Anthony. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Wizards and Wildmen: Piano Music
of Charles Ives, Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison. Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc.
2007, MP3 file.
Hays, Sorrel Doris. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Piano Music of Henry Cowell.
Town Hall Records. 1997, Compact disc. [First released on Finnadar Records as SR
9016, 1977.]
Lombardi, Daniele. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Musica Futurista, Vol. 7. Cramps
Records. 2010, MP3 File.
Sachs, Joel. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From Henry Cowell: Instrumental, Chamber and
Vocal Music, Vol. 1. Copyright 2005 Naxos Rights International, Ltd., MP3 file.
[Recorded 1990. Produced 1992.]
Schleiermacher, Steffen. “Tiger.” Henry Cowell, composer. From The Bad Boys!: George
Antheil, Henry Cowell, Leo Ornstein. Hat Hut Records. 1994, Compact disc.
93
APPENDIX A
The Tiger
By William Blake (1757–1827)
Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?
What the hammer? What the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,

And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did He smile his work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?
Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
94
APPENDIX B
How Old Is Song?
By Harry Cowell
Before a man had sung a note

Or a song bird warbled in its throat,
The winds were whispering through the trees
Wild prehistoric melodies
Prophetic of the days to come
When man would make him harps to strum
The halls of heaven with music rang
The morning stars together sang,
Prophetic of the voice of him
Who chants of choiring Seraphin
From chaos the orchestral seas
Were forming polyharmonies.
No song is new, Man sings and rings
Times changes in eternal things;
His voice prophetic of a long
Lone silence to succeed his song.143
143
Hart, “How Old is Song?” CD Liner Notes.
95
APPENDIX C
Copy Permissions
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A PERFORMANCE GUIDE FOR SELECTED WORKS

FOR PIANO BY HENRY COWELL

ALLISON RACHELLE CLOUGH

AMANDA W. PENICK, COMMITTEE CHAIR

Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements

performances of these pieces.

handling of physical difficulties encountered in producing sounds in unconventional ways

This document is dedicated to the memory of my great-grandma, Georgia “Georgie”

helping me through the development of my topic.

things that I deeply admire about him.

and to serve him with the music that he gives me.

DEDICATION ........................................................................................... iii

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................... vii

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................. viii

2. THE TIDES OF MANAUNAUN ............................................................6

b. Innovation and Notation ..........................................................................9

d. Comparison of Recordings ...................................................................18

b. Innovation and Notation ........................................................................28

d. Comparison of Recordings ...................................................................35

4. AEOLIAN HARP ..................................................................................40

b. Innovation and Notation ........................................................................43

d. Comparison of Recordings ...................................................................51

b. Innovation and Notation ........................................................................61

d. Comparison of Recordings ...................................................................73

2.1 Development of Tone Clusters in Tides...............................................11

2.2 Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Tides of Manaunaun ........19

2.3 List of Performance Lengths for The Tides of Manaunaun .................19

2.4 Metronome Markings...........................................................................20

3.1 Recordings Used in the Discussion of Tiger........................................35

3.2 List of Performance Lengths for Tiger ................................................36

4.1 Layout of Aeolian Harp .......................................................................44

4.2 Differences between First and Final Statements ..................................46

4.3 Recordings Used in the Discussion of Aeolian Harp ..........................51

4.4 List of Performance Lengths for Aeolian Harp ...................................52

5.1 Explanation of Symbols Chart .............................................................63

5.2 Dies Irae Motifs in The Banshee .........................................................66

5.3 Recordings Used in the Discussion of The Banshee............................73

5.4 List of Performance Lengths for The Banshee ....................................74

5.5 Changed Pitches in Pizzicato Measures ...............................................77

2.1 Measures 1-6 ........................................................................................10

2.2 Measures 22-25 ....................................................................................12

2.3 Half Note Tone Cluster ........................................................................13

2.4 Quarter Note Tone Cluster ...................................................................13

2.5 Tone Cluster with Sharps .....................................................................13

2.6 Tone Cluster with Flats ........................................................................13

3.1 Silent Cluster........................................................................................29

3.2 Right-hand Staccato Tone Clusters ......................................................30

3.3 Measures 34-36 ....................................................................................33

3.4 Measure 59 ...........................................................................................34

3.5 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Tiger ................................36

4.1 Vertical Wavy Lines ............................................................................43

4.2 Measures 1-7 ........................................................................................45

4.3 Strings of an Upright Piano..................................................................47

4.4 Strings of an Upright Piano, Wide .......................................................47

4.5 Strings of a Baby Grand Piano.............................................................48

4.6 Total Performance Lengths in Minutes for Aeolian Harp ...................52

5.1 Symbols for Crosswise and Lengthwise Sweeps .................................62

5.3 Measures 25-26 ....................................................................................64

5.4 Dies irae Contour in The Banshee ......................................................65