Milton Babbitt: Philomel

Milton Babbitt (Composer), Jerry Kuderna (Performer), Robert Miller (Performer), Bethany Beardslee (Performer), Lynne Webber (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jerry Kuderna, Robert Miller, Bethany Beardslee, Lynne Webber
• Composer: Milton Babbitt
• Audio CD (May 30, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: New World Records
• ASIN: B0000030IM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,282 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun music, January 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Milton Babbitt: Philomel (Audio CD)

Babbitt's music is difficult to understand. Out of all the composers influenced by Schoenberg, Babbitt creates the most complex textures, which often stand resolutely as absolute music (in contrast to others, like Boulez or Stockhausen, who often have extra - musical elements such as a text or theoretical concept to help unify their work). Once I learned how to understand 12 - tone music, I was surpised to find how much Babbitt sounds like Bach. Often voices imitate one another and the thought process is largely linear. I find these pieces to be a lot of fun. Especially in Post - Partitions you can hear a lot of immediate imitation in 'call and repsonse' format (it reminds me of Bach's 1st invention or the organ fugue in d minor at times) However, it should be said that if you're not willing to work at understanding music and expect all the secrets of a composition to be handed to you on a platter, Babbitt's music is not something you'll enjoy. Too many people end up hating music like this based on one exposure in a collage music appreciation course. People are often put off by western compositions before the 14th century for their inability to hear in the modal system. I will say that, just like it is well worth it to learn to hear 'modally' to enjoy G. Machaut or Leonin, it is worth it to learn to hear 'atonally' for Babbitt, Boulez and Stockhausen. People who are too lazy to spend time with this music shouldn't complain so heartily when they don't understand it!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful music for those with intelligent ears!!, August 27, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Milton Babbitt: Philomel (Audio CD)

I have always been a big fan of this unduly maligned composer--maligned for what?!because he happens to be able to speak intelligently about music, with some very important questions asked about the ability of human apprehension of some very challenging music. His music is beautiful, not because it answers to any mathematical paradigm, or whatever the benighted soul wishes to level against it, but because it 'sounds'. The wonderful works on this disc attest to this simple fact. Performances here are first rate.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't overdo the math, October 26, 2000

By 

Jon Currier (Jackson, Mississipi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Milton Babbitt: Philomel (Audio CD)

Babbitt is interested in how details relate to deeper structure. To achieve this there must be deeper structure, and in Babbitt's music there is the most impressive, Brahmsian depth of structure. Some of the ways of achieving this can be described in mathematical terms, but to make it work so beautifully is wholly a musical issue. One can describe bad music in mathematical terms to, likewise simple music. Babbitt improvises with his material until everthing sounds in a compelling way. Babbitt's music, as well as the music of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms requires 3-d hearing. It's a bit like the computer generated images that require the proper focusing of the eye to see the 3-dimensioanl figures. When one gets Babbitt's music properly in focus, there is nothing quite so satisfying