 On
this album the music is in the classical, orchestral style. There is more
than a touch of jazz to the orchestral scores and he adds more interest
by using instruments he made himself. The album was produced by James William
Guercio, perhaps it is a coincidence that Guercio was involved with the
first album by Chicago, then the Chicago Transit Authority and one of the
tracks features a very Moondog like combination of pneumatic drills, car
horns and other street sounds weaving into the music.
CBS 63906 1969
- Theme - first recorded in 1952, following
a period of buying up old instruments and working out the parts, and finally
dubbing them all in. It was released on Epic.
- Stamping Ground - a canon, started
by a clarinet and answered by bassoon. Later, the canon is repeated and
amplified by other instruments.
- Symphonique #3 (Ode To Venus) - a twelve
part canon with a four bar coda. 'With an implied reference to Tschaikowsky's
"None but the lonely heart", it creates a very lush, impassioned contrapuntal
texture, full of the joys and sorrows of love'. Written in 1954, revised
in 1960 and parts added in 1969.
- Symphonique #6 (Good For Goodie) -
written in 1955 and dedicated to Benny Goodman. In the swing style, though
classsically conceived.
- Minisym #1 - Minisym refers to either
the orchestra or to a composition. This selection was firest performed
when Lament 1 was at the Village Theater.
- Lament 1, Bird's Lament - written in
honour of Charlie Parker, on hearing of his death. Performed at the Village
Theater in 1967. 'Bird used to stop at my doorway back in 1951-2 and talk
about music. We even talked about doing a record together. One night I
met him in Times Square and shook a shaking hand, not realising that would
be the last time we would meet'.
- Witch Of Endor - a piece of a ballet
that Moondog wrote for Martha Graham. This features the trimbas played
by Moondog and a tabla.
- Symphonique #1 (Portrait Of A Monarch)
- a symphonic synthesis, a musical portrait of Thor the Nordoom, Emperor
of Earth. This is a portion of the thematic material from the "soundsaga"
entitled Thor the Nordoom, written in 1960.
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