Andy Costello plays Henry Cowell - The Tides of Manaunaun (1912?)

www.MyNameIsAndyCostello.com

The Tides of Manaunaun (1912?), No. 1 of Three Irish Legends, by Henry Cowell (1897-1965)

The Tides of Manaunaun is based on a Irish myth by John Osborne Varian. The quote (taken from Varian) on the top of the score reads:

"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 the worlds."

Cowell claimed that he wrote this when he was only fifteen years old (1912), however, it was not published until 1917.

The piece is one of the first of piano literature to use the technique of tone clusters played with fists and arms. Rumor has it that Bela Bartok asked Cowell for permission to "steal" this piano technique for his own compositions.

Performed by Andy Costello in Chicago, Spring 2009.
www.MyNameIsAndyCostello.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Cowell
• Banshee
• tone
• clusters
• Andy
• Costello

[flutehappenny]

LOVELY interpretation of the piece, thank you for sharing. One correction however: Cowell himself 'changed' the date of this composition (and multiple others) several times later in his life in order to make himself seem more precocious. The piece was actually composed as a prelude to the opera The Building of Bamba, which was written in 1922. Thus, Manaunaun was written about the same time, with the earliest likely date being 1917.

[mynameisandycostello]

@flutehappenny Thank you for the comment!! Can you point me in the direction of your sources? I'd be curious to read about this to be better informed! Thanks, Andy

[StewieSwan]

Spock plays Henry Cowell

[mynameisandycostello]

@StewieSwan Dear Stewie, I've gone through great great pain to clarify that mynameisandycostello. Although I appreciate the comparison, I would like to make this clear: mynameisandycostelloandnotspoc­k(althoughIsometimeswishitwas)­.

[apollonmusagete]

The connection with Debussy's "impressionism" is evident in this interesting early example of tonal modernism. You have quite a flair for twentieth-century piano literature and a vivid musical imagination in your own right.

I'd like to hear you play some of the late Beethoven sonatas--and maybe the Mozart A Minor?

A fine and impressive young talent!

[mynameisandycostello]

I'm planning on a mozart sonata in the next month or so... As far as late Beethoven, I played Op. 110 a long time ago, poorly. Perhaps in the more distant future I'll tackle a project like that. Thanks for the kindness!

[zenrarity]

Without deviation, progress is not possible. Now shut up and go watch your cartoons, Goober.

[gabrieru1983]

TERRIFIC! CONGRATULATIONS!

[flutehappenny]

@mynameisandycostello I hope that helps you a little bit :)

[flutehappenny]

@mynameisandycostello Cowell, Henry. American Composers on American Music: A Symposium. Stanford University Press. 1962.

Cowell, Henry; Higgins, Dick; Gann, Kyle. Essential Cowell. McPherson and Company. 2002.

Cowell, Henry. New Musical Resources. Cambridge University Press. 1996.

Cowell, Henry. Piano Music: Volume Two. New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1982

Hicks, Michael “The Imprisonment of Henry Cowell”. Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Spring, 1991) 92-119

[sfzNotes]

@StewieSwan Even a half-vulcan cannot play as well as andycostellothehuman. quite extraordinary and with depth. too bad the camera angle hides your hands.....

[origamimadness]

Really great job-- the clusters on that piece are so difficult to do without overwhelming the melody! Any chance you might get around to recording the rest of the suite?

[BBArtandMusic]

That composition was pre----tty!!