Scores/Sheet Music??

Oh, DUH--

There's a marvelous thereminist-composer right there in NYC, named Elizabeth Brown. Here's the URL for her website:

http://www.elizabethbrowncomposer.com/

To find the list of her pieces that incorporate theremin:

From the navigation menu at right, click "compositions". From the pull-down menu on her Compositions page, select "Unusual instruments."

MP3 files can be heard at the following URL:

http://www.newmusicjukebox.org/composers/c_works.asp?ComposerID=18071&ActorID=37457

...though, unfortunately, that site lists only "ensemble type," without specifying the instrumentation.

e.g., her *Beatitudes*, for theremin, oboe d'amore, viola, cello and harpsichord, is listed as " Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice," while her *Rural electrification* for voice, theremin, and recorded sound is listed as " Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble."

John - I'll write a "technique" entry in my blog soon. Sorry to miss your Theremin Society debut - I had another gig. Hope to see you soon!

Diggy - Hey, sometimes it is that easy! Other times not. . .

Brian - I have met Elizabeth through the Theremin Society and her compositions are beautiful. Good idea! Thanks!

BTW, I did email Frau Kavina at the beginning of the semester. I got no response, so I didn't want to be rude and pester her. . .maybe I will try her again, though.

It's really hard to convince my chamber music teacher that there is an original theremin repetoire when I can't seem to get my hands on any of it. argh.

OK, I do remember hearing that Shostakovich wrote some theremin music but I don;t know if any of that is available.

Percy Grainger wrote one of the pieces on the Kavina album, his stuff has to be around somewhere.

What about the Library of Congress?
If it was ever published and issued an EN or ISBN it would be cataloged there wouldn't it?

Have you ever seen the Percy Grainger score? It's very entertaining.

Hammy -- My wife works at the Harvard Music Library. She suggests asking the librarian at Mannes who will likely have access to WorldCat (kind of an on-line catalog of on-line library catalogs). Grove Music Online may also have information on what's available. Feel free to email me if you have a specific question/request and I can check with the Missus.

Do I recall correctly that the Grainger isn't written for theremins per se, but that the theremin happens to be an ideal instrument for realizing his concept?

In this vein, there's no shortage of graphic scores from the 1950s and 1960s (including works by John Cage, Earle Brown, Christian Wolff, R. Murray Schafer, and Roman Haubenstock-Ramati) which one could realize with a theremin.

John, regarding your query:

[i]What about the Library of Congress?
If it was ever published and issued an EN or ISBN it would be cataloged there wouldn't it?[/i]

Yes, in theory the LoC gets a copy of everything that's published, but I think they don't necessarily have everything catalogued (i.e., they don't actually have the staff to cope with everything they've received over the years).

In recent years, publishers supply the cataloguing info as the book is published, so the problem would be with locating older items... like, f'rinstance, old theremin repertoire.

But yes, if it has been cataloged, then the information would be available through FirstSearch or WorldCat, which are front ends for the OCLC union catalog.

As for the ISBN numbers, according to Wikipedia:

[i]The ISBN system was created in the United Kingdom in 1966 by the booksellers and stationers WH Smith...(snip) [/i]

So, alas, all the golden-age indigenous theremin repertoire would predate the system, unless someone republished an item, post-1966.

ah, it's time for my almost new super librarian powers to kick in, off to WorldCat



Andy

Me again, i just got back from a little trip to WorldCat, but nothing yet. But i'm going to try another way..

So Brian, you seem to know a lot about library procedures. In the biz? Or just a Grad school victim?
Andy

Wow, okay now I have to give you all #1 dude in America award.

Thanks for all our help. I have some time today to go talk to the people in the Mannes library, so I'll do that.

There are flyers up all around the school saying, "Do you have any suggestions of books/scores that the library should add to it's collection? Let us know!!" So, maybe I'll give them the names of all the theremin scores I can come up with and see what they can procure.

Unfortunately, I think I lost the case to my Kavina album. I can probably find the info somewhere online, though. . .

Thanks again!!