Nancy Shear, who was one of Stoki's assistants in his later years and who is
still active in the music business in NYC, told me how Stoki would playfully
demonstrate the sound of his gongs for her.
I never came across a recording of Eichheim's "Java" but I didn't search
very thoroughly for one.
Eichheim's papers are at UC Santa Barbara and his scores are at the Newberry
Library in Chicago.
Jack McCarthy
Certified Archivist
Archival/Historical Consultant
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Don Tait
([log in to unmask])
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 7:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Stokowski and percussion instruments
People who were at Stoki's New York City apartment(s) during the 1950s and
'60s have written about the collection of gongs and other Asian percussion
instruments in his home.
I for one would love to hear Eichheim's "Java" with Stoki and
Philadelphia, but Victor didn't record it. (Or with *any* orchestra.) Is
there a recording of a Stokowski broadcast performance, by any chance? In
addition to his Philadelphia Orchestra Victor 78-rpm recordings of
Eichheim's Japanese Nocturne and Bali, Stoki conducted one of them on a
Philadelphia Orch.
concert during the 1960s. It was broadcast. Stokowski announced it to the
audience in his usual way, more or less "next we play music by Eichheim.
He's gone to heaven or wherever it is compawsehs go...."
Don Tait
In a message dated 5/6/2014 6:21:32 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
In 2012-13 I served as consulting archivist for the Philadelphia
Orchestra's celebration of the centennial of its hiring of Stokowski as
conductor. In the PO archives I came across a letter from Stoki during his
1928 Asia trip in which he informs the PO that in Java he had purchased
four Javanese gongs and was shipping them to the Orchestra. I was later
able to track the gongs down - they are owned by the Curtis Institute.
Eichheim, who traveled with Stoki for part of the trip, also composed a
piece entitled "Java" that Stoki premiered with the PO in 1930. It called
for tuned gongs. I presume they used the ones Stoki had purchased.
For an exhibit I did as part of the centennial celebration, I was able to
display Stoki's letter, two of the actual gongs, and the program from the
1930 performance of "Java."
Jack McCarthy
Certified Archivist
Archival/Historical Consultant
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carl Pultz
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 8:10 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Dora Labbette, Soprano with string quartette: The
Flowers of the Forests, 1925?
I'm rereading Oliver Daniel's "Stokowski." He tells about Stoki's
Asia/south seas trip in the 20s when the conductor studied percussion with
Indian physicist Jagadis Bose and collected instruments. Eichheim's "Bali"
stems from this journey, which Stoki later recorded. Some of those
instruments may have ended up on his famous recording of "Gurrelieder." It
was an enduring interest, as well into the 50s he was playing percussion
works by Harrison, et al, and premiered McPhee's Tabuh-Tabuhan in 1953.
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Donald Tait
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2014 8:08 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Dora Labbette, Soprano with string quartette: The
Flowers of the Forests, 1925?
Reiner also studied percussion as a student in Budapest. Including timpani,
which might help explain the added prominence of and occasional added
timpani parts in his CSO recordings (it's harder to tell with his
Pittsburgh and other recordings). I remember talking to Sam Denov, who was
then a retired member of the Chicago Symphony's percussion section. He said
"Reiner was DEATH on percussion." Meaning that he not only heard everything,
which was a given, but that he knew exactly what he wanted and wouldn't
settle until he got it. Sam was speaking from his personal CSO
experience....
Also, Reiner made piano rolls in 1925 et seq. Four-hand versions in which
he was credited as being one of the two pianists and others in which he was
credited as the "conductor." Philip Hart wrote about it on page 44 of his
biography of Reiner.
Don Tait
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