“I would like to meet a woman who knows the difference between Burl Ives and Charles Ives.” — James G. Wasserman
When some serious mu
sic maven insists the United States has never produced a quality and truly American classical music composer, I always respond with two words: Charles Ives.
I bring this up now with the approach of the venerable Memorial Day holiday. One of Ives’ greatest compositions was “Decoration Day” (as it was called in bygone days), as part of his “Holidays Symphony,” which included Washington’s Birthday, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Halloween and, of course, the piece he wrote to depict the traditions we associate with next Monday.
Ives grew up in New England, and he wrote “Decoration Day” to describe what he saw and heard in that annual ceremony, which began after the Civil War.
The piece begins with a very solemn series of themes dominated by strings, wavering between major and minor keys and wavering between harmony and dissonance. They seem to recall the sadness of the people planting flowers and flags on the graves of loved ones now departed.
Eventually, “Taps” is played by a trumpet, leading to another very important part of the day, a holiday quickstep performed by the local marching band.
The music concludes by going back to the sadness and solemnity, with bells heard in the background.
This homage to true Americana is unjustly neglected. It’s like celebrating Christmas without a nod to “Silent Night.”
Ives himself has been unjustly neglected. Ask high school students, even members of bands and orchestras, and most will report they’ve never heard of such a creature.
Ask almost anyone who was the greatest American composer and the most common answers would Stephen Foster, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Indeed, if America has made any contribution to the world of music, it has been blues and jazz, but that was the realm of people of color. If America has made any contribution of the world of music with truly American, not borrowed, style, it would have to be Ives.
Besides writing four numbered symphonies and paying tribute to holidays, he also wrote “Three Places in New England,” “Central Park in the Dark” and “The Unanswered Question,” not to mention his string quartets, sonatas and other short pieces.
Unlike Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Bartok, Ives was born here and lived in America all his life.
If you ever get a chance, I recommend you get ahold of a copy of “Decoration Day,” close your eyes, listen and try to picture in your mind what kind of historical pictures Ives is painting for you.
Who knows? You might enjoy yourself!
