CHARLEMAGNE PALESTINE
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'Charlemagne Palestine' (born 'Charles Martin' or 'Chaim Moshe Tzadik Palestine' August 15, 1945 or 1947, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American minimalist composer, performer, and visual artist.
A contemporary of Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, and Steve Reich, Palestine wrote intense, ritualistic music in the 1970s, intended by the composer to rub against Western audiences’ expectations of what is beautiful and meaningful in music. A composer-performer, originally trained to be a cantor, he always performed his own works as soloist. His earliest works were compositions for carillon and electronic drones, and he is perhaps best known for his intensely performed piano works. He also performs as a vocalist: in ''Karenina'' he sings in the countertenor register and in other works he sings long tones with gradually shifting vowels and overtones while moving through the performance space or performing repeated actions such as throwing himself onto his hands.
Palestine's ''Strumming Music'' (1974) remains his best-known work. It features over 45 minutes of Palestine forcefully playing two notes in rapid alternation, which slowly expand into clusters. He performed this on a nine-foot Bösendorfer grand piano with the sustain pedal depressed for the entire length of the work. As the music swells (and the piano gradually detunes), the harmonics build and the listener can hear a variety of timbres rarely produced by the piano. ''Strumming Music'' was also Palestine's first CD, released in 1991. Since then, several additional recordings (featuring Palestine on piano, organ, harmonium, and voice) from the 1970s—including new recordings of more recent works such as ''Schlingen-Blängen''—have become available.
Palestine's performance style is ritualistic: he generally surrounds himself (and his piano) with stuffed animals, smokes large numbers of kretek (Indonesian clove cigarettes), and drinks cognac.
Noted music critic and scholar Kyle Gann named Palestine composer of the month in June 2005.
★ ''Karenina''. 2 CDs. Solo performance with Indian harmonium and falsetto voice, rec. March 1997 in Paris. London: World Serpent Distribution.
★ ''Schlingen-Blängen''. Solo performance for organ. US: New World Records.
★ ''Four Manifestations on Six Elements''. Solo pieces for piano and for electronics. Belgium: Barooni Records.
★ ''Godbear''. Solo pieces for piano. Belgium: Barooni Records.
★ ''Jamaica Heinekens in Brooklyn''. Piece for found sound and electronic drones. Belgium: Barooni Records.
★ Johnson, Tom (1989). ''The Voice of New Music: New York City 1972–1982: A Collection of Articles Originally Published by the Village Voice.'' Eindhoven, Netherlands: Het Apollohuis. ISBN 90-71638-09-X. Available for free download at: [1]
★ Palestine, Charlemagne (2004). ''Sacred Bordello''. Book with CD. Milan: Alga Marghen.
★ Charlemagne Palestine official Web site
★ Interview in ESTWeb
★ "Matter - Viewpoint: Do you still identify yourself as an American composer? - Charlemagne Palestine", from ''NewMusicBox'', November 1, 2002
★ Charlemagne Palestine: Searching for the Golden Sound, interview by Marcus Boon
★ 2002 Interview with Daniel Varela
★ Kyle Gann on Music After Fact
★ Minimalist music
A contemporary of Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, and Steve Reich, Palestine wrote intense, ritualistic music in the 1970s, intended by the composer to rub against Western audiences’ expectations of what is beautiful and meaningful in music. A composer-performer, originally trained to be a cantor, he always performed his own works as soloist. His earliest works were compositions for carillon and electronic drones, and he is perhaps best known for his intensely performed piano works. He also performs as a vocalist: in ''Karenina'' he sings in the countertenor register and in other works he sings long tones with gradually shifting vowels and overtones while moving through the performance space or performing repeated actions such as throwing himself onto his hands.
Palestine's ''Strumming Music'' (1974) remains his best-known work. It features over 45 minutes of Palestine forcefully playing two notes in rapid alternation, which slowly expand into clusters. He performed this on a nine-foot Bösendorfer grand piano with the sustain pedal depressed for the entire length of the work. As the music swells (and the piano gradually detunes), the harmonics build and the listener can hear a variety of timbres rarely produced by the piano. ''Strumming Music'' was also Palestine's first CD, released in 1991. Since then, several additional recordings (featuring Palestine on piano, organ, harmonium, and voice) from the 1970s—including new recordings of more recent works such as ''Schlingen-Blängen''—have become available.
Palestine's performance style is ritualistic: he generally surrounds himself (and his piano) with stuffed animals, smokes large numbers of kretek (Indonesian clove cigarettes), and drinks cognac.
Noted music critic and scholar Kyle Gann named Palestine composer of the month in June 2005.
| Contents |
| Partial discography |
| References |
| External links |
| See also |
Partial discography
★ ''Karenina''. 2 CDs. Solo performance with Indian harmonium and falsetto voice, rec. March 1997 in Paris. London: World Serpent Distribution.
★ ''Schlingen-Blängen''. Solo performance for organ. US: New World Records.
★ ''Four Manifestations on Six Elements''. Solo pieces for piano and for electronics. Belgium: Barooni Records.
★ ''Godbear''. Solo pieces for piano. Belgium: Barooni Records.
★ ''Jamaica Heinekens in Brooklyn''. Piece for found sound and electronic drones. Belgium: Barooni Records.
References
★ Johnson, Tom (1989). ''The Voice of New Music: New York City 1972–1982: A Collection of Articles Originally Published by the Village Voice.'' Eindhoven, Netherlands: Het Apollohuis. ISBN 90-71638-09-X. Available for free download at: [1]
★ Palestine, Charlemagne (2004). ''Sacred Bordello''. Book with CD. Milan: Alga Marghen.
External links
★ Charlemagne Palestine official Web site
★ Interview in ESTWeb
★ "Matter - Viewpoint: Do you still identify yourself as an American composer? - Charlemagne Palestine", from ''NewMusicBox'', November 1, 2002
★ Charlemagne Palestine: Searching for the Golden Sound, interview by Marcus Boon
★ 2002 Interview with Daniel Varela
★ Kyle Gann on Music After Fact
See also
★ Minimalist music
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