John Alden Carpenter (1876-1951) : Skyscrapers, A Ballet of Modern American Life (1923-24)

[@maxmerry8470]

Always interesting to compare and/or contrast this type of American Social Realism with Soviet Avant-Garde music of the same decade. Diametrically opposed ideologies and yet both musics, with Stravinskyan polyrhythmic dynamism at their heart, somehow manage to complement each other. Skyscrapers, of course, also contains a healthy dose of popular multi-cultural and vernacular American idiomatic expression ( jazz, blues, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway show, even banjo). I think it's a fabulous composition : sort of impressionistic-cum-montage effect to its energetic, bustling optimism. Nice upload!

[@mgconlan]

I love this music in general and John Alden Carpenter in particular. He composed a charming suite called "Adventures in a Perambulatur" (i.e., a baby carriage) in 1914 and that sounds more Debussyan, whereas "Skyscrapers" and "Krazy Kat" (the latter based on George Herriman's delightfully surreal comic strip) are both from 1924 (also the year the success of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" opened the floodgates for works combining classical and jazz) and sound more like Stravinsky than Debussy. If those pieces have in common with the Soviet avant-garde of the time it's that both celebrate the Industrial Revolution and the spirit of progress being pushed despite the political differences. Also if you like these pieces check out Ferde Grofé''s "Three Shades of Blue" and "Metropolis," and Bob Graettinger's "City of Glass" and "This Modern World."

[@johkkarkalis8860]

Mark Conlan, I was much too young to recall my adventures in a perambulator, but John Alden Carpenter's musical adventure is a delight. Yes, "Skyscrapers" and "Krazy Kat" suggest a jazz era, an era of "progress and steel" I detected a faint whiff of the young Prokofiev. Carpenter is a composer worth exploring.

[@ericdevaughn5941]

A fascinating work. 1924? The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were not even built yet. The American Jazzy idioms really add to this as does the Southern imitation of banjo. This music sounds more 1950 post war. Im quite impressed and rather captivated with this music. I enjoy this more than Gershwin or Thompson. This goes well beyond Carpenter 2 Symphonies that i love. This is a damn cool orchestral work, not some curiosity. In fact I think Im becoming enthralled with this piece. Real Americana.