This
week we are looking at Futurism and how it plays out in visual art and music.
Last time we looked at Joseph Stella’s Brooklyn
Bridge. Today, let’s look at how Edgard Varese (1983–1965) used Futurism in
his music.
Varese
was born in Paris and at a young age, attracted the attention of several
pillars in both art and music including Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, and
Pablo Picasso. Like Stella, Varese spent much of his adult life in New York
City, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the crowds and growing
commerce. Varese was interested in
re-creating unique sounds that are not made by conventional orchestral
instruments. His ideas were a precursor to what would become electronic music
later on in the century. He did his best to create certain sounds by using the
percussion section of the orchestra.
His
work on Ameriques began in Europe in 1915
and was not finished until long after his arrival to New York. The work is in
one movement for a large orchestra and an offstage “banda.” As you listen
below, note the ship and fire engine bells, sirens, boat whistles, and other
interesting sounds that he used percussion to imitate.
