Essential Ives
Like his bandmaster father, Charles Ives (1874–1954) was a musical experimenter who relished unusual and unexpected sonic combinations. Indeed, many of his works have a collage-like quality, mixing together snippets of hymns, marches, folk tunes, patriotic songs, and popular dance tunes. In this, Ives often seems to be looking longingly back to his New England childhood – and yet his music simultaneously displays a fierce disdain for tradition.
Read more…As a student at Yale University, Ives struggled against the musical conservatism of his teachers, and a few years after graduating found work with an insurance company. He quickly made a fortune in the business, and this financial independence allowed him the freedom to write the music he wanted to write. Because Ives was ahead of his time in his use of dissonance, and so boldly blurred the line between vernacular and "serious" music, he was almost completely ignored for many years. It wasn't until 1939, with a New York performance of his 'Concord' Sonata (completed back in 1915), that he had any serious recognition from the musical establishment.
While the surface of Ives's music is often craggy and complex, a powerful current of tenderness flows underneath. And in his greatest works – like the Concord Sonata, Three Places in New England, the Fourth Symphony, and An Unanswered Question – one finds an ecstatic, transcendental element that reflects his resolute belief in music's power to reflect and speak to our spiritual lives.