Photo: Bruns and Crumb at a recording session of 鈥淢etamorphoses, Book II鈥� at Swarthmore College in 2021.
Writing music can be a lonely occupation鈥攙ery private, very demanding. So it鈥檚 no surprise that most composers come across as intimidating individuals. Not so with an affable gentleman like George Crumb, although you鈥檇 never expect it from listening to his complex, often transcendent music.
鈥淢y mom connected with him,鈥� recalls CU 麻豆影院 College of Music Associate Professor of Music Theory Steven Bruns, who will retire in May. 鈥淪he always said George seemed like a nice fellow from down the street.鈥� Anyone who spent some time with the late composer (including this writer) walked away amazed at how instantly likable he was. Yet, as Bruns is well aware, when Crumb died on Feb. 6, 2022, at age 92, the world lost one of its most brilliant and influential music makers.
Bruns and Crumb each served as faculty members at the College of Music鈥擟rumb, from 1959 to 1964 and Bruns from 1987 to his pending retirement. But they shared more than that: A close, long-lasting professional relationship and a deep friendship that began in 1992. 鈥淚 first met George in Prague, where I was lecturing on his music at a week-long Crumb Festival,鈥� Bruns recounts, 鈥淚 wrote my dissertation on Mahler and later published an article that traced the many connections between his music and Crumb鈥檚. George wrote to express his delight with my perspective.
鈥淭hat whole experience changed my life. I continued to write about Crumb鈥檚 music and eventually became his archivist.鈥�
In fact, the professor鈥檚 work continued to involve more than organizing Crumb鈥檚 papers and manuscripts. 鈥淚鈥檝e had access to an amazing amount of material,鈥� Bruns says. 鈥淚 was able to scan so much鈥攈is sketches, his letters, photographs, almost everything.鈥� He鈥檚 still working on this massive project and there鈥檚 more: Bridge Records, the label run by Crumb鈥檚 devoted friends David and Becky Starobin, recently released 鈥擝runs was a key participant, attending recording sessions and writing liner notes.听
You鈥檇 think that digging through Crumb鈥檚 library of papers and collaborating with the Starobins on the Bridge recordings would keep the professor busy enough in his upcoming retirement. Well, guess again. Bruns has also been involved in a film project about the late composer.
鈥淭he film is built around a concert that was held in May 2022 of Crumb鈥檚 鈥楢ncient Voices of Children鈥� [1970], three months after George died,鈥� explains Bruns. Among the performers at this program by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York were soprano Tony Arnold, pianist Gilbert Kalish and percussionist Daniel Druckman. 鈥淭hat performance is the point of departure for a one-hour documentary that will include various interviews,鈥� adds Bruns. 鈥淚鈥檓 one of the talking heads.鈥� Directed by Tristan Cook, 鈥溾�� will have its world premiere at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, in late March.
The point of the film鈥攁nd the theme of his continuing post-academic labors on behalf of the late composer鈥攊s simple: 鈥淚 want to tell people who he was, to keep his music alive.鈥�
That goal may sound puzzling, knowing how brilliant a composer Crumb was, knowing the praise his works consistently received, the well-attended performances in concert halls around the world and the awards he won鈥攖he Pulitzer Prize in 1968 and a Grammy in 2001, among many other honors. But that鈥檚 no guarantee of a permanent place in the consciousness of a fickle public.听
鈥淕eorge was extremely self-critical and very humble. He never engaged in catty talk about his composer colleagues,鈥� adds Bruns. In other words, he kept a low profile and was hardly the self-marketing sort. So, what does the future hold for his music now that he鈥檚 gone? Where does one look for Crumb鈥檚 works and what role will Bruns play in that search?
鈥淚鈥檒l do all I can to invite new listeners into the sound world of George Crumb,鈥� Bruns replies. He鈥檚 working on a book about the composer, hoping to educate a wider audience about the impact of the man鈥檚 music. Meanwhile, the collected compositions are not gathering dust, he reports. 鈥淭here are at least a half-dozen works that are solidly in the repertoire. In addition to regular concert performances, there are multiple recordings of nearly every composition. For example, more than 20 pianists have released recordings of 鈥楳akrokosmos, Volumes I & II鈥� [1972 and 1973]. A good starter piece is 鈥榁ox Balaenae鈥� [鈥榁oice of the Whale鈥橾, Crumb鈥檚 dream-like trio for flute, cello and piano.鈥澨�
Those who experience Crumb鈥檚 music are in for an amazing surprise, Bruns promises. 鈥淓very piece creates a powerful connection with an audience.鈥�
