COMPOSERS: COLLABORATE WITH CHARLES IVES! FINISH HIS UNFINISHED SONG SMOKE

A note from composer Ken Steen,
editor and transcriber of the sketches for Smoke.

To the composers undertaking this project:

The materials found here for Ives's incomplete song Smoke provide the framework for what seemed to be his intended compositional path with this text by Thoreau. We invite you to use these materials as a basis from which to complete this song as a kind of dialog or collaborative venture with Ives.

James B. Sinclair, author of A Descriptive Catalogue of the Music of Charles Ives, states on p. 499, the end of his discussion of Catalogue Item #351, Smoke [incomplete]:

"Pencil patches on f4000, possibly for this work [Smoke]."

He continues:

"Source 2 [f4000] is just as likely a sketch for the song Thoreau [#48 in the 114 Songs by Charles E. Ives] or a rejected patch for Movement IV (Thoreau) of Sonata No. 2 for Piano: Concord, Mass., 1840-1860."

We have used these statements, with additional support from the various Thoreau connections, as a guide in proposing this project. We'd like to suggest that these other sources above be consulted for compositional meta-connections or as a way to inform how you proceed with finishing this song.

A few examples:

In the song Thoreau, note the final arpeggiated chord and other arpeggiated figures throughout.

Note, in the finale of the Concord Sonata (like the song, entitled Thoreau) the arpeggiated chords and a direct melodic connection found near the end of the 3rd system (page 59 in the AMP, Inc. Second Edition) that outlines the E, F#, G#, A# etc. figure from Smoke. This is also found in variation, transposed, and as a compositional gesture throughout this movement, in many other places. In addition, see the last system of pg. 62; the same figure is found in an inner voice and the lower figures used throughout this page that were adapted for the composition of Thoreau the song.

Completed pieces may be submitted via this website as PDF files (of computer notated scores or scanned hand written scores). Please note: works submitted will be posted "as is" with no further editing or copying provided by us.

A note from Neely Bruce,
artistic director and pianist of the IVM.

There are fifteen song fragments by Charles Ives and an additional song in manuscript, which is clearly “unfinished,” although it is technically “complete.” These fragments, and the “unfinished” manuscript song, will be performed by baritone Richard Lalli and myself, as part of one of the IVM panels.

There will also be a performance of one (or more) of the newly-completed versions of Smoke, performer and pianist TBA. These will be adjudicated by some of the various panelists of the IVM, including Ken Steen, James Sinclair and myself. The song(s) chosen will be performed at the opening reception on January 29, 2009, immediately following the keynote address of Kyle Gann.

Questions about this project? Use the IVM contact box on our home page and one of us will be back in touch with you.