ORIGINAL SILVER PRINT PHOTOGRAPH of THE AMERICAN COMPOSERS CARL RUGGLES and HENRY COWELL by Cowell's wife SIDNEY ROBERTSON COWELL, annotated & initialed by her on the verso.

Ruggles, Carl (1876-1971). American composer and painter known for his use of dissonant counterpoint; Cowell, Henry (1897-1965). American modernist composer who made use of folk music, dissonant counterpoint and unconventional orchestration; and Cowell, S

Published by Sushan, New York, 1961., 1961

About this Item

Sushan, New York, 1961., 1961. Fine. - An original 7-1/8 inch high by 9-1/8 inch wide matte finish black & white photograph portraying both modern American composers Carl Ruggles & Henry Cowell in profile from the chest up. With a grassy hill rising in the background, Cowell, at left, is attired in a suit jacket over a plaid shirt and tie, a wry smile on his face as he gazes at Ruggles. Ruggles, pictured at right, is attired in a dark jacket over a white shirt and tie, his hand resting on Cowell's shoulder. The photographer, Henry Cowell's wife Sidney Robertson Cowell has boldly penciled editorial annotations in graphite on the verso and further identified and initialed the photograph in purple ink in her hand "Henry Cowell & Carl Ruggles at Shushan, N.Y. 1954 / Photo SRC", subsequently crossing out the date and correcting it to "1961". The photograph is further identified by Sidney Cowel on a typed label mounted on the verso, stating "HC & Carl Ruggles, Shushan, NY, 1961. SC. [her initials]. Carl had the best composer's ears of his time for trapping sounds." Indeed, from the image, both composers seem to be listening to the natural sounds around them. There are minute faint creases, else fine. The American composer Henry Cowell (1897-1965) was strongly influenced by Oriental music as well as Irish and Midwestern folk tunes. Exploring the music of Africa, Java, and India, he revolutionized American music with innovations such as tone clusters and directly plucking the piano's strings. His compositions include "Aeolian Harp", "The Tides of Manaunaun", "Sinister Resonance" and "The Lilt of the Reel". The American composer, painter and teacher Carl Ruggles (1876-1971) was a modernist composer who employed dissonant counterpoint in his works. He was one of the founders of the ultramodernist movement, along with Henry Cowell and Ruth Crawford Seeger. Henry Cowell's wife, Sidney Robertson Cowell (1903-1995) was a pianist and an American ethnomusicologist and collector of folk songs.

Seller Inventory # 100696

Bibliographic Details

• Title: ORIGINAL SILVER PRINT PHOTOGRAPH of THE AMERICAN COMPOSERS CARL RUGGLES and HENRY COWELL by Cowell's wife SIDNEY ROBERTSON COWELL, annotated & initialed by her on the verso.
• Publisher: Sushan, New York, 1961.
• Publication Date: 1961
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Music