Ruth Crawford

by Carolyn Bremer as published in the IAWM Journal, February 1996, pp. 28-29.

CRI 658, American Masters Series

The works span Crawford's career from 1926 to 1952; however, this fact alone is misleading. In 1935, Crawford joined her husband Charles Seeger in research on American folk music for the Library of Congress. She returned to composing in the 1950s, but died shortly thereafter in 1953. Four of the works on the disc were written between 1926 and 1932, the last composed in 1952.

Judith Tick wrote the notes for this release and I highly recommend them. In the course of a few short pages, she details the important aspects of Crawford's career and also puts each work into perspective. Unfortunately the notes were ultimately printed without the proper proofing, so there are spelling and spacing errors.

The performances on the CD are outstanding. Ida Kafavian and Vivian Fine brilliantly recorded the Sonata for Violin and Piano. Typical of Ms. Kafavian's performances, the musical line is foremost: she is expressive and thoughtful, taking charge when necessary then melding into lovely duets with the pianist. Joseph Bloch performs Nine Preludes for Piano and Study in Mixed Accents. Though the study is just a short etude, I found myself drawn to listen to the track several times. It is a quirky, technically difficult spurt of energy, played wonderfully by Mr. Bloch. The Nine Preludes for Piano require an enormously wide palette of colors, and again Mr. Bloch rises to the task. Diaphonic Suite for Oboe (flute according to the notes) is an odd work. James Ostryniec does an admirable job, but I hear it more as a work suitable for flute than oboe.

Three Songs to Poems by Carl Sandburg form the emotional heart of the disc for me. Extraordinary colors pervade the work; it is witty, and carves out a fresh sound with each song. Mezzo soprano Patricia Berlin is well suited to the work. The Suite for Wind Quintet, recorded in 1969 by the Lark Quintet, is the least convincing piece on the disc. It was composed after a twenty-year hiatus and lacks the spontaneity and verve of Crawford's earlier works. The performance, particularly the last two movements, seems perfunctory, but I blame that on the composition more than the performers. Crawford gives the individual performers less musical responsibility and, in contrast to the previous forty-eight minutes of music, the suite seems flat and forced. The first movement, Allegretto, is more interesting and flamboyant, but it isn't enough to salvage the work as a whole.

Carolyn Bremer is Chair of the Composition Program at the University of Oklahoma. She is recorded on CRS and published by Arsis Press and Carl Fischer. She also serves as Membership Director for the IAWM.