30th Anniversary

IN LIMBO

Suite Composed by

Ivor Darreg

Back in May 1963, a theatrical group based in Hollywood was arranging to put on a stage play. It was thought desirable to have some new music composed for it, and someone thought of Ivor Darreg as a composer of unusual pieces. On extremely short notice, a one-hour tape was brought to him and he was given five days to fill it. He did it in four.

No time to plan or write out anything beforehand. It had to be impromptu spontaneous improvisation. Ten recording sessions as the ideas flowed. Novel instruments happened to be available in the Darreg studio: a special electronic organ that Darreg hadn't quite finished building: it turned out to exhibit a unique property later called Elastic Tuning--i.e. some notes altered one another's pitches while they were being sounded!

An amplifying clavichord over 8 feet long constructed by Ivor Darreg in 1940. Manual vibrato, multiple pickups, and long sustain gave this unusual power of expression. The Keyboard Electric Drum was used for one piece. Darreg's special 1950 version of the Thereminvox was used for another section.

As a contrast to the ordinary 12-tone-per-octave tuning, a 31-tone set of metal bars was loaned by the microtonalist Ervin Wilson for this and another new music project.

The instruments were used one-at-a-time; there was no overdubbing nor two-keyboard rendition. Maximum contrast between sections of the composition was the desired aim.

Other activities prevented transcribing the tape recording into notation till 1965, at which time a first draft was made. Opinions were gathered both from new listeners and those who had attended the play's performance in Hollywood. By 1967, sufficient input had been received to re-edit the composition and divide it into ten sections. Most likely performance mode at the time seemed to involve some kind of electronic organ, so it was decided to score the 1967 version for organ, whether pipe or electronic as new performers of the piece might want to use.

Today we are in a very different keyboard and electronic performance environment, so a different contemporary arrangement might be made if that should prove necessary. In the meantime Darreg or others could use the 1967 score on new instruments such as today's synthesizers and samplers, or in many cases new copies from the original tape could be used. It all depends on the mood of the film or stage play or event or concert or newly-assembled tape that may now present an opportunity.

Excerpts from this suite have been performed at a number of events during the intervening years, and everything from organ to synthesizer to conventional piano has been used with success. Overdubs and computerized performances are surely possible also.