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About Eugene register-guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1930-1983 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1963)
Page 2C EUGENE REGISTER-GUARD, Sunday, Jan. 13, 1963 Visiting Orchestra to Play Keller Composition By DAN WYANT Of the fUgUUr-Guard When Conductor Victor Al essandro brings the San An tonio Orchestra to Eugene Thursday night for a Civic Music Assn. concert, the open ing number of the program will be a work by Homer Kel ler, University of Oregon teacher and composer. The performance, in a way, reinstates a relationship be tween composer and conductor that dates back to the late 1930s when both were stu dents at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. There, the student Alessan dro conducted one of student .Keller's first successful com positions, "Serenade for Clar inet and Strings," a selection which subsequently was re corded by an Eastman group on the Mercury Record label. Allesandro will conduct one of Keller's later compositions at the Thursday night con cert. Entitled "Overture 1947," it was commissioned by the Nashville, Tenn., symphony orchestra when the composer taught at the University of Michigan In 1947. Folk Dance Rhythm It is a composition which Keller described this week as a "short overture . . , bright and rhythmic, with sort of folk dance rhythms." Keller, 47 and single, has been on the staff of the Uni versity of Oregon school of music since 1998. He teaches composition and music theory, and still finds time to com pose. "Frankly," he said, "you get busy teaching, though, and find you're not devoting the proper time to composition. I've been teaching the year . around since I came to the University of Oregon. I want to take next summer off and devote it to composing." With his short haircut, eye glasses and genial air of a business executive, Keller doesn't fit the popular concept of the serious, "longhair" com poser. But music is not only his profession but his primary in terest off the Job as well. "When It comes to hobbles," he said, "I guess I haven't any except for regular workouts at the YMCA." Besides numerous shorter works, Keller has three sym phonies to his credit His first won a cash award and was given Its premiere in Car negie Hall in 1940 by the New York Philharmonic Or chestra. Works Performed His Second Symphony was first performed In 1950 by the National Symphony Or chestra of Washington, D. C. His Third Symphony re ceived Its first playing by the Honolulu Symphony Orches tra in 19S6. The former Uni versity -Eugene Symphony Orchestra was the first to play the symphony in the con tinental United States, In 19S9. The Third Symphony has since been recorded by the Japanese Philharmonic Orchestra. In short, Keller enjoys an International reputation for his work. Unfortunately, fame Isn't necessarily accompanied by fortune if you're a serious composer. Keller's royalty checks for the Mercury rec ords have ranged as low as three cents. "I'm not very commercially minded," he said. "I do some thing because I find it excit ing." Electronic Music He's happy with his job and wants to continue to combine teaching and composing. "I like teaching very much, particularly working with young composers," he said. "But I do want to take more time off to compose and to experiment with electronic music." This latter field of music is Keller's newest Interest. To gether with Don Hunter, of the university's audio-visual department, Keller Is teaching a course in electronic music this term for the first time. Here, sounds are produced by a "tone generator," or electronic oscillator, then re corded on magnetic tape. Or recordings are made of noises from nature bird calls, for example or from the sounds of city streets or factories. The pitch and rhythm of the sounds can then be varied by the speed of the recorder.' . All sorts of combinations are possible on the finished tape, giving a composer a whole new approach to music. Absorbing, Not Art One of Keller's students produced a taped composition from the sounds of bottles breaking in a metal container. Another composed a tape re cording from the sounds he heard in a sawmill. These both will be played as part of a student composition recital Tuesday night at the school ' of music. "Electronic music is not an art yet," said Keller. "It is still experimental. But more and more serious composers are working with electronic music. I find it absorbing." Keller said some .refer to the technique as "totally or ganized music" since sound can be controlled to an abso lute degree of volume and pitch, and the duration of tones can be controlled to the l1000th of a second. He add ed: "In a way it's a frightening thing, because you might say It dehumanizes music. But you could say the same thing about any keyboard instru ment In comparison with the humsn voice. I'm sure it will never replace the musician." Homer Keller: Combines Teaching and Composing Program Lists Electronic Music An unusual concert at Uni versity of Oregon Tuesday at 8 p.m., will include student compositions in electronic music. The public is invited. The student composers are members of a new course In electronic music offered this year in the university's school of music, and taught by Ho mer Keller, associate profes sor in the music school, and Don Hunter, director of the audio-visual department. The works, taped for the concert, are collage (music concrote), according to Keller. Compositions by students include works by Dennis At kinson, Pat Chaffin, Kristine Goplen, and Barbara Poss man, all graduate students from Eugene; Keith Taylor, graduate student from Ketchi kan, Alaska; Michael Nannice, sophomore from Grants Pass; Steven Wolfe, freshman, Don ald Addison, sophomore, and Ralph Towner, senior, all of Eugene. 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