The formula '13 time 13' applies to the number of utterances of the word 'thirteen' pronounced in different languages-namely, it appears 3 times uttered by 3 performers (total 9 utterances) on page 5 of the score, and one time at the end of the movement by all four participants (9 + 4 = 13). In the context hinted at by the subtitle, the tritone is apparently represented by the number 7. As Adamenko states, "The puzzling subtitle for this movement combines the numbers 7 and 13 in a repetitive manner: '7 times 7 and 13 times 13.' The movement opens with a tritone in each of the parts repeated 7 times. Victoria Adamenko has tried to elaborate what Crumb has called "the numerological basis of the entire work," as related to the "axis of symmetry" associated with "7" as the precise halfway point between the integer counting sequence from 1 to 13. The three stages of this voyage are Departure (fall from grace), Absence (spiritual annihilation) and Return (redemption)." Threnody III: Night of the Electric Insects (tutti)Ĭrumb has stated that, "The underlying structure of Black Angels is a huge arch-like design which is suspended from the three 'Threnody' pieces. Threnody I: Night of the Electric Insects (tutti) The thirteen individual movements of Black Angels are divided into three large groups. The image of the "black angel" was a conventional device used by early painters to symbolize the fallen angel." Movements The numerous quasi-programmatic allusions in the work are therefore symbolic, although the essential polarity - God versus Devil - implied more than a purely metaphysical reality. Īs a general summary of the musical composition, Crumb has stated that, " Black Angels (Thirteen Images from the Dark Land) was conceived as a kind of parable on our troubled contemporary world.
The work abounds in conventional musical symbolisms such as the Diabolus in Musica (the interval of the tritone) and the Trillo Di Diavolo (the "Devil's trill", after Tartini). As Crumb states, "There are several allusions to tonal music in Black Angels: a quotation from Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" quartet (in the Pavana Lachrymae and also faintly echoed on the last page of the work) an original Sarabanda, which is stylistically synthetic the sustained B major tonality of God-Music and several references to the Latin sequence Dies Irae ("Day of Wrath"). But I wouldn't throw out my Kronos and Cikada Quartet recordings of Black Angels quite yet, either.Robert Greenberg has interpreted the "Electric Insects" symbolized by Crumb in Black Angels as representing attack helicopters in military deployment during the Vietnam War.Ĭrumb has indicated that the composition "was commissioned by the University of Michigan and first performed by the Stanley Quartet." For the composition, Crumb used several quotations from previous composers most notably from Franz Schubert. I'm very happy to own this disc and hope that Bridge continues to churn out the Crumb edition at the healthy pace they have done so far. Still, the fact that Crumb was involved in these recordings inherently means they carry authority. Meanwhile, Black Angels! is played almost too crisply and loses its steam in what should be an explosive end to that movement. God Music and Devil Music feel very rushed and more than a little sloppy.
But the huge disappointments are in some of the key movements.
Unlike other performances on other discs, the sound is really sharp the quieter movements (for example, the Pavane) shine through as clearly as a live performance.
The interlude that comes in the middle of the 8 songs, though, is a very welcome change in pace and Crumb at his best - moody, mysterious, dramatic.īlack Angels is the highlight - and the letdown - of this disc. Unto the Hills is easier on the ears than some of Crumb's earlier works without sacrificing the trademark Crumb array of percussion, but because he doesn't change the original melodies (besides stretching or contracting the rhythms in places), they feel a little tired and stale by the time song 5 rolls around. I've been collecting the Crumb collection as it's been released, and like the other releases, this is a must-have for lovers of the contemporary music.
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