- We have had several face-to-face meetings of the LAC, with more to come. Mark your calendars for March 20, 1998 at El Camino College and April 24, 1998 at UCLA (as part of the spring Chapter meeting).
- We have reported to the MLA Board of Directors on our activities. For the complete reports, see the LAC web page.
- We have a website for the conference.
- We have 14 Chapter members already assisting with the planning, but there's always room for more. If you're interested in volunteering now, review the August 1997 LAC report to the MLA Board of Directors, find a group you're interested in, and contact the appropriate subgroup convenor. Otherwise, keep watching the MLA/SCC Newsletter and MLASCC-L for announcements about other opportunities for involvement as the conference draws closer.
- Transportation coordinator:
This individual would work with the appropriate LAC subgroups to plan for transportation to/from local tours, the LAC reception, LAC concert, etc. (as needed), and would investigate using single bus company for all transportation needs, including those serving local universities/libraries' transportation needs. May also need to investigate prepaying for subway or other public transportation tokens. - Signage coordinator:
This individual would prepare all of the necessary directional and identification signs to be used during the conference. These need to be generated via computer and the software/printer used must be able to accommodate printing several 6' banners and 11" x 14" signs. A list of sample signs which were created for the Boston meeting is available from the LAC co-chairs.
March 1998 Number 68
Note: The online and printed editions of this newsletter may differ in content.
IN THIS ISSUE
Greetings from the MLA/SCC Chair
GREETINGS FROM THE MLA/SCC CHAIR:
On the surface it may seem that this has been a quiet year for MLA/SCC, but the reality is that a lot has been happening. The MLA '99 Local Arrangements Committee, under co-chairs Kathy Glennan and Renée McBride, has made great progress. There will be a report from them in this edition of the Newsletter. The joint meeting with the Northern California Chapter of MLA at San Francisco State University on October 17, 1997, was most enjoyable. Although only four members of our Southern chapter attended, it was a rewarding adventure. Don Brown will be reporting on that meeting in this issue of the Newsletter.I responded to a survey from the Ad Hoc MLA Chapter Committee, which was information to be used to address initiatives related to implementing PLAN 2001. The Committee's charge is to review the structure, purpose, and vitality of all local MLA chapters. Possible changes resulting from the survey include a scheduled time for Chapters to meet during the national MIA conference and changes in the present Chapter Grant deadline.
We continue planning for MLA '99 and are still in need of volunteers for various tasks. I hope you will attend the spring meeting of MLA/SCC at UCLA on Friday, April 24th. More information about the meeting is included inside. Of course, you will hear about our progress to date and you will be informed about additional needs and opportunities. Please get involved! Help us host a truly successful and memorable national conference in 1999.
It has been a pleasure to serve as your Chair for this year. Thank you.
John Thornbury
REVIEW OF OCTOBER 17, 1997 JOINT NCC/SCC MEETING AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
Frank V. de Bellis Collection (Top floor of library)
The Program Committee of the Northern California Chapter arranged a most wonderful event in the form of a lecture/recital by the famed pianoforte performer John Khouri on an historic Broadman piano, owned for many years by Muzio Clementi and built in 1808-9. This particular pianoforte, a delicate instrument, was ethereal in its upper ranges when played lightly. The bass range had what is known as "bloom" -- slow-speaking foundation tones -- which is caused by the fact that the strings are really no thicker or sturdier than those used on the upper ranges. This causes a slow response in fast passages in the lower octaves.
While this reviewer has enjoyed the pianoforte more for its authentic performance value than for its sound, Mr. Khouri made the music of Clementi and his student, John Baptist Cramer, come alive vitally and authentically.
In his performance of Clementi's Sonata in D minor, op. 50, no. 2 (Allegro con troppo / Adagio / Allegro con fuoco), Khouri achieved harp-like effects in the Adagio with the use of the sostenuto pedal. Exceptionally long trills on certain cadential points added to the expressiveness of the musical idioms. In the final movement alternating phrases of piano and forte are very effective in achieving passionate musical effects. Varying responses of certain individual keys on the piano keyboard were obvious.
Next we were regaled with a rare performance of Johann Baptist Cramer's Sonata in B-flat major, op. 58 (1818) (Allegro spiritoso / Largo sostenuto / Rondo allegretto), for which, according to Khouri, only a few copies of the music exist. 1st mvt: from the qualities of the music, it is obvious that Cramer was a pianist with an awesome technique. Many virtuosic passages are in parallel thirds; single-note scalar passages are filled with virtuosic characteristics. Lots of hand-crossing is required in arpeggio passages up and down the entire keyboard. 2nd mvt: reminiscent of Mendelssohn's Song without words, with many expressive appogiaturas and lyrical melodic qualities, which demonstrate well the delicate qualities of the pianoforte. 3rd mvt: many cadenza-like passages are incorporated into the general style, mostly between statements of the "A"; section, and finally, the "A"; section is presented as a set of variations, and embellished substantially with these same cadenza-like treatments.
Third on the program was Cramer's Introduzione ed aria all'inglese, op. 65. The Introduzione resembles an English folk tune and suits the pianoforte well, with its lyrical and chordal presentation. The tune is treated in many embellished formats, as in theme and variation, but like a rondo, returns regularly to its lyrical opening statement. Before the final presentation of the embellished "A"; section, Cramer constructed a beautiful harp-like cadenza.
The final selection on the program for the morning was a suite of pieces from Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum. The Preludio (allegro) was written as a set of study pieces and exercises for technical development. Much hand-crossing and virtuosic technique is required! The Fuga (1780) was written in classical fugal writing style, with probably about five presentations of the subject in each expository section; it finishes with a substantially chromatic treatment of subject presentations. 3rd mvt.: had lyric qualities once again strongly reminiscent of the more familiar Schubert or early Mendelssohn. 4th mvt.: Extremely virtuosic, and an impressive ending.
All in all, after hearing these works, the listener was better able to identify a "distinctive", Clementi sound, as opposed to any other prominent piano composer of the day.
The piano performance was followed by a detailed tour of the extensive and impressive Frank V. De Bellis Collection of music, sound recordings, objets d'art, and incunabula at SFSU.
Later, after an unbelievably long hike trying to find a local restaurant, we had lunch with our Northern colleagues. In the afternoon, several of us went on an arranged tour of the new San Francisco Public Library, which is truly a beautiful facility.
Several of us from Southern California had the privilege of attending the San Francisco Opera that evening to experience Wagner's Flying Dutchman, without an appearance of the ghost ship or any real scenery and with mostly burlap-overlay costumes -- visually a severe disappointment. How many of you feel that one can expect some visual as well as musical treats when paying $125 for a ticket?
-- Submitted by DON BROWN
Announcements from the MLA '99 Local Arrangements Committee
The LAC has accomplished a great deal in our first year of existence.
In fact, there are currently two new LAC opportunities. Please contact Kathy Glennan or Renée McBride if you would like to take responsibility for one of the following areas:
As always, the co-chairs welcome your participation, suggestions, contributions and enthusiasm as we move closer to the BIG EVENT!
MLA 1999 LAC Co-Chairs
Kathy Glennan
Renée McBride
MLA/SCC Spring Meeting, UCLA, Friday, April 24th
Mark your calendars: The Spring meeting of the MLA/SCC will be held on Friday April 24 at UCLA. The morning sessions will focus on things digital, and in the afternoon we will hear a variety of music from around the world (the Near East, Japan, Cuba and Eastern Europe) performed by students in the Ethnomusicology department. The day will conclude with a brief chapter business meeting, and an open meeting of the MLA '99 Local Arrangements Committee.Our special guest for the day will be Paula Matthews, President-elect of the MLA, and Chapter liaison. She is interested in learning about our chapter activities and ways in which the national organization can assist us.
The preliminary agenda is as follows:
9:00-9:30 · Registration
· Refreshments9:30-10:45 Session 1: Presentations and Roundtable discussion.
Topics to include the UC Encoded Archival Description project, the California Digital Library, Thematic catalogs on the web.11:00-12:00 Session 2: UCLA Center for the Digital Arts.
Tour and demonstrations, hosted by Robert Winter, co-director of the Center.12:15-1:15 Lunch. UCLA Faculty Center. 1:30-2:30 Session 3: Musical performances/presentations by students from the UCLA Ethnomusicology department. 2:45-4:00 Session 4:
· Chapter meeting/elections
· MLA '99 Local Arrangements Committee meeting.
Session 1 will include some formal presentations on digital applications in libraries, as well as a less formal roundtable, to which I hope many of you will contribute. If you have a project you would like to present, either formally or informally, please contact me to let me know what you technical needs will be. We will be in a room equipped with Internet access, web browsers, and sound. With enough notice we can ensure that the plug-ins you need are installed.The formal presentations promised so far include an introduction to the California Digital Library--the UC system's virtual library (presenter TBA), the UC Encoded Archival Description project--archival finding aids on the web (presented by UCLA Music Library Special Collections staff), and thematic catalogs on the web (presented by Garrett Bowles, UCSD). Garrett needs no introduction; he is well-known to us all for his expertise in the digital realm. Another possible topic--perhaps as part of the roundtable discussion--is the problem of streaming audio over the web, and electronic reserves.
The second session will be hosted by Robert Winter, well-known for his pioneering work in multimedia. He will be providing us with an introduction to the UCLA Center for the Digital Arts, an interdisciplinary venture of the School of Arts and Architecture devoted to exploring the new convergence of digital media and expression within the arts. Officially launched in 1996, the Center currently serves over nine hundred students from all six departments within the School (Architecture and Urban Design, Art, Design, Ethnomusicology, Music, World Arts & Cultures).
UCLA is well known for its Ethnomusicology Department, which places equal emphasis on both performance of world musics, and scholarship. The afternoon will begin with brief student performances from a number of different cultures.
The day will conclude with an open meeting of the Local Arrangements Committee for the MLA '99 meeting. This will be a chance for the general chapter membership to catch up on the committee's work, offer advice, and perhaps become involved in the various committee projects.
The registration fee for the meeting is $20, which includes the morning refreshments and lunch. On-campus parking is an additional $5, payable at the gate when you arrive. (If you don't mind a 20+ minute walk, email me and I can tell you where to find free parking!) Maps of the UCLA campus can be found on the web. Our day will begin in the Media Classroom, on the second floor of the University Research Library (URL, building no. 5), and will conclude in Schoenberg Hall (no. 29), home of the Music Library. The Center for the Digital Arts is housed in the Wight Art Gallery, part of the Dickson Art Center; no. 4 on the map. Lunch will be in the Faculty Center; no. 40. Note that there is a special map for printing.
Parking will be available in P2, accessible from the Westholme entrance off Hilgard Avenue, or P3, accessible from the Wyton Drive entrance off Hilgard. P3 is closer to URL, but P2 is close to Schoenberg Hall. When you arrive at the Parking and Information kiosk in the morning, ask the attendant for directions to the University Research Library. They can also provide you with a campus map. You should leave plenty of time to find parking and find your way to URL.
Please do plan to attend.
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Stephen Davison
UCLA Music Library
(310) 825-3369
(310) 206-7322 (fax)
sdavison@library.ucla.edu
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In your future I see...
NEWS OF MLA/SCC MEMBERS
JACK KRANZ (CSUN) has been elected statewide librarian representative to the California Faculty Association Board of Directors, as well as the Chair of the CFA Librarians and Library Affairs Committee.
KATHY GLENNAN (USC) has been appointed to a four-year term as Chair of national MLA's Subcommittee on MARC Formats.
STEVE FRY (UCLA) has been spending quite some time recently planning some wine tastings for our chapter members -- all in preparation for choosing official MLA wines in '99. Watch for the events on our MLASCC-List!
JOHN THORNBURY and NANCY WECKWERTH (CSULA) are offering a Continuing Education course in Music Librarianship. There's still time for registration for the quarter beginning March 30th. It will be offered again next Fall. Information is available on the MLA-SCC website or at the Cal State LA website. Registration materials can also be sent via e-mail.
LESLIE ANDERSEN (LACoPL) is writing entries on both Ann Ronell and Elizabeth Swados for the "new"; ed. of New Groves.
DONALD BROWN (El Camino College) has now recovered from serious injuries sustained in a rockslide on Kauai in January. Beyond his full-time duties as Music Librarian at ECC, he has accepted a temporary position as the Interim Organist (thru Aug. 1998) at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, thus playing what is arguably the largest church pipe organ in the world for more than six months. Good-bye, social life!
A note about this edition of the MLA/SCC Newsletter:
It is my hope that this new format for the Newsletter is well-received -- made possible by some nice new software which I am only now learning to use to its fullest capabilities. Please continue to forward news items of interest to the MLA/SCC membership to:
Donald Brown
Music Library
El Camino College
16007 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90506e-mail: dib95@ix.netcom.com
Don't forget our MLA/SCC meeting, Friday, April 24th at UCLA!
MLA/SCC Executive Board
Chair: John Thornbury, California State University, LA
Vice Chair: Stephen Davison,UCLA
Secretary/Treasurer: Nanette Schneir, Santa Monica Public Library
Members-At-Large: Joan Flintoff LoPear, UCLA
Valencia Mitchell, Cerritos College
Past Chair: Don Brown, El Camino College
MLA/SCC Newsletter, No. 68, March 1998
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Music Library Association, Southern California Chapter