Research Catalog

Interview with Merce Cunningham

Title
Interview with Merce Cunningham, 1978-12-15/21.
Author
Cunningham, Merce
Publication
  • December 15 and 21, 1978.
  • [probably 2000's?].

Available Online

NYPL Digital Collections

Details

Additional Authors
  • Vaughan, David, 1924-
  • Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, donor.
Found In
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Description
2 streaming audio files (64 minutes total) : digital, stereo
Summary
  • Streaming file 1, Dec. 15, 1978: Merce Cunningham speaks with David Vaughan about the descriptive names of the movement phrases in his Rune (1959); they speak about the reasons for the infrequency of performances of Rune, including an anecdote about a reaction to Rune from his [Merce Cunningham Dance Company] especially Barbara [Dilley Lloyd]; Cunningham speaks briefly about his extensive choreographic notes on Rune; Cunningham speaks about the chance procedures that determined when dancers were attached to the elastic bands in Crises (1960); John Cage and Gordon Mumma finding the music for Crises, Conlon Nancarrow's Rhythm studies for player piano, at the New York Public Library; they speak about Robert Rauschenberg's costumes for Crises; Cunningham speaks about the qualities of dancers Carolyn Brown and Viola Farber, especially in Rune and Crises; more about the movements and movement qualities of Crises; Cunningham speaks briefly about his choreographic notes for Crises; he speaks about dancer Catherine Kerr's movement quality as being suited to Crises; they speak about the "jagged" quality of Rune; Cunningham speaks about the challenges of creating Rune and Judith Dunn's encouragement of him to complete it; briefly, Dunn's illness; they speak about the cast of Cage's Theater piece (1960), an event at Black Mountain College; Cunningham speaks about choreographing and performing a duet with Brown, Nightwandering (1958), at the opera house in Stockholm, as well as lists the other works performed there; they briefly list the other locations in Europe where Cunningham toured after Stockholm; the 1958-59 residency at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he was commissioned to create From the poems of white stone, and, Gambit for dancers and orchestra with music by Ben Johnston; more on From the poems and Gambit, including the costumes and the reasons these works were not performed again; Cunningham speaks about his foot injury while at the University of Illinois; they speak about Cunningham's studio in New York while he was away that winter; they speak about the location stops for the tour in Europe in the summer of 1960; briefly, the solos he choreographed for Brown while in Europe, Hand birds (1960), and, Waka (1960); ends abruptly.
  • Streaming file 2, Dec. 21, 1978: Merce Cunningham speaks with David Vaughan briefly about his role in the ending section of his Nocturnes (1956); they speak about possible music he used in the dances he made for Paul Goodman's plays at the Living Theatre; they speak about Cunningham's notes for Field dances (1963), and then for Story (1963); Cunningham speaks about the inspiration for Story; the original indeterminant choreographic order of Winterbranch (1964) and later versions with a set order; he gives an anecdote about Pauline Oliveros performing on one tour as the "monster" in Winterbranch; his reasons for relinquishing the use of indeterminant choreographic order in his works in the years following the [Merce Cunningham Dance Company's] 1964 world tour; reasons that Story was not included in his ongoing repertory after the world tour but why it was performed many times for the two years that it was in repertory; why he didn't select sections from Story to be part of his Events; briefly on reconstructing Scramble (1967); he gives a brief anecdote about working with accompanist, Toshi Ichiyanagi, as well as a mention of accompanist Jack Jackson; they speak about some of the props that Bob [Robert Rauschenberg] made for a section in Story; Cunningham speaks about a cue sheet for Paired (1964) that [Rauschenberg] created by color coding and the incorporation of paint in the performances of it; [brief interruption]; Cunningham speaks about the difficulty of keeping sections in mind, but not in linear order, for performing his indeterminant based works while on tour; he speaks briefly about the indeterminant structure of Open session (1964); the set structure and rhythmic phrases of Cross currents (1964), and reviving it based on his choreographic notes; he speaks about making Cross currents, Winterbranch, Open session and Paired to accommodate the varied performance spaces on the world tour; his use of chance procedures, theater in the round spacing, and timing methods for the choreography of How to pass, kick, fall and run (1965); they speak briefly about the choreographic order of Place (1966); ends abruptly.
Alternative Title
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Interviews.
  • Sound recordings.
Note
  • David Vaughan interviews Merce Cunningham in New York, New York, on December 15 and 21, 1978. This interview was created as research for David Vaughan's book, Merce Cunningham: Fifty years (New York, Aperture).
  • Title and dates provided by cataloger based on audition and handwritten and typed notes on original container.
  • Handwritten and typed notes on original original container: "David Vaughan: Interviews with Merce Cunningham ; A. 15 December 1978 ; Merce Cunningham ; Studio, Westbeth, New York ; B. 21 December 1978".
  • Sound quality is fair to mostly good; at times the interviewee is muffled or speaks away from the recording microphone and there are background noises.
Access (note)
  • Patrons can access streaming audio only on site at NYPL Research Libraries.
Event (note)
  • Dubbed from an unidentified original.
Source (note)
  • Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation
Linking Entry (note)
  • Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Call Number
*LTC-A 1446
OCLC
913960392
Author
Cunningham, Merce, interviewee.
Title
Interview with Merce Cunningham, 1978-12-15/21.
Production
December 15 and 21, 1978.
Publisher
[probably 2000's?].
Playing Time
003132 003135
Type of Content
spoken word
Type of Medium
audio
Type of Carrier
audiocassette
online resource
Digital File Characteristics
audio file
Event
Originally recorded at Merce Cunningham's Westbeth Studio in, New York, New York, 1978 December 15 and 21.
Dubbed from an unidentified original.
Restricted Access
Patrons can access streaming audio only on site at NYPL Research Libraries.
Original Version
Archival original: (1 audio cassette (64 minutes) : analog) in *LTC-A 1446 no. 5.
Linking Entry
Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Local Note
Transferred from original analog cassette by George Blood Audio on March 25, 2015; two preservation files were created based on the cassette sides.
Source
Gift; Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, 2011-2012.
Connect to:
NYPL Digital Collections
Added Author
Vaughan, David, 1924- interviewer.
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, donor.
Added Title
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials.
Found In:
Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.
Research Call Number
*LTC-A 1446
View in Legacy Catalog