Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was born on October 20, 1874, in Danbury, Connecticut, the son of music director George Ives. He received his musical training from his father. At only twelve years of age he already played the drum in his father’s band and wrote music for this ensemble. In addition, he began to study the piano and the organ and became so proficient at the latter that he was able to take over the position of church organist in his home town at the age of fourteen.
Most importantly, however, and this seems to be the crucial ingredient of Ives’ artistic heritage, his father taught Charles an openness and unprejudiced attitude towards musical phenomena, which seems to have stimulated and inspired his son’s keen pleasure in musical experiments.
As student at Yale University, Ives continued his musical training which however resulted in conflict with his conservative teacher Horatio Parker, a student of Rheinberger’s and a rigorous adherent to the romantic German tradition.
His First Symphony in four movements in d-minor (1898-1902), which Ives wrote as final piece concluding his Yale studies, shows elements of role models like Brahms or Beethoven, although it does strive for its own idiom by breaking out of the traditional mold of classical form. Only after finishing his studies did the intensive period of experimental works begin which led to Ives’ discovery of polytonality, atonality, polyrhythmics and quarter tone music.
After finishing his studies, however, Ives had to look for a job to earn his living.
He accepted a position working for the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company.
As a substitute, he continued to play the organ at various New York churches and spent his free time writing music, without giving the possibility of public performance much thought. Displaying great commercial as well as artistic talents, he founded his own insurance agency in 1907, which became Ives & Myrick in 1909 – for many years one of the largest life insurance companies along the East Coast, which afforded him financial independence.
In 1918, at the end of the First World War, Ives suffered a break-down, which might have been due to hard work both at his agency and as composer who was producing new works at incredible speed. Finally, he completely withdrew from his working life and confined his art to correcting, revising and producing fair copy of the pieces he had hitherto composed. Only the dedicated efforts of fellow artists such as the composers Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and the pianist John Kirkpatrick finally resulted in the thirties in a growing interest in Ives’s pieces.
Ever since John Kirkpatrick’s legendary performance of Ives's’ “Concord Sonata” in 1939, his music gradually became accepted and could be heard at various concert venues. Ives himself showed no interest in this development and - with a very few exceptions - neither concerned himself with performances of his works nor attended them.
In 1947 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Third Symphony. In 1951, Leonard Bernstein performed Ives’ Second Symphony, conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. The “Father of Modern American Music” died on May 19, 1954.
Most importantly, however, and this seems to be the crucial ingredient of Ives’ artistic heritage, his father taught Charles an openness and unprejudiced attitude towards musical phenomena, which seems to have stimulated and inspired his son’s keen pleasure in musical experiments.
As student at Yale University, Ives continued his musical training which however resulted in conflict with his conservative teacher Horatio Parker, a student of Rheinberger’s and a rigorous adherent to the romantic German tradition.
His First Symphony in four movements in d-minor (1898-1902), which Ives wrote as final piece concluding his Yale studies, shows elements of role models like Brahms or Beethoven, although it does strive for its own idiom by breaking out of the traditional mold of classical form. Only after finishing his studies did the intensive period of experimental works begin which led to Ives’ discovery of polytonality, atonality, polyrhythmics and quarter tone music.
After finishing his studies, however, Ives had to look for a job to earn his living.
He accepted a position working for the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company.
As a substitute, he continued to play the organ at various New York churches and spent his free time writing music, without giving the possibility of public performance much thought. Displaying great commercial as well as artistic talents, he founded his own insurance agency in 1907, which became Ives & Myrick in 1909 – for many years one of the largest life insurance companies along the East Coast, which afforded him financial independence.
In 1918, at the end of the First World War, Ives suffered a break-down, which might have been due to hard work both at his agency and as composer who was producing new works at incredible speed. Finally, he completely withdrew from his working life and confined his art to correcting, revising and producing fair copy of the pieces he had hitherto composed. Only the dedicated efforts of fellow artists such as the composers Henry Cowell, Lou Harrison and the pianist John Kirkpatrick finally resulted in the thirties in a growing interest in Ives’s pieces.
Ever since John Kirkpatrick’s legendary performance of Ives's’ “Concord Sonata” in 1939, his music gradually became accepted and could be heard at various concert venues. Ives himself showed no interest in this development and - with a very few exceptions - neither concerned himself with performances of his works nor attended them.
In 1947 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his Third Symphony. In 1951, Leonard Bernstein performed Ives’ Second Symphony, conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. The “Father of Modern American Music” died on May 19, 1954.