On Thursday, August 8th, trumpet player Judson Scott and myself will mount East Coast Meets West, a unique recital of contemporary works for different combinations of trumpet, piano and voice, with a couple of piano suites thrown in as interludes. The second of these suites is by David Mahler, a highly original composer who has worked in experimental, non-academic circles for many decades. As his career has taken him back and forth between Pittsburgh and Seattle, we thought a work by him would be ideal for our program, which aims to bridge the gap between the Pacific Northwest and Northeast coast musical worlds. Among his recent works is the piano suite Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel, inspired by his friendship with the eponymous composer, and I'll be performing the suite in a few days' time. I was fortunate enough to secure a correspondence interview with Mahler on the work and his career, and here's the result of that happy meeting.
How did you come to work both in Pittsburgh and Seattle?
Pittsburgh became home in 2005, when my wife chose to attend grad school at Pitt (Ed.: Pittsburgh University). An intended one year sojourn has stretched into nearly fourteen years.
I grew up in the Chicago area, taught school for three years in Portland, Oregon, and spent two back-to-school years at Cal Arts in Southern California. My move to Seattle in 1972 was virtually on a whim, not for work or study purposes. I lived there for twenty-three years.
Do you prefer one city over the other, either for personal or musical reasons?
Seattle is my memory home, but Pittsburgh is home.
I still have very dear friends in Seattle, and love returning at least a couple of times a year.
One of the reasons Pittsburgh is home is because of its communal nature. Almost without exception, strangers are friends, and a passerby whom you've never met, when they ask how you're doing, really expects you to tell them. Pittsburgh, where the spirit of Mister Rogers lives, is the friendliest city I've ever known.
Living in Pittsburgh is like living in a model railroad layout. This city's topography is crumpled and, because it grew in a "pre-sluice" era, the city's engineers early-on built inclines and public steps in order for people and goods to navigate its hills and gullies. The hills in Seattle are neat and tidy compared to the topography of Pittsburgh. For as long as I've lived here, I can go out for a walk and still get lost!
Economically, Pittsburgh is stable. Affordable, too! Though these hills and valleys are uneven, Pittsburgh's economic playing field strives to be level.
The amenities of Seattle cannot be matched here, or in many cities. But tradition and age are perhaps a trade-off for amenities. History radiates from this west-of-the-Alleghenies outpost, going back to the time when Pittsburgh was the frontier.
I love Pittsburgh's proximity to other cities and regions. Who knew how beautiful West Virginia is? And there are many cities within five-hundred miles of Pittsburgh: Asheville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., among others.
Musically, Pittsburgh and Seattle are two impressive cities, if quite different. The independent music scene in Seattle seems vibrant to me, whereas music in Pittsburgh is more tied to institutions. Exceptional players abound here, as they do in Seattle. Local composers here are cherished as contributors to a Pittsburgh musical legacy.
Who is Martin Bartlett?
Composer Martin Bartlett, born in 1939 in England, moved with his family to Vancouver, B.C. in 1952. From the late 1960's through 1972 he lived in the San Francisco Bay area, where he immersed himself in electronic musical instrument construction. He then spent the rest of his life living in Victora and Vancouver B.C., composing, performing, building instruments, and adding Indonesian gamelan music to his long list of passions.
Martin was a founding member of the Western Front Society in Vancouver, and directed its music program for many years. His work as a composer is vital to an understanding of the development of electronic and computer-controlled music.
Martin and I became close friends in 1975, remaining so until his death from AIDS in 1993.
What is the significance of the Claremont Hotel in Seattle (now Hotel Andra)?
Knowing he was dying of AIDS, Martin visited me from his B.C. home early in 1993 for a final goodbye. Seattle's Claremont Hotel was Martin's choice for our rendezvous.
The score includes the following quote in the front:
"If you're not part of the problem, you're not part of the solution." ~Scientific Canadian, 1981
As far as I know, this magazine has never existed. Did it exist, or is this a joke?
The quote is from Martin's own publication, Scientific Canadian, vol. 1, no. 2, which he produced and had typeset and printed while traveling in India in 1981. The publication joins the many projects and people that represent the spirit of creative irreverence I was privileged to experience at the Western Front.
The movement titles seem to just reflect the content - is there a further significance?
I think of Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel as a kind of theatrical set, and the six sections as scenes. Each section is a reflection of, or from, Martin. The titles and sections are mostly triggered by my last visit with him. "Entrance" and "Exit (to the bells of Vancouver)" are obvious, a beginning and an ending, that's all. My lasting memory of Martin's deep, resonant voice shines in "Ghost Soliloquy", and "Be Still" is how Martin Was - collected, always confident, at ease. "Anthem, Flourish" is an arrangement of the Canadian National Anthem, and "Beloved" is my setting of the French Canadian folk song, "Un Canadien Errant".
Is the set designed wholly as a memorial, or only partly?
This set of pieces is a memorial to Martin, but also a gift of gratitude to pianist Nurit Tilles, who devoted great time and energy to playing and recording my piano music, and who, before I met her, had written the entry on Martin Bartlett for the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS. The piece is dedicated to her.
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East Coast Meets West is presented as part of the Wayward Music Series. Thursday, August 8th at 8 pm, Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center in Seattle. $5-$20 suggested donation at the door. See you soon...
~PNK
