Charles Ives isn't exactly an obscure composer, but he has many pieces that aren't heard as often as some of his staples (such as the Concord Sonata, or The Unanswered Question). One piece, or rather, one collection of works that isn't as well known, is his 114 Songs. He privately published it in 1922, as an attempt to get his music out to the wider public.

The subjects of his songs are wide and varied such as hymns, protest songs, and satirical songs. Ives wrote some of the texts himself. We'll be looking at two today: "The Cage" and "At the River".

The Cage is a very short song, clocking in just over a minute, yet in it's short time, it has some fascinating composition techniques and ideas. One of those is that the piano and vocal parts seemingly have nothing to do with each other! The piano is very rhythmically independent of the singer, and uses various chords and sonorities to depict a leopard, pacing around it's cage. It makes for fascinating listening.

"At the River" is actually a hymn written by Robert Lowry, written in 1864. It's alternately known as "Shall We Gather At the River" or "The Beautiful River", and is a hymn about anticipation of restoration and reward. Ives’s vocal arrangement of “The Beautiful River” is based upon an arrangement found in his Violin Sonata No. 4, in the final movement, subtitled "Children's Day at the Camp Meeting". The children are making quite a bit of noise at this camp meeting, which is reflected in the dissonances and rhythmic exchanges. It's also interesting to think about the hymn's theme of restoration, when Ives' chords don't always resolve like we are used to hearing in hymns.

 

Finding a recording with all 114 songs is difficult. We did find three recordings with several movements, however.

Sigune von Osten
Ted Puffer
Ted Puffer