![Feldman, Morton. (1926 - 1987) Illusions for Piano [New Music Quarterly, July, 1950]](http://www.schubertiademusic.com/cdn/shop/files/Feldman_2C_Morton_Piano_score_8624.jpg?v=1722187543)
Feldman, Morton. (1926 - 1987). Illusions for Piano [New Music Quarterly, July, 1950]. New York: New Music. July, 1950. First edition. First edition of one of Feldman's earliest compositions, his first piano work to appear in print and one his first published works of any kind. It appears here in the quarterly magazine of modern compositions, founded by Henry Cowell and first issued in 1927. Also in this issue are the "Four Cantos for Piano" by Seymour Shifrin. Original blue printed wrappers; Title; 2-14 pp.; [biographies of the composers]. Ex-lib, with a few stamps, small tear to first page, else fine. Reference: Sebastian Claren, "Neither. Die Musik Morton Feldmans," p. 578.
"Morton Feldman completed Illusions for solo piano in 1950. The composer's former teacher, Stefan Wolpe, who was a former student of Webern and wrote in an atonal style, directly influences this work. Illusions is in four parts; the first two are slightly over two minutes long while the second two are about thirty seconds each. Its sound suggests the atonal music of the Second Viennese School. This work can be considered pre-Feldman, insofar as it does not reflect the legacy that discerning listeners have come to appreciate, but it is interesting music because it is an isolated, surviving example of what he was creating before he found the path to his own artistic voice. It is also interesting music, presenting a graceful set of contrasts that illustrate an enthusiasm for music that would later flower into one of the finest musical forces of the twentieth century. At the time of this work's composition, Feldman was not yet twenty-four years old and had not attended a university...In 1950, when Illusions was written, Feldman had attended a performance of Webern's Symphony at Carnegie Hall. The ensuing antagonism from the audience compelled him to leave early, and in the lobby he met John Cage. This was the precise moment when everything changed for Feldman, because Cage introduced him to other composers, great painters, and an entire art world that would bring him into the realm of the new and decidedly American avant-garde." (John Keillor, allmusic.com)
"Morton Feldman completed Illusions for solo piano in 1950. The composer's former teacher, Stefan Wolpe, who was a former student of Webern and wrote in an atonal style, directly influences this work. Illusions is in four parts; the first two are slightly over two minutes long while the second two are about thirty seconds each. Its sound suggests the atonal music of the Second Viennese School. This work can be considered pre-Feldman, insofar as it does not reflect the legacy that discerning listeners have come to appreciate, but it is interesting music because it is an isolated, surviving example of what he was creating before he found the path to his own artistic voice. It is also interesting music, presenting a graceful set of contrasts that illustrate an enthusiasm for music that would later flower into one of the finest musical forces of the twentieth century. At the time of this work's composition, Feldman was not yet twenty-four years old and had not attended a university...In 1950, when Illusions was written, Feldman had attended a performance of Webern's Symphony at Carnegie Hall. The ensuing antagonism from the audience compelled him to leave early, and in the lobby he met John Cage. This was the precise moment when everything changed for Feldman, because Cage introduced him to other composers, great painters, and an entire art world that would bring him into the realm of the new and decidedly American avant-garde." (John Keillor, allmusic.com)
Feldman, Morton. (1926 - 1987). Illusions for Piano [New Music Quarterly, July, 1950]. New York: New Music. July, 1950. First edition. First edition of one of Feldman's earliest compositions, his first piano work to appear in print and one his first published works of any kind. It appears here in the quarterly magazine of modern compositions, founded by Henry Cowell and first issued in 1927. Also in this issue are the "Four Cantos for Piano" by Seymour Shifrin. Original blue printed wrappers; Title; 2-14 pp.; [biographies of the composers]. Ex-lib, with a few stamps, small tear to first page, else fine. Reference: Sebastian Claren, "Neither. Die Musik Morton Feldmans," p. 578.
"Morton Feldman completed Illusions for solo piano in 1950. The composer's former teacher, Stefan Wolpe, who was a former student of Webern and wrote in an atonal style, directly influences this work. Illusions is in four parts; the first two are slightly over two minutes long while the second two are about thirty seconds each. Its sound suggests the atonal music of the Second Viennese School. This work can be considered pre-Feldman, insofar as it does not reflect the legacy that discerning listeners have come to appreciate, but it is interesting music because it is an isolated, surviving example of what he was creating before he found the path to his own artistic voice. It is also interesting music, presenting a graceful set of contrasts that illustrate an enthusiasm for music that would later flower into one of the finest musical forces of the twentieth century. At the time of this work's composition, Feldman was not yet twenty-four years old and had not attended a university...In 1950, when Illusions was written, Feldman had attended a performance of Webern's Symphony at Carnegie Hall. The ensuing antagonism from the audience compelled him to leave early, and in the lobby he met John Cage. This was the precise moment when everything changed for Feldman, because Cage introduced him to other composers, great painters, and an entire art world that would bring him into the realm of the new and decidedly American avant-garde." (John Keillor, allmusic.com)
"Morton Feldman completed Illusions for solo piano in 1950. The composer's former teacher, Stefan Wolpe, who was a former student of Webern and wrote in an atonal style, directly influences this work. Illusions is in four parts; the first two are slightly over two minutes long while the second two are about thirty seconds each. Its sound suggests the atonal music of the Second Viennese School. This work can be considered pre-Feldman, insofar as it does not reflect the legacy that discerning listeners have come to appreciate, but it is interesting music because it is an isolated, surviving example of what he was creating before he found the path to his own artistic voice. It is also interesting music, presenting a graceful set of contrasts that illustrate an enthusiasm for music that would later flower into one of the finest musical forces of the twentieth century. At the time of this work's composition, Feldman was not yet twenty-four years old and had not attended a university...In 1950, when Illusions was written, Feldman had attended a performance of Webern's Symphony at Carnegie Hall. The ensuing antagonism from the audience compelled him to leave early, and in the lobby he met John Cage. This was the precise moment when everything changed for Feldman, because Cage introduced him to other composers, great painters, and an entire art world that would bring him into the realm of the new and decidedly American avant-garde." (John Keillor, allmusic.com)