School me about Glenn Branca

Glenn Branca , The Ascension: Classic or Dud?

"The Ascension" is probably the best place to start, though.

As a matter of fact, a couple of them came back into print just last month. The symphonies are on Atavistic Records (Branca page), which has distribution thru Touch & Go.

I didn't find the compositions for regular symphony orchestra to be among his strongest. I believe he acknowledges this himself. #12, for a smaller group of guitars, was a real disappointment for me. I started to wonder if maybe he'd lost it. But Hallucination City (#13) then turned out to be a major event in my life. I think it may be his most accomplished and ambitious composition, a summary of everything he'd done to that point. It was an hour-long single movement for 80 guitars, 20 basses, and one drummer, performed on the roof of the World Trade Centre a few months before it was destroyed. Everyone had to basically do tremolo strumming, while shifting chord shapes on unison tuning, for the entire duration of the piece. It was a free concert - small children and senior citizens came and danced to the music, I shit you not. I'm phenomenally regretful that AFAIK the only recording of it is the few short clips on his site. < / plug>If you squint you can catch a bespectacled, short-haired version of me from 4 years ago in the front row of 'tenor' guitarists < / plug>.

2xpost

but #3 is still my favorite for texture & immersion. #2 and #6 runnerups. (#5 would be a contender if the sound quality weren't a bit off)

I bought the 'ascension' reissue, and can see it's importance and imagine how incredible seeing those must have been at the time, but I agree with sundar, the later works are better. (btw sundar, didn't know you played in #13! downloading those clips now.)

Some of the GYBE guys did play in #13 actually. I don't know if that came before or after Lift Yr Skinny Fists, but there is definitely a part on that (disc 1, track 2 IIRC) that's basically Branca pastiche. That GYBE album may actually be a more complete overall composition than most of GB's stuff, to be honest, but GB still reaches pinnacles of OTT guitar collision. He's a pretty singular figure. More than any avant-gardist I can think of, his classic work really seems to still aim for late 19th-century uber-Romantic-style bombast in its narrative but to do this with sound ideals that derive at least as much from Ligeti/Penderecki-style textural composition as from minimalism, while coming from basically a heavy rock/punk background.

One earlier piece that I do quite like is "Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses", which shows a bit of a Steve Reich influence.

when he really began redesigning guitars
I heard about his electric harpsichord. Thats either subversive genius or lovecraftian horror. I haven't made up my mind yet.

(Oh, message to donut...the 'package' arrived safely. I tried to send you a thank you email, buy your hotmail account just kept sending me bounce messages.)

Symphony #3 is quite a different beast than Lesson #1 and The Ascension, as the former is meant to be more ambient and, as you said, happens to sound very proto-shoegazery. However, the latter two are quite essential... you'll probably approach late 80s Sonic Youth very differently after hearing them.. or perhaps even Joy Division. (though the two albums were released at the same time as JD's albums, and I doubt there was any cross-influences). They are far more percussive and dynamic.
Actually, "Lesson No. 1" was Branca's musical response to hearing "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

"The Ascension" is so goddamned glorious...

Glenn Branca
Hallucination City: Symphony 13 for 100 Guitars

---------------
Feb. 4, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Montclair State University, School of The Arts
Montclair, New Jersey, 07043 USA - 973-655-4000
All seats $25
http://www.montclair.edu/kasser/GlennBranca.html

---------------
March 29, 2006, 8:00 PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA (323) 850-2000
All seats $10.
http://wdch.laphil.org/tix/performance_detail.cfm?id=2623

Hi everyone,
Glenn Branca is gearing up for another recording/performance of the 13th
Symphony
"Hallucination City" for 100 guitars in early February. If you or anyone you
know is
interested, please read the attached message from Glenn below and sign up.

If you sign up, he'll mail you the parts in staff notation, so you need to be
able to read
music to some degree- but the parts are really easy and you have a ton of time
to learn
everything.

So... check it out and spread the word. Hope to see you there!

_______________________________________________________________________

Hi,
Here's the info for the upcoming performance and recording of:
"Symphony No.13 (Hallucination City)" for 80 guitars, 20 basses and
drums. It premiered at the former WTC on June 13, 2001. If you
played in the piece at the WTC or in the studio last year you will
probably know most of this.

The venue will be the Kasser Theater at Montclair St. University, NJ.
The show is part of the Peak Performance series being put together by
the redoubtable Jed Wheeler. For exact location and directions go to:
www.montclair.edu/kasser. It's easy to get there from Penn Station.
The dates and times are Feb. 2,3 and 4th, with the performance on the
4th. The rehearsals and recording (they've got a good digital studio
there) will be the 2nd and 3rd, 11am to 9pm on both days and the 4th,
1-6pm with the performance at 7:30. Food and drink will be provided.
Each musician will need to know his/her part (but you don't need to
memorize it). The recording will be released on Cantaloupe Records
(the bangoncan guys) with the indefatigable Wharton Tiers on drums and the
always
assured John Myers conducting. You'll need to bring a guitar and amp (whatever
you've
got, a medium sized amp would be best). It will also be necessary to restring
your guitar
for the tuning. Basses will not need to be restrung OR retuned. And I will have
a serious
quantity of replacement strings on hand.

The parts are in staff notation. The playing technique includes plenty
of double-strumming and downstroke chording. Complete detailed
instructions will come with the parts which will be sent before the end
of December. I will answer any questions you have about the part when
you get it.

If you want to do the gig you should e-mail your postal mailing address
and telephone number (please note whether you play BASS or GUITAR) to
dthetncrkr@earthlink.net. I have rewritten the piece and it is now in 3
movements of about
20 minutes each. So if you played in the piece last time don't work on your old
part. But
your new part will still be in the tuning that you played.

There will also be a performance of the piece in LA on March 29th. So
if you're on the coast you might prefer to do that one (although you'd
miss the recording).

It is still not possible to pay this number of people. So you'll have
to do the gig for free. Also, if you know anyone else who you think might want
to do the
gig I still need some more players.

Thank You,
Glenn Branca

He's a little down.

u beat me by 13 seconds :,( rip, music :,(

Symphony No. 6 sounding really good today on a gray day alone at the office... I absolutely love his music but don't listen much, because it's sort of exhausting. Would love to see something of his performed live

Sound, fury, and scholarship: With acquisition of Glenn Branca archive, Northwestern Libraries adds more thunder to its impressive 20th-century music collection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcXg4sHLks0