WILDERWORLD

Composed by Alec Wilder

Paul Brodie saxophone, James Campbell clarinet

Transcribed from Suite for Two Clarinets written in 1976

From LP Paul Brodie and Camerata (Golden Crest CRS 4194) Fibre Sculpture "Enchanted Forest" by Rima Brodie

Recorded April 1980

"This suite exploits some of the similarities and differences between the sonorities of the clarinet and saxophone, heard separately and together. The first and second movements are in 4/4 time, the third movement is in 5/8, 3/4 and 7/8 time and is marked 'Freely'. The fourth movement is in a slow 3/4 time and the fifth and sixth movements are in 6/8 time"

Don't miss the 24th annual Alec Wilder Concert in New York City coming up on Saturday, April 4th, 3:00 p.m. at St. Peter's Church, 54th and Lexington. Among the performances will be saxophonist and author David Demsey playing Wilder's Suite No. 1 for Tenor Saxophone, aka Three Ballads for Stan (Getz) (see wilderworld 88) Tickets available at the door. See you there!

Words by Marshall Barer, Music by Alec Wilder

Written in 1955

From LP Bernie Knee (Audiophile AP-144) Knee vocal, Loonis McGlohon piano, Terry Lassiter bass and Jim Lackey drums. Recorded November 1977 for the American Popular Song radio program

"Absolutely marvelous, all of you!" - Alec Wilder

Happy 102nd Birthday Alec!!

Words by William Engvick, Music by Alec Wilder

Written in 1945

Recorded August 1950

All words and music by Alec Wilder except as indicated

Tacet for Neurotics from LP New Music of Alec Wilder (Riverside RLP 12-219 1956) [for complete track see wilderworld 36]

Air for Clarinet from LP The New York Woodwind Quintet Plays Alec Wilder (Golden Crest CR 3019 1957)

Animals of Farmer Jones (Golden 13A 1948) Words by Jane Werner

Air for English Horn from LP Frank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder (Columbia ML 4271 1950)

1 Dans Quixotic, 2 Slow and Sweet, 3 Song movements of Suite for Horn and Piano from LP John Barrows and his French Horn (Golden Crest RE 7002 1960) [see wilderworld 47]

Christmas & Sugaring Off from 10" LP The Grandma Moses Suite (Columbia ML 2185 1951) Developed and orchestrated by Alec Wilder from the musical score by Hugh Martin

Did You Ever Cross Over to Sneden's from LP Shannon Bolin Songs for Patricia (Riverside RLP 12-805 1957)

Lonely Seascape, Incantation & Finale from LP Music from The Sand Castle (Columbia CL 1455 1961)

Love Among the Young from LP Jennie Young Love Among the Young (Columbia CL 1242 1959) Words by Norman Gimbel

A Personality Portrait of Alec Wilder was written and produced by Loonis McGlohon for WBT Radio in Charlotte, North Carolina

The first of many collaborations between Wilder and McGlohon, who was Musical Director at WBT for several years.

All words and music by Alec Wilder except as noted

I’ll Be Around from LP Percy Faith and Mitch Miller It’s So Peaceful in the Country (Columbia CL 779 1956) [see wilderworld 73]

Seldom the Sun by the Alec Wilder Octet (Columbia 35648 1940) Recorded July 1940 [same personnel as wilderworld 09]

Tuba Showpiece aka Movement III of Suite No. 1 for Brass Quintet from LP New York Brass Quintet Presents Two Contemporary Composers (Golden Crest 4017 1959)

The Happy Man and His Dump Truck (Golden Records R54 1950) Words by Marshall Barer

Air for Oboe from LP Frank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder (Columbia ML 4271 1950) Recorded December 5, 1945 [see wilderworld 39]

Mama Never Dug This Scene from LP Mundell Lowe and his Orchestra New Music of Alec Wilder (Riverside RLP 12-219 1956)

While We’re Young by Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour (Capitol 1683 1949) Words by William Engvick, Music by Alec Wilder and Morty Palitz [see wilderworld 50]

Trouble is a Man by Sarah Vaughan with the Ted Dale Orchestra (Musicraft 533 1947) [see wilderworld 60]

Definition from LP Shannon Bolin Songs for Patricia (Riverside RLP 12-805 1957) Words by William Engvick

Where Is the One? from LP Frank Sinatra Where Are You? (Capitol W 855 1957) Words by Alec Wilder, Music by Eddie Finckel; Recorded April 10, 1957 [see wilderworld 126]

Photo is of Alec and Loonis at Freedom Park in Charlotte in the early 1960s during filming of a television program with the Newcomers student singing group

"Alec Wilder gives us short, pleasant to listen to pieces which amount to three songs and a march"

Written in 1962

Burt Hardin, professor of Horn at Eastern Illinois University, plays all four parts with the aid of modern multi-track recording technology. "If I have any recommendation for anyone contemplating such a project, it is to hire a recording studio and three other horn players. It is much easier in the long run!"

Two examples of Alec Wilder songs rewritten to make them more appealing to children

Kalamazoo to Timbuktu (see wilderworld 38) from Songs of Travel (Golden Record Library RL 9911 1959)

Song of the Sparrow (Golden R343 1956); see wilderworld 48

Words by Fred Hellerman, Music by Alec Wilder

From LP An Evening with Carol Lawrence (Cameo C-1077)

Written in 1953

wilderworld recently asked Mr. Hellerman, one of The Weavers of folk legend, about how his unlikely collaboration with Alec on Summer Rain came about:

“Summer Rain has the distinction of being the only song I ever wrote for which I didn't write the music. It's nowhere near being a ‘folky’ type song, but was written as a pop ballad. It came about, oddly enough, when I had read the comments at the graveside of the Rosenbergs by their lawyer, who hoped that the ‘summer rains fall gently on this spot.’ I was very moved by it and wrote a pop lyric around it.

“I gave it to my then-publisher who left it lying around on his desk. Alec Wilder happened to see it, loved it and asked if he could write some music to it. Being a fan of Alec's, I was terribly flattered and excited at the prospect.

“It's hard for me to say what I felt about what he did. As I said, I never before had anybody else write music for a lyric of mine and so I was quite taken aback by it, inasmuch as it was so far from anything I had imagined. But then again, I had absolutely no experience hearing what music someone else might write to a song of mine. I'm not sure what it is that I had in mind, but this was quite different. Not bad, but different.

“In any case, nothing ever happened with it. There was one record of it by Carol Lawrence on some cockamaymee record label. I think it may have sold less than 10 records and then zoomed into oblivion.

“I never knew Alec. I had casually met him several times but never got to know him, so I had to settle for admiring him from afar. But I'm certainly glad to have my name associated with him albeit in some small way.”

Music by Alec Wilder

From LP Presenting Robert Farnon (London LL 812); Denny Vaughan, piano, with Robert Farnon and his orchestra

Recorded January 27, 1950

aka From Dawn to Dusk

Words by William Engvick, Music by Alec Wilder

Written in 1952

From LP Morgana King Winter of My Discontent (Ascot AM 13014) (see wilderworld 11)

Clipping from Down Beat Magazine August 13, 1947


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL ENGVICK!! Well and writing at age 94

Composed by Alec Wilder

Fourth of four movements

see wilderworld 14

The second of two live NBC television productions to feature music by Alec Wilder aired on Sunday April 27, 1958 (see wilderworld 111)

Words by William Engvick

The Hansel and Gretel Song (Much Too Happy Dancing), Market Today, Men Run the World, Evening Song (Soft Through the Woodland), Morning Song, Eenie Meenie Miney Moe, What are Little Girls Made Of?, Finale

From LP Hansel and Gretel (MGM E3690). Performed by Red Buttons, Barbara Cook, Rudy Vallee, Stubby Kaye and Paula Lawrence

Words by Lee Kuhn, Music by Alec Wilder

Written in 1947

Sung by Lee Kuhn, piano player unknown

Yes, it's spring, so it must be time for the annual Friends of Alec Wilder Concert! If you're in the New York area, don't miss the 23rd annual concert this Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm. at St. Peter's Church, 54th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City. Each year's concert features a wonderful array of artists presenting a wide variety of Alec Wilder material. Highlights from this year's program include a performance of the rarely heard "Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano" and a group led by Mike McGinnis playing "chamber jazz improvisations on popular songs." Tickets are available at the door. Be there!

Movement One
Movement Two
Movement Three
Movement Four
Movement Five

Written in 1960

From LP The Compositions of Alec Wilder (Golden Crest ATH-5070); Performed by the University of South Florida Wind Ensemble, guest conducted by Frederick Fennell

Photo by Lou Ouzer of Alec Wilder with the steel I-beam played in Movement Five of the premiere performance of Entertainment No. 1 in Rochester on May 1, 1961. Wilder's use of the I-beam was in response to a reviewer's criticism that he couldn't write "loud"

Words by William Engvick, Music by Alec Wilder and Bert Reisfeld based on a melody from the third, Nocturne movement of the String Quartet in D by Alexander Borodin

Recorded April 15, 1946

Words by Alec Wilder, Music by Eddie Finckel

Decca 24558

Dick Haymes with orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins

Recorded December 21, 1947

Words by Judy Holliday, Music by Alec Wilder

Written in 1976

From LP Mark Murphy Satisfaction Guaranteed (Muse MR 5215)

Photo by Lou Ouzer

HAPPY 101st BIRTHDAY ALEC WILDER!!

In four movements
= 86
= 104
= 60
= 112

From LP Music for Trumpet (Golden Crest RE 7045); Robert Levy trumpet, Amy Lou Levy piano

Written in 1967

wilderworld recently asked Bob Levy about the Suite for Trumpet and Piano and its recording:

WW: How did the Suite for Trumpet and Piano come about?

BL: Forty years ago, when I was a kid of 24, I asked Alec if he would be willing to write a trumpet piano work for me. The result was the four movement Suite. He was very quick to do it and I was thrilled. It was the first piece he wrote for me.

WW: You’ve performed a lot of Alec’s music over the years. How does the Suite compare to other pieces you’ve played?

BL: I think the piece is very much like much of his chamber music. It is highly melodic, angular in nature with its large intervalic leaps, and leaves phrasing largely up to the performer. As with most of his works, the performer must bring more of themselves to fostering a "point of view" in terms of shaping the music. That's the essential thing with Alec's music in my opinion.

WW: What about the Suite to you seems written for Bob Levy?

BL: Perhaps the 3rd movement has had a special sense of having been written for me as it is quite bluesy in nature. Alec knew of my love for jazz and that may have influenced him. Years later I asked him about possibly setting a lyric to the rather haunting melody it has, but its range and form made it less accessible.

WW: Who is Amy Lou Levy?

BL: She's my ex-wife.

WW: Was Alec present for the recording?

BL: Yes, Alec was there at the recording session and actually attended all subsequent recording sessions I did of his music from 1974-1980 (see wilderworld 75). He was most enthusiastic and supportive. Often, when composers attend dress rehearsals or recording sessions the performers can become quite nervous and it's easy to lose concentration, especially if they are continually offering suggestions. Alec always just seemed pleased you were recording his music and his comments were always encouraging. I remember, with recording one of his brass quintets, when after a “take" we all were a bit agitated and wanted to immediately do another, better one. Alec came running in from the recording booth and told us, “That's it; that's the one! Don't you even consider doing another one!"

Words and Music by Alec Wilder

Composed and orchestrated by Alec Wilder

From the 1960 film The Sand Castle, produced and directed by Jerome Hill

LP The Sand Castle (Columbia CS 8249); Orchestra conducted by Samuel Baron

Ragtime Music, with the addition of newly-composed words by William Engvick, was recently published as the song Jam! in The Alec Wilder Song Collection Centennial Edition (see wilderworld 114)