Tag: Paul Lansky

Composer Paul Lansky has a sly sense of humor that he somehow manages to pass off, time and again, as unassumingly as a plate of dry toast. I love this description of his creative process:

“Generally I write for a group, and I think of what’s good for the group,” he says. “When you start a piece, it’s just flowing wildly, and at a certain point your ‘wild flowing’ tends to become a little more organized. Finally you know what you’re doing. Then you keep working, and it starts to get a little worse. Then you know you’ve finished the piece.”

It starts to get a little worse, and that’s when you know you’re done. I love that. So true!

It’s one of countless pearls Lansky’s strung over the past 80 years, 45 of which (from 1969 to 2014) he served on the faculty of Princeton University. For nine for those years (from 1991 to 2000), he chaired the university’s music department.

A French hornist who became a pioneering composer of computer music, Lansky caught the ear of the experimental rock band Radiohead (his 1973 computer piece “mild und leise” was sampled in the song “Idioteque,” released on the group’s 2000 album “Kid A”). More enduringly, he formed a fruitful association with guitarist David Starobin, whose Bridge Records, Inc. has documented and released just about Lansky’s entire output, with at least 17 CDs devoted exclusively to his music.

Of course, Lansky has long since evolved from his days as a trailblazer in the field of electronic music. Heading into the 1990s, he began to sense he had said all he had to say using computers and began to shift his focus back to the acoustic realm. Among his works for orchestra, his concerto for two pianos, “Shapeshifters,” was performed at Carnegie Hall in 2012.

I interviewed Lansky several times over the years, both on the radio and for the newspaper. Here’s an article I wrote for his impending 75th birthday concert at Richardson Auditorium in 2019. I’m pretty sure it’s the only time I ever used “armpit fart” in print.

https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/artsandentertainment/a-composer-celebrates-with-wit-and-human-touch/article_9d5126f9-b138-56ba-b139-9d4108840e67.html

Happy birthday, Paul Lansky!

One of Lansky’s favorite works, “Threads” (2005), written for Sō Percussion

And one of mine: “Partly Pavane” from the “Semi-Suite” (2001) for solo guitar

A classic with a sense of humor: “Table’s Clear” (1990) for utensils, kids and computer:

Radiohead favorite “mild und leise” (1973)

Wish I could add his Concerto for Two Pianos, “Shapeshifters” (2007-08), but I can’t find the audio posted online. From the same album, here’s “Imaginary Islands” (2010).

“I was a crummy student. I never really did what my teachers told me.”

That independent streak has served Paul Lansky well. Lansky was on the faculty of Princeton University from 1969 to 2014. He chaired the music department there for nine years, from 1991 to 2000.

A French hornist who became a pioneering composer of computer music, he caught the ear of the experimental rock band Radiohead and formed a fruitful association with guitarist David Starobin. Starobin’s Bridge Records, Inc. continues to document Lansky’s post-electronic works for standard acoustic instruments.

When he retired from Princeton after 45 years of service, it was never Lansky’s plan to stop composing. In fact, he remains as busy as ever, with the past few years being a remarkably fertile period.

You can read more about him in this article I wrote in 2019, to preview a special tribute concert presented at Richardson Auditorium, in honor of the composer’s 75th birthday. It’s the first time I ever used the word “fart” in print.

https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/artsandentertainment/a-composer-celebrates-with-wit-and-human-touch/article_9d5126f9-b138-56ba-b139-9d4108840e67.html

Happy birthday, Paul Lansky!

While you’re at it, check out Paul’s new album, “Angles”:

Paul Lansky: Angles (VOL. 17) <br> BRIDGE 9532

Some selections:

“Four’s Company” (2018): Vivaldiana

“Angles” (2017): A Sad Song

Also, some of his greatest hits:

“Table’s Clear” (1990) for utensils, kids, and computer:

“Threads” (2005) for percussion quartet:

“Partly Pavane” from the “Semi-Suite” (2001) for guitar:

“I was a crummy student. I never really did what my teachers told me.”

That independent streak has served Paul Lansky well. Lansky was on the faculty of Princeton University from 1969 to 2014. He chaired the music department there for nine years, from 1991 to 2000.

A French hornist who became a pioneering composer of computer music, he caught the ear of the experimental rock band Radiohead and formed a fruitful association with guitarist David Starobin. Starobin’s Bridge Records, Inc. continues to document Lansky’s post-electronic works for standard acoustic instruments.

When he retired from Princeton after 45 years of service, it was never Lansky’s plan to stop composing. In fact, he remains as busy as ever, with the past few years being a remarkably fertile period.

Some of his recent music will be heard on a special tribute concert, to be presented in honor of his 75th birthday, at Princeton’s Richardson Auditorium, in Alexander Hall, on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Read more about it in my article in this week’s U.S. 1 Newspaper – PrincetonInfo, out today. It’s the first time I ever used the word “fart” in print.

https://princetoninfo.com/a-composer-celebrates-with-wit-and-human-touch/