Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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0:00 Introduction
0:30 I: From Jackson to Princeton
8:27 II: Babbitt, Cold Warrior?
15:47 III: “Who Cares if You Listen?”
28:11 IV: Integral Serialism & Combinatoriality
35:05 V: Babbitt & Synthesis
47:19 VI: Lynes, Partitions, Arrays, & Superarrays
55:32 VII: The Time-Point Technique
1:02:52 VIII: Dean of American Serialism

📚 SOURCES/FURTHER READING:
📚 (note that citations fall only under the chapter to which they most strongly pertain)

0:30 I: From Jackson to Princeton
"On Milton Babbitt: Progressive Artistic Research, Decorous Pranks, and Pig-Stand Jazz" by Joshua Banks Mailman: doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.2031066 (Contemporary Music Review [CMR], Volume 40, Issue 2-3)
jamesromig.com/uploads/5/6/2/5/56250769/babbittdiscussions.pdf
preparedguitar.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-interview-with-milton-babbitt-by_6.html
preparedguitar.blogspot.com/2016/05/an-interview-with-milton-babbitt-by.html

8:27 II: Babbitt, Cold Warrior?
“‘Music for the Masses’: Milton Babbitt’s Cold War Music Theory” by Martin Brody (The Musical Quarterly, Summer 1993, Vol. 77, No. 2): https://music.arts.uci.edu/abauer/4.3/readings/Brody_Babbitt_Cold_War.pdf
“Modern Music and After (3rd Edition)” by Paul Griffiths (Oxford, 2010)

15:47 III: “Who Cares if You Listen?”
“The Collected Essays of Milton Babbitt,” ed. Stephen Peles (Princeton, 2003)
“Words About Music” by Milton Babbitt (ed. Stephen Dembski and Joseph N. Straus, UW Press, 1987)

28:11 IV: Integral Serialism & Combinatoriality
“Listening to Babbitt: Perception and Analysis of Milton Babbitt’s Du for Soprano and Piano” by Erin Sullivan (MA thesis, UGA, 2005): https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/sullivan_erin_l_200508_ma.pdf

35:05 V: Babbitt & Synthesis
"The Private and Public Lives of a Lost Concerto: Milton Babbitt’s Concerti for Violin, Orchestra, and Synthesized Sound" by Julia Glenn: doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.2018177 (CMR, 40, 2-3)
"Concerti e Concerti: Babbitt’s Mysterious Bedfellows" by Jonathan Dawe: doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.2017199 (CMR, 40, 2-3)
youtube.com/watch?v=UHNG9rexCsg

47:19 VI: Lynes, Partitions, Arrays, & Superarrays
“An Introduction to the Music of Milton Babbitt” by Andrew Mead (Princeton, 1994)
“The Phenomena of ‘Phonemena’: Structure and Realization in Milton Babbitt’s Work for Soprano and Synthesized Tape” by Mikel Kuehn (PhD dissertation, Eastman, 1995)
“Milton Babbitt’s Composition for Guitar: An Analytic Overview” by Todd Seelye (DMA diss., U. Ariz., 1988)

55:32 VII: The Time-Point Technique
"Pulling a Fast More-Than-One: Milton Babbitt’s Time-point Practice" by Joseph Dubiel: doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.1989231 (CMR, 40, 2-3)

1:02:52 VIII: Dean of American Serialism
“Force of Nature” by James Ricci: deconstructing-jim.blogspot.com/2011/03/force-of-nature.html
"Rethinking Babbitt’s ‘Serious’ Music as Play" by Alison Maggart: doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.2017232 (CMR, 40, 2-3)

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This was requested by Opera, LOOCH THEMOOCH, 洪孟思, Libertarian Communist Platform, Dave Henry, Gallimaufry, and patron Alice Wyan, who DOUBLED the weight of this request. See all requests at lentovivace.com/classicalnerd.html

Clips used under fair use include:
youtube.com/watch?v=JuTRWHAd_IM
youtube.com/watch?v=mMJbUSMkj3Y
youtube.com/watch?v=FfA470WVHws

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Music:

- Milton Babbitt: Partitions (1957), performed by Augustus Arnone [original: jk8Z8Wo2tcM]
- Thomas Little: Dance! #2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
- Arnold Schoenberg: “Mässige Viertel” from Three Pieces, Op. 11 (1909, rev. 1924), performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni and available on IMSLP: tinyurl.com/yckzb88f
- Babbitt: Composition for Twelve Instruments (1948), conducted by Ralph Shapey [original: W_ErRFJRL7g]
- Babbitt: String Quartet No. 3 (1970), performed by (probably) the Fine Arts Quartet [original: mkvR6grAgOA]
- J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048, performed by A Far Cry and available on IMSLP: tinyurl.com/yykz5yum
- Babbitt: Piano Concerto No. 2 (1998), performed by Conor Hanick and the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky [original: XUdgKl7ZMN4]
- Babbitt: Composition for Synthesizer (1960) [original: bRzFhY7hygY]
- Babbitt: Philomel (1964) [original: 3SMR5WIgSUg]
- Babbitt: All Set (1957), performed by the NEC Wind Ensemble conducted by Charles Peltz [original: TYsDztD9iv4]
- Babbitt: Composition for Four Instruments (1948), performed by Time’s Arrow [original: _fkx5IYfiPs]
- Babbitt: Semi-Simple Variations (1956), MIDI render
- Babbitt: Post-Partitions (1966), MIDI render [original: rBvgd0LYUyw]

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This video is for educational purposes and falls under fair use statutes.