Hydrogen Jukebox
Encyclopedia
Hydrogen Jukebox is a phrase coined by beat
poet Allen Ginsberg
, from his poem Howl
.
It is also the name of a chamber opera
featuring the music of Philip Glass
and the poetry of Ginsberg
.
The piece was intended to form a portrait of America
covering the 1950s through the late 1980s. Glass and Ginsberg sought to incorporate the personal poems of Ginsberg, reflecting on social issues: the anti-war
movement, the sexual revolution
, drugs
, eastern philosophy
, environmental issues
. The six vocal parts were thought to represent six archetypal American characters- a waitress
, a police
man, a businessman, a cheerleader, a priest
, and a mechanic
.
Ginsberg said:
The work premiered May 26, 1990 at the Spoleto Music Festival
in Charleston
, SC
. The concert version had premiered one month earlier at the American Music Theater Festival Philadelphia, PA
on April 29.
The Australasian premiere was given on April 17, 2003 at the Mount Nelson Theatre (Hobart
, Tasmania
) by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
, conducted by Douglas Knehans
and directed by Robert Jarman
.
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
poet Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, from his poem Howl
Howl
"Howl" is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1955 and published as part of his 1956 collection of poetry titled Howl and Other Poems. The poem is considered to be one of the great works of the Beat Generation, along with Jack Kerouac's On the Road and William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch...
.
It is also the name of a chamber opera
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
featuring the music of Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and the poetry of Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
.
History
Of the project, Glass said:- "In 1988...I happened to run into Allen Ginsberg at St. Mark's bookshop in New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and asked him if he would perform with me. We were in the poetry section, and he grabbed a book from the shelf and pointed out Wichita Vortex SutraWichita Vortex Sutra"Wichita Vortex Sutra" is an anti-war poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1966. It appears in his collections Planet News and The Fall of America: Poems of These States...
. The poem, written in 1966 and reflecting the anti-war mood of the times, seemed highly appropriate for the occasion. I composed a piano piece to accompany Allen's reading, which took place at the Schubert Theater on Broadway.
- "Allen and I so thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration that we soon began talking about expanding our performance into an evening-length music-theater work. It was right after the 1988 presidential election, and neither BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
nor DukakisMichael DukakisMichael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
seemed to talk about anything that was going on. I remember saying to Allen, if these guys aren't going to talk about the issues then we should."
The piece was intended to form a portrait of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
covering the 1950s through the late 1980s. Glass and Ginsberg sought to incorporate the personal poems of Ginsberg, reflecting on social issues: the anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
movement, the sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
, drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Korean philosophy...
, environmental issues
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
. The six vocal parts were thought to represent six archetypal American characters- a waitress
Waiter
Waiting staff, wait staff, or waitstaff are those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers — supplying them with food and drink as requested. Traditionally, a male waiting tables is called a "waiter" and a female a "waitress" with the gender-neutral version being a "server"...
, a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
man, a businessman, a cheerleader, a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, and a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
.
Ginsberg said:
- "Ultimately, the motif of Hydrogen Jukebox, the underpinning, the secret message, secret activity, is to relieve human suffering by communicating some kind of enlightened awareness of various themes, topics, obsessions, neuroses, difficulties, problems, perplexities that we encounter as we end the millennium.
- "The title Hydrogen Jukebox comes from a verse in the poem HowlHowl"Howl" is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1955 and published as part of his 1956 collection of poetry titled Howl and Other Poems. The poem is considered to be one of the great works of the Beat Generation, along with Jack Kerouac's On the Road and William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch...
: '...listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox...' It signifies a state of hypertrophic high-tech, a psychological state in which people are at the limit of their sensory input with civilization's military jukebox, a loud industrial roar, or a music that begins to shake the bones and penetrate the nervous system as a hydrogen bomb may do someday, reminder of apocalypse."
The work premiered May 26, 1990 at the Spoleto Music Festival
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, SC
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The concert version had premiered one month earlier at the American Music Theater Festival Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on April 29.
The Australasian premiere was given on April 17, 2003 at the Mount Nelson Theatre (Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
The Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music forms part of the faculty of Arts at the University of Tasmania. It is a music training institution with courses and specializations in classical and contemporary music, music education, technology and composition....
, conducted by Douglas Knehans
Douglas Knehans
Douglas Knehans is an Australian/American composer and academic.Between 2008 and 2010 he was Dean of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.-External links:* ²* ¹...
and directed by Robert Jarman
Robert Jarman
Robert Jarman is a theater director and writer based in Hobart, Tasmania.-Education:His initial study was at the University of Sydney where he participated extensively with the University Theatre Society, performing, writing and directing shows varying in style from Shakespeare to experimental...
.
part one
- "Song #1 from Iron Horse"
- "Song #2 Jahweh and Allah Battle"
- "Song #3 from Iron Horse"
- "Song #4 To P. O."
- "Song #5 from Crossing Nation; Over Denver Again; Going to Chicago and To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore"
- "Song #6 from Wichita Vortex SutraWichita Vortex Sutra"Wichita Vortex Sutra" is an anti-war poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1966. It appears in his collections Planet News and The Fall of America: Poems of These States...
'
part two
- "Song #7 from Howl"
- "Song #8 from Cabin in the Rockies"
- "Song #9 from Nagasaki Days (Numbers in Red Notebook)"
- "Song #10 Aunt Rose"
- "Song #11 from The Green Automobile"
- "Song #12 from N. S. A. Dope Calypso"
- "Song #13 from Nagasaki Days (Everybody's Fantasy)"
- "Song #14 Ayers Rock/Uluru Song and "Throw out the Yellow Journalists...""
- "Song #15 Father Death Blues (from Don't Grow Old)"
Personnel
- Martin Goldray - keyboards
- Philip Glass - piano
- Carol Wincenc - flute
- Andrew Sterman - soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
- Frank Cassara & James Pugliese- percussion
- Richard Peck - tenor saxophone
- Elizabeth Futral - soprano
- Michele Eaton - soprano
- Mary Ann Hart - mezzo-soprano
- Richard Fracker - tenor
- Gregory Purnhagen - baritone
- Nathaniel Watson - baritone
- Martin Goldray - Conductor
- Allen Ginsberg - narrator
- Jerome Sirlin - production design