HOLY! by Randall Harlow, Ann Bradfield, Matthew Andreini, Daniel Swilley, John Wiles
HOLY! is a musical sermon on the beatitudes. It is an artistic rebuke of the ongoing rise of fascism and the deep moral crisis around us that enables it. Part three of the Beat Triptych, HOLY! weaves together organ works by William Albright, Henry Brant, Sofia Gubaidulina, Olivier Messiaen, Arvo Pärt, Elliot Sokolov, Daniel Swilley and Jacob TV with archival recordings of readings by Allen Ginsburg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac. It is a tapestry of words and music that expresses the moral imperatives of compassion, mercy and humility at the heart of the sermons on the mount and plain.
HOLY! also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Op.43 Helmuth Wolff organ at the University of Northern Iowa. A remarkable tracker organ inspired by the 19th-century French organ building tradition, the instrument was commissioned by former UNI organ professor Marilou Kratzenstein for the university's new Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. It remains an invaluable instrument for teaching and performance, having now inspired several generations of organ students.
The album is presented as a single, continuous work of organ art meant to be experienced uninterrupted from beginning to end. I invite you to immerse yourself in the journey of subtext, intertext and metatext that emerges from this sonic fabric of organ music and beat literature. Separate recordings of some of the musical works featured in this album will be released later on another platform.
"Underworld" by Henry Brant, world premiere recording (0:07)
"Les enfants de Dieu" by Olivier Messiaen (2:49)
"Recessional" by William Albright (5:29)
"Grab it!" by Jacob TV, world premiere recording of organ version (13:00)
"MacDougal Street" by Daniel Swilley, world premiere recording
I. The Street, Sincerely (22:48)
II. No poems here (24:38)
III. The Sky, Perfectly (26:25)
IV. No sound (28:02)
V. The game - at the beginning (29:40)
VI. The Scene, Piteously (31:05)
VII. No time (32:22)
"Pipedreams" by Elliot Sokolov (34:42)
"Hell und Dunkel" by Sofia Gubaidulina (47:37)
"The Beatitudes" by Arvo Pärt (56:14)
Daniel Swilley offers the following preface to his work, "MacDougal Street", composed specifically for this album: MacDougal Street (2023), for solo organ takes inspiration from a work of the same title by Jack Kerouac from his Book of Blues collection. The piece traces a skittering path through several of the images present in Kerouac’s work – the Street, the Sky, and the Scene. A contrasting thread based on several turns of phrase is also at work in the piece – no poems here, no sound, and no time. Further, sonifications of Kerouac’s often used reference of imagelessness are used as points of punctuation
HOLY! was first performed live in Jebe Hall at the University of Northern Iowa on March 28, 2024
Tracklist
| 1. | HOLY! | 64:58 |
Credits
I am most thankful to my colleagues for generously offering their time and talents to collaborate on this album, including UNI professors Ann Bradfield, saxophone; Matthew Andreini, percussion; Daniel Swilley, composition; and John Wiles, choral conducting. Sincere thanks also to the students of the UNI Concert Chorale for participating in both the live performance and recording.
Special thanks to Daniel Swilley for composing "MacDougal Street" for this project, a set of beautiful meditations at the heart of the album that tie the musical and poetic together through sonic reflection. Thank you also to Elliot Sokolov for allowing Ann and me to include his "Pipedreams" on the album, overlaid as it is with Kerouac's inimitable recitation. A straight recording of the work is being released separately with the hope of elevating the visibility of this unjustly-overlooked yet excellent composition. Lastly, generous thanks to Jacob TV for being receptive to my idea of arranging for organ his iconic composition, "Grab it!" It makes for a rollicking not-safe-for-church organ tour de force, as if Keith Emerson meets 90s turntablism. Look for a video single of "Grab ItI" for organ coming soon, along with the score and performance materials for purchase on Jacob TV's website.
Final thanks to engineer Tom Barry for his recording expertise and for working with me to assemble this unconventional organ album.
Disclaimer: in accordance with Iowa Board of Regents social media policy section 4.2 "Freedom of Expression", this album represents the artistic vision of Randall Harlow in his capacity as a private citizen and in no way represents or speaks on behalf of the University of Northern Iowa, the Iowa Board of Regents, or other individuals featured in this album.
License
All rights reserved.
Randall Harlow
has long defied conventional expectations as a both a performing artist and scholar. Seeking to transcend his conventional training as a concert organist, his albums and concerts increasingly seek to upend prevailing conceptions of pipe organ performativity.