Charles Ives: Variations on “America”

For a celebration of the Fourth of July, we should turn to something American. Who are the quintessential American composers? We could toss out some names like Sousa, Billings, Copland, or Irving Berlin, and pretty soon we would have a rather long list. But any reasonable short list would have to include Charles Ives (1874-1954), surely one of America’s most interesting composers.

Ives grew up in Danbury, Connecticut, as the son of a rather eccentric musician who liked to experiment with new sounds. Ives absorbed this influence. His music frequently weaves in popular tunes, frequently one on top of another, in a marvelous cacophony. The density can be sort out. So many people have to stretch their ears a bit for Ives, but his Variations on “America” won’t stretch them too far. This set of variations on a tune we all know well will give a flavor for just how inventive Ives was.

The work has been arranged for different ensembles. You frequently hear it played by an orchestra, but also frequently on the organ. I like this recent arrangement for wind quintet. The music seems to work in all of these arrangements.

Now you may find this immediately appealing, or perhaps a bit quirky. But lighten up a little and have some fun.