As previously mentioned here, Joseph Castaldo was my undergraduate composition teacher for four years. He and Seán Deibler were both tremendous personal and musical influences on me. As I also mentioned here in the past, Seán passed away last year, and this Choral Arts concert is being presented in his memory.

If you can spare 7 minutes, please watch the video below, where you can hear some excerpts of the work, and find out something about the two special musicians who brought it about in 1990.

The concerts are on March 13, 2010 at 8 pm (Paoli, PA) and March 14 at 6 pm (Philadelphia Cathedral). Visit www.ChoralArts.com for details.

Castaldo was an important figure in Philadelphia musical life in the ’60s and ’70s, having served as the head of the Philadelphia Musical Academy and guided that institution’s evolution into what is now the University of the Arts.  I am one of countless composers and musicians who studied with him over the years, most notably Stephen Albert, however his own music is not remembered or recognized as I think it ought to be.

As his student I had the opportunity to get to know several of his works.  At that time he was deeply preoccupied with octatonic scales (simply alternating whole steps and half steps), and had found many inventive ways of using them, ranging from aggressive, chaotic sounds to achingly lyrical melodies.  In lyrical passages, melodies seem to be through-composed and have an almost cantorial or improvised quality with impeccable timing.  Aggressive passages are often built on little three-note ostinati suggested by the octatonic scale.

My favorite work of his is String Quartet 1978, and I’m lucky to still have a recording of it.  At the risk of being accused of gimmickry, this score calls for the string players to double their parts with their own voices, at times screaming and shouting as well, resulting in a haunting and sometimes unsettling experience.  The final moments consist of an exciting extended coda that makes full used of the instruments’ capabilities.

Here are a few excerpts.  Unfortunately I have no idea what quartet is playing here, or when or where this concert took place.

String Quartet 1978
Joseph Castaldo

This is the opening of the piece, where the players shout, imitating the percussive parts they’re playing.

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A beautiful lyrical section

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Castaldo’s chaotic side

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Another lyrical section that further explores the idea of the players singing their parts.  Haunting stuff.

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This long excerpt is the coda described above.  It is thoroughly worth the three minutes or so!

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Joseph Castaldo passed away in 2000.   On what would be his 81st birthday, I hope that the work of this extraordinary 20th-Century composer will be discovered and revived soon.