Homage to Milton Babbit

I never cared much for Milton Babbitt’s music. It seemed like a complex mathematical system – completely serial: from pitch order to register to dynamics to notes to rhythms, but where was the music? We learned the systems, and while I understood the technique, it just seemed bloodless and hyper-academic.

Then, 35 years ago, in the first semester of my graduate studies, Milton Babbitt came to speak to our 20th century music class. He brought a recent example of one of his piano pieces in which he used the serial technique he called “semi-combinatoriality”… basically showing how hexachord were permutations of other hexachords. That was the secret to his compositional system. He explained the system, and at the same time – he admired it.

Then it struck me how much he clearly enjoyed the sonic universe he had created: After he explained the way he’d composed his piece, he played a recording of the work. And within a matter of measures he smiled – grinned actually – he swayed with the rhythm, he glowed with pride and pleasure at this 3 minute piece he had made. I realized the joy he derived both from the success of his mathematical system displayed in sound and the emotional thrill of hearing the music he had created.

After our hearing, one of the skeptics in the class asked Dr. Babbitt, “Do you like that?” and in that moment I learned two points of wisdom that changed my life: He said, “The first hearing is always the hardest. You have to teach you ears the ‘language’ and give it the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy it.” And “yes. That’s the most important part of composing in any system: it’s your voice – you have to like it. You owe that to yourself first.”

Several years later, Milton Babbitt was the keynote speaker at my doctoral commencement. I did not have the opportunity then to thank him for the wisdom he brought to my seminar, years before. But I often thought of that day, especially when I write my music. Thank you Dr Babbitt…. You were a great teacher.