the jeffrey sultanof master edition zodiac suite in twelve movements composed and arranged by mary lou williams edited by jeffrey sultanof

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1 Jazz Lines Publications Presents the jerey sultano master edition zodiac suite in twelve movements comosed and arranged by mary lou williams edited by jerey sultano comlete score rom the original manuscrits jl (Renewed) Cecilia Music Cor. Arrangement Date o Creation 1945 This Arrangement 2011 Cecilia Music Cor. All Rights Reserved This Arrangement Has Been Published with the Authorization o the Mary Lou Williams Foundation Inc. Jazz Lines Publications PO Box 1236 Saratoga Srings NY USA

2 Background: mary lou williams series zodiac suite (1945) In 1945, Mary Lou Williams was laying at a club called Caé Society, owned by Barney Josehson. She also had a weekly radio rogram. Josehson suggested that she write something ambitious or the radio show, and she wound u conceiving a suite based on the signs o the zodiac. The individual ieces were to honor her riends born under each o the signs. It was Josehson who conceived o a concert o the suite, and roduced it at Town Hall on New Year s Eve day o The Music: Mary Lou recorded the entire suite with a trio or Asch Records (which later became Folkways); these masters are now owned by the Smithsonian Institution and are easily available. Williams orchestrated the suite or chamber orchestra and remiered this version at the Town Hall concert with her teacher Milt Orent conducting rom one-line conductor arts (these may be in his handwriting). There was very little rehearsal, and Williams wound u laying a coule o the movements as iano solos, even though they d been ully orchestrated. The exerience was not a ositive one or her. By the end o the concert, she was uset and rustrated. Gathering u all o the music, she let the hall quickly, and as ar as is known, this version o the Zodiac Suite was never layed again during her lietime. I continue to do indeendent research on concert music in various orms that is either jazz and o lavored or has jazz soloists, rom James Reese Euroe and Paul Whiteman to Duke Ellington, John Graas and beyond. When I began this research back in 1972, much o this music was unavailable. The Zodiac Suite was in Mary Lou s ossession, as well as all o her other music (archivist Anne Kuebler noted that Williams ket nearly everything, rom dry cleaning receits to nakins with the names o songs on them given to her as requests when she aeared at a club). Based on the trio recordings, this suite held great ascination or me or a variety o reasons: Williams was already an established comoser/arranger/ianist, and this was her irst attemt at writing or orchestra. She was also growing as a musician and comoser based on her music studies. Acetates made at the concert were lost or many years, but they turned u and became available on CD. They revealed the erormance o the Zodiac Suite to be dominated by Williams s iano, with contributions by tenor saxohonist Ben Webster, clarinetist Eddie Bareield and trumeter Irving Mousie Randolh. In site o some obvious moments where the ensemble was ragged or did not come in on time, the iece seemed to come o well. With due resect to erormances, which obviously bring the music to lie, the source materials (in this case the original scores and arts) are the direct communication to the conductor and musicians to realize the wishes o the comoser in the case o a concert work. When I was inally able to examine the existing sources o the Zodiac Suite, they revealed an intriguing and robably disturbing exerience or the comoser. Their various roblems certainly exlain why Mary Lou Williams was uset at concert s end, and erhas why this version was robably never erormed again in her lietime. In act, she originally had great ambitions or the Zodiac Suite, orchestrating three movements or ull symhony orchestra, which were layed at a concert at Carnegie Hall. She may have abandoned urther work on Zodiac based on her disaointment at Town Hall, only to adat a ew o the movements when she aeared with Dizzy Gillesie s Orchestra or a 1957 aearance at the Newort Jazz Festival.

3 Some o these roblems were caused by her inexerience in the concert arena. The music is sometimes written in keys such as E Major, Db Major and even Gb Major, creating major roblems with regard to blending and intonation. More imortantly, the score has numerous note errors, transosition errors, missing notes, sections with unnecessary accidentals, and conusion over the alto and tenor cles or viola and bassoon arts, all tyical o a novice orchestral comoser. These sorts o errors can also be ound in manuscrits o her big band comositions as well, articularly when she coied the arts hersel. When extracting the arts or Zodiac, coyist Al Hall did not question many o these errors, and introduced mistakes o his own. Williams also changed some o the music during rehearsals; these ixes were marked in the arts by the musicians themselves. It is obvious that the one-line conductor arts were written out last; they relect the way the music was layed at the concert, telling us that musical decisions were locked in by erormance time. This orward serves to document the most salient issues that needed to be dealt with so that this music could be ublished and erormed. Williams wound u cutting some o the orchestration artly due to the rubato nature o many o the movements, and the resulting inability o the orchestra to lay in synchronization with the iano. In addition, the numerous coy errors were never ully ironed out, orcing her to make additional cuts; i someone wanted to use the arts or uture erormances, they would have to have been heavily edited and corrected. In two cases, the orchestration was cut altogether and these movements were layed as iano solos. Excet or solo assages, the iano arts were written as condensed scores in the ull scores, and Williams requently layed along with the instrumentalists to cover them during sections that were meant to be layed by the orchestra only. Some ieces had to have musical changes that ultimately caused them to be cut in erormance (Aquarius has instances where bars are added and rhythms rewritten; one change had been caught beore the arts were coied, others were done ater the act. Ultimately the relevant sections were not layed.) When the articiants are gone and there is no one to consult to make key decisions, an editor o historic music must make judgments and assumtions to roerly serve the music. With regard to the Zodiac Suite, I have taken the attitude that the scores that were written by Williams were the way she ultimately wanted the work to be layed, and whatever cuts that she made or the Town Hall erormance were temorary so that the iece could be resented (however, there are instances where she made musical revisions, such as harmonies). As a result, the editorial work needed was to clariy rhythms, ix incorrect itches and transositions, and make the dynamics consistent (instead o an overall dynamic i woodwinds and brass are laying together, Williams tended to write dierent dynamics or each instrument in an attemt to indicate sonic balances. This can tend to be conusing, so it has been ixed here). In only one instance have I altered the orchestration, and this is an addition to bring out a musical line; it can be omitted at the conductor s discretion. The most imortant decision was to omit the iano coverings o the sections where instruments are laying solo lines or harmonies, as the iano tends to swallow instrumental colors, articularly in the case o smaller ensembles in erormance. Williams orchestrations deserve to be heard in all their glory, not doubled by the iano. This aroach also highlights the sections where the iano is the solo voice, heling it to stand out. At the bottom let-hand corner o all score ages, there aears Famous Music Cororation, Publishers to Paramount Pictures, 1619 Broadway, New York, NY. Since Williams had no direct connection to Famous Music that we know o, I believe that Orent obtained the score aer or her use. Like many other arrangers o the era, he was robably involved in writing stock arrangements or rearing iano/vocal editions o oular songs o the time, hence his ossible relationshi to the ublisher. It was not uncommon or ublishers, radio networks and motion icture studios to rint their own manuscrit aer or use by comosers and arrangers.

4 Notes on Individual Movements: Movement #1: Aries: The ive-bar introduction is not in the ull score (although it aears on the one-line conductor art) and was robably added during rehearsals. It is coied in encil in a hand other than Hall s on the to stave o the irst age o each art. There is a theory that the bars were added to be layed during Williams entrance to the stage, as there is alause during these bars on the recording. The lute solo at the beginning was originally written an octave lower on the art; it has been changed here to relect the recording. On the original score, the swing igures in the woodwinds are written as trilets. For ease o reading, this has been changed to eighth notes with indications to lay swing or straight eighths as they occur in the score. She later said that this movement should have been layed aster. Movement #2: Taurus: This was layed as a iano solo at the concert and all arts marked tacet. We assume that the arts could not be learned in time or the erormance so they were discarded. Movement #3: Gemini: The solo at letter D was originally written on the score as a iano solo, and the clarinet has a written art. At the concert, clarinetist Eddie Bareield was eatured; he was a veteran o the Cab Calloway, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman and Ella Fitzgerald bands, and worked with many other erormers as a session musician on the New York scene or many years. The conductor may ot to have this solo layed by the iano, in which case the clarinetist lays the written art. Because the bassoon would be nearly inaudible laying the musical line starting at letter D, I have doubled it by slitting the cellos. Williams noted that the bass moves in one direction, the iano in the oosite direction. Movement #4: Cancer: This is the only movement that includes an additional instrument, tenor saxohonist Ben Webster, and his erormance was a highlight o the concert. The art is reroduced exactly as written on the score, but chord changes have been added to the written sections to allow the soloist reedom to interret it his/her own way as Webster did. Movement #5: Leo: Since this comosition is in the key o E Major, the original clarinet and trumet arts were written in the key o F# Major. For ease o reading, the arts are resented in the key o Gb Major. Movement #6: Virgo This movement was originally written to eature clarinet but or the Town Hall erormance it was changed into a trumet eature. The solo art is written or the clarinet and cued in the trumet so that it may be layed either way. Movement #7: Libra This movement eatures trumet and an un-accomanied iano solo. Movement #8: Scorio Excet or a coule o instrumental soli, this was layed as a trio at the concert (iano, bass, drums, although the bass is nearly inaudible).

5 Movement #9: Sagittarius This movement was written or reeds, brass, and iano without the strings, bass, and drums. Movement #10: Caricorn This movement begins with a iano solo in a dirge-like setting. It is imortant to lay this slowly to retain this eel. Movement #11: Aquarius The live recording shows that this iece was cut. The one-line conductor art matches the orm o this erormance. Cuts were: Letters B to D and Letter G Movement #12: Pisces The original erormance eatured concert artist Hoe Foye. The author o the lyrics is unknown, but it is robably Williams hersel. When work began to reare the Zodiac Suite or ublication, the words to the vocal art were a irst-class mystery no coy o them seems to exist. They were transcribed, but some o the words were inaudible. Haily Ms. Foye was living in Caliornia, and while she barely remembered the erormance and did not know that the concert was recorded, she haily volunteered to listen to the recording and suly the missing words in January o She remembered that she irst met and got to know Williams while they were both erorming at Caé Society, and used to meet requently at that time. Foye hersel has quite a history; she was a blacklisted artist because she articiated in a cometition in East Germany during the McCarthy era, and has been honored or her work and her courage during a very diicult eriod in American history. From bars 4-9 o letter B, Williams changed the bass line in her art, and this change has been incororated. Aterword: As stated earlier, with regard to concert music, a comoser communicates most directly to a musical interreter through the score. Unortunately, the Zodiac Suite will always be a work in rogress, as Williams never got a chance to evaluate and revise the work to her satisaction. But at least now it can be studied and layed, and one more iece to the American music uzzle is now ours to treasure. To me, this is a work o considerable charm, although I agree with comoser/historian Andrew Homzy, who wrote that some o the movements could have been develoed more. But this is a wonderul irst eort by an exerienced big band comoser writing in a medium in which she had no exerience, and as in the case o James P. Johnson, who knows what she might have contributed urther in this arena had she been given a chance. Ultimately, along with Duke Ellington, the aorementioned Johnson, William Dawson, Julia Perry, Florence Price and William Grant Still, Williams can now be added as an imortant Arican-American comoser creating symhonic music during the 1940s. Acknowledgements: Secial thanks to Father Peter O Brien or his continued suort and encouragement in our eorts to make Mary Lou Williams s music available in the best editions ossible. Also a very secial thank you to Hoe Foye, who was surrised and delighted to exerience a lost iece o her own history. Jerey Sultano - January 2011

6 Why I Wrote the Zodiac Suite By Mary Lou Williams (From the liner notes or the Folkways Records 1975 release o her iano trio recordings o the Zodiac Suite) It seems that man has always utilized the stars and heavenly bodies to guide him and his destinies in making new inroads in the words in which we live; so I adoted the signs o the zodiac themes or writing my latest comositions, released under the Asch record label. I have always though o astrology and the study o the stars as understanding one o the inluences that molds man s destiny and I have given the signs the musical interretation which I eel they warranted To carry through my ideas about the signs o the Zodiac and to give musical exression to the quotation stars guide man s lie and ortunes, I based each sign on eole I know in the creative world. So ar as I have been able to determine, the only other comoser who has utilized astrological concets in writing music was the English musician Robert Forsythe. However, his selections cover only a ew o the signs. Aries: For instance, in writing Aries (the sign o the ram) I utilized the two eole whom I elt best tyiied the moods and ersonalities governed by the sign. Both Billie Holiday, the songstress, and Ben Webster, the saxohonist, come under this sign. Changeable, moody, and imulsive, they seemed to me the examles I should choose or my comosition Taurus: In writing the music or those born under the sign o the bull, Taurus, I wrote an interretation or those who are creative and said to be lovers o the arts. Music and art usually dominate the lives o these individuals. And what better examles could I select than Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, and Bing Crosby? I have also tried to ortray the stubborn quality o individuals born under Taurus, and my music or the sign o the bull begins and ends with the same theme to indicate the ersonality that only changes when it is orced to do so. Gemini: Gemini, the twin sign, is dedicated to two men I have known and admired or many years. Both o them are well known or their versatility in many ursuits. Benny Goodman, a amous musician and clarinetist, is as well known or his work with symhonic concert orchestras as he is or his own swing band, Paul Robeson is a man who has become universally known as a great singer, actor, and world citizen. Each o these outstanding eole are at home doing two things as one time, and to me seemed like wonderul examles o the dual ersonality Gemini reresents. And so in my music, I have used two themes, in discord equally balanced to set the attern o those born under the sign o the twin. Cancer: Cancer is the comosition I have dedicated to those who like order, eace, and tranquility. The general traits o those born under the sign o the crab are well accented in my selection which was modeled ater the lovely actress Lena Horne, whom I have known or a long time. Leo: Leo, the lion, the sign or kings and those born to rule, is written with the om and circumstance it deserves. I have given the oening chords a trumet-like eect to set the stage or this iece. I you examine history, you will ind many leaders born under the sign o Leo. Virgo: It is said that all Virgo-born are avored or adventure, initiative and a go-getter sirit, so I have chose Phil Moore, the ianist and band leader, as an aroriate subject or musical ortrayal o those born under Virgo. Flowing rhythms and running chords suggest these eole who seem to be more intellectual than emotional ersonalities.

7 Libra: Libra, the sign or those who love beauty and art, was written in a harmonious and melodic mood. It was meant to identiy one o the great American musicians o our time, Art Tatum. Scorio: Scorio is the sign o those who are creative, intense, and assionate. Imogene Coca, the oular comedienne, is one o the artists born under this sign who I have known; Al Lucas, the bassist, is another. The music or Scorio eole is set in a strong and orceul attern to indicate some o the moods which they themselves ollow. Sagittarius: Sagittarius, the sign o the archer, governs those who are usually successul, noble, and magnanimous: The young man who sees visions and the old man who dreams dreams are Sagittarius. Alan Corey, radio music commentator was born under this sign. John Hammond, the musician imresario who has done so much or American musicians and music, is inluenced by this sign. I set this iece in a triumhant and varied mood or those headed or success and glory, and made the bars o the music ull and resounding as ossible to achieve the kind o eect I wanted or the ortrayal o Sagittarius individuals. Caricorn: Caricorn eole are generally considered ersistent, moody, and hard working. My Caricorn is written with a dirge-like, hal hammer beat, and it builds slowly to suggest a deliberate and head-strong ersonality. Pearl Primus, the dancer, and Frankie Newton, the trumeter, are wonderul examles o the erectionist-body tye o individual I have in mind in this music. Aquarius: Aquarius, the sign o the water-bearer, is a light, hay, and jovial comosition. It is written or such outgoing eole and humanitarians as are suggested by the ersonality o the late Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pisces: Pisces, the sign o the ish and the last o the signs o the Zodiac, I comosed while broadcasting one Sunday aternoon. There is a theme but no set attern written or this comosition because I think o Pisces eole as reedom-loving and imaginative. O course, those inluenced by this sign are thought to be arrogant and high minded too and as the music unolds I have injected those notes which I thought best catured the sirit o these eole. The ersonalities o those inluenced by the stars have been interreted reely, so that I could achieve the scoe and eect I wanted in each case. I know that man has thought o the stars mystically since the beginning o time; giving musical exression to the signs has been a very satisying exerience or me. As a comoser and musician, I have worked all my lie to write and develo serious music that is both original and creative. The Zodiac Suite is the beginning o a real ulillment o one o my ambitions.

8 Jazz lines PubLications Score Flute [1] ZoDiac Suite #1: Aries very slowly 3 Comosed by Mary Lou Williams Arranged By Mary Lou Williams Edited by Jerey Sultano jl-8838 Oboe Clarinet Bassoon Trumet Horn in F Trombone Violin 1 Violin 2 Viola 1 Viola 2 Cello Piano Bass Drums ã {Ti`m`` `S`t`i`c`k`s```} # æ (Renewed) Cecilia Music Co. Arrangement Date o Creation 1945 This Arrangement 2011 Cecilia Music Co. All Rights Reserved This Arrangement Has Been Published with the Authorization o the Mary Lou Williams Foundation Inc.

9 jl-8838 Fl. [A] medium swing/boogie = ZoDiac Suite #1: Aries Score - Page 2 Jazz lines PubLications Ob. 3 Cl. Bsn. 3 Tt. Hn. Tbn. Vln. 1 Vln. 2 Vla. 1 Vla. 2 Vlc. Pno. Bs. Dr. 6 ã (R.S.) h (in 2) œ 7 œ 8 9

10 Jazz lines PubLications Fl. ZoDiac Suite #1: Aries Score - Page 3 jl-8838 Ob. Cl. Bsn. Tt. Hn. Tbn. ä s m Vln. 1 Vln. 2 Vla. 1 Vla. 2 Vlc. Pno. Bs. Dr. ã 10 y œ

11 jl-8838 Fl. [B] Straight s ZoDiac Suite #1: Aries Score - Page 4 Jazz lines PubLications swing m Cresc. Ob. m Cresc. Cl. Bsn. Tt. ä ä m m Cresc. Cresc. Hn. ä Tbn. ä Vln. 1 Vln. 2 Vla. 1 Vla. 2 Vlc. m Pno. Bs. Dr. ã ä æ œ œ œ m œ œ œ œ œ œ m

12 Jazz lines PubLications ZoDiac Suite #1: Aries Score - Page 5 jl-8838 Fl. Straight s Ob. Cl. Bsn. Tt. Hn. Tbn. Vln. 1 Vln. 2 Vla. 1 Vla. 2 Vlc. {S`o`l`o`} Pno. Bs. Dr. ã œ œ œ / / / «œ œ œ