# David Borden: Neo-Baroque Minimalism?



## adtsang (Jul 2, 2013)

Have any of you ever heard of the composer David Borden? As I understand, he's a little obscure but was composing New Music in New York in the 70s around the same time as Glass, Reich and all the rest. He founded the Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, one of the first Moog synthesizer ensembles ever.

In any case, I've been listening to his 12-part magnum opus "The Continuing Story of Counterpoint" and have been noting how several parts (especially Parts 1, 3 and 5) seem almost like a fusion of early Philip Glass and Bach. It's quite unlike any other so-called "minimalist" music I've heard before. Could this be classified as some sort of "neo-baroque minimalism": combining the modern reductive, repetitive structures yet the generally antiquated structural emphasis on complex counterpoint in a piece?

Part 1 (composed 1976):


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2015)

Well, to your second question, all I have to say is "I don't care," but to the first one, yeah, I've been listening to Borden since the late seventies, so shortly after he started stuff up. His music is a lot of fun, but it never quite got the traction of the big three--Glass, Riley, Reich--of the repetitious kind of minimalism. I say "the," but Riley was soon replaced in the minds of classical fans who don't listen to minimalism with Adams, who was never a minimalist, of any kind, but who started his career mimicking some of the more obvious things. I know a guy, a musician, too, plays violin in an orchestra, who thought that Adams was the earliest minimalist. When I told him when minimalism started, he said, "Oh, well Adams was the first one I knew about.":lol:

Anyway, Borden was maybe too close to pop to be one of the big names, though Glass is certainly pretty close himself. I dunno. I could never figure out fame and how or even whether it was connected to any qualities of the music. Why is Gerhard still practically unknown? Why does Berlioz' _Benvenuto Cellini_ hardly ever get any love? In fact, there's a whole thread on this, namely the what should composers be known for thread.

The ways of fame are inscrutable.

But Borden is a lot of fun, so maybe you'll have gotten him a few more fans.

Good job!

:tiphat:


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The piece reminded me of music by Philip Glass.


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## adtsang (Jul 2, 2013)

A playlist featuring the original recordings of TCSOC from Borden's out-of-print vinyl releases from the mid-80s:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo4Y2jggf8oNHshkwPd-QLGHPt_MoS6EB


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

The original video the OP links to has gone from YT. I'm listening to a short sample, and it's pleasant, but I don't think I'd want to listen to the whole work - too repetitive for me. That 'rock organ' sound is a wee bit *pseudo-mystic*, too.

Always nice to find out more about music, however! :tiphat:


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