Cactus Corners
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American composer Milton Babbitt was born this date in 1916. A music theorist, teacher, and mathematician, he was among the most rigorous of mid-20th century composers, with notable achievements in serial and electronic music.
Milton Babbitt Obituary (NY Times, January 29, 2011)
The first trans-continental railroad was completed on this date in 1869, when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railheads met at Promontory Summit, Utah. Thirty-five years later, trans-continental passenger service was rerouted over a 100-mile cutoff across the Great Salt Lake.
A gold spike cast for the occasion is on permanent display at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento, along with Thomas Hill's painting, The Last Spike (1881). The Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit was established in 1965 and is managed by the National Park Service.
Golden Spike National Historic SiteGenre
Avantgarde & Classical
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Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Babbitt, Milton | Matthew Barber: Call It What You Will | A Composers' Memorial | Perspectives Of New Music/Open Space | |
Honstein, Robert | Halfway???? | Re: You | New Focus Recordings | |
Hiss Tracts | Shortwave Nights | Shortwave Nights | Constellation | |
Rosenfeld, Marina | New York/Empire State Of... | P.A./Hard Love | Room40 | |
Natural Snow Buildings | Kadja Bosou | Night Coercion Into The Company of Witches | Ba Da Bing | |
Del Tredici, David | Ballad in Lavender (2004) | Gotham Glory | Naxos | |
Milton Babbitt | Phonemena (for Soprano and Piano) | New Music for Virtuosos | New World | |
Milton Babbitt | Phonemena (for Soprano and Tape) | New Music for Virtuosos | New World | |
Béla Bartók, Ligeti, Gyorgy, Eotvos, Peter | Peter Eotvos: Seven (2007) | Bartók Eötvös Ligeti | Naive |