Sheplives


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The Music Shep's Favorite Music

Ballet Mecanique by George Antheil Carlos Surinach conducting
	Album Modern American Music Series Side: 1 Track: 1

Album Title:	Modern American Music Series
Group:	New York Percussion Group
Publisher:	Colombia Masterworks
Date Released:
Album / Record#:	ML4956
Genre:	Classical
ASIN#:

Samples

Shep Using it

Original

Shep used this piece quite often as an expression of 'horror' during one of the stories he would tell. In 1959 Shep did an eulogy to George Antheil on one of his shows
On Sunday, April 2, 2000 at 3 PM, Dennis Russel Davies and the American Composers Orchestra presented Paul Lehrman's realization of George Antheil's historic "Ballet Mecanique", in its original 1924 version, at Carnegie Hall. This piece calls for 8-16 player pianos, a 7-person percussion ensemble, two pianists, a siren, 7 electric bells, and 3 airplane propellers. It was never performable during Antheil's lifetime -- through the use of computers and MIDI, it is finally performable today. The publisher G. Schirmer commissioned Paul to do all the programming and sampling to make this piece performable, and the concert at Carnegie Hall is the result of that effort.

Additional Comments:

Follow up note from Paul Lehrman
11/6/2003

Our first production run of the Ballet mecanique CD sold out, but we have now done a second batch, and they're flying out the door (well, power walking, anyway). Best of all, you can now order CDs directly online from my Ballet mecanique Web site, http://Antheil.org, using secure credit card payment through those clever folks at Paypal.

Get the CD that the Boston Globe called, "a party record for technophiles, but just about everyone else will have fun too!"...that CD Review called , "A hell of a racket, exciting and brutal at the same time!"..and which The Wire called "This awesome blast from the past"!

It also includes groundbreaking pieces for percussion and electronics by John Cage & Lou Harrison, Richard Grayson, Amadeo Roldan, and that "delerious" (the Globe again) arrangement for 16 player pianos of the finale from Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony.

Order the CD direct at http://www.antheil.org/CDframe.html. The price is $16, plus $2 per order for first-class mailing. (US and Canada only -- overseas orders please inquire).

Or you can get it through EMF media, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or your favorite record store (if it's still in business).

All best,
Paul

Shows Shep used this music on:
	Time	Date	Show Title
		May 17, 1963	Astronaut Gordon Cooper, the Aha Experience, Picture Flip Books
		May 3, 1963	Italian POWs
	05:00	February 3, 1965	WWII - Nostalgia Vs. The Way It Was
	05:12	July 14, 1965	Martian Chronicles
	25:28	July 15, 1965	Moving Pianos
		September 27, 1965	Surrealism; First Car and License
		September 28, 1965	A Tale of Old Radio Days
	07:08	September 30, 1965	New For Xmas: Games That Reflect Life
	25:25	October 27, 1965	Mystical Experiences
	09:29	November 2, 1965	American Dream Sales Pitch - Hellbound Train
	08:29; 28:52	November 8, 1965	Success Through Spells - Magic Twig
	35:35	December 17, 1965	Robert Service - Cremation of Sam McGee
	32:03	February 23, 1966	The World A-Go-Go
	01:42	March 4, 1966	Lost High School Ring
		April 21, 1966	King Levinski Meets Joe Lewis
		April 27, 1966	Barber Shop
	09:41	May 11, 1966	Antique Cars and the Bugatti
		May 27, 1966	Tornados and Ball Lightning
	31:02	July 7, 1966	Humor vs Comedy, The Chicaco Exposition
		July 8, 1966	Winchester 66, Living in Kentucky
	05:03; 08:00; 30:20	1965	End of the World
	01:16	October 31, 1967	Halloween
	31:58	January 27, 1968	Flick's Tongue
	16:07	February 17, 1968	Versions of Hell: Obscene Bath Mat, Blind Date
	37:53	July 4, 1968	Ludlow Kissel And The Dago Bomb
		March 21, 1969	Spring Equinox, Salute to Chickens
		September 22, 1969	Radar and Practical Jokes
		September 30, 1969	Monsters
		October 23, 1969	The Look in the Doctor's Eye
		January 21, 1971	Practical Jokes, Army Signal Corps Oscillator Buzzbomb
		April 7, 1972	Flick's Tongue
	02:30	April 17, 1972	Letter from Geometry Class, Dentist Shot At, Lafuchets Disease
		February 6, 1973	Hot Air Balloon Story
		June 13, 1973	The Great Ice Cream War
	25:41	February 14, 1974	Pepito the Monkey, Pickled peppers Disasters (Red and Green Things)
	05:40	March 14, 1974	Devil Sin + Trivia
		June 21, 1974	Ice Cream Wars
	02:15; 06:11; 19:11	September 1974	Casey at the Bat
	10:25; 41:40	January 29, 1975	Commercials
	27:54	March 13, 1975	Godzonka! Part Two
		April 3, 1975	Surplus Equipment and Confessions
	05:07	June 3, 1975	The Delta Queen
	41:57	June 27, 1975	Attack of the Locusts
	42:47	February 2, 1976	Pepito the Monkey, Pickled peppers Disasters (Red and Green Things)
		February 5, 1976	Hot Air Balloon Project
		April 7, 1976	Tarzan Science
		April 23, 1976	Ladies Room, Stripper on the Bus
		April 30, 1976	Frozen Milky Way Bars, George Anthiel, Most Unusual Play and Concert
		December 1976	Practical Jokes, Army Signal Corps Oscillator Buzzbomb
	11:12; 13:27; 23:35; 29:51	April 21, 1972	Burning Glasses, Kiteman, Opening Game of Baseball in Ohio
	24:26; 33:04	November 4, 1965	People rarely want what they say they want!
	06:45; 42:28	February 6, 1970	Camel
	22:59	May 3, 1962	Shoppers Paradise
		June 18, 1963	Dream World
	21:38; 23:34	March 6, 1963	Really Dig This Job
	28:51	March 29, 1963	Ball Lightning
	03:09	May 7, 1963	Are You Really Happy
	19:39	May 14, 1963	Surveyor Job
	01:43	May 28, 1963	Space Weapons
	36:38	November 19, 1963	Machines
	07:57; 19:17	March 31, 1964	Labeling Time
	02:34	June 11, 1970	The Urge to Go
	35:31; 42:48	September 22, 1970	Food Obsessions, Hamburger Binge (Hugh Addonizio conviction)
	00:00	1959	Antheil Tribute
	32:08	September 4, 1974	Unforgettable Night
		January 12, 1977	Kid Myths - Flicks Tongue
	01:06	May 11, 1977	State of Mind, Origin of Words, Comic Strip Quiz
	10:39; 38:27	January 6, 1971	Camel in Indiana, feeding, bites jacket
	32:26	March 9, 1968	Library Paste Junkies
	02:42; 12:54; 37:16	June 9, 1967	Shep Sees Car Strippers in Action
	41:40	August 1967	Summer - Ball Lightning
	09:53; 41:27	January 26, 1972	The Camel and the Coat
	45:14	January 8, 1970	Dunes Bobsledding - Winter Sports
	10:56 +	January 13, 1970	Literary Characters
	17:50	January 4, 1974	Service - McGee, McGrew, Bill, Mike, Fox
	02:45	February 15, 1974	Cincinnatti Starling Invasion

Audio Links:

• Shep's 1959 eulogy to Antheil -

Links to Further Information:

• George Antheil Website

Photos:

"Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory?
Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. It is a certainty." - Jean Shepherd - 1975