John Adams

American Standard (Adams)

American Standard is an early ensemble work by noted American composer John Adams. The work is named for American Standard Brand appliances although Adams says that the title also reflects that the

Movements#

It consists of three movements: Adams himself notes that the first movement is “obviously a march, but… stripped down to a plodding pulse, with no melody or harmony” and that it sounds “like the retreat from battle of a badly wounded army (not my original intention, but curiously evocative all the same)”. has achieved notability independent of American Standard as a whole. It is usually the only part of the work recorded or performed, and the only part for which published performance materials are available. The final movement is an “arrangement or reworking” of Duke Ellington’s jazz standard “Sophisticated Lady” that separates melody from harmony.

Christian Zeal and Activity#

The middle movement, “Christian Zeal and Activity”, is often performed and recorded without the other movements. Adams states that the title of the movement was “stolen out of old Methodist gospel or hymn tune book” Musically, Adams seeks to “displace the voice leading” and sound like Mahler. An additional aspect of the piece is that the conductor is instructed to place “sonic found objects” into the composition. In his original recording from 1973, Adams included a recording from a “late-night AM radio talk show in which an abusive host argued about God with a patient man who eventually identified himself as a preacher”.

External links#

John Adams on KPFA’s Ode To Gravity Series. Audio interview and musical recordings from 18 April 1973. Includes a recording of American Standard at 00:00 of OTGJohnAdamsR2 and Adams discussing the work at 47:47 of OTGJohnAdamsR1
Recording of “Christian Zeal and Activity” by the Wordless Music Orchestra at NPR.org

Composer: John Adams