Serious Music with Bea Witkin:

an upper west side audio walk

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON GESSO HERE

Bea Witkin in her home studio (1973, courtesy of Steve Witkin), other photos by Weita Chen

Serious Music with Bea Witkin is a site-specific audio walk on New York City’s Upper West Side produced by Megan Hattie Stahl. This immersive, musical documentary explores and extends the life and work of composer Beatrice Witkin (1916-1990).

Across four stationary chapters and three walking interludes, participants follow a one-mile route from Riverside Park to Straus Park by way of Witkin’s longtime residence on West End Avenue. Through guided narration, archival music, interviews and recordings of contemporary musicians sight-reading a 1985 string quartet piece by Witkin, Serious Music invites listeners to consider Witkin's experience navigating the 20th century worlds of both “serious” and commercial music while balancing marriage and motherhood.

Content warning: Part 3 (“Outside 885 West End Avenue”) includes a depiction of domestic violence around the 8:00 mark. Please take care while listening. 

This walk's route is accessible for wheelchair users and transcripts are available for each segment.

After your walk, please sign the guestbook at bit.ly/seriousguest and check out the official merch!

PHOTO GALLERY

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Written, produced, edited & mixed by Megan Hattie Stahl

Voice actors:

Shira Golden
Matthew Kerrigan
Rob Patrick
Robin Smith Fedock
Brian Stahl

Interviews:

Alex Hurd
Steve Witkin

Cantillations Session Musicians:

Annette Hatley (electric bass, flute)
Jared Hiller (synthesizer/MIDI programming)
Aaron Levison (trumpet)
Ali Prow (voice)
Megan Hattie Stahl (piano)

Narration Recorded at NBD Studios in New York City

Integrated Media Arts MFA Thesis Advisors:

Rachel Stevens, Michael Gitlin, Jess Shane

Beta Testers:

Concetta Abbate, Kim Buikema, Yaching Cheung, Shira Golden, Leila De La Rosa, Nate Dorr, Prisca Edwards, Sam Hewison, Jared Hiller, Eric Juhola, Libby Lussenhop, Anna Ozbek, Ali Prow, Rafael Sanchez, Suzanne Schulz, Maddie Shaw

Special Thanks:

Kelly Anderson, Tim Arnold, Kelly Bosworth, Kim Bukeima, Bob Caffrey, Karen Caffrey, Natalie Conn, Shira Golden, James Levy, Libby Lussenhop, Andrew Lund, Rob Patrick, Theo Ramsey, Joy Setton, Brian Stahl, Kathy Stahl, Nate Terepka, Scott Woolweaver, Steve Witkin, Tanna Witkin & Betty Yu

Wesleyan University World Music Archive & Music Library and Special Collections & Archive staff: Aaron Bittel, Tess Goodman, Jennifer Hadley, Brenna Larson, Amanda Nelson

Professor Rachel Stevens’ Fall 2022 Spatial Narratives class, Professor James Levy’s Spring 2023 Public Humanities for Digital Media Artists class, and the IMA thesis classes of Fall 2023, Spring 2024 & Fall 2024

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Integrated Media Arts, Hunter College, The City University of New York.

ARCHIVAL MUSIC + SOUND RECORDINGS
(all music composed by Beatrice Witkin unless otherwise specified)

Part One:

“Triads and Things for Brass Quintet” (1968-1969)
”Horn and Soprano” (date unknown)
”Chiaroscuro” (1968) performed by Steve Witkin (cello) and Cheryl Tschanz (piano) (date unknown)

Part Two:

“Another Entertainer” (Bea’s version of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” on Buchla synthesizer, date unknown)
”Bethena Synth Joplin” (Bea’s version of Scott Joplin’s “Bethena” on Buchla synthesizer, date unknown)
”Central Park Proclamation Fanfare, including Fanfare in E Flat and B Flat for Three Trumpets, Three Whereases and One Therefore” (1968)
”I: Row” from “Twelve-Tone Variations on Quotes by The Beatles” for Young People’s Orchestra (1967) performed by Megan Hattie Stahl with MIDI

Part Three:

“Time Life 1” on Buchla synthesizer (reel-to-reel tape digitized at the Wesleyan University Music Library, 1970s)
”Glissines” on Buchla synthesizer (1970)
”Jackie Vernon nursery rhymes” (date unknown)
“Breath and Sounds for Tuba and Stereophonic Tape” (1974)
”Wild Wild World of Animals” theme song (1973)
”Time Life Correct” on Buchla synthesizer” (reel-to-reel tape digitized at the Wesleyan University Music Library, 1970s)
”Report from the Planet Mars” (1977-78)

Part Four:

“Cantillations of the Bible for String Quartet, first movement” (1985)
”Chiaroscuro” (1968) performed 1990 at Bea’s Memorial Concert
”Polonaise in A Flat Major and variations” (composed by Frédéric Chopin, variations by Beatrice Witkin and Roy Eaton) performed by Roy Eaton at Bea’s Memorial Concert (1990)
”Beatrice Witkin Memorial Concert” (1990)
”Untitled Electronic Music” (date unknown)
”BW-talk” (date unknown)

ARCHIVAL WRITTEN MATERIALS

Courtesy of Steve Witkin:

  • Bea’s Diaries (1953-1986), transcribed by Steve Witkin

  • “Beatrice Witkin Autobiography” (1985)

From the Beatrice Witkin Papers & the Beatrice Witkin Addition to Papers at the Wesleyan University Special Collections & Archives:

  • “Drafted Letter to Mr. Schonberg” (March 26, 1962)

  • “1969 Composer’s Recognition Week News Release”

  • “Program Notes, Twelve-tone Variations on Quotes by the Beatles for Young People's Orchestra” (1967)

  • “Electronic Music to Be Surveyed at Industrial Film Fest” by Unknown (news clipping from unknown newspaper 1970 or 1971) - CHECK ARCHIVES PHOTO ON HARD DRIVE TO BE SURE

  • “Press Release from the Belvin Mills Publishing Corp., Breath and Sounds for Tuba and Stereophonic Tape" (1970-72)

  • “Notes on Cantillation Tropes, Cantillations of the Bible for String Quartet" (1985)

From the New York Times Article Archive:

  • “The Distaff Side” by Harold C Schonberg, March 25, 1962

  • “And Don't Call Them 'Lady' Composers” by Pauline Oliveros, September 13, 1970

  • “Rutgers Ensemble Gives 2 Premieres” by Theodore Strongin, January 27, 1966

  • “Paul Dunkel Plays Three New Works In His Flute Series” by John Rockwell, February 13, 1973

Additional material:

  • “Recollections of Stefan Wolpe by former students and friends” edited by Austin Clarkson (link)