Frog Peak Music announces the publication of the complete 45′ version of Randy Hostetler’s “Happily Ever After”, a master text work only previously available in the abbreviated 15′ version published by Perspectives of New Music and broadcast on National Public Radio. Liner notes are by Princeton’s Paul Lansky:
“I still remember my first hearing of Happily…and the experience of being spellbound as voices and memories threaded in and out, as the personalities and ages of the storytellers changed and alternated, and as the composer, with extraordinary skill, sometimes gently tweaked things, while at other times grabbed hold with both hands and wrenched the material about with dizzying virtuosity. Happily…quickly became one of my favorite pieces, and still is. Since I first heard it, I have played it many times for friends and students, here and abroad, and listeners always seem to respond in ways which go beyond mere enthusiasm for work well done.”
– Paul Lansky, Princeton Department of Music. (Excerpt from cd liner note for Happily Ever After, 1999)
Happily Listening, written by Paul Lansky for the Open Space Magazine.
“Happily Ever After presents a collage of spoken stories, edited and overlayed in such a way that contextual and musical meaning is created on many different levels. While drawing on a wide variety of resources, Randy is not content merely to let “the medium” be “the message”. He always addresses rigorous attention to detail in both the composition and performance of his works. The resulting fusions, often surreal and humorous, are invariably stimulating and thoughtful.”
– Mel Powell, letter dated March 8, 1988
“Happily Ever After is a captivating collage of stories told by 66 storytellers. The result is the ultimate in story stereo and a provocative exploration of the boundaries between speech and vocal music.”
– Susan Stone, host of “Loose Tongues”, KPFA in San Francisco July 1988
“The hotel at which I was staying happened to have KPFA tuned in when I walked into my room one evening. As I listened to the tape, I was expecting that it was a live recording of a concert, but that the music had not yet begun. As I listened, I only slowly realized that the voices were, in fact, the performance. I was quite impressed with what I heard and have mentioned it to a number of friends. We are eagerly awaiting a copy of the tape.”
– Michael Stamper, KPFA listener, July 1988
Happily Ever After can be ordered via email from Frogpeak Music for a special price for friends who visit this site. (Credit cards accepted – send number, expiration date and name on card.)
Visit the Frogpeak Website for a complete listing of all Frogpeak publications and recordings.
