Avant-garde Composer and Activist Julius Eastman’s Music Resurgence
Born in Manhattan on October 27, 1940, Julius Eastman was a post-minimalist composer, pianist, and Grammy-nominated vocalist. Though he forged a place in New York’s experimental music scene of the 1970s and ‘80s as a distinctive composer and riveting performer, for decades his music was largely forgotten and his name faded to obscurity. In recent years, his catalog has experienced an extraordinary resurgence through the younger generations of various musical collectives.
Eastman was born in Harlem but spent most of his childhood growing up in Ithaca. He performed in school musicals and his local church’s choir. His mother was a pianist and encouraged him to play the piano at a young age. By 1957 was proficient enough to have a job accompanying dance classes at the Studio of prominent Romanian-American dance teacher Iris Barbura. Through his position at the dance studio, Eastman began taking advanced piano lessons with George Driscoll at Ithaca College.
After studying with Driscoll for a few months, he recommended Julius advance to a music conservatory. In 1959, he was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied piano with revered pianist Mieczyslaw Horoszowski, as well as music theory and composition.
In 1969, Eastman officially joined the Creative Associates, a SUNY Buffalo music fellowship program, as a pianist-composer. This prestigious opportunity expanded his collaborations with other great musicians and leading composers such as Morton Feldman, John Cage, and Lukas Foss — who presided over the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts at the State University of New York at Buffalo, a center for experimental music. Eastman performed his music there over the years, and would begin teaching at the university in 1970. In the years he spent with the Creative Associates, Eastman would greatly expand the boundaries of the classical avant-garde music style.
His work in the mid-late 70s became more controversial. “What I am trying to achieve is to be what I am to the fullest,” Eastman explained in a 1976 interview at the height of his renown. “Black to the fullest, a musician to the fullest, a homosexual to the fullest.” Many of his song titles during this time period contained slurs and focused on issues of identity. He used the power of his works to provoke questions about racism and homophobia.
In 1975, Eastman gave the most notorious concert of his career when he was invited by John Cage to interpret his Song Books (1970) at SUNY Buffalo’s Baird Recital Hall. Eastman began by performing a burlesque performance on the merits of homosexuality. During the performance a collaborator stripped onstage while Eastman gyrated against his body. He ended his lecture by stating that the audience members should experiment with homosexuality themselves. Cage reportedly walked out of the auditorium and later criticized Eastman for being too obsessed with his own sexuality.
During the 80s, Eastman’s behavior became more erratic. His family and friends suspected he was drinking and using drugs. He began to pull away from people and isolate. Near the end of his life, he was evicted from his apartment for not paying rent and became homeless, staying at shelters and sometimes sleeping outside in Tompkins Square. When he died in a Buffalo hospital in 1990, he was 49 years old and alone. According to his death certificate the cause of death was cardiac arrest which could have been brought on by insomnia, starvation, dehydration, exhaustion, or depression. His music was scattered to the winds.
Today, his scores have been unearthed and are being heard again. The Wild Up contemporary music ensemble brings two nights of Julius Eastman’s music to Bing Concert Hall this February as part of a multiyear project to perform and record Eastman’s daring, original scores. Wild Up is committed to creating visceral, thought-provoking concerts that are catalysts for shared experiences and igniting the community around the music. Christopher Rountree, the founder, conductor, and creative director of Wild Up says Eastman’s music, “forces us to be with each other in different ways. It is music that calls for agency, personal activism, and for empathy for each other in listening.”
Eastman wanted his music to be a tool for social change and to get people involved. Stanford Live and Professor Hans Kretz, Department of Music, have created a class for this Winter quarter titled MUSIC 159M: Gay Guerilla: a hands-on experience of the life, music and legacy of Julius Eastman. The class includes lectures, guest speakers, and a chance to perform in a Stanford Live performance in order to fully immerse students in Eastman’s creations. Stanford students will join Wild Up to perform some of his famous works including Gay Guerilla, Buddha, and Joy Boy on Friday, February 9. Known for “organic music”, Eastman’s work will challenge students to find their own interpretation and vision. Professor Kretz states, “My aim is for this class and the performance at Stanford Live to serve as a catalyst for a deeper appreciation and exploration of Eastman's legacy, such that it fosters a profound impact on the students' academic and artistic journeys.” This community experience was created as a tribute to the composer and all that his music represented.
On Saturday, February 10, Wild Up will perform Eastman’s Feminine. “Wild Up’s new rendition of Femenine takes a page from Eastman’s personal playbook: It’s exuberant, a bit in your face, sometimes capricious, and always surprising” (NPR Music). His music allows us a glimpse back in time to explore the controversial topics we are still dealing with today such as gender identity, racism, and sexuality.
The final piece of Eastman’s music being showcased on the Stanford campus will take place on Sunday, February 11. The Stanford New Ensemble, Marisol Montalvo, and Seth Parker Woods will be performing at Dinkelspiel Auditorium in Gay Guerilla: A Hands-On Experience of the Life, Music, and Legacy of Julius Eastman.
This residency provides a great chance for both Stanford students and the community to experience his music up close and learn about his history as an artist. Professor Kretz declares, “Stanford Live has the invaluable ability to bring people across campus together to collaborate.” Eastman’s avant-garde music was considered ahead of its time, but now demands a second look.