Guy Livingson: Minuteman
Pianist Collects Compositions that Clock In at Around 60 Seconds

Listen to Lynn Neary's report.

Guy Livingston in NPR's Studio 4A. Photo: Dan Mitchell, NPR

From Don't Panic: 60 Seconds for Piano "Speed Study I" by Dan Warburton "Who asked you?" by Sophie de Wit "i'm afraid you might ask for a fragment of my soul" by Gene Pritsker "Moondrunk" by Ketty Nez

May 26, 2002 -- Guy Livingston was in the midst of a regular gig performing Charles Ives' "Concord Sonata" several years ago when he was stuck with the idea of commissioning dozens of composers to write 60-second works for him to record.

The sonata is about 45 minutes long, and "I wanted to do something that would kind of be an antidote to that," Livingston tells Lynn Neary for Weekend Edition Sunday.

The result is a new album: Don't Panic! 60 Seconds for Piano, a collection of 60 pieces that each run for (more or less) 60 seconds. Most of the composers are little known, but all of them were recompensed. "Each composer got a bottle of Jack Daniels as a little reward for their work, " Livingston says. (Proceeds from the album -- in the form of cash, not Tennessee whiskey -- go to the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders.)

Host Neary asks the obvious question: "What can a composer really convey in 60 seconds?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe a lot," is Livingston's answer.

In other words, listen for yourself.


Ned Wharton produced this radio segment


Other Resources

More on Guy Livingston

Doctors Without Borders

E-mail this Page

 

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:	» List of local stations (PDF)
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes    No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes    No
May we contact you with information about NPR programming and services? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes    No
(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)