The scope designated in the title of Kyle Gann's fine book American Music in the 20^th Century is a sure guarantee that most readers will be disappointed over the omission of at least one favorite American composer. In my case, I consider Donald Erb to be the best composer who was not mentioned in the book. This omission became understandable, if not less regrettable, when I reflected that the book was structured by coverage of various styles and schools of music composition. There is no place for Donald Erb in any of these classifications. He is not a neo-romantic, he is not a serialist, he is not a minimalist, and so on. In his Companion to 20^th Century Music, Norman Lebrecht has a short entry on Donald Erb which states that he is jazz-inspired. Erb's interest in and affinity for jazz is detectable, but this classification, too, is misleading as jazz idioms, like his other stylistic mannerisms, are at the edge of the music rather than at the center.

The closest Erb comes to any classification of 20^th century music would be spectralism. Much of the affect of his music comes through instrumental coloring and there are times when his coloring provides much of the shape of a composition or a movement of it. There are many imaginative uses of coloring, some of which have become signal markers that appear in several works. One of Erb's idiosyncratic devices, used more than once by him but not used by other composers that I know if, is the use of chop sticks for the purpose of tapping on the strings of string instruments. This device is used throughout the Lacrimosa movement of Ritual Observances for Orchestra to good effect. In the third movement of the same work, titled "My Father's Ghost is Climbing in the Rain," High-pitched harmonics on the violins combine with soft and equally high-pitched percussion instruments. In Sunlit Peaks and Dark Valleys, the trio of violin, clarinet and piano is supplemented by occasional use of such instruments as the kazoo and slide whistle. Far from undermining the serious thrust of the music, these augmentations from musical assistants enhance the otherworldly effect of this work.

Whereas most of the music of the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries was dynamic and forward moving, many of the techniques used in the twentieth century have been more conducive to the inhibition of forward movement if not static effects. Donald Erb uses most of these latter techniques so that the overriding feeling of his music as a whole is one of intense stillness. There are times, such as in the opening movement of the violin concerto where time stops altogether. The movements mentioned above are also static. Long sustained notes and meditative, fragmentary themes contribute to this effect. The Lacrimosa movement of Ritual Observances is built primarily on three notes from the Lacrimosa of Mozart's Requiem. So short a motive in slow motion freezes the moment of grief that Erb is expressing in this movement. Even in other works where there is more motion, such as the Watchman Fantasy, the movement is mostly in chromatic, sliding figures that tend to keep the music in roughly the same place. His fast movements, such as "Old Badman" in Evensong for Orchestra, have a herky-jerky effect that comes across as explosions of sound in a motionless musical landscape. (Erb says the title refers to himself because he likes to think that he is at least a little bit naughty.)

The static quality of so much of Erb's music tends to give it an eerie effect. The musical landscape is remote from normal human affections. It is not, however, altogether foreign to these affections. Erb's musical world is not actively welcoming, but it hospitably keeps the door open for anyone who would like to enter. The soundscape is murky but it is not menacing. It is not overtly comforting, but it offers space in which one can be comforted. The music probes the nooks and crannies of many twilight mysteries normally hidden from humankind. Although there is no telling what shadowy beings might be lurking behind the sound, Erb's musical journey feels perfectly safe. No matter how strange an encounter one is in for, it will not hurt you.

Sunlit Peaks and Dark Valleys is among Erb's most deeply moving pieces. The "sunlit peaks" are the first and third movements which are rather lively in Erb's static way. In the first movement, quick sliding figures punctuate passages that remain stalemated by a slow oscillating figure, sustained backgrounds or long trills. The motifs alternate between tense moments when the notes push away from each other and moments of repose. The ending of the first movement is equivocal. The "dark valley" is the middle, slow movement. It is written in memory of the children killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. As with so many Americans, this event made a deep impression on the composer because of the national hurt that it caused. The fact that Donald Erb spent much of his childhood in that part of the country made it all the more personal. Erb makes the music all the more poignant by his use of the hymn "Jesus Love Me." At first, there are only vague hints of the hymn's tune. The pianist plays directly on the strings about as often as on the keys, enhancing the mournful, ghostly affect. Then the violin plays it softly in double stops while the clarinet sustains a note dissonant to the melody. A soft, dissonant counter-melody on the clarinet can be overheard from the universe next door. The violin move into harmonics, making the hymn all the more distant. There is no triumph for the hymn but neither is defeated. The final movement breaks out in exuberant showers of sound but quickly falls into an inert state. Then it gathers enough momentum to scurry at a whispering volume and before punching out the final notes.

After having listened to several of Erb's works (just about everything currently available on CD) I have to admit that his bag of tricks seems somewhat limited. The same, however, can be said for a lot of other American composers who have received more attention that Erb has. Most important, Donald Erb's bag of tricks is endlessly fascinating. The twilight and the shadows of his musical world take on a different cast with every visit. I recommend the journey.