Composers final exam

Henry Cowell

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1897-1965

• Key Characteristics: Innovative use of piano techniques (tone clusters, string piano), exploration of world music influences, early electronic music experiments, prolific composer of diverse genres.

• Notable Works: The Banshee, Aeolian Harp, Hymn and Fuguing Tunes.

Edgard Varèse

• Nationality: French-born, American citizen

• Lifespan: 1883-1965

• Key Characteristics: "Organized sound" - focus on timbre and rhythm over traditional melody and harmony, pioneering work in electronic music, often used large percussion sections.

• Notable Works: Ionisation, Amériques, Déserts.

Harry Partch

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1901-1974

• Key Characteristics: Developed his own 43-note just intonation scale and built unique instruments to play it, theatrical and ritualistic performances, often based on Greek drama or his own invented myths.

• Notable Works: Oedipus, Delusion of the Fury, Revelation in the Courthouse Park.

Conlon Nancarrow

• Nationality: American-born, Mexican citizen

• Lifespan: 1912-1997

• Key Characteristics: Primarily known for his complex and virtuosic studies for player piano, exploring temporal relationships and polyrhythms beyond human performance capabilities.

• Notable Works: Studies for Player Piano.

Aaron Copland

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1900-1990

• Key Characteristics: Developed a distinctly "American" sound, incorporating folk melodies and open harmonies, also explored more abstract and serialist techniques later in his career.

• Notable Works: Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man, Billy the Kid.

Samuel Barber

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1910-1981

• Key Characteristics: Known for his lyrical and neo-romantic style, often featuring expressive melodies and rich harmonies.

• Notable Works: Adagio for Strings, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Violin Concerto.

Benjamin Britten

• Nationality: British

• Lifespan: 1913-1976

• Key Characteristics: Important figure in 20th-century British music, known for his operas, vocal music, and chamber works, often exploring themes of innocence and experience.

• Notable Works: Peter Grimes, War Requiem, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

Olivier Messiaen

• Nationality: French

• Lifespan: 1908-1992

• Key Characteristics: Deeply influenced by his Catholic faith, used modes of limited transposition, bird song transcriptions, and complex rhythmic patterns.

• Notable Works: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps, Turangalîla-Symphonie, Catalogue d'oiseaux.

Pierre Boulez

• Nationality: French

• Lifespan: 1925-2016

• Key Characteristics: Leading figure in post-World War II avant-garde, associated with integral serialism, later explored more flexible and aleatoric approaches, also a renowned conductor.

• Notable Works: Le Marteau sans maître, Pli selon pli, Répons.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

• Nationality: German

• Lifespan: 1928-2007

• Key Characteristics: Pioneer of electronic music, explored serialism, aleatoric music, spatialization of sound, and musical theater.

• Notable Works: Gesang der Jünglinge, Gruppen, Licht.

Igor Stravinsky

• Nationality: Russian-born, French and American citizen

• Lifespan: 1882-1971

• Key Characteristics: Highly influential composer who went through several stylistic periods: Russian nationalism, neoclassicism, and serialism. Known for his rhythmic vitality and innovative orchestration.

• Notable Works: The Rite of Spring, Petrushka, The Rake's Progress.

Milton Babbitt

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1916-2011

• Key Characteristics: Leading proponent of total serialism, applying serial principles to all musical parameters (pitch, rhythm, dynamics, etc.), known for its intellectual rigor and complexity.

• Notable Works: Philomel, Composition for Twelve Instruments, Ensembles for Synthesizer.

Krzysztof Penderecki

• Nationality: Polish

• Lifespan: 1933-2020

• Key Characteristics: Early works characterized by dense sound masses and extended instrumental techniques, later moved towards a more neo-romantic and tonal style.

• Notable Works: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, St. Luke Passion, Symphony No. 2 "Christmas".

John Cage

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1912-1992

• Key Characteristics: Revolutionary figure who questioned traditional definitions of music, explored chance operations (aleatoric music), indeterminacy, and the role of silence.

• Notable Works: 4'33", Prepared Piano pieces, Fontana Mix.

George Crumb

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1929-2022

• Key Characteristics: Known for his evocative and often theatrical scores, extended instrumental techniques, unusual timbres, and incorporation of folk and world music elements.

• Notable Works: Black Angels, Ancient Voices of Children, Vox Balaenae.

Elliott Carter

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1908-2012

• Key Characteristics: Known for his complex rhythmic structures, "metric modulation" (smooth transitions between tempos), and dense contrapuntal textures.

• Notable Works: String Quartets, Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano with Two Small Orchestras, What Next?.

Terry Riley

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1935-present

• Key Characteristics: Pioneer of minimalism, known for his repetitive patterns, gradual changes, and often improvisatory feel.

• Notable Works: In C, Rainbow in Curved Air, Salome Dances for Peace.

Philip Glass

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1937-present

• Key Characteristics: One of the most prominent minimalist composers, known for his repetitive structures, arpeggiated figures, and large-scale works including operas and film scores.

• Notable Works: Einstein on the Beach, Koyaanisqatsi, Symphony No. 5.

John Adams

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1947-present

• Key Characteristics: Often associated with post-minimalism, incorporating elements of minimalism, pop music, and traditional orchestral writing, known for his energetic and dramatic works.

• Notable Works: Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Nixon in China, Harmonielehre.

Steve Reich

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1936-present

• Key Characteristics: Key figure in minimalism, known for his phasing techniques, tape loops, and exploration of rhythmic and melodic processes.

• Notable Works: Clapping Music, Music for 18 Musicians, Different Trains.

György Ligeti

• Nationality: Hungarian-born, Austrian citizen

• Lifespan: 1923-2006

• Key Characteristics: Early works explored micropolyphony (dense webs of independent lines), later works incorporated more traditional forms and harmonies, known for his imaginative soundscapes.

• Notable Works: Atmosphères, Lux Aeterna, Piano Études.

Joan Tower

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1938-present

• Key Characteristics: Known for her dynamic and rhythmically complex orchestral works, often inspired by nature and characterized by a strong sense of energy.

• Notable Works: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, Silver Ladders, Made in America.

Arvo Pärt

• Nationality: Estonian

• Lifespan: 1935-present

• Key Characteristics: Developed his own minimalist style called "tintinnabuli," characterized by simple, bell-like harmonies and slow tempos, often with a spiritual or meditative quality.

• Notable Works: Spiegel im Spiegel, Für Alina, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten.

Henryk Górecki

• Nationality: Polish

• Lifespan: 1933-2010

• Key Characteristics: Known for his emotionally direct and often deeply spiritual music, achieved international fame with his Symphony No. 3.

• Notable Works: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs", Totus Tuus, Beatus Vir.

John Tavener

• Nationality: British

• Lifespan: 1944-2013

• Key Characteristics: Known for his deeply spiritual and often static musical language, influenced by Orthodox Christianity, using drones, modal melodies, and resonant acoustics.

• Notable Works: The Lamb, Svyati, Song for Athene.

Leonard Bernstein

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1918-1990

• Key Characteristics: Highly influential conductor, composer, and educator, known for his eclectic style blending classical, jazz, and popular music idioms.

• Notable Works: West Side Story, Candide, Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah".

Luciano Berio

• Nationality: Italian

• Lifespan: 1925-2003

• Key Characteristics: Important figure in the post-war avant-garde, known for his virtuoso instrumental writing, exploration of vocal techniques, and use of collage and quotation.

• Notable Works: Sequenzas, Sinfonia, Folk Songs.

George Rochberg

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1918-2005

• Key Characteristics: Initially a serialist composer, he later famously rejected atonality and embraced a more tonal and often quotation-based style.

• Notable Works: String Quartets Nos. 3-6, Contra Mortem et Tempus, Symphony No. 2.

Laurie Anderson

• Nationality: American

• Lifespan: 1947-present

• Key Characteristics: Multimedia artist known for her performance art pieces incorporating music, spoken word, visual elements, and technology.

• Notable Works: O Superman, Big Science, United States Live.