composers

Composer Biographical Information Major Works

Hector Berlioz

(1803 – 1869)

French Romantic composer, critic,

and conductor

Son of a doctor born in a village

close to the French Alps

Fell in love with and married Harriet

Smithson, a Shakespearean actress

Many of his works were failures

during his lifetime

Symphonie Fantastique – (1830) –

program symphony – has dreamlike

quality – about an artist who

poisoned himself with opium

Harold in Italy – (1834) – 4-part

orchestral work – viola represents

protagonist – Paganini encouraged

him to write it but was disappointed

with it

Benvenuto Cellini – (1838) – 1st

opera – about Italian sculptor

The Damnation of Faust – (1846) –

work for 4 voices, a 7-part chorus, a

large children’s chorus, and an

orchestra – called a dramatic legend

by Berlioz – Faust gives his soul to

save Marguerite

Romeo et Juliette – (1839) – choral

symphony – dedicated to Paganini

Bela Bartok

(1881 – 1945)

Hungarian composer

Born in Great St. Nicholas in what is

now Romania

Isolated because of reaction to

smallpox vaccination

Began composing at age 9

Career as a concert pianist –

performed 630 concerts in 22

countries

Immigrated to the U.S. and became

an American citizen

One of the founders of comparative

musicology, which would become

ethnomusicology (study of the

music of different cultures)

Concerto for Orchestra – (1943) -

5-movement orchestral work -

written for Boston Symphony –

atmospheric orchestral showcase

Duke Bluebeard’s Castle – (1911) -

only opera - a psychological drama

about Bluebeard and his wife Judith,

who insists on discovering her

husband’s secrets

Romanian Folk Dances – (1915) –

set of 6 dances written for the piano

– music comes from original

melodies and tunes from

Transylvania

Gustav Mahler

(1860 – 1911)

Austrian Romantic Jewish composer

and conductor

Born in Bohemia as the son of a

distiller and tavern keeper

Early life filled with tension due to

racial issues and problems between

parents

The Song of Complaint – (1880) –

cantata submitted as an entry in a

contest that he lost

Symphony No. 1 in D Major –

(1888) – autobiographical of his

youth – becomes obsessed with

death in Funeral March in the

Manner of Callot

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 135Debuted as a pianist when 15

Composed 10 symphonies and

various songs

Resurrection Symphony (Symphony

No. 2) - (1894) – starts with a

funeral ceremony and ends with the

Day of Judgment - Christian belief

in immortality

Symphony of a Thousand

(Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major)

– (1907) – Mahler didn’t title it with

its common name – named because

of how many required to produce it

– 1st continuous choral and

orchestral symphony ever composed

The Song of the Earth – (1908) –

song symphony – premier conducted

after his death – since he was

superstitious, he did not give it a

number (9th symphony) – based on

Chinese poems of Li Po and other

Chinese poets

Giovanni Palestrina

(1525 – 1594)

Italian Renaissance composer of 105

masses and 250 motets, and several

madrigals

Born near Rome – during Roman

Catholic Counter-Reformation

Choirboy at Santa Maria Maggiore

Published the first book of masses

before he was 30

Served as choir director in several

churches and worked for several

popes during his life

Master of contrapuntal composition

Stabat Mater – (late Renaissance) -

motet for unaccompanied Double

Chorus – may have been written for

Pope Gregory XIV

Pope Marcellus Mass – (1567)

intended for 6 A Capella parts

changed to 8 at the end and split into

two despite being an Agnus Dei –

according to legend, convinced the

Council of Trent not to ban

polyphony from worship

O Magnum Mysterium – (1569) –

six-part motet based on chant –

written for Christmas

Song of Songs Motet cycle (1584) –

sacred motets based on biblical

songs of Solomon from the Old

Testament

George Frideric Handel

(1685 – 1759)

German British Baroque composer

Born in Brandenburg-Prussia same

year as Bach

Was Lutheran but accepted a

position at a Catholic church as an

organist

Composed more than 40 opera seria

Composed operas, concerti grossi,

oratorios, anthems, and organ

concertos

Messiah – (1742) – it is traditional

to stand during this oratorio –

contains words, “and he shall reign

forever and ever”

Water Music –(1717) - initially

included no string instruments since

it was to be outside – composed for

George I’s relaxation as it was

played at a concert on a barge on the

Thames

Music for the Royal Fireworks –

(1749) – suite in D major – scored

for large wind band ensemble -

celebrates the end of War of

Austrian Succession -

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 136Zadok the Priest – (1727) –

coronation anthem written for the

coronation of King George II –

played at every coronation since –

biblical account of the anointing of

Solomon

Solomon – (1758) - oratorio -

contains “The Arrival of the Queen

of Sheba” played with 2 oboes and

strings – based on the biblical King

Solomon

Rinaldo – (1711) - 1st opera

explicitly composed for the city of

London – set at the time of the First

Crusade – most frequently

performed during his lifetime

Sergei Rachmaninoff

(1873 – 1943)

Russian Romantic composer and

leading piano virtuoso

Born on the family estate in

Novgorod district to a retired army

officer

Conductor at Bolshoi Theater during

Russian Revolution

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

– (1934) - composed for piano and

orchestra while in Switzerland at

summer home – variations on a

violin caprice by Paganini

Aleko – (1892) - 1-act opera

composed when he was 19 – won a

gold medal when he graduated from

Moscow Conservatory – 1st of three

completed operas

The Isle of the Dead – (1909) –

symphonic poem – based on a black

and white painting by Bocklin – a

5/8 motif represents the rowing of

oars

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor –

(1909) – composed for 1st concert

tour in the US

The Bells – (1913) – choral

symphony based on a poem by Poe

Joseph Haydn

(1732 – 1809)

Austrian Classical composer

Born in Rohrau, Austria

Father was wheelwright

Apprenticed at 6 years old to

relative and choirmaster

Called the Father of Symphony and

String Quartets

Instrumental in the development of

chamber music

Worked for the Esterhazy family

The Seasons – (1801) – secular

oratorio – intended as bilingual work

in English and German – divided

into 4 parts (Spring, Summer,

Autumn, Winter) – has hunting song

with horn calls, wine celebration

with dancing peasants

Clock Symphony(Symphony No.

101) – (1794) – nicknamed because

of “tick-tock” in the second

movement

Surprise Symphony (Symphony No.

94) – (1792) - second in the set of 12

symphonies – nicknamed for a

sudden fortissimo chord in a quiet

second movement

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 137Friend and mentor for Mozart

Tutored Beethoven

The Joke – (1781) – string quartet

written for Grand Duke Paul of

Russia – nicknamed because of its

extremely long pauses at the end of

the last movement

Emperor Symphony

Farewell Symphony (Symphony No.

45 in F-sharp minor) – (1772) -

performers blow out candles as they

leave the stage one-by-one –

composed as complaint and

indicated his desire to leave

Esterhazy

The Creation – (1787 – 1798) -

oratorio – meant to be bilingual

work in English and German – based

on the creation story in Genesis –

soloists represent archangels

(Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel)

The Paris Symphonies (Symphonies

No. 82 – 87) - (the 1780s) – The

second movement named “The

Queen” because it was a favorite of

the queen – oboe “clucks” repeated-

note theme – has a bagpipe-like

beginning nicknamed “The Bear”

Military Symphony (Symphony No.

100) – (1793-94) - added cymbal,

triangle, and bass drum from Turkish

Janissary bands into a Western

orchestra

Niccolo Paganini

(1782 – 1840)

Italian violinist and composer born

in Genoa

Began playing mandolin at age 5

and moved to the violin at age 7

Learned to play guitar when French

invaded and the family moved to the

country

Most celebrated violin virtuoso of

his time – could play 3 octaves

across 4 strings in a hand span

Believed to have had Marfan’s

syndrome

After acquiring Stradivarius viola,

encouraged Berlioz to compose

Harold in Italy

Supposedly sold his soul to the devil

for a flawless musical technique

24 Caprices for Solo Violin – (1802

– 1817) – written in groups of six –

are in the form of etudes, with each

number requiring different skills

Sonata Militare – (1824) - for violin

and orchestra based on an aria from

Marriage of Figaro

Rondo a la clochette (Violin

Concerto No. 2 in B-Minor) –

(1826) - violin concerto that calls for

a bell to precede each restatement of

the theme

Devil’s Laughter (or Devil’s

Chuckle)– 13th of the caprices – only

one that is in the key of B-Flat Major

– moves from moderate to very fast

speed

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 138Henry Purcell

(1659 – 1695)

British Baroque composer

Born in London

Earliest work was an ode for King’s

birthday when he was 11

English opera composer

Buried adjacent to an organ at

Westminster Abbey

Lord, Who Can Tell – 1678 –

earliest anthem – psalm composed

for Christmas Day and read as a

prayer on the 4th day of the month

Dido and Aeneas – (1689) chamber

opera – performed at a boarding

school for girls – considered the first

genuine English opera – has aria

“When I am laid in earth”

Funeral Sentences and Music for

the Funeral of Queen Mary –

anthem and 2 elegies

The Indian Queen – unfinished

dramatic opera set in Mexico –

unfinished

Ode to St. Cecilia – has a movement

called Wondrous Machine! In praise

of the organ

King Arthur – semi-opera - opens

with the sacrifice of milk-white

steed to Woden – collaborated with

John Dryden, who wrote the libretto

The Fairy-Queen – (1692) - adapted

version of Midsummer Night’s

Dream - after Purcell’s death, it was

lost and only found in the early 20th

century – has a masque at the end

featuring Hymen, goddess of

marriage – composed for the

wedding of William and Mary

Claude Debussy

(1862 – 1918)

French Impressionist composer

Born in the outskirts of Paris

Showed gift as a pianist by age 9

Formulated a 21-note-scale to

drown the sense of tonality

Kept a small statue by Camille

Claudel on his piano or mantel

Composed 24 Preludes

Father of Impressionist music

The Prodigal Child –(1884) –

cantata that won Grand Prix de

Rome

Clair de Lune – (1905) - title refers

to a folk song – means moonlight in

French - 3rd movement of Suite

Bergamasque

Pelleas et Melisande – (1902) –

single completed opera

La Mer – (1905) – inspired by

works of Turner and Monet – picture

of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off

Kanagawa was on a poster at

premier - violins used to illustrate

rising storm waves

Children’s Corner – (1908) – piano

suite – includes Golliwog’s

Cakewalk- dedicated to his daughter

Suite Bergamasque (1905) – piano

suite with the third movement Clair

de Lune

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

(1894) – a tone poem for orchestra –

considered an excellent example of

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 139Impressionism in music – faun

awakes to revel in sensual memories

of wood nymphs

John Williams

(1952 -

American composer, conductor, and

pianist

Born in New York

Attended Juilliard School

Won 25 Grammy Awards, 5

Academy Awards

52 Academy Award nominations –

second only to Walt Disney

Composed for many movies and

television series

Music can be classified as

“neuroromanticism”

Plans to retire after 5th Indiana Jones

movie to be released in 2023

Movies:

Star Wars – 1977 movie score

selected by American Film Institute

as the most outstanding film score of

all time

Jaws

E.T., the Extraterrestrial

Indian Jones films

Jurassic Park films

Schindler’s List

Harry Potter films

1984 Summer Olympic Games

Theme

TV Shows:

Lost in Space

Gilligan’s Island

Leonard Bernstein

(1918 – 1990)

American composer and conductor,

pianist, teacher, author, and

humanitarian

Born in Massachusetts

Taught himself to play piano at 10

First American conductor to lead an

American orchestra, New York

Philharmonic

West Side Story - (1957) –

composed music for musical

Fancy Free – (1944) - ballet about 3

sailors on leave in wartime New

York – 1st collaboration with Jerome

Robbins

Candide – (1956) - operetta based

on Voltaire’s novel

Peter Pan – (1950) incidental music

for the Broadway production of

Barrie’s play

George Gershwin

(1898 – 1937)

American Jewish composer and

pianist

Born and raised in the Yiddish

Theater District of Brooklyn

Brother Ira – worked as a team to

create many works

Awarded a special Pulitzer

posthumously in 1998,

commemorating his 100th birthday

Rhapsody in Blue (1924) – musical

composition for piano and jazz band

An American in Paris – (1928) –

jazz-influenced orchestral piece –

used taxi horns in performance

Strike up the Band – (1927) –

musical about a cheese manufacturer

who sponsors war with Switzerland

I Got Rhythm – (1930) – a song

from the musical Girl Crazy

Porgy and Bess – (1935) – tells the

story of Porgy and his love for Bess

- American opera includes the song

“Summertime”

Billy Joel

(1949 -

American singer, pianist, and

songwriter

Born in New York

Piano Man –(1973) – first single in

America – based on his real-life

experiences as a lounge singer

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 140“Piano Man” – became his signature

song

Sold more than 150 million records

Stopped writing and releasing

pop/rock material after 1993 River

of Dreams

It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me –

(1980) – 1st number 1 pop song –

reaction to punk rock and new wave

River of Dreams – 12th studio album

– his last recording of new music

Stephen Sondheim

(1931 – 2021)

American composer and lyricist

Born in New York

Mentored by Oscar Hammerstein

Won 8 Tony Awards, A Pulitzer in

1985, Oscar, and 8 Grammys

Broadway dimmed lights on

December 8, 2021, as a tribute

West Side Story - (1957) – lyrics for

Broadway play – 1st major work for

Broadway

A Funny Thing Happened on the

Way to the Forum – (1962) –

musical about an enslaved person

named Pseudolus

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber

of Fleet Street – (1979) – musical –

won Tony Award for Best Play

Company – (1971) won 6 Tony

Awards – no chronological, linear

path – internal reflections of the

main character

Follies – (1972) – musical about

Broadway theater scheduled for

demolition and reunion of showgirls

and ghosts of their younger selves –

won Tony

A Little Night Music –(1973) –

musical about the romantic lives of

several couples – contains the song

“Send in the Clowns” – won Tony

Into the Woods –(1988) – musical

about plots of several Grimm fairy

tales – won Tony

Passion – (1994) – a one-act musical

– about a young soldier in Italy and

the obsessive love of a colonel’s

cousin – won Tony

Sunday in The Park with George –

(1985) – Pulitzer in Drama – musical

about Seurat

John Cage

(1912 – 1992)

American composer and music

theorist

Born in Los Angeles

Collaborated with choreographer

Merce Cunningham

used prepared piano – (piano altered

with objects placed between

hammers and strings

4’ 33” – (1952) – composition

performed in the absence of sound –

musicians are only present during

the presentation but do not play

anything

Sonatas and Interludes – (1946 –

48) – a cycle of 20 pieces for

prepared piano – 16 sonatas and 4

interludes

Variations III – (1962) – part of a

series of works called Variations –

happenings, indeterminate music –

consists of 2 sheets of transparent

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 141Developed idea of aleatoric or

chance music

plastic, one blank and second

marked with 42 identical circles –

musicians cut circles apart –

musicians complete “actions” not

defined by Cage

ASLSP As Slow As Possible –

(1985) – performance began in 2001

at St. Burchardi Church in Germany

and will end in 2640 – last note

change was in February 2022 – will

take 639 years to complete

Philip Glass

(1937 -

American composer and pianist born

in Baltimore

Composed concertos, film scores,

symphonies, and string quartets

Studied Indian music

Calls his music “music with

repetitive structures”

6 Documentaries about him have

been made

North Star – (1977) – score for a

documentary about artist Mark di

Suvero

Einstein on the Beach – (1976) – 4-

hour opera score in collaboration

with Robert Wilson – one scene

takes place in a spaceship – 1st in his

Portrait Trilogy

Satyagraha – (insistence on truth) –

(1979) – opera based on the life of

Mahatma Gandhi – text from

Bhagavad Gita sung during opera –

part of Portrait Trilogy

Akhenaten – (1982-83) – opera

based on the life of Amenhotep IV –

taken from a poem about the

pharaoh in The Book of the Dead –

final in Portrait Trilogy

Notes on a Scandal – (2006)

Musical score for the movie

The Hours – (2002) – musical score

earned him a second Oscar

nomination

Stranger Things – (2019) – The TV

series used his “Confrontation and

Rescue” as the ending of Season 3

Arnold Schoenberg

(1874 – 1951)

Austrian American composer, music

theorist, writer, and painter

Born in Vienna

Targeted by Nazi Party as creating

degenerate music and forbade them

being published

Immigrated to the U.S. in 1933

Converted to Lutheranism from

Judaism

Developed Twelve-tone technique

The Hand of Fate – (1910-13) –

opera – called drama with music

Pelleas und Melisande – (1902-03)

– symphonic poem – based on

Maeterlinck’s play

A Survivor from Warsaw – (1947) –

cantata with spoken narrative to

honor Holocaust victims

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 142Taught many later modern

composers, including Alban Berg

and John Cage

Was superstitious – and had

triskaidekaphobia (fear of number

13) – Died on Friday, 13

Irving Berlin

(1888 – 1989)

Russian American composer,

songwriter, and lyricist

Born in Russia and immigrated to

the U.S. when he was 5

Couldn’t read sheet music for most

of his career – had a custom piano

with transposing lever to play in

keys other than F-sharp

Gershwin called him the “greatest

songwriter that ever lived”

Alexander’s Ragtime Band – (1911)

– his 1st international hit

White Christmas – (1942) – written

for the musical film Holiday Inn

won Oscar for Best Original Song –

Bing Crosby’s version was the

world’s bestselling single

This Is the Army – (1942) –

Broadway musical revue to boost

morale during WWII

Puttin’ On the Ritz – (1928) – a

song associated with Fred Astaire,

who danced to it in the movie Blue

Skies – used for a flash mob in

Moscow in 2012

God Bless America – (1918) – sung

by Bessie Smith in 1938 on the

anniversary of Armistice Day

Annie Get Your Gun – (1946) –

took over composition when Jerome

Kerns died

Mr. President – (1962) – musical

about fictional president Stephen

Decatur Henderson – retired after

this

Scott Joplin

(1868 – 1917)

African American ragtime composer

Born in Texas

Was one of the first freeborn men in

his family

Dubbed “King of Ragtime”

Won posthumous Pulitzer in 1976

Maple Leaf Rag – (1899) – musical

composition for piano

The Entertainer – (1902) – classic

piano rag – could play on player

pianos – used as the theme music for

the 1973 Oscar-winning movie The

Sting

The Cascades – (1904) – composed

about artificial waterfalls at the St.

Louis World’s Fair

Sugar Cane Rag – (1905) – last

improvision of Maple Leaf Rag –

cheerful music

Aaron Copland

(1900 – 1990)

American composer – son of

Russian-Jewish immigrants

Born in New York

Wrote first songs when he was 8

Won Pulitzer in 1945

Appalachian Spring – (1944) –

commissioned by Martha Graham –

ballet – premiered at Library of

Congress with Martha Graham

dancing the lead role – won Pulitzer

Rodeo – (1942) – ballet

choreographed by Agnes DeMille

for the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo

– DeMille danced lead

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 143Investigated by the FBI during Red

Scare

Billy the Kid – (1938) – ballet

incorporated several cowboy tunes

and American folk songs –

perception of Wild West

Fanfare for the Common Man –

(1942) – inspired by a speech by

Vice President Henry Wallace

Steve Reich

(1936 -

American Minimalist composer

Born in New York

Majored in philosophy at Cornell

and studied composition at Julliard

School – played keyboard

instruments and percussion

Received Pulitzer Prize for Music in

2009

It’s Gonna Rain – (1965) –

minimalist piece for magnetic tape –

1st major work

Different Trains – (1968) –

minimalist composition for string

quartet and tape – made of 3

movements about WWII (America

– Before the War; Europe – During

the War; and After the War)

Music for 18 Musicians – (1976) –

50 minutes long – blends Indian,

African, and Japanese rhythms

Pendulum Music – (1968) – music

for microphones, amplifiers,

speakers, and performers –

microphones swing over performers

like pendulums

Piano Phase – 2 pianos that play the

same phrase initially at the same

tempo until the second piano speeds

up and laps the first

Traveler’s Prayer - (2021) –

premiered at Carnegie Hall in

November 2022 – composed during

the pandemic – contains 3 excerpts

from Genesis, Exodus, and Psalms

WTC 9/11: (For Three String

Quartets and Pre-recorded Voices)

– incorporated recordings of

emergency personnel and New York

residents that had been made on that

day

Danny Elfman

(1953 -

American composer, singer, and

songwriter

Born and raised in California

Quit high school and toured Europe

playing violin with his brother

Musical director of Oingo Boingo

Focuses on pop, new-age genres,

and film scores

Best known for collaborations with

Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus

Van Sant

Movie Scores:

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The Nightmare Before Christmas –

(1993), he also voiced songs of Jack

Skellington

Spiderman – (2002)

Goosebumps – (2015)

The Grinch – (2018)

White Noise – (2022)

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 144Duke Ellington

(1899 – 1974)

African American jazz musician,

bandleader, and composer

Born in Washington D.C.

Played at Cotton Club in Harlem

14 Grammy Awards, Presidential

Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Special

Citation for Music 1999

Take the A Train – (1939) - his

signature song – actually written by

his collaborator, Billy Strayhorn

It Don’t Mean a Thing (if it Ain’t

Got That Swing) – (1931) – was

inducted into the Grammy Hall of

Fame

I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart

(1938) - #1 hit for Ellington

Cole Porter

(1891 – 1964)

Born in Indiana

Classically trained but turned to

musicals as the main interest

Composed melody and wrote lyrics

Leg amputated in the 1950s

Paris – first successful musical

(1928)

Aladdin – (1958) – the last musical

before he died – only aired once and

was never shown again

The New Yorkers – (1930) - Jimmy

Durante wrote songs for his

character- satirizes high society

criminals during Prohibition

High Society (1997) – based on a

movie of the same name – Oyster

Bay socialite who is planning to

marry another executive when her

ex-husband appears and disrupts

plans

Kiss Me, Kate – (1953) - based on

Shakespeare's play Taming of the

Shrew

Charles Ives

(1874 – 1954)

American modernist composer

Born in Connecticut

One of the original composers to use

experimental music techniques

Received Pulitzer in 1947

Variations on America – (1891) –

composed when he was 17 – earliest

polytonal piece known

Three Places in New England –

(1911 – 1914) – orchestra

composition in 3 movements – one

of his most performed pieces

Central Park in the Dark – (1906) –

musical composition for chamber

orchestra

Concord Sonata – (1939) – piano

sonata

Symphony No. 3 – won Pulitzer

1947

Symphony No. 4 – (1910 – the

1920s) – requires two conductors for

its performance

Samuel Barber

(1910 – 1981)

American composer, pianist,

baritone singer, conductor, and

music teacher

Born in Pennsylvania

Musical prodigy – composed first

work at 7

Vanessa (1956-57) – 3-act American

opera with libretto by Menotti –

based on Dinesen’s novella Seven

Gothic Tales – idealized love and

romance in the face of reality and

passing of time – won Pulitzer

Symphony No. 1 in One Movement

– (1936) – lasts only 21 minutes – a

condensed version of the 4-

movement symphony

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 145Collaborated with Gian Carlo

Menotti on operas

Won 2 Pulitzers 1958 & 1963

Piano Sonata in E Flat Minor –

(1949) – composed for the 25th

anniversary of the League of

Composers – commissioned by

Berlin and Rodgers

Adagio for Strings – (1936) –

setting for Barber’s 1967 Agnus Dei

Piano Concerto No. 1 – (1963) –

won Pulitzer for Music

John Adams

(1947 -

American Minimalist composer and

conductor

Born in Massachusetts

Composed his first piece at age 10

Graduated from Harvard – 1st

student allowed to submit musical

composition as thesis

Leader in contemporary classical

music

Earned Pulitzer despite work

considered divisive (2003)

Death of Klinghoffer – (2008) -

controversial work, called anti-

Semitic even by the family – pulled

from the lineup of Boston

Symphony Orchestra after the 9/11

attacks

Call Me by Your Name - film score

– (2017)

Nixon in China – opera premiered

in 1987 – 1st of his operas – details

Nixon’s trip with media influences

Phrygian Gates – (1977-78) –

Adams’ “opus one” – piano piece

China Gates – (1977) – short piano

piece – 4.5 minutes long

Hallelujah Junction – 1996 –

composition for 2 pianos – Adams

titled his autobiography after this

piece

Shaker Loops – (1978) – string

septet from earlier quartet

Wavemaker

Dharma at Big Sur – (2003) –

electric violin piece composed for

the opening of Disney Concert Hall

The Gospel According to the Other

Mary - (2014) – oratorio focuses on

the last weeks of Jesus’s life from

Mary Magdalene's point of view

On the Transmigration of Souls

(2002) – commemorated the victims

of the 9/11 attacks – he described it

as “a memory space – a place where

you can go and be alone with your

thoughts and emotions” – won

Pulitzer

Max Richter

(1966 -

British composer, pianist, and

producer

Born in West Germany

Cofounded contemporary classical

ensemble Piano Circus - formed to

perform Six Pianos by Reich in

1989

Recomposed by Max Richter:

Vivaldi-The Four Seasons – (2012

and re-released in 2022)

Memoryhouse – (2002) – the solo

debut of a documentary music

experimental album

The Blue Notebooks – (2004) –

featured an actress reading from

Kafka’s The Blue Octavio Notebooks

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 146Works in postminimalism 24 Postcards in Full Color – (2008)

– a collection of ringtones

Exiles – (2021) album with many

works

Eric Whitacre (1970 - American composer, conductor, and

speaker

Born in Nevada

Calls his harmonies “the golden

brick”

uses aleatoric and indeterminate

sections, including hand actions or

props

Appointed first artist-in-residence at

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Ghost Train – 1st piece for wind

orchestra when he was 23

Deep Field: The Impossible

Magnitude of the Universe - -

(2018) – 4k film for IMAX – an

audio-visual collaboration between

Whitacre, NASA, etc. – premiered at

Kennedy Space Center

Sleep – A Cappella choir

composition

Cloudburst – choral work (1991)

Lux Aurumque (Light and Gold) –

Christmas choral work – (2000)

Virtual Choir – founded in 2009 –

1st group was 185 singers – the last

version in 2020 featured 17,572

performers, including Sign

Language performers

Hans Zimmer

(1957 -

German composer of film scores and

music producer

Born in Frankfurt, West Germany

Won 2 Oscars and 4 Grammys

Head of the film division of

DreamWorks Pictures and

DreamWorks Animation

The Lion King – (1995) – won

Oscar for Best Film Score

Pirates of the Caribbean

Gladiator – (2001) – Oscar for Best

Original Score

The Last Samurai – (2004)

The Dark Knight trilogy – (2009)

Dune – won Oscar in 2022

The Crown – Netflix

Ta-Dum – Netflix

Rain Man – used synthesizers and

steel drums (1989)

Driving Miss Daisy –

instrumentation consisted of

synthesizers and samplers played by

Zimmer

The Power of One – (1992) – used

African choirs and drums for the

score

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 –

1st video game project

Wynton Marsalis

(1961 -

African American trumpeter,

composer, and teacher

Born in New Orleans – the son of a

jazz musician

Attended Juilliard School

Only musician to have won Grammy

Awards in jazz and classical in the

same year when he was only 22

Blood on the Fields – (1997) – won

a Pulitzer - oratorio

Fiddle Dance Suite – violin

concerto

Hot House Flowers – (1984) - the

album won Grammy (trumpet)

Black Codes (from the

Underground) – (1985) – the album

won 2 Grammy Awards

KAAC Study Guides High School Arts & Humanities 147Started Classical Jazz summer

concert series at Lincoln Center in

New York

Received National Medal of Arts in

2005

Won Pulitzer in 1997 – first jazz

composition to do so

James MacMillan

(1959 -

Scottish classical musician

Born in Kilwinning

The Confession of Isobel Gowdie –

(1990) about a Scottish woman

executed for witchcraft

The Strathclyde Motets – (2005)

Who Shall Separate us? –(2022) –

anthem composed for Queen

Elizabeth II’s funeral

Veni, Veni Emmanuel – (1992) –

most performed work – percussion

concerto

Stabat Mater – (2015) –

lamentations of Mary as she sees

Jesus on the cross – based on a 13th

-

century poem that begins, “the

grieving mother stood”