American Composers

Barber,

Bernstein,

  • Among the most influential musical figures of the 20th century

  • Respected and admired fro multiple talents as composer, conductor =, pianist and author

  • French and Latin Choruses from The Lark

    • Three French choruses with drum, five latin choruses with bells

  • Chichester Psalm

    • One of his most iconic choral pieces

  • Style

    • Eclectic - various American vernacular styles

    • Jewish heritage

    • Dramatic juxtaposition of styles

    • Angular melodies with wide intervals

    • Asymmetrical meters: Dance like

    • Tonal harmonies with sections of extreme dissonance

Samuel Barber

  • Born into a musical family

  • Neo Romantic

    • Old style with a refreshed lense

    • Fondness for romantic fullness, lyricism and drama

    • his music was primarily expression of personal emotion

    • Harmonic language of late 19th century

  • Reincarnations

    • SATB unaccompanied

    • Set of three motets

      • Mary Hynes, Anthony O’Daly, The Coolin

  • Angus Dei

    • Transcription of Adagio for Strings

Amy Beach

  • American composer and pianist

  • Child prodigy

  • First successful American formal composer of Large scale art music

  • Mass in E flat

    • In 5 (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctum, Angus Dei)

    • Romantic Style: rich in harmony and tonality

  • Gaelic Symphony - premiered with Boston symphony Orchestra

  • Sacred works are SATB with organ

  • Secular works are SATB with piano

Charles Ives

  • Revolted agaisnt German - Trained teachers

  • American’s musical prophet

  • His father was really invested into ear training

  • Used wahtever musucal elements available to him, pop songs, impressionistic chords, hymn tunes, counterpint, parade bands

  • Psalm 67

    • SSAATTBB unaccompanied

    • Bi-Tonality

    • The choirs sing in two keys the entire time

  • Circus Band

    • SATB piano (4-hands)

Aaron Copland

  • Cultivated an American sound

  • Growing interest in popular items; no American counterpoint to the national styles being created in France, Russia, Spain, England, Brazil, Argentina

  • Four motets

  • Lark

    • Unaccompanied SATB and B Soli

  • In the Beginning

    • SATB and Mezzo

    • Text from Genesis 1 and 2

  • Old American Songs

    • Long Time Ago, Ching a Ring Chaw, Zions Walls, Little horses, At the River

Emma Lou Deimer

  • Yale - composition

  • Eastman school of music

  • Active performer

  • Three Madrigals

    • SATB Piano

  • A bird came Down

    • SSA Piano

  • She’ll be coming Round the Mount

    • SATB Unnacpomianed, Folk song arragnemtn

Margaret Bonds

  • Parents were civil rights activists

  • Played piano and composed at an early age

  • Northwester university

  • Nadia Boulanger - refused to teach her

  • Ballad of the Brown King

    • STB Choir, orchestra

  • Cantata: Honor of the African King, Balthazar; text by Langston Hughes

  • Credo

    • Choral Symphony orchestra

    • Based on the writings of WEB Dubois

    • One God created us all in love and unity