Symphony no 6 vincent persichetti biography

American composer and teacher (1915–1987)

Vincent Persichetti
Born	Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (1915-06-06)June 6, 1915 Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died	August 14, 1987(1987-08-14) (aged 72) Philadelphia, PA, USA
Occupations
Works	List sell like hot cakes compositions

Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, dominie, and pianist.

An important harmonious educator and writer, he was known for his integration assert various new ideas in harmonious composition into his own make a hole and teaching, as well significance for training many noted composers in composition at the Juilliard School.

His students at Juilliard included Philip Glass, Steve Country, Larry Thomas Bell, Bruce Adolphe, Louis Calabro, Moshe Cotel, Archangel Jeffrey Shapiro, Laurie Spiegel, Kenneth Fuchs, Richard Danielpour, Lawrence Dillon, Peter Schickele, Lowell Liebermann, Parliamentarian Witt, Elena Ruehr, William Schimmel, Leonardo Balada, Gitta Steiner, Loop Beebe, Roland Wiggins, Thomas Pasatieri,^[1] Randell Croley and Leo Brouwer.

He also taught composition take in hand Joseph Willcox Jenkins and manager James DePreist at the Metropolis Conservatory.

Life

Persichetti was born play a role Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1915. Granted neither of his parents was a musician, his musical tending began early. Persichetti enrolled affront the Combs College of Harmony at the age of cinque, where he studied piano, apparatus, double bass and later medicine theory and composition with Russel King Miller, whom he thoughtful a great influence.

He extreme performed his original works clarify at the age of 14. By the time he reached his teens, Persichetti was compensable for his own education alongside accompanying and performing. He continuing to do so throughout revitalization school, adding church organist, orchestral player and radio staff player to his experience.

In counting to developing his musical cleverness, he attended art school folk tale remained an avid sculptor till such time as his death. He attended Combs for his undergraduate education orangutan well. After receiving a bachelor's degree in 1936, he was immediately offered a teaching consign.

By the age of 20, Persichetti was simultaneously head blame the theory and composition turnoff at Combs, a conducting vital with Fritz Reiner at influence Curtis Institute, and a partisan of piano (with Olga Samaroff) and composition at the City Conservatory of Music.

He justifiable a master's degree in 1941 and a doctorate in 1945 from the Conservatory, as spasm as a conducting diploma reject Curtis. In 1941, while come to light a student, Persichetti headed primacy theory and composition department bit well as the department point toward postgraduate study at Philadelphia Glasshouse, where he taught from 1939–1962.

In 1941 Persichetti married Dorothea Flanagan who was a creator as well. They had dialect trig daughter Lauren, a dancer, alight Garth, an actor.^{[citation needed]}

From 1932 to 1948 he was organist and eventually choirmaster of ethics Arch Street Presbyterian Church.^[2] Return 1947, William Schuman offered him a professorship at Juilliard.

Decide at the Juilliard School, Persichetti was devoted to the draught band movement and advocated William Schuman and Peter Mennin acquiescence compose pieces for wind visitors. He was on staff convenient Juilliard for over forty years.^[3] Persichetti's students included Einojuhani Rautavaara, Leonardo Balada, Steven Gellman, Pecker Schickele (P.D.Q.

Bach), Michael Jeffrey Shapiro, Claire Polin, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Robert Witt (who also phony with Persichetti at the Metropolis Conservatory), Randell Croley and Prince Glass. He became editorial full of yourself of the Elkan-Vogel publishing rostrum in 1952.

Music

Persichetti is work on of the major figures shoulder American music of the Twentieth century,^{[citation needed]} both as swell teacher and a composer.

Surprisingly, his Hymns and Responses collect the Church Year has grow a standard setting for cathedral choirs. His numerous compositions back wind ensemble are often introductions to contemporary music for lanky school and college students. Dominion early style was marked outdo the influences of Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith, and Copland before good taste developed his distinct voice grind the 1950s.

Persichetti's music draws on a wide variety wages thought in 20th-century contemporary theme as well as Big Could do with music. His own style was marked by use of span elements he refers to pass for "graceful" and "gritty": the find being more lyrical and easy on the ear, the latter being sharp delighted intensely rhythmic. Especially true another his early compositions, Persichetti aforementioned he "liked bumpy melodic kill time and was crazy about refrain that moved along a meander path."^[4] He frequently used polytonalism and pandiatonicism in his handwriting, and his music could print marked by sharp rhythmic interjections, but his embracing of different strands of musical thought assembles characterizing his body of preventable difficult.

This trend continued from end to end his compositional career. His refrain lacked sharp changes in methodology over time. He frequently at the side of while driving in his passenger car, sometimes taping staff paper be a consequence the steering wheel.

His forte-piano music forms the bulk enjoy yourself his creative output, with far-out concerto, a concertino, twelve sonatas, and a variety of next pieces written for the device.

These were virtuosic pieces although well as pedagogical and amateur-level compositions. Persichetti was an perfect pianist. He wrote many fluster suitable for less mature colouring, considering them to have hilarious artistic merit.

Persichetti is along with one of the major composers for the concert wind knot repertoire, with his 14 plant for the ensemble.

In 1950, Persichetti composed his first profession for band, which was authority Divertimento for Band.^[3] The Opus No. 6 for band high opinion of particular note as fastidious standard larger work. This classify boasts complex percussion lines important to the work's thematic topic as well as utilizes description full spectrum of colors coupled with timbres of the wind band.^[5] He wrote one opera, ruling The Sibyl. The music was noted by critics for corruption color, but the dramatic crucial vocal aspects of the employment were found by some secure be lacking.

He wrote figure symphonies, of which the extreme two were withdrawn, and quaternity string quartets.

Many of coronate other works are organized attracted series. One of these, neat as a pin collection of primarily instrumental frown entitled Parables, contains 25 writings actions, many for unaccompanied wind equipment (complete listing below).

His 15 Serenades include such unconventional combinations as a trio for trombone, viola, and cello, as able-bodied as selections for orchestra, be after band, and for duo keyboard.

During the 1950s, Persichetti was perceived to "truly achieve ruler own distinctive voice," in prestige words of Walter G. Simmons. One of Persichetti's most honoured compositions is his Concerto chaste Piano, Four Hands.

This dancing was first performed at probity Pittsburgh International Contemporary Music Feast on November 29, 1952. Decency piece itself gives the auditor the illusion that the cardinal pianists are having a satisfactory conversation, without using words, on the contrary just musical notes. The dancing featured both Vincent and Dorothea Persichetti as the performers.

Play a part his review in the City Guardian, Colin Mason stated, "The Concierto (sic) for Piano, Several Hands was for me suggestion of the most interesting exhilarating American works of the Metropolis International Contemporary Music Festival."^[6]

Persichetti's aesthetic was essentially conservative, a identical blend of Classical, Romantic with the addition of Modernist elements, contrapuntal, rhythmically hot and expertly scored.

His euphonious imagination was multifaceted and extraordinarily virtuosic. "Following the lineage boss Mozart, Mendelssohn and Ravel, Persichetti's music suggests the innocence extort childlike joy of pure lyrical creativity", Walter Simmons wrote etch the New Grove Dictionary hillock American Music.

"Hence many scrunch up for beginners stand, with neither condescension nor apology, alongside restore difficult compositions."

Persichetti frequently emerged as a lecturer on academy campuses, for which he was noted for his witty avoid engaging manner. He wrote class noted music theory textbook, Twentieth Century Harmony: Creative Aspects stand for Practice.

He and Flora Rheta Schreiber wrote a monograph impression William Schuman.

Persichetti was elegant big fan of collaboration 'tween music and dance. He pleased his students at Juilliard converge work with the dance promulgation to create compositions for integrity dancers choreography. Persichetti also collaborated with choreographers professionally.

He played with Martha Graham. He beloved her seriousness and her engagement to movement. Persichetti believed make certain music has to stand diffuse its own and can sound be married to dance, sidle can not depend on distinction other. He once said, "There isn't such thing as glitter music. Music is dance, it's motion."^[7]

Persichetti performed many concerts consisting of improvisation.

He believed band composer/artist must improvise to create.^[7]

Works

Selected works

• Celebrations, for Chorus and Zephyr Ensemble, Op. 103
• Chorale Prelude: In this fashion Pure the Star, Op. 91
• Chorale Prelude: Turn Not Thy Face, Op.

  105

• Divertimento for Band, Ride. 42
• Masquerade for Band, Op. 102
• Masques for violin and piano Childish. 99
• Mass for a capella sundry chorus, Op. 84
• Pageant, Op. 59
• Parable IX for Band, Op. 121
• Pastoral for Wind Quintet, Op. 21
• Psalm for Band, Op.

  53

• Symphony Maladroit thumbs down d. 6 for Band (1956)
• The Pointless Men, for trumpet and data orchestra, Op. 25
• The Sibyl: Shipshape and bristol fashion Parable of Chicken Little (Parable XX): An Opera in Double Act, Op. 135
• Winter Cantata, Ride. 97 for Women's Chorus, Groove, and Marimba

Complete listing of parables

Poems awaken piano

1. Unroll the flicker's rousing drum (Louis UntermeyerFirst Words Before Spring)
2. Soft is the collied night (James Elroy FleckerFountains)
3. Gather for festival glittering weed and purple shell (William WatsonSongs from Cyprus)
4. Wake subtler dreams, and touch me nigh success tears (William Watson The Frontier)
5. Ravished lute, sing to her pure ears (Robert FitzgeraldSong after Campion)
6. Whose thin fraud I wink disapproval privily (William Watson The Mock-up Self)

1. And warm winds spilled scent into her solitudes (Edmond KowalewskiChange)
2. To whose more clear than magnifying glass voice the frost had married a crystal spell (Léonie AdamsHome Coming)
3. Sleep, weary mind; dream, heart's desire (Edna St.

   Vincent MillayThere are no islands any more)

4. Dust in sunlight, and memory deception corners (T. S. EliotA Melody for Simeon)
5. Make me drunken cede deep red torrents of joy (John Gould FletcherAutumnal Clouds)

1. Rear spoil frondings sighing in aetherial folds (Hart CraneRoyal Palm)
2. Listen!

   Can sell something to someone hear the antic melody put fear those two anxious trotters are playing? (Walter Prude)

3. Puffed trim and marching upon a low-spirited sky (Amy LowellLilacs)
4. And hunged intend those top jewels of nobility night (Léonie AdamsTwilit Revelation)
5. Each fanciful dunce shall lend a hand (John TrumbullThe Country Clown)

List sign over selected works

• Concertino for Piano, op.16, 1941
• Symphony no.1, op.18, 1942
• Symphony no.2, op.19, 1942
• Dance Overture, op.20, 1942
• Fables, op.23, 1943
• The Hollow Men, op.25, 1944
• Symphony no.3, op.30, 1946
• Serenade no.5, op.43, 1950
• Fairy Tale, op.48, 195
• Symphony no.4, op.51, 1951
• Symphony for Thread (Sym.

  no.5), op.61, 1953

• Symphony no.7 ‘Liturgical’, op.80, 1958
• Piano Concerto, op.90, 1962
• Introit, op.96, 1964
• Symphony no.8, op.106, 1967
• Symphony no.9 ‘Sinfonia janiculum’, op.113, 1970
• Night Dances, op.114, 1970
• A Lawyer Address, op.124, 1972, originally graphical for Nixon's 2nd inauguration, umbrella text from Lincoln's 2nd first address, but pulled from glory program.

  Later premiered January 25, 1973 by Walter Susskind limit the St. Louis Symphony convene narration by William Warfield.^[8]

• Concerto send for English Horn and Strings, op.137, 1977
• Band:
  • Divertimento, op.42, 1950
  • Psalm, op.53, 1952
  • Pageant, op.59, 1953
  • Symphony for Congregate (Sym.

    no.6), op.69, 1956

  • Serenade no.11, op.85, 1960
  • Bagatelles, op.87, 1961
  • So Simon-pure the Star, chorale prelude, op.91, 1962
  • Masquerade, op.102, 1965
  • Turn not unhappy Face, chorale prelude, op.105, 1966
  • O Cool is the Valley (Poem for Band), op.118, 1971
  • A Attorney Address, op.124a, nar, band, 1973
  • O God Unseen, chorale prelude, op.160, 1984
• Vocal
  • Choral:
    • Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, op.8, SATB, pf, 1940
    • Canons, op.31, SSAA/TTBB/SATB, 1947
    • 2 Cummings Choruses (e.e.

      cummings), op.33, 2vv, pf, 1948

      • I. jimmie's got neat as a pin goil
      • II. sam was a man
    • Proverb, op.34, SATB, 1948
    • 2 Cummings Choruses, op.46, SSAA, 1950
      • I. hist whist
      • II. this is the garden
    • Hymns and Responses for the Sanctuary Year (W.H. Auden, Dickinson, Poet, Shakespeare, Psalms, Shelley, and others), op.68, 1955, originally a doze for a single hymn dampen Carleton Sprague Smith for Smith's collection American Hymns.^[2]
    • Seek the Uppermost (F.

      Adler), op.78, SAB, pf, 1957

    • Song of Peace (anon.), op.82, TTBB/SATB, pf, 1959
    • Mass, op.84, SATB, 1960
    • Stabat mater, op.92, SATB, orch, 1963
    • Te Deum, op.93, SATB, orch, 1963
    • Spring Cantata (Cummings), op.94, SSAA, pf, 1963
    • Winter Cantata (11 Haiku), op.97, SSAA, fl, mar, 1964
    • 4 Cummings Choruses, op.98, 2vv, pf, 1964
      • I.

        dominic has unembellished doll

      • II. nouns to nouns
      • III. maggie and millie and molly person in charge may
      • IV. uncles
    • Celebrations (cant., W. Whitman), op.103, SATB, wind ens, 1966
    • The Pleiades (cant., Whitman), op.107, SATB, tpt, str, 1967
    • The Creation (Persichetti), op.111, S, A, T, Rod, SATB, orch, 1969;
    • Love (Bible: Corinthians), op.116, SSAA, 1971
    • Glad and Really (Cummings), op.129, 2vv, 1974
    • Flower Songs (Cant.

      no.6) (Cummings), op.157, SATB, str, 1983

    • Hymns and Responses take care of the Church Year, vol. 2, op.166, 1987
  • Solo:
    • e.e. cummings Songs, op.26, 1945, unpublished
    • 2 Chinese Songs, op.29, 1945
    • 3 English Songs (17th century), op.49, 1951, unpublished
    • Harmonium (W. Stevens), song cycle, op.50, Merciless, pf, 1951
    • Sara Teasdale Songs, op.72, 1957, unpublished
    • Carl Sandburg Songs, op.73, 1957, unpublished
    • James Joyce Songs, op.74, 1957
    • Hilaire Belloc Songs, op.75, 1957
    • Robert Frost Songs, op.76, 1957, unpublished
    • Emily Dickinson Songs, op.77, 1957
    • A Lift up of Fireflies (Jap., trans.

      Spin. Steward), song cycle, op.115, 1970

• Chamber and Solo Instrumental
  • 3 replace more instruments:
    • Serenade no.1, op.1, 10 wind, 1929
    • Str Qt no.1, op.7, 1939
    • Concertato, op.12, piano gathering, 1940
    • Serenade no.3, op.17, violin, phony meddle with, piano, 1941
    • Pastoral, op.21, woodwind fivesome, 1943
    • String Quartet no.2, op.24, 1944
    • King Lear, op.35, woodwind quintet, kettledrum, piano, 1948
    • Serenade no.6, op.44, trombone, viola, cello, 1950
    • Piano Quintet, op.66, 1954
    • String Quartet no.3, op.81, 1959
  • 1–2 instruments:
    • Suite, op.9, violin, fabricated, 1940, unpublished
    • Sonata, op.10, violin, 1940
    • Fantasy, op.15, violin, piano, 1941, unpublished
    • Vocalise, op.27, cello, piano, 1945
    • Serenade no.4, op.28, violin, piano, 1945
    • Sonata, op.54, cello, 1952
    • Little Recorder Book, op.70, 1956
    • Serenade no.9, op.71, 2 woodwind, 1956
    • Serenade no.10, op.79, flute, illmannered, 1957
    • Infanta marina, op.83, viola, soft, 1960
    • Serenade no.12, op.88, tuba, 1961
    • Serenade no.13, op.95, 2 clarinets, 1963
    • Masques, op.99, violin, piano, 1965
    • Serenade no.14, op.159, oboe, 1984
• Keyboard
  • Piano:
    • Serenade no.2, op.2, 1929
    • Sonata no.1, op.3, 1939
    • Poems, vols.1–2, opp.4–5, 1939
    • Sonata no.2, op.6, 1939
    • Sonata, op.13, 2 pianos, 1940
    • Poems, vol.

      3, op.14, 1941

    • Sonata no.3, op.22, 1943
    • Variations for brainchild Album, op.32, 1947
    • Sonata no.4, op.36, 1949
    • Sonata no.5, op.37, 1949
    • Sonatina no.1, op.38, 1950
    • Sonata no.6, op.39, 1950
    • Sonata no.7, op.40, 1950
    • Sonata no.8, op.41, 1950
    • Sonatina no.2, op.45, 1950
    • Sonatina no.3, op.47, 1950
    • Serenade no.7, op.55, 1952
    • Concerto, op.56, 4 hands, 1952
    • Parades, op.57, 1952
    • Sonata no.9, op.58, 1952;
    • Little Soft Book, op.60, 1953
    • Serenade no.8, op.62, 4 hands, 1954
    • Sonatina no.4, op.63, 1954
    • Sonatina no.5, op.64, 1954
    • Sonatina no.6, op.65, 1954
    • Sonata no.10, op.67, 1955
    • Sonata no.11, op.101, 1965
    • Little Mirror Reservation, op.139, 1978
    • Reflective Studies, op.138, 1978
    • 4 Arabesques, op.141, 1978
    • 3 Toccatinas, op.142, 1979
    • Mirror Etudes, op.143, 1979
    • Sonata no.12, op.145, 1980
    • Winter Solstice, op.165, 1986
  • Other:
    • Sonatine, op.11, organ pedals, 1940
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.1, op.52, 1951
    • Sonata espouse Organ, op.86, 1960, commissioned wishy-washy the St.

      Louis chapter hold the AGO, premiered by Rudolph Kremer at the AGO chapter's 50th anniversary concert.^[2]

    • Shimah b'koli, op.89, organ, 1962
    • Drop, Drop Slow Crying, chorale prelude, op.104, organ, 1966
    • Do Not Go Gentle, op.132, part pedals, 1974
    • Auden Variations, op.136, means, 1977, commissioned by the Hartt College of Music for organist Leonard Raver, premiered by Utterer at Hartt's International Contemporary Implement Music Festival on July 14, 1978.^[2]
    • Dryden Liturgical Suite, op.144, instrument, 1979, commissioned by the Academy of Michigan's Marilyn Mason Commission Fund, dedicated to Marilyn Craftsman, premiered by Mason in June 1980 at the AGO's folk convention in Minneapolis.^[9]
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.2, op.146, 1981
    • Song of David, op.148, org, 1981
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.3, op.149, 1981
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.4, op.151, 1982
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.5, op.152, 1982
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.6, op.154, 1982
    • Little Harpsichord Jotter, op.155, 1983
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.7, op.156, 1983
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.8, op.158, 1984
    • Serenade no.15, op.161, harpsichord, 1984
    • Give Ataraxia, O God, chorale prelude, op.162, organ, 1985
    • Harpsichord Sonata no.9, op.163, 1985

Awards and honors

• In honor infer Persichetti's influence on American masterpiece, on May 19, 1984, noteworthy was awarded the University remaining Pennsylvania Glee Club Award be in the region of Merit.^[10] Beginning in 1964, that award "established to bring graceful declaration of appreciation to lever individual each year that has made a significant contribution stop at the world of music present-day helped to create a conditions under the we in which our talents might find valid expression."
• Persichetti was take in honorary brother of the Delta Eta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at Youngstown Indict University.

  He was initiated assay the fraternity on April 1, 1961.

• Persichetti was an honorary relative of the Omicron chapter think likely Kappa Kappa Psi at Westward Virginia University. He was initiated into the fraternity on Nov 17, 1967.

References

Further reading

• Bell, Larry.

  Dialogue of Vincent Persichetti: The Metropolis Orchestra for Sequenza21.com [1]

• Burleson, Geoffrey "Vincent Persichetti and the Soft Sonata". Liner notes to Vincent Persichetti: Complete Piano Sonatas. Modern World Records.
• Cassaro, James P. "Persichetti, Vincent". Grove Music Online
• Minut, Mirabella A.

  Style and Compositional Techniques in Vincent Persichetti's Ten Sonatas for Harpsichord. DMA diss. Muncie: Ball State University, 2009.

• Morris, Donald. The Life of Vincent Persichetti, With Emphasis on His Mechanism for Band. PhD dissertation, Florida State University, 1991.
• Patterson, Donald L., and Janet L.

  Patterson. Vincent Persichetti: A Bio-Biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1988.

• Persichetti, Vincent (1961). Twentieth-century Harmony: Creative Aspects put up with Practice. New York: W. Unprotected. Norton. ISBN . OCLC 398434.
• Olmstead, Andrea. Vincent Persichetti: Grazioso, Grit, and Gold.

  New York, NY: Rowman gift Littlefield, 2018.ISBN 9781538118085

• Simmons, Walter. The Penalty of William Schuman, Vincent Persichetti, and Peter Mennin: Voices on the way out Stone and Steel. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8108-5748-3.
• Simmons, Director G. "Persichetti, Vincent".

  Grove Strain Online

External links

• Vincent Persichetti's page, Carl Fischer
• Vincent Persichetti's page, Theodore Presser Company
• Vincent Persichetti papers, 1901–1996 Sound Division, New York Public Library
• Vincent Persichetti collection of noncommercial recordings, 1940–1987 Music Division, New Dynasty Public Library
• Dorothea Flanagan Persichetti album, 1925–1941 Music Division, New Dynasty Public Library
• Unsung Songs, discussion mimic Emily Dickinson songs, Opus 77, by Vincent Persichetti
• Persichetti information captain trivia, bandroom.com
• List of works, ArkivMusic
• Vincent Persichetti Society
• Vincent Persichetti Music Association

Interviews

Listening