Charles Naginski
Encyclopedia
Charles Naginski was an American composer
of art songs and other musical works.
teacher, recognized his talent for music and composition at a very early age. From 1928 to 1933 Naginski held a fellowship at the Juilliard Graduate School as a pupil of Rubin Goldmark
. Other students there at the time included composers Paul Nordoff
, Sergius Kagen
, Celius Dougherty
, and Vittorio Giannini
. One of his other Juilliard colleagues, George Newton, reported that he "spoke five languages, including English, all equally badly." As a result, the Juilliard dean asked Newton to help Naginski with his English, so the two traded lessons in English grammar for accompanying lessons.
He also studied with Roger Sessions
. Later he studied at the American Academy in Rome
, winning the American Rome Prize
in 1938. In the summer of 1940 he went to the Tanglewood
institute to study with Paul Hindemith
. He died by drowning in Lenox, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1940.
in September, 1940, as a tribute to the composer. However, his instrumental works have had few public performances in subsequent years.
His art songs are better known. Of the seven songs that were published, only his setting of The Pasture, a poem by Robert Frost
has remained in the vocal repertoire, due to its publication in an anthology of American songs. All of these songs are "distinctive, fresh, and full of personality", with "arresting harmonic, melodic, and structural invention. Because the composer was a pianist, his accompaniments are inventive and colorful. Both The Pasture and Richard Cory were dedicated to the important Danish soprano Povla Frijsh
, who recorded the former song in 1940.
His choices of poems by important American poets and their musical settings is remarkable and unexpected, "in a man who was not native born and spoke so many languages, was the depth of his understanding of and response to American poetry, and the force and precision with which he was able to interpret it in musical terms".
Songs for voice and piano
Plus unpublished and unfinished manuscripts
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of art songs and other musical works.
Biography
Charles Naginski was the son of a Russian father and Greek mother. His father, who was his first pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
teacher, recognized his talent for music and composition at a very early age. From 1928 to 1933 Naginski held a fellowship at the Juilliard Graduate School as a pupil of Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark was an American composer, pianist, and educator. Although in his time he was an often performed American nationalist composer, his works are seldom played – instead he is known as the teacher of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin...
. Other students there at the time included composers Paul Nordoff
Paul Nordoff
Paul Nordoff was an American composer and music therapist. His music is generally tonal and neo-Romantic in style.-Career:...
, Sergius Kagen
Sergius Kagen
Sergius Kagen was an American pianist and composer and voice teacher.-Life and musical career:...
, Celius Dougherty
Celius Dougherty
Celius Dougherty was an American pianist and composer of art songs and other music.-Biography:...
, and Vittorio Giannini
Vittorio Giannini
Vittorio Giannini was a neoromantic American composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works.-Life and work:...
. One of his other Juilliard colleagues, George Newton, reported that he "spoke five languages, including English, all equally badly." As a result, the Juilliard dean asked Newton to help Naginski with his English, so the two traded lessons in English grammar for accompanying lessons.
He also studied with Roger Sessions
Roger Sessions
Roger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic, and teacher of music.-Life:Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. His mother, Ruth Huntington Sessions, was a direct descendent of Samuel Huntington, a signer of...
. Later he studied at the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
, winning the American Rome Prize
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
in 1938. In the summer of 1940 he went to the Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
institute to study with Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
. He died by drowning in Lenox, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1940.
Music
As a student, Naginski composed several large instrumental works and chamber music. A notable performance of his Sinfonietta was given by the chamber orchestra at YaddoYaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
in September, 1940, as a tribute to the composer. However, his instrumental works have had few public performances in subsequent years.
His art songs are better known. Of the seven songs that were published, only his setting of The Pasture, a poem by Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
has remained in the vocal repertoire, due to its publication in an anthology of American songs. All of these songs are "distinctive, fresh, and full of personality", with "arresting harmonic, melodic, and structural invention. Because the composer was a pianist, his accompaniments are inventive and colorful. Both The Pasture and Richard Cory were dedicated to the important Danish soprano Povla Frijsh
Povla Frijsh
Povla Frijsh was a Danish classical soprano and voice teacher. She mainly sang in concerts and recitals; although she did make a few opera appearances at the Paris Opera and the Royal Danish Theatre...
, who recorded the former song in 1940.
His choices of poems by important American poets and their musical settings is remarkable and unexpected, "in a man who was not native born and spoke so many languages, was the depth of his understanding of and response to American poetry, and the force and precision with which he was able to interpret it in musical terms".
Musical Compositions
Instrumental works- Orchestra suite (1931)
- Two string quartets (1933)
- Orchestra poem (1936)
- Sinfonietta (1937)
- Three Movements for chamber orchestra (1937)
- The Minotaur, ballet for orchestra (1938)
- Nocturne and Pantomime (1938)
- Five Pieces from a Children’s Suite (Boston, 1940)
Songs for voice and piano
- Look Down, Fair Moon (text by Walt WhitmanWalt WhitmanWalter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
), published 1942 - Mia Carlotta (text by T. A. Daly), published 1940
- Night song at Amalfi (text by Sara TeasdaleSara TeasdaleSara Teasdale , was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.-Biography:...
), 1942 - The Pasture (text by Robert FrostRobert FrostRobert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
), published 1940 - Richard Cory (text by Edward Arlington Robinson), published 1940
- The Ship Starting (text by Walt WhitmanWalt WhitmanWalter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
), published 1942 - Under the Harvest Moon (text by Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
), published 1940
Plus unpublished and unfinished manuscripts
External links
- http://www.songofamerica.net/cgi-bin/iowa/composer/31.html