David Leo Diamond (July 9, 1915 – June 13, 2005) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
of classical music.
He was born in
Rochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. The Rochester metropolitan area is the second largest economy in New York State, behind the New York City metropolitan area. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and...
and studied at the
Cleveland Institute of MusicThe Cleveland Institute of Music is an independent music conservatory located in the University Circle district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States and is overseen by president Joel Smirnoff and Catherine Jarjisian, interim dean....
and the
Eastman School of MusicThe Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York, United States. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
under
Bernard RogersBernard Rogers was an American composer.He studied with Arthur Farwell, Ernest Bloch, Percy Goetschius, and Nadia Boulanger. He taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Hartt School, and the Eastman School of Music...
, also receiving lessons from
Roger SessionsRoger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic and teacher of music.Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. He studied music at Harvard University from the age of 14. There, he wrote for and subsequently edited...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and
Nadia BoulangerNadia Boulanger was an influential French composer, conductor, and music professor. An outstanding music educator at the highest level, she taught many of the most important composers and conductors of the 20th century.-Ancestors:Nadia Boulanger was born to a highly musical family. Her...
in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He won a number of awards including three
Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s, and is considered one of the preeminent American composers of his generation. Many of his works are
tonalTonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
or modestly
modalMode is a term from Western music theory having three definitions :# the rhythmic relationship between long and short values in the late medieval period;...
.
It is my strong feeling that a romantically inspired contemporary music, tempered by reinvigorated classical technical formulas, is the way out of the present period of creative chaos in music... To me, the romantic spirit in music is important because it is timeless.
David Leo Diamond (July 9, 1915 – June 13, 2005) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
of classical music.
Life and career
He was born in
Rochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. The Rochester metropolitan area is the second largest economy in New York State, behind the New York City metropolitan area. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and...
and studied at the
Cleveland Institute of MusicThe Cleveland Institute of Music is an independent music conservatory located in the University Circle district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States and is overseen by president Joel Smirnoff and Catherine Jarjisian, interim dean....
and the
Eastman School of MusicThe Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York, United States. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
under
Bernard RogersBernard Rogers was an American composer.He studied with Arthur Farwell, Ernest Bloch, Percy Goetschius, and Nadia Boulanger. He taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Hartt School, and the Eastman School of Music...
, also receiving lessons from
Roger SessionsRoger Huntington Sessions was an American composer, critic and teacher of music.Sessions was born in Brooklyn, New York to a family that could trace its roots back to the American revolution. He studied music at Harvard University from the age of 14. There, he wrote for and subsequently edited...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and
Nadia BoulangerNadia Boulanger was an influential French composer, conductor, and music professor. An outstanding music educator at the highest level, she taught many of the most important composers and conductors of the 20th century.-Ancestors:Nadia Boulanger was born to a highly musical family. Her...
in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He won a number of awards including three
Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s, and is considered one of the preeminent American composers of his generation. Many of his works are
tonalTonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center" or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
or modestly
modalMode is a term from Western music theory having three definitions :# the rhythmic relationship between long and short values in the late medieval period;...
. His early compositions are typically triadic, often with widely spaced harmonies, giving them a distinctly American tone, but some of his works are consciously
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
in style. His later style became more chromatic.
Diamond died at his home in
BrightonBrighton is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 35,588 at the 2000 census.-History:The Town of Brighton, located on the southeast border of the city of Rochester, was originally settled approximately 1790, and formally established in 1814—earning it recognition as one...
from
heart failureHeart failure is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs...
.
Diamond's most popular piece is
Rounds (1944) for
string orchestraA string orchestra is understood as an orchestra composed solely of certain instruments of the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the violoncello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
. Among his other works are eleven
symphoniesA symphony is an extended musical composition, scored almost always for orchestra. "Symphony" does not necessarily imply a specific form though most are composed according to the sonata principle...
(the last in 1993),
concertoThe term Concerto is usually a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra...
s including three for
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
, eleven
string quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments — usually two violins, a viola and cello — or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s, music for wind ensemble, other
chamber musicChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
,
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
pieces and vocal music.
He also composed the musical theme heard on the CBS Radio Network broadcast "Hear It Now" (1950-51) and its TV successor, "See It Now" (1951-58).
Diamond was also named honorary composer-in-residence of the
Seattle SymphonyThe Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Gerard Schwarz has served as its music director since 1983.The orchestra's first performance was given on December 29, 1903, with Harry West conducting. Known from its founding as the Seattle Symphony, it was renamed in...
. He was a long time member of the
Juilliard SchoolThe Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory...
faculty, his notable students including
Robert BlackNote: Not to be confused with the saxophonist or the double-bass player named Robert Black.Robert Black was an American conductor, pianist and composer...
,
Kenneth FuchsKenneth Fuchs is an American composer, conductor, and educator. He is currently Professor of Composition at the University of Connecticut.Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, chorus, and various chamber ensembles...
,
Daron HagenDaron Aric Hagen is an American composer of contemporary classical music and opera.- Early life and education :...
,
Adolphus HailstorkAdolphus Hailstork is an American composer and educator. He grew up in Albany, New York, where he studied violin, piano, organ, and voice....
,
Anthony IannacconeAnthony Iannaccone is a composer and conductor. His music has been performed by major orchestras and chamber ensembles, and he has conducted numerous regional and metropolitan orchestras in the United States and in Europe...
,
Philip LasserPhilip Lasser is an American composer, pianist, and music theorist. He is a professor of music at the Juilliard School in New York City. He is author of a academic work on the contrapuntal analysis of music entitled The Spiraling Tapestry, published by Rassel Editions. Dr. Lasser is the...
,
Lowell LiebermannLowell Liebermann is an American composer, pianist and conductor.At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at the Carnegie Recital Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op. 1. He later studied at the Juilliard School of Music with David Diamond and Vincent Persichetti, gaining bachelor's, master's and...
,
Alasdair MacLeanAlasdair MacLean is the lead vocalist of indie band The Clientele, currently signed to Merge Records. Born in 1974 in Aberdeen, he graduated with a 1st class honours degree in Literature from Edinburgh University before forming the band. He currently lives in London....
,
Charles StrouseCharles Strouse is a three-time Tony Award-winning American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse...
,
Francis ThorneFrancis Thorne is an American composer of contemporary classical music and grandson of the writer Gustav Kobbé. His father was a ragtime pianist and his grandfather a Wagner critic. He was a student of Paul Hindemith at Yale University, before entering the U.S. Navy in 1942 where he served during...
, and
Eric WhitacreEric Whitacre is an American composer of choral, wind band and electronic music. He has also served as a guest conductor for ensembles throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.-Musical background:...
. Diamond is also credited with advising
Glenn GouldGlenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the twentieth century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
on his mid-career work, most notably Gould's String Quartet, Op. 1.
Diamond was openly
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
long before it was socially acceptable, and believed his career was slowed by
homophobiaHomophobia is defined as an "irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals", or individuals perceived to be homosexual; it is also defined as "unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality", "fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay...
and antisemitism.
Works
Ballet
Orchestra
- Symphony No. 1 (1940)
- Symphony No. 2 (1942–1943)
- Symphony No. 3 (1945)
- Symphony No. 4 (1945)
- Symphony No. 5 (1947–1964)
- Symphony No. 6 (1951)
- Symphony No. 7 (1957)
- Symphony No. 8 (1958–1960)
- Symphony No. 9 (1985)
- Symphony No. 10 (1980s)
- Symphony No. 11 (1989–1991)
- Psalm (1936)
- Elegy in Memory of Ravel (1937)
- Rounds for String Orchestra (1944)
- Concert Piece for large orchestra
- Music for chamber orchestra
- Overture
- Heroic Piece
- The Enormous Room
- The World of Paul Klee
Concertante
- Violin Concerto No. 1 (1937)
- Concerto for Small Orchestra (1940)
- Violin Concerto No. 2 (1947)
- Violin Concerto No. 3 (1976)
- Flute Concerto (1986)
- Piano Concerto
- Piano Concertino
- Cello Concerto
- Kaddish for cello and orchestra (1987)
- Romeo and Juliet
Wind ensemble
- Tantivy (1988)
- Hearts Music (1989)
Chamber
- String Quartet No. 1 (1940)
- String Quartet No. 2 (1943–1944)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1946)
- String Quartet No. 4 (1951)
- String Quartet No. 5 (1960)
- String Quartet No. 6 (1962)
- String Quartet No. 7 (1963)
- String Quartet No. 8 (1964)
- String Quartet No. 9 (1965–1968)
- String Quartet No. 10 (1966)
- Concerto for string quartet
- String Trio (1937)
- Quintet for flute, piano and string trio (1937)
- Chaconne for violin and piano (1948)
- Quintet for clarinet, 2 viola's and 2 cello's (1950)
- Piano Trio (1951)
- Wind Quintet (1958)
- Night Music, for accordion and string quartet (1961)
- Piano Quartet (1937 rev. 1967)
- Sonata for violin and piano No.1
- Sonata for violin and piano No.2
- Sonata for solo violin
- Sonata for solo cello
- Concert Piece for horn and string trio (1978)
- Concert Piece for flute and harp (1989)
- Concerto for two solo pianos
- Alto saxophone sonata
- Nonet for strings
- Sonatina for accordion
Vocal
- David Mourns for Absalom (1946); text from II Samuel 18:33
- Vocalises for soprano and viola (1935, revised 1956)
- This Sacred Ground for solo baritone, choir, children's choir and orchestra
- Prayer for Piece for choir
- Large number of songs for solo voice with piano
External links