David P. Sartor
Encyclopedia
David Sartor is an American composer
and conductor
of symphonic, chamber and choral music, and is Adjunct Professor of Composition at Trevecca Nazarene University
in Nashville, Tennessee.
's Ostwald Award
for Symphonic Band Music, and Polygon for Brass Quintet, which received the National Fine Arts Award. Other notable works include Metamorphic Fanfare, commissioned by the Knoxville, TN Symphony Orchestra, Thy Light Is Come for chorus, organ, brass and timpani, commissioned by Christ Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee and showcased at the Washington National Cathedral
by the Cathedral Choral Society
, Black Ball Counts Double for String Orchestra, which received a commendation in England's Oare International Composing Competition, Reveries for String Orchestra, winner of the Burlington (VT) Chamber Orchestra's 2009 Composer Competition and a Finalist in the Fauxharmonic Orchestra's Adagio Composition Contest, and Concerto for Orchestra, a Finalist in the Columbia Symphony Orchestra's American Composer Competition.
Sartor's compositions have been recognized with more than two dozen awards from ASCAP, Meet The Composer, Delta Omicron and New Music for Young Ensembles, among others. His music has been featured at the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals, the International Double Bass Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the International Music Festival in San Jose Costa Rica, The World's Largest Organ Concert, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and at Carnegie Hall, with broadcast performances on National Public Radio and local affiliates. As Guest Composer, Conductor and Lecturer his engagements include the Washington National Cathedral, Illinois State University, Middle Tennessee State University, the Nexus Chamber Orchestra and California State University, sponsored by New York City’s Meet The Composer Foundation. Additionally, Sartor is an alumnus of the acclaimed Steven Scott Smalley Film Scoring Workshop and, to date, he has scored more than two dozen video documentaries and features.
In June 2007, Sartor was awarded the Thor Johnson Memorial Commission by the Delta Omicron Foundation. The Johnson Commission, awarded every three years to a distinguished concert music composer, funds the creation of a new work to be featured at the organization’s Triennial Conference. Sartor's work for string quartet, Passages, was premiered on July 17, 2009 at the 2009 Triennial Conference by the Atlantis String Quartet; the performance also coincided with and celebrated the 100th anniversary of Delta Omicron. Following the premiere, Sartor was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron in recognition of his accomplishments as a composer and conductor.
Sartor's works are recorded on the ERM Media label and are published by E.C. Schirmer, Shawnee Press, and Metamorphic Music. He currently resides in Middle Tennessee with his wife, the author Nancy Sartor.
Sartor attended McGavock High School in Nashville, where he was a charter member of the school's award winning Wind Ensemble and marching band under the direction of Kenton J. Hull Jr. Both Hull and Bobby Jean Frost, the school's piano and music theory teacher, encouraged Sartor's development as a composer, performer and conductor. While a student at McGavock he was Principal Trumpet in the Nashville Youth Symphony the Middle Tennessee Honor Band and the Tennessee All-State Orchestra, and frequently organized ensembles which he conducted in performances of his own compositions. He received his formal musical education at the Blair School of Music, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of Tennessee, studying composition with John Anthony Lennon
and David Van Vactor
and conducting with Donald Neuen
, with performance concentrations in trumpet, piano and percussion. Following graduation he continued the study of conducting with Karen Lynne Deal and in workshops with Kenneth Schermerhorn
and John Morris Russell
.
(From Mr. Sartor's web site. Used by permission.)
Unaccompanied Contrabass.
VARIANTS FOR SOLO TROMBONE
Unaccompanied Trombone.
PRELUDE ON WILLIAM BILLINGS' "WHEN JESUS WEPT"
Organ.
POSTLUDE ON WILLIAM BILLINGS' "PARIS"
Organ.
OPEN DOOR
Organ.
SIMPLE BLESSING
Organ.
AFFECTATIONS
Brass Quintet.
POLYGON
Brass Quintet.
THRICE TOLD TALES OF THE POMEGRANATE FOREST
Trumpet, Violin, Bass Clarinet.
ILLUSIONS
Large Percussion Ensemble.
BLACK BALL COUNTS DOUBLE
Version A - String Quartet.
Version B - String Orchestra.
DIPLOMATIC SUMMIT
4 Double Basses.
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY
2 Violas, 2 Violoncellos.
DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
4 Violoncellos.
FANFARE a4
2 Bb Trumpets, 2 Trombones.
CAT'S EYE
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba.
ASCENSION
3 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
PARABOLA
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
DIES IRAE
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
CRIMSON
6 Bb Trumpets, 5 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas, Timpani, 2 Percussionists playing Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Bass Drum and Giant Tam-tam, Optional Organ
PASSAGES
String Quartet
REMEMBRANCE
Flute and Piano
MEDITATION
Cello and Piano
THY LIGHT IS COME
S.A.T.B. Choir and Organ, with optional Brass and Timpani.
WE WILL BE GLAD
S.A.T.B. Choir, Organ, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Timpani.
PSALM 67
S.A.T.B. Choir, Organ, Trumpet.
WELCOME, CHRISTMAS DAY!
Version 1 - SATB Chorus, 2 Percussionists (1st plays Marimba, 2nd plays 4 Tom-toms and Suspended Cymbal).
Version 2 - SATB Chorus, 1 Marimba
Version 3 - SATB Chorus, Piano
CROWN HIM!
SATB Choir, Orchestra, Optional Organ
SEARCH YOUR HEART FOR CHRISTMAS
SATB Choir and Violoncello
AMID THE CRUEL WINTER'S SNOW
SATB Choir and Celesta
VENI EMMANUEL - FANTASY OF ABSTRACTIONS
Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
SYNERGISTIC PARABLE
Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
GOVERNOR'S CUP MARCH
Concert Band
O WORSHIP THE KING
Symphony Orchestra.
METAMORPHIC FANFARE
Symphony Orchestra.
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
Symphony Orchestra.
REVERIES
String Orchestra.
Sartor was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international professional music fraternity on July 17, 2009 in honor of his achievements in composing and conducting.
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...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of symphonic, chamber and choral music, and is Adjunct Professor of Composition at Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary and Bible Training School"...
in Nashville, Tennessee.
Music
Sartor is the composer of Synergistic Parable for Symphonic Band, for which he won the American Bandmasters AssociationAmerican Bandmasters Association
The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music. Goldman sought to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences...
's Ostwald Award
Ostwald Award
The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band. It was first awarded in 1956, after band uniform suppliers Ernest and Adolph Ostwald established the ABA/Ostwald Award for the best band composition written in the previous...
for Symphonic Band Music, and Polygon for Brass Quintet, which received the National Fine Arts Award. Other notable works include Metamorphic Fanfare, commissioned by the Knoxville, TN Symphony Orchestra, Thy Light Is Come for chorus, organ, brass and timpani, commissioned by Christ Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee and showcased at the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
by the Cathedral Choral Society
Cathedral Choral Society
The Cathedral Choral Society is a 200-voice symphonic chorus based at the Washington National Cathedral. J. Reilly Lewis has been music director since 1985. He succeeded Paul Callaway, who founded the group in 1941...
, Black Ball Counts Double for String Orchestra, which received a commendation in England's Oare International Composing Competition, Reveries for String Orchestra, winner of the Burlington (VT) Chamber Orchestra's 2009 Composer Competition and a Finalist in the Fauxharmonic Orchestra's Adagio Composition Contest, and Concerto for Orchestra, a Finalist in the Columbia Symphony Orchestra's American Composer Competition.
Sartor's compositions have been recognized with more than two dozen awards from ASCAP, Meet The Composer, Delta Omicron and New Music for Young Ensembles, among others. His music has been featured at the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals, the International Double Bass Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the International Music Festival in San Jose Costa Rica, The World's Largest Organ Concert, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and at Carnegie Hall, with broadcast performances on National Public Radio and local affiliates. As Guest Composer, Conductor and Lecturer his engagements include the Washington National Cathedral, Illinois State University, Middle Tennessee State University, the Nexus Chamber Orchestra and California State University, sponsored by New York City’s Meet The Composer Foundation. Additionally, Sartor is an alumnus of the acclaimed Steven Scott Smalley Film Scoring Workshop and, to date, he has scored more than two dozen video documentaries and features.
In June 2007, Sartor was awarded the Thor Johnson Memorial Commission by the Delta Omicron Foundation. The Johnson Commission, awarded every three years to a distinguished concert music composer, funds the creation of a new work to be featured at the organization’s Triennial Conference. Sartor's work for string quartet, Passages, was premiered on July 17, 2009 at the 2009 Triennial Conference by the Atlantis String Quartet; the performance also coincided with and celebrated the 100th anniversary of Delta Omicron. Following the premiere, Sartor was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron in recognition of his accomplishments as a composer and conductor.
Sartor's works are recorded on the ERM Media label and are published by E.C. Schirmer, Shawnee Press, and Metamorphic Music. He currently resides in Middle Tennessee with his wife, the author Nancy Sartor.
Early life and education
Sartor was born May 25, 1956, in Nashville, Tennessee. The son of high school principal Grayl Bruce Sartor and elementary school teacher Kathleen Lipscomb Sartor, he began piano studies at age 5 with his grandmother, Sallie Lipscomb, a local piano instructor. In elementary school Sartor continued piano lessons and also began trumpet lessons, performing with his elementary school band.Sartor attended McGavock High School in Nashville, where he was a charter member of the school's award winning Wind Ensemble and marching band under the direction of Kenton J. Hull Jr. Both Hull and Bobby Jean Frost, the school's piano and music theory teacher, encouraged Sartor's development as a composer, performer and conductor. While a student at McGavock he was Principal Trumpet in the Nashville Youth Symphony the Middle Tennessee Honor Band and the Tennessee All-State Orchestra, and frequently organized ensembles which he conducted in performances of his own compositions. He received his formal musical education at the Blair School of Music, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of Tennessee, studying composition with John Anthony Lennon
John Anthony Lennon
John Anthony Lennon is an American composer of contemporary classical music based in Georgia. He was raised in Mill Valley, California, and is a professor of composition at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia...
and David Van Vactor
David Van Vactor
David Van Vactor was an American composer of contemporary classical music.He was born in Plymouth, Indiana, and received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University...
and conducting with Donald Neuen
Donald Neuen
Donald Neuen is an American choral conductor, composer, arranger, editor, and educator who currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the University of California, Los Angeles...
, with performance concentrations in trumpet, piano and percussion. Following graduation he continued the study of conducting with Karen Lynne Deal and in workshops with Kenneth Schermerhorn
Kenneth Schermerhorn
Kenneth Dewitt Schermerhorn was an American composer and orchestra conductor, most notably for the Nashville Symphony.-Biography:Schermerhorn was born in Schenectady, New York, where he studied clarinet, violin, and trumpet in school. At age 14, he forged a baptismal certificate to appear older so...
and John Morris Russell
John Morris Russell
John Morris Russell is an American conductor.-Early years:Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Maestro Russell is the product of arts programs in the public schools. He attended Ludlow Elementary School in Shaker Heights, OH outside of Cleveland...
.
Musical Philosophy
"Composition is an act of faith. While most composers strive for artistic excellence in their work, music also serves to communicate. Without willing players and attentive audiences, any composition is merely a complex set of instructions. Every piece of music, whether new or historical, is a testament to its composer's faith in the partnership among composer, performers, and audience."(From Mr. Sartor's web site. Used by permission.)
Major Compositions
MEDIEVAL MANIFESTOUnaccompanied Contrabass.
VARIANTS FOR SOLO TROMBONE
Unaccompanied Trombone.
PRELUDE ON WILLIAM BILLINGS' "WHEN JESUS WEPT"
Organ.
POSTLUDE ON WILLIAM BILLINGS' "PARIS"
Organ.
OPEN DOOR
Organ.
SIMPLE BLESSING
Organ.
AFFECTATIONS
Brass Quintet.
POLYGON
Brass Quintet.
THRICE TOLD TALES OF THE POMEGRANATE FOREST
Trumpet, Violin, Bass Clarinet.
ILLUSIONS
Large Percussion Ensemble.
BLACK BALL COUNTS DOUBLE
Version A - String Quartet.
Version B - String Orchestra.
DIPLOMATIC SUMMIT
4 Double Basses.
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY
2 Violas, 2 Violoncellos.
DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
4 Violoncellos.
FANFARE a4
2 Bb Trumpets, 2 Trombones.
CAT'S EYE
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba.
ASCENSION
3 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
PARABOLA
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
DIES IRAE
4 Bb Trumpets, 4 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani.
CRIMSON
6 Bb Trumpets, 5 F Horns, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas, Timpani, 2 Percussionists playing Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbals, Bass Drum and Giant Tam-tam, Optional Organ
PASSAGES
String Quartet
REMEMBRANCE
Flute and Piano
MEDITATION
Cello and Piano
THY LIGHT IS COME
S.A.T.B. Choir and Organ, with optional Brass and Timpani.
WE WILL BE GLAD
S.A.T.B. Choir, Organ, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Timpani.
PSALM 67
S.A.T.B. Choir, Organ, Trumpet.
WELCOME, CHRISTMAS DAY!
Version 1 - SATB Chorus, 2 Percussionists (1st plays Marimba, 2nd plays 4 Tom-toms and Suspended Cymbal).
Version 2 - SATB Chorus, 1 Marimba
Version 3 - SATB Chorus, Piano
CROWN HIM!
SATB Choir, Orchestra, Optional Organ
SEARCH YOUR HEART FOR CHRISTMAS
SATB Choir and Violoncello
AMID THE CRUEL WINTER'S SNOW
SATB Choir and Celesta
VENI EMMANUEL - FANTASY OF ABSTRACTIONS
Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
SYNERGISTIC PARABLE
Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
GOVERNOR'S CUP MARCH
Concert Band
O WORSHIP THE KING
Symphony Orchestra.
METAMORPHIC FANFARE
Symphony Orchestra.
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
Symphony Orchestra.
REVERIES
String Orchestra.
Honors
Awards received by Sartor include the American Bandmasters Association's Ostwald Prize for Symphonic Wind Ensemble Music, the National Fine Arts Award, a New Music for Young Ensembles composition prize, a “highly commended” award in England’s Oare String Orchestra's Third Annual International Music for Strings Composition Contest, and twenty-two consecutive ASCAP awards for compositions which hold a unique prestige value. He was a finalist in both the Columbia Symphony Orchestra’s American Composer Competition and the Fauxharmonic Orchestra's Adagio Composition Contest and in 2009 won the Burlington (VT) Chamber Orchestra’s Composer Competition with his Reveries for String Orchestra.Sartor was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international professional music fraternity on July 17, 2009 in honor of his achievements in composing and conducting.