Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
Encyclopedia
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B. Cowell, Brady Kynans, Kalvos Zondrios, Báthory Dénes, Orra Maussade, Don Johnson, Kerry Merritt, Calvin Dion, Enimtu Bemanyna) is a Hungarian-American author
and composer
.
, solo and chamber music
for the instruments of classical music
, electronic music
, stage shows
, orchestra
l pieces, dance music
, opera
, interactive multimedia
, sound installation
s, and performance art
events. He has also designed and built new musical instruments. He has advocated what he calls contemporary "nonpop" music, and the performance of contemporary classical music
(new music) in preference to the music of composers of past eras. He offers his composition
s to be downloaded and played for free
, but does not release them into the public domain
and takes royalties
for public performance as usual. His organ
work Yer Attention, Please has been performed by Kevin Bowyer
.
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz is known for co-founding and co-hosting Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar
with the composer David Gunn
. Dennis Báthory-Kitsz also founded and organized the Ought-One festival.
Aside from music, he was an author during the first generation of personal computer
s (1979-85), and interviewed Bill Gates
. He was involved in the post-Fluxus
art movement (1973-78), and is director of Vermont
's Alliance of Independent Country Stores (2001-present). He lives in Northfield, Vermont
.
He is also, by his own admission, a descendant or relative of the Hungarian medieval ruler Elizabeth Bathory
, interested in clearing her name. For this purpose he appeared on a documentary about her on British Television.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and composer
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...
.
Life and works
He has composed more than 700 works, including sound sculptureSound sculpture
Sound sculpture is an intermedia and time based art form in which sculpture or any kind of art object produces sound, or the reverse...
, solo and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber 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...
for the instruments of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, stage shows
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l pieces, dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, interactive multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
, sound installation
Sound installation
Sound installation is an intermedia and time based art form. It is an expansion of an art installation in the sense that it includes the sound element and therefore the time element...
s, and performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
events. He has also designed and built new musical instruments. He has advocated what he calls contemporary "nonpop" music, and the performance of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
(new music) in preference to the music of composers of past eras. He offers his composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
s to be downloaded and played for free
Gratis
Gratis is the process of providing goods or services without compensation. It is often referred to in English as "free of charge" or "complimentary"...
, but does not release them into the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and takes royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
for public performance as usual. His organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
work Yer Attention, Please has been performed by Kevin Bowyer
Kevin Bowyer
Kevin John Bowyer is an English organist, known for his prolific recording and recital career and his interest in playing unusual, modern and extremely difficult compositions.-Biography:...
.
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz is known for co-founding and co-hosting Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar
Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar
Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar is a contemporary new music program hosted by Kalvos and Damian, the alter egos of the composers Dennis Bathory-Kitsz and David Gunn...
with the composer David Gunn
David Gunn (composer)
David Gunn is an American composer most notedly known for founding Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar. His performances on the Kalvos and Damian show ar indictive to his unorthodox and quirky composition aesthetic which he is known for...
. Dennis Báthory-Kitsz also founded and organized the Ought-One festival.
Aside from music, he was an author during the first generation of personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s (1979-85), and interviewed Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
. He was involved in the post-Fluxus
Fluxus
Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning "to flow"—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. They have been active in Neo-Dada noise music and visual art as well as literature, urban planning,...
art movement (1973-78), and is director of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
's Alliance of Independent Country Stores (2001-present). He lives in Northfield, Vermont
Northfield, Vermont
Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The population was 6,207 at the 2010...
.
He is also, by his own admission, a descendant or relative of the Hungarian medieval ruler Elizabeth Bathory
Elizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
, interested in clearing her name. For this purpose he appeared on a documentary about her on British Television.
Compositions
- Fanfare:Heat, for orchestra (premiered by the Vermont Youth Orchestra)
- Diamonds, a spatial work for 32 instrumentalists or 32-channel electronic soundSoundSound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
- Cold Stones, 14 intimate songs for voiceVoiceVoice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
and chamber orchestra - Erzsébet, chamber operaChamber operaChamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
on the story of Elizabeth BathoryElizabeth BáthoryCountess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
in 3 acts, and film scoreFilm scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
; librettoLibrettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Andrei CodrescuAndrei CodrescuAndrei Codrescu is a Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He was Mac Curdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University from 1984 until his retirement in 2009.... - Krikisque (2004), for electronic playback
- Warbler Garden (2003), for electronic playback
- Bales, Barrels, & Cones: Antebellum/Antibellum (2002), for drumkit and playback
- Tïrkíinistrá: 25 LandscapeLandscapeLandscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
PreludePrelude (music)A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
s (2002) - VoxN (2002), for chamber ensemble and readerReading (process)Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
- Mirrored Birds (2001), a fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
concertoConcertoA concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words... - Fuliginous Quadrant (2001), for chamber ensemble
- The Key of Locust (2001), for chamber trioChamber 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...
- HighBirds (Prime) (2001), for two electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s and playback - RatGeyser (2000), for MalletKat and playback
- Mountain Dawn Fanfare (2000), for orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
- Quince & Fog Falls (2000), for chamber ensemble
- The Sub-Aether Bande (2000), for flute and percussion
- Sourian Slide (1999), for string orchestra
- LowBirds (1999), for small ensemble
- Zonule Glaes II (1999), electroacousticElectroacoustic musicElectroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
work with string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group... - Into the Morning Rain (1998), for small ensemble
- Detritus of Mating (1997), electroacoustic work
- zéyu, quânh & sweeh (1996), for playback
- exirxion (1996), for tapeMagnetic tape sound recordingThe use of magnetic tape for sound recording originated around 1930. Magnetizable tape revolutionized both the radio broadcast and music recording industries. It did this by giving artists and producers the power to record and re-record audio with minimal loss in quality as well as edit and...
- xirx (1996), a performance work for electronic tape, iceIceIce is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
and aromas - Hoots & Honks (1996), for string quartet
- Hang Time (1995), for timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and orchestra - Hypertunes, Baby (1994), for voice and tape
- Build, Make, Do (1994), for small ensemble
- Unisons (1994), for six performers
- 8 Pooners (1993), a performance work for solo clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
tist - Llama Butter (1993), for tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
and tape - Emerald Canticles, Below (1993), for small ensemble
- Binky Plays Marbles (1992), for double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average... - The Pretty Songs (1991), for saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and voice - Softening Cries (1991), for orchestra
- A Time Machine (1990), for voice, small ensemble, danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s - Traveler's Rest and Wolf (1991), sound environments
- The Lily and the Thorn (1990), for orchestra
- Yçuré (1990), for two chamber orchestras
- Four Sharks (1989), for nine performers
- Northern Lights ...seeking Sasquatch (1989), for orchestra
- Csárdás (1989), for pianoPianoThe 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...
- Pianaroll (1989), for piano and electronic tape
- Variations on Amanda (1989), for three strings and harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
- Winter, Three Songs on the Nature of Armageddon (1987), for mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and orchestra - Rough Edges (1987), for piano
- Beepers (1986), a high-tech cabaretCabaretCabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
- In Bocca al Lupo (1986), environmental sound design
- Mantra Canon (1986), for large ensemble
- Echo, A Performance Ritual in Four Parts (1985)
- Ash Wednesday (1983), for small ensemble
- Rando's Poetic License (1978), for electronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, microcomputerMicrocomputerA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
, voices, instruments - Mass (1978), for small ensemble
- Plasm over ocean (1977), a chamber opera for small ensemble
- Stoneworld/Grey (1977), a multimediaMultimediaMultimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
dance work - Somnambula (1975), for recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
and electronic sound - Triple Quartet (1975), for string ensemble
Discography
- 60x60 (2004-2005) Vox Novus VN-001
- 60x60 (2003) Capstone Records CPS-8744
Articles & reviews
- Ought One Have Attended? By David Cleary New Music Connoisseur
- We Will, We Will Nonpop You by Kyle GannKyle GannKyle Eugene Gann is an American professor of music, critic and composer born in Dallas, Texas. As a critic for The Village Voice and other publications he has been a supporter of progressive music including such Downtown movements as postminimalism and totalism.- As composer :As a composer his...
, Village Voice, September 11, 2001 - Retuning the Dial: Rethinking the Relationship between Radio and New American Music NewMusicBoxNewMusicBoxNewMusicBox is an e-zine launched by the American Music Center on May 1, 1999. The magazine includes interviews and articles concerning American Contemporary Music, composers, improvisers, and musicians....
Published: May 1, 2000 - Sound Bytes of Truth by Kyle GannKyle GannKyle Eugene Gann is an American professor of music, critic and composer born in Dallas, Texas. As a critic for The Village Voice and other publications he has been a supporter of progressive music including such Downtown movements as postminimalism and totalism.- As composer :As a composer his...
, Village Voice July 6, 1999 - Ought-One Festival Reviewed by Jennifer HymerJennifer Hymer-Education:Jennifer Hymer was trained as a pianist for classical and contemporary music at the University of California at Berkeley and Mills College studying with Bay Area pianist Julie Steinberg...
, Computer Music JournalComputer Music JournalComputer Music Journal is an American academic journal that covers a wide range of topics related to digital audio signal processing and electroacoustic music. It is published on-line and in hard copy by MIT Press. The magazine is accompanied by an annual CD/DVD that collects audio and video work...
External links
- http://maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/ - personal website
- Full list of compositions
- Résumé