Joseph Schwantner (born March 22, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois) is a
Pulitzer Prize winningThe Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year...
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer and educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Biography
Schwanter's first musical instrument was the guitar, which he began studying with
Robert SteinRobert Stein founded The Voyager Company in 1985, the first commercial multimedia CD-ROM publisher, and The Criterion Collection, a collection of definitive films on digital media with in-depth background information .Born and raised in New York City, Stein attended Columbia University, majoring in...
at the age of eight. Schwantner credits Stein as the most important influence of his young musical life. Of his initial experiences on the guitar, Schwantner writes:
I didn’t realize until many years later just how important the guitar was in my thinking...to get to the bottom line, when I think about my music, its absolutely clear to me the profound influence of the guitar in my music. When you look at my pieces, first of all is the preoccupation with color. The guitar is a wonderfully resonant and colorful instrument. Secondly, the guitar is a very highly articulate instrument. You don’t bow it, you pluck it and so the notes are very incisive. My musical ideas, the world I seem to inhabit, is highly articulate. Lots of percussion where everything is sharply etched, and then finally, those sharply articulated ideas often hang in the air, which is exactly what happens when you play an E major chord on the guitar. There are these sharp articulations, and then this kind of sustained resonance that you can easily do in percussion - a favorite trick of mine! I think it is right in my bone marrow. I don’t think there is any question about that. I think my music would look differently if I were a clarinet player. So it doesn’t mean I sit around thinking about the guitar when I am writing a piece. Not at all! There is something fundamental about how I think about music, that I think comes from my experiences as a young kid trying to play everything I could on the instrument
His first serious attempt at composition, the jazz-influenced "Offbeat", won the 1959 National Band Camp Award. Offbeat was a byproduct of Schwantner’s interest in experimental (sometimes known as “free”) jazz. It was a twelve-tone work for jazz ensemble, written in 5/4. His first orchestral piece, Sinfonia Brevis, was written while a student at the American Conservatory in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
.
After graduating from the American Conservatory, Schwantner enrolled at
Northwestern University{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
to pursue graduate study with
Alan StoutAlan Burrage Stout is an American composer of contemporary classical music.He studied at Johns Hopkins University and at the Peabody Conservatory. His instructors included Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, John Verrall, and Vagn Holmboe, the latter at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark for...
and Anthony Donato. While a student at Northwestern Schwantner earned three
BMIBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Student Composition Awards. The first award came in 1965 for a
ConcertinoA concertino is a short concerto freer in form. It normally takes the form of a one-movement musical composition for solo instrument and orchestra, though some concertinos are written in several movements played without a pause....
for alto saxophone and three chamber ensembles. The second award came in 1966 for Diaphonia Intervallum, scored for alto saxophone, flute, piano, and a full string section. The final BMI Award came in 1968 for the work
ChroniconThe Chronicon is a title used for a work that provides dates. Some such items are:* The Chronicon * The Chronicon * The Chronicon * The Chronicon * The Chronicon Paschale...
, written for bassoon and piano and premiered at the Tanglewood Festival. Although each one these works was highly atonal and written with strict serial methods, his future compositions would begin to evolve away from firm twelve-tone frameworks toward a more flexible technique. In 1966 Schwantner received the
Master of MusicThe Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
degree, and in 1968 he received the
Doctor of Musical ArtsThe Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
, both from Northwestern University.
Following his graduation from Northwestern, Schwantner accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Composition at
Pacific Lutheran UniversityPacific Lutheran University is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. In September 2009, PLU had a student population of 3,582 and approximately 280 full-time faculty...
in Tacoma, Washington. The following year (1969) he accepted a similar position at
Ball State UniversityBall State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana, U.S. Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans more than 1,000 acres...
in Muncie, Indiana, before settling at 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...
on the campus of the
University of RochesterThe University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. The University grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs...
in New York the following year. In 1977 he was a Resident Fellow at one of the oldest arts colonies in the United States, the
MacDowell ColonyThe MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
in Peterborough, New Hampshire (founded in 1907). Because the average stay at the Colony is only four to five weeks, it allowed Schwantner to attend without having to miss time at the Eastman School. It was at the Colony that Schwantner composed Wild Angels of the Open Hills, a song cycle for soprano, flute, and harp, with texts by science fiction author Ursula K. LeGuin.
In addition to numerous awards, Schwantner has received CAP (Composer Assistance Program) Grants in 1975 and 1977, a Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation Grant in 1978, the Fairchild Award in 1985, the Alfred I. Dupont award for outstanding composers in 1995, and numerous honorary doctorates. He was featured in the television documentary Soundings, produced by
WGBHWGBH is a non-commercial television and radio broadcast service located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service, and has produced many programs for the network, including nearly a third of PBS's national primetime programming...
in
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
for national broadcast, and in 2007 the American Symphony Orchestra League and “Meet the Composer” announced that Schwantner was selected as the second Ford “Made in America” composer. The foundation gives orchestras with small budgets representing all 50 United States an opportunity to commission American composers of international reputation. The new work, Chasing Light, will receive its premiere with the Reno Chamber Orchestra in September 2008. The work will subsequently be performed by orchestras in each of the fifty United States.
Other notable commissions include the National Symphony Orchestra, the
New York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the
Boston Symphony OrchestraThe Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays the majority of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the...
, the
Saint Louis Symphony OrchestraThe Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
, the
San Diego SymphonyThe San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. On 6 December 1910, it gave its first concert as the San Diego Civic Orchestra.Currently, the Symphony performs over 100 concerts each season...
, the
Los Angeles Chamber OrchestraThe Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is a 40-member American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, praised by the music critic Jim Svejda as "America's finest chamber orchestra."...
, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Canton Symphony. Also, the
Eastman Wind EnsembleThe Eastman Wind Ensemble is an American concert band founded by Frederick Fennell at the Eastman School of Music in 1952. It is often credited with helping popularize wind music. Through the group, Fennell redefined wind ensemble to refer to a specific kind of wind band with only one player per...
, the University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble, the Mid-American Band Directors Association, the Eastman Philharmonia (through a grant by
AT&TAT&T Inc. is the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services in the United States, and also serves digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150...
), the American Heritage Foundation, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition,
Meet the ComposerMeet the Composer is an American organization founded in 1974 by the composer John Duffy as a project of the New York State Council on the Arts. It seeks to assist composers in making a living through writing music by sponsoring commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction...
, Naumburg Foundation, Solisti New York, and
Boston Musica VivaBoston Musica Viva is a Boston, Massachusetts-based music ensemble founded by its Music Director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music.-Composers and compositions:...
.
Joseph Schwantner was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2002, and his music is published by the Schott Helicon Music Corporation of
Valley ForgeValley Forge, Pennsylvania, was the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War...
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
. He has two children, Christopher, 37, and Jennifer, 33, and currently resides in
SpoffordSpofford is a village in the northeastern part of the town of Chesterfield in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. It is situated at the outlet of Spofford Lake and is located along New Hampshire Route 9A. While no population figures are available for Spofford, it is slightly larger...
,
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
with his wife Janet.
Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his credit. His style is accessible, coloristic and eclectic, drawing on such diverse elements as French impressionism, African drumming, and
minimalismMinimalist music is an originally American genre of experimental or Downtown music named in the 1960s based mostly in consonant harmony, steady pulse , stasis and slow transformation, and often reiteration of musical phrases or smaller units such as figures, motifs, and cells...
. His orchestral work
Aftertones of Infinity received the
1979 Pulitzer Prize-Journalism Awards:*Public Service:**The Point Reyes Light, a California weekly. For its investigation of Synanon, .*Local General or Spot News Reporting:...
for Music. He also wrote violinist,
Anne Akiko MeyersAnne Akiko Meyers is celebrated as one of the world's premiere concert violinists known today. Listen Magazine described Meyers as a ‘trailblazing violinist’, one who is constantly ‘charting her own course’...
, 'Angelfire', a fantasy for amplified violin and orchestra.
Orchestra
- A Play of Shadows for Flute and Chamber Orchestra
- A Sudden Rainbow
- Aftertones of Infinity
- Angelfire "Fantasy" for Amplified Violin and Orchestra, written for Anne Akiko Meyers
Anne Akiko Meyers is celebrated as one of the world's premiere concert violinists known today. Listen Magazine described Meyers as a ‘trailblazing violinist’, one who is constantly ‘charting her own course’...
- Beyond Autumn "Poem" for Horn and Orchestra
- Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
- Distant Runes and Incantations for Piano solo (amplified) and Orchestra
- Dreamcaller: Three Songs for Soprano, Violin solo, and Orchestra
- "Evening Land" Symphony
- Freeflight "Fanfares" & "Fantasy"
- From Afar..."A Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra"
- Magabunda (Witchnomad) "four Poems of Agueda Pizarro" for Soprano and Orchestra
- Modus Caelestis
- Morning's Embrace
- New Morning for the World "Daybreak of Freedom" for Narrator and Orchestra
- September Canticle "Fantasy" (In Memoriam)
- Toward Light
Wind Ensemble
- ...and the mountains rising nowhere (1977)
- From a Dark Millennium (1980)
- In evening's stillness... (1996)
- Recoil (2004)
- Percussion Concerto (transcribed by Andrew Boysen) (1997)
- Beyond Autumn (transcribed by Timothy Miles) (2006)
- New Morning for the World "Daybreak of Freedom" (transcribed by Nikk Pilato) (2007)
Chamber ensemble
- Rhiannon's Blackbirds
- Soaring, for flute and piano
- Black Anemones, for flute and piano
- Consortium II, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion
- Distant Runes and Incantations
- In Aeternum (Consortium IV)
- Music of Amber
- Canticle of the Evening Bells
- Chronicon, for bassoon and piano
- Consortium (I)
- Diaphonia Intervallum
- Elixir
Notable students
- Eric Ewazen
Eric Ewazen is an American composer and teacher. Ewazen studied composition under Samuel Adler, Milton Babbitt, Gunther Schuller, Joseph Schwantner, Warren Benson, and Eugene Kurtz at the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School Eric Ewazen (b. 1954, Cleveland, Ohio) ' onMouseout='HidePop("26958")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Daron_Hagen">Daron Hagen
Daron Aric Hagen is an American composer of contemporary classical music and opera.- Early life and education :...
- Daniel Kellogg
Daniel Kellogg is an American composer.Kellogg's music has been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the Green Bay Symphony, the South Dakota Symphony, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Yale Philharmonic, the...
- Marc Mellits
Marc Mellits is an American composer and musician.Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied at the Eastman School of Music from 1984 to 1988, the Yale School of Music from 1989 to 1991, Cornell University from 1991 to 1996, and at Tanglewood in the summer of 1997...
- Kevin Puts
Kevin Puts is an American composer. Born in St. Louis, Missouri on January 3, 1972, Puts studied composition and piano at the Eastman School of Music and Yale University, earning the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Eastman. Among his teachers were Samuel Adler, Jacob Druckman, David Lang,...
- Gordon Stout
Gordon Stout is an American percussionist, composer, and educator specializing in the marimba.He studied composition with Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler, and Warren Benson, and percussion with James Salmon and John Beck...
- Michael Sidney Timpson
Michael Sidney Timpson is an American composer of contemporary classical music. Although clearly a composer of the concert art-music genre, his definitive style combines elements of European, American, and Asian musical sources...
- Christopher Theofanidis
- Michael Torke
Michael Torke [ˈtɔɹki] is an American composer who writes music influenced by jazz and minimalism. Sometimes described as a post-minimalist, his most postminimal piece is Four Proverbs, in which the syllable for each pitch is fixed and variations in the melody produce streams of nonsense words...
- Ye Xiaogang
Ye Xiaogang is a Chinese composer of contemporary classical music. He is originally Cantonese but spent his early years in Shanghai. He studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing from 1978 to 1983 and at the Eastman School of Music beginning in 1987...
External links
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