Serge Tcherepnin
Encyclopedia
Serge Tcherepnin ' onMouseout='HidePop("53289")' href="/topics/Issy-les-Moulineaux">Issy-les-Moulineaux
, near Paris
) is an American composer
and electronic-instrument builder of Russia
n-Chinese
origin. He created the Serge Modular synthesizer.
and Nikolai Nikolayevitch Tcherepnin
. His mother was Chinese pianist Lee Hsien Ming. He had his first instruction in harmony with Nadia Boulanger
and studied from 1958 to 1963 at Harvard University
with Leon Kirchner
and Billy Jim Layton. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1960. In 1961 at the Darmstadt Vacation Courses he studied with Luigi Nono
. He then studied in Europe with Pierre Boulez
, Herbert Eimert
, and Karlheinz Stockhausen
. Between 1966 and 1968 he worked at the studio for electronic music of the Cologne
Hochschule für Musik. From 1968 he directed the electronic studio of New York University
. Starting in 1970 he taught composition and electronic music at the School of Music-California Institute of the Arts
in Valencia, California. He has been involved with the development of synthesizers such as the Serge Modular and founded the company Serge Modular Music Systems. After selling this company in 1986 he returned to France. He has composed works for tape and electronic instruments, multimedia works, chamber music, a Kaddish
for speakers and chamber ensemble (1962, on a text of Allen Ginsberg
) as well as pieces for saxophone and for piano.
His brother Ivan (Alexandrovitch) Tcherepnin
was also a well-known composer, as are two of Ivan’s sons, Stefan (born 1977) and Sergeï (born 1981).
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
, near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) is an American 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...
and electronic-instrument builder of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
origin. He created the Serge Modular synthesizer.
Biography
Serge Tcherepnin is the son and grandson of composers Alexander Nikolayevitch TcherepninAlexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin and his son, Ivan Tcherepnin were also composers, as are two of his grandsons, Sergei and Stefan. His son Serge was involved in the roots of electronic music and instruments...
and Nikolai Nikolayevitch Tcherepnin
Nikolai Tcherepnin
Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory...
. His mother was Chinese pianist Lee Hsien Ming. He had his first instruction in harmony with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
and studied from 1958 to 1963 at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with Leon Kirchner
Leon Kirchner
Leon Kirchner was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his String Quartet No. 3.Kirchner was born in Brooklyn, New York...
and Billy Jim Layton. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1960. In 1961 at the Darmstadt Vacation Courses he studied with Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and remains one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century.- Early years :Born in Venice, he was a member of a wealthy artistic family, and his grandfather was a notable painter...
. He then studied in Europe with Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
, Herbert Eimert
Herbert Eimert
Herbert Eimert was a German music theorist, musicologist, journalist, music critic, editor, radio producer, and composer.-Life:...
, and Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. Between 1966 and 1968 he worked at the studio for electronic music of the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
Hochschule für Musik. From 1968 he directed the electronic studio of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Starting in 1970 he taught composition and electronic music at the School of Music-California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
in Valencia, California. He has been involved with the development of synthesizers such as the Serge Modular and founded the company Serge Modular Music Systems. After selling this company in 1986 he returned to France. He has composed works for tape and electronic instruments, multimedia works, chamber music, a Kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
for speakers and chamber ensemble (1962, on a text of Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
) as well as pieces for saxophone and for piano.
His brother Ivan (Alexandrovitch) Tcherepnin
Ivan Tcherepnin
Ivan Tcherepnin was an experimental, then later modernist/postmodernist, composer. He was born into a highly musical family, his father and grandfather, Alexander and Nikolai, being distinguished Russian composers, and his mother Ming a well-known pianist...
was also a well-known composer, as are two of Ivan’s sons, Stefan (born 1977) and Sergeï (born 1981).
Compositions
A selective list includes:- Inventions, for piano (1960)
- String Trio (1960)
- String Quartet (1961)
- Kaddish (text by Allen GinsbergAllen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
), for speaker, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, piano, two percussionists (1962) - Figures-Grounds, for 7–77 instruments (1964)
- Morning After Piece, for saxophone and piano (1966)
- Two Tapes (Giuseppe’s Background I–II), for 4-track tape (1966)
- Two More Tapes (Addition and Subtraction), for 2-track tape (1966)
- Quiet Day at Bach, for solo instrument and tape (1967)
- Piece of Wood, multimedia piece for performers and actors (1967)
- Piece of Wood with Weeping Woman, multimedia piece for performers, women, stagehand, and tape (1967)
- Film, for BaschetBaschet BrothersThe Baschet Brothers are two French brothers named François Baschet and Bernard Baschet who collaborate on creating sound sculptures and inventing musical instruments, such as the cristal Baschet. François Baschet is a sculptor and Bernard Baschet is an engineer...
instruments, traditional instruments, tape machines, four-channel amplification, ring modulators, theater, stage, and lights (1967) - For Ilona Kabos, for piano (1968)
- Definitive Death Music, for amplified saxophone and chamber ensemble (1968)
- "Hat" for Joseph Beuys, for actor and tape (1968)
- Paysages électroniques, film score (1977)
- Samba in Aviary, film score (1978)
Sources
- Marshall, Ingram. 1975. "New Music at Cal Arts: The First Four Years (1970-74)." Numus 2, no. 1 (Winter): 52–60.