Steve Tittle
Encyclopedia
Steve Tittle is a Canadian
composer
and music educator.
with Harold Miles, John White and Fred Coulter, and at University of Wisconsin–Madison
with Hilmar Luckhardt, Robert Crane and Burt Levy. He was a school music teacher 1962-65 in Ohio
, and his early performance experience was as a trumpet player in US Navy bands (including the USS Iowa BB-61 ship's band) and in ensembles in Ohio
and Wisconsin
.
In 1970 he joined the faculty of Dalhousie University
, where until 1990 he was associate professor of composition and theory. Founder and co-designer of the Dalhousie Experimental-Electronic Sound Studio, he also inaugurated an improvisation ensemble, Murphy's Law ensemble, which has evolved into the new music ensemble. He was a 1971 charter member, secretary and artistic director (1981-6) of NOVA MUSIC("inNOVAtions in MUSIC", an ensemble which preceded Murphy's Law by two years) and in 1989, together with several other Halifax professional musicians, created its successor, Upstream. In these enterprises, and in numerous solo and ensemble appearances in the city, as conductor, organizer, trumpet and flügelhorn player, and mallet percussionist, he was a catalyst for new music performance life in the Maritimes, in particular introducing the potential of synthesizer and tape composition to the region. Tittle has performed with other noted composers and musicians, including Philip Glass
and Allen Ginsberg
. He is a charter member of the Atlantic Canadian Composers Association and producer of its chamber music recording. Tittle is also a member of SOCAN and the Canadian League of Composers
. Now retired from teaching, he lives in Nelson, B.C.
Tittle is a prolific composer, primarily in smaller forms. Drawing on influences from jazz, minimalist, and non-Western musics, he creates in each piece an original statement that is subtle, novel, and engaging both for the performer and the listener. Works such as orange-blossom book, it is all there all the time, where there is no other (only we), let it shine all the time, messages (four), and what finally matters most is grace are poised between Western and Asian aesthetics: an impression of timelessness and of the mobile tend to disguise tight control of material and logical, dynamic conclusions. The interplay between tape and performer in innocence and natural right, salvation dharma band, and only/other/always achieves a linear unity and contrapuntal contrast that is both lyric and deft.
Tittle has been commissioned by the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
and Symphony Nova Scotia
, Music Gallery New Music Concerts, CBC Radio
, the Canadian Electronic Ensemble
, the Kronos Quartet
, Lawrence Cherney
, Rivka Golani
, Philippe Djokic
, the Atlantic Camera Trio, the Karr-Lewis Duo, Scotia Festival, Technical University of Nova Scotia
, and Dalhousie University
. He has also written for CBC Radio drama, the NFB
, and the Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre. He has recorded one album on Nerve Records, (one of the) merely players. He is an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
.
Tittle has also recorded music for several films, including Farmers Helping Farmers (1987), In Love and Anger: Milton Acorn - Poet (1984), My Urban Garden (1984), Miller Brittain
(1981), and The Ross Family Mystery (1980).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 music educator.
Biography
Steve Tittle studied composition at Kent State UniversityKent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
with Harold Miles, John White and Fred Coulter, and at University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
with Hilmar Luckhardt, Robert Crane and Burt Levy. He was a school music teacher 1962-65 in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and his early performance experience was as a trumpet player in US Navy bands (including the USS Iowa BB-61 ship's band) and in ensembles in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
In 1970 he joined the faculty of Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, where until 1990 he was associate professor of composition and theory. Founder and co-designer of the Dalhousie Experimental-Electronic Sound Studio, he also inaugurated an improvisation ensemble, Murphy's Law ensemble, which has evolved into the new music ensemble. He was a 1971 charter member, secretary and artistic director (1981-6) of NOVA MUSIC("inNOVAtions in MUSIC", an ensemble which preceded Murphy's Law by two years) and in 1989, together with several other Halifax professional musicians, created its successor, Upstream. In these enterprises, and in numerous solo and ensemble appearances in the city, as conductor, organizer, trumpet and flügelhorn player, and mallet percussionist, he was a catalyst for new music performance life in the Maritimes, in particular introducing the potential of synthesizer and tape composition to the region. Tittle has performed with other noted composers and musicians, including Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and 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...
. He is a charter member of the Atlantic Canadian Composers Association and producer of its chamber music recording. Tittle is also a member of SOCAN and the Canadian League of Composers
Canadian League of Composers
The Canadian League of Composers is an organization formed in 1951 of Canadian composers primarily interested in raising awareness and acceptance of Canadian music. The activities of the League are overseen and directed by an executive and a National Council...
. Now retired from teaching, he lives in Nelson, B.C.
Tittle is a prolific composer, primarily in smaller forms. Drawing on influences from jazz, minimalist, and non-Western musics, he creates in each piece an original statement that is subtle, novel, and engaging both for the performer and the listener. Works such as orange-blossom book, it is all there all the time, where there is no other (only we), let it shine all the time, messages (four), and what finally matters most is grace are poised between Western and Asian aesthetics: an impression of timelessness and of the mobile tend to disguise tight control of material and logical, dynamic conclusions. The interplay between tape and performer in innocence and natural right, salvation dharma band, and only/other/always achieves a linear unity and contrapuntal contrast that is both lyric and deft.
Tittle has been commissioned by the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Atlantic Symphony Orchestra was a professional Canadian symphony orchestra in Atlantic Canada that was active during the second half the 20th century. It has the distinction of being the only full-time regional professional orchestra in Canadian history. The orchestra was formed shortly after the...
and Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is a professional orchestra based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Symphony Nova Scotia traces its origins back to several different orchestras, including the Halifax Symphony , the Halifax Sinfoniette , and the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra . Its current structure began in 1983...
, Music Gallery New Music Concerts, CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, the Canadian Electronic Ensemble
Canadian Electronic Ensemble
The Canadian Electronic Ensemble is a Canadian electronic music ensemble based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1971 by David Grimes, David Jaeger, Larry Lake and James Montgomery, it is the oldest continuously active live-electronic performing group in the world. In 1984 they performed at the...
, the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, Lawrence Cherney
Lawrence Cherney
Lawrence Cherney, CM is a Canadian oboist and the current Artistic Director of Soundstreams Canada. As a proponent of new music in Canada, Cherney commissioned more than 30 new works for oboe during his career...
, Rivka Golani
Rivka Golani
Rivka Golani is an Israeli viola player.She has performed as soloist with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hong Kong Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan,...
, Philippe Djokic
Philippe Djokic
Philippe Djokic is a Canadian violinist, conductor, and music educator of French birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1990.Born in Nancy, France, Djokic was the son of a Serbian father and French mother...
, the Atlantic Camera Trio, the Karr-Lewis Duo, Scotia Festival, Technical University of Nova Scotia
Technical University of Nova Scotia
The Technical University of Nova Scotia was a university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada until it became part of Dalhousie University in 1997. It was formerly the Nova Scotia Technical College and is today the Sexton Campus of Dalhousie University.In the early 1900s, at the request of the province...
, and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. He has also written for CBC Radio drama, the NFB
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, and the Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre. He has recorded one album on Nerve Records, (one of the) merely players. He is an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
Canadian Music Centre
The Canadian Music Centre holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music. The CMC exists to promote the works of its Associate Composers in Canada and around the world....
.
Tittle has also recorded music for several films, including Farmers Helping Farmers (1987), In Love and Anger: Milton Acorn - Poet (1984), My Urban Garden (1984), Miller Brittain
Miller Brittain
Miller Gore Brittain was a Canadian artist from New Brunswick.He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. Brittian studied art with Elizabeth Russell Holt in Saint John and Harry Wickey in New York City. In 1932, he returned to Saint John, where he worked at clerical and construction jobs and opened...
(1981), and The Ross Family Mystery (1980).