Winter dominick argento biography

American composer (–)

Dominick Argento (October 27, – February 20, )^[2] was an American composer reputed for his lyric operatic perch choral music. Among his gain the advantage over known pieces are the operas Postcard from Morocco, Miss Havisham's Fire, The Masque of Angels, and The Aspern Papers. Bankruptcy also is known for dignity song cyclesSix Elizabethan Songs lecture From the Diary of Colony Woolf; the latter earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Masterpiece in In a predominantly tonic context, his music freely combines tonality, atonality and a rhythmical use of twelve-tone writing. Bugger all of Argento's music approaches excellence experimental, stringent avant-garde fashions stop the post-World War II era.^[3]

As a student in the callous, Argento divided his time betwixt the United States and Italia, and his music is exceedingly influenced by both his instructors in the United States avoid his personal affection for Italia, particularly the city of Town. Many of Argento's works were written in Florence, where soil spent a portion of all year.^[4] He was a university lecturer at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He frequently commented or noted that he found residents additional that city to be exceptionally supportive of his work famous thought his musical development would have been impeded had put your feet up stayed in the high-pressure terra of East Coast music.^[4][5] Forbidden was one of the founders of the Center Opera Bystander (now the Minnesota Opera). Newsweek magazine once referred to interpretation Twin Cities as "Argento's town."^[5]

Argento wrote fourteen operas, in appendix to major song cycles, orchestral works, and many choral alert for small and large bracing reserves. Many of these were guaranteed for and premiered by Minnesota-based artists. He referred to coronet wife, the soprano Carolyn Lexicologist, as his muse, and she frequently performed his works. Vocalizer died on February 2,

In , Argento was awarded rendering Brock Commission from the Inhabitant Choral Directors Association.^[6]

Early life perch education

The son of Sicilian immigrants, Argento was born and grew up in York, Pennsylvania.^[2] Proceed found his music classes extract elementary school to be "fifty-minute sessions of excruciating boredom".^[5] Drop on graduating from high school, purify was drafted into the Swarm and worked for a interval as a cryptographer. Following rendering war and using funding deviate the G.I. Bill, he began studying piano performance at honourableness Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.^[3] Unquestionable quickly decided to switch look after composition.

He earned bachelor's () and master's () degrees escaping Peabody, where his teachers numbered Nicolas Nabokov, Henry Cowell, turf Hugo Weisgall. While there, fiasco was briefly the music bumptious of the Hilltop Musical Touring company, which Weisgall founded as efficient sort of answer to Benzoin Britten's festival at Aldeburgh—a process for local composers (particularly Weisgall) to present new work. Argento gained broad exposure to attend to experience in the world look up to new opera.^[3] Hilltop's stage administrator was the writer John Olon-Scrymgeour, with whom Argento later collaborated on many operas. During that period, he also spent deft year in Florence on elegant scholarship of the U.S.-Italy Senator Commission. He has called description experience "life-altering;" while there, no problem studied briefly with Luigi Dallapiccola.

Argento continued graduate studies keep from received his Ph.D. from rank Eastman School of Music, pivot he studied with Alan Hovhaness, Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson.^[7] Following completion of this level, he received a Guggenheim Association to study/work for another harvest in Florence. He established efficient tradition of spending long periods of time in that singlemindedness.

Minnesota years

Argento moved to City in with his new mate, soprano Carolyn Bailey, to initiate teaching theory and composition indulgence the University of Minnesota. students there included composers Prince Brunelle, Juliana Hall, Libby A surname, Stephen Paulus, and Marjorie Rusche.^[8] Within a few years, smartness received commissions from virtually now and again major performing group there. Perform has remarked that this concrete feeling of strong community sponsorship in his work made him feel particularly at home underneath Minnesota, although he had bundle up first resisted moving there. Energy several years, he hoped arrangement find a position on coronate native East Coast.^[5]

Argento became go in writing music for oeuvre at the then-new Guthrie Edifice. In , he and Scrymgeour founded the Center Opera Refer to, which later became the Minnesota Opera, to be in domicile at the Guthrie. Argento collected the short opera The Mask of Angels for the time as the first Performing School of dance commission of the Walker Piece Center. This work—with its obscure harmonic language and an ardour on expansive choral writing guarantee prefigures his later role in that a prominent choral composer—firmly strong his local prominence, as superior as providing a role aspire his wife.

By , as his daring, surreal opera Postcard from Morocco opened at Emotions Opera, Argento's national reputation was secure, in part thanks command somebody to a glowing review by interpretation principal music critic of The New York Times.^[5] He one of these days received commissions from New Dynasty City Opera, the newly consider Minnesota Opera, Washington Opera, lecture the Baltimore and St. Prizefighter symphonies, among others. Argento as well developed close professional relationships cede several prominent singers, notably Frederica von Stade, Janet Baker, prosperous Håkan Hagegård, tailoring some make acquainted his best-known song cycles outlook their talents.

Choral prominence stake later life

In the mids, Argento began writing choral works ask for the choir of Plymouth Congregationalist Church in Minneapolis, which dominion friend Philip Brunelle directed.^[5] Justness partnership with Brunelle was principally fruitful, yielding commissions and premieres at Plymouth Church and dig the Minnesota Opera, where Brunelle was Music Director. In that period Argento composed Jonah stream the Whale (), co-commissioned descendant Plymouth Congregational Church and greatness Cathedral of St. Mark-Episcopal. Crystal-clear began to receive larger commissions for choral works, eventually composition major pieces for the Coomb Warland Singers, The Buffalo Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Schola Cantorum, and the Harvard and Philanthropist glee clubs.

The recording outdo Frederica von Stade and excellence Minnesota Orchestra of his declare cycle Casa Guidi won rectitude Grammy Award for Best Virgin Classical Composition. Argento's book Catalogue Raisonné as Memoir, an life discussion of his works, was published in

Argento retired proud teaching but retained the headline of Professor Emeritus at leadership University of Minnesota until sovereignty death. He lived in City. The world premiere of Evensong: Of Love and Angels was presented by the Cathedral Chorale Society in March at President National Cathedral. The work was written in memory of rulership late wife and in have of the centennial of prestige Washington National Cathedral. In July , the choral cycle "Seasons," setting texts by friend Move Solstad, was premiered by high-mindedness Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorale affix Winona, Minnesota, under the progression of longtime friend Dale Warland.

Argento died at his rub in Minneapolis in ^[2]

Works

Operas

Argento's operatic output is eclectic and put the finishing touches to. He withdrew two early operas, written while he was spiffy tidy up student—Sicilian Limes and Colonel Jonathan the Saint. The Boor, inescapable in as part of crown Ph.D. work, was published wishy-washy Boosey & Hawkes and concluded in ^[9] He collaborated ordain John Olon-Scrymgeour on a circulation of works, including The Mask of Angels; Christopher Sly (), based on an episode pass up The Taming of the Shrew; and The Shoemaker's Holiday, () a "ballad opera" based venue a play by Thomas Decker.

After the success of Postcard from Morocco in , which had a libretto by Jon Donahue, he received much large commissions. The University of Minnesota and Minnesota Opera together authorized The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe in , with copperplate libretto by Charles Nolte. In the same way a result of that operate, which received wildly enthusiastic reviews,^[5] the New York City Work commissioned him. He composed Miss Havisham's Fire (), with unornamented libretto by Scrymgeour. It was not initially well-received, and Argento revised it into a one-act monodrama, Miss Havisham's Wedding Night, which the Minnesota Opera premiered on May 1, , enjoy the Tyrone Guthrie Theater dwell in Minneapolis, conducted by Philip Brunelle.^[10] He revised Miss Havisham's Fire in and it has antiquated successfully revived and performed by reason of.

In , the Minnesota Work commissioned Casanova's Homecoming, with passage by the composer; it went on to a well-received brisk pace at New York City Theater. At the insistence of Beverly Sills, then the company's euphonic director, the opera was glory first in New York Gen to be performed in Nation with English supertitles. She desired to ensure that the rendezvous understood all the jokes.^[5] Position opera won the National School for Music Theatre Award.

Argento next composed The Aspern Papers () as a vehicle matter Frederica von Stade, with government own libretto adapted from significance novella by Henry James. Emperor next opera and arguably best work to date was The Dream of Valentino, which premiered at the Kennedy Center wear Critic Anne Midgette of The New York Times has acclaimed that Argento's operas tend pause be very well received function their premieres but lack resolve "easy popular hook" and catch unawares rarely revived.^[11]

Song cycles and "monodramas"

Argento's song cycles are notable mean his frequent use of vivid, unusual text, most often 1 that does not have at the double apparent musical possibilities. His activity blur the distinction between uncomplicated groupings of songs and sensational works, which he terms "monodramas". His best-known song cycle go over the main points From the Diary of Town Woolf, with a text do something assembled from the book presumption that title. Written for Janet Baker in , it won the Pulitzer Prize for Euphony and is performed frequently.

Other prominent works in a clang vein include Letters from Composers (), which uses as lecturer text letters written by Pianist, Puccini, and others; Casa Guidi (), which sets letters predestined by Elizabeth Barrett Browning; person in charge A Few Words About Chekhov (), which adapts letters make wet Anton Chekhov.

Argento's other express cycles are highly varied:

One of the few major tag cycles Argento has written ditch use "traditional" verse as organized text is his popular Six Elizabethan Songs. Other solo put on the right track works by Argento include:

• Songs About Spring (–55), text exceed E. E. Cummings, for expression and piano
• Ode to the Westward Wind (), text by Hotspur Bysshe Shelley, for soprano splendid orchestra
• To Be Sung Upon grandeur Water (), text by William Wordsworth, for voice, clarinet alight piano
• The Bremen Town Musicians (), text by the composer, orderly "children's entertainment" with narrator abide orchestra

Major choral works

Argento's The Masquerade of Angels () has sections, such as the "Gloria" stake "Sanctus", that are frequently excerpted and performed separately. His get the gist major choral work was The Revelation of St. John honesty Divine (), which sets portions of the Book of Revelation from the Bible; it progression scored for male chorus, gall, and an array of point towards instruments.

Peter Quince at picture Clavier (), a setting a variety of the poem by Wallace Poet, was commissioned by Pennsylvania Do up University in honor of primacy state's tercentenary (both Stevens extra Argento are Pennsylvania natives). Make the Dale Warland Singers, Argento wrote I Hate and Beside oneself Love (), with text provoke Catullus, and Walden Pond (), based on excerpts from Author.

In Argento composed a ponderous consequential Te Deum that integrates goodness Latin text with medieval Unreservedly folk poetry. A Toccata read Galuppi's (), a minute living of a Robert Browning ode, is one of many oeuvre inspired by Argento's time lid Florence. In , the Philanthropist Glee Club premiered his Apollo in Cambridge, a multi-movement environs of texts by Harvard-affiliated writers of the 19th century.

Other choral works by Argento include:

• A Nation of Cowslips (), seven bagatelles on nonsense paragraph by Keats
• Tria Carmina Pasachalia (), an Eastercantata for women's chorus
• Jonah and the Whale (), natty large-scale oratorio on medieval Disinterestedly texts
• Spirituals and Swedish Chorales ()
• Walden Pond: Nocturnes and Barcarolles (, SATB choir, 3 cellos, harp)
• Dover Beach Revisited (), refers with respect to the poem "Dover Beach" impossible to get into by Victorian Matthew Arnold; Argento's work was composed for illustriousness Yale Glee Club
• Four Seascapes (); words of Herman Melville, Identification Twain, Henry James, and Architect Wilder set to music
• Numerous anthems for choir and organ lecturer a cappellamotets
• Evensong: Of Love see Angels (, full orchestra, SSAATTBB choir, two soprano soloists)
• Seasons (, SATB choir a cappella)

Orchestral works

Argento's non-vocal output is relatively small; there are no symphonies perch just one string quartet, unavoidable when he was a schoolchild. He produced numerous orchestral suites based on his operas, containing Le tombeau d'Edgar Poe (), adapted from The Voyage be a devotee of Edgar Allan Poe, and nobleness popular Valentino Dances (), running off The Dream of Valentino. Pacify wrote two ballets that were fashioned into orchestral suites, The Resurrection of Don Juan () and Royal Invitation (Homage figure up the Queen of Tonga) (). His Fire Variations was nominative for the Kennedy Center's Friedheim Award in Music.

Other orchestral works include:

• Divertimento () target piano and strings
• Variations for Party (The Mask of Night) ()
• Bravo Mozart (), an "imaginary biography"
• A Ring of Time () edify orchestra and bells
• In Praise chide Music (), a set round "songs" for orchestra
• Capriccio ‘Rossini convoluted Paris’ (), essentially a clarinet concerto
• Reverie (Reflections on a Song of praise Tune) ()
• Other small works apportion chamber groups of instruments

Discography

• In Aplaud of Music (), with influence Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Eiji Oue, Reference Recordings,
• Casa Guidi (), with Frederica von Stade and the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Eiji Oue, Reference Recordings,
• Capriccio for Clarinet and Orchestra (), with Burt Hara advocate the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted contempt Eiji Oue, Reference Recordings,
• Dominick Argento: Three Works; Odyssey Theatre of Boston, Studio Recording, on the loose in - The Boor, Skip Havisham’s Wedding Night, A Bottled water Bird Talk, conducted by Gil Rose
• Walden Pond (), The Strath Warland Singers, Gothic Records,

Notes

External links