Ben Weber

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Ben Weber (born July 23, 1916 in St. Louis , † June 16, 1979 in New York ; actually William Jennings Bryan Weber ) was an American composer .

Weber took piano and singing lessons at DePaul University in Chicago after dropping out of medical school at the University of Illinois . He concentrated on music theory during his studies , but was self-taught as a composer . Arnold Schönberg's six pieces for piano op.19 were the starting point for his compositional work. His early Chicago works were performed by a group that also included the tonal composer George Perle . Both were more likely to emulate Alban Berg than Schoenberg or Anton von Webern . Where expressiveness was required, the canonical rules of the Second Viennese School were of secondary importance. When composing vocal music, Weber was always interested in the poetic statement of the text.

He created 21 works before moving to New York in 1945, where Virgil Thomson and Artur Schnabel employed him as copyists . He also orchestrated works by other composers. Leopold Stokowski made his symphony known in four movements on poems by William Blake and recorded it on vinyl in 1952. His admirers also included Aaron Copland , John Cage , Elliott Carter , Milton Babbitt , Leonard Bernstein and Frank O'Hara . Weber never taught composition. He has won various prizes and grants, including the Thorne Music Award in 1965 . In 1979 he published his memoir, entitled How It Took Me 63 Years To Commit Suicide .

Since 1971 he was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

Works (selection)

  • Eight songs, op.6
  • Three string quartets, opp. 12/35/50
  • Piece for oboe and orchestra, op.22
  • Symphony for violoncello and orchestra (1945/6)
  • The Pool of Darkness for sextet (Ballet, 1949)
  • Two pieces for string orchestra (1950)
  • Symphony in four movements on poems by William Blake for baritone and orchestra (1950)
  • Violin Concerto (1954)
  • Prelude and Passacaglia, op.42 (1954)
  • Rhapsodie concertante for viola and small orchestra (1957)
  • Piano Concerto (1961)
  • Dolmen for winds and strings (1964)
  • Sinfonia Claron for small orchestra, op.62 (1973)
  • Three capriccios for violoncello and piano (1977)
  • Piano works for one and two hands

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Members: Ben Weber. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed May 2, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Weber, Ben
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Weber, William Jennings Bryan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer of serious music
DATE OF BIRTH July 23, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Louis
DATE OF DEATH June 16, 1979
Place of death New York City