Frederic Rzewski

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Frederic Rzewski

Frederic Anthony Rzewski (born April 13, 1938 in Westfield , Massachusetts , † June 26, 2021 in Montiano , Italy ) was an American composer and pianist .

life and work

Frederic Rzewski studied at Harvard and Princeton University with teachers such as Randall Thompson , Roger Sessions , Walter Piston and Milton Babbitt . In 1960 he went to Italy . The trip was decisive for his musical style. He studied there with Luigi Dallapiccola in 1960 and began a career as a pianist for contemporary music. A few years later he founded the group Musica Elettronica Viva with Alvin Curran and Richard Teitelbaum. Her music was characterized by improvisational elements and the use of live electronic instruments. In 1971 Rzewski returned to New York . In 1977 he received a professorship for composition at the Conservatory in Liège and worked there until his retirement in 2003. He also taught at other universities (e.g. Yale University , Mills College , California Institute of the Arts , University of California , Hochschule der Künste Berlin , University of Cincinnati , State University of New York at Buffalo , Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe and in The Hague ).

Many of Rzewski's compositions have a political reference, and they often contain improvisational elements. Coming Together is based on a letter from Sam Melville (written May 16, 1970 "to a dear brother"), who was incarcerated in the Attica Correctional Facility at the time of the prisoner riots there in 1971 . The piece contains impressive improvisational passages (with Karl Berger and Garrett List, among others ). Rzewski's piano work The People United Will Never Be Defeated! from 1975 consists of 36 variations on the battle song El pueblo unido jamás será vencido by Sergio Ortega . In the 1980s, Rzewski returned to conventional scores and a method of composition based on serial techniques .

He was also known as an interpreter of contemporary music (with Steve Lacy and Irène Aebi, among others ).

From 2009 he was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and from 2014 of the Akademie der Künste Berlin .

literature

  • Frederic Rzewski: Nonsequiturs - Writings & Lectures on Improvisation, Composition, and Interpretation. Illogical conclusions - writings and lectures on improvisation, composition and interpretation. Edition MusikTexte, Cologne 2007, ISBN 3-9803151-8-5 .
  • Christian Asplund: Frederic Rzewski and Spontaneous Political Music . In: Perspectives of New Music . Volume 33, winter / summer 1995. No. 1/2 . Princeton University Press, ISSN  0031-6016 , pp. 418-441 .
  • Rzewski, Frederic. In: Contemporary Musicians, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. June 17, 2021(English).;

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The American composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski has died. In: Gramophone . June 26, 2021, accessed June 26, 2021 .
  2. ↑ Tim Page: Frederic Rzewski, 'daredevil pianist' and iconoclastic composer, dies at 83. In: The Washington Post . June 27, 2021 (English).;
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Schreiber: Never defeated. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . June 27, 2021 .;
  4. ^ Letter text: "I think the combination of age and the greater coming together is responsible for the speed of the passing time. It's six months now and I can tell you truthfully few periods in my life have passed so quickly ... "Quoted from John Henken: Coming Together - About This Piece. In: laphil. 2018 (English).;
  5. ↑ Academy Members. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed January 21, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Rzewski, Frederic
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rzewski, Frederic Anthony
SHORT DESCRIPTION American composer and pianist
DATE OF BIRTH April 13, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Westfield , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH June 26, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH Montiano , Italy