Noel DaCosta

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Noel George DaCosta (born December 24, 1929 in Lagos , Nigeria , † April 29, 2002 in New York City ) was an American composer, choir director and violinist of Nigerian-Jamaican origin.

Life

DaCosta, the child of Salvation Army missionaries from Jamaica , grew up partly in Nigeria and then in Jamaica before migrating with his parents to the United States in 1940 and moving to Harlem . In 1952 he finished his visit to Queens College with a bachelor's degree and then studied music theory and composition at Columbia University with Otto Luening and Jack Beeson (Master 1956). He continued his studies in Italy with Luigi Dallapiccola , and then as a lecturer at Hampton University and at the City University of New Yorkto be active. In 1970 he moved to Rutgers University as a professor , where he taught at the Mason Gross School of the Arts until 2001.

DaCosta's compositions are characterized by the fact that elements of jazz , Caribbean and African music flow into a western chromatic framework. In addition to chamber music and orchestral instrumentals, he also wrote settings of some poems by Langston Hughes , Gwendolyn Brooks , Countee Cullen and the famous speech by Martin Luther King , I Have a Dream . DaCosta was one of the founders of the Society of Black Composers , which existed until 1975.

As a violinist, he not only interpreted his own works and other compositions of classical music, but could also be heard in a jazz context. He recorded with Les McCann , Rahsaan Roland Kirk , Bernard Purdie , Roberta Flack , McCoy Tyner , Donny Hathaway , Felix Cavaliere , Willis Gator Jackson and Eddie Kendricks and also wrote the string arrangements for many other albums. Since 1975 he has directed the Triad Chorale , with which he has performed in Lincoln Center as well as in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine .

Works (selection)

  • Two Pieces for Unaccompanied Cello
  • Blue mix
  • Blue memories
  • Ceremony of Spirituals
  • Silver blue
  • Three Short Pieces for Alto Flute
  • The Singing Tortoise
  • Two Songs for Julie-Ju
  • Five Verses with Vamps
  • Preludes for Trombone and Piano
  • Round about the Mountain from Spiritual Set (1977)
  • I have a dream (1977)
  • Triofantasia for violin, viola and cello
  • Ukom memory songs
  • Primal Rites (1983)
  • Epitaphs

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Lucius R. Wyatt:  Da Costa, Noel (George). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  2. ^ Classical Music in Review . In: New York Times , June 12, 1993
  3. ↑ Entry on Allmusic
personal data
SURNAME DaCosta, Noel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES DaCosta, Noel G.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer, choir director and violinist of Nigerian-Jamaican origin
DATE OF BIRTH December 24, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Lagos , Nigeria
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 2002
Place of death New York City