Peter Racine Fricker

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Peter Racine Fricker (born September 5, 1920 in London , † February 1, 1990 in Santa Barbara , California ) was a British - American composer and music teacher .

Life

Fricker, a descendant of the French poet Jean Racine , studied with RO Morris and Ernest Bullock at the Royal College of Music in London. After doing his military service in the Royal Air Force in World War II , he took further lessons from Mátyás Seiber . He later taught as a professor of composition at the Royal College of Music, and in 1952 succeeded Michael Tippett as music director at Morley College. In 1964 Fricker accepted a visiting professorship at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Six years later, he finally moved to the USA to continue teaching. In 1970 he became chairman of the Music Department, and in 1979 he received the title of "Faculty Research Lecturer", the university's highest academic honor. After his move, Fricker, formerly one of the most respected British composers, was largely ignored in his old homeland, although he tried hard not to lose his contact with musical life in the UK. From 1984 to 1986 he was President of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music and Literature in England.

plant

Fricker was mainly influenced by Arnold Schönberg , Béla Bartók and Paul Hindemith and thus clearly distinguished himself from the English musical styles of the first half of the 20th century, such as those represented by Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams . His works are particularly characterized by chromatic melodies, free-tonal- dissonant harmonics and contrapuntal work. While his earlier compositions are primarily anchored in classical formal traditions, those written in America show a move towards more formally freer forms of design.

Peter Racine Fricker composed five symphonies and other orchestral works, concerts, chamber and choral music (e.g. the oratorio The Vision of Judgment ) as well as pieces for organ and piano .

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personal data
SURNAME Fricker, Peter Racine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English composer and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH 5th September 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH London , UK
DATE OF DEATH February 1, 1990
Place of death Santa Barbara , USA