Richard Wernick

Richard Wernick (born January 16, 1934 in Boston , Massachusetts ) is an American composer and music teacher.

Life

Wernick studied at Brandeis University , from 1957 at Mills College and finally in Tanglewood. His main teachers were Aaron Copland , Ernst Toch , Boris Blacher , Irving Fine , Harold Shapero and Leon Kirchner . He also took conducting and piano lessons from Leonard Bernstein and Seymour Lipkin . He initially taught at the University at Buffalo and the University of Chicago , from 1968 until his retirement in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania .

His most famous works include his Violin Concerto (1984) and his Piano Concerto (1990). In addition to other orchestral works, Wernick also composed vocal and chamber music and in the 1950s numerous film and drama music. For Visions of Terror and Wonder (for mezzo-soprano and orchestra) he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 . He has also received three National Endowment for the Arts awards and three Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards , and in 2006 the Classical Recording Foundation named him Composer of the Year.

Works

• Trio No. 1 for violin, clarinet and cello, 1962
• Hexagrams for chamber orchestra, 1962
• String Quartet No. 1 , 1963
• Lyrics from 1 X 1 for soprano, vibraphone / marimba and double bass, 1965
• Aevia for orchestra, 1966
• Haiku of Basho for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, double bass, two percussionists, piano and tape, 1967
• Moonsongs from the Japanese for soprano and two recorded sopranos or three sopranos, 1968
• Cadenzas and Variations II for violin solo, 1970
• A Prayer for Jerusalem for mezzo-soprano and percussion, 1971
• Kaddish-Requiem A secular service for the victims of Indo-China for mezzo-soprano, instrumental ensemble and tape, 1971
• Cadenzas and Variations III for cello solo, 1972
• String Quartet No. 2 , 1972-73
• Songs of Remembrance , four songs for shawm, English horn, oboe and mezzo-soprano, 1973
• Visions of Terror and Wonder for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, 1976
• Contemplations of the Tenth Muse for soprano and piano, 1977–79
• Introïts and Canons for nine players, 1977, 1981
• Partita for solo violin, 1978
• A Poison Tree for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and soprano, 1979
• Concerto for cello and ten players, 1980
• Fanfare for a Festive Occasion for wind choir and percussion, 1981
• In Praise of Zephyrus for oboe and string trio, 1981
• Cello Sonata No. 1: Portraits of Antiquity for cello and piano, 1982
• Piano Sonata No. 1: Reflections of a Dark Light , 1982
• The Oracle of Shimon bar Yochai for cello, piano and soprano, 1983
• Concerto for violin and orchestra, 1984
• I Too for voice and piano, 1984
• Oracle II for soprano, oboe and piano, 1985
• V'shamru for cantor and solo instrument, 1985, 1995
• Concerto for Viola: Do Not Go Gentle , 1986
• Musica Ptolemica for wind quintet, 1987
• The Eleventh Commandment: "No, you shalt not Xerox® music" for mixed choir and piano or organ, 1987
• String Quartet No. 3 , 1988
• Tintinnabula Academiae Musicae (Bells of the Academy of Music) for Carillon, 1988
• Symphony No. 1 , 1988
• Ball of Sun for voice and piano, 1989
• String Quartet No. 4 , 1990
• Concerto for piano and orchestra, 1990
• Fragments of Prophecy for mixed choir a cappella, 1990
• Two for Jan for soprano, mezzo-soprano, oboe or English horn, bass clarinet and cello, 1991
• Concerto No. 2 for cello and orchestra, 1992
• Symphony No. 2 for solo soprano and orchestra, 1993
• ... and a Time for Peace ("... ve-eyt shalom") for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, 1995
• String Quartet No. 5 for soprano and string quartet, 1995
• Cassation: Music Tom Jefferson Knew for horn, oboe and piano, 1995
• Da'ase for guitar, 1996
• Violin Sonata for violin and piano, 1997
• Duettino for oboe and violin, 1998
• String Quartet No. 6 , 1998
• Concerto for piano and orchestra, 1998–2000
• Telino's Acrobats for bass clarinet solo, 1999
• Musica da Camerata , 1999
• The Name of the Game for guitar and eleven players, 2001
• Piano Sonata No. 2 , 2000
• Trochaic Trot for guitar, 2000
• Duo for cello and piano, 2002
• Quintet for horn and string quartet, 2003
• Suite No. 1 for cello solo, 2003
• Sextet for string quartet, double bass and piano, 2004
• Quintet for wind instruments, 2006
• String Quartet No. 7 , 2007
• Suite No. 2 for cello solo, 2008
• String Quartet No. 8 , 2010
• And on the Seventh Day (Sacred Service) for cantor and percussion, undated

Web links

• Theodore Presser Company - Richard Wernick
• Allmusic - Richard Wernick
• Literature by and about Richard Wernick in the WorldCat bibliographic database