Robert Erickson

Robert Erickson (born March 7, 1917 in Marquette , Michigan , † April 24, 1997 in San Diego , California ) was an American composer.

Erickson studied with Ernst Krenek at Hamline University in St. Paul until 1948 . After obtaining the degree of Master of Arts , he first taught at St. Catherine College in St. Paul, then at the San Francisco Conservatory and, from 1966, at the University of California, San Diego . He received three Yaddo fellowships (1952, 1953, and 1965), a Guggenheim fellowship (1966), and a fellowship from the University of California's Institute for Creative Arts (1968). In 1981 he was awarded a prize by the American Institute of Arts and Letters .

Erickson was one of the first composers in the USA to record twelve-tone music and to compose music for tape. His work includes u. a. an opera , orchestral variations, a fantasy for cello and orchestra, a piano concerto , two string quartets and other chamber music works, piano pieces, choirs, songs, a pastoral for choir, soprano, tenor and string quartet and pieces for tape and instruments. He also published writings on music theory.

Works

• The Star Song for female choir, 1944
• Be Still My Soul for mixed choir, 1945
• Three Contralto Songs (text by Margot Ruddock ), 1945
• The Nineteen Forty-five Variations for piano, 1945–46
• Sonata for Piano , 1948
• String Quartet No. 1 , 1950
• Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra , 1954
• Quartet for Strings , 1956
• The End of the Mime of Mick, Nick, and the Maggies for mixed choir (text by James Joyce ), 1962
• Toccata for Piano, "Ramus" , 1962
• Scapes for two groups of instruments, 1966
• Ricercare a 5 for five trombones or solo trombone and four tapes, 1966
• Roddy for tape, 1966
• Birdland for tape, 1967
• Ricercare a 3 for double bass and tape, 1967
• Do It for two choir groups, 1968
• Cardinitas'68 for soprano, trombone, recorder, bassoon, double bass, percussion and tape, 1968
• Pacific Sirens for ensemble and tape, 1969
• General Speech for solo trombone, 1969
• High Flyer for solo flute, 1969
• Pacific Sirens for tape and instruments, 1969
• Nine and a Half for Henry for tape and instruments, 1970
• Percussion Loops , 1973
• Summer Music for violin and tape, 1974
• White Lady for wind ensemble, 1975
• Kryl , Sonata for solo trumpet, 1977
• Garden for violin and orchestra, 1977
• Night Music for trumpet and ten instruments, 1978
• Quoq for solo flute, 1978
• The Idea of ​​Order at Key West for soprano, flute, clarinet, trumpet, viola and callo (text by Wallace Stevens ), 1979
• Auroras for orchestra, 1981
• Postcards for mezzo-soprano and lute based on own texts, 1981
• The Pleiades for solo violin, 1981
• Taffy Time , 1983
• Sierra for tenor and chamber orchestra, 1984
• Solstice , string quartet ( Friedheim Award for chamber music 1985)
• Quintet for flute, clarinet, trumpet, viola and cello, 1985
• Dunbar's Delight for timpani, 1985
• Corona for orchestra, 1986
• Two Songs: Days and Nights; Seasonal for soprano, clarinet, viola and piano based on own texts, 1986
• Corfu for string quartet, 1986
• Trio for clarinet, cello and harp, 1986
• Recent Impressions for small ensemble, 1987
• Fives for viola, cello, horn, bass clarinet and piano, 1988
• Music for Trumpet, Strings, and Tympani , 1990
• Trio for violin, viola and piano
• Duo for violin and piano
• Rainbow Rising for orchestra
• Scapes II for chamber orchestra
• Sirens and Other Flyers for orchestra
• Down at Piraeves for mixed choir
• Job Choruses for mixed choir
• Song of Songs , motet for female choir
• Cradle II for percussion ensemble

Fonts

• The Structure of Music: A Listener's Guide. A Study of Music in Terms of Melody and Counterpoint. Noonday Press, New York 1955
• Sound Structure in Music. University of California Press, Berkeley 1975, ISBN 0-520-02376-5

literature

• Charles Shere: Thinking Sound Music. The Life and Work of Robert Erickson . Fallen Leaf Press, Berkeley, California 1995, ISBN 0-914913-33-6 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Composer Profile on: The University of Akron Bierce Library