Corner, Philip (Lionel)

Corner, Philip (Lionel) , American composer, performer, and teacher; b. N.Y., April 10, 1933. He studied with Mark Brunswick at the City Coll. of N.Y (B.A., 1955), then pursued training in philosophy with Messiaen at the Paris Cons. (2nd prix, 1957), composition with Luening and Cowell at Columbia Univ. (M.A., 1959), and piano with Dorothy Taubman (1961–75). While serving in the U.S. Army in South Korea (1959–60), he became immersed in Asian music; upon his discharge, he was active with various avant-garde groups in N.Y., and also taught at Rutgers Univ. (from 1972). One of the earliest minimalists, Corner has extended his compositional horizon to include both Western and non-Western forms of expression, carefully recorded in his own graphic notation. He publ. / Can Walk through the World as Music (1980).

Works

ORCH This Is It…This Time (1959). INSTRUMENTAL: Sang-teh (1959); Air Effect (1961); Certain Distilling Processes (1962); Pond (1968); OM Emerging (1970); OM series (1970–74); Elementals (1976). GAMELA N (works in open score): Gamelan (1975); Gamelan II (1975); Gamelan IX (1975); The Barcelona Cathedral (1978); Gamelan P. C. (1979); Gamelan LY for Gamelan Ensemble, Erhu, and Clarinet (1979); Gamelan IRIS for Gamelan Ensemble and Flute (1980); Gamelan CONCERTIO for Gamelan Ensemble, Harpsichord, and Electric Guitar (1980); Gamelan CORN for Violin (1982); Gamelan ANTIPODE for Violin (1984). OTHER: Theater pieces; electronic works; piano music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire