Mills, Charles (Borromeo)

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Mills, Charles (Borromeo)

Mills, Charles (Borromeo), American composer; b. Asheville, N.C., Jan. 8, 1914; d. N.Y, March 7, 1982. In his youth, he played in dance bands. In 1933 he went to N.Y. and engaged in serious study of composition, first with Max Garfield and then with Copland (1935–37), Sessions (1937–39), and Harris (1939–41). He wrote mostly in a severe but eloquent contrapuntal style; in virtually his entire career as a composer, he pursued the ideal of formal cohesion; his style of composition may be described as Baroque a l’americaine. His quest for artistic self-discipline led him to the decision to become a Roman Catholic. He was baptized according to the Roman Catholic rite on May 14, 1944. In 1952 he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. In his last works, Mills gradually adopted serial methods, which seemed to respond to his need of strong discipline.

Works

orch.: 6 syms.: No. 1 (1940), No. 2 (1942), No. 3 (1946), No. 4, Crazy Horse (Cincinnati, Nov. 28, 1958), No. 5 for Strings (1980), and No. 6 (1981); Piano Concerto (1948); Theme and Variations (N.Y, Nov. 8, 1951); Concertino for Oboe and Strings (1957); Serenade for Winds and Strings (1960); In a Mule-Drawn Wagon for Strings (1968); Symphonic Ode for Strings (1976). chamber: 5 string quartets (1939–58); 6 violin sonatas (1940–77); 2 cello sonatas (1940, 1942); Piano Trio (1941); Chamber Concerto for 10 Instruments (1942); 2 suites for Solo Violin (1942, 1944); English Horn Sonata (1946); Concerto sereno for Woodwind Octet (1948); Prologue and Dithyramb for String Quartet (1951); Brass Quintet (1962); Brass Sextet (1964); Sonata da chiesa for Recorder and Harpsichord (1972); The 5 Moons of Uranus for Recorder and Piano (1972); Duo eclogue for Recorder and Organ (1974). piano:2 sonatas (1941–42); 11 sonatinas (1942–45); 30 Penitential Preludes (1945). VOCAL: Canticles of the Sun for Voice and Piano (1945); The Ascension Cantata for Tenor and Chorus (1954); The 1^st Thanksgiving, cantata for Chorus and Organ (1956). jazz ensemble:The Centaur and the Phoenix (1960); Summer Song (1960); Paul Bunyan Jump (1964).