Rochberg, George
Rochberg, George
Rochberg, George , significant American composer and teacher; b. Paterson, N.J., July 5, 1918. He took courses in counterpoint and composition with Weisse, Szell, and Mannes at the Mannes Coll. of Music in N.Y. (1939–2). After military service during World War II, he took courses in counterpoint and composition with Scalerò and Menotti at the Curtis Inst. of Music in Philadelphia (B.Mus., 1948). He also studied at the Univ. of Phil. (M.A., 1949). He taught at the Curtis Inst. of Music (1948–54). He was in Rome on Fulbright and American Academy fellowships (1950). In 1951 he became music ed. of the Theodore Presser Co. in Philadelphia, and soon after was made its director of publications. In 1960 he joined the faculty of the Univ. of Pa. as chairman of the music dept., a position he held until 1968, then continued on its faculty as a prof. of music, serving as Annenberg Prof. of the Humanities from 1979 until his retirement in 1983. He held 2 Guggenheim fellowships (1956–57; 1966–67), was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1985), and was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1986); was awarded honorary doctorates from the Univ. of Phil. (1985) and the Curtis Inst. of Music (1988). He publ. the study The Hexachord and Its Relation to the Twelve-Tone Row (Bryn Mawr, Pa., 1955). A collection of his Writings was ed. by W. Bolcom as The Aesthetics of Survival: A Composer’s View of Twentieth-century Music (Ann Arbor, 1984). In his style of composition, Rochberg pursues the ideal of tonal order and logically justifiable musical structures; the most profound influence he experienced was that of Schoen-berg and Webern; many of his early works follow the organization in 12 different notes; more recently, he does not deny himself the treasures of the past. In his works, recognizable fragments from music by composers as mutually unrelated as Schütz, Bach, Mahler, and Ives are commented upon via quotation, juxtaposition, and polarity.
Works
DRAMATIC : The Confidence Man, opera, after Melville (Santa Fe, July 31, 1982); Phaedra, monodrama for Mezzo-soprano and Orch. (1974–75; Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 9, 1976); incidental music to Ben Jonson’s play The Alchemist (1965; N.Y., Oct. 13, 1968). ORCH. : Night Music (1948; N.Y., April 23, 1953; orig. the 2nd movement of the Sym. No. 1); Capriccio (1949; rev. 1957; orig. the 3rd movement of the Sym. No. 1); 6 syms: No. 1 (1st version in 3 movements, 1948–57; Philadelphia, March 28, 1958; 2nd version in 5 movements, including Night Music and Capriccio, 1971–77), No. 2 (1955–56; Cleveland, Feb. 26, 1959), No. 3 for Solo Voices, Chamber Chorus, Double Chorus, and Orch. (1966–69; N.Y., Nov. 24, 1970), No. 4 (Seattle, Nov. 15, 1976), No. 5 (1984; Chicago, March 13, 1986), and No. 6 (Pittsburgh, Oct. 16, 1987); Cantio sacra for Small Orch. (1954); Cheltenham Concerto for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, and Strings (1958); Time-Span I (St. Louis, Oct. 22, 1960; withdrawn) and II (1962; Buffalo, Jan. 19, 1964); Apocalyptica for Wind Ensemble (1964; Montclair, N.J., May 19, 1965); Black Sounds for 17 Winds (1965); Zodiac (Cincinnati, May 8, 1965; orch. version of the 22 Bagatelles for Piano, 1952); Music for the Magic Theater for 15 Instruments (1965); Fanfares for Brass (Philadelphia, March 17, 1968); Imago mundi (1973; Baltimore, May 8, 1974); Violin Concerto (1974; Pittsburgh, April 4, 1975); Transcendental Variations for Strings (1975; based on the String Quartet No. 3, 1972); Oboe Concerto (1983; N.Y., Dec. 13, 1984); Clarinet Concerto (1994–95); Eden: Out of Time and Out of Space, concerto for Guitar and Chamber Ensemble (1997). CHAMBER : 7 string quartets: No. 1 (1952; N.Y., Jan. 10, 1953), No. 2, with Soprano (1959–61; Philadelphia, April 30, 1962), No. 3 (N.Y., May 15, 1972), No. 4 (1977; Philadelphia, Jan. 20, 1979), No. 5 (1978; Philadelphia, Jan. 20, 1979), No. 6 (1978; Philadelphia, Jan. 20, 1979), and No. 7, with Baritone (1979; Ann Arbor, Jan. 27, 1980); Chamber Sym. for 9 Instruments (1953); Serenate d’estate for Flute, Harp, Guitar, and String Trio (1955); 3 piano trios (1963; 1985; Summer 1990, 1990); Contra mortem et tempus for Flute, Clarinet, Piano, and Violin (1965; N.Y., May 15, 1972); Quintet for Piano and String Quartet (1975; N.Y., March 15, 1976); Octet: A Grand Fantasia for Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass (N.Y., April 25, 1980); Trio for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano (1980); String Quintet (Philadelphia, Jan. 6, 1982); Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1983; Washington, D.C., June 18, 1985); To the Dark Wood for Woodwind Quintet (1985; Armidale, Australia, Oct. 3, 1986); Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello (1985; Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 1986); Violin Sonata (1988; Pasadena, Calif., April 10, 1989); Ora Pro Nobis for Flute and Guitar (1989–90); Muse of Fire for Flute and Guitar (1990; N.Y., Feb. 1991); Summer 1990, trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1990; Philadelphia, March 23, 1992); American Bouquet, Versions of American Popular Song for Guitar (1991); Sonata-Aria for Cello and Piano (1992; Houston, Jan. 25, 1993). Piano : Book of Contrapuntal Pieces (1940–77); Variations on an Original Theme (1941); 3 Elegiac Pieces (1945–98); Sonata Seria (1948–98); 22 Bagatelles (1952; also as Zodiac for Orch., 1965); Sonata-fantasia (1956); Bartókiana (1959); Nach Bach (1966; also for Harpsichord); Carnival Music (1969); Partita-variations (1976); 4 Short Sonatas (1984); Circles of Fire for 2 Pianos (1996–97). VOCAL : David, the Psalmist for Tenor and Orch. (1954); Blake Songs for Soprano and 8 Instruments (1961); Passions according to the 20”’ Century for Solo Voices, Chorus, Jazz Quintet, Brass Ensemble, Percussion, Piano, and Tape (1967; withdrawn); Tableaux for Soprano, 2 Actors, Small Men’s Chorus, and 12 Instruments (1968); Sacred Song of Reconciliation for Bass-baritone and Chamber Orch. (1970); also a cappella choruses; songs.
Bibliography
J. Buccheri, An Approach to Twelve-tone Music: Articulation of Serial Pitch Units in Piano Works of Schoenberg, Webern, Krenek, Dallapiccola, and R. (diss., Univ. of Rochester, 1975); C. Sams, Solo Vocal Writing in Selected Works of Berio, Crumb, and R. (diss., Univ. of Wash., 1975); J. Smith, The String Quartets of G. R. (diss., Eastman School of Music, 1976); J. Dixon, G. R.: A Bio-Bibliographic Guide to His Life and Works (Stuyvesant, N.Y., 1991).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire