Spinner, Leopold

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Spinner, Leopold

Spinner, Leopold, Austrian composer; b. Lemberg (Galicia), April 26, 1906; d. London, Aug. 12, 1980. He studied at the Univ. of Vienna with Adler, von Ficker, and Lach (Ph.D., 1931, with the diss. Das Rezitativ in der romantischen Oper bis Wagner); also studied composition with Pisk (1930) and Webern (1935–38). He settled in London in 1938. He received the Hertzka Prize (1933) and the Henri-le-Boeuf Prize (1936) for his compositions. Most of his works are set in the serial mode. His paper “The Abolition of Thematicism” was publ. posthumously in Tempo (Sept. 1983).

Works

ORCH.: Sym. for Small Orch. (1933); Passacaglia for Winds and Piano Trio (1934; Brussels, April 29, 1936); Concerto for Piano and Chamber Orch. (1948; Paris, May 13, 1949); Violin Concerto (1955); Concerto for Orchestra (1957); Ricercata (1965); Chamber Sym. (1979; BBC, April 15, 1985). CHAMBER: 3 string quartets (1935, 1941, 1952); Violin Sonata (1936); Piano Quintet (1937); Piano Trio (1950); Suite for Clarinet and Piano (1956); Clarinet Sonata (1961); Quintet for Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Guitar, and Double Bass (1963). P i a n o : fantasy (1954); 5 Inventions (1958). VOCAL: Die Sonne sinkt, cantata (1952); 6 Canons on Irish Folk Songs for Chorus (1963); many songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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