Ned Rorem Biography:
Words and music are inextricably linked for Ned Rorem. Hailed by Time Magazine as "the world's best composer of art songs," his musical and literary ventures encompass three symphonies, four piano concertos and an array of other orchestral works, music for numerous combinations of chamber forces, nine operas, choral works of every description, ballets and other music for the theater, and literally hundreds of songs and cycles. He is also the author of sixteen books, including five volumes of diaries and collections of lectures and criticism. Rorem's orchestral scores of the 1990's include Piano Concerto for Left Hand and Orchestra (1991), premiered by soloist Gary Graffman with Andr� Previn conducting the Symphony Orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music; and Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (1993), commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in honor of its 150th anniversary season. Kurt Masur conducted the premiere, with Tom Stacy as the soloist. His most recent orchestral work is a Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Raymond Leppard conducted longtime Rorem advocates Jaime Laredo (violin) and Sharon Robinson (cello) in the work's premiere in October 1998. One week after the work's debut in Indianapolis, Leppard and his soloists traveled to the U.K. to perform the concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Rorem's latest book, A Ned Rorem Reader, is a compilation of essays, published by Yale University Press. Rorem has said: "My music is a diary no less compromising than my prose. A diary nevertheless differs from a musical composition in that it depicts the moment, the writer's present mood which, were it inscribed an hour later, could emerge quite otherwise. I don't believe that composers notate their moods, they don't tell the music where to go and it leads them. Why do I write music? Because I want to hear it and it's simple as that. Others may have more talent, more sense of duty. But I compose just from necessity, and no one else is making what I need." Ned Rorem turned 75 on October 23, 1998 and leading the birthday-year celebrations was the premiere of his evening-length song cycle for four singers and piano, Evidence of Things Not Seen. Consisting of 36 songs, the three-part cycle represents Rorem's magnum opus in the medium. The New York Festival of Song premiered the cycle at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in January 1998, followed by a performance in April at the Library of Congress. New York magazine called Evidence of Things Not Seen "one of the musically richest, most exquisitely fashioned, most voice-friendly collections of songs I have ever heard by any American composer," while Chamber Music magazine deemed it "a masterpiece." Equal praise has greeted a double-CD recording of the work on the New World label. The recording was a fitting companion to the Magic Circle's earlier recording of Ned Rorem's operas "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters who are Not Sisters" on Newport Classic label praised by New York Times chief critic Anthony Tommasini. Rorem was born in Richmond, Indiana on October 23, 1923. As a child he moved to Chicago with his family where at the age of ten his piano teacher had introduced him to Debussy and Ravel, an experience which "changed my life forever," according to the composer. At seventeen he entered the Music School of Northwestern University, two years later receiving a scholarship to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He studied composition under Bernard Wagenaar at Juilliard, earning his B.A. in 1946 and his M. A. degree (along with the $1,000 George Gershwin Memorial Prize in composition) in 1948. In New York he worked as Virgil Thomson's copyist in return for $20 a week and orchestration lessons. He studied on fellowship at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood in the summers of 1946 and 1947 and in 1948, his song The Lordly Hudson was voted the best published song of that year by the Music Library Association. Ned Rorem has been the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship (1951), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1957), and an award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters (1968). In January 2000 he was elected President of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He received the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award in 1971 for his book Critical Affairs, A Composer's Journal, in 1975 for The Final Diary, and in 1992 for an article on American opera in Opera News. In 1998 he was chosen Composer of the Year by Musical America. Among his many commissions for new works are those from the Ford Foundation (for Poems of Love and the Rain, 1962), the Lincoln Center Foundation (for Sun, 1965); the Koussevitzky Foundation (for Letters from Paris, 1966); the Atlanta Symphony (for the String Symphony, 1985); the Chicago Symphony (for Goodbye My Fancy, 1990); and from Carnegie Hall (for Spring Music, 1991). Among the distinguished conductors who have performed his music are Bernstein, Masur, Mehta, Mitropoulos, Ormandy, Previn, Reiner, Slatkin, Steinberg, and Stokowski. His suite Air Music won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize in music. The Atlanta Symphony recording of the String Symphony, Sunday Morning, and Eagles received a Grammy Award for Outstanding Orchestral Recording in 1989. In 1949 Rorem moved to France, and lived there until 1958. His years as a young composer among the leading figures of the artistic and social milieu of post-war Europe are absorbingly portrayed in The Paris Diary and The New York Diary, 1951-1961 (reissued by Da Capo, 1998). He currently lives in New York City and Nantucket. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Compositions: Over 500 works with 300 songs, 21 Song Cycles, 74, choruses, 41 organworks, 17 major solo Orchestra works, 6 String Quartets, 9 Major choral works, 28 piano pieces, 4 piano concertos, assorted chamber ensembles and solo works with both piano and orchestra accompaniment. 5 major Song Cycles with orchestra and 8 Chamber Operas and one Grand Opera. Sixteen published books. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Ray Evans Harrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 11:07 AM Subject: Re: [Futurework] new book > Ray, sorry to hear about your predicament, and pardon my ignorance, but who > is the composer? > > An economist's job is to advise policy makers who then implement the advice > and of course take the blame if things go wrong. I'll see if I can find a > policy maker. > > Ed > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Harry > Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 2:30 PM > Subject: Re: [Futurework] new book > > > > Ed. Aesthetics teaches multiple universes and always has. But today we > > have economics as the beginning and end of life and you guys are surprised > > when science discoveres what Beethoven and the soap opera "Another World" > > was saying for years. I would be happy to be kinder if you guys would > > figure out how for us to fund this festival for America's greatest > composer > > on his 80th birthday. It looks bleak and I have nothing to do with it. > > The lawyer told me yesterday that they expected me to pull it off because > I > > was known as the "miracle worker" who did it in the past when we sent out > 25 > > grant applications got 25 rejections and then did it anyway. But this > time > > my health doesn't make it possible for me to fund the initial thing just > off > > of my teaching. So you guys have to come up with something better than > > this nightmare that modern economics created when it made its coup 200 > years > > ago and went on a 200 year binge on the New World's natural resources. > > > > Its your profession, not mine. So sacrifice a little. Soup kitchens > > are too easy. > > > > REH > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Selma Singer" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Harry Pollard" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 1:02 PM > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] new book > > > > > > > Ray, I think its more of a question of 19th Century certainty about > > reality > > > versus 20th and 21st Century puzzlement about the nature of reality. > > > Newtonian versus quantum physics, if you like. A recent article in > > > Scientific American on mulitiple universes proposed that each of us is > > > living, has lived, will live an infinite number of lives in this > universe > > > and others. There are no spacial or temporal boundaries, so it's all > > > possible. Even the time and space we occupy is filled with an infinite > > > number of possible variations of ourselves. It sounds nuts to me, but > it > > > does suggest that we've moved from a mechanistic understanding of nature > > and > > > society in which all things could be explained if you but discovered the > > > first principles to a far more speculative understanding in which the > > first > > > question to raise is whether there are such a things as first > principles. > > > > > > Ed Weick > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Harry Pollard" > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 10:42 AM > > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] new book > > > > > > > > > > So we may be getting down to the crux of the matter on all of this > > George > > > > stuff. Harry believes in a "reality of scale." The rest of us > do > > > > not. Instead we believe in a constantly changing mutual agreement > as > > to > > > > what constitutes reality from the subjective realities that are the > > worlds > > > > that we each deal from. 19th century versus 20th century thought. > > So > > > it > > > > has nothing to do with the efficacy of all of the stories as science > but > > > > instead as the political reality of whose story will end up on top. > > > > Interesting. > > > > > > > > REH > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > To: "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > "Harry > > > > Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 9:53 AM > > > > Subject: Re: [Futurework] new book > > > > > > > > > > > > > questions for the group: > > > > > > > > > > If the only language you know does not have a word for the color > gray, > > > do > > > > > you think you will see the color gray? Will you see it as gray in > the > > > same > > > > > way as someone whose language does have a word for that color and > who > > > has > > > > > seen that color labeled as such? Or will it look different to a > person > > > who > > > > > doesn't have a word for it than it does to a person who has a word > for > > > it > > > > > and has seen the color with that label? Will it look more green or > > blue > > > to > > > > > someone whose language has a word for green or blue but not gray? > > > > > > > > > > Selma > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > > From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > To: "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 9:35 PM > > > > > Subject: RE: [Futurework] new book > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Pete, > > > > > > > > > > > > The only reality I can confirm is objective. > > > > > > > > > > > > No-one can confirm subjective reality. > > > > > > > > > > > > But, I enjoyed your post. > > > > > > > > > > > > Harry > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > > > pete wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >On Wed, 28 May 2003, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >when uncertainty becomes unbearable, faith provides solace. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ed Weick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [wrote:] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>Selma, I think you've put the matter very well. It reminds me > > of > > > > > Thomas > > > > > > > >>Merton's concept that, to understand God, we must depend on > both > > > > > reason > > > > > > > >>and faith. In understanding who and what we are, we must let > > > > > > > >>rational thought take us as far as we can possibly go with it. > > > With > > > > > > > >>each passing day or year, or with each scientific > breakthrough, > > we > > > > > will > > > > > > > >>know a little more, but we will then increasingly recognize > that > > > > what > > > > > we > > > > > > > >>cannot know is much larger, perhaps infinitely larger since > > there > > > > may > > > > > be > > > > > > > >>no boundaries, than what we can know. That is where reason > ends > > > and > > > > > > > >>faith must take over. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>Selma <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Singer [wrote:] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>>Hi Natalia, > > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > > >>>I am familiar with The Course in Miracles; I have the book > and > > > its > > > > > > > >>>companion and did a little work with it some years ago; as > you > > > say, > > > > > > > >>>there are many paths to the same end. > > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > > >>>I am not comfortable however, with the idea that there is no > > > > > objective > > > > > > > >>>reality, although I doubt that my idea of objective reality > is > > > > > exactly > > > > > > > >>>like that of those who believe that's all there is. > > > > > > > > > > > > > >I regard the subjective reality of Berkeley as possessing equal > > > > validity > > > > > > >as the objective reality of western science, and I think the true > > > > > > >nature of reality embraces them both in a synthesis beyond the > > > > > > >apparent paradox our limited understanding perceives, analogous > to > > > > > > >the synthesis of wave and particle, or other such complements > > > > > > >which abound in physics. The world of subject and object is a > > > > > > >result of a symmetry breaking event analogous to that which > brought > > > > > > >the multiplicity of fundamental forces into being. > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Furthermore, I applaud uncertainty, and hold that the position of > > > > > > >agnosticism is the first step in understanding. You can't learn > til > > > > > > >you assume the position that you don't know. I see no value in > > > > > > >abandoning that position in favour of faith. Rather, I promote > > > > > > >the concept of active introspection, to replace agnosis with > > > > > > >gnosis by direct experience. > > > > > > > > > > > > > >As far as the "mind", there are problems with the precision of > > > > > > >terms, and much is lost in translation from the philosophies of > > > > > > >other cultures. The concept of "no mind" in Buddhism is not > > > > > > >an endorsement of an objective reality of a western nature, > > > > > > >rather a rejection of the arcane profusion of mental "worlds" > > > > > > >in some other eastern philosophies. However, from the simple > > > > > > >western perspective, one can say, to illuminate the nature of > > > > > > >mind, that either you have one, or there is no "you", rather > > > > > > >"you" are one of the filler bodies, extras added to the world to > > > > > > >bulk out the crowd scenes, golems which have no experiences > > > > > > >and no subjective existence, ie no one home. This is a useful > > > > > > >distinction to introspect on, to explore the nature of the bare > > > > > > >essence of being, which is where one can apply one's attention to > > > > > > >pry open the secrets of the true nature of reality. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -Pete V > > > > > > > > > > > > **************************************************** > > > > > > Harry Pollard > > > > > > Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles > > > > > > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > > > > > > Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 > > > > > > http://home.attbi.com/~haledward > > > > > > **************************************************** > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > -- > > > > > ---- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- > > > > > > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > > > > > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > > > > > > Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/2003 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Futurework mailing list > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
