Ned Rorem

Ned Rorem (born October 23, 1923) is an American composer and diarist, best known and most praised for his song settings. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976.

Life

Rorem was born in Richmond, Indiana and received his early education in Chicago at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, the American Conservatory of Music and then Northwestern University. Later, Rorem moved on to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and finally the Juilliard School in New York City. Rorem was raised as a Quaker and makes reference to this in interviews in relation to his piece based on Quaker texts, A Quaker Reader.

In 1966 he published The Paris Diary of Ned Rorem, which, with his later diaries, has brought him some notoriety, as he is honest about his and others' sexuality, describing his relationships with Leonard Bernstein, NoÃ«l Coward, Samuel Barber, and Virgil Thomson, and outing several others (Aldrich and Wotherspoon, eds., 2001). Rorem has written extensively about music as well. These essays are collected in anthologies such as Setting the Tone, Music From the Inside Out, and Music and People. His prose is much admired, not least for its barbed observations about such prominent musicians as Pierre Boulez. Rorem has composed in a chromatic tonal idiom throughout his career, and he is not hesitant to attack the orthodoxies of the avant-garde.

His notable students include Daron Hagen.

Selected works

Operas

A Childhood Miracle, 1951, opera in one act.
The Robbers, (1956), a one-act opera.
Miss Julie (1965)
Hearing (1966â€"76), opera in five scenes
Bertha (1968), opera in one act.
The Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters (1968), three-act opera.
Fables (1971), five very short operas to poems by Jean de la Fontaine. The five 'micro-operas' are:
- The Animals Sick of the Plague
- The Bird Wounded by an Arrow
- The Fox and the Grapes
- The Lion in Love
- The Sun and the Frogs.
Our Town (2005), first performed by the Indiana University Opera, Bloomington, in 2006. Subsequent performances have been given by Lake George Opera, Aspen Opera, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, The Catholic University of America, Juilliard Opera, Skylark Opera, Civic Opera of Kansas City, Raylynmor Opera Company, Tufts University, University of South Carolina University of North Texas, Shepherd School of Music, and Baldwinâ€"Wallace Conservatory of Music among others.

[Miss Julie and Our Town are his only full length operas.]

Symphonies

Symphony No. 1 (1950) [Peermusic Classical]

The First symphony is cast in four fairly brief movements: I. Maestoso II. Andantino III. Largo IV: Allegro. and is scored for full orchestra. Rorem has written of this work:

There are as many definitions of symphony as there are symphonies. In Haydn's day it usually meant an orchestral piece in four movements, of which the first was in so-called sonata form. But with Bach, and later with Beethoven through Stravinsky, Symphony means whatever the composer decides.

Symphony No. 2 (1956) [Boosey & Hawkes]

The Second Symphony is cast in 3 movements of unequal proportion; the 2nd & 3rd combined being less than half the length of the first; I. Broad, Moderate II. Tranquillo III. Allegro. The Second Symphony is probably the composer's least performed. Composed in 1956 it was only performed a handful of times and has remained dormant since 1959 until, as the composer puts it, "JosÃ© Serebrier resurrected" it 43 years later.

Symphony No. 3 (1958) [Boosey & Hawkes]

The Third Symphony is cast in 5 movements: I. Pasacaglia II. Allegro molto vivace III. Largo IV. Andante V. Allegro molto. It is perhaps the best known of Rorem's numbered symphonies, having been premiered by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, April 1959. 3 recordings have been issued over the years, though none but the most recent Naxos recording have remained in the catalogue for very long. Notable conductors of this work include: Maurice Abravanel, Leonard Bernstein, AndrÃ© Previn & JosÃ© Serebrier. For the Naxos recording the composer noted:

Of the five movements the second was written first, the first was second, the fourth was third, the third fourth, and the last was written last. I is a Passacaglia in C, a slow overture in the grand style. II was written originally for two pianos eight years before the rest, and incorporated as the second movement of the symphony. It is a brisk and jazzy dance. III is a short, passionate page about somnambulism, full of dynamic contrast, and coming from afar. IV is a farewell to France. V is a long and fast Rondo, in itself a Concerto for Orchestra.

Orchestral

Piano Concerto No. 1 (1948), for piano & orchestra (withdrawn)
From an Unknown Past (1950), for voice & orchestra
Symphony No. 1 (1950)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1951), for piano & orchestra
Design (1953)
PoÃ¨mes pour la paix (1953/56), for voice & string orchestra
Symphony No. 2 (1956)
Sinfonia (1957), for orchestral winds with optional timpani, percussion and piano/celeste
Eagles (1958)
Pilgrims (1958), for string orchestra
Symphony No. 3 (1958)
Ideas (1961), for chamber/youth orchestra
Lions (A Dream) (1963), for jazz quartet & orchestra
Sun (1966), for high voice & orchestra
Water Music (1966), for clarinet, violin & orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 3 (1969), for piano & orchestra
Air Music (1974)
Assembly and Fall (1975), for oboe, trumpet, timpani, viola & orchestra
A Quaker Reader (1976/88), for chamber orchestra
Sunday Morning (1977)
Remembering Tommy (1979), for piano, cello & orchestra
After Long Silence (1982), for voice, oboe & strings
Violin Concerto (1984), for violin & orchestra
Organ Concerto (1985), for organ & chamber orchestra
String Symphony (1985), for string orchestra
Frolic (1986)
The Schuyler Songs (1987), for soprano & orchestra
Fantasy and Polka (1989)
Swords and Plowshares (1990), for four solo voices & orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 4 (1991), for piano (left hand) & orchestra
Concerto for English Horn (1991â€"92), for english horn & orchestra
Triptych (1992), for chamber orchestra
More Than A Day (1995), for soprano/countertenor & chamber orchestra
Waiting (1996)
Double Concerto (1998), for violin, cello & orchestra
Cello Concerto (2002), for cello & orchestra
Flute Concerto (2002), for flute & orchestra
Mallet Concerto (2003), for percussion & orchestra
Eleven Songs for Susan (2007), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra
Songs Old and New (2008), for soprano & orchestra

Chamber

Concertino de Camera (1946), for harpsichord & small ensemble
Mountain Song (1948), for flute/oboe/violin/cello & piano
Dance Suite (1949), for two pianos
Sicilienne (1950), for two pianos
Violin Sonata (1954), for violin & piano
Eleven Studies for Eleven Players (1959â€"60), for large ensemble
Trio (1960), for flute, cello & piano
Lovers (1964), for harpsichord, oboe, cello & percussion
Day Music (1971), for violin & piano
Night Music (1972), for violin & piano
Solemn Prelude (1973), for eleven brass
Book of Hours (1975), for flute & harp
Romeo and Juliet (1977), for flute & guitar
Three Slow Pieces (1978), for cello & piano
Whales, Weep Not! (1978), for flute & piano
Winter Pages (1981), for clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello & piano
Picnic on the Marne (1983), for alto saxophone & piano
Dances (1984), for cello & piano
Septet Scenes from Childhood (1984â€"85), for oboe, horn, piano & string quartet
The End of Summer (1985), for violin, clarinet & piano
Bright Music (1987), for flute, two violins, cello & piano
Fanfare and Flourish (1988), for two trumpets, two trombones & organ
Diversions (1990), for brass quintet
Spring Music (1990), for piano trio
String Quartet No. 3 (1991)
Songs of Sadness (1994), for voice, guitar, cello & clarinet
String Quartet No. 4 (1994)
Six Variations (1995), for two pianos - four hands
Autumn Music (1996â€"97), for violin & piano
An Oboe Book (1999), for oboe & piano
Cries and Whispers (2000), for trumpet & piano
Nine Episodes for Four Players (2001), for clarinet, violin, cello & piano
United States - Seven Viewpoints (2001), for string quartet
Pas de Trois (2002), for oboe, violin & piano
The Unquestioned Answer (2002), for flute, two violins, cello & piano
Four Colours (2003), for clarinet & piano
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (2004), for piano quartet
Four Prayers (2006), for flute & piano
Nocturne (2007), for double bass & piano
A Little Fantasy (2008), for cello & piano

Vocal

Two Poems of Edith Sitwell (1948), for medium-high voice & piano
Requiem (1948), for voice & piano
From an Unknown Past (1950), for voice & piano/orchestra
Cycle of Holy Songs (1951), for voice & piano
Flight for Heaven (1952), song-cycle for voice & piano
Four Dialogues (1953â€"54), for soprano, tenor & two pianos
Three Poems for Demetrios Capetanakis (1954), for voice & piano
PoÃ¨mes pour la paix (1953/56), for medium voice & strings
Five Poems of Walt Whitman (1957), for voice & piano
Two Poems of Theodore Roethke (1959) for voice & piano
King Midas (1961), cantata for voice(s) & piano
Four Poems of Tennyson (1963), for voice & piano
Poems of Love and the Rain (1963), song-cycle for mezzo-soprano & piano
Sun (1966), for high voice & orchestra
Some Trees (1968), for soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass-baritone & piano
War Scenes (1969), for medium-low voice & piano
Gloria (1970), for two solo voices & piano
Ariel (1971), for soprano, clarinet & piano
Last Poems of Wallace Stevens (1971â€"72), for voice, cello & piano
Serenade on Five English Poems (1975), for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola & piano
Women's Voices (1975â€"76), for soprano & piano
Santa Fe Songs (1980), for baritone, string trio & piano
After Long Silence (1982), for soprano, oboe & strings
Three Calamus Poems (1982), for baritone & piano
The Schuyler Songs (1987), for soprano & orchestra
The Auden Poems (1989), for tenor & piano trio
Swords and Plowshares (1990), for solo voices & orchestra
My Sad Captains (1995), for soprano, alto, tenor, bass & piano
Evidence of Things Not Seen (1997), thirty-six songs for soprano, alto, tenor, baritone & piano
Another Sleep (2000), song-cycle for medium voice & piano
Two Sermons (2001), for voice, clarinet, violin, double bass & piano
Aftermath (2001â€"02), song-cycle for baritone, violin, cello & piano
Sound the Flute (2004), for high voice, recorder & piano
Eleven Songs for Susan (2007), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra
Three Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay (2007), for voice & piano
Songs Old and New (2008), for soprano & orchestra
Four Sonnets of Shakespeare (2008), for tenor & piano
Sonnet 144 (Two Loves I Have) (2010), for soprano, mezzo-soprano & piano

Selected songs

[All with piano accompaniment, except where stated otherwise.]

Alleluia (1946)
Spring and Fall (1946)
Spring (1947)
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (1947)
The Lordly Hudson (1947)
Echo's Song (1948)
Little Elegy (1949)
Rain in Spring (1949)
The Silver Swan (1949)
The Sleeping Palace (1949)
What If Some Little Pain (1949)
Julia's Clothes (1950)
Lullaby of the Woman of the Mountain (1950)
To the Willow Tree (1950)
Love in a Life (1951)
O Do Not Love Too Long (1951)
The Call (1951)
The Nightingale (1951)
To a Young Girl (1951)
A Christmas Carol (1952)
Clouds (1953)
Cradle Song (1953)
For Susan (1953)
In a Gondola (1953)
Love (1953)
Ode (1953)
Pippa's Song (1953)
Sally's Smile (1953)
Song for a Girl (1953)
The Tulip Tree (1953)
The Midnight Sun (1953)
Early in the Morning (1954)
Youth, Day, Old Age and Night (1954)
I Am Rose (1955)
I Will Always Love You (1955)
See How They Love Me (1956)
What Sparks and Wiry Cries (1956)
Conversation (1957)
Gliding O'er All (1957)
Gods (1957)
Look Down, Fair Moon (1957)
O You to Whom I Often and Silently Come (1957)
Reconciliation (1957)
Sometimes With One I Love (1957)
Such Beauty as Hurts to Behold (1957)
To You (1957)
Visits to St. Elizabeth's (1957)
I Strolled Across an Open Field (1959)
Memory (1959)
My Papa's Waltz (1959)
Night Crow (1959)
Orchids (1959)
Root Cellar (1959)
Snake (1959)
The Waking (1959)
Do I love you more than a day? (1962)
Ask Me No More (1963)
Far-Far-Away (1963)
For Poulenc (1963)
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (1963)
The Sleeping Palace (1963)
That Shadow, My Likeness (1963)
To You (1970)
Trickle Drops (1970)
The Serpent (1972)
We Never Said Farewell (1975â€"76)
A Journey (1976)
Ferry me across the water (1978)
From When Cometh Song? (1978)
The Dance (1978)
Nantucket (1978â€"79)
Go, Lovely Rose (1979)
The Dancer (1979)
Up-Hill (1979)
Back to Life (1980) [accomp. double bass]
Sonnet (1980) [accomp. piano quartet]
The Sowers (1980) [accomp. piano quartet]
The Wintry Mind (1980)
Let's Take a Walk (1981)
Anna la Bonne (1989)
Are You the New Person? (1989)
Full of Life Now (1989)
I Will Always Love You (1990)
A Dream of Nightingales (1992)
Their Lonely Betters (1992)
Somewhere... (1994)
Three Women (1994)
Remembrance of Things Past (1998)
Chromatic Fantasy (2001)
He Will Not Hear (2001)
I Never Knew (2001)
The End (2003)
While Sodom Was Occupied (2004)
The Stars Have Not Dealt (2007)
A Poison Tree (2007)
Death and the Young Man (2007)
Wild Nights (2007)

Choral

The Seventieth Psalm (1943), for S.A.T.B. choir & wind ensemble
A Sermon on Miracles (1947), for soprano solo, unison choir & strings
Four Madrigals (1947), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Three Incantations from a Marionette Tale (1948), for unison choir & piano
From an Unknown Past (1950), for S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
I Feel Death... (1953), for three-part a cappella male choir
The Poets' Requiem (1954â€"55), soprano solo, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
All Glorious God (1955), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Sing, My Soul, His Wondrous Love (1955), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Miracles of Christmas (1959), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Prayers and Responses (1960), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Virelai (1961), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Two Psalms and a Proverb (1962), for S.A.T.B. choir & string quartet
Lift up your Heads (The Ascension) (1963), for S.A.T.B. choir, eight wind, nine brass & timpani
Laudemus Tempus Actum (1964), for S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
Letters from Paris (1966), for S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (1966), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Proper for the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit (1966), for unison choir & organ
Truth in the Night Season (1966), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
He Shall Rule from Sea to Sea (1967), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Praises for the Nativity (1970), for soprano, alto, tenor & bass soli, S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Canticle of the Lamb (1971), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Canticles: Sets 1 & 2 (1971â€"72), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Four Hymns (1973), for S.A.T.B. choir & keyboard
In Time of Pestilence (1973), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Little Prayers (1973), for soprano & baritone soli, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
Missa Brevis (1973), for soprano, alto, tenor & bass soli, & S.A.T.B. choir
Prayer to Jesus (1973), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Three Motets (1973), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Three Prayers (1973), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Surge Illuminare (1977), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Three Choruses for Christmas (1978), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Give All to Love (1981), for two-part choir & piano
Little Lamb, Who Made Thee? (1982), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Praise the Lord, O My Soul (1982), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
An American Oratorio (1983), for tenor solo, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
Mercy and Truth Are Met (1983), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Whitman Cantata (1983), for S.A.T.B. choir, brass ensemble & timpani
Pilgrim Strangers (1984), for six a cappella male voices
Before the Morning Star (1986), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Homer (1986), for S.A.T.B. choir & ensemble
Seven Motets for the Church Year (1986), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Three Poems of Baudelaire (1986), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Te Deum (1986â€"87), for S.A.T.B. choir, two trumpets, two trombones & organ
Five Armenian Love Songs (1987), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
The Death of Moses (1987), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
What is Pink? (1987), for treble choir & piano
Goodbye My Fancy (1988), for alto & baritone soli, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
Lead Kindly Light (1988), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Breathe On Me (1989), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Love Alone (1989), for male-voice choir & piano duet
Christ is made the sure foundation (1992), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Festival Alleluia (1992), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
O God, My Heart is Ready (1992), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Spirit Divine (1992), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Present Laughter (1993), for S.A.T.B. choir, brass quintet & piano
How Lovely is your Dwelling Place (1994), for S.A.T.B. choir & piano/organ
Exaltabo Te, Domine (1995), for S.A.T.B. choir & keyboard
Four Introits (1999), for S.A.T.B. choir & keyboard
We Are the Music Makers (2003), for S.A.T.B. choir & piano
A Song of Hosea (2005), for S.A.T.B. choir & organ
Four Sonnets (2005), for S.A.T.B. choir & piano
Ode to Man (2005), for a cappella S.A.T.B. choir
Afternoon on a Hill (2006), for two-part children's choir & piano
Two Shakespearean Poems (2008), for S.A.T.B. choir & piano

Solo instrumental

Fantasy and Toccata (1946), for organ
Sonata No. 1 (1948), for piano
A Quiet Afternoon (1948), for piano
Barcarolles (1949), for piano
Pastorale (1949), for organ
Sonata No. 2 (1949), for piano
Sonata No. 3 (1954), for piano
Spiders (1968), for harpsichord
Eight Etudes (1975), for piano
A Quaker Reader (1976), for organ
Sky Music (1976), for harp
After Reading Shakespeare (1980), for cello
Suite (1980), for guitar
Views from the Oldest House (1981), for organ
Song and Dance (1986), for piano
For Shirley (1989), for piano duet
Organbook I. (1989), for organ
Organbook II. (1989), for organ
Organbook III. (1989), for organ
Six Pieces (1997), for organ
99 Notes for the Millenium (1999), for piano
For Ben (1999), for piano
Recalling (2003), for piano
Soundpoints (2003), for piano
For Barbara (2006), for piano
For Don (2006), for piano
For Marian (2006), for piano
For Mary (2006), for piano
For Rosemary (2006), for piano
75 Notes for Jerry (2007), for piano

Current/recent projects

In an October, 2008 interview, Rorem referred to a new saxophone concerto for Branford Marsalis. He was commissioned in 2010 to write a piece for clarinet, cello and piano for clarinetist Thomas Piercy. He has recently written Four Sonnets of Shakespeare for tenor Andrew Kennedy, which premiÃ¨red at Wigmore Hall, London on September 27, 2009, and a song-cycle Songs Old and New, written in 2008 for soprano Mary Wilson and premiÃ¨red by Wilson and the IRIS Chamber Orchestra under Michael Stern in November 2009.

Recordings

Ned Rorem's works have been extensively recorded. The information below is very scant. For more information, please consult Ned Rorem's own official website in the External Links (below).

Songs of Ned Rorem Susan Graham (mezzo) Malcolm Martineau (piano) Rorem's settings of poems by Paul Goodman, Theodore Roethke, Witter Bynner, Tennyson, Walt Whitman and others. Erato 80222
Songs of Ned Rorem with Charles Bressler (tenor) Phyllis Curtin (soprano) Gianna d'Angelo (soprano) Donald Gramm (bass) Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) Accompanied at the piano by the composer
"Gotham Ensemble Plays Ned Rorem" Thomas Piercy, clarinet, Rolf Shulte, violin, Judith Olson, piano, Angelina RÃ©aux, soprano, Humbert Lucarelli, oboe, Delores Stevens, piano. Albany Records [2].
Day Music, Jaime Laredo (violin), Ruth Laredo (piano); Night Music: Earl Carlyss (violin), Ann Schein (piano). CD, Phoenix USA PHCD123, 1991

Awards

1951 - Fulbright Fellowship
1957 - Guggenheim Fellowship
1968 - Award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters
1976 - Pulitzer Prize for Music recognizing his suite Air Music: Ten Etudes of Orchestra, first performed in Cincinnati, December 5, 1975
1998 - Musical America Composer of the Year
2003 - ASCAPâ€™s Lifetime Achievement Award,
2004 - Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2003 - Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur

References

Other sources

Aldrich, Robert and Wotherspoon, Gary (Eds.) (2001). Who's Who in Contemporary Gay & Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22974-X.

External links

Answers.com: Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem @ Boosey & Hawkes
Art of the States: Ned Rorem
The Official Ned Rorem Website
J. D. McClatchy (Spring 1999). "Ned Rorem, The Art of the Diary No. 1". The Paris Review.Â
Charles Amirkhanian and Fleur Paysour interview Ned Rorem, Nov. 16, 1987
NewMusicBox: "Ned Rorem At Home" (May 1, 2006). Ned Rorem in conversation with Frank J. OteriÂ onÂ March 13, 2006. (includes video)
Songs of Ned Rorem
The Library of Congress Music Division - Ned Rorem Collection
Interview with Ned Rorem by Bruce Duffie, April 24, 1986
Ned Rorem at Library of Congress Authorities, with 325 catalog records

Tuesday, April 28, 2015