|
Concurrent
with these early activities, Persichetti was a student in
the Philadelphia public schools and received a thorough
musical education at the Combs College of Music, where he
earned a Mus. B. degree in 1935 under Russel King Miller,
his principal composition teacher. From the age of 20, he
was simultaneously head of the theory and composition
departments at the Combs College, a conducting major with
Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute and piano major with
Olga Samaroff at the Philadelphia Conservatory, in addition
to studying composition with a number of important American
composers. He received a Diploma in Conducting from the
Curtis Institute and Mus. M. and Mus. D. degrees from the
Philadelphia Conservatory.
In
1941 Persichetti was appointed head of the theory and
composition departments at the Philadelphia Conservatory and
in the same year married pianist Dorothea Flanagan. A
daughter Lauren, was born in 1944 and a son, Garth, in 1946.
In 1947 he joined the faculty of the Juilliard School of
Music, assuming chairmanship of the Composition Department
in 1963. Persichetti was appointed Editorial Director of the
music publishing firm of Elkan-Vogel, Inc. in 1952.
Over
the years, Vincent Persichetti was accorded many honors by
the artistic and academic communities, including Honorary
Doctor of Music degrees from Bucknell University, Millikin
University, Arizona State University, Combs College,
Baldwin-Wallace College, Peabody Conservatory, and honorary
membership in numerous musical fraternities. He was the
recipient of three Guggenheim Fellowships, two grants from
the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities and one
from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, of which he
was a member. He received the first Kennedy Center Friedheim
Award, Brandeis University Creative Arts Award, Pennsylvania
Governor’s Award, Columbia Records Chamber Music Award,
Juilliard Publication Award, Blue Network Chamber Music
Award, Symphony League Award, Philadelphia Art Alliance
Medal for Distinguished Achievement, Medal of Honor from the
Italian Government, and citations from the American
Bandmasters Association and National Catholic Music
Educators Association. Among some 100 commissions were those
from the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic,
the St. Louis and Louisville Symphony Orchestras, the
Koussevitsky Music Foundation, Naumberg Foundation,
Collegiate Chorale, Martha Graham Company, Juilliard Musical
Foundation, Hopkins Center, American Guild of Organists,
Pittsburgh International Contemporary Music Festival,
universities and individual performers. He appeared as guest
conductor, lecturer and composer at over 200 universities.
Wide coverage by the major TV and news media of the premiere
of his A Lincoln Address helped to focus worldwide
attention on his music. |
Operas
Persichetti
composed for nearly every musical medium. More than 120 of his
works are published and many of these are available on commercial
recordings. Though he never specifically composed
"educational" music as such, many of his smaller pieces
are suitable for teaching purposes. His piano music, a complete
body of literature in itself, consists of six sonatinas, three
volumes of poems, a concerto and a concertino for piano and
orchestra, serenades, a four-hand concerto, a two-piano sonata,
twelve solo piano sonatas, and various shorter works.
His
keyboard virtuosity led him to produce nine organ works, including
Sonatina for Organ, Pedals Alone, and the dramatic Shimah
B’Koli (Psalm 130), as well as nine sonatas for harpsichord.
Persichetti’s
style of orchestral writing reflected his considerable talent and
experience as a conductor. Of his symphonies, several, notably the
Fourth, Fifth (Symphony for Strings), and Eighth,
have made their way into the repertoire of major American
symphonic ensembles. The Seventh Symphony was a very
personal statement and is a symphonic development of materials
from his small choral book Hymns and Responses for the Church
Year. Another large important orchestral work,
commissioned for the Philadelphia Orchestra, is Sinfonia:
Janiculum, written while Persichetti was in Rome on his second
Guggenheim Fellowship. The most famous of his smaller orchestral
works, and one firmly established in American symphonic literature,
is The Hollow Men for trumpet and string orchestra, a
delicate evocation of the T.S. Eliot poem. Three of his last
commissions were the English Horn Concerto (New York
Philharmonic), Flower Songs: Cantata No. 6 (Michael Korn
and the Philadelphia Singers), and Chorale Prelude: Give Peace,
O God (Ann Arbor chapter of the American Guild of Organists).
The
numerous instrumental compositions include two unique series: one
comprises 15 different works each entitled Serenade for
such diverse combinations as piano duet, flute and harp, solo
tuba, orchestra, band, two recorders, two clarinets and the trio
of trombone, viola and cello. The series of 25 pieces, each
entitled Parable, occupied Persichetti’s thoughts for
some time. He also wrote four string quartets, a piano quintet,
solo sonatas for violin and cello, Infanta Marina for viola
and piano, Little Recorder Book, and Masques for
violin and piano, to name just a few.
Persichetti’s
unusual feeling for poetry produced numerous vocal and choral
compositions of remarkably high literary and musical quality. His
greatest solo vocal work is undoubtedly Harmonium, an
impressive cycle of 20 closely interrelated songs to poems by
Wallace Stevens.
Though
not of the same magnitude as Harmonium, Persichetti’s
other vocal compositions exhibit a unique wedding of text and
music which sets them apart from most other composers’ efforts
in this genre. His choral output ranges from small works such as Proverb
for mixed voices, Song of Peace for male chorus and piano, Spring
Cantata for women’s voices and piano, through larger works: Mass
for mixed chorus a cappella, Winter Cantata for women’s
voices, flute and marimba, and Glad and Very for two-part
mixed, women’s or men’s voices and piano, and then to large
scale sacred and secular works: The Pleiades for chorus,
trumpet and string orchestra, Celebrations for chorus and
wind ensemble, and what Persichetti considered to be his magnum
opus, The Creation, a huge work for solo vocal quartet,
chorus and orchestra with texts drawn by the composer from
mythological scientific, poetic and Biblical sources. The small
but significant choral book Hymns and Responses for the Church
Year, has already been influential in breathing a new spirit
into twentieth-century hymnody.
More
than any other major American composer, Persichetti poured his
talents into the literature for wind band. From the Serenade
for Ten Wind Instruments, Op. 1 to the Parable for Band,
Op. 121, he provided performers and audiences with a body of music
of unparalleled excellence. Of his 14 band works, four are of
major proportions: Masquerade, Parable, A Lincoln
Address and Symphony for Band. Of lesser compositional
importance, the Divertimento is nevertheless one of the
most widely performed works in the entire repertoire.
In
additions to his exhaustive compositional efforts, Persichetti
found time to write one of the definitive books on modern
compositional techniques, Twentieth Century
Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice (W.W. Norton, 1961) and
essays in two books by Robert Hines on twentieth century choral
music and twentieth century orchestral music (University of
Oklahoma Press, 1963 and 1970). He also co-authored a biography of
William Schuman (G. Schirmer, 1954).
To
a new, adventurous generation of composers — fortunately, large
and musically eloquent — he was a teacher par excellence
and a highly lucid theorist. In both capacities his great artistry
was ever clear and impressive, providing an example of dynamic
leadership for those who encountered his genius.
Published
operas
CONCERT
BAND
A
Lincoln Address, Op. 124A for
Narrator and Band (1973) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Arkansas Tech Band, Tom Slater, narrator, Gene
Witherspoon conducting, February 1, 1974
Bagatelles
for Band, Op. 87 (1961)
Available From E. F. Kalmus
Celebrations,
Op. 103 Cantata No. 3, for Chorus and Wind Ensemble (1966) --
23'
Premiere Information: University of Wisconsin Choir, River Falls, WI, Donald
Nitz conducting, November 18, 1966
Chorale
Prelude: O God Unseen, Op. 160 (1984)
-- 8' 30"
Premiere Information: East Carolina University Wind Ensemble, Herbert Carter
conducting, Winston-Salem, NC, November 4, 1984
Chorale
Prelude: So Pure the Star, Op. 91
(1962) -- 4'
Premiere Information: Duke University Band, composer conducting, Durham, NC,
December 11, 1962
Chorale
Prelude: Turn Not Thy Face, Op. 105 -- 4'
30"
Premiere Information: Ithaca High School Band, Frank Battisti conducting, May
17, 1967
Divertimento
for Band, Op. 42 (1950) -- 11'
Premiere Information: Goldman Band, composer conducting, June 16, 1950
Masquerade
for Band, Op. 102 (1965) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Band, composer conducting,
Berea, OH, January 23, 1966
O
Cool is the Valley, Op. 118 Poem for
Band (1971) -- 6'
Premiere Information: Bowling Green Band, OMEA Convention, composer conducting,
Columbus, OH, February 5, 1972
Pageant
for Band, Op. 59 (1953)
Available From Carl Fischer
Parable
IX, Op. 121 for Band (1972) -- 17'
Premiere Information: The Drake University Band, Don R. Marcouiller conducting,
Des Moines, IA, April 6, 1973
Psalm
for Band, Op. 53 (1952) -- 8'
Premiere Information: University of Louisville Band, composer conducting, May
2, 1952
Serenade
No. 11, Op. 85 for Band (1960) --
6'
Premiere Information: Ithaca High School Band, composer conducting, Ithaca,
NY, April 19, 1961
Symphony
for Band, Op. 69 (Symphony No. 6)
(1956) -- 16'
Premiere Information: Washington University Band, Clark Mitze conducting, St.
Louis, MO, April 16, 1956
Concertato,
Op. 12 for Piano and String Quartet
(1940)
Available From New York Public Library
Fanfare
for Two Trumpets, Op. 164a
-- 1' 17"
Fantasy,
Op. 15 for Violin and Piano (1941)
Available From New York Public Library
First
String Quartet, Op. 7 (1939) --
17'
Premiere Information: Stuyvesant String Quartet, League of Composers, New
York, NY, March 14, 1943
Fourth
String Quartet, Op. 122 (Parable X)
-- 22'
Premiere Information: The Alard String Quartet, Penn State University,
February 28, 1973
Infanta
Marina, Op. 83 for Viola and Piano
(1960) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Walter Trampler and Lucy Greene, New York, NY, March 5,
1961
King
Lear, Op. 35 Septet for Woodwind
Quintet, Timpani and Piano (1948) -- 19'
Premiere Information: Martha Graham Company, Montclair, NJ, January 31, 1949
Additional Information: Originally title "The Eye of Anguish"
Little
Piano Book Arranged
for Brass Quintet
Little
Recorder Book, Op. 70 (1956) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Vincent and Lauren Persichetti, Philadelphia, PA, June,
1956
Masques,
Op. 99 Ten Pieces for Violin and Piano
(1965)
Premiere Information: He-Kyong Kim and Joseph Kalickstein, Juilliard School of
Music, NY, December 18, 1965
Parable
I, Op. 100 for Solo Flute (1965) --
7'
Alto or C Flute
Premiere Information: Sophie Sollberger, Philadelphia Art Alliance,
Philadelphia, PA, December 16, 1965
Parable
II, Op. 108 for Brass Quintet (1968)
-- 13'
Premiere Information: New York Brass Quintet, Carnegie Recital Hall, NY, April
17, 1968
Parable
III, Op. 109
for Solo Oboe (1968) -- 5' 30"
Parable
IV, Op. 110
for Solo Bassoon (1969) -- 5' 30"
Parable
V, Op. 112 for Carillon (1969) --
4'
Premiere Information: Albert C. Gerken, Lawrence, KS, May 12, 1970
Parable
VII, Op. 119 for Solo Harp (1971)
-- 17'
Premiere Information: Beth Schwartz, San Diego, CA, June 23, 1972
Parable
VIII, Op. 120 for Solo Horn (1972)
-- 6' 45"
Premiere Information: Priscilla McAfee, Alice Tully Hall, New York, NY,
November 7, 1972
Parable
XI, Op. 123 for Solo Alto Saxophone
(1972) -- 4' 30"
Premiere Information: Brian Minor, Kalamazoo, MI, April 14, 1973
Parable
XII, Op. 125 for Solo Piccolo (1973)
-- 2' 40"
Parable
XIII, Op. 126
for Solo Clarinet (1973) -- 5'
Premiere Information: Esther Lamneck, Paris, France, October 4, 1974
Parable
XIV, Op. 127
for Solo Trumpet (1973) -- 4' 20"
Parable
XV, Op. 128
for Solo English Horn (1973) -- 2' 30"
Premiere Information: Paula Dublinski, Tempe, AZ, April 2, 1975
Parable
XVI, Op. 130
for Solo Viola (1974) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Donald McInnes, International Viola Congress, Ypsilanti,
MI, June 29, 1975
Parable
XVII, Op. 131
for Solo Doublebass (1974) -- 6'
Premiere Information: Bertram Turetzky, Poland, October 1974
Parable
XVIII, Op. 133
for Solo Trombone (1975) -- 5'
Premiere Information: Per Brevig, Nashville, TN, May 31, 1978
Parable
XXI, Op. 140
for Solo Guitar -- 1978
Premiere Information: Peter Segal, Carnegie Recital Hall, NY, October 21, 1978
Parable
XXII, Op. 147
for Solo Tuba (1981)
Premiere Information: Harvey Phillips, Carnegie Recital Hall, NY, April 25,
1982
Parable
XXIII, Op. 150
for Violin, Cello and Piano (1981)
Premiere Information: Hamao Fujiwaro, James Kreger and composer, January 28,
1982
Parable
XXV, Op. 164
for Two Trumpets (1986)
Pastoral,
Op. 21
for Woodwind Quintet
Available From G. Schirmer
Quintet,
Op. 66
for Piano and Strings (1954) -- 23'
Premiere Information: Kroll String Quartet and the composer, Library of
Congress, Washington, DC, February 4, 1955
Second String Quartet, Op. 24 (1944) -- 18'
Premiere Information: Roth String Quartet, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Festival
(Blue Network), August 16, 1945
Serenade
No. 1, Op. 1
for Ten Wind Instruments (1929) -- 11'
Fl., Ob., Cl., Bsn., 2Hn., 2Tpt., Tbn., Tuba
Premiere Information: New York Wind Ensemble, San Angelo College, TX, April
21, 1952
Serenade
No. 10, Op. 79
for Flute and Harp (1957) -- 20'
Premiere Information: Lora and Vito, Istanbul, Turkey, September 21, 1957
Serenade
No. 12, Op. 88
for Solo Tuba (1961) -- 5'
Premiere Information: Harvey Phillips, Elkhart, IN, November 14, 1962
Serenade
No. 13, Op. 95
for Two Clarinets (1963) -- 6'
Premiere Information: Chapin School, NYC, May 7, 1964
Serenade
No. 14, Op. 159
for Solo Oboe (1984) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Pamela Epple, Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, NY, May
17, 1984
Serenade
No. 3, Op. 17
for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1941)
Available From Southern Music Publishing Co.
Serenade
No. 4, Op. 28
for Violin and Piano (1945) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Peter Oundjian and Charles Abramovic, Tully Hall, NY,
November 12, 1981
Serenade
No. 6, Op. 44
for Trombone, Viola, and Cello (1950) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Davis Shuman, Aaron Chaifetz and Robert Jamieson, Groton,
MA, January 27, 1951
Serenade
No. 9
for Flute and Alto Flute
Serenade
No. 9, Op. 71
for Soprano and Alto Recorders (1956) -- 10'
Sonata
for Solo Cello, Op. 54
(1952) -- 23'
Premiere Information: Elsa Hilger, Samaroff Foundation, Museum of Modern Art,
NY, May 6, 1953
Sonata
for Solo Violin, Op. 10
(1940) -- 10'
Premiere Information: Broadus Erle, Waldport, OR, November 17, 1945
Suite
for Violin and Cello, Op. 9
(1940)
Available From New York Public Library
Third
String Quartet, Op. 81
(1959) -- 20'
Premiere Information: Alabama String Quartet, Tuscaloosa, AL, April 19, 1959
Additional Information: Score.
Vocalise,
Op. 27
for Cello and Piano (1945) -- 3'
Premiere Information: Samuel Mayes, Tri-County Concerts, Wayne, PA, November
1, 1946
A Clear
Midnight from Celebrations, Op. 103 (1966)
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SATB and Pno.
Agnus
Dei from Mass, Op. 84 for
SATB, a cappella
Amens
from Hymns and Responses, Op. 68
for SATB Chorus
Celebrations,
Op. 103
Cantata No. 3
Additional Information: Chorus and Piano transcriptions of "Celebrations,
Op. 103 for Chorus and Wind Ensemble."
There
is That in Me
from Celebrations, Op. 103
A
Clear Midnight
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Sing
Me the Universal
from Celebrations, Op. 103
I
Sing the Body Electric
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Stranger
from Celebrations, Op. 103
I
Celebrate Myself
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Four
cummings Choruses, Op. 98
for 2-part Mixed, Women’s, or Men’s Voices and Piano (1964) --
6'
Commission Information: Dartmouth Glee Club, Paul Zeller conducting, Hanover,
NH, February 12, 1964
Dominic
Has a Doll
Nouns
to Nouns
Maggie
and Milly and Molly and May
Uncles
Glad
and Very (Five cummings Choruses, Cantata No. 5), Op. 129
for 2-part Mixed, Women’s or Men’s Voices and Piano (1974) --
11'
Commission Information: Huntingdon Choir, Andrew E. Housholder conducting,
Huntingdon, NY, December 18, 1974
Gloria
from Mass, Op. 84
Hymns
and Responses for the Church Year
Hymns
and Responses for the Church Year
Volume 1, Op. 68 (1955)
First Presbyterian Church Choir, Philadelphia, Alexander McCurdy conducting,
October 7, 1956
Hymns
and Responses for the Church Year
Volume 2, Op. 166 (1987)
I
Celebrate Myself
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SATB and Pno.
I
Sing the Body Electric
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SATB and Pno.
Love,
Op. 116
for Women’s Chorus (SSAA), a cappella (1971) -- 4'
Premiere Information: Mount Holyoke Singers, Tamara Brooks conducting, 30th
Wedding Anniversary at composer’s home, June 3, 1971
Additional Information: Text from Corinthians.
Magnificat
and Nunc Dimittis, Op. 8
for Mixed Chorus and Piano (1940) -- 7'
Premiere Information: Ithaca College Choir, Lawrence Doebler conducting,
November 10, 1979
Mass,
Op. 84
for Mixed Chorus, a cappella (1960) -- 17' 50"
Premiere Information: Collegiate Chorale, Mark Orton conducting, Carnegie
Hall, NY, April 20, 1961
Additional Information: Latin text.
Proverb,
Op. 34
for Mixed Chorus -- 2'
Seek
the Highest, Op. 78
for SAB Chorus and Piano (1957) -- 4'
Premiere Information: Ethical Culture Society Chorus, John DeWitt, conducting,
NY, March 17, 1957
Sing
Me the Universal
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SATB and Pno.
Song
of Peace, Op. 82
for Male Chorus and Piano (1959) -- 3'
Premiere Information: Colgate University Chapel Choir, William Skelton
conducting, Hamilton, NY, April 26, 1959
Additional Information: Also available for SATB and Keyboard.
Song
of Peace, Op. 82a
Version for SATB and Keyboard (1959) -- 3'
Additional Information: Also available for Male Chorus and Piano.
Spring
Cantata (Cantata No. 1), Op. 94
for Women’s Chorus and Piano (1963) -- 6'
Premiere Information: Wheelock College Choir, Leo Collins conducting, Boston,
MA, April 1, 1964
Stranger
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SA and Pno.
The
Pleiades, Op. 107
for Trumpet, SATB Chorus and String Orchestra (1967) -- 23'
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: New York State University College Chorus and Orchestra,
Potsdam, NY, composer conducting, May 10, 1968
Additional Information: Text by Walt Whitman
There
is That in Me
from Celebrations, Op. 103
Part of Celebrations,
Op. 103
SATB and Pno.
Thou
Child So Wise
for Unison Chorus and Piano
Additional Information: Arranged from the version for Vocal Solo
Three
Canons for Voices, Op. 31
for 3-Part Women’s, Men’s, or Mixed Voices -- 3' 15"
Three
Selections from Winter Cantata
for Women’s Chorus, Flute and Marimba (1964)
Two
cummings Choruses, Op. 33
for 2-part Mixed, Women’s or Men’s Voices and Piano
Available From G. Schirmer
Two
cummings Choruses, Op. 46
for Women’s Voices, a cappella
Available From Carl Fischer
Winter
Cantata (Cantata No. 2), Op. 97
for Women’s Chorus, Flute, and Marimba (1964) -- 13' 20"
Premiere Information: Emma Willard Choir, Russell Locke conducting, Troy, NY,
April 9, 1965
HARPSICHORD
Eighth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 158
(1984) -- 11'
Premiere Information: Linda Kolber, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New
York, NY, November 15, 1985
Fifth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 152
(1982) -- 9' 30"
Premiere Information: John Metz, Tempe, AZ, December 8, 1982
First
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 52
(1951) -- 13'
Premiere Information: Fernando Valenti, Town Hall, NY, January 10, 1952
Fourth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 151
(1982) -- 9' 30"
Premiere Information: Joan Applegate, Shippensburg State College, Shippensburg,
PA, April 3, 1982
Little
Harpsichord Book, Op. 155
-- 8' 40"
Premiere Information: Elaine Comparone, Philadelphia Art Alliance,
Philadelphia, PA, October 16, 1983
Ninth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 163
(1985) -- 13'
Premiere Information: Masanobu Ikemiya, Arcady Music Festival, Mt. Desert
Island, ME, July 21, 1986
Parable
XXIV, Op. 153
for Harpsichord (1982) -- 8'
Premiere Information: Cathy Callis, Capital University, Columbus, OH, April
21, 1983
Second
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 146
(1981) -- 11' 30"
Premiere Information: Elaine Comparone, Cleveland, OH, June 23, 1982
Serenade
No. 15 for Harpsichord, Op. 159
-- 7' 30"
Premiere Information: Larry Palmer, Dallas, TX, September 23, 1985
Seventh
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 156
(1983) -- 7'
Premiere Information: Barbara Harbach, Wilmot Hall, Rochester, NY, March 19,
1983
Sixth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 154
(1982) -- 7' 30"
Premiere Information: Larry Palmer, Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans, LA,
September 11, 1983
Tenth
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 167
-- 12'
Third
Harpsichord Sonata, Op. 149
(1981) -- 9' 17"
Premiere Information: Elaine Comparone, Washington, DC, October 10, 1982
OPER AS
The
Sibyl: A Parable of Chicken Little (Parable XX), Op. 135
Opera in One Act (1976) -- 70'
Voices: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Mixed Chorus Orch:
2-1-2-1/2-2-2-1; Timp., Perc., Pno.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Commission Information: The Pennsylvania Opera Theater
Premiere Information: The Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Philadelphia, PA,
Barbara Silverstein conducting, April 13, 1985
Additional Information: Libretto by the composer
Movements:
• Realization
• Sky Spell
• Wishing
ORCHESTRA
A
Lincoln Address, Op. 124
for Narrator and Orchestra (1972) -- 12'
4-3-4-3; 4-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, William Warfield, narrator,
Walter Susskind conducting, January 25, 1973
Concertino
for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 16
(1941) -- 9'
2-2-2-2; 2-2-0-0; Timp., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, piano, Eastman-Rochester Symposium
Orchestra, Howard Hanson, conductor, October 23, 1945
Concerto
for English Horn and String Orchestra, Op. 137
(1977) -- 19'
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: New York Philharmonic, Thomas Stacy, English horn, Eric
Leinsdorf, conductor, November 17, 1977
Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 90
-- 32'
3-2-3-2; 4-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Anthony di Bonaventura, piano, Dartmouth Symphony, Mario
di Bonaventura conducting, Hanover, NH, August 2, 1964
Dance
Overture, Op. 20
(1942) -- 8'
3-3-3-3; 4-4-3-1; Timp., Perc, Pno., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Konoye conducting, Japan,
February 7, 1948
Fables
for Narrator and Orchestra, Op. 23
(1943)
Available From Carl Fischer
Fairy
Tale, Op. 48
(1950)
Available From Carl Fischer
Flower
Songs (Cantata No. 6), Op. 157 for
Mixed Chorus and String Orchestra (1983) -- 21'
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: The Philadelphia Singers with the Concerto Soloists,
Michael Korn conducting, Academy of Music, Philadelphia, April 20, 1984
Additional Information: Text by e.e. cummings
Introit
for Strings, Op. 96
(1964) -- 3'
Premiere Information: Youth Symphony of Kansas City, Jack Herriman conducting,
MO, May 1, 1965
Night
Dances, Op. 114
(1970) -- 22'
3-3-2-2; 4-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: NYSSMA Orchestra, Kiamesha Lake, New York, Frederick
Fennell conducting, December 9, 1970
Serenade
No. 5, Op. 43 (1950)
-- 11'
2-2-2-2; 4-2-3-1; Timp., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Louisville Orchestra, Robert Whitney conducting,
November 15, 1950
Sinfonia:
Janiculum, Op. 113 (Symphony
No. 9) -- 23'
4-3-4-3; 4-3-3-1; Timp., 2Perc., Hp., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor, March
5, 1971
Stabat
Mater, Op. 92
for Chorus and Orchestra (1963) -- 28'
2-2-2-2; 4-2-3-1; Timp. Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Collegiate Chorale, Abraham Kaplan conducting, Carnegie
Hall, NY, May 1, 1964
Symphony
for Strings, Op. 61 (Symphony
No. 5) (1953) -- 22'
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Louisville Orchestra, Whitney conducting, August 28,
1954
Symphony
No. 1, Op. 18
(1942)
2-3-2-3; 7-3-3-1; Timp., B.Dr., Str.
Withdrawn
Symphony
No. 2, Op. 19
(1942)
2-3-2-3; 4-2-2-0; Timp., Pno., Str.
Withdrawn
Symphony
No. 3, Op. 30
(1946) -- 28'
3-3-3-3; 7-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Pno., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting,
November 21, 1947
Symphony
No. 4, Op. 51
(1951) -- 23'
3-3-3-2; 4-2-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor,
December 17, 1954
Symphony
No. 7, Op. 80 (Liturgical)
(1958) -- 25'
4-3-4-3; 4-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: St. Louis Symphony, Remoortel conducting, October 24,
1959
Symphony
No. 8, Op. 106 (1967)
-- 29'
3-3-3-2; 7-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Hp., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Orchestra, George Poinar
conducting, October 29, 1967
Te
Deum, Op. 93 for
Chorus and Orchestra (1963) -- 14'
2-2-2-2; 4-2-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Pennsylvania All-State Chorus, Allen Flock conducting,
Philadelphia, PA, March 15, 1964
The
Creation, Op. 111
for SATB Soli, Chorus and Orchestra -- 70'
3-3-3-2; 4-3-3-1; Timp., Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Juilliard Chorus and Orchestra, composer conducting,
Tully Hall, NY, April 17, 1970
Additional Information: Text by the composer from mythological, scientific,
poetic and Biblical sources.
The
Hollow Men, Op. 25
for Trumpet and String Orchestra -- 8'
Available from the Presser Rental
Library
Premiere Information: Germantown Symphony Orchestra, Arthur Lipkin conducting,
December 12, 1946
Additional Information: Also available for Trumpet and Piano or Organ
ORGAN
Auden
Variations, Op. 136 (1977) -- 22'
Premiere Information: Leonard Raver, International Contemporary Organ Music
Festival, Hartford, CT, July 14, 1978
Chorale
Prelude: Drop, Drop, Slow Tears, Op. 104 -- 12'
Premiere Information: Haskill Thomson, Lexington, KY, April 13, 1967
Chorale
Prelude: Give Peace, O God, Op. 162 -- 12'
Premiere Information: Donald Williams, American Guild of Organists National
Convention, Ann Arbor, MI, June 3, 1986
Do
Not Go Gentle, Op. 132 for Pedals Alone -- 8'
Premiere Information: Leonard Raver, Boston, MA, November 18, 1974
Dryden Liturgical Suite, Op. 144 (1980) --
18'
Premiere Information: Marilyn Mason, American Guild of Organists National
Convention, St. Paul, MN, June 18, 1980
Parable
VI, Op. 117 (1971) -- 14'
Premiere Information: David Craighead, American Guild of Organists National
Convention, Forth Worth, TX, June 21, 1972
Shimah
B’Koli (Psalm 130), Op. 89 (1962) -- 10'
Premiere Information: Virgil Fox, Philharmonic Hall, NY, December 15, 1962
Sonata
for Organ, Op. 86 (1960) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Rudolph Kremer, Washington University, St. Louis, MO,
December 28, 1960
Sonatine
for Organ, Pedals Alone, Op. 11 (1940) -- 7'
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, Arch Street Presbyterian Church,
Philadelphia, PA, November 8, 1940
Song
of David, Op. 148 (1981) -- 5' 30"
Premiere Information: Leonard Raver, Church of the Ascension, New York, NY,
March 7, 1983
PIANO
Appalachian Christmas Carols (After John Jacob
Niles) for One Piano, Four Hands -- 7' 30"
Concerto
for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 56 -- 18'
Premiere Information: Vincent and Dorothea Persichetti, Pittsburgh
International Contemporary Music Festival, November 29, 1952
Eighth
Piano Sonata, Op. 41 (1950) -- 7'
Premiere Information: Claire Shapiro, Philadelphia Conservatory, Philadelphia,
PA, March 19, 1956
Fifth
Piano Sonata, Op. 37 (1949) -- 8' 30"
Premiere Information: Jean Geis, Town Hall, NY, March 11, 1951
First
Piano Sonata, Op. 3 (1939) -- 16'
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, Philadelphia Conservatory,
Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 1939
Four
Arabesques, Op. 141 (1978) -- 3' 20"
Fourth
Piano Sonata, Op. 36 (1949) -- 18' 30"
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, League of Composers, NY, December
27, 1949
Little
Mirror Book, Op. 139 (1978) -- 4' 30"
Little
Piano Book, Op. 60 (1953) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Lauren Persichetti, Philadelphia Conservatory, November
14, 1954
Mirror
Etudes, Op. 143 (1979) -- 14'
Premiere Information: Virginia Sircy, Lawton, OK, June 21, 1980
Ninth
Piano Sonata, Op. 58 (1952) -- 12'
Premiere Information: David Burge, Madison, WI, March 8, 1962
Organ
Prelude and Fugue in A Minor (Johannes Brahms)
Parable
XIX, Op. 134 for Piano (1975) -- 10' 30"
Premiere Information: Daniel Pollack, MTNA National Convention, Dallas, TX,
March 30, 1976
Parades,
Op. 57 (1952) -- 3'
Premiere Information: Garth Persichetti, Philadelphia Conservatory,
Philadelphia, PA, February 5, 1956
Piano Sonatinas, Volume 1 -- 12' total
Premiere Information: Sonatina No. 2: Margaret Barthel, Town Hall, NY,
December 13, 1951
Movements:
• Sonatina No. 1, Op. 38 (1950) (3min.)
• Sonatina No. 2, Op. 45 (1950) (5min.)
• Sonatina No. 3, Op. 47 (1950) (4min.)
Piano Sonatinas, Volume 2 -- 9' total
Movements:
• Sonatina No. 4, Op. 63 (1954) (3min.)
• Sonatina No. 5, Op. 64 (1954) (3min.)
• Sonatina No. 6, Op. 65 (1954) (3min.)
Poems
for Piano, Volume 1, Op. 4 (1939) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, League of Composers (CBS), February
24, 1940
Poems
for Piano, Volume 2, Op. 5 (1939) -- 9'
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, WNYC Festival of American Music,
February 13, 1945
Poems
for Piano, Volume 3, Op. 14 (1941) -- 10'
Reflective
Keyboard Studies, Op. 138 (1978)
Second
Piano Sonata, Op. 6 (1939) -- 11'
Premiere Information: Dorothea Flanagan, El Dorado, KS, January 8, 1941
Serenade
No. 2, Op. 2 (1929) -- 4'
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, Combs Conservatory, Philadelphia,
PA, December 21, 1929
Serenade
No. 7, Op. 55 (1952) -- 9'
Serenade
No. 8, Op. 62 for Piano, 4 Hands (1954) -- 3'
Seventh
Piano Sonata, Op. 40 (1950) -- 7'
Premiere Information: Robert Smith, Philadelphia Conservatory, Philadelphia,
PA, May 21, 1956
Sixth
Piano Sonata, Op. 39 (1950) -- 12'
Premiere Information: Joseph Bloch, Town Hall, NY, April 26, 1951
Sonata
for Two Pianos, Op. 13 (1940) -- 11' 17"
Premiere Information: Dorothea Flanagan and Vincent Persichetti, Town Hall,
New York, April 2, 1941
Sonatas
for Piano Complete Edition
Additional Information: Sonatas 1-12 also available separately.
Tenth
Piano Sonata, Op. 67 (1955) -- 22'
Premiere Information: Josef Raieff, Juilliard School of Music, NY, February
20, 1956
Third
Piano Sonata, Op. 22 (1943) -- 12' 30"
Premiere Information: Vincent Persichetti, Colorado Springs Fine Arts
Festival, August 13, 1943
Three
Toccatinas, Op. 142 (1979) -- 6'
Premiere Information: International Piano Festival and Competition, University
of Maryland, June 18, 1980
Twelfth
Piano Sonata (Mirror Sonata), Op. 145 (1981) -- 13'
Premiere Information: Jeffrey Jacob, Notre Dame, IN, April 18, 1983
Variations
for an Album, Op. 32 (1947) -- 4'
Premiere Information: John Kirkpatrick, Baldwin-Wallace College, October 17,
1947
Winter Solstice, Op. 165 (1986) -- 11'
VOCAL
COMPOSITIONS
A Net of Fireflies, Op. 115 Cycle of 17 Songs
for Voice and Piano (1970) -- 19'
Premiere Information: Carolyn Reyer, Tully Hall, NY, May 12, 1971
Additional Information: Haiku verse, translated by Harold Stewart.
Carl
Sandburg Songs, Op. 73 (1957)
Available From New York Public Library
e.
e. cummings Songs, Op. 26 (1945)
Available From New York Public Library
Emily
Dickinson Songs, Op. 77 (1957)
Premiere Information: Shirley Verrett, Town Hall, NY, November 4, 1958
Out of the Morning
I'm
Nobody
When
the Hills Do
The
Grass
English
Songs, Op. 49 (1951)
Available From New York Public Library
Harmonium,
Op. 50 Cycle for Soprano and Piano (1951) -- 65'
Premiere Information: Hilda Rainer and Vincent Persichetti, League of
Composers, Museum of Modern Art, NY, January 20, 1952
Additional Information: Poems by Wallace Stevens
Hilaire
Belloc Songs, Op. 75 (1957)
Thou
Child So Wise
additional Information: Also available for Unison Chorus and Piano
The
Microbe
James
Joyce Songs, Op. 74 (1957)
Premiere Information: Marlene Kleinman and Dorothea Persichetti,
Philadelphia, PA
Unquiet
Heart
Brigid's
Song
Noise
of Waters
Robert
Frost Songs, Op. 76 (1957)
Available From New York Public Library
Sara
Teasdale Songs, Op. 72 (1957)
Available From New York Public Library
Two Chinese Songs, Op. 29 (1945) -- 1'
20"
Premiere Information: Richard Harvey, Town Hall, NY, April 13, 1948
Movements:
• All Alone
• These Days
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