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William Laurence Bergsma (April 1, 1921–March 18, 1994) was an American composer. When researching piano by using his mother, the previous opera singer, and then a viola, Bergsma moved on to survey composition; his virtually all important teachers were Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers. Bergsma attended Stanford University for two years (1938-40) before moving in to the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his bachelor's & master's degrees. Inside 1946 he accepted the position at Juilliard, where he remained until 1963, one of these days holding such positions when chair of composition & from either 1961-63, associate dean. Around 1963 he moved in to the University of Washington, heading a music school until 1971, remaining a prof from either either so in when stepping down from the administrative post. Inside 1966 Bergsma founded a Contemporary Class action at a University of Wa, which is an organization of composers & musicians world health organization stage performances of recently musical comedy works & educate students & a public all about contemporary music; a class action remains active to this day. He is the recipient of deuce Guggenheim Fellowships, a grant from either a National Endowment for the Arts, and an award from either a American Academy of Arts and Letters. Students of Bergsma include composers Philip Glass and Robert Parris. Bergsma's music is noted for its lyrical, contrapuntal qualities. Unlike numerous of his coeval, Bergsmthe rejected serial music pro a further conservative style, though a single distinctly rooted in the 20th century. He eschewed a avant-garde—his obit in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer describes him as with "never deserted tonality" & seeing "dozens of his former avant-garde colleagues returning to the fold"—though he did embrace aleatoric techniques later within his career. He composed ii operas, A Married woman of Martin Guerre (1956) & A Slaying of Comrade Sharik (1973), which are then markedly different modish. the 1st occurs as somber tale of a 16th century French peasant's disappearance & go to upon which he is suspected to become an role player; a music is marked by dissonance which emphasizes a tension in the story, particularly in the final court scene. A 2nd is additional light-hearted & laughable; Bergsma wrote his have libretto fallowing a story Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov, which involves the pooch transforming into a citizen of Twenties Moscow as a result of a doctor's experiments. A partially-aleatoric orchestral writing is arranged to exist as a voice of Stalin, and quotes from either Carmen, La traviata and Don Giovanni for comedic effect. He wwhen too an expert composer of little works, including numbers of chamber ensembles & solo soft pieces likewise as orchestral writings. Bergsma died within Seattle of a heart attack, at a age of 72.
Selected works
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Bergsma, William (1921-1994) University of Washington composer of international renown. Biography. William Bergsma (1921-1994) Picture, biography, works list, and recordings. Miscellaneous Songs by Bergsma List of songs and song cycles, some with lyrics. Bergsma, William Laurence Biography noting influences and education, teaching position, and major works and genres from the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music entry at WQXR radio. |
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