caostotale wrote:Irwin BAZELON
From Grove:
Bazelon, Irwin (Allen)
(b Evanston, IL, 4 June 1922; d New York, 2 Aug 1995). American composer. After graduating from DePaul University (BA 1944, MA 1945), he studied with Milhaud at Mills College (1946–8) and then settled in New York in 1948, where he received numerous fellowships, honours and commissions. His music is in the tradition of urban American expressionism, with audible antecedents in the works of Varèse and Ruggles but with a distinctive angular simplicity, characterized by dramatic alternations between violence and tenderness. Bazelon’s language, while influenced by serialism, borrows the jabbing brass and percussion chords and the propulsive rhythms of big-band jazz. This driving energy is contrasted with moments of relative repose in which orchestral colours are subtly varied.
Bazelon’s ten symphonies (1962–92) form the heart of his musical output. The immediacy of these works derives from their spare textures, which often feature one or two contrapuntal lines presented in striking instrumental combinations; characteristic passages are harmonically and timbrally static, treating sound as a sculptural object. A free use of serial techniques combined with an undercurrent of jazz creates a dark sense of New York City, reminiscent of film noir. The influence of a lighter jazz style, reflecting the manic side of life in New York, dominates such works as the chamber concerto Churchill Downs (1971). Named after the racetrack near the city, it features electronic instruments more typically employed in rock and pop music.
Bazelon’s vocal works set texts from the modernist tradition of American poetry (i.e. Hart Crane, Wallace Stevens, etc.) in a highly charged, chromatic style, more dramatic than lyrical, with striking and uncluttered accompaniments. Also notable are percussion works such as Propulsions (1974), with their emphasis on rhythmic invention, dramatic structure and the exploration of timbre. Several film scores, as well as music for television, number among his other compositions. He is the author of Knowing the Score: Notes on Film Music (New York, 1975).
Regards
Fred
