Arthur Berger (1912-2003)
Arthur
Berger was an influential composer, critic and teacher for more
than half a century. His early music was heavily influenced by
Stravinsky and neoclassicism, while his later works were both serial
and diatonic in nature. Although Berger made notable contributions to
the orchestral repertory, he devoted the major share of his
compositional activities to chamber and solo piano music. Born in New
York City, Berger received his musical education at New York and
Harvard Universities, pursuing further studies in Paris with Nadia
Boulanger and at the Sorbonne. In his early twenties he was a member of
the Young Composers Group that revolved around Aaron Copland as its
mentor. In his capacity as critic, Berger became one of the principal
spokesmen of music from the United States for that period. He wrote
numerous critical and analytical articles on such composers as Igor
Stravinsky, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland. Berger received a number
of awards and honors, including those from the Guggenheim, Fromm,
Coolidge, Naumburg and Fulbright Foundations, the NEA, League of
Composers, and Massachusetts Council on the Arts & Humanities. He
was a fellow of both the American Academy and Institute of Arts and
Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Berger began his
teaching career in 1939 at Mills College in Oakland, California. In
1943 he became a music critic for the New York Sun and in 1946 accepted
Virgil Thomson's invitation to join the New York Herald Tribune. After
a decade as a full-time music reviewer in New York City, he resumed
teaching in 1953 at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts
during the formation of its graduate music program. After retiring from
Brandeis in 1980, Berger taught at the New England Conservatory of
Music in Boston until 1999. His music is recorded on the CRI and New
World labels, and his book Reflections of an American Composer (2002)
was recently published by the University of California Press.- Art of the States
COMPOSITIONS Berger Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Two Episodes, piano (1933)
Words for Music, Perhaps (3 Poems of Yeats), soprano or mezzo-sop and piano (1939) [arr. fl, cl and vc, 1940; rev. 1987]
Quartet in C Major for Winds, flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1941)
Fantasy, piano (1942)
Serenade Concertante, orchestra (1944, rev. 1951)
Rondo, piano (1945)
Garlands, medium voice & piano (1945)
Three Pieces, string quartet (1945) [arr. as Prelude, Aria & Waltz, orchestra, 1982]
Three Bagatelles, piano (1946)
92nd Psalm (Tov L’Hodos), chorus (1946)
Partita, piano (1947)
Duo No. 1, violin and piano (1948)
Intermezzo, piano (1948) [collected as 4 Two-Part Inventions, piano, 1993]
Three Two-Part Inventions, piano (1948-49) [collected as 4 Two-Part Inventions, piano, 1993]
Duo No. 2, violin and piano (1950)
Duo for Cello and Piano (1951)
Duo for Oboe and Clarinet (1952)
Ideas of Order, orchestra (1952)
Three One-Part Inventions, piano (1954)
Chamber Music for 13 Players [fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, tpt, cel, hp, 2 vlns, va, vc and db] (1956)
Polyphony, orchestra (1956)
Duo for Clarinet and Piano (1957)
String Quartet (1958)
Chamber Concerto (1959, withdrawn)
Three Pieces for Two Pianos (1961)
Septet, flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and piano (1966)
Five Pieces, piano (1969)
Trio for Violin, Guitar and Piano (1972)
Composition, piano 4-hands (1978)
When I am Dead, soprano and piano (1978)
Five Settings of European Poets, tenor and piano (1978-79)
Improvisation for A.C., piano (1980) [birthday piece for Aaron Copland]
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano (1980)
Duet (Rondo) for H.S., piano 4-hands (1980) [birthday piece for Harold Shapero; arr. of Rondo, 1945]
Prelude, Aria & Waltz, orchestra (1982) [arr. from Three Pieces, string quartet, 1945]
Perspectives III, piano 4-hands (1982)
Love, Sweet Animal, chorus and piano 4-hands (1982)
For Elliott at 75, piano (1983) [birthday piece for Elliott Carter]
Quintet for Woodwinds (1984)
Perspectives II, chamber ensemble (1985)
Perspectives II, orchestra (1985) [revision of 2nd mvt of Chamber Concerto, 1959]
Ode of Ronsard, medium voice and piano (1987; arr. for flute, cello and piano, 2002)
Diptych: Collages I & II, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1990; revised 1995) [formerly titled "Quintet"]
Collage III, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano (1992; revised 1994)
Four Two-Part Inventions, piano (1993) [collected from Intermezzo, 1948; and Three Two-Part Inventions, 1948-49]
Birthday Cards, piano (1995-98)
WORKS BY GENRE Berger Links ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
Serenade Concertante, orchestra (1944, rev. 1951)
Ideas of Order, orchestra (1952)
Polyphony, orchestra (1956)
Prelude, Aria & Waltz, orchestra (1982) [arr. from Three Pieces, string quartet, 1945]
Perspectives II, orchestra (1985) [revision of 2nd mvt of Chamber Concerto, 1959]
Choral
92nd Psalm (Tov L’Hodos), chorus (1946)
Love, Sweet Animal, chorus and piano 4-hands (1982)
Chamber
Words for Music, Perhaps (3 Poems of Yeats), soprano or mezzo-sop and piano (1939) [arr. fl, cl and vc, 1940; rev. 1987]
Quartet in C Major for Winds, flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1941)
Three Pieces, string quartet (1945) [arr. as Prelude, Aria & Waltz, orchestra, 1982]
Duo No. 1, violin and piano (1948)
Duo No. 2, violin and piano (1950)
Duo for Cello and Piano (1951)
Duo for Oboe and Clarinet (1952)
Chamber Music for 13 Players [fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, tpt, cel, hp, 2 vlns, va, vc and db] (1956)
Duo for Clarinet and Piano (1957)
String Quartet (1958)
Chamber Concerto (1959, withdrawn)
Septet, flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and piano (1966)
Trio for Violin, Guitar and Piano (1972)
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano (1980)
Quintet for Woodwinds (1984)
Perspectives II, chamber ensemble (1985)
Ode of Ronsard, medium voice and piano (1987; arr. for flute, cello and piano, 2002)
Diptych: Collages I & II, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1990; revised 1995) [formerly titled "Quintet"]
Collage III, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano (1992; revised 1994)
Piano
Two Episodes, piano (1933)
Fantasy, piano (1942)
Rondo, piano (1945)
Three Bagatelles, piano (1946)
Partita, piano (1947)
Intermezzo, piano (1948) [collected as 4 Two-Part Inventions, piano, 1993]
Three Two-Part Inventions, piano (1948-49) [collected as 4 Two-Part Inventions, piano, 1993]
Three One-Part Inventions, piano (1954)
Three Pieces for Two Pianos (1961)
Five Pieces, piano (1969)
Composition, piano 4-hands (1978)
Improvisation for A.C., piano (1980) [birthday piece for Aaron Copland]
Duet (Rondo) for H.S., piano 4-hands (1980) [birthday piece for Harold Shapero; arr. of Rondo, 1945]
Perspectives III, piano 4-hands (1982)
For Elliott at 75, piano (1983) [birthday piece for Elliott Carter]
Four Two-Part Inventions, piano (1993) [collected from Intermezzo, 1948; and Three Two-Part Inventions, 1948-49]
Birthday Cards, piano (1995-98)
Vocal
Words for Music, Perhaps (3 Poems of Yeats), soprano or mezzo-sop and piano (1939) [arr. fl, cl and vc, 1940; rev. 1987]
Garlands, medium voice & piano (1945)
When I am Dead, soprano and piano (1978)
Five Settings of European Poets, tenor and piano (1978-79)
Ode of Ronsard, medium voice and piano (1987; arr. for flute, cello and piano, 2002)
BERGER LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Arthur Berger: The Complete Orchestral Music (DRAM online)
Arthur Berger: The Composer as Mannerist (John Mac Ivor Perkins, JSTOR/Perspectives of New Music)
Arthur Berger - Composer and Critic with a Cerebral, Analytical Style (Stephen Walsh, The Guardian)
Arthur Berger, Composer and Music Critic - Obituary (Allan Kozinn, The New York Times)
Arthur Berger Memorial (Rodney Lister)
Arthur Berger, Meticulous Composer, Lively Critic (Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe)
Arthur Berger - Obituary (Times Online)
Arthur Berger Papers (Brandeis University Libraries)
Arthur Berger Papers, 1905-2004 (New York Public Library)
Arthur Berger - Perfectionist Composer and Critic (The Independent)
Critical Composer (Time Magazine)
A Fitting Tribute to a Versatile Composer (Matthew Guerrieri, The Boston Globe)
In Conversation with Arthur Berger (Daniel Felsenfeld, NewMusicBox)
Notes on the Plight of the American Composer (Arthur Berger; in Mass Media in Modern Society, Norman Jacobs,
Transaction Books, books.google.com)
Reflections of an American Composer (Arthur Berger, Univ. California Pr., books.goole.com)
Remembering Arthur Berger (Grant Chu Covell, La Folia)
Composer website . . . inquire about Arthur Berger: here
Berger @ Wikipedia
Berger @ AllExperts
Berger @ American Music Center
Berger @ Answers.com
Berger @ Art of the States
Berger @ Basic Famous People
Berger @ Classical Archives
Berger @ Classical Composers Database
Berger @ ClassicsToday
Berger @ Find a Grave
Berger @ MusicWeb International
Berger @ New England Conservatory
Berger @ New Music Connoisseur
Berger @ New World Records
Berger @ The New York Times
Publisher
Berger @ Composer website
Berger @ American Composers Alliance
Berger @ Arrow Music Press
Berger @ Association for the Promotion of New Music [c/o Subito Music]
Berger @ Associated Music Publishers [G. Schirmer]
Berger @ Boelke-Bomart, Inc. [c/o Jerona Music Corp.]
Berger @ Columbia University Music Press, Order Dept.
Berger @ Henmar Press [sole selling agents, C.F. Peters/Edition Peters]
Berger @ Hillsdale [Boelke-Bomart]
Berger @ Independent Music Publishers
Berger @ King's Crown Music Press [sole agent, Galaxy Music Corp.]
Berger @ E.B. Marks Music
Berger @ Merion Music
Berger @ Merrymount Music Press [sole selling agents, Mercury Music Corp.]
Berger @ Mobart Music
Berger @ New Music Edition
Berger @ Edition Peters (C.F. Peters Corp.)
Berger @ G. Schirmer
For manuscript (ms) material and further information, contact:
Rosalie Calabrese Management
Box 20580, Park West Station
New York, NY 10025-1521
Tel: (212) 663-6620
Fax: (212) 663-5941
Email: rcmgt@yahoo.com
Streaming Audio
Berger @ Art of the States
Berger @ Classical Archives
Berger @ Rhapsody
Recordings
Berger @ Composer website
Berger @ ArkivMusic
Berger @ CD Universe
Berger @ ClassicsOnline
Berger @ Discogs
Berger @ New World Records
Video
Berger @ YouTube
Berger @ Google Video
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