Elliott Schwartz (1936- )
Elliott
Schwartz's music combines so many disparate elements that it moves
beyond eclecticism into its own genre - multifaceted yet
self-contained. His music is virtuosic for the performer, challenging
to the listener, yet, for the most part, he eschews the spiky Modernist
shield that less secure composers use to dissuade all comers. His work
combines tonal and nontonal elements, improvised and fully notated
passages and unusual instrumental effects (plucking the inside of a
piano, stratospheric squeals for the woodwinds, and so on) in an
idiosyncratic manner that is Mr. Schwartz's own. - Tim Page, The New York TimesCOMPOSITIONS Schwartz Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Pastorale, chamber orchestra (1960)
Sonata for Violin and Doublebass (1961)
Suite for Viola and Piano (1962)
Three Movements, brass quintet (1963)
Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Cello (1963)
Divertimento No.1, horn, clarinet and piano (1963)
Aria No.1, clarinet and piano (1963)
Aria No.2, violin and percussion (1963)
Quartet for Oboe and Strings (1964)
Four Studies for Two Clarinets (1964)
Concert Piece for Ten Players (1965)
Soliloquies, flute, clarinet voice and piano (1965)
Texture, chamber orchestra (1966)
Magic Music, orchestra, piano/organ solo and electronic tape (1967)
Three Short Scenes for Two Cellos (1967)
Voyage, symphonic wind ensemble (1969)
Music for Prince Albert, piano, 2 tapes and assistant (1969)
Elevator Music, for at least 12 players in a building at least 15 stories high (1969)
Island, orchestra and electronic tape (1970)
Music for Audience and Soloist, for any soloist who can play his/her instrument while walking through the performance space; audience divided into 4 sub-groups, each with a conductor (1972)
Eclipse II, symphonic wind ensemble, radios, music boxes and metronomes (1973)
Music for Napoleon and Beethoven, trumpet, piano, 2 tapes and assistant (1973)
Mirrors, piano and self-prepared tape (1974)
Extended Clarinet, clarinet and electronic tape (1974)
Souvenir, clarinet and piano (1974)
Eclipse III, chamber orchestra (1975)
Telly, 5 winds/brass, 4 percussion, 3 t.v. sets, 2 radios and tape (1975; also as "Game" Piece, Theatrical or Environmental Work)
Jet Piece, piano and any 3 melody instruments (1975; also as "Game" Piece, Theatrical or Environmental Work)
Extended Oboe, oboe and electronic tape (1975)
Extended Piano, piano and electronic tape (1975)
Grand Concerto, piano and tape collage of orchestra-concerto passages (1975)
A Dream of Beats and Bells, piano soloist & 10 audience performers who play radios, music boxes, metronomes (1975)
Pentagonal Mobile, 5 grand pianos (1976; version for piano and 4-channel tape, 1978)
Ziggurat, flute and self-prepared tape (1976)
Chamber Concerto I, contrabass and 15 players (1977)
Chamber Concerto II, clarinet and 9 players (1977)
Chamber Concerto III, piano and chamber orchestra (1977)
Janus, piano and orchestra (1978)
Chamber Concerto IV, saxophone and 10 players (1978)
Scatter, 10 winds/brass, 2 percussion and "surprise instrument" for end of piece (1978)
California Games, 4-6 improvising players, 6-10 audience performers with tape decks, and audience chorus (1978)
Zebra, youth orchestra and electronic tape (1980)
Bellagio Variations, string quartet (1980)
Divertimento No. 4, flute, bass and piano (1980)
Radio Games, a "duet" for performer(s) in radio station and listeners at home (1982)
Dream Music with Variations, piano, violin, viola and cello (1983)
Reading Session, clarinet and piano (1983)
Octagon, 8 percussionists (1984)
Second Thoughts, oboe and piano (1984)
Four Maine Haiku, piano (1984)
Celebrations/Reflections: A Time Warp, orchestra (1985)
Spirals, flute, clarinet, string quartet, bass and piano (1985)
Three Inventions in a Name, viola (1985)
Four American Portraits, chamber orchestra (1986)
Memorial in Two Parts, violin and piano (1988)
Travelogue, flute and bass (1989)
Palindromes, cello and percussion (1989)
Mirrors for Barney and Arney, clarinet and self-prepared tape (1989)
A Garden for RKB, violin, clarinet and piano (1990)
Fantastic Prisms, 6 basses and piano (1990)
Elan, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1991)
Sinfonia Juxta, 2 trumpets, piano and percussion (1992)
Chamber Concerto V, bassoon, string quartet and piano (1992; revised for fl, bsn, pf, str orch and perc, 2006)
Rows Garden, woodwind quintet (1993)
Aerie, 6 flutes (1993)
Variations in Nomine, clarinet, oboe and bassoon (1993)
Aria with Interruptions, viola and percussion (1993)
Equinox, orchestra (1994; rev. 1997)
Timepiece 1794, chamber orchestra and metronomes (1994)
Chiaroscuro: Zebra Variations, symphonic wind ensemble (1995)
Reflections, 5 bassoons and contrabassoon (1995)
Phoenix, bassoon and piano (1995)
Halo, bass clarinet (1995)
Rainbow, orchestra (1996)
Tapestry, violin, cello and piano (1996)
Dreamscape, oboe, cello, piano and 5 Theremins (1997)
Alto Prisms, 8 violas (1997)
Vienna Dreams, clarinet, viola and piano (1998)
Spectrum, horn, cello and tuba (1998)
Kaleidoscope, violin, contrabassoon and piano (1999)
Mehitabel's Serenade, concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra (2000)
Jack-o-Lantern, chamber orchestra and lights (2000)
Three Variations on a Name, tuba and piano (2000)
Downeast Fanfare, 3 trumpets - straight mute, cup mute and Harmon mute required) (2001)
Rain Forest with Birds, symphonic wind ensemble and 3 CDs of recorded bird sounds (2001)
Bird Bath, woodwind quintet and recorded bird/Byrd sounds (2001)
Hall of Mirrors, saxophone quartet and piano (2001)
Voyager, orchestra (2002)
Water Music, string orchestra and recorded water sounds (2002)
Polar Variations, symphonic wind ensemble (2003)
Riverscape, clarinet, string quartet, piano, recorded river sounds and percussion played by the musicians (2003)
A Riot of Reeds, clarinet choir (at least 12 players) (2003)
Beginner's Luck, guitar and recording of guitar sounds made by the soloist (2003)
Crystal: Cycle of Names and Memories, piano and percussion (2003)
Inside and Out, Eb clarinet and extended/prepared piano (2003)
Two Watterson Poems, chorus and percussion (played by the singers) (2004)
Two Poems of William Meredith, soprano and piano (2004)
Three Chinese Scenes, solo Er-hu and slides of traditional Chinese art (2004)
By George, oboe, cello and piano (2004)
Crystal, piano and percussion (2005)
Four Leaf Clover, piano, 2 percussionists, and audience member (2005)
Summer's Journey, horn, flute and wind ensemble (2005)
Squaring the Cycles, trumpet, organ, improvisation ensemble and electronic tape (2006)
Cambridge Mosaic, violin, cello, flute, horn, percussion and piano 4-hands, spatially separated (2007)
Chamber Concerto VI: Mr Jefferson, violin and 15 players (2007-08)
The Seven Seasons, piano (2008)
Prelude, Memorial and Aria, cello and piano (2008)
Quartet No.2, for Loiuise and Aaron, string quartet (2008)
WORKS BY GENRE Schwartz Links ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Orchestral
Band
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Chorus w/Orchestra
Choral
Chamber
Solo Instrument
Piano
Vocal
Incidental/Film
Electronic
SCHWARTZ LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Composer's website
Can Recordings Adequately Recreate the "Space" of a Live Performance? (by Elliott Schwartz)
Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music (edited by Elliott Schwartz and Barney Childs)
Electronic Music: A Listener's Guide (by Elliott Schwartz)
Stars, Stripes, Batons and Circuits: American Music for Orchestra and Electronics @ NewMusicBox
Keys of Rebirth (by Emily Parkhurst, The Phoenix)
Library of Congress Honors Bowdoin Composer's Legacy @ collegenews.org
Music: Works by Schwartz (by Tim Page, The New York Times)
On Learning Schwartz's String Quartet No. 2 (Nicholas Kitchen/Borromeo String Qt, PCA Great Performances)
Schwartz @ Wikipedia
Schwartz @ ACE Festival of American Music
Schwartz @ Boston Modern Orchestra Project also 1 2 3
Schwartz @ Kalvos & Damian
Schwartz @ MMB
Schwartz @ G. Schirmer
Schwartz @ Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies
Schwartz @ Sylvia Smith Archives
Streaming Audio
@ composer's website
Recordings
Dream Music @ Capstone Records
Exquinox (and other works) @ New World Records
Voyager: Five Orchestral Works @ Albany Records
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