Bruce Mather

Bruce Mather (born May 9 1939) is a Canadian composer and pianist of contemporary classical music.

He is one of the most notable Canadian composers of microtonal music.

Music

Born in Toronto, Bruce Mather is a composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and piano works. He is also active as a pianist, specializing in contemporary music. He learned composition under Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen [Jedrzejewsky, Franck. 2003. "Bruce Mather" in "Dictionnaire des musiques microtonales" ("Dictionnary of the microtonal music"), Paris, L'Harmattan, ISBN 2-7475-5576-3]

Mather is notably known for his use of microtonal scales to which he was introduced by microtonal music pioneer Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Though he was distrustful towards microtonal music since he heard Alois Haba's Music, his meeting with Wyschnegradsky in the 70ties was crucial for his aesthetic and his use of microtonal scales. As a pianist, he and his wife created many Wyschnegradsky's pieces notably . [Jedrzejewsky, Franck. 2003. "Idem" ] .

In his composition he still uses the famous Wyschnegrasky's principle of non-octavic spaces. [Jedrzejewsky, Franck. 2003. "Idem" ] He wrote many works using this technique and notably his "Poème du délire" ("Poem of Delirium") a tribute to Alexander Scriabin (as a reference to his famous "Poem of Ecstasy" and ""), an influential figure for him and Wyschnegradsky. [ Booklet of "Music for Three Pianos in Sixth of Tones" LP, 1985, McGill University Records, 555 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, PQ, Canada ] His compositions are also strongly influenced by his love of poetry and wine.

Works

tage

*La princesse blanche (opera), 2 sopranos, baritone, bass, small orchestra (16 players), 1993

Orchestral

*Concerto, piano, small orchestra, 1958;
*Elegy, alto saxophone, string orchestra, 1959 (also arranged for alto saxophone, piano);
*Symphonic Ode, 1964;
*Orchestral Piece 1967,
*large orchestra, 1966-67;
*Ombres, 1967;
*Music for Vancouver, small orchestra (16-17 players), 1969;
*Musique pour Rouen, 12 strings, 1971;
*Musigny, large orchestra (89 players), 1980;
*Scherzo, small orchestra (18 players), 1987-88;
*Dialogue pour Trio Basso et Orchestre, viola, cello, double bass, orchestra, 1988;
*Tallbrem Variations, 5 percussion, orchestra, 1994;
*Quarts de Chaume, string orchestra, 1998

Chamber music

*Sonata, violin, piano, 1957;
*Elegy, alto saxophone, piano, 1959 (arrangement of work for alto saxophone, string orchestra);
*Étude, clarinet, 1962;
*Music for Organ, Horn and Gongs, 1973;
*Mandola, mandolin, piano, 1974;
*Eine kleine Bläsermusik, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1975;
*Clos de Vougeot, 4 percussion, 1977; Ausone: Version A, flute, 1979;
*Ausone: Version B, flute, 2 harps, 1979;
*Ausone: Version C, flute, 2 harps, 2 guitars, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, 1979;
*Coulée de serrant, harp, piano, 1980;
*Sassicaia, clarinet, piano, 1981; Gattinara, viola, percussion, 1982;
*Elegy, flute (+ alto flute), cello, piano, percussion, 1983;
*Barbaresco, viola, cello, double bass, 1984;
*Clos d’audignac, marimba, 3 percussion, 1984;
*Senorio de Sarria, 2 guitars (tuned a quarter-tone apart), 1985;
*Vouvray, oboe, harp, 1986;
*Viola Duet, 2 violas, 1987;
*Vega Sicilia, guitar, ensemble (harp, viola, cello, marimba), 1989;
*Yquem, 4 pianos, 4 ondes Martenot, 1991;
*Romance, bassoon, synthesizer, 1992;
*Standing Wave, clarinet, cello, piano, percussion, 1994;
*Advanced Harmony, wind ensemble, 1995;
*Quintette, clarinet, string quartet, 1995;
*Duo basso, bass flute, bass oboe, 1996;
*Quatre Études, cimbalom, marimba, 1996;
*Tempranillo, specially-tuned guitar, 1997;
*Hoya de Cadenas, alto flute, quarter-tone guitar, 1997;
*Doisy Daëne, flute, piano, 1997;
*Quinta da Camarate, specially-tuned guitar, 1998;
*Violin Duet, 2 violins, 1998;
*Bourgueil, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1999;
*Quintet for Saxophones and Piano, 1999;
*Sancerre, harp, harpsichord, 1999;
*Four Études, 6 percussion, 2001

Choral

*Lament for Pasiphaë, soprano, baritone, small mixed chorus, orchestra, 1962;
*Counting the Beats, soprano, baritone, small mixed chorus, orchestra, 1962;
*La lune mince… (text by Paul Valéry), divided mixed chorus, 1965;
*Two Stanford Songs, mixed chorus, 1988

Vocal

*Two Songs, bass-baritone, orchestra, 1956;
*Venice, soprano, clarinet, cello, piano, 1957;
*Lost Love, soprano, string orchestra, 1958;
*The Finding of Love, soprano, string orchestra, 1958;
*Cycle Rilke, tenor, guitar, 1959;
*The Song of Blodeuwedd, baritone, orchestra (harp, piano, timpani, percussion, strings), 1961;
*Sick Love, soprano, orchestra, 1961;
*Orphée (text by Paul Valéry), soprano, piano, percussion, 1963;
*Madrigal I (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, flute, harp, mandolin, violin, cello, 1967;
*Madrigal II (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, flute, harp, violin, viola, cello, 1968;
*Madrigal III (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), alto, harp, piano, marimba, 1971;
*Madrigal V (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, small orchestra (17 players), 1973, revised 1980;
*Au château de Pompairain, mezzo-soprano, orchestra, 1976;
*Musique pour Champigny, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, B-flat clarinet, French horn, harp, piano, percussion, 1976 (Winner, Jules *Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, 1979); Les grandes fontaines (text by Anne Hébert), soprano, piano, 1981;
*Un cri qui durerait la mer (text by Marie France Rose), bass-baritone, piano, 1985;
*Travaux de nuit, baritone, piano, 1990 (also arranged for baritone, orchestra, 1990);
*Des laines de lumière (text by Gatien Lapointe), bass-baritone, 2 quarter-tone pianos, 1996;
*La voix d’oiseau, coloratura soprano, piano, 1998;
*Trois Poèmes de Gatien Lapointe, voice, piano, 1998;
*Onze Poèmes pour la main gauche, soprano, piano, 2000

Piano

*Smaragdin, 1960;
*Like Snow, 1960;
*Mystras, 1962;
*Fantasy, 1964;
*Sonata, 2 pianos, 1969-70;
*In memoriam Alexander Uninsky, 1974;
*Régime 11, Type A, 2 pianos (tuned a quarter-tone apart), 1978;
*Poème du délire, 3 specially-tuned pianos, 1982;
*Hommage à Carrillo, sixteenth-tone piano, 1996;
*D’après un cri, 1996;
*Régime 17, third-tone piano, 1997;
*Eight Études, sixteenth-tone piano, 2000

Organ

*Six Études, 1982;
*Études Nos. 7-8, 1993

Harpsichord

*Saumur, quarter-tone harpsichord, 1990

Electroacoustic

*Madrigal IV (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, flute, piano, tape, 1972;
*Barolo, cello, tape, 1977;
*Aux victimes de la guerre de Vendée (1793), French horn, 2 pianos, tape, 1990

External links

* [http://daschour.club.fr/micromegas/mather.html Text by Mather explaining his music and his history] (fr)

References