- Paul Moravec
Paul Moravec (born
November 2 ,1957 , inBuffalo, New York ) is an Americancomposer and the Music Department Chair atAdelphi University onLong Island, New York . Already a prolific composer, he has been described as a "new tonalist." Page, Tim. "Paul Moravec." "Grove Music Online", ed. L. Macy. (Accessed 15 January 2007). http://www.grovemusic.com.] He is best known for his work "Tempest Fantasy", which received the 2004Pulitzer Prize for Music .Biography
Moravec was born in
Buffalo, New York and subsequently attended theLawrenceville School . He received his B.A. in composition from Harvard University in 1980; while there, he performed with theHolden Choirs . He won the Prix de Rome and studied at the American Academy in Rome after graduating. He then received the Master of Music (1982) andDoctor of Musical Arts (1987) in composition, both fromColumbia University .Curriculum Vita at [http://www.paulmoravec.com/vita.htm PaulMoravec.com] ]Moravec has taught at
Dartmouth College (1987-96) andHunter College (1997-98). He suffered from clinically-diagnosed depression that reached a zenith during the time immediately surrounding his departure fromDartmouth College , and underwentelectroshock therapy . He is currently the chair of the music department atAdelphi University , and has contributed to what theNew York Times has called a "renaissance" in a college that went through academic and financial difficulties in the 1990s. [Lambert, Bruce. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/04/nyregion/04adelphi.html "University Enjoys a Renaissance After 90's Strife"] , "The New York Times ". retrieved8 April 2008 .]In 2004, Moravec received the
Pulitzer Prize for Music for his work "Tempest Fantasy". [cite press release |title = Paul Moravec Wins 2004 Pulitzer Prize | publisher = Adelphi University | date = 2004-04-06 | url = http://events.adelphi.edu/news/2004/20040406b.php | accessdate = 2007-07-03 ] This prestigious award raised Moravec's profile significantly, and he was appointed to several residencies. He was named the new honorary composer-member of the New York Composers Circle in September, 2006. [cite press release |title = 2004 PULIZER PRIZE WINNER PAUL MORAVEC JOINS NEW YORK COMPOSERS CIRCLE (NYCC)AS HONORARY COMPOSER-MEMBER | publisher = New York Composers Circle | date = 2006-11-03 | url = http://www.nycomposerscircle.org/Press_Releases/Moravec.html | accessdate = 2007-07-03 ] He was also appointed the composer in residence for the 2007-2008 academic year at theInstitute for Advanced Study inPrinceton, New Jersey . [cite press release |title = Institute Announces Appointment of Paul Moravec as Artist-in-Residence | publisher = Institute for Advanced Study | date = 2007-03-26 | url = http://www.ias.edu/newsroom/announcements/view/1174912237.html | accessdate = 2007-07-02 ]In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, Moravec has received a Composer Fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Arts , aRockefeller Foundation fellowship, and theCharles Ives andGoddard Lieberson Awards in American Composition.He has been commissioned by such ensembles as the Dessoff Choirs, the
Albany Symphony Orchestra , and theHarvard Glee Club .Fact|date=July 2007Musical Style
Moravec has been placed into a group called "new tonalists" by the critic
Terry Teachout , who describes them as composers who are "neither embarrassed nor paralyzed by tradition. Rather they accept it as a given." Thus, according to this analysis, his style is primarily tonal and neo-romantic. However, Moravec himself asserts:The term ‘new tonalist’ is a little outdated simply because of the passage of time [.] It had more relevance a few decades ago, when late modernism was dying or even dead. For my work, I regard the term only as a point of departure before considering each composition on a case-by-case basis. As a composer, I try always to make beautiful things, and I use whatever techniques and materials are useful for the particular composition at hand [.] Some of those materials are atonal or nontonal, but the overall harmonic context of my music derives from the tonal tradition, which after all is the lingua franca of Western music — essentially, Monteverdi to the Beatles and beyond.cite news |last = Shattuck |first = Kathryn |title = A Composer Who’s Weathered Some Tempests of His Own |publisher = New York Times |date =
2007-04-22 |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/22peoplect.html?ei=5070&en=217e8154f8231d13&ex=1183348800&pagewanted=all |accessdate = 2007-07-01 ]Critic
Jens F. Laurson describes Moravec's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Tempest Fantasy" as "remarkably accessible music. Picturesque, conventionally beautiful at times, but without pandering to the ears’ lowest harmonic expectations. [It is m] usic that works with all the traditional tools from the composer’s workshop [,] which have changed surprisingly little since Bach - but Moravec uses them to create music anew." He namesFederico Mompou ,Claude Debussy ,Paul Hindemith ,Francis Poulenc , andElliott Carter as clear musical influences in Moravec's music. He also notes a clear disparity between Moravec's music and that of Minimalist composersSteve Reich ,Philip Glass , andJohn Coolidge Adams . [cite web | last = Laurson | first = Jens F. | title = Paul Moravec, Tempest Fantasy et al., Trio Solisti | date = 2007-07-18 | url = http://www.weta.org/fm/blog/?p=124 | accessdate = 2007-07-02 ]Critic Victor Carr Jr. characterizes Moravec's musical language as "generally tonal--and although it's not consistently melodic, it's always accessible. More than that, it's highly engrossing [.] " [cite web | last = Carr Jr. | first = Victor | title = PAUL MORAVEC: The Time Gallery; Protean Fantasy; Ariel Fantasy | date = 2006-04-21 | url = http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=9939 | accessdate = 2007-07-06 ]
Musical Works
For a comprehensive view of Moravec's catalog, see
List of compositions by Paul Moravec . His best-known pieces include the Pulitzer-winning,Shakespeare -inspired "Tempest Fantasy", a 30-minute chamber work scored forclarinet ,violin , violoncello, andpiano , which was premiered onMay 2 ,2003 at theMorgan Library inNew York City byDavid Krakauer and Trio Solisti, for whom it was written; "Northern Lights Electric", a 1994 work that combines a musical illustration of the Northern Lights with a musical depiction of electric light; and the 1998 cantata "Fire/Ice/Air", which contrasts the journeys of CaptainRobert Falcon Scott , on his expedition to the Antarctic, andCharles Lindbergh , on his trans-Atlantic flight. An oratorio, "Blizzard Voices", was commissioned byOpera Omaha and will be premiered there in September 2008. He is currently collaborating withTerry Teachout on "The Letter", an opera based on the 1927 play byW. Somerset Maugham that will be premiered in 2009 by theSanta Fe Opera . [ [http://www.paulmoravec.com/bio.html Biography at Paul Moravec's official website] , retrieved8 April ,2008 .]Notes
External links
* [http://paulmoravec.com/ PaulMoravec.com]
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