Gerald Busby
Gerald Busby | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1935 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | composer |
| Known for | 3 Women, Runes |
Gerald Busby (born December 16, 1935) is an American composer.
Busby was born in Tyler, Texas.[1] He studied piano as a child, playing with the Houston Symphony when he was fifteen.[2] He attended Yale where he studied music in college, but once graduated, began working as a traveling salesman.[2] At age 40 he had an "epiphany" and began to compose, a direction which surprised him.[3]
In 1977, with the assistance of Virgil Thomson, he moved to the Hotel Chelsea in New York City where he has written most of his work.[2] Living at the Hotel Chelsea brought him into contact with numerous cultural figures. One of them was dancer Rudolf Nureyev and his then-partner Wallace Potts. Potts gave Paul Taylor a recording by Busby's music, which led to Busby writing the score for Taylor's dance Runes.[2] Regarding his scores for Paul Taylor's dance "Runes" and Robert Altman's film 3 Women, Busby said "Those two pieces are acknowledged as masterpieces, so that I know they’ll last beyond me,” Mr. Busby said. “Not because what I did was a masterpiece, but I was part of it."[3]
In 1985 Busby was diagnosed with
Despite being HIV positive, he claims that his immune system has regenerated, something he attributes to his daily practice of reiki.[2] He continues to live at the Hotel Chelsea.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Rehrmann, Alexis (2007-12-16). "Back From the Edge, and Living His Life Note by Note". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- Gopnik, Adam (2015-06-15). "The Last Living Bohemian in Chelsea Tells All". New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- Lucas, Craig (Winter 1997). "Gerald Busby". BOMB-Artists in Conversation. Vol. 58. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
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