Hugh Aitken
Hugh Aitken (September 7, 1924 – December 24, 2012[1]) was a 20th-century American composer.
Biography
Aitken was born in New York City to Hugh Aitken Sr. and Florence Aitken. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Evander Child High School. There were artists of all kinds in his family; his father was a musician, playing the violin and also composing, his mother danced in vaudeville in her youth, one cousin was a radio, stage, and television actress (Joan Swenson) and another danced in the Balanchine company.William Paterson College in New Jersey. He died at home in Oakland, New Jersey on Dec. 24, 2012. He is survived by children Peter Gil Aitken and Alexandra Elizabeth Aitken.
He received commissions from the
Naumburg Foundation, the Juilliard School, the Concord String Quartet, Yoyo Ma/Emmanuel Ax, and the dancer José Limón.[3]
Major works
Stage works
- Fables, an opera based on La Fontaine's Fables, (1975).
- Felipe, an opera based on Al Túmulo del Rey Felipe en Sevilla by Miguel de Cervantes (1981) (Review, New York Times) [4]
- Dance scores, (1949–63)
Choral works
- Mass settings, (1950, 1964)
- The Revelation of St. John the Divine (1953–90)
Instrumental works
- Piano Concerto, (1953)
- violin concertos, (1984, 1988, 1992):
- Aspen Concerto, recorded by Naxos Digital Services Ltd., [2005] with Elmar Oliveira, violinist, and the SeattleSymphony Orchestra. AR-0004-2 [5]
- Symphony, (1998)
- multiple chamber works.[2]
Books
- Aitken, Hugh. The Piece As a Whole: Studies in Holistic Musical Analysis. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997 ISBN 9780313029745
References
- ^ "Composer Hugh Aitken Dies at 88 | The Juilliard School". www.juilliard.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-93848-1page 5
- ^ a b Robert Skinner, "Hugh Aitken" New Grove Dictionary of American Music Macmillan, 1986 p.22-23
- ^ Rockwell, John. "Music View; New Opera may have a Future After all." New York Times: A.1. Jan 02 1983. National Newspapers Premier. Web. 25 Feb. 2013 .
- ^ WorldCat
External links
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