Milton Babbitt
American composer born 10 May 1916 in Philadelphia; died 29 January 2011
Milton Babbitt was a major influence for many contemporary musicians, both intellectually and musically. A wide array of major works written in the dodecaphonic system as well as an important body of essays and articles on the same topic opened the door to a broader understanding of the language of serialism and fostered its acceptance among the eclectic styles of the close of the twentieth century. Babbitt was also widely known for his passion for jazz and his astounding mastery of the American popular music repertoire. All Set, written for jazz ensemble, illustrates the formidably flexible range of this typically American composer.
Born 10 May 1916 in Philadelphia, Babbitt studied composition under Roger Sessions, first privately and then at Princeton University. He received degrees from New York University and Princeton University, as well as honorary degrees from Middlebury College, Swarthmore College, New York University, the New England Conservatory, University of Glasgow, and Northwestern University. He taught at Princeton University and at the Juilliard School.
An extensive catalogue of works for many different combinations of instruments and voice, along with his innovative synthesized sound creations made Babbitt one of the most celebrated composers of the twentieth century. He was a founder and member of the Committee of Direction for the Electronic Music Center of Columbia-Princeton Universities and a member of the Editorial Board of Perspectives of New Music. He received numerous honors, commissions, prizes, and awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his “life’s work as a distinguished and seminal American composer.” He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
© Ircam-Centre Pompidou, 1999
- Solo (excluding voice)
- Three Compositions for Piano (1947), Boelke-Bomart
- Duet for piano (1956), E. B. Marks
- Semi-Simple Variations for piano (1956), Theodore Presser
- Partitions for piano (1957), Lawson-Gould
- Composition for Synthesizer (1961), AMP Music
- Post-Partitions for piano (1966), Peters
- Tableaux for piano (1972), Peters
- elec Reflections for piano and synthesized tape (1975), Peters
- Minute Waltz for piano (1977), Peters
- Playing for Time for piano (1977), Hinshaw
- My Complements to Roger for piano (1978)
- My Ends Are My Beginnings for clarinet (1978), Peters
- elec Images for saxophonist and synthesized tape (1979), Peters
- About Time for piano (1982), Peters
- Melismata for violin (1982), Peters
- Canonical Form for piano (1983), Peters
- It Takes Twelve to Tango for piano (1984), Peters
- Sheer Pluck (Composition for Guitar) (1984), Peters
- Lagniappe for piano (1985), Peters
- Homily for snare drum (1987), Smith Publications
- Overtime for piano (1987), Peters
- Beaten Paths for marimba (1988), Smith Publications
- Emblems (Ars Emblematica) for piano (1989), Peters
- Play It Again, Sam for viola (1989)
- None but the Lonely Flute for flute (1991), Peters
- Preludes, Interludes, and Postlude for piano (1991), Peters
- Around the Horn (1993), Smith Publications
- Chamber music
- String Trio (1941), Inédit
- Composition for Four Instruments for flute, clarinet, violin and cello (1948), Theodore Presser
- String Quartet no. 1 (1948), partition retirée du catalogue
- Composition for Viola and Piano (1950), Peters
- Woodwind Quartet (1953), AMP Music
- String Quartet no. 2 (1954), AMP Music
- String Quartet no. 3 (1970), Peters
- String Quartet no. 4 (1970), Peters
- Arie da Capo for five instrumentalists (1974), Peters
- Dual for cello and piano (1980), Peters
- Don for piano four hands (1981), Peters
- String Quartet no. 5 (1982), Peters
- Four Play for four players (1984), Peters
- The Joy of More Sextets for violin and piano (1986), Peters
- Whirled Series for alto saxophone and piano (1987), Peters
- Consortini for five players (1989), Peters
- Soli e Duettini for two guitars (1989), Peters
- Soli e Duettini for flute and guitar (1989), Peters
- Envoi for piano four hands (1990), Peters
- Soli e Duettini for violin and viola (1990), Peters
- Counterparts for brass quintet (1992), 20 mn, Peters [program note]
- Septet, but Equal (1992), Peters
- Fanfare for All for brass quintet (1993), Peters
- String Quartet no. 6 (1993), Peters
- Triad for viola, clarinet and piano (1994), Peters
- Instrumental ensemble music
- Generatrix for orchestra (1935), partition retirée du catalogue
- Composition for String Orchestra (1940), partition retirée du catalogue
- Composition for Twelve Instruments (1948, 1954), AMP Music
- All Set for alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, double bass, piano, vibraphone and percussion (1957), AMP Music
- Relata I for orchestra (1965), AMP Music
- elec Correspondences for string orchestra and synthesized tape (1967), AMP Music
- Relata II for orchestra (1968), AMP Music
- Paraphrases for ten instrumentalists (1979), Peters
- Ars Combinatoria for small orchestra (1981), Peters
- Transfigured Notes for string orchestra (1986), Peters
- Fanfare for double brass sextet (1987), Peters
- The Crowded Air for eleven instruments (1988), Peters
- Concertant music
- elec Concerti for violin, small orchestra and synthesized tape (1976), Peters
- Groupwise for flutist and four instruments (1983), Peters
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1985), Peters
- Vocal music and instrument(s)
- Three Theatrical Songs for voice and piano (1946), Peters
- The Widow's Lament in Springtime for soprano and piano (1950), Boelke-Bomart
- Du for soprano and piano (1951), Boelke-Bomart
- Vision and Prayer for soprano and piano (1954), Inédit
- Two Sonnets for baritone, clarinet, viola and cello (1955), Peters
- Composition for Tenor and Six Instruments (1960), AMP Music
- Sounds and Words for soprano and piano (1960), AMP Music
- Phonemena for soprano and piano (1969), Peters
- A Solo Requiem for soprano and two pianos (1977), Peters
- The Head of the Bed for soprano and four instruments (1982), Peters
- Souper for speaker and ensemble (1987)
- In His Own Words for speaker and piano (1988)
- The Virginal Book for contralto and piano (1988), Peters
- Four Cavalier Settings for tenor and guitar (1991), Peters
- Mehr "Du" for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano (1991), Peters
- Quatrains for soprano and two clarinets (1993), Smith Publications
- A cappella vocal music
- Music for the Mass I for mixed choir (1940), Inédit
- elec Vision and Prayer for soprano and synthesized tape (1961), AMP Music
- elec Philomel for soprano and synthesized tape (1964), AMP Music
- Four Canons for soprano and contralto (1969), Broude
- elec Phonemena for soprano and synthesized tape (1975), Peters
- More Phonemena for twelve-part chorus (1978), Peters
- An Elizabethan Sextette for six-part women's chorus (1979), Peters
- Three Cultivated Choruses for four-part chorus (1987)
- Glosses for boy's choir (1988), Peters
- Electronic music / fixed media / mechanical musical instruments
- elec Occasional Variations for synthesized tape (1971), Peters
- Unspecified instrumentation
- Music for the Mass II (1940), Inédit
- Symphony (1941), partition retirée du catalogue
- Film music for "Into the Good Ground" (1949), partition retirée du catalogue
- Ensembles for Synthesizer (1964), AMP Music
- 1994
- Triad for viola, clarinet and piano, Peters
- 1993
- Around the Horn, Smith Publications
- Fanfare for All for brass quintet, Peters
- Quatrains for soprano and two clarinets, Smith Publications
- String Quartet no. 6, Peters
- 1992
- Counterparts for brass quintet, 20 mn, Peters [program note]
- Septet, but Equal, Peters
- 1991
- Four Cavalier Settings for tenor and guitar, Peters
- Mehr "Du" for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano, Peters
- None but the Lonely Flute for flute, Peters
- Preludes, Interludes, and Postlude for piano, Peters
- 1990
- Envoi for piano four hands, Peters
- Soli e Duettini for violin and viola, Peters
- 1989
- Consortini for five players, Peters
- Emblems (Ars Emblematica) for piano, Peters
- Play It Again, Sam for viola
- Soli e Duettini for two guitars, Peters
- Soli e Duettini for flute and guitar, Peters
- 1988
- Beaten Paths for marimba, Smith Publications
- Glosses for boy's choir, Peters
- In His Own Words for speaker and piano
- The Crowded Air for eleven instruments, Peters
- The Virginal Book for contralto and piano, Peters
- 1987
- Fanfare for double brass sextet, Peters
- Homily for snare drum, Smith Publications
- Overtime for piano, Peters
- Souper for speaker and ensemble
- Three Cultivated Choruses for four-part chorus
- Whirled Series for alto saxophone and piano, Peters
- 1986
- The Joy of More Sextets for violin and piano, Peters
- Transfigured Notes for string orchestra, Peters
- 1985
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Peters
- Lagniappe for piano, Peters
- 1984
- Four Play for four players, Peters
- It Takes Twelve to Tango for piano, Peters
- Sheer Pluck (Composition for Guitar), Peters
- 1983
- Canonical Form for piano, Peters
- Groupwise for flutist and four instruments, Peters
- 1982
- About Time for piano, Peters
- Melismata for violin, Peters
- String Quartet no. 5, Peters
- The Head of the Bed for soprano and four instruments, Peters
- 1981
- Ars Combinatoria for small orchestra, Peters
- Don for piano four hands, Peters
- 1980
- Dual for cello and piano, Peters
- 1979
- An Elizabethan Sextette for six-part women's chorus, Peters
- elec Images for saxophonist and synthesized tape, Peters
- Paraphrases for ten instrumentalists, Peters
- 1978
- More Phonemena for twelve-part chorus, Peters
- My Complements to Roger for piano
- My Ends Are My Beginnings for clarinet, Peters
- 1977
- A Solo Requiem for soprano and two pianos, Peters
- Minute Waltz for piano, Peters
- Playing for Time for piano, Hinshaw
- 1976
- elec Concerti for violin, small orchestra and synthesized tape, Peters
- 1975
- elec Phonemena for soprano and synthesized tape, Peters
- elec Reflections for piano and synthesized tape, Peters
- 1974
- Arie da Capo for five instrumentalists, Peters
- 1972
- Tableaux for piano, Peters
- 1971
- elec Occasional Variations for synthesized tape, Peters
- 1970
- String Quartet no. 3, Peters
- String Quartet no. 4, Peters
- 1969
- Four Canons for soprano and contralto, Broude
- Phonemena for soprano and piano, Peters
- 1968
- Relata II for orchestra, AMP Music
- 1967
- elec Correspondences for string orchestra and synthesized tape, AMP Music
- 1966
- Post-Partitions for piano, Peters
- 1965
- Relata I for orchestra, AMP Music
- 1964
- Ensembles for Synthesizer, AMP Music
- elec Philomel for soprano and synthesized tape, AMP Music
- 1961
- Composition for Synthesizer, AMP Music
- elec Vision and Prayer for soprano and synthesized tape, AMP Music
- 1960
- Composition for Tenor and Six Instruments, AMP Music
- Sounds and Words for soprano and piano, AMP Music
- 1957
- All Set for alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, double bass, piano, vibraphone and percussion, AMP Music
- Partitions for piano, Lawson-Gould
- 1956
- Duet for piano, E. B. Marks
- Semi-Simple Variations for piano, Theodore Presser
- 1955
- Two Sonnets for baritone, clarinet, viola and cello, Peters
- 1954
- String Quartet no. 2, AMP Music
- Vision and Prayer for soprano and piano, Inédit
- 1953
- Woodwind Quartet, AMP Music
- 1951
- Du for soprano and piano, Boelke-Bomart
- 1950
- Composition for Viola and Piano, Peters
- The Widow's Lament in Springtime for soprano and piano, Boelke-Bomart
- 1949
- Film music for "Into the Good Ground", partition retirée du catalogue
- 1948
- Composition for Four Instruments for flute, clarinet, violin and cello, Theodore Presser
- Composition for Twelve Instruments, AMP Music
- String Quartet no. 1, partition retirée du catalogue
- 1947
- Three Compositions for Piano, Boelke-Bomart
- 1946
- Three Theatrical Songs for voice and piano, Peters
- 1941
- String Trio, Inédit
- Symphony, partition retirée du catalogue
- 1940
- Composition for String Orchestra, partition retirée du catalogue
- Music for the Mass I for mixed choir, Inédit
- Music for the Mass II, Inédit
- 1935
- Generatrix for orchestra, partition retirée du catalogue
Bibliographie
- Susan BLAUSTEIN, Martin BRODY, « Création d’une culture musicale : Milton Babbitt se souvient », in Musiques nord-américaines, Philippe Albèra (éd.), Éditions Contrechamps, 1986, à lire ici.