Barbara Kolb
Encyclopedia
Barbara Kolb is an American
composer
. Her music uses sound mass
es and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous rhythm
ic or melodic units (motifs
or figure
s). She was the first American woman composer to win the Prix de Rome
. She received her B.M. (cum laude) and M.M. degrees from the Hartt College of Music (now The Hartt School) at the University of Hartford
, and studied with Arnold Franchetti
and Gunther Schuller
. Currently, she is teaching music theory and composition classes at Rhode Island College
.
Her compositions include All in Good Time (1993), commissioned for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and Voyants (1991), a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland
. Voyants was most recently performed by Kathleen Supove with the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Edward Markward on October 16, 2006 in Providence, RI. Discs devoted solely to the music of Ms. Kolb have been released by CRI
and New World Records
. Her orchestral composition All in Good Time was recorded by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, along with works by John Corigliano
, Aaron Jay Kernis
, John Harbison
and Michael Hersch
on a CD released by Cedille Records
in the summer of 2006. Her music is published exclusively by Boosey and Hawkes.
Others
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Her music uses sound mass
Sound mass
In contrast to more traditional musical textures, sound mass composition "minimizes the importance of individual pitches in preference for texture, timbre, and dynamics as primary shapers of gesture and impact." Developed from the modernist tone clusters and spread to orchestral writing by the late...
es and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
ic or melodic units (motifs
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
or figure
Figure (music)
A musical figure is the shortest idea in music, a short succession of notes, often recurring. It may have melodic pitch, harmonic progression and rhythmic . The 1964 Grove's Dictionary defines the figure as "the exact counterpart of the German 'motiv' and the French 'motif'": it produces a "single...
s). She was the first American woman composer to win the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
. She received her B.M. (cum laude) and M.M. degrees from the Hartt College of Music (now The Hartt School) at the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
, and studied with Arnold Franchetti
Arnold Franchetti
Arnold Franchetti was a composer born in Lucca, Italy. Young Franchetti studied composition and piano with his father, the Baron Alberto Franchetti...
and Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
. Currently, she is teaching music theory and composition classes at Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
.
Her compositions include All in Good Time (1993), commissioned for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and Voyants (1991), a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
. Voyants was most recently performed by Kathleen Supove with the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Edward Markward on October 16, 2006 in Providence, RI. Discs devoted solely to the music of Ms. Kolb have been released by CRI
CRI
-Business:* Community Rowing, Inc.* Composers Recordings, Inc.* Computer Resources International, a Danish aerospace company* Copyright infringement* Cricklewood railway station, London; National Rail station code CRI...
and New World Records
New World Records
New World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
. Her orchestral composition All in Good Time was recorded by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, along with works by John Corigliano
John Corigliano
John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
, Aaron Jay Kernis
Aaron Jay Kernis
Aaron Jay Kernis is an American composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.-Biography:Aaron Jay Kernis is Jewish, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied at the Manhattan School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, and Yale University .,Notable works include the...
, John Harbison
John Harbison
John Harris Harbison is an American composer, best known for his operas and large choral works.-Life:...
and Michael Hersch
Michael Hersch
Michael Nathaniel Hersch is an American composer and pianist.-Biography:Initial inspiration and musical educationBorn in Washington, D.C., and raised in Reston, Virginia, Hersch was introduced to classical music at the age of 18 by his younger brother Jamie, who showed him a videotape of Georg...
on a CD released by Cedille Records
Cedille Records
#REDIRECTCedille Records is the independent record label of TheChicago Classical Recording Foundation.-Company History:In 1989, James Ginsburg founded Cedille Records, as a...
in the summer of 2006. Her music is published exclusively by Boosey and Hawkes.
Selected compositions
- Millefoglie, for chamber orchestra and computer generated tape
- Extremes, duo for flute and cello
- Chromatic Fantasy, for narrator and six instruments
- Solitaire, for piano and two-channel tape and vibraphone
- Cavatina for violin or viola solo (1988)
- Related Characters for viola and piano (1982)
Discography
All Barbara Kolb discs- Barbara Kolb: Millefoglie and Other Works (1992). Music Today and Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Includes Kolb's Millefoglie for orchestra & tape (1984-5), Extremes for cello & flute (1988-9), Chromatic Fantasy for narrator & 6 instruments (1979), and Solitaire for piano and pre-recorded tape (1971) (New World Records 80422-2).
- Barbara Kolb: Soundings and Other Works (1990). Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Arthur Tamayo; Igor Kipnis - harpsichord; Jay Gottlieb - piano, etc.; includes Kolb's Soundings (1971–72), Toccata (1971), Apello (1976), Looking for Claudio (1975), and Spring River Flowers Moon Night (1974–75) (Composers Recordings Inc. CD 576, available from New World Records).
Others
- Related Characters - featuring Bill Perconti, James March, and Iowa Brass Quintet - includes Barbara Kolb's Related Characters for alto saxophone and piano (1982) (Centaur).
- American Orchestra Works - featuring the Grant Park Orchestra conducted by Carlos Kalmar - includes Barbara Kolb's All In Good Time (1993) (Cedille).
External links
- Barbara Kolb's page on the American Music Center's Online Library
- Barbara Kolb's page on the Boosey & Hawkes website
- Barbara Kolb's page on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project website
- A short essay written by Barbara Kolb in response to the question, "When did first you know that you would be a composer and what is the earliest work that you still acknowledge?" from July 2001, published on NewMusicBox