Bruce Mather
Encyclopedia
Bruce Mather is a Canadian
composer
, pianist
, and writer
who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music
. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music
, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in 1993 for Yquem. Some of his other awards include the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
's Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux prize in 1987 for Barbaresco and the Serge Garant Prize from the Émile Nelligan Foundation in 2000.
Mather is an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
and a member of the Canadian League of Composers
. As a writer he has contributed works to numerous musical journals and publications, including authoring the articles on Serge Garant
, François Morel
, and Gilles Tremblay
in the Dictionary of Contemporary Music. He has taught on the music faculties of the University of Toronto
(1964–1966), the University of Montreal (1970–1973), the Paris Conservatoire (1978–1979) and McGill University
(1966–2001). His notable pupils include Peter Allen
, John Burke
, Paul Crawford
, Jacques Desjardins
, José Evangelista
, Anthony Genge, Richard Hunt
, Denis Lorrain, John Oliver
, François Rose, Donald Steven
, and Alexander Tilley.
As a pianist Mather has displayed a strong commitment to performing new music by himself and by other contemporary composers. He has performed in many major performance venues and music festivals, often appearing with his wife, pianist Pierrette LePage, in duo-piano works. The husband and wife team have also partnered on several recordings. He served as director of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec from 1966–1981 and later served as treasurer.
, Mather began composing music as a young child. At the age of 10 he won a prize in the 1949 Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
composition competition. In 1952 he entered The Royal Conservatory of Music where he studied piano with Alberto Guerrero
, Earle Moss, and Alexander Uninsky
and music theory
and composition with Godfrey Ridout
, Oskar Morawetz
, and John Weinzweig
. In 1957 he matriculated to the University of Toronto
where he earned a Bachelor of Music
degree in 1959.
Mather attended the Aspen Music Festival and School
in the summers of 1957 and 1958 through a scholarship provided by the Women's Musical Club of Toronto and the Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority
. While there Alexander Uninsky introduced the young composer to Darius Milhaud
and Milhaud quickly became one of his more important mentors. He continued to study with Milhaud and with Simone Plé-Caussade
, Lazare Lévy
, and Olivier Messiaen
at the Paris Conservatoire from 1959-1961. In 1964 he received a Master of Music
from Stanford University
where he was a pupil of Leland Smith and Roy Harris
, and in 1967 he earned a Doctor of Music
from the University of Toronto
.
's Music, his meeting with Wyschnegradsky in the seventies was crucial for his aesthetic and his use of microtonal scales. As a pianist, he and his pianist wife, Pierret Mather, have performed many of Wyschnegradsky's pieces.
In his composition he still uses the famous Wyschnegrasky's principle of non-octavic spaces. He wrote many works using this technique and notably his Poème du délire ("Poem of Delirium") a tribute to Alexander Scriabin
(as a reference to his famous Poem of Ecstasy and Poem of Fire
), an influential figure for him and Wyschnegradsky. His compositions are also strongly influenced by his love of poetry
and wine
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music
Microtonal music
Microtonal music is music using microtones—intervals of less than an equally spaced semitone. Microtonal music can also refer to music which uses intervals not found in the Western system of 12 equal intervals to the octave.-Terminology:...
, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in 1993 for Yquem. Some of his other awards include the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
The Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada was a Canadian copyright collective for the right to communicate to the public and publicly perform musical works...
's Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux prize in 1987 for Barbaresco and the Serge Garant Prize from the Émile Nelligan Foundation in 2000.
Mather is an associate of the Canadian Music Centre
Canadian Music Centre
The Canadian Music Centre holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music. The CMC exists to promote the works of its Associate Composers in Canada and around the world....
and a member of the Canadian League of Composers
Canadian League of Composers
The Canadian League of Composers is an organization formed in 1951 of Canadian composers primarily interested in raising awareness and acceptance of Canadian music. The activities of the League are overseen and directed by an executive and a National Council...
. As a writer he has contributed works to numerous musical journals and publications, including authoring the articles on Serge Garant
Serge Garant
Serge Garant, OC was a Canadian composer, conductor, professor of music at the University of Montreal and radio host of Musique de notre siècle on Radio-Canada. In 1966 he cofounded with Jean Papineau-Couture, Maryvonne Kendergi, Wilfrid Pelletier and Hugh Davidson the Société de musique...
, François Morel
François Morel
François Morel is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music education. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier in 1996...
, and Gilles Tremblay
Gilles Tremblay
Gilles Tremblay, is a Canadian composer. He studied at the Conservatories of Montreal and Paris , where his teachers including Olivier Messiaen , Yvonne Loriod , and Maurice Martenot . He also attended Stockhausen's summer courses at Darmstadt, where he became interested in electro-acoustic...
in the Dictionary of Contemporary Music. He has taught on the music faculties of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(1964–1966), the University of Montreal (1970–1973), the Paris Conservatoire (1978–1979) and McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
(1966–2001). His notable pupils include Peter Allen
Peter Allen (composer)
Peter Allen is a Canadian composer, organist, and keyboard player. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositions encompass a broad repertoire from film scores and commercial jingles to sacred music and avant-garde electroacoustic music...
, John Burke
John Burke (composer)
John Joseph Burke is a Canadian composer and music educator. As a composer he has written mainly works for chamber ensembles, and his music displays an acute sensitivity to instrumental balance and timbre...
, Paul Crawford
Paul Crawford
Paul Duncan Crawford is a Canadian composer, radio producer, organist, and music educator. In 1967 he received a licentiate diploma from Trinity College London and in 1971 he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University.-References:...
, Jacques Desjardins
Jacques Desjardins
Jacques Desjardins is a Canadian composer whose music has been performed by important ensembles internationally like the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Ijsbreker Ensemble...
, José Evangelista
José Evangelista
José Evangelista is a Spanish composer and music educator who is based in Montreal, Canada. A member of the Canadian League of Composers, the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, Evangelista is known for his commitment to contemporary classical...
, Anthony Genge, Richard Hunt
Richard Hunt (pianist)
Richard Hunt is a Canadian pianist and composer of British birth. As a soloist he has performed in concert with several notable ensembles in Canada, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Quebec Contemporary Music Society...
, Denis Lorrain, John Oliver
John Oliver (composer)
John Oliver is a Canadian composer, guitarist, and conductor. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, his music has been performed throughout North America and Europe...
, François Rose, Donald Steven
Donald Steven
Donald Steven is a Canadian-American composer, music educator, and academic administrator. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he won a BMI Student Composer Award in 1970, the Canadian Federation of University Women's Golden Jubilee Creative...
, and Alexander Tilley.
As a pianist Mather has displayed a strong commitment to performing new music by himself and by other contemporary composers. He has performed in many major performance venues and music festivals, often appearing with his wife, pianist Pierrette LePage, in duo-piano works. The husband and wife team have also partnered on several recordings. He served as director of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec from 1966–1981 and later served as treasurer.
Education
Born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Mather began composing music as a young child. At the age of 10 he won a prize in the 1949 Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada
The Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada was a Canadian copyright collective for the right to communicate to the public and publicly perform musical works...
composition competition. In 1952 he entered The Royal Conservatory of Music where he studied piano with Alberto Guerrero
Alberto Guerrero
Antonio Alberto García Guerrero was a Chilean-Canadian composer, pianist, and teacher. While he is most famously remembered as the mentor of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, Guerrero influenced several generations of musicians through his many years of teaching at the Toronto Conservatory of...
, Earle Moss, and Alexander Uninsky
Alexander Uninsky
-Life and career:Alexander Uninsky was born in Kiev . He initially studied piano there in the conservatory which had been opened in 1913, and whose other graduates included Vladimir Horowitz and Alexander Brailowsky....
and music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
and composition with Godfrey Ridout
Godfrey Ridout
Godfrey Ridout was a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and writer. He contributed articles to numerous Canadian music publications, notably serving as the assistant editor of both Canadian Music and Canadian Review of Music and Art...
, Oskar Morawetz
Oskar Morawetz
Oskar Morawetz, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian composer.Morawetz was born in Světlá nad Sázavou, Bohemia . He studied piano and theory in Prague and, following the Nazi takeover of his country in 1938, studied in Vienna and Paris, always staying one step ahead of the invading Nazis...
, and John Weinzweig
John Weinzweig
John Weinzweig, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian composer of classical music.Born in Toronto, Weinzweig went to Harbord Collegiate Institute, and studied music at the university. In 1937, he left for the United States to study under Bernard Rogers...
. In 1957 he matriculated to the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
where he earned a Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
degree in 1959.
Mather attended the Aspen Music Festival and School
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
in the summers of 1957 and 1958 through a scholarship provided by the Women's Musical Club of Toronto and the Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority
Beta Sigma Phi
is a non-academic sorority with 200,000 members in chapters around the world. Founded in Abilene, Kansas in 1931 by Walter W. Ross, the organization has spread to every state of the United States, to every Canadian province, and to 30 other countries. The sorority was founded for the social,...
. While there Alexander Uninsky introduced the young composer to Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
and Milhaud quickly became one of his more important mentors. He continued to study with Milhaud and with Simone Plé-Caussade
Simone Plé-Caussade
Simone Plé-Caussade was a French music pedagogue, composer and pianist. She wrote mainly works for solo piano and organ in addition to choral works, songs, chamber music, and sacred music...
, Lazare Lévy
Lazare Lévy
Lazare Lévy was an influential French pianist, organist, composer and pedgogue. As a virtuoso pianist he toured throughout Europe, in North Africa, Israel, the Soviet Union and Japan...
, and Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
at the Paris Conservatoire from 1959-1961. In 1964 he received a Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
where he was a pupil of Leland Smith and Roy Harris
Roy Harris
Roy Ellsworth Harris , was an American composer. He wrote much music on American subjects, becoming best known for his Symphony No...
, and in 1967 he earned a Doctor of Music
Doctor of Music
The Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...
from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Music
Mather is a composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and piano works. A disciple of Ivan Wyschnegradsky, his music often employs microtonal scales. Though he was distrustful towards microtonal music since he heard Alois HabaAlois Hába
Alois Hába was a Czech composer, musical theorist and teacher. He is primarily known for his microtonal compositions, especially using the quarter tone scale, though he used others such as sixth-tones and twelfth-tones....
's Music, his meeting with Wyschnegradsky in the seventies was crucial for his aesthetic and his use of microtonal scales. As a pianist, he and his pianist wife, Pierret Mather, have performed many of Wyschnegradsky's pieces.
In his composition he still uses the famous Wyschnegrasky's principle of non-octavic spaces. He wrote many works using this technique and notably his Poème du délire ("Poem of Delirium") a tribute to Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
(as a reference to his famous Poem of Ecstasy and Poem of Fire
Prometheus: Poem of Fire
Prometheus: The Poem of Fire, Op. 60 , is a symphonic work by the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin for piano, orchestra, optional choir, and clavier à lumières or "Chromola" . However, the clavier à lumières is rarely featured in the performance of the piece, including performances during...
), an influential figure for him and Wyschnegradsky. His compositions are also strongly influenced by his love of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
Stage
- La princesse blanche (opera), 2 sopranos, baritone, bass, small orchestra (16 players), 1993
Orchestral
- Concerto, piano, small orchestra, 1958;
- Elegy, alto saxophone, string orchestra, 1959 (also arranged for alto saxophone, piano);
- Symphonic Ode, 1964;
- Orchestral Piece 1967,
- large orchestra, 1966–67;
- Ombres, 1967;
- Music for Vancouver, small orchestra (16-17 players), 1969;
- Musique pour Rouen, 12 strings, 1971;
- Musigny, large orchestra (89 players), 1980;
- Scherzo, small orchestra (18 players), 1987–88;
- Dialogue pour Trio Basso et Orchestre, viola, cello, double bass, orchestra, 1988;
- Tallbrem Variations, 5 percussion, orchestra, 1994;
- Quarts de Chaume, string orchestra, 1998
Chamber music
- Sonata, violin, piano, 1957;
- Elegy, alto saxophone, piano, 1959 (arrangement of work for alto saxophone, string orchestra);
- Étude, clarinet, 1962;
- Music for Organ, Horn and Gongs, 1973;
- Mandola, mandolin, piano, 1974;
- Eine kleine Bläsermusik, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1975;
- Clos de Vougeot, 4 percussion, 1977; Ausone: Version A, flute, 1979;
- Ausone: Version B, flute, 2 harps, 1979;
- Ausone: Version C, flute, 2 harps, 2 guitars, 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, 1979;
- Coulée de serrant, harp, piano, 1980;
- Sassicaia, clarinet, piano, 1981; Gattinara, viola, percussion, 1982;
- Elegy, flute (+ alto flute), cello, piano, percussion, 1983;
- Barbaresco, viola, cello, double bass, 1984;
- Clos d’audignac, marimba, 3 percussion, 1984;
- Senorio de Sarria, 2 guitars (tuned a quarter-tone apart), 1985;
- Vouvray, oboe, harp, 1986;
- Viola Duet, 2 violas, 1987;
- Vega Sicilia, guitar, ensemble (harp, viola, cello, marimba), 1989;
- Yquem, 4 pianos, 4 ondes Martenot, 1991;
- Romance, bassoon, synthesizer, 1992;
- Standing Wave, clarinet, cello, piano, percussion, 1994;
- Advanced Harmony, wind ensemble, 1995;
- Quintette, clarinet, string quartet, 1995;
- Duo basso, bass flute, bass oboe, 1996;
- Quatre Études, cimbalom, marimba, 1996;
- Tempranillo, specially-tuned guitar, 1997;
- Hoya de Cadenas, alto flute, quarter-tone guitar, 1997;
- Doisy Daëne, flute, piano, 1997;
- Quinta da Camarate, specially-tuned guitar, 1998;
- Violin Duet, 2 violins, 1998;
- Bourgueil, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1999;
- Quintet for Saxophones and Piano, 1999;
- Sancerre, harp, harpsichord, 1999;
- Four Études, 6 percussion, 2001
Choral
- Lament for Pasiphaë, soprano, baritone, small mixed chorus, orchestra, 1962;
- Counting the Beats, soprano, baritone, small mixed chorus, orchestra, 1962;
- La lune mince… (text by Paul Valéry), divided mixed chorus, 1965;
- Two Stanford Songs, mixed chorus, 1988
Vocal
- Two Songs, bass-baritone, orchestra, 1956;
- Venice, soprano, clarinet, cello, piano, 1957;
- Lost Love, soprano, string orchestra, 1958;
- The Finding of Love, soprano, string orchestra, 1958;
- Cycle Rilke, tenor, guitar, 1959;
- The Song of Blodeuwedd, baritone, orchestra (harp, piano, timpani, percussion, strings), 1961;
- Sick Love, soprano, orchestra, 1961;
- Orphée (text by Paul Valéry), soprano, piano, percussion, 1963;
- Madrigal I (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, flute, harp, mandolin, violin, cello, 1967;
- Madrigal II (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, flute, harp, violin, viola, cello, 1968;
- Madrigal III (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), alto, harp, piano, marimba, 1971;
- Madrigal V (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, alto, small orchestra (17 players), 1973, revised 1980;
- Au château de Pompairain, mezzo-soprano, orchestra, 1976;
- Musique pour Champigny, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, B-flat clarinet, French horn, harp, piano, percussion, 1976 (Winner, Jules *Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, 1979); Les grandes fontaines (text by Anne Hébert), soprano, piano, 1981;
- Un cri qui durerait la mer (text by Marie France Rose), bass-baritone, piano, 1985;
- Travaux de nuit, baritone, piano, 1990 (also arranged for baritone, orchestra, 1990);
- Des laines de lumière (text by Gatien Lapointe), bass-baritone, 2 quarter-tone pianos, 1996;
- La voix d’oiseau, coloratura soprano, piano, 1998;
- Trois Poèmes de Gatien Lapointe, voice, piano, 1998;
- Onze Poèmes pour la main gauche, soprano, piano, 2000
Piano
- Smaragdin, 1960;
- Like Snow, 1960;
- Mystras, 1962;
- Fantasy, 1964;
- Sonata, 2 pianos, 1969–70;
- In memoriam Alexander Uninsky, 1974;
- Régime 11, Type A, 2 pianos (tuned a quarter-tone apart), 1978;
- Poème du délire, 3 specially-tuned pianos, 1982;
- Hommage à Carrillo, sixteenth-tone piano, 1996;
- D’après un cri, 1996;
- Régime 17, third-tone piano, 1997;
- Eight Études, sixteenth-tone piano, 2000
Electroacoustic
- Madrigal IV (text by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau), soprano, flute, piano, tape, 1972;
- Barolo, cello, tape, 1977;
- Aux victimes de la guerre de Vendée (1793), French horn, 2 pianos, tape, 1990