Ida Rose Esther Gotkovsky (b. Calais

Calais

Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....

 26 August 1933) is a French 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...

 and 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:...

. She is currently a professor of 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...

 at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

She has her own personal music credo

Credo

A credo |Latin]] for "I Believe") is a statement of belief, commonly used for religious belief, such as the Apostles' Creed. The term especially refers to the use of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Mass, either as text, Gregorian chant, or other musical settings of the...

: "To create a universal musical art and to realize the oneness of musical expression through the ages by means of a contemporary musical language with powerful structures."

Early life

According to her website, Gotkovsky comes from a musical family. Her father was violinist Jacques Gotkovsky of the renowned Loewenguth Quartet

Loewenguth Quartet

The Loewenguth Quartet was a string quartet musical ensemble led by the French violinist Alfred Loewenguth. It was particularly famous for performances of classical repertoire such as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn quartets, and was active from the 1930s to the 1970s.-Personnel:The founding line-up of...

 and her mother also played the violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

. Both her brother Ivar (piano) and her sister Nell (violin) became accomplished musicians. Ida began composing at the age of eight. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where here teachers included Messian and Nadia Boulanger. In 1967 Gotkovsky was awarded the Prix Lili Boulanger for her compositions.

Compositions

Gotkovsky’s considerable output includes chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

, symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

, instrumental music, vocal music

Vocal music

Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...

, ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

s, and opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s. Notably, she has contributed many solo and chamber pieces for the saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

. Her Concerto for Trombone (1978) has been compared to Messiaen, and her Suite for Tuba and piano (1959) reveals influence of Hindemith. She is also recognized for having written important works for Band.

Selected works

Stage

• Le Rêve de Makar, Opera in 8 scenes (1964)
• Rien ne va plus, Ballet (1968)
• Le Cirque, Ballet (1972)
• Le Songe d'une nuit d'hiver, Opera (1989)

Orchestra

• Scherzo (1956)
• Symphonie pour cordes et percussion (Symphony for Strings and Percussion) (1957)
• Jeu (1957)
• Escapades (1958)
• Jongleries (1959)
• Funambules (1960)
• Symphonie pour quatre-vingt instruments de vent (Symphony for Twenty-Four Wind Instruments) (1960)
• Concerto pour orchestre symphonique (1970)
• Musique en couleur (1970)
• Poème symphonique (1973)
• Symphonie de printemps (Spring Symphony) for orchestra (1973) or wind orchestra (1988)
• Poème du feu (Poem of Fire) for wind orchestra (1978)
• Danses rituelles for wind orchestra (1988)
• Brillante symphonie for wind orchestra (1988–1989)
• Choral for orchestra or wind orchestra (1989)
• Couleurs en musique for orchestra or wind orchestra (1992)
• Fanfare for wind orchestra (1992)
• Or et lumière (Gold and Light) for orchestra (1992) or wind orchestra (1993)
• Symphonie à la jeunesse (Youth Symphony) for orchestra or wind orchestra (1993)

Concertante

• Concerto for trumpet (1960)
• Concerto No. 1 for trumpet and orchestra (1962)
• Concerto for saxophone and orchestra (1966)
• Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1968) or clarinet and wind orchestra (1997)
• Concerto for 2 violins and orchestra (1971)
• Variations concertantes for bassoon and orchestra (1972–1973)
• Concerto No. 2 for trumpet and orchestra (1973)
• Concerto for piano and orchestra (1975)
• Concerto for cello and orchestra (1977–1980)
• Concerto for trombone and wind orchestra (1978)
• Concerto for saxophone and large orchestra (1980)
• Concerto lyrique for clarinet and orchestra (1982) or clarinet and wind orchestra (1994)
• Symphonie for organ and wing orchestra (1982)
• Variations pathétiques for saxophone and orchestra (1983)
• Concerto for horn and orchestra (1984)

Chamber music

• Trio d'anches (Trio for Reed Instruments) (1954)
• String Quartet (1955)
• Danse russe for violin and piano (1957)
• Suite pour dix instruments (Suite for Ten Instruments) (1959)
• Caractères for violin and piano (1970)
• Éolienne for flute (or saxophone, or clarinet) and harp (or piano) (1970)
• Mélodie for flute and piano (1970–1985)
• Barcarolle for oboe and piano (1970–1985)
• Chanson for clarinet and piano (1970–1985)
• Allegro giocoso for bassoon and piano (1970–1985)
• Ritournelle for trumpet and piano (1970–1985)
• Romance for trombone and piano (1970–1985)
• Baladins for tuba and piano (1970–1985)
• Lied for bass trombone and piano (1970–1985)
• Brillance for alto saxophone and piano (1974)
• Sonata for violin and piano (1976)
• Images de Norvège (Pictures of Norway) for clarinet and piano (1977)
• Capriccio for violin and piano (1981)
• Invocation lyrique (Incantations Lyriques?) for viola and piano (1983)
• Variations pathétiques for alto saxophone and piano (or orchestra) (1983)
• Quatuor de saxophones for 4 saxophones (1983)
• Sonata for clarinet solo (1984)
• Trio for violin, clarinet and piano (1984)
• Trio lyrique for violin, alto saxophone and piano (1984)
• Inventions for baritone saxophone and piano (1988)
• Brass Quintet (1993)
• Quatuor de clarinettes for 4 clarinets (1998)

Keyboard

• Variation for piano (1956)
• Dasvidania for accordion (1962)
• Prélude for piano (1970)

Vocal

• Mélodies (1956)

Choral

• Chœur pour voix mixtes (Chorus for Mixed Voices) (1954)
• Hommage à Baudelaire (1982)
• Le Chant de la forêt for chorus and wind orchestra (1989)
• Le Songe d'une nuit d'hiver for chorus and wind orchestra (1989)
• Oratorio olympique for chorus and wind rchestra (1991)
• Hommage à Jean de la Fontaine
  Jean de La Fontaine
  Jean de La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional...
  
  for children's chorus, mixed chorus and orchestra (1995)

REFERENCES

External links

• Ida Gotkovsky official website