Meyer Kupferman
Encyclopedia
Meyer Kupferman was a prolific American composer
and clarinetist.
. A self taught composer, Kupferman first gained attention in the late 1940s when his early opera "In A Garden" was premiered at the Tanglewood
and Edinburgh Festival
s. From 1951 to 1993 he was on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College
. He also served as Chairman of the Music Department for five terms.
Kupferman began music at the age of five on violin. As an adult he claimed little memory of his violin instruction, but at age 10 he began to play the clarinet. He taught himself piano and studied music theory at The High School of Music & Art
in New York City, subsequently attending Queens College in New York.
As a young man Kupferman played jazz in bars and clubs on Coney Island
, and arranged for big band
s. In 1951 he was hired as Professor of Composition and Chamber Music at Sarah Lawrence College, a position he held until 1994. In the 1950s he began to experiment with twelve-tone row techniques, and in 1961 devised his "Infinities Row," consisting of the group of notes of G-F-Ab-B-Bb-D-F#-E-C-Eb-A-C#, which would become the only tone row he used subsequently in his major works, . In 1990 he published Atonal Jazz.
Much of Kupferman's music contains large gestures and short dramatic hooks which are a critical to his compositional technique (his "gestalt form"). His works are eclectic syntheses of disparate elements. Their extremes of contrast, and outrageousness were reflections of his personal life. Kupferman once jokingly bragged bout smuggling clandestinely made recordings of his music from behind the Iron Curtain.
Kupferman resided in Rhinebeck, New York
, where he and his wife Pei-Fen welcomed members of the community. On the day before Thanksgiving, November 26, 2003, he died of heart failure.
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 clarinetist.
Life
Meyer Kupferman was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A self taught composer, Kupferman first gained attention in the late 1940s when his early opera "In A Garden" was premiered at the Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
and Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
s. From 1951 to 1993 he was on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
. He also served as Chairman of the Music Department for five terms.
Kupferman began music at the age of five on violin. As an adult he claimed little memory of his violin instruction, but at age 10 he began to play the clarinet. He taught himself piano and studied music theory at The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art", was a public alternative high school at 443-465 West 135th Street, New York, New York, USA that existed from 1936 through 1984, and then merged into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing...
in New York City, subsequently attending Queens College in New York.
As a young man Kupferman played jazz in bars and clubs on Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, and arranged for big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
s. In 1951 he was hired as Professor of Composition and Chamber Music at Sarah Lawrence College, a position he held until 1994. In the 1950s he began to experiment with twelve-tone row techniques, and in 1961 devised his "Infinities Row," consisting of the group of notes of G-F-Ab-B-Bb-D-F#-E-C-Eb-A-C#, which would become the only tone row he used subsequently in his major works, . In 1990 he published Atonal Jazz.
Much of Kupferman's music contains large gestures and short dramatic hooks which are a critical to his compositional technique (his "gestalt form"). His works are eclectic syntheses of disparate elements. Their extremes of contrast, and outrageousness were reflections of his personal life. Kupferman once jokingly bragged bout smuggling clandestinely made recordings of his music from behind the Iron Curtain.
Kupferman resided in Rhinebeck, New York
Rhinebeck (town), New York
Rhinebeck is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 7,548 at the 2010 census.The Town of Rhinebeck in the northwest part of Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. Rhinebeck is also the name of a village in the town. US Route 9 passes through the town...
, where he and his wife Pei-Fen welcomed members of the community. On the day before Thanksgiving, November 26, 2003, he died of heart failure.