Olga Gorelli
Encyclopedia
Olga Gorelli, was well known for her musical talents as a composer
and pianist.
Olga Gorelli, maiden name Gratch, immigrated to the United States in 1937 with her family and settled in New Jersey
. She married a physician, and had two children. She was a resident of Pennington, New Jersey
.
Gorelli began composing as a child in Italy and her first little piano pieces were published in Italy when she was ten years old. She pursued her music studies in the U.S., graduating from Immaculata College, the Curtis Institute of Music, Smith College
, and the Yale University School of Music
, and pursued graduate work at the Eastman School of Music
. Her teachers included Rosario Scalero, Gian Carlo Menotti
, Quincy Porter
, Paul Hindemith
, and Darius Milhaud
.
Gorelli taught music theory at Hollins College
, and piano at Trenton State College
. She also taught privately at her home and composed each morning up until the last weeks of her life.
She has written orchestral and choral pieces, many songs for voice with various instruments, a mass
, two opera
s, two dance dramas, and several works for different combinations of strings
, brass
, and woodwinds
.
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.
Olga Gorelli, maiden name Gratch, immigrated to the United States in 1937 with her family and settled in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. She married a physician, and had two children. She was a resident of Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
.
Gorelli began composing as a child in Italy and her first little piano pieces were published in Italy when she was ten years old. She pursued her music studies in the U.S., graduating from Immaculata College, the Curtis Institute of Music, Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, and the Yale University School of Music
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and pursued graduate work at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
. Her teachers included Rosario Scalero, Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
, Quincy Porter
Quincy Porter
Quincy Porter was an American composer and teacher of classical music.Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he went to Yale University where his teachers included Horatio Parker and David Stanley Smith. Porter received two awards while studying music at Yale: the Osborne Prize for Fugue, and the...
, Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, and 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...
.
Gorelli taught music theory at Hollins College
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
, and piano at Trenton State College
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey, abbreviated TCNJ, is a public, coeducational university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a suburb of Trenton....
. She also taught privately at her home and composed each morning up until the last weeks of her life.
She has written orchestral and choral pieces, many songs for voice with various instruments, a mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
, two 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, two dance dramas, and several works for different combinations of strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, and woodwinds
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
.
Recordings
- Rosenfeld, Jayn and Vas, Meg. "The River." By Olga Gorelli. Jersey Sessions, Volume 2. Composers Guild of New Jersey (CGNJ1290), 1990. CD.
- Cervantes, Ana. "Serenade: I Carry Your Heart With Me." By Olga Gorelli. Amore de la Danza. Ana L. Cervantes and John Baker Recordings (CERV1198), December 1998, July 2002. CD.
- Anderson, William and Wolf, Marc. "Paolo e Francesca."Francesca da RiminiFrancesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. She was a historical contemporary of Dante Alighieri, who portrayed her as a character in the Divine Comedy.-Arranged marriage:...
By Olga Gorelli. Hausmusik. 20th Century Chamber Music for the Home. Furious Artisans (FACD6802), 2000. Innova (INNOVA310), 2010. CD.
- Anderson, William and Wolf, Marc. "Silent Moon." By Olga Gorelli. Hausmusik. 20th Century Chamber Music for the Home. Furious Artisans (FACD6802), 2000. Innova (INNOVA310), 2010. CD.
- Anderson, William and Wolf, Marc. "Mechanical Man." By Olga Gorelli. Hausmusik. 20th Century Chamber Music for the Home. Furious Artisans (FACD6802), 2000. Innova (INNOVA310), 2010. CD.
Pedagogical Writings
- Manual for teaching music skills. Book 1. With songs by Olga Gorelli. Minneapolis, T.S. Denison. 53p. T.S. Denison & Co. Inc. 27 March 1968; Library of Congress record A97B936. Accessed July 5th, 2011.
- Manual for teaching music skills. Book 3. With songs by Olga Gorelli. Minneapolis, T.S. Denison. 65 p. T.S. Denison & Co., Inc. 10 Dec 1968; Library of Congress record A35636. Accessed July 5th, 2011.
External Links
- "Lullaby for Olga" ("Acalanto Para Olga") by Luiz Simas dedicated to late composer and pianist Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "Women Composers on Classical Discoveries". In Praise of Woman - 2006. March 29, 2006. Longing and Song of the Mermaids by Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "Women of Note". Princeton Research Forum. Poem, Cuando Viene La Rimavera? scored by Olga Gorelli, performed by Nancy Herl at Westminster Choir College. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "Musical Sashimi. An Ondine Repast". Palisades Virtuosi. Saturday, April 1, 2006. Song of the Mermaids by Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "Jayn Rosenfeld, Chamber Coach. Recordings". Composers Guild of New Jersey, New Jersey Sessions Volume 2. The River by Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "New Music Festival". New Jersey Percussion Ensemble. January 26th, 1998, William Paterson University, New Jersey. Elegy for Martin (for Chimes & Piano) by Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.
- "2010 Engagements". Doug Miller. July 19th - August 9th, 2010. Accessed August 21st, 2011. "Recording sessions with Shikantaza for an upcoming collaborative effort with Front Row Seat productions. This collaboration will record selected works by some of the world's notable women composers, poets, and singers, including Olga Gorelli and Sylvia Rexach."
- "Piano Music by Charles Griffin Performed by Ana Cervantes", Musical America Worldwide, October 31, 2008. Accessed August 21st, 2011. "Also on the program are works by C.P.E. Bach, American Laurie Altman, William Byrd, Englishman Stephen McNeff, Chopin, Rodolfo Halffter, Russian-Italian Olga Gorelli, Brahms and Mexican Arturo Marquez."
- "Sergio Cardenas Curriculum Vitae". Opera Between the Shadow and the Dream by Olga Gorelli. Accessed August 21st, 2011.