Paul Nordoff
Encyclopedia
Paul Nordoff was an American
composer and music therapist. His music is generally tonal and neo-Romantic in style.
, he studied the piano with at the Philadelphia Conservatory, receiving a B.M.
degree in 1927 and an M.M.
degree in 1932. He later studied with Rubin Goldmark
at the Juilliard School
and in 1960 he received a Bachelor of Music Therapy from the Combs College of Music
in Philadelphia. He served as head of composition at the Philadelphia Conservatory (1938–1943), a teacher at Michigan State College (1945–1949), and professor of music at Bard College
(1948–1959).
He received two Guggenheim Fellowship
s (in 1933 and 1935). He composed the score to Martha Graham
's 1939 ballet Every Soul Is a Circus.
Nordoff's music was published by Associated, Carl Fischer, Theodore Presser
, and G. Schirmer.
Also active in the field of music therapy
, he co-developed the Nordoff-Robbins system of music therapy in the 1950s and 1960s.
Nordoff died in Herdecke
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, West Germany
in 1977 at the age of 67.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer and music therapist. His music is generally tonal and neo-Romantic in style.
Career
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, he studied the piano with at the Philadelphia Conservatory, receiving a B.M.
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 1927 and an M.M.
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...
degree in 1932. He later studied with Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark was an American composer, pianist, and educator. Although in his time he was an often performed American nationalist composer, his works are seldom played – instead he is known as the teacher of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin...
at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and in 1960 he received a Bachelor of Music Therapy from the Combs College of Music
Combs College of Music
Combs College of Music was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1885 as Combs Broad Street Conservatory of Music by Gilbert Raynolds Combs, celebrated pianist,organist and composer....
in Philadelphia. He served as head of composition at the Philadelphia Conservatory (1938–1943), a teacher at Michigan State College (1945–1949), and professor of music at Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
(1948–1959).
He received two Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s (in 1933 and 1935). He composed the score to Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
's 1939 ballet Every Soul Is a Circus.
Nordoff's music was published by Associated, Carl Fischer, Theodore Presser
Theodore Presser Company
The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and formerly based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music publisher in the United States.-Theodore Presser:...
, and G. Schirmer.
Also active in the field of music therapy
Music therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
, he co-developed the Nordoff-Robbins system of music therapy in the 1950s and 1960s.
Nordoff died in Herdecke
Herdecke
Herdecke is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Its located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area and is known as Die Stadt zwischen den Ruhrseen ....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in 1977 at the age of 67.
Books
(All in collaboration with C. Robbins):- Music Therapy for Handicapped Children: Investigations and Experience. New York, 1965.
- Music Therapy in Special Education. New York, 1971.
- Therapy in Music for Handicapped Children. New York, 1971.
- Creative Music Therapy: Individualized Treatment for the Handicapped Child. New York, 1977.
Discography
- Five Songs by Dia DiCristino [The only recording known for Nordoff's White Nocturne]
External links
- Paul Nordoff biography from Nordoff-Robbins site