William Duckworth
Encyclopedia
William Duckworth is an American
composer
who also is an author, educator and Internet pioneer. He has written more than 200 pieces of music and is credited with the composition of the first postminimal piece of music, The Time Curve Preludes (1977-1978), for piano
. His other notable compositions include Thirty-One Days (1987), for alto saxophone
, and Southern Harmony
(1980-1981), a choral
work which uses certain features of shape note
singing. Duckworth is a Professor of Music at Bucknell University
. Nora Farrell, his wife, runs Monroe Street Music, which publishes many of his pieces. In recent years, Duckworth has concentrated on releasing music at his Cathedral Web site and has shifted much of his attention from music composed for traditional acoustic instruments to electronic music which utilizes world music influences and invites active participation from the listener.
, then master's and doctorates in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana. He studied composition
under composer Ben Johnston and wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on the notation of composer John Cage
. (Duckworth's music publishing and record company, Monroe Street Music, is named after the street in New York City
where Cage lived and worked.) In 2002 he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. Over the years Duckworth has enjoyed a close collaboration with James Jordan
who frequently performs Duckworth's music with his world-renowned choral ensembles.
has described as the first work of postminimalism, and Southern Harmony, which consists of 20 pieces for an eight-part chorus and employs features of shape note singing and minimalism. Other works include Mysterious Numbers, written for chamber orchestra, Imaginary Dances, for solo piano, and Simple Songs about Sex and War, written in collaboration with poet Hayden Carruth.
He is the editor of :
He is the co-editor of :
He wrote the foreword to:
, when the latter was a student at Bucknell University
.
More recently, Cathedral has served as the site for the distribution of The iPod Opera 2.0: The Myth of Orpheus, the Chronicler and Eurydice, podcast in 26 episodes as MP3 and QuickTime video files. The video episodes may be downloaded and played on many different kinds of computer systems, including Apple OS, Windows and Linux computers, while the MP3 files may be downloaded and burned as an audio disk. The completion of the podcast in February 2007 was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first performance of Monteverdi's
L'Orfeo.
Cathedral features an instrument called the PitchWeb, which allows anyone with a computer to play along with the Cathedral Band when the band is performing live over the Internet. Duckworth plays the PitchWeb on a laptop computer when the band performs live.
Cathedral was conceived during a conversation Duckworth had with his wife, Nora Farrell, a software designer who specializes in music and publishing web applications. Farrell collaborated with Duckworth on Cathedral and elements of it such as "The iPod Opera 2.0." As a member of the Cathedral Band, she edits the PitchWeb contributions by outside musicians.
A chapter in Duckworth's 2005 book, Virtual Music: How the Web Got Wired for Sound, discusses the Cathedral site.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
who also is an author, educator and Internet pioneer. He has written more than 200 pieces of music and is credited with the composition of the first postminimal piece of music, The Time Curve Preludes (1977-1978), for piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. His other notable compositions include Thirty-One Days (1987), for alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, and Southern Harmony
Southern Harmony (Duckworth)
Southern Harmony is a minimalist composition by William Duckworth written in 1980 and 1981. It is scored for unaccompanied mixed chorus, and is an original work created through adaptation of shape-note songs from the 1854 compilation Southern Harmony and Musical Companion...
(1980-1981), a choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
work which uses certain features of shape note
Shape note
Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
singing. Duckworth is a Professor of Music at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
. Nora Farrell, his wife, runs Monroe Street Music, which publishes many of his pieces. In recent years, Duckworth has concentrated on releasing music at his Cathedral Web site and has shifted much of his attention from music composed for traditional acoustic instruments to electronic music which utilizes world music influences and invites active participation from the listener.
Biography
William Duckworth was born in North Carolina in 1943. He obtained a bachelor's degree in music from East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
, then master's and doctorates in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana. He studied composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
under composer Ben Johnston and wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on the notation of composer John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
. (Duckworth's music publishing and record company, Monroe Street Music, is named after the street in New York City
New 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...
where Cage lived and worked.) In 2002 he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. Over the years Duckworth has enjoyed a close collaboration with James Jordan
James Jordan (conductor)
Dr. James Jordan is a writer, conductor, and professor at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey where he is currently the Senior Conductor and directs the select touring ensemble Williamson Voices and the Sophomore choir, Schola Cantorum...
who frequently performs Duckworth's music with his world-renowned choral ensembles.
Work as a composer
Duckworth has written more than 200 pieces of music. His best-known compositions include The Time Curve Preludes, 24 short pieces for piano which critic and composer Kyle GannKyle Gann
Kyle Eugene Gann is an American professor of music, critic and composer born in Dallas, Texas. As a critic for The Village Voice and other publications he has been a supporter of progressive music including such Downtown movements as postminimalism and totalism.- As composer :As a composer his...
has described as the first work of postminimalism, and Southern Harmony, which consists of 20 pieces for an eight-part chorus and employs features of shape note singing and minimalism. Other works include Mysterious Numbers, written for chamber orchestra, Imaginary Dances, for solo piano, and Simple Songs about Sex and War, written in collaboration with poet Hayden Carruth.
Publications
Duckworth is the author of:- Theoretical Foundations of Music 1978 with Edward Brown
- Talking Music: Conversations With John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers 1995 (ISBN 0-306-80893-5)
- A Creative Approach to Music Fundamentals 1981 (ISBN 0-534-09420-1)
- 20/20: 20 New Sounds of the 20th Century 1999 (ISBN 0-02-864864-1)
- Virtual Music: How the Web Got Wired for Sound 2005 (ISBN 0-415-96675-2)
He is the editor of :
- Sound and Light: La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela 1996 (ISBN 0-8387-5346-9).
He is the co-editor of :
- John Cage at Seventy-Five 1989.
He wrote the foreword to:
- Jazz: American Popular Music by Thom Holmes (2006).
Career in education
Duckworth is a professor and former chairman of the Department of Music at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn. A 1992 profile in "Rolling Stone" magazine described him as a "hip, bright, innovative teacher." Duckworth instructed Martin Rubeo, founder of alternative rock band, Gramsci MelodicGramsci Melodic
Gramsci Melodic is an alternative rock band based in Pittsburgh, PA. The band was started in 2006 by singer/guitarist Martin Rubeo. Other members include Joel York , Sean Rayl , Greg Haduch , and Tony Willoe...
, when the latter was a student at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
.
Internet activities
Much of Duckworth's recent music was composed and performed as part of Cathedral. Conceived in 1996 and launched on June 10, 1997, Cathedral is a work in music and art which depicts five "mystical moments in time": The building of the Great Pyramid in Giza, the building of Chartres Cathedral, the 19th century Native American Ghost Dance movement, the detonation of the atomic bomb, and the creation of the World Wide Web.More recently, Cathedral has served as the site for the distribution of The iPod Opera 2.0: The Myth of Orpheus, the Chronicler and Eurydice, podcast in 26 episodes as MP3 and QuickTime video files. The video episodes may be downloaded and played on many different kinds of computer systems, including Apple OS, Windows and Linux computers, while the MP3 files may be downloaded and burned as an audio disk. The completion of the podcast in February 2007 was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first performance of Monteverdi's
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
L'Orfeo.
Cathedral features an instrument called the PitchWeb, which allows anyone with a computer to play along with the Cathedral Band when the band is performing live over the Internet. Duckworth plays the PitchWeb on a laptop computer when the band performs live.
Cathedral was conceived during a conversation Duckworth had with his wife, Nora Farrell, a software designer who specializes in music and publishing web applications. Farrell collaborated with Duckworth on Cathedral and elements of it such as "The iPod Opera 2.0." As a member of the Cathedral Band, she edits the PitchWeb contributions by outside musicians.
A chapter in Duckworth's 2005 book, Virtual Music: How the Web Got Wired for Sound, discusses the Cathedral site.
External links
- William Duckworth
- The Time Curve Preludes streamed for free from Irritable Hedgehog Music
- Lovely Music Artist: William Duckworth
- THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON BIERCE LIBRARY: Composer Archives: William Duckworth
- William E. Duckworth, Music Department -- Bucknell University
- Cathedral
- Interview with Duckworth about Cathedral
- Monroe Street Music