Alvin Derald Etler (February 19, 1913 – June 13, 1973) was an American composer and

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

Career

A student of

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...

, Etler is noted for his highly rhythmic, harmonically and texturally complex compositional style, taking inspiration from the works of Bartók and Copland as well as the

dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive Sound, sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness ...

and accented styles of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Though he played with the

Indianapolis Symphony The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circ ...

in 1938, he abandoned his orchestral life shortly thereafter to focus on his increasingly successful compositional career (which earned him two

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

s during this period). In 1942 he joined the faculty at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

as conductor of the university band and instructor of wind instruments, where he began his studies with Hindemith. He also taught at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

and

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

before accepting a position at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, which he held until his death. Notable works include his two

woodwind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...

s (from 1955 and 1957), a bassoon sonata, the 1963 "Quintet for Brass Instruments", and "Fragments" for woodwind quartet. Etler is also the author of ''Making Music: An Introduction to Theory'', an introductory-level theory text published posthumously in 1974.

Works list

Orchestral

*Passacaglia and Fugue, 1947 *Concerto for string quartet and string orchestra, 1948 *Symphony, 1951 *Dramatic Overture, 1956 *Concerto in 1 movement, 1957 *Elegy, 1959 *Concerto for wind quintet and orchestra, 1960 *Triptych, 1961 *Concerto for brass quintet, string orchestra, and percussion, 1967 *Convivialities, 1967 *Concerto for string quartet and orchestra, 1968

Chamber music

*Sonata for oboe, clarinet and viola, 1945 *Quartet for oboe, clarinet, viola and bassoon, 1949 *Prelude and Toccata, for organ, 1950 *Bassoon Sonata, 1951 *Clarinet Sonata no.1, 1952 *Introduction and Allegro, for oboe and piano, 1952 *Duo, for oboe and viola, 1954 *Sonatina, for piano 1955 *Wind Quintet, 1955 *Wind Quintet No. 2, 1957 *Concerto for violin and wind quintet, 1958 *Sonata for viola and harpsichord, 1959 *Sextet for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola and cello, 1959 *Suite, for flute, oboe and clarinet, 1960 *Concerto, for clarinet and chamber ensemble, 1962 *String Quartet No. 1, 1963 *Brass Quintet, 1963 *String Quartet No. 2, 1965 *Sonic Sequence, for brass quintet, 1967 *Clarinet Sonata No. 2, 1969 *XL plus 1, for solo percussion, 1970 *Concerto for cello and seven instruments, 1970

Choral

*Peace be unto You (St Augustine, Bible: Matthew), SATB, 1958 *Under the Cottonwood Tree (Etler), SA, 1960 *Under Stars (Etler), SSAA, 1960 *Ode to Pothos (Etler), SSAATTBB, 1960 *Onomatopoesis (Etler), Male singer, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, and percussion, 1965

References

Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

, "Alvin Etler"

External links

Associated Music Publishers, Inc.
* (as Alvin Derold Etler) {{DEFAULTSORT:Etler, Alvin 1913 births 1973 deaths 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Cornell University faculty Yale University faculty University of Illinois faculty Smith College faculty American classical oboists Male oboists Pupils of Paul Hindemith 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians