Bethany Beardslee in NYC, 1978 (by Jim Graves)

Bethany Beardslee (born December 25, 1925) is an American

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

particularly noted for her collaborations with major 20th-century composers, such as

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his Serialism, serial and electronic music. Biography Babbitt was born in Philadelphia t ...

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

, George Perle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and her performances of great

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

Anton Webern Anton Friedrich Wilhelm von Webern (3 December 188315 September 1945), better known as Anton Webern (), was an Austrian composer and conductor whose music was among the most radical of its milieu in its sheer concision, even aphorism, and stea ...

. Her legacy amongst midcentury composers was as a "composer's singer"—for her commitment to the highest art of new music. Milton Babbitt said of her "She manages to learn music no one else in the world can. She can work, work, work." In a 1961 interview for Newsweek, Beardslee flaunted her unflinching repertoire and disdain for commercialism: "I don't think in terms of the public... Music is for the musicians. If the public wants to come along and study it, fine. I don't go and try to tell a scientist his business because I don't know anything about it. Music is just the same way. Music is ''not'' entertainment."

Life

Beardslee was born in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

. She trained first in the Music Department of Michigan State College (now

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

), where she received her B.M. (cum laude), and later did post-graduate work at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. She trained with Louise Zemlinsky (wife of

Alexander Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfather, Anton ...

) She received an honorary doctorate from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1978, an honorary Ph.D. New School for Music Philadelphia, PA in 1984, and from the New England Conservatory in 1994. Her first husband, the French conductor

Jacques-Louis Monod Jacques-Louis Monod (25 February 1927 – 21 September 2020) was a French composer, pianist and conducting, conductor of 20th century music, 20th century and Contemporary classical music, contemporary music, particularly in the advancement of th ...

, whom she married in 1951, introduced her to the basic vocal repertoire of the

Second Viennese School The Second Viennese School (german: Zweite Wiener Schule, Neue Wiener Schule) was the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils, particularly Alban Berg and Anton Webern, and close associates in early 20th-century Vienna. ...

. Together they toured the United States through the 1950s and gave recitals of this literature combined with basic Lieder. Monod's influence brought Beardslee onto the path that would become her career in contemporary classical music. In 1956, she married the composer

Godfrey Winham Godfrey Winham (11 December 1934 – 26 April 1975) was an English-born music theorist and composer of contemporary classical music who moved to the United States. While in the UK, Winham studied with Hans Keller, and contributed brief reviews a ...

, a pioneer in the research of computer music of the period. They have two children, Baird and Christopher Winham. Godfrey Winham died in 1975. She retired officially in 1984, though she performed a number of times in the decade that followed. Her final public performance was 1993 at the Weill Recital Hall in New York City. About that performance, Alex Ross wrote in The New York Times that "the legendary soprano Bethany Beardslee-Winham, now well into her sixties, remains a compelling interpreter of new music." In retirement, she was president of APNM (Association for the Publication of New Music) and produced a number of CDs of her own performances, as well as the compositions of her late husband Godfrey Winham, and her friend

Arlene Zallman Arlene Zallman (9 September 193425 November 2006) was an American composer and music educator. Life Zallman was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the Juilliard School of Music. She received a master's degree from the University of Pennsy ...

. She has lived for the past thirteen years (as of when, the latest source is 2007) in a historic Georgian mansion, Maizeland, in the Hudson Valley, near her family.

Career highlights

Her virtuosity is displayed in many recordings of music of the

as well as works written for her, notably

's ''

Philomel Philomel is another name for Philomela, a character from Greek mythology. It may refer to: Nature * A nightingale Arts and Letters * An abbreviated form of the name Philomela, a figure in Greek mythology often invoked as a symbol in literature. * ...

''. During the 1950s, she performed world premieres and made historic recordings of music of the Second Viennese School. Beardslee started working closely with Milton Babbitt in 1949. Babbitt was one of Beardslee's longest and most important musical collaborations. He composed a number of pieces for Beardslee's sharp crystal soprano and dramatic wit, including: ''Du'' a Song Cycle for soprano and piano on the poetry of August Stramm, "Vision and Prayer: poetry by Dylan Thomas," ''Philomel'' text by John Hollander, "A Solo Requiem" in honor of her late husband, Godfrey Winham. In 1962 she was given the

American Composers Alliance The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and oth ...

Laurel Leaf Award The Laurel Leaf Award recognizes the achievement of an individual or group in encouraging and fostering American music. The award has been presented annually by the American Composers Alliance, from 1951 through at least 2012. Past recipients of th ...

'' for "distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music." The Ford Foundation Award in 1964 gave Beardslee the possibility to commission Milton Babbitt to write "Philomel". Beardslee's recording with Robert Craft of Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" (Columbia Records, 1961) was a milestone in 20th-century music. It was the first recording of the piece that used the ''sprechstimme'' in the way that Schoenberg had conceived the piece. Craft, who conducted it, said to Beardslee that "your performance is the first that anyone can listen to beginning to end with total pleasure and belief in the ''sprechstimme'' medium. You have made a permanent document." It was also the recording used by Glen Tetley when he choreographed ''Pierrot Lunaire''. In 1977–78,

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

, dancing Tetley's choreography to Beardslee's live performances, appeared together in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. Beardslee went on to perform "Pierrot" over fifty times in the US and abroad.

Performances

In 1961, Beardslee sang for Martha Graham's premiere of Clytemnestra. She premiered new works by Babbitt, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Krenek, Webern, Dallapiccola, Berg. Her first performance of ''Pierrot Lunaire'' was in New York at Town Hall with Jacques-Louis Monod conducting, for Camera Concerts in November 1955. Beardslee performed with the following major orchestras: :Boston Symphony Orchestra (conductors: Charles Munch, Eric Leinsdorf, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gunther Schuller) :New York Philharmonic (conductor: Pierre Boulez) :Denver Symphony Orchestra (conductor: Brian Priestman) :Minneapolis Symphony (conductor: Stanislaw Skrowacewski) :Detroit Symphony (conductor: Paul Paray) :Buffalo Philharmonic (conductor: Lukas Foss) :St. Louis Symphony (conductor: Eleazar Carvalho) :Columbia Symphony, premiere of "Threni" (conductor: Igor Stravinsky) These Quartets: :New Music, Budapest, LaSalle, Pro Arte, Sequoia, Composers String Quartet, Emerson Quartet, Atlantic String Quartet,

Vermeer Quartet The Vermeer Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont and active until 2007. With performances in practically every major city in North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia, the Verme ...

Lieder Recitals with: :

Robert Helps Robert Eugene Helps (b. Passaic, New Jersey, United States, September 23, 1928; d. Tampa, Florida, United States, November 24, 2001) was an American pianist and composer. Career Helps studied at the universities of Columbia (1947–49) and Berke ...

, Pianist, Composer :Jacques-Louis Monod, Pianist, Composer, Conductor :Yehudi Wyner, Pianist, Composer :Richard Goode, Pianist

Discography

:1949 – ''Concert Aria After Solomon, Op. 29'', Ben Weber. Frank Brieff, conductor. American Recording Society. :''Seven Orchestral Songs'', Alban Berg. Robert Craft, conductor. Columbia Records :"

Der Wein "" (The Wine) is a concert aria for soprano and orchestra, composed in 1929 by Alban Berg. The lyrics are from Stefan George's translation of three poems from Charles Baudelaire's ', as is the secret text of Berg's '' Lyric Suite''.Pople, Anthony ...

", Alban Berg. Robert Craft, conductor. Columbia Records :1961 – ''Pierrot Lunaire'', Arnold Schoenberg. Robert Craft, conductor. Columbia Records :''Altenberg Lieder'', Alban Berg. Robert Craft, conductor. Columbia Records :''Threni'', Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky, conductor. Columbia Records :''Sestina'', Ernst Krenek. Epic Records :''Emily Dickinson Songs'', George Perle. C.R.I. :Songs from Walt Whitman, Malcolm Peyton. C.R.I. :Mother Goose Primer, Philip Batstone. C.R.I. :Incantations, Ralph Shapey. C.R.I. :Improvisation, James K. Randall. C.R.I. :Unquiet Heart, Alden Ashforth. C.R.I. :Gossamer Noons, Robert Helps. C.R.I. :Gossamer Noons for Soprano & Orchestra, Gunther Schuller. C.R.I. :Vision and Prayer, Milton Babbitt. 10th Anniversary Electronic Album:

Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center The Computer Music Center (CMC) at Columbia University is the oldest center for electronic and computer music research in the United States. It was founded in the 1950s as the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Location The CMC is hous ...

:English Madrigals. New York Pro Musica. Decca :Medieval Music from the Court of Spain. New York Pro Musica. Decca :Concert Aria after Solomon, Ben Weber. Desto :1966 – ''An 18th Century Vocal Recital'' (Arias of Pergolesi and Hayden Cantata, Miseri noi), Musica Viva Orchestra. Jim Bolle, Conductor. Monitor :Philomel, Milton Babbitt. New World. 1971 (selected for the National Recordings Registry in Washington DC) :Recital: "Yesterday is Not Today" American Art Songs with Donald Gramm. New World :Second String Quartet, Schoenberg. Sequoia Quartet. Nonesuch :Little Companion Pieces, Mel Powell. Sequoia Quartet. Nonesuch :A Solo Requiem, Milton Babbitt. Nonesuch. :Haiku Songs, Mel Powell. Nonesuch :Book of the Hanging Gardens, Schoenberg. Robert Helps. Son Nova :1961 – Music of Mel Powell and Milton Babbitt. Robert Helps, pianist. Son Nova

References

* Howard Klein
Two Singers Share Unusual Niche
''New York Times'', June 24, 1962, p. 87. Accessed 28 December 2007 *Kristine Helen Burns, ''Women and Music in America Since 1900'', 2002, Greenwood Press. p. 47. *David M. Cummings, ''Who's Who in Classical Music'', 2003, Routledge, p. 44. *Steve Groark, Wisconsin State Journal, "Beardslee, Truly a Breed Apart", Monday, April 2, 1990. *"A Composer's Singer" Newsweek, September 18, 1961, p. 66 *private Beardslee-Winham archive

External links

by Bruce Duffie, June 18, 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Beardslee, Bethany 1925 births Living people Juilliard School alumni American operatic sopranos Contemporary classical music performers Michigan State University alumni Musicians from Lansing, Michigan Singers from Michigan Classical musicians from Michigan 21st-century American women