Barbara Kolb (born February 10, 1939) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. Her music uses

sound mass In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

es and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

ic or

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

units ( motifs or

figure Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif *Noise figure, in telecommunication *Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern ...

s). Kolb's musical style can be identified by her use of colorful textures, impressionistic touch, and

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

vocabulary, with influences stemming from literary and visual arts. She was the first American woman composer to win the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

Life and music

Kolb was born in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. She received her B.M. (cum laude, 1961) and M.M. degrees (1964) from the Hartt College of Music (now

The Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

) at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

, where she studied with

Arnold Franchetti Arnold Franchetti (1911–1993) was a composer born in Lucca, Italy who later emigrated to the United States. Early life As a boy, Franchetti studied composition and piano with his father, Baron Alberto Franchetti (1860–1942). Baron Franchett ...

Lukas Foss Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009) was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor. Career Born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922, Foss was soon recognized as a child prodigy. He began piano and theory lessons with J ...

and

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

. Following her graduation, Kolb relocated to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria, from 1966 to 1967 with a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

grant. She was the first female American composer to win the

rix de Rome in 1969. From 1979 to 1982, Kolb served as the artistic director of contemporary music at the

Third Street Music School Settlement Third Street Music School Settlement is the longest-running community music school in the United States. Founded in 1894, it is at 235 East 11th Street, New York. Third Street has three main programs: a music & dance school, a music-infused Presc ...

, where she presented the "Music New to New York" concert series. Additionally, she has had a professional teaching career teaching at Rhode Island College and

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

as a visiting professor in composition. A selection of Kolb's compositions were featured at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, performed by the "Theatre Chamber Players" as part of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. However, Kolb was not only known as a composer; she was also proficient at the clarinet. Her compositions include ''All in Good Time'' (1993), commissioned for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and ''Voyants'' (1991), a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra dedicated to the memory of

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

. ''Voyants'' was most recently performed by Kathleen Supové with the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Edward Markward on October 16, 2006 in Providence, RI. Discs devoted solely to Kolb's music have been released to the general public by

CRI CRI or CRi may refer to: Organizations * Canadian Rivers Institute, for river sciences, University of New Brunswick * Cancer Research Institute, New York, US * Centro de Relaciones Internacionales (International Relations Center), Universidad N ...

and

New World Records New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano Jr. (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. His scores, now numbering over one hundred, have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, an ...

Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as Dir ...

John Harbison John Harris Harbison (born December 20, 1938) is an American composer, known for his symphonies, operas, and large choral works. Life John Harris Harbison was born on December 20, 1938, in Orange, New Jersey, to the historian Elmore Harris Harb ...

and Michael Hersch on a CD released by

Cedille Records Cedille Records () is the independent record label of the Chicago Classical Recording Foundation. History In 1989, James Steven Ginsburg, James Ginsburg, the son of Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice of th ...

in the summer of 2006. Her music is published exclusively by

Boosey and Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

Selected compositions

* ''Millefoglie'', for chamber orchestra and computer generated tape * ''Extremes'', duo for flute and cello * ''Chromatic Fantasy'', for narrator and six instruments * ''Solitaire'', for piano and two-channel tape and vibraphone * ''Looking for Claudio'' for solo guitar and tape (1975) * ''Cavatina'' for violin or viola solo (1983, revised 1985) * ''Related Characters'' for viola and piano (1982) * ''Umbrian Colors'' for violin and guitar (1986) * ''Virgin Mother Creatrix'' a cappella choral work inspired by the mysticism of Hildegard von Bingen

Discography

All Barbara Kolb discs * Barbara Kolb: ''Millefoglie and Other Works'' (1992). Music Today and Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Includes Kolb's ''Millefoglie'' for orchestra & tape (1985), ''Extremes'' for cello & flute (1989), ''Chromatic Fantasy'' for narrator and six instruments (1979), and ''Solitaire'' for piano and pre-recorded tape (1971) (New World Records 80422-2). * Barbara Kolb: ''Soundings and Other Works'' (1990). Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Arthur Tamayo; Igor Kipnis, harpsichord; Jay Gottlieb, piano, etc.; includes Kolb's ''Soundings'' (1971–72), ''Toccata'' (1971), ''Apello'' (1976), ''Looking for Claudio'' (1975), and ''Spring River Flowers Moon Night'' (1974–75) (Composers Recordings Inc. CD 576, available from New World Records). Others *''Related Characters'' – featuring Bill Perconti, James March, and Iowa Brass Quintet – includes Kolb's ''Related Characters'' for alto saxophone and piano (1982) (Centaur). *''American Orchestra Works'' – featuring the Grant Park Orchestra conducted by Carlos Kalmar – includes Kolb's ''All in Good Time'' (1993) (Cedille).

Bibliography

* Julie C. Dunbar: ''Women, Music, Culture. An introduction'' (London: Routledge, 2011).

References

External links

Barbara Kolb's page on the American Music Center's Online LibraryBarbara Kolb's page on the Boosey & Hawkes websiteBarbara Kolb's page on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project websiteA short essay written by Barbara Kolb
in response to the question, "When did first you know that you would be a composer and what is the earliest work that you still acknowledge?" from July 2001, published on NewMusicBox {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolb, Barbara 1939 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century women composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century women composers American classical composers American women classical composers American women in electronic music Living people Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut University of Hartford Hartt School alumni