Claire Polin (January 1, 1926 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania – December 6, 1995 in

Merion, Pennsylvania Merion Station, also known as Merion, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia to its west and is one of the communities that make up the Philadelphia Main Line. Merion Station is part of Lower M ...

) was an American composer of contemporary classical music,

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

, and

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Education

She obtained degrees in music (including a doctorate) from the Philadelphia Conservatory; she also received her

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

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 elit ...

and her doctorate at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the ...

. Her teachers included

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own wo ...

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 ...

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

, and

Peter Mennin Peter Mennin (born Mennini) (May 17, 1923 in Erie, Pennsylvania – June 17, 1983 in New York City) was a prominent American composer, teacher and administrator. In 1958, he was named Director of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and i ...

. She also studied flute with William Kincaid, with whom she collaborated on a multi-volume method of flute technique.

Career

Her works were commissioned and performed by the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonia, the Israel Bach Society, and the London Pro Musica Antiqua of Westminster, as well as by William Kincaid, Gordon Gottlieb, and the

Gregg Smith Singers The Gregg Smith Singers is a mixed chorus from the United States, directed by Gregg Smith (August 21, 1931 – July 12, 2016). The group, which comprises 16 singers, was founded at an all-Japanese Methodist church in West Los Angeles, California in ...

. Polin served on the faculty at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, where she taught composition, as well as courses in the music of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

, music of ancient

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, and music of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. She also published books on musicological subjects.

Personal life

She is survived by two sons, Josef and Gabriel Schaff, and one grandchild.

List of works

Note: This is not a complete list. In some cases, the dates listed may have been the original publication date as opposed to the year it was written. Many pieces were published several times in new editions.

Compositions

* ''Sonata No. 1 for Flute'' 1959 * ''Symphony in two movements'' 1960 * ''No-Rai: Songs from Korea,'' 1963? Soprano Voice, Flute, Double Bass * ''Sonata for Flute and Harp'' 1964/73 * ''No Man is an Island'', SATB chorus, piano, 196_ * ''Serpentine: Lyrical instances for solo viola and imaginary dancer'', 1965 * ''Structures for Solo Flute'' 1965 * ''Consecutivo: Study on a Requiem'', 1966 * ''Summer Settings'', harp, 1967 * ''Makimono'', flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, piano, 1969 * ''Second Sonata for flute and harp (From the Painter’s Brush)'', 197x * ''Music for the Prince of Wales: Hen ganiadau gwanwyn'', medium high voice (male or female) with cello accompaniment * ''Cader Idris: Landscape for Brass Quintet'', 1971 * ''Infinito: A Requiem'', alto sax, soprano solo, narrator, SATB chorus, 1972 * ''Out of childhood; variations on Russian-Turkish folksongs for piano'', 1972 * ''Margóä for solo flute'', 1972 * ''O, Aderyn Pur'', Flute, Alto Sax, Tape, or flute solo 1972 * ''The Death of Procris: Studies After a Painting by Piero di Cosimo'', 1972-73 Flute and Tuba * ''Telemannicon: Solo obe flute, canonically played with tape or live'', 1974 * ''Second Symphony'', 1974 * ''Journey of Owain Madoc: Symphonic Meditations on the Discovery of America'', 1974 * ''Scenes from Gilgamesh'', flute and string orchestra, 1974 * ''Makimono II: for brass quintet'', 1975 * ''Laissez sonner for solo piano'', 1976 * ''Pièce d’encore: for solo viola (or violin)'', 1976 * ''Synaulia II'', flute(alto fl), clar(bass clar), piano, 1976 * ''Paraselene: Dark nebulae I: Book of Songs for Soprano, Flute, and Piano'', 1976/77 * ''A klockwork diurnal'', alto sax, French horn, bassoon, 1977 * ''Amphion: for symphony orchestra'', 1977 * ''Wind Songs for soprano and guitar'', 1978? * ''Vigniatures: Variations for Violin and Harp'', 1979 * ''Felína, Felína'', violin, harp, 1980 * ''Res naturae: The Carmarthan dove in a mialiseet dance'', woodwind quintet, 1980 * ''Dark nebulae II: Ma’a lot'', viola and percussion, 1981 * ''Georgics: After Virgil for Solo Flute'', 1981 * ''Mythos: Concerto for Harp and String Orchestra'', 1982 * ''Kuequenaku-Cambiola'', percussion and piano, 1983 * ''Phantasmagoria'', piano 4 hands, 1985 * ''Freltic Sonata for Violin and Piano'', 1985 * ''Shirildang: trans-Ural Suite for piano'', 1991 * ''Walum olum'', clarinet, viola, piano

Publications

* Music of the ancient Near East, 1974 Greenwood Press (Westport, CT) * "Why Minimalism Now?" Music and the Politics of Culture, ed. Christopher Norris, pp. 226–239, London: Lawrence & Wishart 1989 * "Interviews with Soviet Composers", Tempo 1984 151, 10-16 Cambridge University Press *“The Composer as Seer, but not Prophet” Tempo Combridge 1994 Issue 190, p13-18 *New York: Women in Music and Soviet Contemporaries. Tempo 174, 1990 p32,34,36-37 *The Ap Huw manuscript. 1982 Henryville, PA: Institute of Mediaeval Musicological Studies. (Vol 34?) *“Observations on the Ap Huw manuscript. Music & Letters 60(3) 1979, 296-304: Oxford University Press. *A Possible Provenance for parts of the Ap Huw manuscript. Welsh Music, 1985. *The Ap Huw Manuscript. Music & Letters 62(1): 120, 1981 *Moscow Festival Diary. Tempo 1984 No. 150 p. 35-38 *Ancient Semitic Music: A study starting in earliest times and ending circa 500 BC (1950) * A Treasury of Jewish Folksong. Ethnomusicology 9(2). 191-193 (1965) * Gifts of Jubal; musical instruments from the ancient East. Philadelphia, PA: University Museum Press

References

External links

Claire Polin biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polin, Claire 1926 births 1995 deaths 20th-century classical composers American women classical composers American classical composers People from Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Pupils of Roger Sessions Pupils of Vincent Persichetti University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni Women flautists 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century flautists