Homer T. Keller (b.

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, February 17, 1915; d. Upland,

May 12, 1996) was an American composer of

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 ...

. He graduated from Oxnard Union High School in Oxnard, California in 1933, after which he attended the

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 ...

, where he studied with

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

, obtaining B.M. (1937) and M.M. (1938) degrees. In 1939 he was awarded US$500 in the 1939 Henry Hadley Foundation competition. He taught at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(where his notable students included

Leslie Bassett Leslie Raymond Bassett (22 January 1923 – 4 February 2016) was an American composer of classical music. Bassett received the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Bassett had a lifelong relationship with the University of Michigan School of Music. ...

George Balch Wilson George Balch Wilson (January 28, 1927 – October 12, 2021) was an American composer who is known for his contributions to electronic music. In 1955 he won the Prix de Rome for composition. He taught for more than 30 years on the faculty of the U ...

, Norma Wendelburg, and Donald Harris) then at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

from 1958 to 1976. His notable students at the University of Oregon include

Ralph Towner Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn. Biography Towner was born i ...

, Dean C. Taylor, Stephen Scott, and

Robert Scott Thompson Robert Scott Thompson (born 1959, California) is a composer of ambient, instrumental and electroacoustic music. He earned the B.Mus. degree from the University of Oregon and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, San Diego. ...

. Also at the University of Oregon, Keller worked with

Jon Appleton Jon Howard Appleton (January 4, 1939 – January 30, 2022) was an American composer, an educator and a pioneer in electro-acoustic music. His earliest compositions in the medium, e.g. "Chef d'Oeuvre" and "Newark Airport Rock" (1967) attracted at ...

to set up that university's electronic music studio. While at the University of Michigan he also served on the Interlochen Music Camp staff where he helped and influenced many aspiring young musicians including not able Dwight Beckham in 1950. His music has been conducted by William Strickland. It is published by the American Composers Alliance. Keller's last residence was Montclair,

. The Homer Keller Papers are held by the Eastman School of Music.Guide to the Special Collections
/ref>

Works

* Sonatina No.1 for Piano (1935) * Symphony No.1 in A Minor (1938) * ''Chamber Symphony'' (1941) * Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (1941) * ''Six Preludes'' for Piano (1947) * Sonatina No.2 for Piano (1947) * Symphony No.2 (1948) * ''Magnificat'' for Chorus and Orchestra (1948) * Fantasy and Fugue for Organ (1949) * Sonata for Viola and Piano (1951) * Sonata for Organ (1952) * Sonata for Flute and Piano (1953) * ''Offertory'' for Organ (1955) * Symphony No.3 (1956) * ''String Quartet'' (1958) * ''Duo'' for Violin and Harpsichord (1960) * ''3 Constructs'' for Piano (1966) * ''Declaration'' for Violin, Cello and Piano (1966) * ''Interplay'' for Chamber Orchestra (1970) * ''Sonorities'' for Orchestra (1970) * ''For Behold, I Create New Heavens and New Earth'' for Chorus and Organ (1971) * Sonata for Piano (1972) * Sonata for Cello and Piano (1977) * ''Quiet Music for a Tree'' for Piano (1979)

References

External links

Homer Keller page
from American Composers Alliance site 1915 births 1996 deaths American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers Musicians from Oxnard, California Eastman School of Music alumni University of Michigan faculty University of Oregon faculty People from Montclair, California 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-20thC-stub