Malcolm Cameron Peyton (born January 12, 1932,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) is an American composer, concert director, conductor, and teacher.

Biography

Peyton grew up in

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and received early classical training in piano starting at age 6, and in trumpet starting at age 9. From 1950 to 1956 he attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

for both undergraduate and graduate training in musical composition, studying with

Edward Cone Edward Toner Cone (May 4, 1917 – October 23, 2004) was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, and philanthropist. Life and career Cone was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He studied composition under Roger Sessions at Prince ...

and

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 was awarded a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship. In 1956–57 Peyton traveled on a Fulbright Scholarship to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to study with

Wolfgang Fortner Wolfgang Fortner (12 October 1907 – 5 September 1987) was a German composer, composition teacher and conductor. Life Fortner was born in Leipzig. From his parents, who were both singers, Fortner very early on had intense contact with music. ...

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From 1958 through 1961 Peyton, along with

and William Carlin, initiated a series of contemporary chamber music concerts in New York presenting many new works. After joining the faculty at New England Conservatory (NEC) in 1965, Peyton directed with Lyle Davidson ''Evenings of New Music'', the first continuous contemporary music series at NEC, until 1972. Since then Peyton has directed the Composer's Series at NEC, presenting works by faculty, invited guests, and students in NEC's

Jordan Hall Jordan Hall is a 1,051-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall. It is the only conservatory building in the United States to be de ...

. Peyton lectured at Boston University in 1975 and at Princeton University in 1978. In 1980 Peyton was appointed chairman of composition at NEC, a position in which he served for many years. In 1995, he conducted the premier of Robert Ceely's ''Automobile Graveyard'', a full-length opera staged in Jordan Hall. Peyton has received awards from the Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, and the Norlin Foundation. His works are published by Boelke-Bomart/Mobart and the Association for the Promotion of New Music, and recorded on the CRI and Centaur label

Notable students of Malcolm Peyton include Slovenian composer

Igor Krivokapič Igor Krivokapič (born 10 November 1965 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian composer, retired tuba virtuoso and instrument inventor. Life and work Igor Krivokapič first studied tuba at the Academy of Music in Lubljana. He then perfected his abilities ...

and American composer Karen Tarlow.

List of compositions

* ''2 Pieces for String Orchestra'' (first performance by Princeton Symphony Orchestra; Nicholas Harsanyi, conductor; 1955) * ''Suite for Clarinet'' (George Jones, clarinet; 1955) * ''Chamber Cantata Part I'' (Susan Miller, soprano; Ray DeVoll, tenor; Gustav Meier, conductor; 1958) * ''Chamber Cantata Part II'' (

Bethany Beardslee Bethany Beardslee (born December 25, 1925) is an American soprano particularly noted for her collaborations with major 20th-century composers, such as Igor Stravinsky, Milton Babbitt, Pierre Boulez, George Perle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and her ...

, soprano; Ray DeVoll, tenor; Gustav Meier, conductor; 1959) * Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Princeton Symphony Orchestra; Joseph Kovacs, violin; Nicholas Harsanyi, conductor; 1960) * ''Songs from Shakespeare'' (Shirley Suddock, mezzo-soprano; Gustav Meier, conductor; 1960) * ''Sonnets from John Donne'' (Jesse Coston, bass-baritone; New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble; Gunther Schuller, conductor; 1968) * ''Choruses from ee cummings'' (New England conservatory Chorus; Lorna Cooke deVaron, conductor; 1969) * ''‘Cello Piece'' (Ronald Clearfield, violoncello; 1972) * ''The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe'' (New England Conservatory Concert Choir; Lorna Cooke deVaron; 1974) * ''Elegie'', Berceuse for solo viola (1978) * ''Songs from Walt Whitman'' (

, soprano; Malcolm Peyton, piano; Eric Rosenblith, violin; 1979) * ''Concertine'' (Collage;

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 ...

, conductor; 1981) * ''Fantasies for Winds, Brass & Percussion'' (Swedish Wind Symphony Orchestra; Larry Livingston, conductor; 1982) * ''Suite Nocturnale'' for viola solo (Jonathan Bagg, viola; 1986) * ''Songs from T. Sturge Moore'' (Barbara Winchester, soprano;

Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble is a contemporary chamber music ensemble based in Boston, Massachusetts. The group was founded in 1975 by composers Scott Wheeler, Rodney Lister, and Ezra Sims as the concert giving “annex” of New England Dinosaur ...

; Malcolm Peyton, conductor; 1989) * String Quartet (

Borromeo String Quartet The Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber mu ...

; 1994) * ''Envoi'' for solo flute (1992) * ''Apostroph'' (1997) * String Quartet No. 2 ( Ciompi Quartet 2001; Fibonacci Quartet 2005) * ''Tango Steps'' (Cyrus Stevens, violin; Donald Berman, piano; 2005) * ''Overture for Piano'' (Katie Reimer, piano; 2005) * ''Lyric Meditations'' (Gregorio Rangell; 2009)

References

External links

NEC Faculty: Malcolm C. PeytonMimesis Ensemble - Malcolm PeytonBoston Modern Orchestra Project - Malcolm PeytonBoston Composers Project - Malcolm Peyton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyton, Malcolm American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers Living people 1932 births New England Conservatory faculty Musicians from New York City Princeton University alumni Pupils of Edward T. Cone 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians Fulbright alumni