Martin Bresnick (born 1946) is a 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 ...

film scores A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

Education and early career

Bresnick grew up in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and is a graduate of New York City's specialized High School of Music and Art. He was educated at the University of Hartford (B.A. '67), Stanford University (M.A. '68, D.M.A. '72), and the Akademie für Musik, Vienna ('69–'70), and studied composition with

John Chowning John M. Chowning (; born August 22, 1934 in Salem, New Jersey) is an American composer, musician, discoverer, and professor best known for his work at Stanford University, the founding of CCRMA - Center for Computer Research in Music and Acou ...

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" ...

and

Gottfried von Einem Gottfried von Einem (24 January 1918 – 12 July 1996) was an Austrian composer. He is known chiefly for his operas influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, as well as by jazz. He also composed pieces for piano, violin and organ. Biog ...

. He went on to teach at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgh ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a joi ...

Career

Bresnick’s work has received many prizes, among them:

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 ...

(1969–70), three NEA Composer Grants (1974, 1979, 1990),

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 ...

Fellowship (1975–76), MacDowell Fellowship (1977), First Prize, Premio Ancona (1980), First Prize, International Sinfonia Musicale Competition (1982), Connecticut Commission on the Arts Grant, with Chamber Music America (1983), The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Elise L. Stoeger Prize for Chamber Music (1996), "Charles Ives Living" award, American Academy of Arts & Letters (1998), Composer-in Residence,

American Academy In Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

(1999), Berlin Prize Fellow,

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

(2001) a Guggenheim Fellowship (2003), and was elected to membership,

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

(2006). Bresnick is currently a professor at the

, where he has been a widely influential teacher of contemporary composition. His teaching has been recognized by a Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching at Stanford University, a Morse Fellowship from Yale University (1980–81), the ASCAP Foundation's Aaron Copland Prize for teaching, and the Yale School of Music’s highest honor, the Sanford Medal for Service to Music. See: List of music students by teacher: A to B#Martin Bresnick. Bresnick has been recognized as having composed a large catalog of respected works while teaching and as an influential voice at the Yale School of Music. Notable recent performances including a 60th birthday retrospective at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, the premiere of his oratorio “Passions of Bloom” on the

International Festival of Arts and Ideas The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a 15-day festival that takes place in New Haven, Connecticut. The festival presents performing arts, lectures, and conversations that celebrate influential artists and thinkers from around the wo ...

, the premiere of his fourth string quartet “The Planet on the Table” by the

Brentano String Quartet The Brentano Quartet is an American string quartet. History Founded in 1992 at the Juilliard School, the quartet's founding members were violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Michael Kannen. At the suggesti ...

, and a performance of his piano concerto “Caprichos Enfaticos” at the

Nasher Sculpture Center Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas, that houses the Patsy and Raymond Nasher collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Art ...

Film work

As a composer for films, he has contributed many scores for documentary films, including ''Arthur and Lillie'' (1975) and ''

The Day After Trinity ''The Day After Trinity'' (a.k.a. ''The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb'') is a 1980 documentary film directed and produced by Jon H. Else in association with KTEH public television in San Jose, California. The fil ...

'' (1980), both of which were nominated for

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. He also composed the score for the PBS documentary '' Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet''.

Major works

Bresnick's compositions tend to be concise and direct in expression, and span a wide spectrum of genres. Some of his works were composed as a cycle called ''Opere della Musica Povera'', or ''Works of a Poor Music.'' Opera * "My Friend's Story" An Opera in a Prolog, 3 Scenes and an Epilog based on a story by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

Oratorio * "Passions of Bloom" for solo voices, chorus (SATB) and orchestra Orchestra * "Angelus Novus" * "Encore!" * "Falling" for orchestra and mezzo-soprano * "Grace" for two marimbas and orchestra * "Little Suite" for amateur string orchestra * "Ocean of Storms" * "On An Overgrown Path" (Janáček-Bresnick) for chamber orchestra * "ONE" for chamber orchestra * "Pan Penseroso" for solo flute and orchestra * "Pontoosuc" * "Sinfonia" * "The Way It Goes" * "Wir Weben, Wir Weben" for string orchestra Large ensemble * "Ants" for woodwind quintet, contrabass, percussion, harp, soprano, mezzo, tenor, baritone soli, 5 actor/mimes * "B.'s Garlands" for 8 cellos * "Bread & Salt" for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 saxes, 2 horns, cello, contrabass * "Der Signál" for flute, clarinet, cornet, trombone, viola, cello, contrabass, percussion, soprano, alto, mezzo soli, narrator or tape * "Fanfare" for 4 trumpets, 4 horns, 4 trombones * "Fantasia on a Theme by Willie Dixon" for vibraphone, clarinet, drum set, Piano, electric Organ, Violin, electric guitar * "Introit" for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones * "Musica" for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, voila, cello * "Parisot" for 12 cellos Small ensemble * "***" (Three Stars) for clarinet, viola (opt. violin), and piano * "A Message from the Emperor" for two speaking percussionists marimba, vibraphone, four small drums amplification as needed * "And I Always Thought" for clarinet, violin, and piano * "Ballad" for cello and piano * "BE JUST!" for clarinet, cello, contrabass, guitar, piano, percussion * "Bird as Prophet" for violin and piano * "The Bucket Rider" * "Capricho Nuevo" for clarinet, alto saxophone, percussion, vibraphone, piano, violin, contrabass * "Caprichos Enfaticos: Los Desastres de la Guerra" for piano and percussion quartet * "Conspiracies" for solo flute and four other flutes * "Elan's Blues" for violin, cello, piano * "Everything Must Go" for saxophone quartet * "Everything Must Go" for trombone quartet * "Follow Your Leader" for bass clarinet, bassoon, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello; or bass clarinet, bassoon, barisax, percussion, piano, synth, violin * "Going Home" (Vysoke, My Jerusalem) for oboe, violin, viola, cello * "Grace" for 2 marimbas and piano * "Handwork" for 2 pianos * "High Art" for piccolo and piano (opt.

toy piano The toy piano, also known as the ''kinderklavier'' (child's keyboard), is a small piano-like musical instrument. Most modern toy pianos use round metal rods, as opposed to strings in a regular piano, to produce sound. The U.S. Library of Congress ...

) * "Just Time" for woodwind quintet * "La Gaya Scienza" for Brass Quintet (Bass Trombone) & Timpani * "My Twentieth Century" for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano * "Pan Penseroso" (Version 3) for flute with

multiphonic A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voic ...

s and piano * "Pan Penseroso" (Version 4) for 2 flutes and piano * "Pigs & Fishes" for clarinet, bassoon, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello * "Pine Eyes" for narrator, 2 percussion, clarinet/bass clarinet in Bb, piano * "Prayers Remain Forever" for cello and piano * "Songs of the Mouse People" for cello and vibraphone * "String Quartet No. 1" * "String Quartet No. 2" (Bucephalus) * "String Quartet No. 3" * "String Quartet No. 4" (The Planet on the Table) * "Tent of Miracles" for solo baritone sax, tape; or solo bass clarinet, tape; or solo bassoon, tape; or solo baritone sax and three baritone saxes; or solo bass clarinet and three bass clarinets; or solo bassoon and three bassoons * "Trio" for 2 trumpets and piano * "Trio" for violin, cello, and piano * "Tucket" for bass clarinet, bassoon, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello; or bass clarinet, bassoon, baritone sax, percussion, piano, synth., violin; or brass quintet * "Willie's Way" for woodwind quintet * "Wir Weben, Wir Weben" for string sextet Solo compositions * "Bag O' Tells" for mandolin * "Bundists" (Robert, György and Me) for piano * "Conspiracies" for flute and tape * "Extrana Devocion" (Strange Devotion) for piano * "For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise" for piano and DVD projections * "Four Short Piano Pieces" for piano * "Ishi's Song" for piano * "Joaquin is Dreaming" for guitar * "Josephine, the Singer" for violin * "Lady Neil's Dumpe" for CX7 digital synthesizer; TX 816 driven by Mac * "On an Overgrown Path" for solo guitar * "Strange Devotion" for piano * "Tent of Miracles" for baritone sax solo and tape; or bass clarinet solo and tape; or bassoon solo and tape * "The Dream of the Lost Traveler" for piano * "Theme and Variations" for oboe * "Three Intermezzi" for cello * "Willie's Way" for solo piano Vocal compositions * "Falling" for mezzo-soprano and piano * "New Haven" for SATB chorus a cappella * "The Human Abstract" for mezzo-soprano and piano * "Three Choral Songs" for SATB chorus a cappella * "Where is the Way" for SATB chorus a cappella * "Woodstock" for SATB chorus a cappella

Recordings

*2019: '
David Bowlin: Bird as Prophet
'' New Focus Recordings **Includes Martin Bresnick: Bird as Prophet (Performed by David Bowlin, violin, Tony Cho, piano) *2017: '
Parisot
'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Parisot" (Performed by Ashley Bathgate, cello) *2016
Lisa Moore: The Stone People
Cantaloupe Records **Includes Martin Bresnick: Ishi's Song (Performed by Lisa Moore, piano) *2014: '

''

Starkland Starkland is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in alternative classical music. It was founded in 1991 by Thomas Steenland. Starkland's first two CDs offered all the principal 1960s music from the "organized s ...

**Includes Martin Bresnick: "Going Home – Vysoke, My Jerusalem" (Performed by Double Entendre) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Ishi's Song" (Performed by Lisa Moore) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Josephine The Singer" (Performed by Sarita Kwok) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Strange Devotion" (Performed by Lisa Moore) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "A Message From the Emperor" (Performed by Michael Compitello and Ian Rosenbaum) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Prayers Remain Forever" (Performed by Lisa Moore and Ashley Bathgate) *2011: '
Caprichos Enfáticos
'' Cantaloupe Music (Performed by Lisa Moore and

So Percussion Sō Percussion is an American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for th ...

) **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula simple (Farandole simple)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula de charlatanes – No saben el camino (Farandole of charlatans – They don’t know the way.)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Estragos de la guerra (Ravages of war)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula de políticos – Contra el bien general (Farandole of politicians – Against the common good.)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula de populacho (Farandole of the rabble)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "¡Extraña Devoción! (Strange devotion!)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula de creyentes – Nada. Ello lo dice (Farandole of believers – Nothing. That is what it says.)" **Includes Martin Bresnick: "Farándula doble (Farandole double)" *2010: '
Every Thing Must Go
''. Albany Records. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Willie's Way"'' (Performed by Lisa Moore) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Falling'' (Performed by Abigail Nims and Wei-yi Yang) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Ballade'' (Performed by Ashley Bathgate and Lisa Moore) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Three Choral Songs'' (Performed by the Yale Camerata) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Every Thing Must Go'' (Performed by the Prism Saxophone Quartet) *2009: '
Americans in Rome: Music by Fellows of the American Academy in Rome
'' Bridge Records **Includes Martin Bresnick: Three Intermezzi (Performed by Ole Akahoshi, cello) *2006: '
The Essential Martin Bresnick
'' Cantaloupe Music. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''String Quartet #2 "Bucephalus"'' (Performed by the Flux Quartet) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Trio for piano, violin, and violoncello'' (Performed by the Jupiter Trio) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''The Bucket Rider'' (Performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''BE JUST!'' (Performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars) **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise'' (DVD: Performed by Lisa Moore) *2005: '
Martin Bresnick: My 20th Century
'' New World Records. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Grace'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Tent of Miracles'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Songs of the Mouse People'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Fantasia on a Theme by Willie Dixon'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''My Twentieth Century'' *2003: High Art: Chamber Music for Solo Flute Albany Records. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''High Art'' *2000: '
Martin Bresnick: Works of a Poor Music
'' CRI / New World Records **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Tucket'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Follow Your Leader'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Pigs & Fishes'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''New Haven'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Woodstock'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Angelus Novus'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''The Bucket Rider!'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''BE JUST!'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''***'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''The Dream of the Lost Traveller'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Pine Eyes'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Bird as Prophet'' *2000: Conspirare: Chamber Music for Solo Flute CRI **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Conspiracies'' *1995: '
Martin Bresnick: Music for Strings
'' CRI / New World Records **Includes Martin Bresnick: '' String Quartet No. 2 "Bucephalus" **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Wir Weben, Wir Weben'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''B.'s Garlands'' **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''String Quartet No. 3'' *1995: Long Distance. CRI. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Bag O' Tells'' *1994: '
The Monticello Trio: Bresnick, Ives and Shatin
'' CRI / New World Records **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Trio'' *1993: CDCM Computer Music Series Vol. 2 Centaur Records. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Lady Neil's Dumpe'' *1992: '
New York Woodwind Quintet Plays Bresnick, Powell, Roseman, Shapey
'' New World Records. **Includes Martin Bresnick: ''Just Time''

References

External links

Martin Bresnick official siteMartin Bresnick's Bandcamp siteMartin Bresnick's page at Carl FischerYale School of Music
*
'Podcast #42: Dr. Martin Bresnick, composer & Yale Univ. Professor'
Interview by Tigran Arakelyan {{DEFAULTSORT:Bresnick, Martin 1946 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Living people American male classical composers American classical composers The High School of Music & Art alumni Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Yale School of Music faculty Pupils of György Ligeti Pupils of John Chowning (composer) 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians