Philip Thomas Bezanson (January 6, 1916 – March 11, 1975) was an American composer and educator.

Life

Born in

Athol, Massachusetts Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,945 at the 2020 census. History Originally called Pequoiag when settled by Native Americans, the area was subsequently settled by five families in Septe ...

, he graduated from Yale University School of Music in 1940 and after war services enrolled in the graduate program of composition at the

State University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

where he joined its faculty eight years later. In 1951 he received his Ph.D. and later became head of composition. He was made a professor in 1961. He was given a Distinguished Alumnus award by Yale. A prolific and productive composer, Bezanson won several prestigious awards and received commissions from, among others,

Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...

, who commissioned a

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

in 1952. His most famous work is perhaps the opera ''Golden Child'', written in 1960 to a libretto by

Paul Engle Paul Engle (October 12, 1908 – March 22, 1991), was an American poet, editor, teacher, literary critic, novelist, and playwright. He is remembered as the long-time director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and as co-founder of the International W ...

. The work was commissioned by the

NBC Opera Theatre The NBC Opera Theatre (sometimes mistakenly spelled NBC Opera Theater and sometimes referred to as the NBC Opera Company) was an American opera company operated by the National Broadcasting Company from 1949 to 1964. The company was established spec ...

and first performed on television on the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' program. Several of his vocal and choral works use texts by Engle as well. His notable students included

Olly Wilson Olly Woodrow Wilson, Jr. (September 7, 1937 – March 12, 2018) was an American composer of contemporary classical music, pianist, double bassist, and a musicologist. He was one of the most preeminent composers of African American descent in the ...

, M. William Karlins, Karen Tarlow, and James Yannatos. He was a National Patron of

Delta Omicron Delta Omicron () is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship. History Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity was founded on September 6, 1909 at ...

, an international professional music fraternity.Delta Omicron

List of works

Stage works

* ''Golden Child'', opera in 3 acts (1960) * ''Stranger in Eden'', opera in 3 acts (1963)

Orchestral works

* ''Symphony no 1 in b'' * ''Symphony no 2'' * ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', overture * ''Dance scherzo'' * ''Fantasy, fugue and finale for strings'' (1951) * ''Concerto for piano and orchestra'' (1952) * ''Rondo-prelude for orchestra'' (1954) * ''Anniversary Overture'' (1956) * ''Capriccio Concertante'' (1967) * ''Sinfonia Concertante'' (1971)

Chamber works

* ''Children's suite'', piano (1946) * ''Sextet for woodwinds and piano'' (1956) * ''Divertimento for eight wind instruments'' * ''Duo for cello and piano'' (1965) * ''Brass sextet'' (1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bezanson, Philip 1916 births 1975 deaths 20th-century classical composers People from Athol, Massachusetts Yale School of Music alumni University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa faculty American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from Massachusetts 20th-century American male musicians