Richard Einhorn (born 1952) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

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 ...

. Einhorn graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1975, and studied

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

with

Jack Beeson Jack Hamilton Beeson (July 15, 1921 – June 6, 2010) was an American composer. He was known particularly for his operas, the best known of which are ''Lizzie Borden'', ''Hello Out There!'', and ''The Sweet Bye and Bye''. Early life Born in Muncie ...

Vladimir Ussachevsky Vladimir Alexeevich Ussachevsky (November 3, 1911 in Hailar, China – January 2, 1990 in New York, New York) was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music. Biography Vladimir Ussachevsky was born in the Hailar Distric ...

, and

Mario Davidovsky Mario Davidovsky (March 4, 1934 – August 23, 2019) was an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions ca ...

. His best-known work, ''

Voices of Light ''Voices of Light'' is a 1994 musical composition by Richard Einhorn. It was inspired by the silent film ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (1928), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer; live performances of the composition have accompanied screenings of th ...

'' (1994) is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

scored for soloists, chorus, orchestra and a bell. It was inspired by

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

's silent film ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne F ...

'' (

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

), and it has been performed while the film is screened. He has also composed many horror and thriller film scores, including ''

Shock Waves In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...

'' (1977), ''

Don't Go in the House ''Don't Go in the House'' is a 1980 American psychological horror film written and directed by Joseph Ellison, written by Ellen Hammill and Joe Masefield, and starring Dan Grimaldi. Its plot follows a disturbed man who, after suffering an abusive ...

'' (1980), '' Eyes of a Stranger'' (1981), '' The Prowler'' (1981), '' Dead of Winter'' (1987), ''

Blood Rage ''Blood Rage'' (also known as ''Nightmare at Shadow Woods'' and ''Slasher'') is a 1987 American slasher film directed by John Grissmer, written by Bruce Rubin, and starring Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, and Julie Gordon. Set on Thanksgiving, the fi ...

'' (1987), '' Sister, Sister'' (1987) and '' Dark Tower'' (1989). He also contributed to the soundtrack of ''

Liberty! The American Revolution ''Liberty! The American Revolution'' is a six-hour documentary miniseries about the Revolutionary War, and the instigating factors, that brought about the United States' independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was first broadcast o ...

'' (1997). In a 2011

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

article, Einhorn discussed his use of hearing loops to enjoy concerts with his hearing aid.Tierney, John (23 October 2011
"A Hearing Aid That Cuts Out All the Clatter"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Retrieved 26 March 2019/

Musical works

Concert works

*'' The Origin'' an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

inspired by

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

's life and work. Libretto compiled from Darwin's writings by Einhorn and the American poet Catherine Barnett *''

*''Maxwell's Demon'' ##1-4, for electric violin (1988–1990); later adapted for the 1994

Ulysses Dove Ulysses Dove (January 17, 1947 in Columbia, South Carolina – June 11, 1996 in Manhattan) was a choreographer. Dove began his dance training at Boggs Academy in Georgia. Dove gave up his premedical studies at Howard University to transfer to ...

ballet ''Red Angels'' *''A Carnival of Miracles'' for four voices *''The Fourth Manner of Loving'' for

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

*''My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss'' for symphony orchestra and narrator

Film scores

* ''Shock Waves'' (1977, dir.

Ken Wiederhorn Ken Wiederhorn is a former news and documentary editor at CBS and a film director, film and television director, known mainly for the horror films ''Shock Waves (film), Shock Waves'' and ''Return of the Living Dead Part II''. Other features incl ...

) * ''

'' (1979, dir. Joseph Ellison) * ''Eyes of a Stranger'' (1981, dir.

) * ''The Prowler'' (1981, dir.

Joseph Zito Joseph Zito (born May 14, 1946) is an American film director and producer, best known for directing several cult and genre films throughout the 1980s, such as ''Missing in Action'', '' Invasion U.S.A.'', ''Red Scorpion'', '' The Prowler'', and ' ...

) * ''

'' (1983, dir. John Grissmer) * '' Dead of Winter'' (1987, dir.

Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010) was an American director and producer of film, television and theater. Closely associated with the American New Wave, Penn directed critically acclaimed films throughout the 19 ...

) * '' Sister, Sister'' (1987, dir.

Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including '' Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago'', '' Kinsey'', ''Dreamgirls'', ' ...

) * ''Necessary Parties'' (1988, dir.

Gwen Arner Gwen may refer to: * Gwen (given name), including a list of people with the name * ''Gwen, or the Book of Sand'', a 1985 animated film * Gwen (film), a 2018 horror film * Tropical Storm Gwen, several storms with the name Acronyms * AN/URC-117 Grou ...

) * '' Dark Tower'' (1989, dir.

Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director. He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer. He started his career with British films such as Jack Cardiff's ''Sons and L ...

) * ''

Closet Land ''Closet Land'' is a 1991 independent film written and directed by Radha Bharadwaj. The film stars Madeleine Stowe as a young author of children's books and Alan Rickman as a sadistic secret policeman who is interrogating her. The film was relea ...

'' (1991, dir.

Radha Bharadwaj Radha Bharadwaj is an Indian filmmaker, film producer and screenwriter. She moved to the United States in her late teens to study film. Bharadwaj's screenwriting and directing feature debut is '' Closet Land''. The surreal psychological drama w ...

) – with

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

* ''Darrow'' (1991, dir.

John David Coles John David Coles is an American director and producer. Coles was nominated in 2015 for an Emmy and PGA Award for his work as an Executive Producer and Director on the Netflix phenomenon, ''House of Cards (American TV series), House of Cards. '' ...

) * ''

A House in the Hills ''A House in the Hills'' is a 1993 film directed by Ken Wiederhorn. It stars Michael Madsen and Helen Slater. Plot Alex is an aspiring actress, working as a waitress to make ends meet while she prepares to audition for a TV soap opera. To earn so ...

'' (1993, dir.

) * ''Fire-Eater'' (1998, dir.

Pirjo Honkasalo Pirjo Irene Honkasalo (born 22 February 1947) is a Finnish film director who has also worked as a cinematographer, film editor, producer, screenwriter and actress. In 1980 she co-directed ''Flame Top'' with Pekka Lehto, with whom she worked earl ...

)

References

External links

*
The composer's Web site
includes biography and discography
Digby's Hullabaloo
where Einhorn blogs under the name Tristero. {{DEFAULTSORT:Einhorn, Richard 1952 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers Jewish American classical composers 21st-century American male musicians Varèse Sarabande Records artists 21st-century American Jews