Richard Wernick (born January 16, 1934, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American

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 ...

. He is best known for his chamber and vocal works. His composition ''Visions of Terror and Wonder'' won the 1977

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

Career

Wernick began his musical studies playing the piano at age 11. His high school music theory teacher took notice of his abilities, and introduced him to

Irving Fine Irving Gifford Fine (December 3, 1914 – August 23, 1962) was an American composer. Fine's work assimilated neoclassical, romantic, and serial elements. Composer Virgil Thomson described Fine's "unusual melodic grace" while Aaron Copland noted ...

, who was a composition professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

at the time. Wernick went on to complete his undergraduate studies with Fine at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

. While at Brandeis, Wernick also studied with

Harold Shapero Harold Samuel Shapero (April 29, 1920 – May 17, 2013) was an American composer. Early years Shapero was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on April 29, 1920. He and his family later moved to nearby Newton. He learned to play the piano as a chi ...

, Arthur Berger, and

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

. His studies at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the ...

included composition work with

Ernst Toch Ernst Toch (; 7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. He sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Biography Toch was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into the family ...

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

, and

Boris Blacher Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist. Life Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (he ...

and conducting studies with

and

Seymour Lipkin Seymour Lipkin ( May 14, 1927 – November 16, 2015) was an American concert pianist, conductor, and educator. Early life and piano career Lipkin was born in Detroit. At age 11, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Dav ...

. Wernick also studied at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

with

Leon Kirchner Leon Kirchner (January 24, 1919 – September 17, 2009) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he won a Pulitzer Pr ...

.Hirshberg, Jehoash. "Wernick, Richard." ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wernick worked as a theater, film, television, and dance composer. His output during this time includes the film score for the short comedy ''A Bowl of Cherries''. Wernick spent much of his career as a composition professor, teaching at SUNY Buffalo (1964–1965) and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

(1965–1968). However, his longest tenure was at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, from 1968 to 1996. For his notable students, David Patrick Stearns of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' considered Wernick's time at University of Pennsylvania, especially during the 1970s, to represent the height of his compositional influence as part of the University's composition "triumvirate" (Wernick,

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

, and

George Rochberg George Rochberg (July 5, 1918May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the practice following the death of his teenage son in 1964; he claimed this compositional technique ...

). In 1983,

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...

selected Wernick to be the Consultant for New Music to the Philadelphia Orchestra. His role as advisor was to assist Muti in identifying new works for the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform, with a stated emphasis on American composers. He held this position until 1989, when he was re-appointed as Special Consultant to the Music Director. He continued until the end of Muti's tenure with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1993.

Theodore Presser Company The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuing music pub ...

"Wernick, Richard"
/ref> Wernick won the 1977

for his composition ''Visions of Terror and Wonder''. He won

Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards The Kennedy Center Friedheim Award was an annual award given for instrumental music composition by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1978 and ended in 1995. The award was given only to Am ...

in 1986 for his Violin Concerto (first place, tie with

Bernard Rands Bernard Rands (born 2 March 1934 in Sheffield, England) is a British-American contemporary classical music composer. He studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna ...

), 1991 (first place, for String Quartet No. 4), and 1992 (second place, for Piano Concerto). He has also received awards from the Ford, Guggenheim and Naumburg foundations. (See also List of Awards below.) Wernick lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife, bassoonist Bea Wernick. His son Adam Wernick is a theatrical composer who has won several

Helen Hayes Awards The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

. His other son Lew Wernick is also a musician.

Compositional style

Wernick has described his style as one that attempts to find common ground with an audience:

My expectation is that I'm not writing down to an audience, but I'm not trying to write above their heads. I'm not writing to an audience which is illiterate and I'm not writing to an audience which is technically educated in music, but I do write for an audience that I assume has experience in listening to music and is willing to at least meet me halfway. So I'll go halfway to meet them."

As such, critics have sometimes identified his style as more audience-accessible, particularly when compared to more strictly serialist composers of the 20th century. Harmonic analysis of Wernick's work suggests that his style makes reference to tonal harmony, but is usually based on fixed cells of intervals. He occasionally makes use of twelve-tone sequences and their permutations, but this technique is not necessarily a defining feature of his output. Wernick also makes extensive use of

contrapuntal In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

techniques, especially in his string quartets. In vocal and programmatic works, Wernick's choice of texts often reflect an ideological message. ''Kaddish Requiem'' mourns "the victims of Indochina," referring to the contemporaneous

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

as well as to related violence throughout the region. Likewise, the final movement of his Duo for Cello and Piano is a memorial for the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

attacks on September 11, 2001. Several of his works, most notably ''Kaddish Requiem'' and ''Visions of Terror and Wonder'', combine religious texts from multiple traditions. Performers with whom Wernick has frequently worked include the

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. It has received numerous ...

, the

Emerson String Quartet The Emerson String Quartet, also known as the Emerson Quartet, is an American string quartet that was initially formed as a student group at the Juilliard School in 1976. It was named for American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and beg ...

David Starobin David Starobin (born September 27, 1951) is a highly honored figure in the world of classical guitar. Called "arguably the most influential American classical guitarist of the 20th century" ('' Soundboard''), Starobin was born in New York City. ...

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

Jan de Gaetani Jan (Janice) DeGaetani (July 10, 1933 – September 15, 1989) was an American mezzo-soprano known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions. DeGaetani was born in Massillon, Ohio. Educated at The Juilliard School wi ...

Lambert Orkis Lambert Orkis (born 1946, Philadelphia) is an American classical pianist. His career has been based on many differing roles: ranging from being the collaborative pianist for Anne-Sophie Mutter for works of piano and violin chamber music since 198 ...

, and Gregory Fulkerson.

Works

The majority of Wernick's works are published by

Most of his manuscripts are held by the Special Collections of the

Van Pelt Library The Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library (also known as the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, and simply Van Pelt) is the primary library at the University of Pennsylvania. The building was designed by architects Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larso ...

at the

. The collection also contains marked scores from premieres of other composers' works that Wernick directed.

Discography

Wernick's works were represented on some of the earliest releases by

Bridge Records Bridge Records is an independent record label that specializes in classical music located in New Rochelle, New York. History A classical guitarist, David Starobin recorded the Boccherini Guitar Quintet in E minor in the 1970s. This was his first ...

, a label founded by guitarist David Starobin. His works have also been recorded on

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

Centaur Records Centaur Records is one of the oldest and largest independent classical labels in America. The company is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was founded by Victor Sachse in 1976. Centaur's catalog includes classical, historical, pops, contemp ...

, Composers Recordings, Inc., and

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record la ...

. *''Music of Richard Wernick'', Bridge Records 9303 :Quintet for French Horn and String Quartet, William Purvis,

:''Da'ase'' for Guitar, David Starobin :String Quartet No. 6, Colorado String Quartet :''Trochaic Trot'', David Starobin :''The Name of the Game'', David Starobin,

International Contemporary Ensemble The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is a contemporary classical music ensemble, based in New York City and Chicago. ICE performs a diverse and extensive array of chamber, electro-acoustic, improvisatory, and multimedia works. History T ...

, Cliff Colnot, conductor *Duo for Cello and Piano,

Scott Kluksdahl Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

, cello, Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano. Centaur Records 2765: ''Sound Vessels'' *Piano Sonata No. 2, Lambert Orkis. Bridge Records 9131: ''From Hammers to Bytes'' *''A Prayer for Jerusalem'' for Mezzo-Soprano and Percussion, Jan DeGaetani and Glenn Steele. Composers Recordings, Inc. (New World Records) S-344. *''Songs of Remembrance'': Four songs for Shawm, English Horn, Oboe and Mezzo-soprano, Jan DeGaetani and

Philip West Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

. Nonesuch Records CD 71342. *Cadenzas and Variations II for Violin Solo, Gregory Fulkerson. New World Records CD 80313: ''Cadenzas and Variations'' *Cadenzas and Variations III for Cello Solo, Scott Kluksdahl. Composers Recordings, Inc. (New World Records) CD 762: ''Lines for Solo Cello'' *Musica Ptolemica for Brass Quintet,

Chestnut Brass Company The Grammy winning Chestnut Brass Company is a Philadelphia brass quintet founded in 1977 to advance the skill and artistry of musical performance, as well as the knowledge and understanding of musical history with particular regard to brass instru ...

. Albany Records TROY 233: ''Contemporary Music for Brass Quintet'' *String Quartet No. 4, Emerson String Quartet. Deutsche Grammophon 437 537-2: ''American Contemporaries'' *''Da'ase'' for Guitar, David Starobin. Bridge Records CD 9084: ''Newdance: 18 New Dances for Solo Guitar'' *Piano Sonata No. 1: ''Reflections of a Dark Light'', Lambert Orkis. Bridge Records CD 9003: ''Lambert Orkis plays Music of Crumb and Wernick'' *''Richard Wernick'' Bridge Records CD 9082 :Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Lambert Orkis, piano; Symphony II, Richard Wernick, conductor. :Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Gregory Fulkerson, violin; Symphony II, Larry Rachleff, conductor. * Contemporary Chamber Players, Richard Wernick, conductor, Neva Pilgrim. Composers Recordings, Inc. (New World Records) S-379 (also CD 817) :''Haiku of Basho'' for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Contrabass, Two Percussion, Piano and Tape. :''Moonsongs from the Japanese'' for Soprano and Two Pre-recorded tracks of Soprano Voice, or Three Solo Sopranos. *''Kaddish-Requiem: A secular service for the victims of Indo-China'',

Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it i ...

Arthur Weisberg Arthur Weisberg (April 4, 1931 – January 17, 2009) was an American clarinetist, bassoonist, conductor, composer and author. Biography Weisberg was born in New York City. He attended The High School of Music & Art, majoring in bassoon and s ...

, conductor, Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano. Nonesuch Records CD 79222: ''Spectrum: New American Music'' *''A Poison Tree'' for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Soprano, 20th Century Consort,

Christopher Kendall Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

, conductor,

Lucy Shelton Lucy Shelton is an American soprano best known for her performance of contemporary music. She graduated from The Putney School in 1961 and Pomona College in 1965. The only artist to receive the International Walter W. Naumberg Award twice (as a ...

, soprano. Smithsonian Collection N027 *''A Poison Tree'' for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Soprano, Syracuse New Music Ensemble,

Neva Pilgrim Neva Pilgrim (born in Minnesota, United States) is an American soprano known for her work in the performance of contemporary classical music. She grew up on a farm in Cottonwood County in southwestern Minnesota, near Bingham Lake, between Mounta ...

, soprano. Spectrum Records SR-183 *Concerto for Viola: ''Do Not Go Gentle'',

Walter Trampler Walter Trampler (August 25, 1915 – September 27, 1997) was a German musician and teacher of the viola and viola d'amore. Born in Munich, he was given his first lessons at age six by his violinist father. While still in his youth, he played well e ...

, viola,

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston is a musician-led United States, American orchestra based in Newton, Massachusetts. It is one of only four co-operative orchestras in the United States, US. It had a long-time association with composer and condu ...

Leon Botstein Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-American conducting, conductor, educator, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography 1946–1975: Early life, education, and career Botstein was ...

, conductor. Composers Recordings, Inc. (New World Records) CD 618.

Awards

*2006: Composer of the Year Award (Classical Recording Foundation) *2000: Alfred I Dupont Award *1992: Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, 2nd Place *1991: Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, 1st Place''The New York Times'' (November 13, 1991)
"4 Composers Honored At Kennedy Center"
/ref> *1986: Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, 1st PlaceKuhn, Laura (2000). "Wernick, Richard", ''Baker's Dictionary of Opera'', p. 886. Schirmer Books. *1982:

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 ...

Composition Grant *1979: National Endowment for the Arts Composition Grant *1977: Pulitzer Prize in Music *1976: Guggenheim Fellowship *1976: National Institute of Arts and Letters Music Award *1976: Naumberg Recording Award *1975: National Endowment for the Arts Composition Grant *1962–64: Ford Foundation Composition Grants

References

External links

Interview with Richard Wernick
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wernick, Richard 1934 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American classical composers American male classical composers Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Pupils of Irving Fine