Barbara Kolb (born February 10, 1939) is an American composer. Her music uses
sound mass
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
es and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...
ic or
melodic
A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...
figure
Figure may refer to:
General
*A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration
*Figure (wood), wood appearance
*Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif
*Noise figure, in telecommunication
*Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern ...
s). Kolb's musical style can be identified by her use of colorful textures, impressionistic touch, and
atonal
Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a ...
vocabulary, with influences stemming from literary and visual arts. She was the first American woman composer to win the
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 ...
.
Life and music
Kolb was born in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. She received her B.M. (cum laude, 1961) and M.M. degrees (1964) from the Hartt College of Music (now
The Hartt School
The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...
) at the
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...
, where she studied with
Arnold Franchetti
Arnold Franchetti (1911–1993) was a composer born in Lucca, Italy who later emigrated to the United States.
Early life
As a boy, Franchetti studied composition and piano with his father, Baron Alberto Franchetti (1860–1942). Baron Franche ...
,
Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009) was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor.
Career
Born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922, Foss was soon recognized as a child prodigy. He began piano and theory lessons with J ...
and
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 ...
. Following her graduation, Kolb relocated to
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, timezone_DST ...
, Austria, from 1966 to 1967 with a Fulbright Fellowship grant. She was the first female American composer to win the
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 ...
rix de Rome in 1969. From 1979 to 1982, Kolb served as the artistic director of contemporary music at the Third Street Music School Settlement, where she presented the "Music New to New York" concert series. Additionally, she has had a professional teaching career teaching at Rhode Island College and
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music ...
as a visiting professor in composition. A selection of Kolb's compositions were featured at the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, performed by the "Theatre Chamber Players" as part of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. However, Kolb was not only known as a composer; she was also proficient at the clarinet.
Her compositions include ''All in Good Time'' (1993), commissioned for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and ''Voyants'' (1991), a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra dedicated to the memory of
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 ...
. ''Voyants'' was most recently performed by Kathleen Supové with the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Edward Markward on October 16, 2006 in Providence, RI. Discs devoted solely to Kolb's music have been released to the general public by
CRI
CRI or CRi may refer to:
Organizations
* Canadian Rivers Institute, for river sciences, University of New Brunswick
* Cancer Research Institute, New York, US
* Centro de Relaciones Internacionales (International Relations Center), Universidad N ...
and
New World Records
New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.John Corigliano,
Aaron Jay Kernis
Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as Dir ...
,
John Harbison
John Harris Harbison (born December 20, 1938) is an American composer, known for his symphonies, operas, and large choral works.
Life
John Harris Harbison was born on December 20, 1938, in Orange, New Jersey, to the historian Elmore Harris Harbi ...
Cedille Records
Cedille Records () is the independent record label of the Chicago Classical Recording Foundation.
History
In 1989, James Ginsburg, the son of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, founded Cedille Records as a for-profit c ...
in the summer of 2006. Her music is published exclusively by Boosey and Hawkes.
Selected compositions
* ''Millefoglie'', for chamber orchestra and computer generated tape
* ''Extremes'', duo for flute and cello
* ''Chromatic Fantasy'', for narrator and six instruments
* ''Solitaire'', for piano and two-channel tape and vibraphone
* ''Looking for Claudio'' for solo guitar and tape (1975)
* ''Cavatina'' for violin or viola solo (1983, revised 1985)
* ''Related Characters'' for viola and piano (1982)
* ''Umbrian Colors'' for violin and guitar (1986)
* ''Virgin Mother Creatrix'' a cappella choral work inspired by the mysticism of Hildegard von Bingen
Discography
All Barbara Kolb discs
* Barbara Kolb: ''Millefoglie and Other Works'' (1992). Music Today and Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Includes Kolb's ''Millefoglie'' for orchestra & tape (1985), ''Extremes'' for cello & flute (1989), ''Chromatic Fantasy'' for narrator and six instruments (1979), and ''Solitaire'' for piano and pre-recorded tape (1971) (New World Records 80422-2).
* Barbara Kolb: ''Soundings and Other Works'' (1990). Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Arthur Tamayo; Igor Kipnis, harpsichord; Jay Gottlieb, piano, etc.; includes Kolb's ''Soundings'' (1971–72), ''Toccata'' (1971), ''Apello'' (1976), ''Looking for Claudio'' (1975), and ''Spring River Flowers Moon Night'' (1974–75) (Composers Recordings Inc. CD 576, available from New World Records).
Others
*''Related Characters'' – featuring Bill Perconti, James March, and Iowa Brass Quintet – includes Kolb's ''Related Characters'' for alto saxophone and piano (1982) (Centaur).
*''American Orchestra Works'' – featuring the Grant Park Orchestra conducted by Carlos Kalmar – includes Kolb's ''All in Good Time'' (1993) (Cedille).
Bibliography
* Julie C. Dunbar: ''Women, Music, Culture. An introduction'' (London: Routledge, 2011).