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William Kraft
William Kraft (September 6, 1923 – February 12, 2022) was an American composer, conductor, teacher, timpanist, and percussionist. Biography Early life and education (1923–1954) Kraft was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was awarded two Anton Seidl Fellowships at Columbia University, graduating with a bachelor's degree cum laude in 1951 and a master's degree in 1954. He studied composition with Jack Beeson and Henry Cowell, orchestration with Henry Brant, percussion with Morris Goldenberg, timpani from Saul Goodman, and conducting with Rudolph Thomas and Fritz Zweig. While in New York City, Kraft worked as a freelance musician and was an extra percussionist at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1954, Kraft joined the Dallas Symphony. After one season, he accepted a position as percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1955–1985) Kraft began as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's percussion section, before being promoted to the orchest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. Thus timpani are an example of kettledrums, also known as vessel drums and semispherical drums, whose body is similar to a section of a sphere whose cut conforms the head. Most modern timpani are ''pedal timpani'' and can be tuned quickly and accurately to specific pitches by skilled players through the use of a movable foot-pedal. They are played by striking the head with a specialized Beater (percussion), beater called a ''timpani stick'' or ''timpani mallet''. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the European classical music, classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of Musical ensemble, ensembles, incl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his former teacher and contemporary, Henry Cowell, but later moved toward incorporating elements of non-Western cultures into his work. Notable examples include a number of pieces written for Javanese style gamelan instruments, inspired after studying with noted gamelan musician Kanjeng Notoprojo in Indonesia. Harrison would create his own musical ensembles and instruments with his partner, William Colvig, who are now both considered founders of the American gamelan movement and world music; along with composers Harry Partch and Claude Vivier, and ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee. The majority of Harrison's works and custom instruments are written for just intonation rather than the more widespread equal temperament, making him one of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 American composers. The award was established by Eric Friedheim (1910–2002), the publisher of ''Travel Agent'' magazine and a patron of the arts, and funded by the Eric Friedheim Foundation and the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund. He endowed the award in honor of his father, the pianist Arthur Friedheim (1859–1932), who had studied with Franz Liszt. The first prize was US$5,000, the second prize was $2,500 (originally $2,000), the third prize was $1,000, and the fourth prize was $500. There was no fourth prize until 1984, and the third prize was originally $500. The winners were narrowed down from often over 100 entries, to four or five finalists. The works were performed and the awards were given at an awards ceremony, which was held each ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joined the University of California system in 1944. It is the third-oldest undergraduate campus in the system, after University of California, Berkeley, UC Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. UCSB's campus sits on the oceanfront site of a converted WWII-era United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps air station. UCSB is organized into three undergraduate colleges (UCSB College of Letters and Science, Letters and Science, UCSB College of Engineering, Engineering, College of Creative Studies, Creative Studies) and two graduate schools (Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Education and Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, Environmental Science & Management), offering more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fire And Ice (1983 Film)
''Fire and Ice'' is a 1983 American animated dark fantasy adventure film directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film, a collaboration between Bakshi and Frank Frazetta, was distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The animated feature, based on characters co-created by Bakshi and Frazetta, was made using the process of rotoscoping, in which scenes were shot in live-action and then traced onto animation cels. The screenplay was written by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, both of whom had written '' Conan'' stories for Marvel Comics. The background painter was James Gurney, the author and artist of the '' Dinotopia'' illustrated novels. The American painter Thomas Kinkade also worked on the backgrounds to various scenes. Peter Chung, the creator of '' Aeon Flux'', was a layout artist. Plot From their citadel Icepeak, the evil Queen Juliana and her son Nekron send forth a wave of glaciers; this forces humanity to retreat south towards the equator. Nekron sends a delegation to Firekeep, the volcano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill (1981 Film)
''Bill'' is a 1981 American made-for-television biographical drama film starring Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid based on the life of Bill Sackter. The film was broadcast on CBS on December 22, 1981. A sequel, '' Bill: On His Own'', was released in 1983. Writer/filmmaker Barry Morrow, portrayed in the film by Dennis Quaid, based the story on his life experiences with Sackter, and later became his legal guardian. Sackter, who did not have autism, would also serve as a partial inspiration for the character of Raymond Babbitt in Morrow's early draft screenplay for the 1988 film '' Rain Man.'' Awards Mickey Rooney won an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for his performance, and the film also received a Golden Globe for Best TV Film. Premise Bill is a man with an intellectual disability in his 60s. He ventures out into the world for the first time after spending most of his life at Grandville, a dreary inner city institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since age seven (when hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avalanche (1978 Film)
''Avalanche'' is a 1978 disaster film directed by Corey Allen, featuring Rock Hudson, Mia Farrow, Robert Forster, and Jeanette Nolan. The plot revolves around David Shelby, who owns a ski resort in an avalanche-prone area. As the resort opens with a grand event, tensions arise between David and his ex-wife, Caroline, who is drawn to an environmental photographer named Nick. A tragic avalanche occurs during the festivities, causing significant destruction and loss of life. The film explores the rescue efforts and aftermath, depicting the impact on the characters' lives. ''Avalanche'' was one of the most expensive films made by New World Pictures, and despite featuring notable stars, it was not a box office success. Plot David Shelby, a prosperous owner of a newly established ski resort nestled beneath a snow-laden mountain, extends an invitation to his ex-wife, Caroline Brace, for the grand opening. This event marks the commencement of both a ski tournament and a figure skatin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psychic Killer
''Psychic Killer'' is a 1975 American supernatural horror film directed by Ray Danton and written by Greydon Clark, Mikel Angel and Ray Danton. The film stars Paul Burke, Jim Hutton, Julie Adams, Nehemiah Persoff, Neville Brand and Aldo Ray. The film was released in December 1975, by AVCO Embassy Pictures. Originally released under the alternate title ''The Kirlian Force'', it was changed to ''Psychic Killer'' to emphasize the more sensational horror scenes of the film. This was the final theatrical film for both Jim Hutton and Paul Burke. Plot Arnold Masters is a young man serving time in an institution for the criminally insane for a crime he did not commit. Arnold reveals his situation to a fellow inmate: His mother was very sick, and needed an operation to remove a tumor. But due to Arnold's mother having no insurance, the doctor did not perform the operation. When Arnold returned to the doctor's office, the doctor was found dead, and Arnold was framed for the crime. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zyklus
''Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger'' (English: Cycle for a Percussionist) is a composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen, assigned Number 9 in the composer's catalog of works. It was composed in 1959 at the request of Wolfgang Steinecke as a test piece for a percussion competition at the Darmstadt Summer Courses, where it was premièred on 25 August 1959 by Christoph Caskel. It quickly became the most frequently played solo percussion work, and "inspired a wave of writing for percussion". Instrumentation The work is written for one percussionist playing a marimba, vibraphone (motor off), 4 tom-toms, snare drum, güiro (one or several, if necessary), 2 African log drums (each producing 2 pitches), 2 suspended cymbals of differing sizes, hi-hat, 4 almglocken (suspended, clappers removed), a suspended "bunch of bells" (preferably Indian bells or tambourine mounted on a stand), at least 2 high pitched triangles, gong (with raised boss in center) and tam-tam. Form The title of ''Zyklu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, having been called the "father of electronic music", for introducing controlled chance ( aleatory techniques) into serial composition, and for musical spatialization. Stockhausen was educated at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the University of Cologne, later studying with Olivier Messiaen in Paris and with Werner Meyer-Eppler at the University of Bonn. As one of the leading figures of the Darmstadt School, his compositions and theories were and remain widely influential, not only on composers of art music, but also on jazz and popular music. His works, composed over a period of nearly sixty years, eschew traditional forms. In addition to electronic musicboth with and without live performersthe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Marteau Sans Maître
''Le Marteau sans maître'' (; The Hammer without a Master) is a chamber cantata by French composer Pierre Boulez. The work, which received its premiere in 1955, sets surrealist poetry by René Char for contralto and six instrumentalists. It is among his most acclaimed compositions. History Before ''Le Marteau'', Boulez had established a reputation as the composer of Modernism (music), modernist and Serialism, serialist works such as ''Structures (Boulez), Structures I'', ''Polyphonie X'', as well as his infamously "unplayable" Piano sonatas (Boulez), Second Piano Sonata. ''Le Marteau'' was first written as a six-movement composition between 1953 and 1954, and was published in that form in the latter year, "imprimée pour le Donaueschingen Festival, festival de musique, 1954, Donaueschingen" (though in the end it was not performed there) in a photographic reproduction of the composer's manuscript by Universal Edition, given the catalog number UE 12362. In 1955 Boulez revised ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montbrison, Loire, Montbrison, in the Loire department of France, the son of an engineer, Boulez studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Olivier Messiaen, and privately with Andrée Vaurabourg and René Leibowitz. He began his professional career in the late 1940s as music director of the Renaud-Barrault theatre company in Paris. He was a leading figure in avant-garde music, playing an important role in the development of integral serialism in the 1950s, Aleatoric music, controlled chance music in the 1960s and the electronic transformation of instrumental music in real time from the 1970s onwards. His tendency to revise earlier compositions meant that his body of work was relatively small, but it included pieces considered landmarks of twent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
