Morton Feldman

Morton Feldman
Rob Bogaerts / Anefo · CC0 · source
Name	Morton Feldman
Birth date	January 12, 1926
Birth place	New York City
Death date	September 3, 1987
Death place	Buffalo, New York

Morton Feldman was an American composer of avant-garde music and a prominent figure in the New York School (music), alongside John Cage, Earle Brown, and Christian Wolff. Feldman's unique compositional style was influenced by his studies with Stefan Wolpe and Edgard Varèse, as well as his friendships with artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. His music often explored the relationship between sound and silence, as seen in works performed by the New York Philharmonic and the Columbia University Music Department. Feldman's legacy extends to his teaching positions at SUNY Buffalo and the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music.

● Life and Career

Morton Feldman was born in New York City to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia. He began his musical studies with Stefan Wolpe and later attended the New School for Social Research, where he met John Cage and other prominent figures of the avant-garde music scene. Feldman's early career was marked by performances at the Carnegie Hall and collaborations with artists such as Merce Cunningham and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He also worked with the Pierre Boulez-led Domaine Musical ensemble and participated in the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, alongside Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Henry. Feldman's teaching positions included appointments at SUNY Buffalo, Columbia University, and the California Institute of the Arts.

● Compositional Style

Feldman's compositional style was characterized by his use of indeterminacy and aleatoric music, as seen in works such as Atlas Eclipticalis and Intersection. He was also influenced by the musique concrète movement, led by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, and the serialism of Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. Feldman's music often featured extended techniques and unconventional instrumental timbres, as in his works for the flute and piano duo of Severino Gazzelloni and David Tudor. His compositions were performed by prominent ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, and the Ensemble InterContemporain, founded by Pierre Boulez.

● Notable Works

Some of Feldman's most notable works include Piano and String Quartet, For Bunita Marcus, and Crippled Symmetry. His music was often performed by prominent musicians, such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Ursula Oppens, and the Kronos Quartet. Feldman's works were also featured in festivals such as the Donaueschingen Festival, the Venice Biennale, and the Warsaw Autumn festival, alongside compositions by Witold Lutosławski and Krzysztof Penderecki. His String Quartet (II) was premiered by the Juilliard String Quartet at the Library of Congress.

● Influence and Legacy

Feldman's influence can be seen in the work of composers such as György Ligeti, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, who were all associated with the minimalist music movement. His music has also been performed by ensembles such as the Bang on a Can All-Stars and the Asko Ensemble, founded by Reinbert de Leeuw. Feldman's legacy extends to his teaching positions at SUNY Buffalo and the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, where he influenced a generation of composers, including Helmut Lachenmann and Brian Ferneyhough. His music has been recognized with awards such as the Koussevitzky Prize and the Fromm Music Foundation award.

● Musical Philosophy

Feldman's musical philosophy was centered around the concept of sound and its relationship to silence. He was influenced by the ideas of John Cage and the Zen Buddhism movement, as well as the abstract expressionism of artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. Feldman's music often explored the boundaries between music and art, as seen in his collaborations with visual artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. His philosophy was also reflected in his teaching and writings, which emphasized the importance of improvisation and experimentation in the creative process, as seen in the work of composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciano Berio. Category:American composers