Quincy Porter

Quincy Porter (February 71897 – November 121966) was an American composer and teacher of classical music.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he went to Yale University where his teachers included Horatio Parker. He later studied with Ernest Bloch and Vincent d'Indy. He taught at Vassar during the 1930s, became dean (1938-42) and then director (1942-46) of the New England Conservatory of Music, and in 1946 returned to Yale, as professor, to teach until 1965. He died in Bethany, Connecticut.

He wrote a substantial amount in the "absolute (established) forms", including nine string quartets (1923–1953), several concertos (including one for harpsichord, one for viola, and one for two pianos, the latter work receiving the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Music), and two symphonies. His later music while tonal is harmonically and rhythmically acerbic and dissonant.

Selected works

• Symphonies
  • Symphony no. 1, 1934
  • Symphony no. 2, 1962^[1]
• Other orchestral
  • Ukrainian suite, 1925^[2]
  • Dance in Three-Time, 1937
  • Music for Strings, 1941
  • New England Episodes, 1958^[1]

• Concertos
  • Concerto concertante, for two pianos and orchestra, 1953^[1] ([1])
  • Harpsichord concerto, 1959^[1]
  • Viola concerto, 1948^[1]
  • Fantasy on a Pastoral Theme for Organ and Strings, 1943
  • Concerto for Wind Orchestra, 1959
• Chamber music
  • Nine string quartets from 1922-3 (no. 1 in E minor)^[3], 1925^[2], 1930^[2], 1931^[2], 1935^[2], 1937^[2], 1943^[1], 1950^[1], 1958^[1])
  • Piano Quintet, 1927^[2]
  • Quintet for harpsichord and strings, 1961^[3]
  • Oboe quintet (Elegiac), 1966^[1]
  • Clarinet quintet, 1929^[2]
  • Two violin sonatas (1926^[2], 1929; second recorded in the 1950s and more recently, 1st given its premiere recording in the late 1990s) (also an early sonata from 1919 has been recorded)
  • Suite for viola alone, 1930^[2]
  • Piano sonata (1930)^[2]
  • Sonata for horn and piano, 1946^[3]
  • Sextet on a Slavic folk-theme, 1947^[3]
  • Blues Lointains for flute and piano (1928)^[3]

Books

• Porter, Quincy. Study of sixteenth century counterpoint, based on the works of Orlando di Lasso. Boston: Loomis. 3rd ed. pub. around 1948.

Notes

References

• Tawa, Nicholas E. (2001) From psalm to symphony: a history of music in New England at Google Book Search. UPNE. ISBN 1555534910. pp. 318-22.

External links

• The Quincy Porter papers at the Irving S. Gilmore Library at Yale List of most of his manuscripts
• Biography There has been a recording released of the 7th quartet since this was written in 1999.
• Biography at Music on the Web
• Notes to the recording on New World of Porter's Dance in Three Time

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