Hearing The Pulitzers

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the symphony of John Corigliano they don't know. After appreciating Corigliano's first and third symphonies, what will they think of the second? This piece, a rescoring and revision of Corigliano's String Quartet, is another in a recent stretch of winning works that began in a different form.  If you'd like to learn more about Corigliano, we recommend: This interview with Corigliano by Living the Classical Life Corigliano's composer's note about the Symphony No. 2 Elizabeth Bergman's “Of Rage and Remembrance, Music and Memory: The Work of Mourning in John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1 and Choral Chaconne.” American Music 31, no. 3 (2013): 340–61

In this episode, Dave and Andrew talk about a curious winner for the year 2000 since it was originally composed 25 years earlier! What will they think about this blast from the past? It's also the first opera to win the Pulitzer Prize in many decades.   If you'd like more information about Lewis Spratlan, we recommend: This video of Spratlan talking about the origins of the opera before the full premiere by the Santa Fe Opera. This video of Spratlan detailing the opera's history with the Massachusetts Cultural Council. A. Robert Lauer's article "The Santa Fe Opera's Life Is a Dream" Bulletin of the Comediantes, Volume 63, Number 2 (2011): 155-60.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a concerto featuring an instrument not often put into a concerto setting: the flute. But its title also promises a balance among three forces instead of a featured soloist. What will they think of this contradictory piece?   If you'd like more information about Melinda Wagner, we recommend: Frank Oteri's excellent interview with Melinda Wagner from 2015 Yujia Xia's dissertation "Melinda Wagner and Her Piano Concerto: Extremity of Sky" from 2021. Mark Alburger, "Winning the Pulitzer Can Brighten Your Whole Day: An Interview with Melinda Wagner," 20th-Century Music 6, no. 6 (1999): 1-7.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew return to the venerable string quartet for a piece that mixes tonality, modernist music, Baroque dances, and Medieval modality. But will this mixture work for them? If you'd like more information about Aaron Jay Kernis and the String Quartet #2, we recommend: Leta Miller's book Aaron Jay Kernis, the first biography of the composer that we reference several times in the episode. A conversation between Kernis and Frank Oteri right after the biography was published.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew go deep into the tangled history surrounding the first jazz piece to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, Wynton Marsalis's Blood on the Fields. But what will they think of the changes to the Pulitzer that allowed a largely-improvised piece to win an award previously reserved for notated music?   If you'd like more information about Wynton Marsalis, we recommend: Wynton Marsalis's official website Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life by Wynton Marsalis and Geoffrey Ward David Stowe's article "The Diasporic Imagination of Wynton Marsalis," in The Black Urban Community, edited by Gayle T. Tate and Lewis A. Randolph (Palgrave, 2006) Matthew Alan Thomas's dissertation "Dynamic canons: How the Pulitzer Prize, documentary film, and the U.S. Department of State are changing the way we think about jazz," University of Southern California, 2011

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a song cycle in all but name, George Walker's Lilacs. From the outside, this win looks like another lifetime achievement award, but is it? And does Lilacs remind them of music from an earlier period in the Pulitzer's history?   If you'd like more information about George Walker or Lilacs, we recommend: Ginger Sharnell Jones-Robinson's DMA document, "An Analysis of Selected Vocal Works by George Walker" from the University of South Carolina, 2023. Mikey Thomas Terry's interview with George Walker, The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 84, No. 3 (2000), pp. 372-88 This short documentary on Walker and his music

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer from an earlier generation winning a Pulitzer in the twilight of his career. What will they think of Stringmusic?   If you'd like more information about Morton Gould, we recommend: J. Wesley Flinn's article, "Developing Variation in the Late Work of Morton Gould and Why It Matters" Gamut vol. 10. no. 1 (2021) Lee Evan's dissertation, "Morton Gould: His Life and Music," Columbia University, 1978. Peter Goodman's book, Morton Gould: American Salute (Amadeus Press, 2003).

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss one of the composers Dave wishes he had met, Gunther Schuller. But does Schuller's winning work Of Reminiscences and Reflections live up to his high expectations? If you'd like more information about Gunther Schuller, we recommend: Schuller's autobiography, A Life in Pursuit of Music and Beauty The Gunther Schuller Society Read "The Compleat Musician in the Complete Conservatory" in Schuller's collection of essays, Musings. 

In this episode, Dave and Andrew consider one of the few concertos to win the Pulitzer Prize, this time for an instrument whose sound some critics claimed grew "tiresome." Will they agree? And what famous composer's music is quoted in the piece? If you'd like more information about Christopher Rouse, we recommend: This interview with Joe Alessi mentioned in the episode. R. Burkhardt Reiter's 2005 dissertation, Symmetry and Narrative in Christopher Rouse's Trombone Concerto with white space waiting (an original composition for chamber orchestra).  Laurie Shulman's article, "Christopher Rouse: An Overview" in Tempo, no. 199 (1997): 2-8.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew address one of the most controversial awards in Pulitzer history. What happened in 1992 and was Wayne Peterson's music worthy of the ruckus that grew around it?    If you'd like more information about Wayne Peterson, we recommend: Joshua Kosman's Obituary of the composer in the New York Times. Peterson's professional management service (with discography, video, etc.) The Boston Modern Orchestra Project's recording of The Face of the Night, The Heart of the Dark.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew are joined by Howard Pollack, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Music at the University of Houston. Dr. Pollack is the author of acclaimed biographies of several Pulitzer Prize winners from the early years, including a recent biography of two-time winner Samuel Barber.   About Howard Pollack

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the second Pulitzer Prize in music won by a female composer, Shulamit Ran for her Symphony, in 1991. What will they think about this fourth freely-atonal work in a row to win the prize? And what snags did they run into researching this episode?   As mentioned in the podcast, here is Shulamit Ran performing with the New York Philharmonic in 1965: If you'd like more information on Shulamit Ran, we recommend: Malcolm Miller, "Between Two Cultures: A Conversation with Shulamit Ran" Tempo, 2004, 58(227):15-32. "Casting Musical Spells: Time, Passion, and Inevitability in the Music of Shulamit Ran,"  In: Kouvaras, L., Williams, N., Grenfell, M. (eds) The Composer, Herself. Palgrave Macmillan (2023).

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer who played with Benny Goodman as a jazz pianist, and then embraced Arnold Schoenberg's musical ideas as a member of the academy. What kind of music does that concoction create? Listen to this episode on Duplicates, Powell's winning piece for two pianos and orchestra. If you'd like more information about Mel Powell, we recommend: Sally Lamb, “An Analytical Guide to the Works of Mel Powell.” DMA diss., Cornell University, 1988. Jeffrey Perry, "Constructing a Relevant Past: Mel Powell's Beethoven Analogs" American Music 29, no. 4 (2011): 491–535. Finally, you might like to see Mel Powell in action with Benny Goodman:

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a work for string orchestra that Kyle Gann opined was the first experimental composition to win the Pulitzer since Charles Ives. Given how much Dave loves Ives, how does he react to Whispers Out of Time? How does the piece fit in the context of music written in the late 1980s?   If you'd like more information about Roger Reynolds, we recommend: Kyle Gann's American Music in the 20th Century (Schirmer, 1997). Roger Reynolds's "Ideals and Realities: A Composer in America" American Music Vol. 25, No. 1 (2007): 4-49.

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with 1988 Pulitzer Prize Winner William Bolcom. What is the difference between the Etudes and the New Etudes? What impact did John Cage have on his career? And who is answering the phone? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first solo piano work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. And they try to answer the question–if these are "new" etudes, what are the "old" etudes? They also examine how Bolcom incorporates various styles and techniques into the etudes, and ponder the set's historical place among other etude collections.     If you'd like more information about William Bolcom, we recommend: Henry S. Jones's dissertation "William Bolcom's Twelve New Etudes for Piano" (Louisiana State University, 1994). Ji Sun Lee's dissertation "Revolutionary Etudes: The Expansion of Piano Technique Exploited in the Twelve New Etudes of William Bolcom" (University of Arizona, 2001) William Bolcom's website. And if you'd like to read Dave's interview with Marc-André Hamelin (who premiered the entire set), you can find it here.

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner John Harbison. Why did he decide to play the tuba? What was it like to study composition with two-time winner Walter Piston? What was the impetus for looking at the darker side of Christmas in The Flight Into Egypt? We hope you enjoy hearing from him about these insights and many more!  

In this episode Dave and Andrew discuss a composer known for his eclecticism, who writes music that features the influence of jazz, Stravinskian neoclassicism, Schoenbergian serialism, and a variety of popular idioms. But will that mixture of styles win them over when applied to a Biblical text about the "dark side" of Christmas? If you'd like more information about Harbison, we recommend: Brian Galante's dissertation "John Harbison's The Flight into Egypt: An Analysis for Performance," University of North Texas, 2008. Mike Seabrook's "John Harbison and His Music," Tempo 197 (July 1996): 7–11. Tom Jacob's profile in the San Francisco Classical Voice.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss someone they know primarily as a music theorist. George Perle is celebrated for his theoretical work on twelve-tone theory and Alban Berg's music, but how does he stack up as a composer? And what do they think of the first woodwind quintet to win a Pulitzer?   For more information about George Perle, we recommend: George Perle, Twelve-Tone Tonality, 2nd edition (University of California Press, 1996). George Perle, The Operas of Alban Berg, Vol I and Vol II (University of California Press, 1989). Elliott Antokoletz, "George Perle: Man, Composer, and Theorist," Theory and Practice 33 (2008): 55-63. Steven Rosenhaus, "Harmonic Motion in George Perle's Wind Quintet No. 4" Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1995.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew continue discussing the streak of Neo-Romantic winners of the Pulitzer Prize in music with Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun. But will this symphony win them over?     For more information about Stephen Albert, we recommend: Ron Petrides's dissertation "Pitch Organization in Stephen Albert's Symphony RiverRun: A Study in Modal Combinations and Tonal Centricity" PhD Diss, NYU, 2008. Holly Watkins's article "The Pastoral After Environmentalism: Nature and Culture in Stephen Albert's Symphony: RiverRun" Current Musicology, no. 84 (2007): 7-24. Stephen Albert's Website (maintained by Alissa Grimaldi)

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer associated with New Romanticism. But is that label reductive or does it accurately describe Bernard Rands's music? How about this song cycle based on poems about the sun? If you'd like more information about Rands, we recommend: Will Robin's article "Horizons '83, Meet the Composer, and New Romanticism's New Marketplace" in Musical Quarterly, Vol. 102, nos. 2-3 (2019): 158–99. Benjamin Rivera's thesis "An Introduction to the Musical Language of Bernard Rands, as Demonstrated in Canti d'Amor" from Roosevelt University in 2005. Bruce Duffie's interview with Bernard Rands.

In this special bonus episode, Dave and Andrew talk with Pulitzer Winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. What did she learn studying at Florida State University and with former Pulitzer winners Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter? And why does she have a framed "Peanuts" cartoon in her studio? We hope you enjoy hearing from her about these insights and more!  

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first female Pulitzer Prize winner, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who wrote a symphony of all things. What will they think about the first symphony to win the prize since Walter Piston's Symphony No. 7 back in 1961?   As promised in the episode, here's Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's appearance in Peanuts. If you'd like more information about Zwilich, we recommend: Julie Schnepel's article "Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Symphony No. 1: Developing Variation in the 1980s" in Indiana Theory Review Vol. 10 (Spring and Fall 1989): 1-19 Anthony J. Palmer's "Interview with Ellen Taaffe Zwilich" in Philosophy of Music Education Review Vol. 19, No. 1 (Spring 2011): 80-99. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's website.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third winner of the Pulitzer Prize to study with Horatio Parker at Yale, Roger Sessions, for his Concerto for Orchestra. Since the other two winners were Charles Ives and Quincy Porter, it isn't a shock that Sessions was 85 years old when he won. What will they think about this blast from the past?   If you'd like to learn more about Roger Sessions, we recommend: Roger Sessions on Music: Collected Essays, edited by Edward T. Cone (Princeton University Press, 1979). Andrea Olmstead's book Roger Sessions: A Biography (Routledge, 2008). The Correspondence of Roger Sessions by Andrea Olmstead and Roger Sessions (Northeastern University Press, 1992) The Roger Sessions Society

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the fourth and final time (so far) that the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. Unlike 1965, which was the last year they didn't award the prize, 1981 wasn't mired in controversy. So why did the Pulitzer Board not award a prize and what should have won? As a bonus, Dave and Andrew also discuss lessons learned after covering 40 years of the Pulitzer Prize and make predictions for what's to come!  

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer Aaron Copland called a "rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift." Will they agree with Copland about David Del Tredici's In Memory of a Summer Day?   If you'd like more information about David Del Tredici, we recommend: Contemporary Music Review's issue on New Tonality, volume 6, issue 2 (1992), including Paul Moravec's interview with Del Tredici. J. D. Dolan's article on Del Tredici in BOMB, No. 60 (Summer 1997): 42-45 James E. Chute's dissertation "The reemergence of tonality in contemporary music as shown in the works of David Del Tredici, Joseph Schwantner, and John Adams" (University of Cincinnati, 1991) A recent interview with Del Tredici

In this episode, Andrew and Dave explore a composer they first encountered with his music for wind band. In his Pulitzer-winning work, Schwantner fashioned a composition critics have described as creating a "poetic illusion—but only an illusion— of movement." Will this illusion win them over?   If you'd like more information about Schwantner we recommend: James Chute's dissertation "The reemergence of tonality in contemporary music as shown in the works of David Del Tredici, Joseph Schwantner, and John Adams" (University of Cincinnati, 1991) Schwantner's website Cynthia Folio's article "The synthesis of traditional and contemporary elements in Joseph Schwantner's 'Sparrows,'" Perspectives of New Music, vol. 24, no. 1 (1985): 184-96.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew record their first live podcast event! In front of the Kansas City Conducting Symposium, they discuss an unusual work for the Pulitzers in that Michael Colgrass featured the percussion section of the orchestra. Will they enjoy this departure from standard orchestration?     If you'd like more information about Colgrass, we recommend: Colgrass's autobiographies Adventures of an American Composer and My Lessons with Kumi  James Donald Broadhurst's dissertation "The early drum-melodic music of Michael Colgrass and the evolution of the Colgrass drum" (The Ohio State University, 2005)

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a Pulitzer winner that has so fallen out of the repertoire that there is no commercially available recording. But that doesn't mean there aren't interesting things to learn about the state of music in the late 1970s! For example, why was there an extra meeting of the jury, and did all the members participate in the deliberations? Listen to find out!    If you'd like more information about Richard Wernick, we recommend: This interview with Wernick from 2021 with the Network for New Music Michael Rose's dissertation "Unity in diversity: the synthesis of compositional approaches in Richard Wernick's Vision of terror and wonder" Bruce Duffie's interview with Wernick Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer better known for his songs who won for an orchestral work, Ned Rorem. They may enjoy The Nantucket Songs but what will they think about Air Music? And was Air Music actually supposed to win the Pulitzer Prize??? Tune in to find out. If you'd like to know more about Ned Rorem, we recommend: Ned Rorem, The Paris and the New York Diaries, 1951-1961, Open Road Media J.D. McClatchy's 1999 interview with Ned Rorem in The Paris Review, Issue 150 A Ned Rorem Reader (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001)

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first song cycle to ever win the Pulitzer Prize, Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf. Argento always remarked that his music balanced between his desire for fantasy and his need for control. Do Dave and Andrew think this work has that balance?   If you'd like more information about Dominick Argento, we recommend: Jacquelyn Matava's dissertation "Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf: A Preparation Guide for Performers" (Indiana University, 2014) Russell Platt's New Yorker article "The Elegant Musical Vessels of Dominick Argento" Argento's memoir, Catalogue Raisonnâe as Memoir: A Composer's Life (University of Minnesota Press, 2004)   Please write a review of us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to the podcast -- thanks!

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss a composer who is usually considered a 12-tone composer, but who also rejected labels. He famously told the New York Times in 1997 that "If anyone writes program notes and says I am a Serial or a 12-tone composer, I am infuriated." How do Dave and Andrew label Martino's music? How does Notturno fit into the style of other winners in the early 1970s?   If you'd like more information about Donald Martino and Notturno, we recommend: James Praznik's 2022 dissertation "Dreaming of Single Hexachords in an Infinite Expanse: An Analysis of Movement II of Donald Martino's Notturno" The collection of articles in tribute to Martino in Perspectives of New Music 29/2 (Summer 1991) Bruce Duffie's interview with Martino

In this episode, Dave and Andrew revisit Elliott Carter, who won his first Pulitzer in 1960. They awarded his String Quartet No. 2 two big thumbs up. Will they be as enthusiastic about Carter's String Quartet No. 3? If you'd like more information about Elliott Carter and his String Quartet No. 3, we recommend: This performance of the String Quartet No. 3 by the Jack Quartet. Andrew W. Mead's article "Pitch Structure in Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 3" in Perspectives of New Music,  vol. 22, no. 1/2 (Autumn, 1983 - Summer, 1984): 31-60 Laura Emmery's book Compositional Process in Elliott Carter's String Quartets: A Study in Sketches (Routledge, 2020)

In this episode, Dave and Andrew look through Windows at Jacob Druckman's compositional style and legacy in American music. Druckman taught at Yale and the Aspen Music Festival for years, shaping generations of young composers, and coined the term "New Romanticism" when he curated the Horizons Festivals at the NY Philharmonic in the mid-1980s. Yet today, his attempts to merge modernist techniques with audience-friendly sounds are largely forgotten. Should they be?   If you'd like to know more about Druckman, we recommend: Nicholas Papador's dissertation Jacob Druckman: A Bio-Bibliography and Guide to Research, Northwestern University, 2003. Druckman's interview in Cole Gagne and Tracy Caras's Soundpieces: Interviews with American Composers (Scarecrow Press, 1982) Bruce Duffie speaks with Jacob Druckman  

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first episode they have a personal connection to as Andrew has performed Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 6. How does Dave react to the third music winner to incorporate electronic sounds, and how do those sounds hold up 50 years later?   If you'd like more information about Davidovsky, we recommend: Wesley True's lecture “Men, Music, and Machines. Some Thoughts Generated by the Practice and Performance of Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms #6 for Piano and Electronics” published in the Journal of the American Liszt Society vol. 9 (June 1981): 50-54. Eric Chasalow's "Mario Davidovsky, An Introduction," Agni no. 50 (1999): 195-200. Davidovsky's bio page on the Edition Peters site.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first fully electronic work to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, even though it was the only electronic work its composer ever wrote. Did Charles Wuorinen set a new standard for Pulitzer-winning music or was electronic music a flash in the pan?   If you're interested in learning more about Wuorinen, we recommend: Charles Wuorinen's extensive website Elliott Schwartz's article "Electronic Music: A Thirty-Year Retrospective" in Music Educators Journal, Vol. 64, No. 7 (March 1978): 36-41. Perspective of New Music's "Charles Wuorinen: A Celebration at 80," Vol. 56, No. 2 (Summer 2018)

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore a composer renowned today for his works for wind band, but celebrated during his lifetime for music that was, in Nicolas Slonimsky's famous phrase, "oxygenated by humanistic romanticism." Join us as we try and tease out exactly what Slonimsky meant by exploring Husa's String Quartet No. 3.   If you'd like more information about Husa, we recommend: Lawrence W. Hartzell's "Karel Husa: The Man and the Music" in The Musical Quarterly Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan., 1976), pp. 87-104 Susan Hayes Hitchens's Karel Husa: A Bio-bibliography, published by Greenwood Press in 1991. New York Times obituary for Husa by Steve Smith: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/arts/music/karel-husa-pulitzer-prize-winning-composer-dies-at-95.html

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore an early work by a composer who transformed American music with his singular vision. But how did a composer who concocted a personal aesthetic reflecting a fascination with "life, death, love, the smell of the earth, the sounds of the wind and the sea" impact artists like David Bowie and directors like William Friedkin (who used Crumb's music in The Exorcist)? If you'd like more information about George Crumb, we recommend: George Crumb's New York Times obituary Thomas Riis's "A Conversation with George Crumb" in The American Music Research Center Journal, Vol. 3 (Jan 1, 1993) Crumb's article "Music: Does It Have a Future?" in The Kenyon Review Vol. 2, No. 3 (Summer, 1980), pp. 115-122 Crumb's website: http://www.georgecrumb.net

We're back with Season 2 of "Hearing The Pulitzers!"  In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first music winner to incorporate electronics, Leon Kirchner. Kirchner wanted to expand human capabilities by combining live performance with recorded electronic sounds. Although he did not focus his music on electronics after the 3rd Quartet, Kirchner's award ultimately set a trend for the Pulitzer the next few years, as the jury became more and more accepting of new sounds and timbres.   If you'd like more information about Leon Kirchner, we recommend: Robert Rigg's biography Leon Kirchner: Composer, Performer, and Teacher (University of Rochester Press, 2010) Bruce Duffie's 1990 interview with Leon Kirchner

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first music winner in three years, Leslie Bassett. After two decades of honoring fairly conservative, European-derived pieces and two years of not honoring any pieces of music, what direction will the Pulitzer go in the late 1960s?   If you'd like more information about Leslie Bassett, we recommend: Leslie Bassett's homepage Ellen S. Johnson's Leslie Bassett: a Bio-Bibliography, published in 1994 by Greenwood Press  Stephanie Brunelli's dissertation, The use of the piano in the twentieth-century orchestra: A study of Pulitzer Prize compositions by Copland, Bassett, and Druckman

In this episode, Dave and Andrew cover the third year the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. The 1964 decision not to award a prize might have been shocking, but nothing could have prepared the Pulitzer Board from the fallout of their decision in 1965. Music jury members resigned, the press had a field day, and the trajectory of music winners changed dramatically. We'll chart all the intrigue, including what Duke Ellington had to do with this scandal.  

In this episode, Andrew and Dave discuss the second time the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a music prize. In fact, in 1964, they did not give awards in the categories of drama, music, and fiction. It was the first time since the Pulitzer Prizes began in 1917 that three separate categories did not have an awardee. To deepen the intrigue, the music board was split, and at least one member wanted to give a music award (and wasn't happy with the other members). We discuss all the drama! What happened in 1964 and what were the ramifications on later music winners?

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the third person to win two Pulitzers, Samuel Barber. Barber's prize-winning opera Vanessa was a qualified hit in Episode 16, but how does his Piano Concerto stack up?   (Photo of Pianist John Browning, 1966)   If you'd like more information about Samuel Barber or his Piano Concerto No. 1, we recommend: Emily Lu's 1986 dissertation from the University of Wisconsin, "The Piano Concerto of Samuel Barber" Jonathan Blumhofer's fascinating discussion of the piece in "Rethinking the Repertoire #13 – Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto" The interview with pianist John Browning in the Peter Dickinson edited volume Samuel Barber Remembered (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2010.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew turn to the fifth opera to win a Pulitzer Prize, Robert Ward's The Crucible. The opera is based on Arthur Miller's award-winning play that even today is considered an American classic. Does the opera hold up as well? If you're interested in more information about Robert Ward or The Crucible, we recommend: Robert Kolt's book Robert Ward's The Crucible: Creating an American Musical Nationalism. Robert Kolt's article "The Devil Made Me Do It! History to Play to Opera: Media Transformation in Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'" in the Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies Vol. 20, No. 1 (Spring, 2014), pp. 55-76. Charles Patrick Wolver's 1986 dissertation "Robert Ward's The Crucible: A Critical Commentary."

In this episode, Dave and Andrew return to Walter Piston, who first won the Pulitzer in 1948 for his Third Symphony. In 1961, not even a year into his retirement, Piston won again for his Seventh Symphony. Although Piston's music isn't performed much today, Carol Oja has argued that "From the perspective of the early 21st century, the music of Walter Piston sounds mighty appealing." Will Dave and Andrew agree? If you're interested in more information about Walter Piston's teaching, we recommend: Piston/DeVoto, Harmony Piston, Counterpoint  Piston, Orchestration

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss the first Pulitzer winner of the 1960s, Elliott Carter for his Second String Quartet. Carter's work has been frequently performed, widely celebrated, and heavily analyzed, but will it be a hit or a miss for our hosts?     If you're interested in learning more about Carter or his Second String Quartet, we recommend: David Thurmaier's "'A Disturbing Lack of Musical and Stylistic Continuity'? Elliott Carter, Charles Ives, and Musical Borrowing" Current Musicology, 96 (Fall 2013), 97-124. Tiina Koivisto's "Multilayered Rhythms, Meter, and Notated Meter: Temporal Processes in Elliott Carter's Second String Quartet" Theory and Practice, 34 (2009), 141-171. Elliott Carter's website, a well-maintained source of information about his music and recent recordings and performances. Laura Emmery's study on the string quartets (including the 3rd, which will win the Pulitzer Prize in 1973): Compositional Process in Elliott Carter's String Quartets

In this episode, Dave and Andrew discuss John La Montaine's first piano concerto, a work that made a splash in the late 1950s only to disappear from the repertoire. Similarly, La Montaine has faded from view, so what made this work catch the Pulitzer committee's attention? If you'd like to learn more about John La Montaine, we recommend: Frank Oteri's 2003 interview "Rediscovering John La Montaine" Bruce Duffie's 1989 interview with John La Montaine Erica Beth Weintraub's article “John La Montaine: Life on the Edge” in Music Educators Journal, vol 69, no. 7 (March 1983): 41-43

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the fourth opera to win the Pulitzer Prize in the 1950s, Samuel Barber's Vanessa. In the mid-20th century United States, Samuel Barber was one of the most performed American composers, known especially for his beautiful vocal music that closely mirrored European models. But with the Pulitzer traditionally awarding works that are more "American" in sound, does Vanessa represent a departure from convention for Barber or the Pulitzer board? If you'd like more information about Samuel Barber or Vanessa we recommend: This fascinating background article in Pasatiempo by James M. Keller Howard Pollack's article "Samuel Barber, Jean Sibelius, and the Making of an American Romantic" in The Musical Quarterly, vol. 84, vo. 2 (Summer, 2000): 175-205 Barbara B. Heyman's biography Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music, 2nd edition (Oxford University Press, 2020)  A synopsis of the opera

Norman Dello Joio is one of those composers you might know depending on your background. Sing choral music? You might know him from A Jubilant Song. Play in band? You might have performed his Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn. He was accomplished and prolific composer, but we did not know his Pulitzer winning Meditations on Ecclesiastes before this episode. Join Dave and Andrew as they explore if it fits into the list of winners in the 1950s or is an outlier. If you want to know more about Dello Joio, we recommend: Dello Joio's website (which was last updated in 2009, but still has useful documentation on his life and career) Edward Downes's article "The Music of Norman Dello Joio" in The Musical Quarterly Vol. 48, No. 2 (April, 1962): 149-172. Ann Meyer's interview with Norman Dello Joio published in Music Educators Journal Vol 74, Issue 2 (1987): 53-56.

Like Gian Carlo Menotti before him, Ernst Toch was a European composer who won an American prize. Unlike Menotti, Toch did not have the same success in the United States that he had in Europe and never fully identified as an "American" composer. Join us as we find out how his third symphony, inspired by his experience as a Jew fleeing the Nazis in the 1930s, might tell us something about Toch's place in American musical history.   If you'd like to learn more about Ernst Toch, we recommend: This fascinating article about Toch's experience fleeing the Nazis written by his grandson. Toch's Geographical Fugue, one of the first examples of "Gesprochene Musik." Paul A. Pisk and Manton Monroe Marble's 1938 survey of Toch's music written for The Musical Quarterly.

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first repeat winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music. We covered Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul in Episode 8 and now he's back again with The Saint of Bleecker Street. We were generally favorable toward The Consul, finding it an effective, if derivative opera. Will Menotti score another hit with this story of a young woman who displays the stigmata? If you're interested in The Saint of Bleecker Street, we recommend: The original Broadway cast recording from 1954 The TV movie version of the opera, broadcast on NBC in 1955 We also recommend exploring the Spoleto festival a bit more, both the Festival of Two Worlds held in Spoleto, Italy and the Spoleto Festival hosted in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.