George Crumb

Crumb in 2019 attending a performance at [[Alice Tully Hall]] in honor of his 90th birthday George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical language which "range[s] in mood from peaceful to nightmarish". Crumb's compositions are known for pushing the limits of technical prowess by way of frequent use of extended techniques. The unusual timbres he employs evoke a surrealist atmosphere which portray emotions of considerable intensity with vast and sometimes haunting soundscapes. His few large-scale works include ''Echoes of Time and the River'' (1967), which won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and ''Star-Child'' (1977), which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; however, his output consists of mostly music for chamber ensembles or solo instrumentalists. Among his best known compositions are ''Black Angels'' (1970), a striking commentary on the Vietnam War for electric string quartet; ''Ancient Voices of Children'' (1970) for a mixed chamber ensemble; and ''Vox Balaenae'' (1971), a musical evocation of the humpback whale, for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano.

Born to a musical family, Crumb was acquainted with classical music at an early age and his affinity for Classical and Romantic composers in particular would stay throughout his life. He was especially influenced by composers such as Mahler, Debussy and Bartók; Crumb wrote his four-volume piano set ''Makrokosmos'' (1972–1979) in response to Bartók's earlier piano set ''Mikrokosmos''. His compositions often contain musical quotations from wide range of composers including Bach, Chopin, Schubert, Strauss, and the jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. The use of pastiche is also found in his music, as is text by Federico García Lorca, whose poetry Crumb set eleven times. Elements of theatricality appear in numerous compositions, inspiring choreographies from contemporary dance groups. To convey his unorthodox and complex musical style, Crumb's musical scores are facsimile manuscripts, using special notation "distinguished by astonishing clarity, precision and elegance, and by arresting graphic symbols in which staves are bent into arches, circles and other pictorial devices." Among his students were the composers Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Rouse and Melinda Wagner. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 166 for search 'Crumb, George', query time: 0.08s Refine Results
  1. 1

    Processional by Crumb, George

    New York, N.Y. (373 Park Ave. South, New York 10016) : C.F. Peters, 1984
    Format: Musical Score Book


  2. 2

    Five pieces for piano ; Makrokosmos, volume I ; Gnomic variations by Crumb, George

    [S.l.] : Centaur, 1990
    Other Authors:
    Format: Audio


  3. 3

    Night music I : soprano, piano (and celesta), and percussion (two players) by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters Corp., 1996
    Format: Musical Score Book


  4. 4

    Ancient voices of children : [a cycle of songs on texts by García Lorca] : soprano, boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, electric piano, percussion by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters Corporation, 1970
    Format: Musical Score Book


  5. 5

    Makrokosmos. Volumes I & II by Crumb, George

    Berkeley, CA : Music & Arts, 1999
    Other Authors:
    Format: Audio


  6. 6

    Makrokosmos : volume II : amplified piano by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters Corp., 1973
    Format: Musical Score Book


  7. 7

    Echoes of time and the river : four processionals for orchestra by Crumb, George

    New York : E.F. Kalmus, 1968
    Format: Musical Score Book


  8. 8

    Unto the hills : Black angels by Crumb, George

    New Rochelle, NY : Bridge Records, 2003
    Other Authors:
    Format: Audio


  9. 9

    Music for a summer evening : (Makrokosmos III) : for two amplified pianos and percussion (two players) by Crumb, George

    New York : C. F. Peters, 1974
    Format: Musical Score Book


  10. 10

    Voices from the heartland : American songbook VII : a cycle of hymns, spirituals, folk songs and American Indian chants : for two amplified solo voices (male and female), amplified... by Crumb, George

    New York : C. F. Peters Corporation, 2014
    Preliminary edition.
    Format: Musical Score Book


  11. 11

    Sonata for solo violoncello by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters, 1958
    Format: Musical Score Book


  12. 12

    The ghosts of Alhambra : Spanish songbook. I : for baritone, guitar and percussion (one player) by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters, 2010
    Format: Musical Score Book


  13. 13

    Five pieces for piano by Crumb, George

    New York : C.F. Peters, 1973
    Format: Musical Score Book


  14. 14
  15. 15

    Echoes of time and the river : four processionals by Crumb, George

    New York : Edwin F. Kalmus, 1980
    Format: Musical Score Book


  16. 16
  17. 17

    An idyll for the misbegotten ; Vox balaenae = Voice of the whale ; Madrigals by Crumb, George

    New York, NY : New World Records, 1987
    Other Authors:
    Format: Audio


  18. 18

    Makrokosmos, vol. II ; A little suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979 ; Processional (original version) ; Processional (revised version) by Crumb, George

    [Place of publication not identified] : Centaur, 1991
    Other Authors:
    Format: Audio


  19. 19

    Makrokosmos : vol. I, [Twelve fantasy pieces after the Zodiac for] amplified piano by Crumb, George

    New York : C. F. Peters Corp., 1974
    Format: Musical Score Book


  20. 20

    Makrokosmos : vol. 2, amplified piano by Crumb, George

    New York : C. F. Peters Corp., 1974
    Format: Musical Score Book