Barbara Pentland

Barbara Pentland, OBC ( born January 2, 1912 in Winnipeg, † February 5, 2000 in Vancouver ) was one of the most important Canadian composers in the second half of the 20th century.

Life

Pentland began at the age of nine years to compose. She had 1927-1929 piano lessons with Frederick H. Blair in Montreal and studied 1929-30 at the Schola Cantorum in Paris with Cécile Gauthiez, Vincent d' Indy's a student. She then took organ lessons with Hugh Bancroft and piano lessons at Eva Clare. In 1936 she made ​​her debut as a concert pianist at the Royal Alexandra Hotel.

From 1938 to 1938 she studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City counterpoint with Frederick Jacobi and composition with Bernard Wagenaar. After returning to Winnipeg, she gave private lessons and taught at the University of Manitoba. In the years 1941 and 1942 she attended summer courses at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland.

From 1942 she taught music theory and composition at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where George Crum and Alan Detweiler were among her students. From 1949 to 1963 she taught music theory and composition at the University of British Columbia. Then she lived as a freelance composer in Vancouver.

In their early compositions Pentland stood in the tradition of French late-romantic school of Cesar Franck and Vincent d' Indy. Under the influence of composers such as Copland, Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók their musical language was modern in the 1930s. Their encounters with the Schoenberg - student Dika Newlin ( 1948-49 ) and Anton Webern during the Darmstadt summer courses (1955 ) led them to serial music. Pentland was awarded honorary doctorates from Simon Fraser University and the University of Manitoba and was appointed Member of the Order of British Columbia.

Works

• Ballad of Trees and the Master for choir, (Text: Sidney Lanier ), 1937
• Dirge for a Violet for choir ( text: Duncan Campbell Scott ), 1939
• Lament for Orchestra, 1939
• Rhapsody for Piano, 1939
• Beauty and the Beast, ballet - pantomime, 1941
• Arioso and Rondo for Orchestra, 1941
• Holiday Suite for Chamber Orchestra, 1941
• Studies in Line for piano, 1941
• Concerto for Violin and Small Orchestra, 1942
• Variations for Piano, 1942
• Song Cycle for soprano and piano, 1942-45
• Sonata for Cello and Piano, 1943
• Vista for Violin and Piano, 1945
• Piano Sonata, 1945
• At Early Dawn ( text. Hsiang Hao ) for tenor, flute and cello, 1945
• String Quartet No. 1 in 1945
• Symphony No.. 1, 1945-48
• Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1946
• Film music for The Living Gallery, 1947
• Colony Music for Piano and String Orchestra, 1947
• Sonata Fantasy for Piano, 1947
• Octet for Winds, 1948
• Variations on a Tune Boccherini for orchestra, 1948
• Dirge for piano, 1948
• Concerto for Organ and Strings, 1949
• Weekend Overture for Resort Combo, 1949
• Symphony No.. 2, 1950
• Solo Violin Sonata, 1950
• Ave atque vale for orchestra, 1951
• 2 Sonatinas for Piano, 1951
• The Lake, chamber opera ( libretto by Dorothy Livesay ), 1952
• Epigrams and Epitaphs for Choir 1952
• String Quartet No. 2 in 1953
• Two - Piano Sonata, 1953
• Salutation of the Dawn for choir, 1954
• What is Man? for choir, 1954
• Ricercar for Strings, 1955
• Interlude for Piano, 1955
• Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, 1956
• Symphony for Ten Parts ' Symphony No.. 3, 1957
• Toccata for piano, 1958
• Symphony No.. 4, 1959
• Three Duets after Pictures by Paul Klee for piano four- hands, 1959
• Duo for Viola and Piano, 1960
• Canzona for Flute, Oboe and Harpsichord, 1961
• Cavazzoni for Brass, 1961
• Fantasy for Piano, 1962
• Ostinato and Dance for Harpsichord, 1962
• Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, 1963
• Strata for string orchestra, 1964
• Echoes 1 and 2 for piano, 1964
• Maze / mazes Casse-Tête/Puzzle for piano, 1964
• Puppet Show for piano four hands, 1964
• Shadows / Ombres for Piano 1964
• Three Pairs for piano, 1964
• Three Sung Songs for Choir, 1964
• Hands Across the C for Piano, 1965
• Variations for Viola. 1965
• Trio con alea for String Trio, 1966
• Borealis Suite for Piano, 1966
• Septet for Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Organ, Violin, Viola and Cello, 1967
• Space Studies for Piano, 1967
• Cinéscene for chamber orchestra, 1968
• String Quartet No. 3 in 1969
• Music of Now, Books 1, 2, 3 for Piano, 1969-70
• News (news media) for voice and orchestra, 1970
• Variations concertantes for Piano and Orchestra, 1970
• Reflections for accordion, 1971
• Five -Plus ' Simple Pieces for Strings, 1971
• Sung Songs No. 4 and 5 for mezzo- soprano and piano, 1971
• Interplay for accordion and string quartet, 1972
• Mutations for Cello and Piano, 1972
• Vita Brevis for piano, 1973
• Occasions for wind quintet, 1974
• Ephemera for Piano, 1974-78
• Res musica for Streixchorchester, 1975
• Tenebrae for piano, 1976
• Disasters of the Sun ( text: D. Livesay ) for medium voice, nine instruments and tape, 1976
• Phases for solo clarinet, 1977
• EVENTA for flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, cello, harp and two percussionists, 1978
• Trance for Flute and Harp, 1978
• Variable Winds, 1979
• String Quartet No. 4 in 1980
• Elegy for Horn and Piano, 1980
• Commenta, 1981
• Tellus for Flute, Cello, Percussion and Celesta, 1982
• Quintet for Piano and Strings, 1983
• Vincula for piano, 1983
• String Quartet No. 5 in 1985
• Horizons for piano, 1985
• Ice Age (Text: D. Livesay ) for soprano and piano, 1986
• Canticle Burlesca and Finale for Piano, 1987
• Intrada and Canzona 1988