Episodes
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Episode 25 - 1967: Leon Kirchner, Third String Quartet
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
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
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Episode 24 - 1966: Leslie Bassett, Variations for Orchestra
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
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
Saturday Sep 18, 2021
Episode 23 - 1965: No Prize (the Pulitzer Hat Trick)
Saturday Sep 18, 2021
Saturday Sep 18, 2021
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.
Saturday Aug 28, 2021
Episode 22 - 1964: No Prize (again)
Saturday Aug 28, 2021
Saturday Aug 28, 2021
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?
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Episode 21 - 1963: Samuel Barber, Piano Concerto No. 1
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Friday Aug 13, 2021
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.
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Episode 20 - 1962: Robert Ward, The Crucible
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
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."
Monday May 24, 2021
Episode 19 - 1961: Walter Piston, Symphony No. 7
Monday May 24, 2021
Monday May 24, 2021
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:
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Episode 18 - 1960: Elliott Carter, Second String Quartet
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
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
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Episode 17 - 1959: John La Montaine, Piano Concerto No. 1
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
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
Friday Mar 12, 2021
Episode 16 - 1958: Samuel Barber, Vanessa
Friday Mar 12, 2021
Friday Mar 12, 2021
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