Lewis Spratlan

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M. Lewis Spratlan Jr. (born September 5, 1940) is an American music academic and composer of contemporary classical music.

Born in Miami, Florida, Spratlan played the oboe as a youth.[1] He attended Yale University and was a student of Mel Powell and Gunther Schuller. He was also a member of The Spizzwinks(?) at Yale.

Spratlan joined the faculty of Amherst College in 1970, and later held the Peter R. Pouncey chair in music. He retired in 2006[2] and now holds the title of Peter R. Pouncey Professor of Music, Emeritus, at Amherst. He also conducted the Amherst College Orchestra for several years.

Spratlan won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2000 for a concert performance of Act II of his 3-act opera Life is a Dream,[3] which he began in 1975 and completed in 1978, originally on commission from the New Haven Opera. By the time Spratlan had finished the work, the New Haven Opera had ceased to exist and the opera was not staged. Act II of the opera received its first full performance at Amherst College in January 2000, and subsequently at Harvard University.[4] The Santa Fe Opera accepted the score for production in its 2010 season, and the complete opera received its first full production there on 24 July 2010.[1][5] Spratlan wrote his second opera, Earthrise, on commission from San Francisco Opera.[4]

Spratlan's music has been recorded/released commercially for Navona Records,[6] Albany Records,[7] Opus One, and Gasparo. Architect, a chamber opera about the archicect Louis Kahn, will be released by Navona Records in 2012.


Contents

[edit] Compositions

  • Tennessee Set (1968)
  • Flange (1970)
  • Two Pieces for Orchestra (1971)
  • Images (1971)
  • Three Carols on Medieval Texts (1971)
  • Diary Music I (1972)
  • Dance Suite (1973)
  • Three Plath Songs (1973)
  • Three Ben Jonson Songs (1974)
  • Life is a Dream (opera in 3 acts) (1978)
  • Chiasmata (1979)
  • Cornucopia (1979)
  • Coils (1980)
  • Webs (1981)
  • String Quartet No. 1 (1983)
  • Celebration (1984)
  • Penelope's Knees (double concerto) (1985)
  • When Crows Gather (1986)
  • Apollo and Daphne Variations (orchestra) (1987)
  • Wolves (1988)
  • Toccapsody (1989)
  • Hung Monophonies (1990)
  • Night Music (1990)
  • In Memoriam (1993)
  • A Barred Owl (1994)
  • Psalm 42 (1996)
  • Vocalise with Duck (1998)
  • Sojourner (1999)
  • Two Orchestral Sketches (1999)
  • Mayflies (2000)
  • Rhapsody (for orchestra) (2000)
  • Moments - Memento - Momentum (2001)
  • Peeves (string quartet) (2001)
  • Of Time and the Seasons (2001)
  • Earthrise (opera in one act) (2002)
  • Zoom (chamber orchestra) (2003)
  • The Manatees at Blue Springs (2003)
  • Streaming (2004)
  • Mega-Ditty (2004)
  • Piccolosophy (2005)
  • Wonderer (2005)
  • Ophélie (2005)
  • Shadow (2006)
  • Four Songs for Soprano and Women's Chorus (2008)
  • City Song (for the 150th Anniversary of the Yale Glee Club, 2010)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Daniel J. Wakin (2010-04-11). "An Opera's Very Long Overture". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/arts/music/12spratlan.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
  2. ^ ""Mega-Ditties", Music by Retiring Professor Lewis Spratlan, at Amherst College Feb. 19" (Press release). Amherst College. 31 January 2006. https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/news/news_releases/2006/01_2006. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
  3. ^ Allan Kozinn (2003-11-14). "Eclecticism and Humor in Works by Lewis Spratlan". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/14/arts/music/14SPRA.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. [dead link]
  4. ^ a b Anthony Tommasini (2002-06-23). "New Operas Are Booming, But the Bold Aren't Heard". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/23/arts/music-new-operas-are-booming-but-the-bold-aren-t-heard.html?scp=8&sq=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
  5. ^ Anthony Tommasini (2010-07-25). "Overdue Debut for Composer and Exiled Prince". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/arts/music/26dream.html. Retrieved 2010-08-05. 
  6. ^ "Lewis Spratlan: In Memoriam Review". http://www.allmusic.com/album/lewis-spratlan-in-memoriam-w185728/review. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
  7. ^ "Amherst College Composer Lewis Spratlan Has New Recording" (Press release). Amherst College. 17 February 2005. https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/news/news_releases/2005/02_2005. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links
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